AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 1
Austin College
FRONTIER WOMAN FOR MODERN TIMES
Magazine September 2008
50 YEARS OF WYNNE CHAPEL
| WINKLER PRESENTS OPENING ADDRESS | ANNA LAURA PAGE TRIBUTE
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 2
ac 12
@
14
Are you receiving the latest news from
Austin College?
Not if we don’t have your email address!
The Office of College Relations distributes the
Austin College e-newsletter, @ac, the first Monday of
each month with updates and sends notice of
significant breaking news from campus as needed.
Subscribe:
www.austincollege.edu/Form.asp?3477
12
When Oscar Page steps down as Austin College president in
June 2009, the community also will say goodbye to Anna
Laura Page. The editor offers a closer look at the first lady.
magazine.austincollege.edu
10
13
18
21
25
26
31
33
36
38
More Summer VIP Experiences
Anna Laura Page Photos: The Austin College Years
The Race for Madam President: Reflections from Kiki McLean
At the Death House Door: Film Trailer and Details
Ties to Presbyterian Seminaries Still Strong
Additional Opening of School Photos
News Briefs Photos
More About the Presidents Climate Commitment
The Women’s Soccer Travel Blog
Legends Dinner and Golf Photos
Anna Laura Page Tribute
14
Emily Austin: Frontier Woman for Modern Times
It was Emily Austin who gave the initial gift to establish
Austin College. She was a woman ahead of her time,
providing for her family when women had little to no power
in society. A new biography by Light Cummins will give the
Texas pioneer woman a place in history she long has deserved.
20
In the Shadow of Death
Carroll Pickett served as the Death House chaplain at Texas’
Huntsville Prison for 13 years, and his experiences have been
made into a documentary released in May.
22
Wynne Chapel’s 50th Anniversary
Built in 1958, Wynne Chapel has seen thousands of students
come through its doors. In November, the College celebrates
the 50th anniversary of the building’s dedication.
26
Winkler Presents Opening Address
Henry Winkler shared words of inspiration and hope with
students, faculty, staff, and guests at the official opening of
the 160th academic year of the College.
28
Out of the Congo
An Austin College art exhibit offers a look at African art that
usually accessible only in major museums. The art objects, on
loan from Austin College alumni, represent villagers’
gratitude to a missionary doctor.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 3
AUSTIN COLLEGE
22
20
26
Oscar C. Page
President
Nan Davis
Vice President
Heidi Ellis
Vice President
Mike Imhoff
Vice President
Jerry Holbert
Vice President
Tim Millerick
Vice President
for Institutional Enrollment
for Business Affairs
for Academic Affairs
for Institutional Advancement
for Student Affairs and Athletics
AUSTIN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
September 2008
Editor
Vickie S. Kirby
Senior Director of Editorial Communication
Design
Mark Steele
Art Director
Editorial
Dara McCoy
Senior Writer
Jeff Kelly
Sports Information Coordinator
Victoria Hughes
Production Coordinator
Vickie S. Kirby
28
IN EVERY ISSUE:
3
7
26
35
39
48
49
Faculty Notebook
Student Achievers
Around Campus
Home Team
‘Roo Notes
Calendar of Events
Ever y Picture Tells a Stor y
The Stor y Behind the Photo
Photography
Vickie S. Kirby
Office of College Relations
Michael Strysick
Executive Director
The Austin College Magazine is published by the Office
of College Relations, Institutional Advancement Division.
The Office of College Relations retains the right to
determine the editorial content and presentation of
information contained herein. Articles or opinion written
by guest writers do not necessarily reflect official views
or policy of Austin College and its Board of Trustees.
Contact Austin College Magazine:
Office of College Relations, Suite 6H
Austin College
900 North Grand Avenue
Sherman, TX 75090-4400
Editor: 903.813.2414
Fax: 903.813.2415
Email: editor@austincollege.edu
Austin College does not discriminate on the basis of age,
color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, or status as a veteran in the administration of its
educational policies and programs, employment policies and
practices, enrollment policies and practices, and athletics
program, as well as any other College-administered policy,
procedure, practice, or program. Reasonable
accommodations are made for individuals with disabilities.
© 2008 Austin College
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
p r e s i d e n t ’ s
CIRCLING THE
GLOBE
2
Page 4
column
Dear Friends of Austin College,
When students returned to campus this fall, I began
immediately to hear stories of summer experiences.
With the start of the Global Outreach (or GO) program
and the continuation of the Lilly Vocational Internship
Program, 63 students participated in these two programs
in experiential learning experiences that were nothing
short of life-changing.
The 10 GO Fellows worked with non-profit groups
around the globe — five in Africa, two in Peru, and one
each in Russia, Pakistan, and Guatemala.
Created with a grant from the Todd and Abby
Williams Family Foundation of Dallas, the GO
program aims to cultivate the next generation
of local, national, and global leaders by
promoting innovative, experiential servant
leadership opportunities around the world.
As a GO fellow, Holly Boerner ’09 worked
this summer at the Adana Children’s Center, an
orphanage in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, 45 minutes
from that nation’s capital, Addis Ababa. This
was Holly’s third visit to Ethiopia as an Austin
College student. The first two trips, Holly was
at the Kamashi Orphanage and School, which
serves the area of Benishangul-Gumuzone, one
of Ethiopia’s poorest regions, where there are
an estimated 40,000 orphans. By working in
these communities, Holly deepened her
cultural perspective of a part of the world
where few students travel. She also met
successfully the challenge to view the world
from a global perspective—and from a servant
leader’s heart.
The Lilly Vocational Internship Program
provides support for a wide range of internships
throughout the world, but most take place in the United
States. As I visited with one Lilly intern, Casie Luong
’10, I realized what a great impact this type of program
can have on the life of one person. Casie is the daughter
of parents who fled from Vietnam during the war, and
this summer Casie went to her parents’ home country
to work in a children’s shelter in Ho Chi Minh City.
Casie’s experience at the Little Rose Shelter provided
her the opportunity to share her gifts with children who
had suffered abuse and to contribute positively to her
family’s cultural home. The shelter was established in
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
1992 in response to growing incidents of human
trafficking in Vietnam. Since its founding, Little Rose has
provided a safe shelter to hundreds of young girls and
continues to help them build a positive future.
Casie taught English and music, among other
subjects, at Little Rose, and while doing this she had
the opportunity to meet relatives she had only heard
about. Her parents returned to Vietnam this summer
for the first time since their departure decades ago, and
they were able to witness their daughter’s servant
leadership in action.
Austin College always has encouraged students to
step outside their comfort zone to serve, and today’s
students are no different. These are just two examples of
the College’s commitment to global understanding for
all students who desire to participate in international
experiences. Ten additional students participated in lifechanging internships through our centers for
Environmental Studies and for Southwestern and
Mexican Studies, as well as our Career Study OffCampus program.
When the 2008 graduating class walked across the
platform, we knew that 70 percent of these students had
participated in a global experience. Our alumni take great
pride in their service opportunities and their recognition
of the need to understand and participate in the solving
of global problems. In reflecting on the experiences of the
students who reached out to others this summer, I feel
confident that future generations of students will
continue this great tradition at Austin College.
Service, experiential learning, and concern for
people throughout the world will be the enduring
theme of the College. As you read about Emily Austin
and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the
opening of Wynne Chapel, be reminded that our great
traditions have their roots in the vision of our founders,
who were inspired by the Presbyterian Church to reach
out to the underserved and provide opportunities for
service to people throughout the world.
Sincerely,
Oscar C. Page
President
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 5
f a c u l t y
Faculty Members Earn Promotions, Tenure
Bart Dredge, who joined Austin College’s faculty in
1994, has been promoted to professor of sociology
effective this fall. The rank of full professor at Austin
College is reserved for those faculty members whose
careers reflect outstanding cumulative achievement.
Faculty considered for promotion to professor have
demonstrated excellence in teaching and in research,
publication, or other professional work that supports
distinguished teaching and continued intellectual
growth. Superior performance in areas such as advising,
program development, committee service, and other
institutional leadership are required. A faculty member
normally completes a minimum of six years of successful
full-time teaching at the rank of associate professor
before consideration for promotion.
Alessandro Garganigo, English; Julie Hempel,
Spanish; Elena Olivé, Spanish; and Ivette VargasO’Bryan, religion, were granted tenure and promotion to
associate professor effective fall 2008.
Faculty members considered for tenure are evaluated
on teaching, professional development, and service to
Austin College, with teaching as the most important
factor in evaluation. Tenure is a contractual agreement
for continued appointment until retirement unless the
faculty members resigns or is dismissed for cause.
Austin College tenure-track faculty members are
normally considered for tenure in the sixth year of
probationary service. In some pre-arranged instances, a
faculty member may receive credit at another institution
toward satisfying the probationary period for full-time
teaching experience.
notebook
Faculty Appointed to Leadership
Roles as Academic Division Deans
The appointment this fall of Patrick Duffey, professor
of Spanish, as dean of Humanities completes a cycle of
recent updates in the deans’ positions at the College.
In fall 2007, Steve Goldsmith, professor of biology,
and Jerry Johnson, professor of business administration
and economics, began terms as deans in the divisions of
Sciences and Social Sciences, respectively.
The appointments were made by President Oscar C.
Page upon advice from Mike Imhoff, vice president for
Academic Affairs, who consulted with division faculty.
The appointments are made for a term of six years.
Each dean coordinates the departments of the
division, supervises staff and facilities, monitors and
requests budgeted funds, coordinates new faculty
searches, conducts reviews and evaluations of faculty,
and assists individual faculty members in support of
teaching, advising, scholarship, and other professional
activity. Due to heavy administrative duties, deans
customarily teach two courses each in the fall and spring
terms and may occasionally teach a January Term course.
The appointments follow the completion of service
as divisional deans in summer 2007 and 2008 by E. Don
Williams, professor of mathematics and Chadwick
Chair in Mathematics; Howard Starr, professor of
psychology; and Bernice Melvin, professor of French
and Margaret Root Brown Chair of Foreign Languages.
Bart Dredge
Patrick Duffey
Steve Goldsmith
Annual Awards Honor Faculty Accomplishments
Awards presented at the close of each academic year
recognize faculty members’ service to the College
community, teaching excellence, and individual
scholarship. One recipient each from the Sciences
Division and Social Sciences Division is selected for each
honor. The Humanities Division selects two recipients
for each award due to its larger number of faculty.
TEACHING: Light Cummins, professor of history; James
Johnson, professor of classics; Melanie Fox Kean,
assistant professor of economics; and Kelly Reed,
associate professor of biology.
SCHOLARSHIP: Nathan Bigelow, assistant professor of
political science; Wayne Crannell, associate professor of
music; Michael Higgs, associate professor of
mathematics and computer science; and Jacqueline
Moore, professor of history.
SERVICE: Peter Anderson, associate professor of
English; Truett Cates, professor of German; David
Griffith, associate professor of business administration;
and Donald Salisbury, associate professor of physics.
September 2008
Jerry Johnson
Austin College Magazine
3
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 6
f a c u l t y
notebook
Of Temples and Teepees
4
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
PHOTO BY JASON JONES
T
raveling the world is one of the perks of the job for most Austin College professors. Jackie
Moore, professor of history, has taken advantage of that perk on numerous JanTerms and
study abroad trips since coming to the College in 1994. One of Jackie’s most memorable
trips is a JanTerm 2005 trip after the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami. Austin
College students quickly gathered medical supplies and more than $4,000 in donations that
students in Jackie’s course, “Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar: Temples & Empires,” delivered
to a relief agency in Thailand. “Being able to make a contribution to those countries was the
most rewarding,” she said.
During her 2007– 2008 sabbatical, Jackie travelled to India, England, France, Hawaii,
New York, and Washington, but it was a 2,500-mile research trip this summer that recently
intrigued her most — and she never left Texas. “I was stunned with the diversity of the
different parts of the state and with just how flat south Texas plains actually are,” said Jackie
of the trip to research her book, Cow Boys and Cattle Men: Nineteenth Century Class and
Masculinity on the Texas Frontier, to be published in late 2009 by New York University Press. “I
saw desert, mountains, hills, rivers, land-locked sand dunes, beaches, cities, small villages,
and even a picnic area made of giant, painted metal teepees.”
Though Jackie enjoyed her travel-intensive sabbatical, she
is just as happy to be in the classroom this fall. She’s
particularly interested in teaching within an area of her
research specialty in the course “Gilded Age and Progressive
Era, 1877–1919.” This period of American history “has
everything — great scandal, but also great reform, spectacular
economic and technological achievement alongside
spectacular poverty, and Teddy Roosevelt to boot,” Jackie said.
Jackie’s teaching usually includes aspects of women’s
experiences in history, like Emily Austin’s. She said it’s
important that her students know the obstacles women have
overcome and what rights exist today, and are able to look
critically at situations instead of assuming equality exists.
Jackie said she benefited from growing up in an era
Jackie Moore
where she felt that being a woman was not a barrier to
achievement, but admitted that not everyone shared her beliefs. She said the view that
women achieve positions based on affirmative action measures instead of their own merit is
a sign that women still face perceptual barriers. “As Emily Austin shows, in reality, women
have been running things very capably all along so it should be no stretch of the
imagination to think that a woman could be as good at the job as anyone else,” Jackie said.
Jackie finds the diversity of experiences and academic courses in her role at Austin
College as broad as the geographic diversity of Texas. “I love the flexibility I have to teach a
variety of courses and the opportunity to take students abroad for JanTerm to places they
would never go by themselves,” she said. The College’s commitment “to make a positive
contribution to the world,” as exemplified by the emergency relief trip to Thailand, is yet
another reason she’s proud to be a part of Austin College.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:25 PM
Page 7
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Jeff Czajkowski, assistant professor of economics,
presented the research paper “Run from the Water, Hide
from the Wind: Toward a Better Understanding of the
Costs of Not Evacuating from a Hurricane” in July at the
2008 Hazards and Disasters Researchers Meeting, held
near Boulder, Colorado. This summer, he continued
research in this area in conjunction with Emily
Kennedy ’09, a math and economics major.
Peter DeLisle, the Leslie B. Crane Chair in
Leadership Studies and director of the College’s Posey
Leadership Institute, was the principal instructor of the
Leadership Development Conference this August hosted
by the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium and
All Across Texas. He will lead another session in Dallas in
October. Sessions include topics such as leadership
effectiveness, project management, formal
communication, and engineering ethics in the
workplace. Approximately 60 engineering students from
across the state participated in the week-long program.
The state-sponsored program also promotes collaboration
among engineering colleges and allows students to
interact with engineering professionals and learn about
various career specialties. In August, representatives on
hand included those from Raytheon and Texas
Instruments as well as the Texas Corp of Engineers. Will
Rusinko ’09, a member of the Posey Leadership Institute
who plans a career in engineering, served as a teaching
assistant and facilitator at the conference. DeLisle hopes
to include Austin College computer science students in
future conferences.
Daniel Dominick, associate professor of music,
became president of the South Central Division of the
College Orchestra Director’s Association in February. The
Sherman Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dominick,
will perform its 200th concert, the Tchaikovsky Sixth
Symphony (Pathetique), on October 25.
Kirk Everist and Brett Boessen, assistant professors
of communication studies, led Sherman-area aspiring
filmmakers to release their creativity in Script-to-Screen
workshops this summer. Each provided a workshop
offered to assist individuals working on the 24-Hour
Script-to-Screen Short Film Contest sponsored by the
Sherman Arts Festival held September 20. In addition to
exploring creativity, the faculty members offered insight
on narrative story telling, script writing, and filming.
Greg Kinzer, assistant professor of English, will
present a paper, “Morphology, Consilience, and
Metaphor: Natural History as Poetic Method,” at the
Modernist Studies Association Conference in Nashville,
Tennessee, in November. The paper examines the
influence of Darwin and the scientific practices of early
20th century natural historians on modernist poets,
especially Marianne Moore. He also will participate in a
seminar discussion on “Modernist Gene/alogies,” which
asks how the understanding of evolution and genetics
developed in modernist/modern culture. In addition,
Kinzer will present the paper “Reiteration as Noise: Joan
Retallack’s ‘The Woman in the Chinese Room’” at the
annual conference of the Society for Literature, Science,
and the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina, in November.
