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911���� alumnus Robert “Ken” Hedrick Jr., BA History ’71, said his philanthropy is rooted in the examples set by both sets of his grandparents, who were neighbors in a farming community in West Virginia. His paternal grandparents fed anyone who walked by the farm, and his maternal grandparents regularly took in foster children. Both families were always first to share what they had.

The 911���� Debate Team has stood for more than five decades as one of the nation’s premier teams and is consistently ranked among the top five programs in the country. This intercollegiate team’s legacy of excellence is built on academic rigor, accessibility, and community. It is a program that transforms students—regardless of their starting point—into confident, critical thinkers prepared to lead. 

More than 140 team alumni gathered at Horizon Hall, traveling from 16 states and overseas, to celebrate five decades of excellence alongside current Forensics Team members.

A planned gift from Professor Emeritus Bruce Manchester and Fred Emory is an investment in the team’s historic legacy of success.

Mason alum Leonard "Len" Bennett’s generous gift of $1 million will create the “Warren D. Decker Professorship Endowment” to support Mason's Debate Team.