Relays, Roots, and Lifelong Ties

Relays, Roots, and Lifelong Ties

A Letter from Alumnus John Farmer

The first time I experienced the Drake Relays was in April 1989. I was just a visitor, unaware I was about to stumble into something life-changing. The campus was buzzing with energy—world-class athletes on the Blue Oval, friendly people around every corner, and, yes, a cold draft beer in hand. It immediately felt like home. Four months later, I was officially a Bulldog, enrolling as a transfer student.
Fast forward 36 years, and Drake is still at the heart of my family’s story. I met my wife, Jill Lingwall Farmer, JO’91, while we were giving campus tours. She first noticed me emceeing Bulldog Tales, an annual campus variety show. But it wasn’t until the following fall, while working together in the admissions office, that we decided to go on our first date. Twenty-six years of marriage later, the rest is history.
A group of people wearing Drake University apparel, smiling inside a venue.
Jill practically bleeds blue. She recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro sporting Drake swag—no surprise from someone whose mother and grandmother were both Bulldogs. I serve on the National Alumni Board, helping alumni connect with each other across the country. Drake has remained a constant thread in our lives.

Still, when it came time for our daughters, Peyton, HS’19, and Jane, BN’22, to choose a college, we didn’t push Drake. We knew they’d want to chart their own course. Our oldest, Peyton, made it clear she wanted to go her own way. But during a family trip to Des Moines, she reluctantly agreed to let us show her around campus. That visit turned the tide. She graduated after studying abroad in Barcelona and completing a January Term in Africa.

“Relays aren’t just about the races—they’re about reconnecting, reminiscing, and reliving the best parts of being a Bulldog.”
John Farmer, AS’92
A young man in a blue football jersey with number 62, kneeling on a grassy field, holding a helmet with a bulldog and the letter D.
Her younger sister, Jane, was even more determined to go somewhere farther away. But like her sister, she found herself drawn to the people and opportunities at Drake. She, too, became a Bulldog, blending global learning into her college experience before crossing the stage with her diploma in hand.

For us, Relays will always be part homecoming, part family reunion. A typical Farmer Relays weekend might look like this:

  • Fuel up: Casey’s breakfast pizza—The breakfast of champions!
  • Fleet Feet Alumni 5K: In hindsight, breakfast pizza was … ambitious.
  • East Village stroll: Raygun T-shirts? Always.
  • Catch the races: The need for speed never gets old. I can still picture Michael Johnson blasting the 200-meter dash on the Blue Oval.
  • Painted Street Party: Genius.
  • The Alumni Tent: Snacks, libations, and nonstop laughs with old friends.
  • The Peggy’s Tent: Even more libations. And, inevitably, another new T-shirt (don’t tell them I bounced a check here in 1990).

Relays aren’t just about the races—they’re about reconnecting, reminiscing, and reliving the best parts of being a Bulldog. So, what do you say? Come home to the Relays. Bask in the sunshine, soak up the camaraderie, and let’s raise a glass to old memories and new ones waiting to be made.

Go Bulldogs!

John Farmer, AS’92

A person wearing a tiara and a "1990 Homecoming" sash, holding white roses.
A bulldog named Griff II sitting on a chair with two people crouching beside it, smiling.
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