Jerry Lincecum, professor emeritus of English, and
Peggy Redshaw, professor of biology, are taking their
Telling Our Stories autobiography program in a little
different direction this fall. They have joined with Kelly
Reed, associate professor of biology, and other members
of Austin College’s Relay for Life team, ’Roos Fighting
Cancer, to compile and publish a thematic book of
stories, Contemplating Cancer: Stories of Life, Love,
Laughter, and Loss. The book will contain stories written
by cancer survivors, as well as family members and
friends of cancer patients. More than 55 stories have
been collected, with experiences dating as far back as
1930. Several contributions have come from faculty,
staff, and alumni. Publication of the book is scheduled
for early November. All profits will go to the American
Cancer Society for research. In June, Lincecum and
Redshaw made a Gideon Lincecum Chautauqua
presentation at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
in Fort Worth, Texas. They also conducted a workshop
for teachers in grades 4–8 at the Star of Texas Museum
in Washington County, giving free copies of Gideon’s
book Science on the Texas Frontier and demonstrating
ways to use original historical and scientific writing in
the classroom.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
5
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 8
f a c u l t y
notebook
Andra Troncalli, assistant professor of physics, has received a Cottrell College Science Award from
Research Corporation, providing nearly $45,000 for her project “Investigation of Vortex Pinning
Anisotropy in the High Temperature Superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-8.”
She received an additional $9,000 from the Austin College Priddy
Grant for the work.
“Columnar defects have proven to be highly effective at pinning
vortices in high temperature superconductors,” Troncalli said.
“However, most studies have been performed with the defects
oriented either perpendicular to, or at large angles relative to, the
superconducting Cu-O planes of YBa2Cu3O7-8. No study has
investigated the effects of columnar defects introduced parallel to the
superconducting Cu-O planes. We will perform a systematic study in
which we compare the effects of columnar defects introduced parallel
and perpendicular to the superconducting Cu-O planes.”
The award is for two years and covers equipment, supplies,
stipends for the faculty member and a student, and travel funds to
conduct research at other institutions.
Andra Troncalli
COURTESY PHOTO
Where are they now? Dan Schores, Associate Professor Emeritus of Sociology
I
Dan Schores
6
Austin College Magazine
f he’s not on a river cruise in Holland or Belgium or on some other excursion, Dan Schores,
associate professor emeritus of sociology, is likely to be found somewhere near Austin College.
He said his days leading JanTerms in the Caribbean fed his travel interest, but now that he’s
footing the entire cost of travel, he doesn’t globetrot quite so often.
That’s not to say Schores is sitting at home. He and his wife, Marie, keep their days full
serving in numerous organizations in Sherman. Dan preaches on a regular basis in
southeastern Oklahoma Presbyterian churches and serves as president of the Texoma Senior
Foundation, which collects donations for senior service agencies in the area. He also leads the
Austin College Elderhostel program, an informal learning opportunity for citizens older than
55; works with the Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity, which Schores helped
establish on campus; and finds time to attend plays, musical performances, and sporting
events at Austin College.
When he’s not serving the community, Schores enjoys woodcarving as a member of the
Texoma Woodcarving Guild and keeps up with the subjects that interested him most in his
25-year academic career that started at Austin College in 1969. He often speaks to community
organizations, covering topics such as the southwest American Indians or Victorian homes in
north Texas.
Whether on a river in Holland, in a pulpit in Oklahoma, or at a podium in Sherman,
Schores hasn’t seemed to lose a step since retiring from the faculty in 1994. Contact him at
1513 Yarborough, Sherman, Texas 75092.
September 2008
PHOTO BY JASON JONES
TRONCALLI RECEIVES AWARD FOR RESEARCH PURSUIT
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 9
s t u d e n t
achievers
Claire Balani Named Institute for International Public Policy Fellow
Balani, an international relations major, is
spending her junior year in China, where she will gain
advanced skills in Mandarin Chinese. She eventually
will pursue a Ph.D. in political science and hopes for a
career with the U.S. State Department as an adviser on
human rights in Asia.
The IIPP is funded by the U.S. Department of
Education and administered by the United Negro
College Fund Special Programs Corporation to provide
students from underrepresented minority groups with
the education and training necessary for advancing in
international affairs.
COURTESY PHOTO
C
laire Balani ’10 was one of 32 students from
across the nation selected as Institute for
International Public Policy (IIPP) Fellows for
2008. Each fellow receives scholarship and
services totaling nearly $100,000 over a fiveyear period.
The fellowship is a six-component program that
includes the Sophomore Summer Policy Institute at
Spelman College; Junior Year Study Abroad; Junior
Summer Policy Institute at the University of Maryland’s
School of Public Policy; Summer Language Institute;
Master’s Degree Program in International Affairs; and
an IIPP Internship. The fellowships provide funding for
the summer programs and portions of the study abroad
and master’s degree programs.
Balani began the fellowship program in June with
the seven-week Sophomore Summer Policy Institute
that introduced basics of foreign affairs, international
policy development, cultural competence, and career
and graduate study options. Students then participated
in study missions in Washington, D.C., and New York
City with briefings at the Department of Education,
the Department of State, and the Central Intelligence
Agency, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations,
the United Nations, and the World Bank.
Claire Balani
Austin College Musicians Perform in Austria Festival
COURTESY PHOTO
Professor of Music Rick Duhaime and 2008 graduates Kaitlin Hampton (violist), Lindsay Brown (mezzo soprano
vocalist), and Justin Duncan (bass vocalist) found themselves in a birthplace of classical music in August, performing
at the 33rd annual Classical Music Festival (Eisenstädter Sommerakademie) in Austria. “During
this festival, we are practicing and performing classical works often in the very venues in which
they were conceived,” Duhaime said. “That cannot be duplicated.”
For two and a half weeks, musicians from the United States and Europe studied, rehearsed,
and performed in Vienna and surrounding concert venues. An orchestra of 50 and a chorus of 80,
plus four internationally recognized vocal soloists, presented two master works of classical music:
Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.
Duhaime has served for 18 years as an orchestral principal and member of the festival’s
continuing faculty. Participation is by audition, and as a regional coordinator, Duhaime is able to
admit performers.
Daily rehearsals as well as the final gala concert of the festival were held in the Schloss
Musicians Kaitlin Hampton, Lindsay Brown, Rick
Esterházy where Haydn, a lifelong resident of Austria, spent some 32 years of his career
Duhaime, and Justin Duncan relax after a gala
concert performance in Austria.
composing and playing for the ruling Austrian family.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
7
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 12
320 Hours That Can Change a Life: Vocational Internships
COURTESY PHOTO
Through a VIP grant, Emily Kuo ’10 spent the summer
as a community resource caseworker at the Collin County
Children’s Advocacy Center. She connected families with
available resources, monitored supervised visits, attended
court cases, watched forensic interviews, and participated in
home visits with law enforcement and Child Protective
Services personnel.
“I learned how passionate I am about helping children
and protecting their right to lead normal lives,” said Kuo, a
psychology and Spanish major with a minor in leadership
studies. “My eyes have been opened to the realities of this
world, and I cannot say that I will ever look at it through
the same lens. We can’t turn our heads away from child
abuse; it is a harsh and sadly common truth that affects all
ages, races, and socioeconomic levels.”
“Academically, I have seen the demands of Spanish
fluency in the workplace and have been inspired to work
even harder toward this goal,” Kuo said. “The work for
these translators never appears to stop. Psychologically, I
continue to explore ways to understand others as
individuals, and every day I see the value of effective
leadership. Immersion in the
field of social services has been
the most challenging and
rewarding experience of my life
— so far.”
Pictured at the Collin County Children’s
Advocacy Center, are, top left, intern Alissa
King ’09; Emily Kuo ’10 at top right; and
Jessica Knowles ’07, a center volunteer.
COURTESY PHOTO
The Theological Exploration of Vocation program, begun
with funding from the Lilly Endowment, has a lofty title,
and the lessons learned by the 60-some Austin College
students who participated in the 320-hour summer
internship program in 2008 were quite grand as well.
The experience students gained through the
Vocational Internship Program (VIP) confirmed
directions, set new paths, and inspired passions. The lofty
title breaks down more simply: The program doesn’t
advocate any particular religious viewpoint but focuses on
the ideas of meaning and purpose often at the heart of
religious tradition. The exploration aspect of the program
involves examining students’ own ideas and values while
investigating interests. The idea of vocation, or calling,
involves a process of discernment and turning inward to
discover one’s gifts, passions, values, and talents.
Students receiving VIP internships in 2008 explored
options from working in hospitals and clinics to an
opportunity to study global cultures at the United States
Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
Students explored work in communications, banking, law,
advertising, government and politics, fine and performing
arts, psychology, ministry, environmental concerns,
medicine, business, and education.
Their exploration is not over. All VIP interns take a
course the fall after the internship to reflect upon their
experiences and share those with one another, having
further opportunity to explore their reactions and
responses. The course is led by program director Mark
Hebert, associate professor of philosophy.
magazine.austincollege.edu
More Summer VIP Experiences
Jade Rutledge ’09 spent the summer as an environmental educator
for a nature camp at Alaska’s Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. “My
job was to teach the kids about ecology and natural sciences while
instilling a love and enjoyment of the natural world. The neatest part
was my travel to remote villages that range in population from 30200, mainly native people. In those instances, I learned more from
the kids than I taught them. I learned a great deal about the native
environment, and the kids taught me a great deal about their native
culture. This fit in well with my education because I think the best
way to learn is through teaching others.”
10
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
3:26 PM
Page 13
s t u d e n t
achievers
T
he first year of college is always memorable. The excitement, if not
outright fear, of being in a new place, the sense of independence, and
the anticipation of discovery hits just about every college freshman at
the same time each navigates the challenges of moving into the
typically cramped living space of a residence hall and deciding on a
course schedule. Carlee Young ’11 experienced these emotions when she
started her freshman year at Austin College in fall 2007, but her excitement
has not waned.
“I have made so many friends, found a great sense of independence, and
I am studying the things I absolutely love,” said Carlee, who completed a
2008 Career Study Off-Campus summer internship at Frisco Eye Associates,
secured through Austin College’s Career
Center, to pursue her career interests in
ophthalmology or optometry. “More
now than even before, I feel like the
students and faculty at Austin College
will help me accomplish anything I want
to do in the next three years.”
To her credit, Carlee didn’t allow her
freshman year at Austin College to
intimidate her. “I started not knowing
what to expect, but wanting to make a
difference by being involved on campus
and in the community,” she said. She
attended an activities fair during her first
week at the College and pursued what
interested her most. Carlee is a member
of the Posey Leadership Institute and is
involved in Habitat for Humanity, the
Student Development Board, Pre-Medical
Carlee Young
Society, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She
logged nearly 100 hours of service during her freshman year, including
participation in the Alternative Spring Break relief trip to New Orleans.
Carlee’s determination to make the most of what Austin College offers
was rewarded when she received the Outstanding Freshman Award in spring
2008 in recognition of demonstrated leadership potential. She doesn’t plan to
slow down any time soon. “I have wanted to study history in Italy since about
seventh grade, and I now know that Austin College will help me turn that
dream into an actual experience,” said Carlee, who plans to spend the fall
term of her junior year in Italy. Given her fearless determination to pursue
what she loves, it’s likely she will turn many more dreams into realities.
COURTESY PHOTO
10/9/08
20/20 VISION
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
11
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 14
by Vickie S. Kirby
Just the name Anna Laura
has a melodic and uplifting lilt.
In the nearly 15 years Anna Laura Page
has been first lady of Austin College,
many have enjoyed the song
12
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
she brings to every day.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 15
Editor’s Note: As President Oscar C. Page’s announced retirement
from Austin College in June 2009 draws nearer, the College
community begins the process of saying farewell to Dr. Page —
and to his wife, who has been very much a part of campus life.
Having met the Pages in February 1994 immediately after the
Board of Trustees officially elected Page as president, I’ve had
many opportunities to interact with Anna Laura and offer here a
glimpse into the daily life of our first lady.
Those walking on the Austin College campus any afternoon might
see Anna Laura Page walking her dog in front of their home just
across the street. If they wave her down they will be greeted with
her ready smile and a bit of southern charm. She offers no pretense
or putting-on of airs; few would guess they were speaking to the
wife of a college president. The encounter with her will be genuine,
but perhaps brief; she’s a busy woman, both in her role as first lady
of Austin College and as a sought-after composer, director, and
performer of sacred organ, hand bell, piano, and choral music.
Anna Laura’s career branches in many directions. She leads
hand bell festivals all over the country. She composes music and
lyrics or special arrangements for hand bell, organ, and piano. She
co-wrote “Creation Will Be at Peace,” which has been performed at
events ranging from dedication of a Holocaust museum in Arizona
to a service at megachurch Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. In addition to these projects, she was hand bell
editor for Alfred Publishing Company for 11 years. She writes Easter
and Christmas musicals and a variety of special commissions,
including pieces for the 50th anniversary of Wynne Chapel, in
memory of a child who died in an airplane crash, and in
celebration of the dedication of a new church sanctuary.
Many visitors to the Page home have enjoyed Anna Laura’s
seemingly effortless performance of beautiful piano pieces, ranging
from Christmas carols to Broadway tunes to classical compositions.
When film director Peter Bogdanovich visited campus and the Page
home, Anna Laura played piano and Bogdanovich sang — with
Bogdanovich calling out whatever song next came to mind — and
Anna Laura never missed a note.
Opportunities to meet many of the people who visit Austin
College are among the experiences she holds dear. “All the people
have been wonderful. I’ve enjoyed them and having the chance to
see their more personal side,” Anna Laura said.
Though she has visited with Barbara Bush and had tea with
Henry Winkler, Anna Laura is as gracious to every member of the
Austin College community as to “celebrities.” “The people in
Sherman and in Texas in general are wide open and friendly,” she
said. “That has been wonderful. People here just accept you.”
And Anna Laura has “loved, loved, loved!” living across the
street from the College. ”I love to see the students, watch the
activities, and hear the chimes. I so enjoy seeing the students and
faculty work together and then keep up with each other through
their lives. I don’t even know where my college roommates are. It
has fascinated me how the Austin College community is so
connected. And, the trustees have been so wonderful to us. It’s an
amazing place.”
Oscar and Anna Laura’s move to Sherman was the first
without at least one of their two children, Kristen and Matt. In
1994 when the Pages arrived at Austin College, Matt had completed
a degree at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee and was
working; Kristen was beginning doctorate work at Purdue
University. Matt was married only six months after the Pages
arrived in Texas. A few years later, Matt and his wife, Amy, moved
to McKinney, Texas, and in 1999, their daughter Cailin — the first
Page grandchild — was born. Kristen since has married and she and
her husband, Rick, now are expecting their first child. And, in the
continuing circle of life, Anna Laura’s dear mother, Beulah Cook,
known to many at Austin College, died this July at 97 years of age.
She had lived with Oscar and Anna Laura the past seven years,
since becoming ill during a visit from her Kentucky home. During
those years, caring for her mother took some of Anna Laura’s time
as well, but it was time she gladly gave. “It was wonderful to have
that time with her. I left home at 18, married a ‘vagabond,’ and
never got to know her that well. It was fun having her here, but
hard watching her suffer through health issues. She had always
been so healthy.”
As President Page’s announced retirement draws nearer, Anna
Laura thinks back to her beginnings as a young girl from Kentucky
and reflects on all that has come her way since then. “I don’t feel a
bit different than I did back then,” she said. “Oscar and I have
never forgotten our roots — first-generation college graduates who
got there because our parents worked hard to make that happen.
We were blessed — a lot of people don’t have that opportunity. I
think we all are blessed, and some have more blessings than others,
but that doesn’t make us any more special.”
The Pages have lived in Sherman longer than any other place
in their married lives. “This is where we’ve made friends and really
feel at home,” she said. Sherman will remain home. They have
purchased a house here and look forward to a little slower pace in
which to enjoy their lives. Though Anna Laura said they will “stay
out of sight and give the new president an opportunity to fly,” the
College community hopefully has not seen the last of this beloved
president or his amazing first lady. Here’s to meeting Anna Laura on
the sidewalk for a quick update on life and a dose of the charm —
the music — that is all her own.
magazine.austincollege.edu
Anna Laura Page Photos: The Austin College Years
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
13
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
A
F
Page 16
R
O
N
T
I
E
R
W
O
M
by Dara McCoy
14
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
A
N
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
F
O
R
10/9/08
3:26 PM
M
Page 17
O
D
E
R
N
T
I
M
E
S
tephen F. Austin wasn’t the only
pioneering spirit in the renowned Austin
family. While Stephen led groups of settlers
to tame the wilds of the Texas frontier, his
sister Emily Austin blazed her own path
through a male-dominated era few women of her
time dared. Her story will be detailed in a new
biography in 2009 by Light Cummins, Austin
College professor of history. This groundbreaking
story reveals that the intertwining storylines of
Texas’ birth and the Austin family run much deeper
than Moses and Stephen F. Austin.
Stephen F. Austin was named the “Father of
Texas” at his funeral by Texas history icon Sam
Houston and was a significant leader during the
Texas Revolution and its early years as a republic.
Monuments to Austin include the namesakes of the
Texas state capital and two Texas higher educational
institutions, as well as a 60-foot statue in Angleton,
Texas. His likeness is on Austin College’s official seal.
Yet, obscured by the enormous shadow cast by one
of Texas’ most prominent historical figures and by
the legal and societal restraints on women of the
1800s, stands Emily Austin.
