Father and son Pirates share homecoming tradition

Burney and Eric Rivenbark carry individual stories of how they arrived at East Carolina University, but they are both Pirates, inextricably bonded by their great affection for their alma mater. The father and son alumni share a new, unique status as co-grand marshals of this year’s homecoming parade.

When Burney ’67 entered East Carolina, it was a college. Fresh from service in the U.S. Army, it was the only school he could afford to attend. He worked as a laborer to pay for school and a car to get him to class.

Thirty years later, ECU was the only school that Eric Rivenbark ’97 ’99 considered attending. He jokes that he was raised to be a Pirate. A traditional, 18-year-old student; he lived on campus, was involved in student programs and activities, and served as president of the Student Government Association.

Burney Rivenbark ’67 and his son Eric ’97 ’99 shared grand marshal duties in the 2025 homecoming parade.

On Saturday, Burney and Eric smiled and waved at cheering parade-goers from their perch in a Jeep at the lead of the parade. Eric described being a grand marshal with his father as “surreal in the best way.”

“My dad and I have always been closely connected through ECU, but this felt like the capstone moment of a 50-year shared ECU legacy,” Eric said. “Serving as grand marshal was a tremendous honor, but sharing it with my dad made it unforgettable. He was beside himself with excitement, and we are both extremely grateful we were allowed to represent our alma mater in such a meaningful way.”

The two swapped memories as the parade rolled down 5th Street. One story they shared highlighted another difference in their ECU experiences. This was Eric’s second time participating in the homecoming parade and Burney’s first.

“I was a finalist for homecoming king in the fall of 1998, and all of us were included in the parade. The weather was miserable, as it was pouring rain, and I ended up riding in the back of an enclosed car,” Eric said. “This past Saturday was the complete opposite, as the weather was spectacular.  You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect homecoming day.”

Building a tradition at ECU

What ties the Rivenbarks together now as Pirates grew from singular experiences of being students. Burney earned his tuition as a bricklayer for the J.L. Coe Construction Company.

“I arranged my classes to end at about 12 o’clock. I pulled out my old brick hammer and whatever other things I needed and put on my coveralls, and I was up there laying brick for some of those dormitories [on campus],” Burney said. “I did observe that laying brick, in all weather conditions, was not work like you wanted to do, so I decided I would work in an office.”

He graduated with a business degree and began a 45-year career as a certified public accountant in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“I really attribute my success in a large measure to the excellent education that I received there from professors such as Dr. Gwen Potter and others,” Burney said. “My education at ECU is a real warm spot in my heart.’

His love of campus naturally extended to his family.

“My wife, Judy ’65, and I took Eric to many sporting events up there over the years, almost all the home football games and a lot of the basketball games. We would drag him along, so he never had a chance [to go anywhere else],” Burney said. “After high school, he knew where he was attending. He only applied to ECU. He achieved a master’s degree and his doctorate. We’re so proud of him and how ECU has prepared him.”

In addition to sharing in the fanfare of homecoming, the Rivenbarks hold a much-celebrated ECU moment at the top of their list of special memories — the 1992 Peach Bowl.

“This memory, of course, involved my son, because we were at the Peach Bowl with N.C. State. It was an exciting time,” Burney said. “After the game, after we had won, Eric just ran down on the field and got up a chunk of grass as a souvenir from that game. I think that helped turn him into a real ECU fan.”

Common Paths

Eric followed his father’s lead into business, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA from ECU’s College of Business. He is senior director of major and planned gifts at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina.

“When I stepped on this campus many years ago, I had no idea of the tremendous impact that it would have on my life,” Eric said. “East Carolina University is not just my alma mater; it’s a place that shaped the very core of who I am.”

Eric serves as chair of the ECU Alumni Association board of directors, another role that reflects his father’s influence.

He witnessed his parents’ commitment and service to ECU. He watched his father “pour his energy, his time and his heart” into the university, including serving as chair of the alumni association, as Eric does now.

“It means the world to me that ECU is part of our story as a family,” Rivenbark said. “It’s more than just shared memories; it’s a bond that continues to deepen through tradition, service and Pirate pride,” Eric said. “That’s the beauty of a legacy: It evolves. It grows stronger with every new student who walks by the cupola, who finds their voice and who dares to dream bigger than before.”

Eric said when he came to ECU as a student, he was not expecting the tremendous impact the university would have on his life.

“Even though I could see his devotion to our university, and I sensed ECU’s importance to both of them, I didn’t quite understand it,” Eric said. “It wasn’t until I became a student here myself that I truly understood why. It was then that I realized that ECU wasn’t just something that my parents loved; it was something that had shaped them, just like it was shaping me.”

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