The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will celebrates its golden anniversary this weekend, the same year as the University of Memphis' Centennial.
"Since we are focusing on the people of the law school, we want to make it so that faculty, staff and students have an opportunity to be a part of the celebration," said Wendy Sumner-Winter, coordinator of alumni and constituent relations.
The 50th anniversary celebration will take place Saturday at the law school, located at 1 North Front St.
Sumner-Winter said the location was chosen because the new law school opened in 2010 and "the alumni are very proud of their part in making that happen."
Kyle Wiggins, chair of the anniversary celebration planning committee and a 2004 graduate of the law school, has been a member of the Law Alumni Board for 3 years. He was asked to chair the event committee by the past president of the Law School Chapter of the University's Alumni Association.
"This was a way for me to give back and celebrate a very important milestone," he said.
The celebration will have a '60s theme, and attendees are encouraged to wear cocktail attire from that decade. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend.
"Since the law school was founded in the '60s, we wanted to go with a madmen cocktail party theme," Wiggins said. "It's not a costume party, it's a cocktail party, but we want people to have fun with [the] theme and the event."
The event is divided into two parts. The first is a VIP reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served, and there will be a performance by up-and-coming country singer Caroline Jones from New York.
Jones has performed at places such as Juilliard, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. According to her biography, she is also an unofficial master class faculty member at the Memphis Orpheum Theatre.
"She is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, and we want to have something special for the VIP reception," Sumner-Winter said.
The second part is called "Music from the Decades." It is a collection of different musical performances that will take place between 7 and 10 p.m. in different locations at the law school.
The cost of the VIP event is $250 per ticket, and the music event is $150 per ticket. However, current students and graduates from 2009-2012 will pay $50 for tickets to the second event. The first event will remain full price for students.
Sumner-Winter said the group "really want[s] to engage young alumni."
Tyler DeWitt, U of M Student Bar Association bar governor and current Cecil C. Humphreys law student, is volunteering at the anniversary celebration.
"It's definitely worth [going to salute] the people who built the University," DeWitt said.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the law school.
"They are doing this to be able to increase their ability to support the law school," Sumner-Winter said.
Tonight from 5 to 8 p.m., the law school will host an Admissions Workshop and Recruitment Fair. The event will be held at the law school and is free and open to the public.
Assistant Dean of Admissions Sue Ann McClellan will speak for the first hour of the event about the admissions process and study tips for the LSAT, the entrance exam for law schools.
"It's a good way to get firsthand experience from professionals in the business," McClellan said.
Afterwards, representatives from 12 law schools in the South will talk to students about their respective admissions procedures and law programs. DeWitt attended one of these events when researching which law school he wanted to attend.
"It was nice having all the different law schools there so you can pick up information and talk to all of the different admissions personnel," DeWitt said.