Cummins is one of the first historians to sort
through Emily Austin’s personal papers, while
researching and writing the first biography of her life.
His research unveils a depth of character in Emily
Austin, sole heir to her famous brother Stephen F.
Austin and his Texas land holdings after his death in
1836. The biography details the political, business,
and social life of this unique frontier woman, who
defied 1800s-era societal norms for women and put
her own stamp on history.
After Stephen’s death, it was Emily Austin who
wielded and magnified the considerable economic
and political influence of the Austin family heritage
and estate. Despite Stephen’s likeness on Austin
College’s official seal, it was Emily Austin who
made the donation to provide a financial
foundation on which Austin College was built. It
was Emily Austin, through active involvement in
Texas economic and social development, who
ensured that the Austin family influence on Texas
history did not die with Stephen.
S
´
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
15
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 18
THE LIFE OF EMILY AUSTIN
hough born in Virginia in 1795, Emily
Austin spent most of her adolescent life in
Missouri, at that time part of the western
U.S. frontier, where her father Moses
Austin operated a lead mining business.
Emily received a quality education by
frontier standards at a Lexington,
Kentucky, boarding school for four years
and almost two years at the Hermitage
Academy, a prestigious girls’ school near
New York City. It was an education that would serve her
well and may have played a part in her concern for
education later in life.
After her schooling, Emily returned to Missouri and
married a young merchant, James Bryan, who
eventually joined her father in the mining business. But
a series of events starting in 1819 would thrust Emily
Austin into a role that defined the independent woman
who would eventually settle in Texas. The Panic of
1819, a depression after the War of 1812, left the Austin
family in financial ruin. In
1821, Moses Austin died after
obtaining a grant to bring 300
colonists to Texas. Finishing
what his father started was
the beginning of Stephen F.
Austin’s story in Texas.
Emily Austin’s story took
a different turn. One year
after her father’s death, James
Bryan died, leaving Emily a
young widow solely
responsible for four children
and her aged mother. With
the family wealth decimated
and Stephen committed to
the colonization of Texas,
Emily’s frontier became
providing for her family, a
difficult and socially unseemly
prospect for a single woman
in the 1800s. “In that social
construct, southern men
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAZORIA COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
T
Emily Austin shipped this bed from Missouri to Texas.
16
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
tended to view women of their class as delicate,
submissive helpmates,” writes Cummins. “Women from
Emily Austin’s social class in the South related to the
world through the framework provided by the men in
their lives.”
By 1822, that social construct had failed Emily and
no man with the ability to provide support remained in
her family. “All of the Austins were strong-willed
people,” Cummins said. “She was no less strong-willed
than Moses or Stephen F. Austin, and her years of
widowhood created a circumstance where she could no
longer worry about acceptability.” Survival became
Emily’s focus, and by that necessity, self-reliance was
born. She took in sewing from neighborhood men,
opened a small school and charged a modest tuition,
and put others in her household to work on various
crafts, like bonnets, to sell.
Eventually, Emily remarried, to James Franklin
Perry, and at Stephen’s beckoning, they moved to Texas
in 1831 and established Peach Point Plantation, the
place that Stephen also came to call home. Cummins is
convinced the “period of constant hardship and material
depravation as the sole breadwinner for her mother and
her children” created the Emily Austin who would later
be unafraid to manage actively the Austin estate.
REAL ESTATE, RAILROADS, AND POLITICS
When Stephen F. Austin died in 1836, he left his entire
estate not in James Perry’s name, nor in the names of
Emily’s sons, but directly to Emily Austin. “As the sole
surviving heir of Moses and Stephen F. Austin, Emily
had become one of the largest individual land holders
in Texas and indisputably its richest woman,”
Cummins writes. While Texas law didn’t allow married
women to enter into contracts in their own name,
separate from their husbands, it did allow them to
retain personal ownership of land inherited
individually, noted Cummins.
Emily’s management and enhancement of this
inheritance and the Austin family political and social
prominence elevated her as a woman ahead of her time.
Though legal restrictions on women concerning
business and contractual transactions often meant Emily
had to act through the signatures of her husband or
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 19
sons when they were grown, Cummins said the letters
and records Emily kept revealed her to be very involved
in the management of the Austin estate.
Emily was active in urban planning and in selling
land — often doing so personally as a real estate agent of
sorts — to raise capital and disposable income. She was
an investor in the first attempt to build a railroad in
Texas. Her son Moses Austin Bryan was the secretary of
the first railroad company in Texas, but Emily was the
chief stockholder, Cummins explained. Emily even
loaned money to Gail Borden to purchase his first herd of
dairy cows. “We all know what he did,” Cummins added.
Throughout Stephen’s life as a political leader,
Emily entertained guests and organized parties for her
unmarried brother. Later, when her son Guy M. Bryan
entered politics, Emily retained the role of hostess,
seemingly unabashed about sharing her views when
the opportunity presented itself, Cummins said. At
one point, Emily hosted eventual U.S. president
Rutherford B. Hayes, a close friend of Guy Bryan’s, at
Peach Point plantation.
Emily also utilized the Austin family wealth and
fame in social development through philanthropy. She
was instrumental in founding the first Episcopal church
in Texas — a denomination she had been a part of prior
to marrying Perry — and recruiting its first bishop,
Leonidas Polk, who became a famous Civil War general
and has the military base of Fort Polk, Louisiana,
named after him. She also brought one of the earliest
educators to Texas in Thomas J. Pilgrim to teach her
own children. Pilgrim founded the first school in Texas
with Emily’s support, according to Cummins.
In 1840, Reverend Daniel Baker traveled to Peach
Point Plantation, having just left the founding meeting
of the Presbytery of Brazos. The idea to found a
Presbyterian college in Texas had formed out of that
meeting, and Baker had been told to visit Emily Austin
about funding. Baker’s visit was successful, as Emily
and her husband, James Perry, were devout members
of the Presbyterian Church and agreed to support the
college. In 1849, Baker renewed his efforts to found
the college and Emily honored her earlier pledge by
deeding acreage in Brazoria County and all the Austin
family’s claims to pension funds or monies due to
Stephen from the State of Texas to the college. It was
this gift that made possible the founding of Austin
College, one of the earliest colleges in Texas.
Concern for her family was a driving factor in
Emily’s life, evidenced by the years she alone
supported her family in poverty and by her activity to
preserve and grow her inheritance for the future
provision of her children. “When she died in 1851, she
passed on to her living children the entire Stephen F.
Austin estate, which was greatly augmented in size,” said
Cummins. In fact, Emily’s Last Will and Testament
valued her estate at $450,000 in 1851 U.S. dollars, which
would roughly equal $12 million in purchasing power by
today’s terms, according to Cummins’ calculations.
EMILY AUSTIN’S TEXAS?
To diminish Stephen F. Austin’s role in the birth of
Texas would be preposterous, but to downplay or ignore
the woman who helped raise this “child” diminishes the
full legacy of the Austin family. Stephen’s place in Texas
history is cemented, but Emily’s equally important role
is just beginning to be revealed and understood through
efforts like Cummins’ biography.
“Emily Austin was very much her own woman,
with strong and well-articulated personal feelings
centered on a steely personality bolstered by a rock-solid
resolve for action that would enable her to survive
through almost six decades of frontier hardship,” writes
Cummins. “She was in many ways a very modern
woman. As the daughter of Moses Austin and sole heir
of her brother Stephen F. Austin, she had political,
economic, and social status in Texas, which made her
absolutely unique and unprecedented.”
In the 1800s, the fortitude required for a single
woman to care for five dependents with no male
assistance and later be a guiding hand in the maturation
of Texas was no less impressive than the fortitude
Stephen displayed in settling the Texas frontier. By
shedding light on these lesser known chapters, the story
of Texas, the Austin family, and women’s history gains
new breadth and depth.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
17
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 20
FROM EMILY AUSTIN TO AUSTIN
Significant Moments in Women’s Rights
1848 The first women’s rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York, resulting in
a call for equal treatment under the law and voting rights for women.
1869 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman
Suffrage Association, seeking women’s right to vote.
1893 Colorado is the first state to grant women the right to vote.
1919 The federal woman suffrage amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony
and introduced in 1878, is passed by the House and Senate.
1920 The 19th Amendment to the Constitution grants women the right to vote.
1960 The Food and Drug Administration approves birth control pills.
1961 President John Kennedy establishes the President’s Commission on the Status
of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman.
1963 Betty Friedan publishes The Feminine Mystique. The book becomes a best-seller
and galvanizes the modern women’s rights movement.
1963 Congress passes the Equal Pay Act.
1966 The National Organization for Women is founded with the aim to end sexual
discrimination by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and civil disobedience.
1971 Ms. Magazine is first published, selling 300,000 copies in 8 days; editor Gloria
Steinem is launched as an icon of the modern feminist movement.
1972 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress. Originally drafted in
1923, the amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a
minimum of 38 states.
1972 The Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried
person’s right to use contraceptives.
1972 Title IX of the Education Amendment bans sex discrimination in schools;
participation of women in athletics and professional schools increases dramatically.
1973 The Supreme Court establishes a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion.
1996 The Supreme Court rules that the all-male Virginia Military School has to admit
women in order to continue to receive public funding. It holds that creating a separate,
all-female school will not suffice.
Excerpted from “Women’s Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline.” Infoplease. © 2000-2007 Pearson
Education, publishing as Infoplease.
18
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
quality for women has come a long way since the days of
Emily Austin, but some successful Austin College alumnae
understand that it hasn’t been too long ago that women were
pressing for more individual rights — and that today’s women
encounter new and different challenges.
Becky Russell Sykes ’67, executive director of the Dallas
Women’s Foundation, remembers a time when expectations for
women were very different than those for college-aged women today.
“I grew up in the ’50s and by the time I got to Austin College, the
prevailing thought was that girls would marry and have a family, and
that was it,” she said. “We really didn’t have any role models for
professional women.”
Sykes followed the plan pretty well — marrying and taking a
teaching position for a few years before leaving the workforce to start
a family — until an economic depression hit Texas in the mid-1980s.
“I had to go back to work,” Sykes said. “I was 41 or so when this
happened, and this was a great shock to my system.”
So, Sykes returned to the workforce as an administrative assistant
to the man who bought Greyhound Lines and relocated the company
to Dallas. The company’s violent 1990 drivers strike and Chapter 11
bankruptcy gave Sykes a tough return to the work world. “It was some
of the best experience I could have had because I was such a bleeding
heart, and I toughened up working in this corporation,” Sykes said.
Sykes later worked for a TV station, as a development director for
Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts, and as
a non-profit consultant before being contacted by an organization
that she had helped start 15 years before. Sykes had served as the first
board president of the Dallas Women’s Foundation when the
organization got its start, addressing inequality of funding between
female-focused agencies and male-serving groups like YMCA and Boy
Scouts of America. “At that time, less than four percent of annual
foundation dollars across the nation were going to programs
specifically for women and girls,” she said.
Sykes was asked to serve as the interim executive director and in
1998 was hired to fill the role. She said the Dallas Women’s
Foundation is a place for women to learn about philanthropy and to
provide a source of funding for the community’s girls and women,
who often face unique issues like the scary prospect Emily Austin
faced in caring for her children and elderly mother.
Sykes, who deals with women’s philanthropy on a daily basis,
firmly believes that women, like Emily Austin, have been a driving
force in development and progress not only for women’s issues but
also for a much broader spectrum of issues. “Individual women from
the early days of this country have been building America through
their volunteer work and through philanthropy for social change,”
Sykes said. “Women were using their wealth to open doors, and it
E
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 21
always had to do with elevating people and lifting people out of their
circumstances or giving them opportunities.”
Catherine “Kiki” Moore McLean ’85, who had a front row seat
to an important moment in women’s history this year as a senior
campaign adviser for Senator Hillary Clinton, agrees. “One thing
women have always been good about doing is finding a way to move
themselves forward, even in the era of Emily Austin, who couldn’t
work the front channels, but worked the back channels,” she said.
(See The Race for Madam President in the online magazine.)
Virginia Smith Volpe ’90, director for Global Transaction
Services at Citi, is part of a generation of women that has had the
benefit of women role models. “I am very thankful for the generation
before me because they fought tooth and nail, and now I don’t have
to,” she said. “You still don’t see women in all positions. It’s a work in
progress, but advancement based on merit is happening.”
However, she sees the progress of generations before her and
today’s continuing evolution of women’s rights as slightly different.
What Volpe finds “breathtaking” is that women are taking success
into their own hands and going beyond “glass-ceiling” terminology.
“The generation before me defined success by giving up anything
necessary to get to the top,” Volpe said. “What I am seeing now, in my
generation and beyond, is the ability of women to define success on
their own terms. That can mean a combination of marriage, partners,
kids, friends, life outside of work, and career.”
Sykes and McLean hope that younger women don’t lose sight of
the progress made. “Equality is still an issue and always will be until
we have economic parity,” McLean said. “I think we have some
generational challenges for women who are growing up not knowing
some of the restrictions women ahead of them experienced.”
Sykes, who as a married woman couldn’t own property in her
own name by Texas law until the Marital Property Act of 1967,
recognizes that the landscape for women has changed dramatically
during her lifetime, but hopes the stories of the women who pushed
for those changes aren’t forgotten. “Young women and girls need to
hear these very inspiring stories about Emily Austin and other women
in history,” Sykes said. “When I came along, there was no such thing
as women’s history. The great advantage that younger women have
now is role models.”
COURTESY PHOTOS
COLLEGE WOMEN OF TODAY
Becky Russell Sykes
Virginia Smith Volpe
magazine.austincollege.edu
The Race for Madam President: Reflections from Kiki McLean
Catherine “Kiki” Moore McLean
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
19
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 22
I N
T H E
S H A D
PHOTO BY KEVIN HORAN/IFC
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
Carroll Pickett
recorded tapes
about each of
95 inmates
who were
executed while
he was Death
House chaplain.
by Dara McCoy
20
hat would it be like to watch 95 people be
executed? What kind of solace can be
provided to them in their final hours? What
if those responsibilities were part of doing a
job? These are the questions addressed in At
the Death House Door, an Independent Film Channel
(IFC) documentary on the life of Carroll Pickett ’54 and
his 15 years as chaplain at the Texas State Penitentiary in
Huntsville, Texas. From 1982 to 1995, Pickett walked
“through the valley of the shadow of death” with 95
prisoners sentenced to death by lethal injection. They
weren’t his valleys, but serving as the guide for those
walks was terrifying enough.
The documentary premiered on IFC May 29 and was
described as “a quiet powerhouse that leaves you
thinking about the central issues and character long after
the lights have gone up,” by a Dallas Morning News
writer. Pickett allowed camera crews into his living room
and relived his experiences as Death House chaplain. He
also opened his collection of cassette recordings, in
W
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
which he had bared his soul to the recorder after each
execution.
“It was difficult,” said Pickett of opening the tapes
to the production crew. “I had done the tapes for me
alone, and they were put away for good.” He said the
producers took the time to listen to the tapes and asked
questions about memories he had suppressed long ago.
“Several times, it really hurt to hear the things I had
been through and to recall those men who I was with all
day and night,” he said.
The documentary chronicles Pickett’s life after
graduating from Austin College. He attended Austin
Presbyterian Theological Seminary where he was told by
one professor in 1957, “I am convinced that your
ministry is destined to focus on the dying, lending
comfort to those faced with death and those who are
losing loved ones.” His professor’s words became very
real in 1974 when several prisoners took hostages at
“The Walls” unit of the Huntsville State Prison in an 11day standoff, the longest in United States history.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
O W
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 23
O F
At the time, Pickett was the minister of the
Presbyterian Church in Huntsville. Jim Estelle, one of his
church members and the director of prisons, asked
Pickett to come and minister to the families of the prison
employees taken hostages. Then, Pickett was told that
two hostages were faithful members of his own
congregation. The prisoners allowed the hostages to call
their families. During one call, the women from Pickett’s
church told him their wishes for their funeral services.
On August 3, 1974, the hostage crisis ended
violently on the front ramp of the prison during an
escape attempt. Two leaders of the crisis lay dead, and
two of the 11 hostages were murdered by the prisoners.
Both were Pickett’s church members. That day Pickett
said he would never return to the prison.
GOING BACK
Five years later, Pickett did go back to the Huntsville
prison, taking a job as the prison chaplain in an attempt
to save a marriage strained by the time-consuming work
of pastoring a church. “When I went to work there,
I didn’t breathe walking up that ramp,” Pickett said of his
first day. “I got to the place right there at that corner
where Judy and Yvonne were shot, and went to the library
and there were still bullet holes. You could still see the
blood stains.”
When Pickett first began as chaplain, six people
attended service in the prison’s chapel, but he went to
work gathering a new congregation of thieves, murderers,
and other criminals. He started a choir that attracted
several talented inmates, one of whom had been a backup
singer for Don Ho and another who was a former Texas
Supreme Court justice.
