Magazine Winter 2010 - Austin College

AustinCollegeMagazine Winter 2010

I amwriting this letter in lateDecember from theNetherlands and the homeof our dearDutch friends, George andMarja. Although I am usually on campus or traveling withintheU.S. onbehalf of AustinCollege, I amdelighted to spend a fewdays ofmy first JanuaryTermhaving the same kind of self-expanding experiences that our students and facultyare exploring this month. Like them, I have come to Sherman, Texas, to see the world!One of the pleasures of travel is the chance to “re-understand” themeaning of home.

I amdelighted to find that AustinCollege has indeedbecomehome tome andmy family.We continue to be amazed andnourished by thewarmwelcomewehave been offered oncampus and in the Texoma region. These many kindnesses have given me so muchenergy for the work before us. We are moving forward, full-steam ahead, with a newvision for the long-dreamed-of science building. (You’ll read all about the IDEA Centerin upcoming magazine issues.) We are engaged in strategic planning and working todevelop the best alumni-student career network of any small college in the country. Also,we are in themiddle of a search for a new vice president for Institutional Advancement.And our newWeb sitewill be unveiled early in the spring, andwehope it will enable youto keep in closer touch with the campus.Being in touch is an important theme forme in 2010, so I hope youwill come to visit

us in person or write tomewith your thoughts and ideas. You can also “Facebookme” ifyou like to communicate that way. But I hope you also will talk to each other and bragwidely to your friends and colleagues about our very special community.

This issue of themagazine is particularlymeaningful because it carriesourHonorRoll of Donors. There are nowords to express fullymy gratitudefor the support that our alumni and friends offer to Austin College. Thisfinancial support is essential if we are to pay our bills and keep our doorsopen; it also allows us to continue to pursue our most cherished goals:academic excellence and educational access. We know that even as themarket has reduced the value of our endowment, we do not want tocompromise the quality of the educationwe offer; excellencemust remainour standard. At the same time, we refuse to reduce scholarshipopportunities that allow talented students from families with limitedmeans to pursue an Austin College education. Your gifts ensure that wecan remain faithful to these core values, and I offer youmydeepest thanks.Speaking of core values, we soon leave Holland to spend a few days in

Paris, and then we’ll be back on campus. Back home. With fresh eyes andfresh ideas. Andwith a deep sense of our blessings aswe start this excitingnew year.

Best,Marjorie

From the President

Exploring. Coming Home. Making Connections.

CONTENTS

Inauguration: New HorizonsAlong Grand AvenueHomecoming Photos’Roo Notes

281214

Austin College MagazineISSN 1949-2405Winter 2010Vol. 48, No. 2

AUSTIN COLLEGEMarjorie HassPresidentNan DavisVice President for Institutional EnrollmentHeidi EllisVice President for Business AffairsMike ImhoffVice President for Academic AffairsOscar C. PageInterim Vice President for Institutional AdvancementTim MillerickVice President for Student Affairs and Athletics

EditorVickie S. KirbySenior Director of Editorial Communication

DesignMark SteeleArt Director

EditorialMegan KinkadeSenior WriterJeff KellySports Information CoordinatorVictoria HughesProduction CoordinatorVickie S. Kirby

PhotographyVickie S. Kirby, Chelsea Freeland ’12, Kaitlin McCoy ’12,Katherine Senor ’12, Marcus Urban ’10

Office of Col lege RelationsMichael StrysickExecutive DirectorAssociate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Austin College Magazine is published quarterly in fall, winter, spring, andsummer editions by Austin College, 900 N. Grand Avenue, Sherman, TX75090. Periodicals postage paid at Sherman TX 75090 and at additionalmailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Austin College Magazine, Suite 6G,900 N. Grand Ave., Sherman, TX 75090.

Contact Austin College Magazine:Office of College Relations, Suite 6HAustin College900 North Grand AvenueSherman, TX 75090-4400Editor: 903.813.2414Fax: 903.813.2415Email: [email protected]

Austin College does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability,national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as aveteran in the administration of its educational policies and programs,employment policies and practices, enrollment policies and practices, andathletics program, as well as any other College-administered policy,procedure, practice, or program. Reasonable accommodations are madefor individuals with disabilities.

