Morgantown residents and West Virginia University seniors Katie Gatian and Jared Ramsey were crowned 2009 Homecoming queen and king on Saturday (Oct. 24).

Gatian and Ramsey were recognized during halftime festivities of the WVU-University of Connecticut football game at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Gatian, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major, is a member of Chi Omega sorority and is currently serving as their president. She is also a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honorary and Sigma Gamma Tau aerospace engineering honorary.

She has made the dean’s list three times, and the president’s list three times. She is a two-year member of WVU’s Microgravity Research team, and was excited to travel with the team to Houston in August to fly their experiment aboard a Zero-G aircraft.

Gatian has also been involved in WVU’s Dance Marathon since her freshman year and is looking forward to being a morale captain again this year.

She was sponsored by Chi Omega, and is the daughter of Jim and Kelli Gatian.

Ramsey, a finance major, has been actively involved in the Student Government Association, serving two terms on the Board of Governors and currently serving as treasurer.

He is also involved in the WVU Finance Club and Mountaineer Maniacs, where he serves on its executive board. Ramsey was on the dean’s list for the fall and spring of 2007 and spring of 2009. He is a West Virginia PROMISE Scholar.

He was sponsored by the Mountaineer Maniacs, and is the son of Ken and Connie Ramsey.

Other queen candidates were: Lauren Biafora, Morgantown; Casey Hughes, Bruceton Mills; Kori Dee Korczyk, Beckley; and Megan Anne Liberatore, Scott Depot.

Other king candidates were: Clayton Allison, Clarksburg; Frank Cox, Chester; Zachary Gottfried, Boca Raton, Fl.; and Jeffery Upson, Harrisburg, Pa.

Several WVU alumni were also recognized for service to their communities and alumni chapters. The 2009 alumni chapter and service award recipients are: Thomas E. Bold Jr., York Haven, Pa.; Robert “Bob” Mayhew, Romney, W.Va.; Kevin Nodianos, Reston, Va.; James “Doc” Wilson, Glen Dale, W.Va.; and Sonja Wilson, Rivesville, W.Va.

Also during Homecoming weekend, Olympic competitor and WVU Rifle Team Head Coach Jon Hammond led the annual Homecoming parade on Friday (Oct. 23) down High Street. Competitors in the 2009 national championship, Hammond and the WVU Rifle Team were recognized during halftime for their recent success.

For more information on WVU’s Homecoming festivities, visit http://homecoming.wvu.edu/.

-WVU-

cd10/24/09

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