In 1982, Pickett once again faced death in his
ministry. The Huntsville prison was scheduled to
administer the first execution by lethal injection in the
United States. “Nowhere in my job description did it say
anything about executions,” Pickett said in the film. Yet,
the prison director assigned Pickett to minister to the
condemned inmates, transferred from Death Row to the
Huntsville death chamber on the day of execution. He
stayed with the condemned prisoners during their final 18
D E A T H
hours and was at their side when the lethal injection was
administered. “It is hard to tell anybody, even the meanest
person, that it’s time to go,” Pickett said.
Pickett would fill this role 95 times. He even faced the
personal conflict of ministering to Ignacio Cuevas, the
lone surviving inmate from the 1974 hostage crisis that
resulted in the deaths of his church members. At the time
of Cuevas’ execution, Pickett approved of capital
punishment and felt disgust that even in Cuevas’ final
hours he never mentioned his role in the 1974 hostage
crisis. “I wanted him to bring it up,” Pickett said. “He
talked about murdering, slashing, and killing all these
other people, but he didn’t bring it up. The whole idea of
justice and fairness was not in his system.”
The execution of another prisoner, Carlos DeLuna,
changed Pickett’s stance on capital punishment. In their
time together, he became convinced DeLuna was
innocent. Despite his reservations about capital
punishment, Pickett continued to minister in his role as
Death House chaplain. “I believe that the ‘ministry of
presence’ is so important for anyone who is about to die.
… No one should die without a friend,” said Pickett.
The story of DeLuna’s possible innocence interested
two Chicago Tribune reporters in 2005. They contacted
Pickett in February 2006 and were involved in the IFC
documentary filming as well. The documentary gave
Pickett an opportunity to speak out against the death
penalty for the first time since he retired from the prison
in 1995. “I have given 275 radio, TV, phone, and personal
interviews and traveled over 26,000 miles to promote the
film and speak after each showing,” Pickett said. He has
spoken to the Texas Democratic Caucus, to church
congregations, and on Capitol Hill to the Judiciary
Committee of the House of Representatives.
Pickett’s experiences in the Death House remain with
him. “I have been there 95 times and most people will
never see what it is like,” Pickett said of a practice he now
sees as unfair and immoral. ”I want people, through this
film, to feel something and do something about it.”
magazine.austincollege.edu
At the Death House Door: Film Trailer and Information
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
21
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 24
WYNNE CHAPEL
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
22
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 25
by Dara McCoy
S
Sara Bernice Moseley, wife of Austin College
president emeritus John D. Moseley, remembers
watching from her home on Grand Avenue as a
crane lifted the Sam Houston bell and steeple
atop Wynne Chapel in 1958. This year, Wynne
Chapel celebrates its 50th anniversary. The
College’s connection to the Presbyterian Church
and the Wynne Chapel’s usage have evolved
dramatically since the building’s construction.
Yet, its presence still serves as a reminder of the
College’s Presbyterian history, an important tie
to the church, and the nexus of religious and
spiritual life on campus.
It was a generous gift from Toddie Lee
Wynne, Sr., a well-known Texas oilman, civic
leader, active Presbyterian, and former chair of
the Austin College Board of Trustees, that
funded the construction of Wynne Chapel.
Mrs. Moseley remembers the excitement on
campus of having a new building with a 900person seating capacity for lectures, musical
performances, and religious activities. On
September 15, 1958, Sam Rayburn, Speaker of
the House of Representatives, delivered the
keynote address at the chapel’s dedication. Mrs.
Moseley said the chapel’s construction also had
great significance to President Moseley, who led
Austin College from 1953 to 1978.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET LOWRY
50
TH
ANNIVERSARY
2008
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
23
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 26
I
A bronze likeness of
Toddie Lee Wynne hangs
in the foyer of
Wynne Chapel.
“It was so important in his thinking that the College had a chapel, a
building that was centrally located, and the fact that it faces the
Administration Building was a very significant thing,” she said. To the
leaders who today enter Caruth Administration Building and make
decisions concerning the College’s future, the chapel’s location provides
a clear reminder of historical roots and modern ties to the church.
In 1958, Wynne Chapel was an important symbol of the College’s
Presbyterian history, tracing all the way back to Presbyterian
missionary the Reverend Daniel Baker, who helped found the College,
and to its legal ties. When the chapel was built, the College was a legal
entity of the Presbyterian Church. In 1962, Dr. Moseley proposed
redefining the legal link between the College and church in order to
create more of a non-sectarian liberal arts college. Four years later, the
Synod of Texas and Austin College severed legal ties and established a
covenant relationship.
According to Austin College: A Sesquicentennial History 1849-1999,
President Moseley described the covenant as “revisions designed to
anticipate and avoid future problems in Church-State relationships by
providing a broader base and flexibility of support through trustee
leadership, recognizing that the regular benevolent budget of the
Church cannot provide the increased necessary funds for maintaining
a pace-setting institution.”
The mid-1960s also saw a broad shift in attitude from students and
faculty who criticized the long-established mandatory chapel services,
held in Sherman Hall prior to Wynne Chapel’s construction. The issue
was hotly debated and eventually chapel service requirements were
terminated, further denoting the College’s shift to a non-sectarian
institution.
WYNNE CHAPEL TODAY
Fifty years later, Wynne Chapel still stands watch over students and
faculty as they cross the campus, a reminder of the Presbyterian
Church ties and the opportunities for spiritual growth and outreach for
all students. “How Great Thou Art” or some other hymn rings out
from the chapel’s Carillon bells at 4:45 p.m. each day, one of many
tangible ways the chapel touches modern day campus life.
Despite the altered relationship with the church and changing
attitudes about religious life in general over the past 50 years, Wynne
Chapel remains an important fixture at Austin College. Opening
Convocation, Family Weekend worship, and the annual holiday
Service of Lessons and Carols are just a few College-wide events held in
Wynne Chapel. The chapel is an important venue for campus music
group performances, Austin College Leadership Award recipients, and
special speakers such as Robert Engel, recipient of a Nobel Prize in
Economics. Every year, the chapel is filled with young people who
utilize the campus for Presbyterian youth events.
The building’s evolution also is evidenced in the small chapel,
which accommodates yoga classes, provides indoor practice space for
the Aussies Dance Team when bad weather strikes, and hosts the
24
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 27
Muslim Student Association prayers. “It’s a space for the whole
student body, the whole college community,” said John Williams ’84,
college chaplain and director of Church Relations.
Though the chapel opens its doors to various activities within the
student body, traditional Christian worship and activity in Wynne
Chapel occurs regularly through midday prayers every Tuesday,
communion and worship every Sunday night, and as a headquarters
for ACtivators, a campus Presbyterian mobile youth ministry. “We’re
not going to hit you over the head with the cross, nor are we going to
apologize that there’s a cross on top of the steeple,” Williams said.
“Our commitment as a church-related institution is to take all
students and their spirituality seriously.”
For 50 years, Wynne Chapel has embodied the religious
underpinnings of Austin College. The activities held within its walls,
from mandatory chapel service with assigned seating to belly dancing
classes, exemplify the transformation of church relations, religious
thought, and the enduring relevance of the building. Mrs. Moseley,
who has experienced the evolution of Wynne Chapel and church
relations at Austin College, still feels as excited about the chapel as she
did 50 years ago. “There’s such activity coming out of the chapel,” she
said. “It’s a real, live connection to the church.”
magazine.austincollege.edu
Ties to the Presbyterian Church Remain Strong
HAPPY 50TH
IN CELEBRATION OF WYNNE CHAPEL’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY:
E September 26 – November 16: Austin College Archives Display in the small chapel illustrates the
50-year history of Wynne Chapel.
E September 28: Parent and Family Weekend Worship Service at 11 a.m., with a sermon by the
Reverend Kary Wilshusen Rawlings ’78.
E October 26: Homecoming Weekend Worship Service at 11 a.m., with a sermon provided by the
Reverend Nancy Duff ’73 at 11 a.m.
E November 13: Austin College A Cappella Choir Concert at 7:30 p.m., featuring the premiere of a
choral work by Austin College’s first lady Anna Laura Page, commissioned for the anniversary.
E November 14 – 15: Grace Presbytery Meeting, including the 2008 Cunningham Lectures by
Dr. Cynthia Rigby, professor of systematic theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
E November 16: Official Worship Service in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Wynne Chapel’s
Dedication, including an A Cappella Choir performance of the choral piece commissioned for the
anniversary and composed by Anna Laura Page. The Reverend Laura Shelton Mendenhall ’69
will speak at the 11 a.m. service.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
25
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 28
a r o u n d
campus
Henry Winkler Presents Opening of School Address
H
things to be done, needs to be met, and hurts to be
healed, and if you do not do your part, something very
important will remain undone forever,” Winkler said.
Winkler remains best known as the television icon
“The Fonz” on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days, though he
has since added many television, film, and Broadway
acting and directing projects to his credits. He also is
recognized as a distinguished speaker, humanitarian,
author, and advocate of young people and education.
Austin College awarded Winkler an honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters degree in 2002.
PHOTOS BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
enry Winkler presented the Opening of School
address September 1 to begin the 160th year of
Austin College. The well-known television
icon spoke in Wynne Chapel to a full house —
some 900 members of the Austin College community
including the entering Class of 2012, the Class of 2009
processing in cap and gown for the first time, faculty,
staff, and guests.
Combining humor, wit, inspiration, and poignancy,
Winkler discussed his life experiences, beginning with
troubling years in school, battling undiagnosed dyslexia,
low self-esteem, and a lack of emotional support from his
parents. His years in higher education were a bit more
promising — he was accepted into
Emerson College and then earned a spot
at the Yale School of Drama to begin the
career in acting, directing, and producing
that has made Winkler a well-known face
in homes across the United States and
beyond. His early years were challenging
ones, but Winkler recalls them with a
positive outlook. “I realize maybe I would
never have been able to achieve what I
achieved if I didn’t have the battle, the
hill I constantly had to climb,” he said.
Winkler hopes his experiences will
bring inspiration to other children who
may suffer from learning disabilities or
other problems. He has now completed
15 books in a children’s series, Hank
Zipzer, The World’s Greatest Underachiever, in which the
title character, based on Winkler, finds ways to overcome
his daily difficulties.
Speaking particularly to the students present,
Winkler encouraged them to make the most of
themselves, stressing that each person has only one
lifetime to live; that living to their potential will equip
them to serve others; and that their very best selves are
needed to assist the most vulnerable in society. “There are
Henry Winkler
magazine.austincollege.edu
Additional Opening of School Photos
26
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 29
Campus Programs Commemorate Charles Darwin Anniversaries
ustin College will sponsor the event series “Darwin 200” throughout this
academic year in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s
birth February 12, 1809, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of
his widely influential book The Origin of Species (1859).
The events include a lecture series, “Darwin 200: Contributions/
Controversies.” The series examines Darwin’s influence not only in the sciences
but also in the social sciences and humanities, through disciplines such as
psychology, economics, literature, philosophy, and religion. Lectures also will
address some of the misunderstandings and controversies surrounding
evolution. “Almost no one has had more scientific influence and broader
cultural impact than Darwin,” said George Diggs, professor of biology, who has
helped organize the events. “Few areas of thought remain untouched by
Darwin’s contributions.”
Fall term speakers for “Darwin 200: Contributions/Controversies” include
George Diggs, Austin College professor of biology, September 11 at 11 a.m.;
Piers Hale, University of Oklahoma assistant professor of the history of science,
September 25 at 11 a.m.; and Steven Goldsmith, Austin College professor of
biology, October 30 at 11 a.m. These lectures are scheduled for Ida Green
Theatre in the Ida Green Communication Center.
David Quammen, author of The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, will speak February
10, 2009, at 7 p.m. in Ida Green Theatre. Philip Gingerich, University of Michigan
Case Collegiate Professor of Paleontology, will speak in March 2009, and David
Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, will speak April 24, but
other details of these lectures are still to be determined. Additional speakers
may be added to the schedule.
The lecture series coordinates with two major campus programs: the
summer read — The Reluctant Mr. Darwin — and the April 24–25, 2009, annual
undergraduate research conference — “Darwin 200: Bridging
Disciplines/Breaking Boundaries.” The undergraduate research conference, the
sixth hosted by Austin College, will focus broadly on Darwin’s impact on
academic disciplines and popular culture and will cover a diverse range of
evolution-related topics spanning the humanities, social sciences, and
sciences. David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, will
provide the keynote address for the conference April 24, 2009.
Faculty organizers for the Darwin celebration include George Diggs,
professor of biology; Steven Goldsmith, professor of biology; Max Grober,
associate professor of history; Jerry Lincecum, professor emeritus of English;
Peggy Redshaw, professor of biology, who is coordinating the lecture series; and
Carol Daeley, professor of English, who is coordinating the undergraduate
research conference in April 2009.
Event details are available online: www.austincollege.edu/darwin.
A
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin
Students in Austin College’s Class of 2012 had
homework months before arriving on campus. Joining
many colleges and universities around the nation, Austin
College has instituted a “common read” program, in
which all freshmen are assigned a particular book to read
prior to the beginning of the fall term. President Oscar
C. Page initiated the addition of the program a few years
ago and sends the selected book to all freshmen each
June along with a letter asking that they read the book.
The 2008 selection was David Quammen’s The
Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles
Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution.
“The common read sets a tone for students and
gives them an opportunity to start to focus on college,”
said Mike Imhoff, vice president for Academic Affairs
and dean of the faculty. “The common read book gives
them something that stimulates them intellectually
while providing all students a common experience.”
When faculty members use the book in various aspects
of their courses, students can begin to see how the
book relates to various disciplines and how they can
learn from a closer reading, Imhoff said.
How faculty members incorporate the common
read book is up to individual faculty. Since several
faculty members are involved in organizing “Darwin
200” events, many opportunities to include the book in
class discussions may arise.
Past Austin College common read assignments
include Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, A Hope
in the Unseen by Ron Suskind, and Tracy Kidder’s
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul
Farmer. Suskind delivered the Opening of School
address the year freshmen read his book and Paul
Farmer was the 2007 speaker.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
27
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 30
a r o u n d
Out of the Congo
T
Art of the Kuba
October 24 – November 26
Abell Library, Archives and
Special Collections Suite
Curated by Austin College
Archivist Justin Banks
Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Fridays;
8:30 – 11:50 a.m. and 1 – 3:50 p.m.
Thursdays; 8:30 – 11 a.m.
Homecoming Only: Friday until 6 p.m.;
Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Africa Symposium
November 18 – 20
Keynote Speaker: David Binkley
www.austincollege.edu/news
28
Austin College Magazine
he Austin College community will get a glimpse of the
Congo and the culture of the Bakubas people this fall
through an African art exhibit that will kick off the
College’s annual Africa Symposium. Alumnae Elizabeth
Poole Shepherd ’58 and Amelia Poole Sudderth ’59 were
born into that culture as the daughters of Presbyterian medical
missionaries Mark and Sara Poole. Amelia, her husband Joe Sudderth
’59, and her late sister’s husband, Don Shepherd ’58, generously made
a temporary loan of Bakubas artifacts from the Belgian Congo period
for the exhibit.
Ceremonial masks, royal ceremonial garments, wood and stone
statues, a carved ivory tusk, and ceremonial swords and spears from the
Bakubas tribe will be displayed October 24 – November 26 at the
exhibit, housed in the Archives and Special Collections Suite of the
College’s George T. and Gladys H. Abell Library Center. Justin Banks,
College archivist, said that individuals usually would have to travel to
the Smithsonian or catch a traveling art exhibit from the Metropolitan
Museum to see the type of artifacts that will be displayed on campus.
“The willingness of the families to loan these artifacts creates a unique
educational opportunity that would otherwise be impossible for Austin
College to offer,” Banks said.
Mark Poole and his wife, Sara Day, served as medical missionaries in
the Belgian Congo from 1936 to 1962, providing medical care, surgical
operations, and hygiene instruction to the Bakubas tribe. Over time, the
Pooles acquired several tribal artifacts and brought them back to the
United States, where they have long served as mementos of their lives
and work in the African Congo.
The Poole sisters finished high school in the Congo before attending
Austin College. “The transition from living in Africa to living in the United
States was difficult,” Amelia said. “Austin College was very supportive, and it
was small enough that we could become an integral part pretty easily.” Both
women met their husbands at Austin College, and in 1961, the College
awarded their father an honorary degree for service to humanity. “We’ve
always had a warm spot for Austin College,” she said.
Amelia, who majored in art at Austin College, loaned the artifacts to the
College for an exhibit in 1959 and was excited to share the artifacts again.
“It seems a very appropriate thing to do and something I know my sister
would have done if she were still living,” Amelia said.
“We are loaning these things to honor both the culture of the Bakubas
people and the dedication and service of my parents among them during
those years,” Amelia said. “They went to express the love of God through
their medical and surgical work. As my dad expressed it so many times, they
did it so that the people could be free from fear, superstition, and witchcraft
and have peace in their hearts through the love of God.”