© 2010 Austin College

2008-2009 Honor Roll of Donors

From the Editor:Happy 2010, Readers!WinstonChurchill once said, “There is nothingwrongwith change, if it is in the rightdirection.” As you can see, thismagazine issue has evenmore changes than the last.But we sincerely hope that we are going in the right direction for the times inwhichwe live. Many colleges, for financial savings, are reducing the number of issues oftheir magazines. In an effort to bring you timely information from campus and beas resourceful as possible with tight budgets, we are not reducing the number ofissues, just the number of pages. This issue offers a brief overview of the fall,including the exciting celebration surrounding the inauguration of PresidentHass;theHonor Roll of Donors; and a bit of information fromalumni. The regular alumninotes will be included in full in the spring issue.I wrote in the fall issue that we hoped the cut in pages would be for only two

issues; good stewardship, however, will require that the reduced page countcontinue through the fiscal year. Perhaps by fall 2010, the economy will haverecovered evenmore and budgets will sustain a largermagazine.I hope that you still will find the issue enjoyable and that it brings a bit of the

“Austin College experience” right to where you are. Please feel free to share yourthoughts, memories, ideas for the future … maybe just a hello. Reach me [email protected] or call me at 903.813.2414.

Happy reading!Vickie S. Kirby

Cover photo by Jacki Lee of jimmages

2 | Austin College Magazine Winter 2010

Marjorie Hass was oficially insalled as president of Ausin College on

November 5, 2009. A rainbow of color in the academic procession of delegates

from colleges and universities around the country set thesage for the insallation

of Dr. Hass as the College’s 15th president. Academic traditions, fall colors, and

a swell of optimism and support for the new president blended to form the

perfec celebration for faculty, staf, sudents, alumni, board members, and

friends. “If I look happy, i’s because I am,” a radiant Dr. Hass told those

assembled as she began her inaugural address following the insallation led by

Board of Truses chair Robert M. Johnson ’53 and assised by Ausin College

president emeritus Oscar C. Page, the 14th president.

NEW HORIZONS

Austin College Magazine Winter 2010 | 3

PHOTOSBYJACKILEE

peaking onher inauguration themeof “NewHorizons,”Dr.Hass said thatthough individuals learn that there is no literal horizon where earth and sky meet,they never stop seeing the horizon before them. “And more importantly, we neverstop looking to the horizon as the place just out of reach but close enough to almosttouch,” she said. “The horizon stands for our hopes, for our futures, for our abilityto hang on to those precious glimmers even when reason tells us that they are hardto attain.”Sharing thoughts on plans and hopes on “the horizon” for Austin College, Dr.

Hass continued, “A college grows in the healthy soil of good planning and soundstrategic investments. But it also needs the rain of simple hope, the oxygen of grace,and the equivalent of lots of spiritual duct tape. For what we do here is a form ofpracticalmagic.We findways to seemore.We teach theways to see thehorizonwhenit’s hidden, and we offer lessons in dream-following and dream-making.

“How do we do it? We do it by allowing ourselves to look towardever-new horizons, to keep our dreams before us, to know that evenas wemove forward, the vistas before us continue to grow.”Dr. Hass referred to thewritings of psychologist and philosopher

William James, who, in ThePrinciples of Psychology, offered instructionon viewing the horizon: look carefully at the distance to the horizonand then “with inverted head, look at the same. There will be asensible revision of the maximum distance.”Though Dr. Hass joked that she would not continue her address

from on her head, her words echoed James’ concept: “Upside downyou’ll see farther and wider,” she said. “Somehow the change inperspective erases a limit.”James, she said, “was telling us a secret of actual perception: as

wide, wild, and lovely as we find the world, there is always more,always something else to be foundbywidening our gaze and changingour perspective. But James also was telling us something about ourownmetaphorical horizons—turn yourself upside downand you’ll seemore of what is before you.”Dr. Hass explained that some aspects of the view of the horizon

remain unchanged regardless of the different perspective. “At Austin

A college grows in the

healthy soil of good planning

and sound strategic

investments.