September 2008
campus
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 31
Faculty Member Shares Significance of Poole Collection
Peter Anderson joined Austin College’s faculty as an associate professor of English in 2006.
A South African writer, sculptor, and academic, he wrote the script for the slide catalogue of
the Standard Bank African Art Collection housed at the University of the Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg in the mid-1980s. He teaches postcolonial literature and creative writing, and
this fall is offering a course on Anglophone Nigerian literature, “Palm-Wine and Purple
Hibiscus.” His comments follow.
African art was never meant to be put on display — hung on a wall, sealed in a glass
box, isolated as an object of contemplation, a mute museum piece. In fact, even the
concept of “art” is little short of a Eurocentric imposition. African art (continuing to use the
term for convenience sake), always was dynamically integrated as a signifying cultural
practice, productive of the meanings by which different communities comprehended and
connected with the world around them. Masks, for instance, were often inspirited, filled with
the overflowing presence of the numinous, the sacred, and therefore as capable of striking
terror into the heart of the people as they might be of uplifting them, filling them with power,
with love.
The Poole collection is among the few such collections to have been made in a way
that can today be endorsed as ethically acceptable. In gratitude for being cured, people
would bestow gifts upon the good doctor — “art” works, which we now acknowledge as
priceless, but that in early 20th century Europe and America simply were considered as
“primitive,” “bizarre,” “barbaric,” and so on.
It is no small achievement to have an ethically sound collection of indigenous art from
Congo of the early 20th century. And what a collection. Kuba art is among the most
spectacular ever to emerge from central Africa, one of the most powerful founts of great art in
world history. Kuba masks, figurative sculptures, carvings in and on ivory, raffia work, to name
only those items that come first to mind, are exemplary of the vitality and awe-inspiring
profundity of African art. It is no secret today that the impact of African art, its incomparably
powerful sculpture in particular, perhaps, on European high modernism, was decisive. We
could point to Picasso and the development of cubism, Brancusi and the turn away from
“beefsteak” realism, Modigliani and the elongation and simplification of form, for the
ramifications are almost endless. Austin College is truly honored, even blessed, to place on
exhibition a range of pieces from the Poole collection.
The Africa Symposium will feature the keynote address “Stop the Sun: The Art of
Masquerade in Southern Kuba Culture” by David Binkley at 11 a.m. November 20 in
Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall. Binkley’s lecture will include a discussion of
Kuba history as well as the system of titleholding and the relationship of art making to
the political hierarchy, including textile production and masquerade performance.
Binkley is an art historian who has lived in the Congo among the Kuba, and
according to Anderson, is “perhaps the foremost U.S. expert on Kuba art.” Binkley was the
senior curator for research and interpretation at the National Museum of African Art at the
Smithsonian Institution and has been involved in many exhibitions and art programs. He
earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in art history before completing a Ph.D. in
African art history in 1987.
A student panel discussion, “Active Participants: Volunteer Insights into Development
and Humanitarian Efforts in Africa,” on November 19 features students who spent the
summer as Global Outreach Fellows, working with children in Ghana and Ethiopia. Student
panelists are Cara Barnes ’09, Holly Boerner ’09, Rebeca Kim ’10, Anne Engelhart ’10,
and Monica Martinez ’09.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
29
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 32
a r o u n d
campus
Washington, D.C., Becomes Summer Classroom
NEWS BRIEFS
30
A Summer of Two-Way Learning
A group of students at Jefferson Elementary School in
Sherman experienced international learning this
summer — from right in their own classrooms.
Approximately 45 first through fourth grade students
learned about the land, people, and culture of India
through the sixth annual summer enrichment program
offered by students and faculty of Austin College’s
Austin Teacher Program (ATP). The two-week session,
8:30 a.m. to noon daily, was funded by the ATP.
The collaborative camp was coordinated by Julia
Shahid, associate professor of education in the
Austin Teacher Program. She and Jefferson School
staff realized several years ago that such a camp
could meet the need for a summer program for
children as well as offer teaching opportunities for
students in the ATP’s summer course on science and
social studies teaching methodologies.
The College students prepared the summer
curriculum, collected resources, and coordinated
each days’ lessons. Shahid and select Jefferson
teachers provided feedback to the student teachers
each day. Shahid participated in a month-long
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
Fulbright-Hays Program that included travel to India
in 2007 and gathered materials there used in the
classes. Jaisy Joseph ‘09 visited the camp one
morning to demonstrate and teach traditional Indian
dances to the children.
Summer Institute for Foreign Language Teachers
Texas high school teachers of French, Latin, and
Spanish arrived on campus in July to participate in a
one-week residential language immersion program
designed to enhance teaching skills. The teachers
stayed in Jordan Family Language House and spoke
their target languages at all times.
Members of the College’s Classical and Modern
Languages Department led a number of sessions
each day that allowed the teachers to refresh
language skills and develop new cultural and
technological resources to advance teaching in their
own classrooms.
All costs for the teachers, including room and
board, were funded by a grant from the Sid W.
Richardson Foundation. The summer program has
been offered for several years.
COURTESY PHOTO
Rachel Dodd ’11 and Erin Bailey ’10 spent most of the summer in
Washington, D.C., but it wasn’t for sightseeing. The two completed an
intensive four-week program in Arabic, meeting four hours each weekday
in July. The introductory Arabic course emphasized development of
speaking and listening skills through intensive drills, exposure to basic
structural patterns of the language, and functional vocabulary. The course
— led by Yasmine Hasnaoui who taught Arabic in a one-year program at
Austin College in 2004 – 2005 — included introduction to cultural
components in the Middle East and North Africa.
In August, Bailey attended the Summer Symposium on U.S. Foreign
Policy, joining students from around the world in Washington, D.C., to
hear economists, analysts, journalists, government officials, and
educators provide insight on the state of politics around the globe. The
students also visited the embassies of China, Israel, and Egypt during the
conference. Other Austin College participants were Laura Gallardo ’10,
Wes Johnston ’10, Adnan Merchant ’11, Kerry Van Zant ’08, and Nathan Withers ’09.
Both events, offered through the Osgood Center for International Studies, were
directed by Shelly Williams, president of the Osgood Center and Austin College professor
emeritus of political science. Alvaro Escorcia ’10 and Wes Johnston ’10 were Osgood
Center interns for the summer. Escorcia worked with a non-governmental agency on
sustainable development and Johnston was assigned to TASH, an international association
working in disability advocacy.
High School Students Experience College Life
Twelve students participated in the Center for
Southwestern and Mexican Studies (CSMS) Summer
Institute for Talented High School Students in 2008.
The program allows high school rising juniors and
seniors to attend, tuition-free, two full-credit Austin
College summer courses relating to the interests of
the center. All students selected for the institute take
the same two courses, which also may include
regularly enrolled Austin College students.
Course offering in 2008 were “Introduction to
Cultural Anthropology” and beginning or intermediate
Spanish. Terry Hoops, associate professor of
anthropology, and Patrick Duffey, professor of
Spanish, taught the courses. Light Cummins, Guy M.
Bryan professor of history, is director of the CSMS.
The program is open to high school students
who live in Grayson, Fannin, Collin, or Cooke counties
in Texas or in Bryan County in Oklahoma and have
completed two full years of high school.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 33
Five Join College Board of Trustees
Five individuals recently joined the Austin College Board of Trustees:
E John M. Andersen ’66 of Dallas, professor of pediatrics and director of pediatric gastroenterology at University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School and Children’s Medical Center in Dallas
E Laura Dies Campbell ’73 of Austin, community volunteer active in Lay Missionaries of Charity and Mobile Loaves and Fishes
E Kelly Hiser of Sherman, owner of Kelly Oil Company
E Wes Moffett ’82 of Dallas, chief operating officer of Avelo Mortgage in Irving, a subsidiary of Archon Group
E John Serhant of Denison, Texas, and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, retired vice chair of State Street Global Advisors and advisor to
COURTESY PHOTOS
Goldentree Asset Management.
John M. Andersen
Laura Campbell
Davis Provides Professional Leadership
Nan Davis, vice president for Institutional Enrollment,
will serve as co-director for the National Association
for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Chief
Enrollment Officers Forum in September in Seattle,
Washington. She serves on the Program Planning
Committee and is co-chair of the Local Arrangements
Committee for the National College Board Forum
2008, to be held in Houston this November. Davis
again served as a resident faculty member for the
College Board/Texas Association for College
Admission Counseling (TACAC) Summer Institute held
in San Antonio, Texas, in July. She continues service
on the College Board National College Scholarship
Service Assembly Council and the Southwestern
College Board Regional Council.
Summer Days Are Busy Ones at Austin College
Each summer, several thousand individuals visit
Austin College as participants in various summer
conferences. Many are youth camps of church and
school groups, as well as the annual Young Leaders
Conference of the National Hispanic Institute.
Kelly Hiser
Japan/U.S. Educators Compare Notes
Back-to-school time took on new meaning in August
for a group of educators from Japan visiting the U.S.
to compare the educational system to that of their
own nation. Their agenda included an afternoon of
discussion with the faculty of the Austin Teacher
Program and a local school administrator.
The trip for the 13 high school and college
teachers, principals, and administrators from Japan
was arranged through the Japan Fulbright Memorial
Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program, sponsored by the
government of Japan, and designed to increase
understanding between the people of Japan and the
United States.
The Japanese visitors’ educational specialties
range from homemaking to physics. Their homes and
schools are in Aichi, Osaka, Hokkaido, and
Hiroshima, Japan. Brandon McInnis ’09 served as
language interpreter for the gathering.
Wes Moffett
John Serhant
research directors from across the nation invited to
serve on the Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System (IPEDS) Technical Review Panel (TRP)
for the Department of Education. The TRP met in
Washington, D.C., July 9–10 to review possible
changes to the IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey.
French Teachers, Students Learn Together
French students and teachers from Keller High
School. Klein Oak High School, Sherman High
School, and James Bowie High School in Arlington,
Texas, were selected by Austin College French faculty
to participate in a campus program in July. The group
spent three days in the College’s Jordan Family
Language House, and Austin College French
Department faculty led sessions designed to develop
students’ listening and speaking fluency through an
immersion program.
News Briefs photos available in the online magazine.
Wheaton Selected for Research Panel
Judy Wheaton, director of Institutional Research and
Assessment, was one of fewer than 15 institutional
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
31
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 34
a r o u n d
campus
Austin College Is a Great Place to Work
Austin College was named one of the “2008 Great Colleges to Work For” in the July 18 issue of
The Chronicle of Higher Education, scoring in the top five in 17 of 27 categories.
“I am proud of the faculty and staff of Austin College who make this a great place to
work,” said Oscar C. Page, Austin College president. “Each person contributes to a positive
environment characterized by respect and support for one another.”
ModernThink, a human resources consulting firm, administered surveys to 15,000
randomly selected employees of 89 public and private colleges and universities.
Austin College was included in the “small” category, for institutions with 499 or fewer
employees and ranked among the top five institutions in categories including healthy facultyadministration relations, collaborative governance, professional/career development, teaching
environment, confidence in senior leadership, connections to institution and pride, respect
and appreciation, and post-retirement benefits.
“Independent surveys are important because responses are generally honest and sincere,”
said Heidi Ellis, vice president for Business Affairs at Austin College. “I believe this is a terrific
place to work, and this survey confirms that many others feel that way as well.”
Renowned Shakespearean Scholar to Visit Campus for Lecture
PHOTO BY BACHRACH
W
Stephen Greenblatt
32
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
orld-renowned Shakespearean and English literature scholar Stephen Greenblatt will
visit Austin College October 20 to present a lecture on Shakespeare and Cervantes,
“The Strange Case of Cardenio.” The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in Hoxie Thompson
Auditorium of Sherman Hall. A reception and booksigning will follow.
“Stephen Greenblatt’s visit to Austin College is a major event for
us,” said Carol Daeley, professor of English and chair of the English
Department. “He is a groundbreaking figure in literary studies who
has recently launched two truly unique projects born out of his
interest in ‘what happens when things cross borders.’ His Harvard
course on global exchange along ocean routes in the 17th century has,
like much of his work, profound relevance to today’s world. His play,
Cardenio, co-written with Charles Mee and inspired by Shakespeare
and Cervantes, has been adapted for performance in Japan and India.
Who better to bring here as the faculty begins its ‘Global Learning for
Cultural Awareness’ Quality Enhancement Plan?”
Greenblatt is the John Cogan University Professor of the
Humanities at Harvard University, one of 19 Harvard University
Professors, the school’s highest professorial distinction.
Before joining the Harvard faculty in 1997, Greenblatt was a
professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught for
28 years. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer at universities
around the world, including the universities of Oxford, London,
Kyoto, Bologna, Florence, Berlin, and Peking. He is the author of
dozens of scholarly articles and of 10 books, including Hamlet in
Purgatory. He also has served as editor of 10 major volumes, including
the seventh edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature. He is a
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the
recipient of many honors and awards.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 35
Austin College’s Posey Leadership Institute will host its annual
Leadership Forum November 7, featuring Howard Prince, director of
the LBJ School’s Center for Ethical Leadership and retired Brigadier
General of the U.S. Army. Prince will offer a 9:30 a.m. session and
speak at a luncheon after the morning session.
From 1990 to 1996, Prince served as founding dean and
professor in the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of
Leadership Studies, where he was responsible for development of the
first undergraduate leadership degree program in the world. From
1978 to 1990, Prince was professor and head of the Department of
Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point.
An honor graduate of West Point, Prince holds a master’s degree
in international relations from American University, studied at the
University of Bonn in Germany as an Olmsted Scholar, and earned a
Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. A clinical
psychologist, he is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
For information about the event, contact the Posey Leadership
Institute staff at (903) 813-2015 or see www.austincollege.edu/news.
COURTESY PHOTO
Leadership Forum Scheduled for November 7
Howard Prince
Page Signs Climate Commitment
Addendum: Spring 2008 Music Recitals
Austin College President Oscar C. Page signed the American College and
University Presidents Climate Commitment July 24, pledging to eliminate
campus greenhouse gas emissions over time. The commitment will
require Austin College to complete an emissions inventory, set a target
date and milestones to become “climate neutral,” reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, integrate sustainability into the curriculum and into the
College’s education experience, and make an action plan, inventory, and
progress reports publicly available, according to the Presidents Climate
Commitment Web site.
“The college has been serious about various aspects of environmental
issues in the past, but I’m delighted to see the highest level administrative
support for a more comprehensive approach,” said Peter Schulze,
professor of biology and environmental science and director of Austin
College’s Center for Environmental Studies. “Joining the Presidents
Climate Commitment is a recognition that these sorts of efforts are in the
best interest of the College and larger community in the long run and are
compatible with the mission of the College.”
One of the first steps Austin College will take during Fall Term 2008
is to form a committee that will evaluate how to best meet the goals of
the commitment. In signing the commitment, Austin College joined
more than 560 colleges and universities committed to address the issue of
global warming through reducing campus impact on the environment.
A listing of senior recitals performed by Austin College
music majors that was included in the June magazine
inadvertently omitted Michael Brahce, vocalist. Since
graduation he has been involved with the Berkshire
Theatre Festival (BTF) in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
As one of five Artists in Residence, Brahce
performs once a week in a touring production, A Tour
of Mount Olympus, written by BTF’s E. Gray Simons III
and Tara M. Franklin. He also teaches children at area
schools about various aspects of theatre and will
perform in the company’s annual holiday production
of A Christmas Carol.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
33
Arts
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 36
Fall Theatre Season
Chapter Two by Neil Simon
September 25–27, 7:30 p.m.; and 2:30 p.m., September 27
Directed by Greg Hernandez ’09
Beardsley Arena Theatre
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
October 23–25, 7 p.m.
Directed by Kathleen Campbell, professor of communication studies
Ida Green Theatre
Festival of One-Act Plays
November 21–22, 7 p.m.
Directed by students of Kirk Everist, assistant professor of communication studies
Ida Green Theatre
All performances in Ida Green Communication Center. Tickets are $8, but free to all
Austin College students. See www.austincollege.edu for updates.
Art Exhibit
October 20 – November 14
Artist: Susie Fowler
Ida Green Gallery, Ida Green Communication Center
Fall Music Season
October
25
Sherman Symphony Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Kidd Key Auditorium, Sherman
26
Faculty Trio Recital
3 p.m., Craig Recital Hall
November
13
Choral Concert
7:30 p.m., Wynne Chapel
19
Concert Band Performance
7:30 p.m., Wynne Chapel
20
Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Wynne Chapel
24
Chamber Music and Jazz Concert
7:30 p.m., Wynne Chapel
25
Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Craig Recital Hall
December
4
Service of Lessons and Carols featuring Austin College Choirs
7 p.m., Wynne Chapel
6
Christmas Pops with the Sherman Symphony Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Mason Complex, Sid Richardson Center
7
Christmas Pops with the Sherman Symphony Orchestra
3 p.m., Mason Complex, Sid Richardson Center
See www.austincollege.edu for details, updates, and ticket information.
Grant Enhances Computer Science Study through Robotics
Freshmen Kristyn Weaver and Andrew Jaremski work on
programming as faculty member Shellene Kelley, center, examines one
of the book-sized robots used by her C/I class.
34
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
“It’s much more fun to teach a robot to navigate around obstacles,
perform a dance, or travel the halls taking pictures than to write a
program to solve a mathematical equation or search for information in a
file,” Kelley said. “But the same logic and problem solving skills are
needed to accomplish all these tasks. Students learn not only to program
robots but also to program computers to solve real-world problems.”
PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
“Implementing robotics into computer science and other sciences
makes the curriculum more interesting and interactive,” said Shellene
Kelley, Austin College associate professor of computer science.
Austin College was one of 28 high schools, colleges, and
universities in the nation to receive a grant this summer to enhance
computer science curriculum with robotics technology. The grant was
provided by the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) and a
gift from Microsoft Research. The schools share $250,000 and received
book-sized robots, called Scribblers, enhanced with special hardware
technology and software. “IPRE’s efforts in developing this technology
over the past two years make it possible to put a robot in the hands of
every student in the class for about the same price as a textbook,” said
Kelley. “This is key to encouraging experimentation and learning, both
in and out of the classroom environment.”
Kelley is implementing the technology this fall during her
Communication/Inquiry (C/I) course, “Computing with Robots: It’s all
a BOT science,” with each student exploring ways to automate robot
behavior through computer programming using their own personal
robot. Kelley also will use the robotic technology in 2009 January and
spring term courses.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 37
BREAKING ALL THE RULES
by Jeff Kelly
n unspoken rule in sports is that it takes time to build a winner.
When a program is created, odds are it will struggle before it
turns the corner toward success.
Apparently, no one ever told that to Paul Burns, the first
and only coach the Austin College women’s soccer program has known
since its 1996 beginning. He brought winning to women’s soccer in a
hurry. In the team’s second year, the Kangaroos posted a winning
record of 11-7-1, and have not been under .500 since. They won 12
games in their third season, and within
just five years of the inception
of the program, they won a
program-record 16
games and the first
of two conference
championships.
PHOTO BY JOSH BOWERMAN
A
In all, Burns has led his teams to 11 consecutive winning seasons,
with 10 seasons of double figures in the win column and plans to add
to the streak this fall.
“My goal when I started the program was to compete every year
for a conference championship,” said Burns. He attributes the success
to strong recruiting and developing a pool of committed and
competitive student-athletes.
“Lots of sacrifice is needed,” Burns said. “I push the players
outside their comfort zone. We want players that understand this
dynamic and have a passion to improve, compete, win — and combine
this with succeeding academically and enjoying student life.”
Burns said his coaching philosophy is simple. “Practices always are
thoroughly organized, supervised, and intense,” he said. “I provide
the student-athletes with challenging year-round training
programs that improve players’ game, development, and
understanding. I believe a successful coach is part technician,
part mentor, and part entrepreneur. He must know his game
thoroughly and instinctively, be sensitive to the needs of his
players, and employ the business skills of a successful manager
with zest and flair.”
The hard work is necessary to achieve and maintain
success, but as Burns says, “Nothing is free and nothing is
easy. You get out what you put in.”
At the same time, Burns teaches his players that there is
no room for placing blame or reacting poorly when
something doesn’t go their way. “I believe a team must
come to play no matter the adversity,” said Burns. “The
athletes must be prepared, motivated, competitive, and always
gracious in victory or defeat. They must take responsibility for
their own actions and always strive for excellence on the field and
in the classroom. I believe each player has talent, and through
physical, mental, and spiritual enhancement, each student-athlete
has the ability to reach maximum potential.”
For now, Burns is focused on the 2008 season, and as always the
goal is to challenge for a conference championship. With a plethora of
talented returners and yet another strong recruiting class, it seems a
goal well within reach.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
35
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 38
h o m e
team
Baseball Team Can’t Repeat SCAC Championship
Austin College Magazine
Women’s soccer coach Paul Burns and several members of
his team traveled to the United Kingdom this summer for a
training tour in the coach’s home country. The women
played three games against teams from England and Wales
and took in the sights along the way, traveling to
Manchester, Peterborough, Abergavenny, and London. The
trip was immensely enjoyable for the players as well as
successful — as the team went 3-0 in competition.
Fourteen of this fall’s 22 returning players, as well as
Nicole Christy ’00 and Kim Frazier, father of a current
player, took part in this road trip of a lifetime.
Soccer travelers stopping for a Big Ben photo are, left to right, first row:
Allison Wurmbrand ’10, Paige Rutherford ’09, Ashleigh Johnson ’11, Amy
Holman ’10, Holly Messamore ’09; second row: Caitlin Sperry ’11, Sarah
Fennewald ’09, Bahar Abbassi ’10, Brooke Adams ’09, Katie Hudson ’11,
Faren Frazier ’09; and third row: Helen Heres ’09, Mackenzie Lund ’11,
and Kaitlin Elledge ’11.
FIND THE LATEST ’ROO SPORTS
SCHEDULES AND RESULTS ONLINE:
WWW.AUSTINCOLLEGE.EDU/ATHLETICS
36
Soccer Women Discover Magical Kingdom
COURTESY PHOTO
The Kangaroo baseball team came up short in defending its Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference title, falling in a best-of-three series to
No. 15-ranked DePauw University in the SCAC Divisional Tournament
to end the season with a record of 18-24. The ’Roos also had a 7-9
regular season mark against conference opponents.
Shortstop Andy White ’10, first baseman and pitcher Bobby
Schleizer ’08, and third baseman Bennett Herrick ’11 were honored in
the postseason for their outstanding play during the year. White was
named All-Conference after batting .355 with 12 doubles, four triples,
four home runs, and 29 RBIs, and also provided perhaps the biggest
highlight of the season when he turned a rare unassisted triple play.
White also was named the SCAC Player of the Week during the season.
Schleizer finished the season ranked second in the conference with
10 home runs and added nine doubles and 42 RBIs while hitting .336
with a .603 slugging percentage. Herrick hit .296 with a team-best 14
doubles, along with three triples, three homers, and 29 RBIs.
Also posting strong seasons were catcher Patrick Ray ’10, who
batted .349 with three homers and 17 RBIs, and outfielder Jordan
Robison ’10, who hit .357 with four triples and three home runs on
the year. Scooter Merritt ’11 acclimated to college ball quickly, hitting
.318 with five doubles and 21 RBIs during his first season.
Cory Stevens ’09 put together a solid season on the mound for
the ’Roos, posting a team-best five wins in nine starts while striking
out 58 batters. Will Chermak ’10 added four wins on the year and led
the team with 63 strikeouts. Tyler Steed ’11 had a strong first season
for the ’Roos, earning three wins and two saves while striking out 26
batters and walking just 12 on the year.
With the ’Roos losing just one senior from the 2008 team and
boasting so much young talent, there will be plenty of firepower in
place for coach Carl Iwasaki and his team to once again be near the
top of the SCAC in 2009.
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:26 PM
Page 39
Softball Team Shows Signs of Growth, Makes Donation for Cancer Research
raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Every
'Roo homerun of the season resulted in donations, totaling
$3,213 for the charity.
Hart presented the check on behalf of the Kangaroo softball
team during the team’s April trip to play Rhodes College in
Memphis, Tennessee.
COURTESY PHOTO
The Austin College softball team saw a huge improvement in its
second year as an NCAA varsity sport, finishing third in the Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) tournament, posting a 17-23
overall record and an 11-5 mark against conference opponents. The 11
conference wins alone top the team’s win total from last season.
The ’Roos finished the regular season in second place in the SCAC
West, and were the only SCAC team to defeat Trinity prior to the
postseason, splitting their series 2-2. Leading the way for the ’Roos
were first baseman Stefanie Faith ’11, outfielder Laci Hart ’08, and
utility player Sam Smith ’11.
Faith made an incredible impact in her first collegiate season,
named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association
Division III All-South Region Third Team and the SCAC All-Conference
First Team.
Hart, who joined the team for her senior season after excelling for
the volleyball team for four years, joined Faith on the SCAC First Team,
as well as the SCAC All-Tournament Team.
Smith, who played catcher, third base, first base, and outfield at
various points in the year, was named Honorable Mention All-SCAC
for her work at third.
It wasn’t just the ’Roos who were scoring whenever a ball went
over the outfield fence. At the suggestion of head coach Edie Fletcher,
a two-time cancer survivor, the ’Roos created Home Runs for Hope to
Softball players visiting St. Jude’s Hospital are, front row, left to right, Brittany Gaertner
’11, Ashely Johnson ’11, Sam Smith ’11, Abbey Hayes ’11, Carolyn Stone ’11; and
second row, Kali Gossett ’11, Stefanie Faith ’11, Lauren Harrison, ’11, Laci Hart ’08,
Whitney Bodine ’11, and Bobbi Schulle ’10.
Women’s Tennis Team Finishes Strong; Navey Recognized for Men
The Austin College women’s tennis team had a solid year, winning
two matches in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
Tournament and finishing the year with an 8-9 record. The men’s
team finished 2-13, with wins coming against the University of the
Ozarks and Concordia University of Texas.
The two teams debuted the new Russell Tennis Complex in the
2008 season, with both the men and the women winning their first
matches at the new facility in an April 11 match against the Ozarks.
Both the men and the women won by scores of 5-4 over the Tigers.
The women were led by a pair of first-year players in Minnie
Satyavada ’11 and Kelly Lewis ’11, who were strong throughout the
season, and each was named to the SCAC All-Tournament Team, with
Satyavada earning the honor for both singles and doubles. Lewis,
who was Satyavada’s doubles partner during the tournament, was
selected for outstanding performance in doubles competition. Both
Satyavada and Lewis went undefeated at the event.
Satyavada also was named Honorable Mention All-SCAC after
excelling in number two, three, and four singles, as well as being
paired with Lewis in number one doubles. Satyavada was the women’s
Carroll Pickett Award winner as the most outstanding player.
On the men’s side, Nate Navey ’09 was named the men’s Carroll
Pickett winner for the second straight season. Navey played well all
season in both number one singles and number one doubles.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
37
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 40
h o m e
team
Alumni Honored at 2008 Legends
The annual Legends Celebration July 19– 21 attracted record numbers for the Sunday awards dinner as well
as large numbers for the Saturday receptions and a full course for the annual McCord Golf Tournament.
COURTESY PHOTOS
ATHLETIC HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEES
Jim Baird ’93
Coppell, Texas
Football, baseball
Captain, Coppell Fire Department
W.K. “Bo” Brown ’75
Dallas, Texas
Football
Owner, Brown Fryar, and Long Law Firm
Allison McKinney Tarpley ’99
Frisco, Texas
Basketball
Account vice president, UBS Financial
Kenneth D. Tatum ’89
San Antonio, Texas
Football
Senior consultant, Travelers Insurance
Kenneth W. Street
Sherman, Texas
Honorary Inductee
Professor Emeritus, Austin College
AUSTIN COLLEGE KEDRIC COUCH
ALUMNI COACH OF THE YEAR
Larry Uland ’61
Farmersville, Texas
Athletic director and football coach at Greenville Christian School
COACH JOE SPENCER AWARD
FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE
AND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
IN COACHING
Butch Worley ’76
Austin, Texas
Senior associate athletics director, University of Texas
PHOTO BY AARON FLORES
Continued Excellence Expected from 2007-2008 Outstanding Freshman Athlete
Coach Ronnie Gage is looking for strong play from this fall from 2008
Tim Jubela Freshman Athlete of the Year Chris Hickson ’11.
Hickson made an immediate impact on the ’Roos football team in
2007, starting all 10 games of the season. The defensive back finished
among the team leaders with 35 tackles, including 22 solo tackles.
Gage described Hickson as a gifted athlete with an incredible work
ethic and competitive spirit. In addition to praising Hickson’s diligence
and dedication to his team, Gage also called the young star defensive
back a person of great moral character.
Chris Hickson
38
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 41
f r o m
“
t h e
alumni board
He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither,
he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.
This epitaph of George Washington Carver resonates with me as a new school
year begins. A lot has changed since my first days at Austin College — my wild
oats have surely turned to bran cereal, and I hear my favorite songs only on office
elevators — but the lasting values we gained at Austin College remain the same.
Your Alumni Board carries on that “helping” tradition by connecting alumni
to Austin College and to each other. Recent activities of the board include:
Beverly Benthul Barry ’67 greeted 325 new members to the Alumni
Association at Commencement for the Class of 2008 in May. I met future alumni
of the Class of 2012 and presented their class flag on behalf of the Alumni Board
at the Opening of School Convocation.
Sarah Gunderson ’81 and Craig Florence ’84 were elected to the board’s
new positions of first and second vice president, respectively.
The Alumni College Committee organized programs with outstanding
professors for September 21 in Denver; October 2, Houston; October 5, San
Antonio; October 7, Dallas; and October 12, Washington, D.C. Will we see you
there? See acalumni.org for details.
The Homecoming Committee planned another outstanding Homecoming
October 24–26, with all reunion groups meeting Saturday evening in one
location. The gathering should be even better than last year’s great event!
The Annual Fund Committee raised a concern that only 29.42 percent of our
nearly 14,000 alumni made a gift of any size to the Annual Fund campaign that
ended June 30. Thank you to those who gave, and I hope you will continue to
give. This is one measure of the alumni’s confidence in their alma mater and its
future. Let’s work to raise that percentage this year.
Forget Facebook and MySpace, have you signed up for Austin College’s new
online community? It’s a great way to network and connect with your classmates.
Go to acalumni.org and use the code on your magazine mailing label to sign in.
Starting with this issue, I want to expand on some key components of the
Alumni Board. I asked Giselle Finne Gafford
’00, president of the Greek Alumni Council,
to tell you about this group’s purpose, goals,
and recent accomplishments.
I hope to see many of you on campus
during Homecoming.
Happy Trails,
PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
”
Fellow alumni:
Greek Alumni Council Supports
Austin College Greek Organizations
The Austin College Greek Alumni Council (GAC)
was formed in 2004 to provide a connection
between current students and alumni members of
Greek organizations and ensure cooperation and
communication between and among the College
and the Greek community.
The GAC offers counsel and assistance to
Greek organizations, with goals of strengthening
and promoting each group; providing a historical
reference; improving the overall Greek program;
assisting in effective governance, including conflict
resolution; and serving as outreach and connection
points between Greek alumni, their organizations,
and the College.
The GAC recently participated in the charter
review process for three Greek organizations with
charters up for renewal. In addition, the council
established a “listserve” that facilitates
communication among Council members and
created a Web site. Additionally, the GAC has
expanded its role with a voting seat (represented
by the council president) on the Austin College
Alumni Board.
How can you represent your Greek
organization? Each chartered Greek organization
may be represented on the GAC by up to three
alumni members. The GAC seeks diversity and
inclusion of alumni from various decades. There is
room for all organizations to expand their alumni
representation. The GAC holds two meetings a year
— one during Homecoming weekend and the
other in the spring or summer. Interested alumni
may write Gafford at gisellegafford@sbcglobal.net or
Alumni and Parent Relations staff at
alumni@austincollege.edu.
Mike Nurre
Alumni Board President
Mike Nurre
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
39
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 42
’ r o o
notes
PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
Class of 2012 Includes Several Continuing a Family Tradition
The 319 members of the Austin College freshman class include 64 students with some previous family tie to the College. Freshman Thomas Clayton has the most legacy
connections, with six family alumni, including his grandparents Alfred Clayton ’44 and Bettye (Green) Clayton ’48; his parents Mark Clayton ’77 and Cathy Bryant Clayton ’76;
his sister Catherine “Cate” Clayton ’03; and his brother Stephen Clayton ’06.