But it also needs the rain

of simple hope, the oxygen

of grace, and the equivalent

of lots of spiritual duct tape.

For what we do here is a

form of practical magic.

S


College, over time and tide, we remain true to our commitment to the liberal arts,we keep our covenant with the PresbyterianChurchwith loyalty andwith love, andwe continue on the path of pursuing excellence and holding the doors of accesswide open.“But on our heads we also see with a wider gaze: our hopes for the future are

brighter, our commitment to bringing that future into existence is deeper. Andthe ordinary moments—the unplanned but life-changing conversation betweenmentor and student, the hard won ‘A’ from the demanding professor—becomeextraordinary again.”“When I stand on James’ hilltop and turn onmy head to look at Austin College,

I see a wealth of opportunities just ‘over there’ and ready for us to realize. I see acollege that builds on its long-standing leadership in global education to create amore worldly community. I see a college that is widely known for ‘changing lives’with its distinctive, vibrant, hands-on, head-down approach toteaching and learning. And I see a college that builds the bonds betweengenerations to develop the strongest alumni-student career network ofany small college in the country. And that’s just inmy first glance. Evenas we make these visions real and whole, we will keep looking towardthe horizon, in order to shape ‘always more’ for this great college.”Dr. Peyton Randolph Helm, president of Muhlenberg College in

Pennsylvania, introducedDr.Hass beforeher inaugural address. Dr.Hasswas a facultymember and then administrator atMuhlenberg, rising over10 years to the role of provost, which she held from 2004 until her moveto Austin College.Collegepresidential inaugurations typically include representatives of

other higher education institutions to provide a tradition of formalrecognition of a change in leadership. Delegates representingmore than50 colleges and universities attended the installation of Dr. Hass,including TCU chancellor Victor Boschini and Schreiner Universitypresident Tim Summerlin, who also represented the Association ofPresbyterian Colleges and Universities.Student, faculty, staff, and alumni representatives added their welcomes, as did

Judy Fletcher, executive of the Presbyterian Synod of the Sun, and Texas StateRepresentative Larry Phillips. The program also included College Chaplain JohnWilliams ’84 and 2009 graduates Jonathan Hersh, a member of the Austin TeacherProgram, and Keatan King, now studying at Louisville Presbyterian TheologicalSeminary, as well as Dallas Key ’10, student body president, and Lisa Brown,associate professor of psychology and a member of the Presidential SearchCommittee. The Austin College A Cappella Choir and Chorale, led by WayneCrannell, associate professor of music, performed during the ceremony.


Peyton RandolphHelm


This page clockwise, from top left, PresidentMarjorie Hass poses withDonaldGibson ’75, Board

of Trustees member; the Austin College Board of Trustees; delegates prepare for the ceremony;

the A Cappella Choir performs during the installation; Dr. Hass greets Jessica Bufford ’10 as she

entersWynneChapel; Austin College facultymembers find their place in the academic procession.

Facing page clockwise, from top left, PresidentHass talks with Austin College faculty Jacqueline

Moore, DonRodgers, andDavid Baker before their presentations at the faculty symposiumduring

inaugurationweek; the Austin College Improv Ensemble P.S. poses before its performance; a

campus-wide picnic follows the inauguration ceremony;Marjorie and Larry Hass celebrate

during the inaugural dinner and dance; Board of Trustees chair Robert M. Johnson ’53 and his

wife, Joyce, smile for the camera; President Hass’ parents, her son, Cameron, and her husband,

Larry, are called on to assist in presenting Robert Johnson’s toast for President Hass;

Susan DeLee Cuellar ’69, a senior member of the Board of Trustees, was recognized for her work

in coordinating the inauguration.

PHOTOSBYVICKIES.KIRBYANDJACKILEE


2010

M

Austin College PoseyLeadership Award RecipientHelps Millions Rise from Poverty

Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered microcredit and founded the Grameen Bankin Bangladesh as part of an effort to create a world without poverty, will be therecipient of the 2010 Austin College Posey Leadership Award.The innovative banking program founded by Yunus provides mainly poor

women with small loans to launch businesses that help lift their families out ofpoverty. The widely successful program has spread to every continent since itsfoundingmore than 30 years ago andhas benefitedmore than 100million families.