Other students and alumni gathering for the photo are listed here, in an attempt at left to right identification by row. Front, Bianca Banek, sister of Jeremiah Banek ’00; Caitlin
Tabor, daughter of Nancy Lazarine Tabor ’83, and sister of Cayce Tabor ’10; Anne Deming, sister of Katie Deming ’04; Erin Slade sister of Leslie Slade ’09; Kaitlin McCoy,
daughter of Michelle McCoy ’87; Thomas Clayton and family listed above; Mackenzie Mayer, cousin of Stacy Austin ’85; Margaret Edwards, daughter of David ’83 and Sara
Mullin ’85 Edwards; Hillary Gregory-Allen, daughter of Victoria Reeder ’84 and Roger Gregory-Allen ’84, and niece of Richard Gregory-Allen ’78; Wajiha Khan, cousin of Haroon
Samar ’02; Second row, Devanie Emms, daughter of Thomas Emms ’82; Kallison and Kellan Pope, sisters of Krisandra Pope ’08; Bridgette Deem, granddaughter of Don and
Marion Bean ’64; Umair Karim, brother of Mariya Karim ’08; Suzanne Beltran, great niece of William and Nancy Sizer Oelfke, both ’66, and cousins of William and Melanie
Brown Oelfke, both ’84; Alyssa Rangel, sister of Javier Rangel, Jr. ’05; Tyler Brannen, brother of Thomas “Bucky” Brannen ’08; Madeleine Levin, daughter of Jeffrey ’79 and Ginny
Harleston Levin ’79; Neema Dad, sister of Jeema Dad ’10; back row, Chelsea Freeland, daughter of Charles ’90 and Lisa New ’89 Freeland; Kevin Kurian, brother of Joseph
Kurian ’08; Will Navey, son of Allen Navey ’73, brother of Nate Navey ’09, and nephew of Cornelius Nau, Jr. ’73; Frank McStay, brother of Kira McStay ’10; Hannah Alexander,
daughter of Gerald Alexander ’76; Graham Schneider, brother of Jordan Schneider ’08; George Foote Clark IV, son of George F. Clark III ’77; Kayla Cook, niece of Byron Cook ’71;
Katelin McKee, sister of Zach McKee ’07; and Ellen Wehner, sister of Brooks Wehner ’01.
Alumni News
COURTESY PHOTO
Campus Room Bears Name of Master Teacher
Nona Bishop Wood Sansom ’66 was surprised during a visit to campus in April by a gift from her husband, Andy
Sansom ’68, whose funding named the Nona Sansom Room in the Temple Learning Center at Thompson House
in her honor. Nona taught many years before retiring from the Austin Independent
School District. “Honoring my wife in this way was a great privilege for me and I am
grateful to Austin College for allowing me to do so,” Andy said. “More than anything
else, she is a fine example to students studying to be educators because she is a
consummate professional. She is recognized as a Master Teacher who will be an
inspiration to all who use the Nona Sansom Room.”
Andy, a conservationist and former executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife,
has written four books, including Water in Texas, published this summer by UT Press.
He also is the author of Scout, The Christmas Dog. Although not written or marketed
as a children’s book, it often is found in children’s book sections and has been used
as a text in children’s literature classes at the University of Texas.
Nona Sansom in the Temple Learning Center at Thompson House
40
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 43
54
80
86
The work of Carroll Pickett as Death House
chaplain at the Huntsville prison is the subject of
the documentary At the Death House Door. See
page 20.
Marlene Llopiz has been named regional director
for Latin America for Venn Life Sciences Clinical
Research in Mexico City. She is in charge of opening
offices throughout Latin America. She made a
presentation at the Drug Information Association
forum in July, representing the entire Latin American
region. She has two children.
Israel Suster has been elected president of the
Plano Bar Association. His law firm is engaged in the
practice of commercial and property litigation
throughout north Texas. He lives in Plano with his
wife and their two children.
83
A son, Ryan Sterling, was born August 7, 2007, to
Anna and Michael Clark (11). Ryan joins big sister
Jordan, 3. The family lives in Dallas. ■ Mary KellySwafford and Judson Crowder (4) met up with one
another in Reno, Nevada, at the National Association
of Professional Organizers conference in April. Both
are professional organizers; Mary in New Orleans
and Judson in Houston. ■ Christopher Thompson
(24), a partner in the litigation and bankruptcy
sections of the Dallas offices of the Jackson Walker
law firm, was named a Rising Star for 2008. Rising
Stars must be no older than 40 and practicing law
for 10 years or less. The award is based on a survey
of Texas attorneys to determine the top 2.5 percent
of the state’s up-and-coming lawyers. Texas Monthly
staff members then conduct independent research
of the nominees’ credentials and publish those
selected in the April 2008 magazine.
60
Dan Page received a Manhattan Association of
Cabarets (MAC) Award in the category of Special
Musical Material as a writer of the song “One Stop
Shopping,” co-written and performed by New York
jazz and blues artist Sue Matsuki. Dan is a
songwriter and playwright living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.
65
Dr. John C. Landolt (12) retired in August from the
teaching faculty of Shepherd University in
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, after a tenure of 38
years. Landolt joined the Shepherd faculty after
receiving a doctorate in zoology from the University
of Oklahoma. While at Shepherd, Landolt taught
classes in general biology, general zoology,
developmental biology, and comparative anatomy,
as well as serving a rotation as chair of the Biology
Department. Landolt has been engaged in research
on the natural history of cellular slime molds for a
number of years. He has authored or coauthored
over 30 refereed journal articles; made
presentations at many regional, national, and
international meetings; and is listed as an authority
for the formal description of more than 20 new
species of cellular slime molds. Landolt will continue
a relationship with Shepherd University as research
professor of biology emeritus and will remain in
Shepherdstown with Melinda, his wife of 28 years.
74
Leah Clemmons Lane and her family — husband
John and their son and daughter — moved to New
Zealand in 2005. Their son, Joseph, already plans to
be in Austin College’s Class of 2016. Leah wrote in
belatedly to identify participants in the photo
included in the Every Picture Tells a Story feature in
the December 2007 Austin College Magazine. Of
the photo, she recalled that during the trip to China
led by Jim Ware, now professor emeritus of
philosophy and religion, the Austin College men took
on a Chinese basketball team and the locals were
surprised that Dr. Ware spoke Shanghai Chinese (he
was born there to missionary parents). She also
recalled that her suitcase broke and Trev Teel ’78
gave her $40 to get a new one. Ah, memories …
85
Rachel McCollough Matthews graduated from
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago
with a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral
counseling and psychotherapy. Her doctoral paper
was “Using Ritual and Spiritual Practices in Pastoral
Counseling and Psychotherapy: The Role of Pastoral
Counselor as Ritual Leader.” ■ Denyse Seaman was
married May 31 to David Rodgers. She continues to
work at Baylor University in the Electronic Library as
head of Library Information Systems.
78
Thomas Luck (22) received a Master of Liberal Arts
in Religion degree from Harvard University. His
thesis, “Breaking Bread: the Gospels and the End of
Poverty,” makes the case for a biblical mandate to
end poverty. Luck continues to serve as dean of St.
Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Syracuse, New York,
and as a chaplain to the Clergy Leadership Project,
a program of Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel in
New York.
COURTESY PHOTO
Rock Stanley successfully defended his doctoral
dissertation “Current Mathematical Concepts Critical
To Student Success in College Algebra” in May at
Texas A&M-Commerce. The graduation ceremony
was in August.
92
93
(21) A son, Daniel Murray Lee II, was born June 22,
2007, to Sydney and Erica (Jebs Holder) Lee. The
family lives in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
area.
95
A son, Samuel Michael, was born May 25 to Mike
and Jill Harter Teagarden (15). Big brother Max, 2,
welcomed Sam home. Jill is a senior director of
Alicia Van Borssum ’82 has taught Montessori and English as a Second Language (ESL) for the past
25 years. This fall, for the first time since the 1970s when she assisted Cynthia Manley of Austin
College’s faculty, she is teaching French as well as ESL at a middle school near Rochester, New York.
She also is beginning doctoral studies at the
Warner School of the University of Rochester,
with interest in literacy. She is a volunteer with
Ethiopia Reads and last summer spent a
month in Ethiopia doing teacher training and
volunteering in the first free public library for
children in Addis Ababa. She returned to
Ethiopia in December 2007 and plans to travel
there again in summer 2009 to help set up a
training center for teachers.
Van Borssum, at center, with teachers in Ethiopia
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
41
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 44
’ r o o
research and development for VHA, Inc., in Irving,
Texas, and Mike manages analytics for McAfee in
Frisco, Texas. The family lives in Dallas. ■ Kim Terry
and Benjamin Winbery (19) were married February
16 in San Antonio, Texas. They live in Georgia where
Kim works as a private practitioner outpatient
counselor in Warner Robins.
96
Cullen and Amy Aubrey Chandler (7) , along with
their daughter Cate, 5, traveled to the Midwest in
June to combine business with pleasure. Amy
attended various events at Purdue University where
she continues to telecommute as writer/editor of
alumni publications for the School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences while Cullen conducted
research at the library on campus. Cullen, assistant
professor of history at Lycoming College, was
awarded a $6,000 summer stipend from the
National Endowment for the Humanities in support
of his research project “Carolingian Catalonia:
politics and culture in the Spanish March.” After the
stop at Purdue and visiting friends in Michigan and
Chicago, the family returned home to Williamsport,
Pennsylvania — home of the Little League World
Series. A visit to the Card Wildlife Education
Museum at Ferris State University in Michigan gave
Cate a chance to learn more about kangaroos —
and pose for a photo. ■ Max Hawsey was named
head football coach for Grinnell College in Iowa in
January. Offensive coordinator and line coach at
Colorado College since 2003, Max helped the team
break 15 offensive school records while averaging
over 400 yards and 30 points per game. He recently
finished production for American Football Monthly,
where he writes and creates football videos and
articles for coaches nationwide. He and his wife,
Sara Townsend-Hawsey, have three children,
Marion, 5; Hunter, 3; and Natalie, 1. ■ A daughter,
Natalia Elyse, was born May 29, 2007, to Sean and
notes
Isabel Lerma Hedger. They are happy to be back in
Texas after nine years in New Mexico. ■ Greg Koch
is adjunct professor at the California School of
Professional Psychology at Alliant International
University, where he teaches a doctoral course on
lesbian and gay couples, families, and children. He
contracts with the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation to assess and treat
inmates at Centinela State Prison in El Centro and
maintains a part-time private practice in San Diego.
He is the current chair of the San Diego
Psychological Association’s Committee on Gay and
Lesbian Concerns. In October 2007, Greg was a part
of the volunteer Disaster Mental Health Team at
Qualcomm Stadium, where 11,000 evacuees were
housed during the San Diego wildfires.
97
Melinda Massie has begun an events planning
business, Melinda Massie Events and Consulting.
COURTESY PHOTO
Tanishia Choice ’04 was a co-recipient of the 2008 North
Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians Award for the
Outstanding Medical Student in Psychiatry at University of
Texas Southwestern Medical
School. The award is given to a
graduating medical student for
“stellar clinical work, strong
leadership on campus regarding
psychiatry education, and
commitment to community
involvement in the service of the
mentally ill.”
This spring, Dr. Choice
undertook a research project in
genetics, studying causes of lung,
breast, and colon cancer while
waiting for the July start of her
residency in psychiatry at UT
Southwestern Medical School.
The intern year of the four-year
residency includes six months of
Tanishia Choice
general medicine and six months
of psychiatry so the months
ahead will include rotations in adult medicine, pediatrics,
neurology, and emergency room medicine as well as
psychiatry. Following completion of the psychiatry
residency, Dr. Choice plans to seek a fellowship to
42
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
complete the additional two years necessary for work in
child psychiatry.
With training completed, Dr. Choice wants to establish
her own practice in the Dallas area and/or participate in
academic medicine with UT Southwestern. She chose the
field of child psychiatry because during her rotation
through adult psychiatry, she found that many of the
adults’ illnesses and problems were rooted in childhood. “I
see child psychiatry as preventive medicine to stop these
illnesses from compounding,” Dr. Choice said.
A passion of Dr. Choice is continuing efforts toward
establishment of a residency outreach program at UT
Southwestern. She hopes that when residents can volunteer
in the community to educate people about mental illness
and reduce the stigma associated, people will not be
opposed to seeking care. “We need to reduce the morbidity
of mental illness — which comes from a lack of adequate
care,” she said.
“Dr. Choice has a very rare combination of gifts —
excelling in the practice of science and remaining
passionately rooted in the problems of the communities she
was raised within,” said Dr. Adam Brenner, assistant
professor of psychiatry and director of medical student
education. “I look forward to watching Tanishia continue
to pursue both these missions — for research and for
activism — with great success during her residency.”
A L U M N I P RO F I L E
outstanding medical student in psychiatry
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 45
00
A son, Mason William, was born November 30,
2007, to Brad and Stephanie Palmer Bierman (8).
The family lives in Frisco, Texas. Stephanie is a
director of admission, working regionally in Dallas,
for Austin College, where she has worked for six
years. Brad is a benefits and risk consultant for
Homes Murphy Associates in Dallas. ■ A daughter,
Lainey Cathryn, was born April 24 to Ben and Abby
Hagan Harris (16). The family lives in Plano, Texas. ■
Tricia Holland and John Williams (10) were married
September 2, 2007, at the Umlauf Sculpture
Garden and Museum in Austin, Texas. The wedding
party included Andi Taylor ’01, Leigh Wisner ’01
and Aron Bautista ’01. Tricia and John live in
Houston, Texas, where Tricia is a special agent with
the U.S. Secret Service and John is a superintendent
for Brighton Homes. ■ Gary Howell has completed
a doctorate in clinical psychology at the Adler
School of Professional Psychology in Chicago,
Illinois, and received a certificate in clinical hypnosis
and assessment. His dissertation was on assessing
the need for adjustments in scoring on the
Rorschach Inkblot Test with gay men He is clinical
director of a private, psychologist-run psychiatric
practice. ■ A son, Daniel Patrick, was born February
28, 2007, to Daniel and Kelly Klotz Diaz (5). The
family lives in Carrollton, Texas. ■ A daughter, Hazel
Jennie, was born March 8 to Stephen and Allison
Davis Stamatis (13). Big sister Lillian welcomed
Hazel home. The family lives in Weatherford, Texas.
Allison completed her doctorate in environmental
science in December 2007.
01
A son, Rhett Blake, was born February 19 to Trey
and Amanda Smith Traweek (17).
02
Chaney Leigh Brown and Michael Scott Curran (9)
were married April 26 at Wynne Chapel with Chet
Haney of Parkside Baptist Church in Denison
officiating. The couple, who honeymooned in Playa
de Carmen, Mexico, lives in Sherman. Chaney is
employed by Sherman Independent School District
and began doctoral studies in supervision,
curriculum, and instruction in August. Scott is head
boys basketball coach at Denison High School. ■
Naomi “Omi” Kathryn Boggus and Robert L. Ford (6)
were married January 19 at Preston Hollow
Presbyterian Church in Dallas. Officiating pastors
were Steve Jester ’79 of St. Philip Presbyterian
Church and Blair Monie, senior pastor at Preston
Hollow Presbyterian Church. The wedding party
included Britton Travis Varn ’03 and Stephanie
Allaire Flores ’02. Attendees included Paula Jonse
’02, Heather Graham ’02, Susan Brantley ’02,
Jennifer Frye ’02, Brandie Gould Means ’02, Jason
Means ’02, Stacy Smith ’02, Sarah Walker Kinard
’02, Matt Kinard ’02, Sarah Beatty Snyder ’04,
David Snyder ’02, Melinda Veatch ’85, John
Williams ’84, and Courtney Mullins ’10. The new
couple lives in Houston, Texas, where Omi teaches
third grade in the Spring Branch Independent
School District and Robert works as a recruiter for
TEK Systems. ■ Geanna Day and Ryan Tubbs (18)
were married October 20, 2007, in Lubbock Texas.
Alumni Leslie McCrary Siebenhausen, Kayla
Smiley ’05, Chris Siebenhausen, and Amanda
Smith Traweek ’01 attended and are pictured with
the bride.
03
Courtney Paige O’Neal is a public services librarian
at the School of Public Health Library at the
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at
Houston. ■ Sarah Steward-Lindsey graduated with
honors from the University of Texas School of Law in
May. Following completion of the Texas Bar
Examination, Sarah will join the Houston office of
Liskow & Lewis as a litigation associate. She and
her husband, Colin Lindsey ’01, celebrated their
first wedding anniversary May 26. ■ Beth Marie
Terpolilli and Conor M. Teegarden (25) were married
June 9, 2007, at the United States Air Force
Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Beth is a
third-year medical student at University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Conor is
a captain in the United States Air Force. He is
stationed in Lakenheath, United Kingdom, where he
is a weapons system officer in a F-15E Strike
Eagle. The couple lives in Brandon, England.
04
Megan Desalee Brentzel and Leonard Mitchell
Joyner II (3) were married May 24 in a garden
ceremony at the ranch home of the bride’s
parents. Zach Heath served as a groomsman.
Following a honeymoon to Hawaii, the bride and
groom make their home in DuPont, Washington. Meg
earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of
Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, in May 2008.
Leo is a first lieutenant in the United States Army,
stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. ■ Kathryn
Kincaid and James Paul “JP” Goldsmith (20) were
married September 22, 2007 in Fort Worth. Kathryn
is the daughter of Robert Kincaid ’74 and JP is the
son of Glen Goldsmith ’74. The wedding party
included Emily Kincaid Youngblood ’97, Kristin
Orsak ’03, and David Meacham ’04. The new
couple lives in Fort Worth. JP is an architecture
student at University of Texas at Arlington and a
mechanical, electrical, and plumbing designer for
Class One Solutions, Inc. Kathryn is the membership
and communications coordinator for the Fort Worth
Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs. ■ Cory
McDowell (2) graduated with honors May 12 from
Texas Tech School of Law with a doctorate of
jurisprudence and a Master’s in Financial Planning
degree. Cory and his wife, Jennifer (Whetsel), live in
Midland, Texas, where Cory is an attorney with
Cotton Bledsoe Tighe & Dawson and Jennifer
teaches first grade at Burnett Elementary. ■ Sean D.
Sweat graduated from MIT in April and began work
for Intel Corporation in Phoenix, Arizona, as a capital
supply chain engineer. ■ Happy Rahman is a firstyear associate at Austin law firm Scanlan, Buckle &
Young, where she is a general civil litigator. She
enrolled at Tulane University Law School and was
very active there, then transferred to the University
of Texas Law School, where she earned her J.D. in
2007. She was published in and served as editorin-Chief of the Texas Environmental Law Journal, the
official publication of the State Bar of Texas,
Environmental and Natural Resources Section.
Happy did bilingual work as a student attorney in
both the Children’s Rights Law Clinic and the
Community Development Law Clinic. ■ Sarah
Russell and Jason Duff (14) were married August 18,
2007, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in
Dallas, Texas, and were honored with a dinner dance
at Old Red Courthouse. Sarah is the daughter of
Gary and Catherine Theall Russell ’77. The
wedding party included Meghan Cardwell-Wilson,
Lindsay Arnott ’03, Josh George, and Travis
Redman. Many other Austin College alumni
attended. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and
now lives in McKinney, Texas. Sarah graduated from
Texas Tech University School of Law in May 2007
and is an associate attorney with Wolfe, Tidwell, &
McCoy of Frisco, Texas. Jason graduated in May
2007 from Oklahoma City University School of Law
and practices law in the Dallas area.
Numbers in color after alumni names correspond with photos on pages 44 and 45.
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
43
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 46
’ r o o
05
Ana Guzman received her Master of Business
Administration degree from Texas Woman’s University
in May 2008. ■ Kimberly Lang and Elizabeth
Sanberg (23) were married June 7 at St. Paul’s
Anglican Church in Vancouver, British Columbia. They
honeymooned in Lake Louise and Banff, Canada.
Kimberly and Elizabeth live in Washington, D.C.,
where Kimberly develops online communications
and marketing strategies for a nonprofit
environmental organization, and Elizabeth does
research on policing issues. ■ Emily Richardson
Owen graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological
Seminary in May and received the Donald Capps Award
for pastoral care. ■ Megan Wald presented at the 2008
National Student Research Forum in Galveston, Texas. Her
research also received third place honors at the University
of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA)
Medical Student Research Day in August 2007. Megan
examined the effects of peripheral thermal injury on brain
architecture under the auspice of the UTHSCSA
Department of Neurosurgery. She is a medical student at
UTHSCSA.
notes
06
Alicia Heller and Charles “Ahren” Simmons (1) were
married March 1 in Houston, Texas. Colleen Walsh
‘07, Christin Stinson ‘07, Melissa Levine ‘07, Lisa
Hoffman Loftice, and Jenni Pilsbury Johnson, former
Austin College residence life area coordinator,
attended. The couple lives in Manvel, Texas. ■ Sara C.
Mitchell received a master’s degree in computer
science June 15 from the College of Engineering at
The Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto,
California. She works with Adobe, a software
engineering firm in San Jose, and lives in Santa Clara.
Numbers in color after alumni names correspond with photos on pages 44 and 45.
1 ’06
5 ’00
2 ’04
6 ’02
4 ’92
3 ’04
Brandon Willard ’05, a 2005 graduate of the MBA in Entrepreneurship program at the
Acton School of Business in Austin, Texas, was named Acton Alumnus of the Year in May. The
Brandon Willard Fellowship awarded this fall allows an Acton student to attend tuition-free.
Brandon said the one-year, 100-hour-per-week program at Acton has three learning
goals for participants: how to learn, how to make money, and how to live a life of meaning.
“Austin College sent me to Acton with an outstanding head start,” Brandon said.
After completing his MBA at Acton, Brandon worked in marketing in the high-end
network security industry. After a year, he and three partners launched DisplayPoints, an
interactive advertising media product that delivers content at casual restaurants. He has
other plans that lean more toward social entrepreneurship — starting for-profit companies
with the specific mission of serving an area of society in need on a long-term basis.
Brandon arrived at Austin College planning a career in law, though he had an early start
in business — selling his drawings and lemonade in his yard at age 5, among other ventures.
Involved with Young Life since high school, his work with the group while at Austin
College started him toward an MBA program because of a need he saw in the group’s
business model. During a January Term course on Global Offshoring, taught by Rebecca
Treuhaft Judis ’92, he met Zach Lynde ’90 at an alumni reception. Lynde, an Acton
alumnus suggested Brandon look into the school’s entrepreneurial program, taught by real
entrepreneurs in a case study setting, as a means to pursue his concerns for Young Life.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the new business takes much of his time, but
Brandon makes time to mentor a student at Acton and still
seeks ways to help Young Life, “an enormous passion in my
life.” He and his fiancé plan to marry in October 2009 and
are considering ways they will work together in support of
their community. “My family and close friends are the
biggest influence on my life,” Brandon said. “I have grown
up with several business owners in my family, and I have
watched them run their businesses while making their faith,
family, and friends their highest priority.”
Brandon Willard
44
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
COURTESY PHOTO
Brandon Willard Honored in Business Study
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 47
7 ’96
8 ’00
9 ’02
10 ’00
11 ’92
13 ’00
14 ’04
12 ’65
16 ’00
15 ’95
18 ’02
19 ’95
20 ’04
17 ’01
24 ’92
21 ’93
22 ’78
25 ’03
23 ’05
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
45
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 48
K
Austin College Mourns Loss of Senior Trustees
46
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
IN MEMORIAM
Austin College has received word of the deaths of the following alumni.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Philip Coldwell of Dallas, Texas, died May 26. A graduate of the
University of Illinois, he earned a Ph.D. in economics and finance at
the University of Wisconsin. His education was interrupted by service
during World War II as a U.S. Navy F65 Hellcat pilot in the Pacific.
Coldwell taught at universities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Montana, and
Louisiana before beginning a career with the
Federal Reserve System. He held several
positions before becoming president of the
Dallas Federal Reserve Bank in 1968. He was
nominated in 1974 by President Gerald Ford to
serve on the seven-member Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System. Confirmed by
the U.S. Senate, Coldwell spent the next 18
years in Washington, D.C. Upon retiring from
the Board, he formed an international
consulting firm, Coldwell Financial
Consultants, and was a frequent speaker within
the banking industry.
Philip Coldwell
Coldwell and his wife, Norma Abels
Coldwell, returned to Dallas in 1992. He was an active member of Park
Cities Presbyterian Church. He and his wife celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary in June 2007.
Coldwell joined the Austin College Board of Trustees in June 1977.
He served as a member of the Senior Board until his death.
William Wheat Collins Jr., 95, of Fort Worth, Texas, died June 29.
A graduate of the University of North Texas, he later studied at Johns
Hopkins University and earned degrees at the Maxwell School of Public
Administration at Syracuse University and the Southwest School of
Banking at SMU.
His career included public school teaching
and band direction, military service, and
government service, culminating in his
appointment as regional administrator of the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. After retiring from federal
service, Collins pursued interests in banking, oil
and gas, real estate, and ranching. He was a
member of University Christian Church.
Collins served on the Board of Trustees at
Austin College from 1981 to 1993 and on the
Senior Board until his death. His involvement
with Austin College began through his wife,
Margaret Binkley Collins ’36, and ranged from William Wheat Collins, Jr.
board service to philanthropy to Dixie Land
band performances for Homecoming. He and Margaret, married 55 years
before her death in 2002, were awarded Austin College’s Toddie Lee
Wynne Award in 1996 for significant contributions to advancement of
the College.
’35
’41
’42
’44
’45
’45
’47
’47
’49
’50
’53
’54
’54
’57
’57
’57
’61
’61
’66
’69
’72
’83
John L. Faulkinberry
Lawrence E. Gilbert
LeNoir Moore
Betty Bernice Lee Culy
Carol Ivy Dawson
Hayden Pittman
Anna Elsie Scott
Joy Devault Sory
Robert H. Lang
James L. Jackson
William A. Hodges
Jorge Lara-Braud
Joan McDonald Haile
Joseph Halstead Dwinnell
John Jacob Egbert
Carol Dozier Sprinkel Fritze
Virginia Rene Perdue Hinkley
Carl E. Snider
Phoebe Anne Lester Corry
Jo Ann Evans
Pamela Elley Colley
Dylan Paul Thomas
June 9, 2008
August 8, 2008
May 30, 2008
May 31, 2008
April 14, 2008
July 25, 2008
April 20, 2008
August 20, 2008
July 14, 2008
July 12, 2008
May 10, 2008
June 22, 2008
June 20, 2008
June 16, 2008
July 12, 2008
July 5, 2008
June 30, 2008
July 27, 2008
June 14, 2008
June 7, 2008
August 14, 2008
April 8, 2008
Friends We Will Miss
Longtime Austin College supporter Charlotte Russell Spears of Sherman died
June 20, 2008.
A scholarship has been established in the name of Eric Sorenson ’11 who died in
April. The Eric Sorenson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded each spring to a
student at Austin College or an area high school. Contributions may be made to the
fund through American Bank of Texas.
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 49
K
m e e t
t h e
trustee
CHAIR:
Robert M. Johnson ’53, McLean, Virginia
VICE CHAIR:
Richard J. Agnich, Dallas, Texas
TRUSTEES:
John Q. Adams, Jr. ’84, Southlake, Texas
Sharon S. King, Richardson, Texas
Margaret Allison, San Antonio, Texas
Jeffrey Landsberg ’81, Dallas, Texas
John M. Anderson ’66, Dallas, Texas
Luan Beaty Mendel ’75, Palo Verdes, California
Jerry E. Apple ’60, Irving, Texas
Steven M. Mobley, Austin, Texas
Lee Dean Ardell ’74, Houston, Texas
Wes Moffett ’82, Dallas, Texas
James D. Baskin III ’75, Austin, Texas
Samuel S. Moore ’64, Dallas, Texas
Laura Dies Campbell ’73, Austin, Texas
Jo Ann Geurin Pettus, Graham, Texas
Jacqueline R. Cooper ’73, Oakton, Virginia
Davis B. Price ’67, Lubbock, Texas
Linda Morris Elsey, Fort Worth, Texas
Fazlur Rahman, San Angelo, Texas
F. R. “Buck” Files ’60, Tyler, Texas
Annadele H. Ross ’66, Dallas, Texas
Georgina Fisher ’69, Severna Park, Maryland
John Serhant, Denison, Texas
Rebecca Moseley Gafford ’72, Dallas, Texas
Caroline Elbert Taylor ’66, Wyalusing, Pennsylvania
Donald Gibson ’75, Houston, Texas
Jesse R. Thomas ’74, Sherman, Texas
Dennis E. Gonier ’83, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Linda Plummer Ward ’78, Nashville, Tennessee
Thomas Hall, Jr. ’78, Colleyville, Texas
William E. Warren ’74, Plano, Texas
Mary Ann Stell Harris ’70, Fort Worth, Texas
Todd A. Williams ’82, Dallas, Texas
Charles Hendricks ’61, The Woodlands, Texas
Stanley M. Woodward, Dallas, Texas
Kelly Hiser, Sherman, Texas
Michael G. Wright, Dallas, Texas
M. Steve Jones, Sherman, Texas
Robert J. Wright, Dallas, Texas
The parallels between Annadele “Ann” Holm Ross ’66 and one of her
ancestors run deeper than bloodlines. Ann is a sixth generation Texas
native descended from the famous Texas pioneering Austin family.
(Emily would be her great-great-great-great grandmother.) Emily and
Ann have walked ironically similar paths: both facing the challenges of
young widowhood, managing their family’s estates, investing their time
and resources into education and community philanthropy, and being
supportive of Austin College.
Ann graduated from Austin College in 1966 and moved to Dallas
to work for the Dallas Public Library. She met and married Daniel Ross
in Dallas, but when she was 30, he
died. “I had new duties after my
husband died,” said Ross, who
decided to obtain a master’s of
business administration degree
from Southern Methodist
University to assist her in
performing these new tasks. Her
career path included work in the
banking industry and helping
establish the Dallas Women’s
Foundation — serving as its
president in the ‘90s — until she
decided to manage her own
property, a timber operation on her
Ann Ross
late husband’s East Texas farm and
real estate in Dallas.
Ann’s work with the Dallas Women’s Foundation was a special
interest in her life. “The Dallas Women’s Foundation was attempting to
educate women about their money and money management, which I
think is really important for women’s ability to be independent,” she
said. Ann expanded her already active involvement in civic service
when accepting the invitation to join the Austin College Board of
Trustees and maintain formal family ties to the institution.
“My education concerns are similar to Emily Margaret’s in the
sense that I believe we need critical thinkers for the challenges in the
state and nation,” Ann said. “I believe Austin College is ideally suited to
educate people with those interdisciplinary critical thinking skills as it
has for generations.” Ann believes the Austin College Board of Trustees
may need a little of Emily’s pioneer spirit to face challenges close to
home like building a new science building and finding a new college
president, not to mention meeting the broader challenges in the world.
“We must continue to move the College to an excellent future
most of us may not fully understand at present,” she said. “We have to
employ everyone’s abilities. We all have to be visionaries like Emily
Margaret Austin was to get Austin College where it needs to be.”
September 2008
Austin College Magazine
47
COURTESY PHOTO
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 50
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 2008
18
Math and Sciences Admission Preview
20
Steven Greenblatt Lecture
23–25
Homecoming
26
Faculty Trio Recital
30
Darwin 200 Lecture: Steve Goldsmith
November 2008
7
Leadership Forum
13
Choral Concert
14 –15
Cunningham Lectures
16
Wynne Chapel 50th Anniversary Celebration
18–20
Africa Symposium
19
Concert Band Performance
21–22
Festival of One-Act Plays
22
Social Sciences Admission Preview
24
Chamber Music and Jazz Concert
December 2008
1
World AIDS Day Service
4
Service of Lessons and Carols
12
Fall Term Ends
See the Austin College Master Calendar for details, updates, and a
full schedule of events: www.austincollege.edu/calendar
D I S C O V E R
T H E
R E A S O N S
1 | 1 | 0 9
48
Austin College Magazine
September 2008
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 51
PHOTO FROM THE AUSTIN COLLEGE ARCHIVES
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
▲
E V E R Y
P I C T U R E
T E L L S
A
S T O R Y
A boat full of women and a giant whale in Sherman? This photo is bound
to bring some memories to those on campus at the time. Recognize
classmates or remember other particulars of this shot? Share your stories at
the address below.
Alumni: Share YOUR Austin College photos for possible inclusion in Every
Picture Tells A Story. Send to Editor, Austin College, 900 N. Grand Ave.,
Suite 6H, Sherman, Texas 75090 or editor@austincollege.edu.
S T O R Y
B E H I N D
T H E
P H O T O
Dorot hy K e ll e y Gre en ’59, Ches te r S tor y ’59, M a ri l y n Sl a te
Mc K nig ht ’53, and J oh n St or ey ’70 wrote that this photo was
likely from the late 1950s and though many faces were familiar,
a few brought particular memories. Dorothy and Chester
recognized E lm e r F la c c u s at the front of the line, who Chester
said “brought many phases of history to life for all of us.”
Marilyn identified Cec i l M cL a u ghl i n next in line. Dorothy
recognized, fifth from left, Professor “Tee -H ee ” M il l er , who
taught a course on the Romantic poets. “She had a little laugh
when the content of poems was even remotely suggestive of sex
and a becoming blush seldom seen today,” Dorothy wrote.
Marilyn thought the same person might be Ma rg a re t M il l er ?
Several recognized, eighth and near the end of those pictured,
Dr. Cly d e Ha l l who taught “slide rule” and who “never
changes.” John identified his father, J a m e s St ore y to the left of
Hall. John wrote that his family lived a block from campus until
John was age 12; he later returned to the college as a student.
▼
PHOTO FROM THE AUSTIN COLLEGE ARCHIVES
T H E
AC MagSept07:Layout 1
10/9/08
3:27 PM
Page 52
PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY
“There are things to be done,
needs to be met,
and hurts to be healed.
If you do not do your part,
something very important
will remain undone forever.”
— Henry Winkler
OPENING AUSTIN COLLEGE’S 160TH ACADEMIC YEAR
learning|leadership|lasting values
Austin College
Of fice of College Relations
900 Nor th Grand Avenue, Suite 6H
Sherman, Texas 75090-4400
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
30% recycled stock
NONPROFIT ORG.
U S P O S TA G E
PA I D
AUSTIN, TX
PERMIT NO. 110