For his efforts, Yunus has been recognizedwith the 2006Nobel Peace Prizeand a 2009 U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.Yunus will accept the award on Thursday, February 25, before a public

lecture given at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. Ticket pricesbegin at $50 and are available online atwww.eisemanncenter.com.This will mark the first visit to North Texas by Yunus since winning the

Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Prior to the public lecture, Yunus will share hisinsights with Austin College students, faculty, and staff at a convocationon campus.“Austin College is fortunate to have the opportunity for its students to

be inspired first-hand by one of the world’s preeminent servant leaders,”saidMarjorie Hass, president of Austin College. “In fact, a number of ourstudents have interned at the Grameen Bank headquarters in Bangladeshthrough Austin College experiential learning programs.”The Posey Leadership Awardwas created through the generosity of Sally

and the late Lee Posey, founder of Palm Harbor Homes, and supports theAustin College mission to promote service and leadership in a global context.Previous recipients includeWendyKopp (2006), founder of Teach For America;

Paul Farmer (2007), noted Harvard physician and medical activist, and subject ofTracy Kidder’s bookMountains BeyondMountains; Geoffrey Canada (2008), presidentandCEO of theHarlemChildren’s Zone; andGregMortenson (2009), whose effortsto establish schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan are chronicled in the best-sellingbook Three Cups of Tea and the recently released Stones into Schools.

MuhammadYunus

COURTESYPHOTOS


Along Grand Avenue

Mary Clayton McKee ’84 Southlake, TexasMaryClaytonMcKee enjoyedanearly 20-year career in severalareas of corporate leadership atAmericanAirlines. In 2007, sheleft that company to establish Elegant Marketing Solutions, amarketing and communications consulting firm, and nowrepresents international jewelers to luxury cruise lines and theU.S. luxury retail market. An avid traveler, Mary has visitedmore than 320 destinations in 44 countries, and visited allseven continents in 2008.

Patricia Manning-Courtney ’87 Wyoming, OhioPattyManning-Courtney completed a residency in pediatricsand a fellowship in developmental and behavioral pediatricsbefore helping to launch The Kelly O’Leary Center for AutismSpectrum Disorder (ASD) at CincinnatiChildren’s Hospital in 1998. She became thecenter’s director and continues in that roletoday. She also is an associate professor ofpediatrics at theUniversity ofCincinnati andhasbeen involved in research and publication inmany areas of ASD.

Marilyn Facka Brill ’69 Lewisburg, PennsylvaniaMarilyn Facka Brill had many years ofinvolvement with the League of Women Voterson a local, regional, andnational level, includingserving as an international observer for national

elections inBosnia-Herzegovina in 1996. In 2001,Marilyn tookon her role as administrator for the Pennsylvania Women’sCampaign Fund, a bi-partisan political action committeededicated to the election of more women to the PennsylvaniaGeneral Assembly.

Thomas C. N. Evans ’69 Ossining, NewYorkTom Evans is the vice president of audio research and specialprojects for ESPN. His diverse 30-year research career hasincluded work for the Southwest Center for Urban Research,the Institute for Urban Studies, NBC, ABC, Arbitron, andNielsen. In 2007, he was honored with the Hugh MalcolmBeville, Jr., Award, the highest recognition in the broadcastresearch industry.

What Makes Alumni “Distinguished”?Austin College has many accomplished alumni, active invaried careers, volunteer projects, and civic activities aroundthe globe. Each year, Alumni Board members considernominations and deliberate over choices to select those whostand above the crowd to be named Distinguished Alumni.The awards recognize those who have distinguished

themselves in their profession and in their communities,exemplifying leadership and ethical standards in their

interactions. Honorees model the accomplishment, spirit ofservice, and broadened perspective fostered by the AustinCollege educational experience, and support and advocate onbehalf of the College.Four such graduateswere recognizedduringHomecoming

2009. Theirmany professional and community involvementsare toonumerous to includehere. Anoverviewof their currentprofessional positions follow.

Left to right;Mary ClaytonMcKee, PatriciaManning-

Courtney,Marilyn Facka Brill, and Thomas Evans


A Parent’s Service HonoredA father’s love for his daughter led to the awarding of the 2009Austin College Heywood C. Clemons Volunteer Service Award toDavid Simpson, father ofBrittanySimpson, amemberof the ’Roos women’s basketball team who was killedin an automobile accident in 2006 as a freshman.David and Joy Simpson have established an Austin

College scholarship in memory of their daughter,funded in large part by benefit golf tournaments theyhave organized. David Simpson also has workedtirelessly to recruit for the Austin College women’sbasketball team.His research, emails, andphone callshave been instrumental in helping Austin Collegewomen’s coachDeb Hunter to formher squads.TheClemonsAward is given each year to alumni or

friends of the College in honor of continued serviceand commitment to efforts of the College. The award is named tohonor longtime Austin College Board of Trustees chair HeywoodClemons of Fort Worth, Texas. Coach Hunter and PresidentMarjorie Hassmade the award presentation to Simpson.Simpson is vicepresident for energymarkets atMacquarieBank

inHouston, Texas.

Community Mourns Loss of Faculty and Staff MembersTheAustinCollege community again faced the loss of colleaguesduring fall 2009,with thedeathsof J. ForrestBryant ’41, associateprofessor emeritusofbiologyand former registrar,andLance Ott, office coordinator for AdamsCenter.Forrest, 97,diedOctober 16, 2009.His careeratAustinCollegebegan in 1948asassociate

professor of biology, and later became registrar and associate deanprior to his retirementin 1977.He received theHomer P. RaineyAward forOutstandingAchievement and ServicetoAustinCollege in 1977, and in 1997, received theCollege’sDistinguishedAlumnusAward.Hewas amember of Covenant Presbyterian Church, serving inmany leadership roles.Memorial gifts may be made to the Joyce Wilson and J. Forrest Bryant Endowed

Academic Achievement Scholarship at Austin College.Lance, 46, was killed in an automobile accident on October 17, 2009. He joined the

AustinCollege staff inNovember2004.Lancegrewup in Irving, Texas, andwas confirmedatGoodShepherdLutheranChurch.Hegraduated fromtheUniversity ofNorthTexaswitha degree in history and later earned a teaching certificate at Texas A&M–Commerce. Helived in Trenton, Texas, with his wife and family.Memorial giftsmay bemade to Austin College.Lance

Ott

J. ForrestBryant

COURTESYPHOTOS


Several of Brittany Simpson’s former teammates attended the award ceremony

for Brittany’s father. Pictured, left to right, withDavid Simpson, at center, are

alumnaeCatMoran, LibbyKellum, Andrea Bauer, Brittany Smith, CerenUnal,

CoachDebHunter, and Raney Bauer.

One Historic KickTheAustinCollege football programaddedanother record to its statistics inNovember2009. The often mundane, post-touchdown extra point kick became a moment ofexhilaration for placekicker Tom Thompson and a historic notation for the team.That’s because Thompson, a graduate student at Austin College, was 61 years old.By taking the field against Trinity on November 14, Thompson became the oldest

player in college football history. Tom,who is in his second year at AustinCollege, ranonto the field early in the second quarter after the ’Roos scored on a 47-yard run byfreshman Phillip Gonzales, and drilled the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.Neither theNAIAnorNCAA keeps statistics on age, but the former oldest player in

college football was believed to have beenMike Flynt, who took the field for Sul RossState University during fall 2007 at 59 years old.

Along Grand Avenue

Passing 1,000 PointsKola Alade ’10 reached a milestone in November 2009 thatplaces him among only 17 Austin College men’s basketballplayers.A two-timeAll-SouthernCollegiateAthleticConferenceperformer, Alade surpassed 1,000 career points during theannual BobMasonClassic.

Excellence On and Off the FieldSoftball player Abbey Hayes ’11 has been named a NationalFastpitchCoachesAssociationAll-AmericanScholar-Athlete forthe 2008-2009 academic year. She was similarly honored forthe previous year. Honoreesmustmaintain at least a 3.5 gradepoint average for the year. Abbey started 29 games last springand finished the seasonbatting .253with 19hits, 10 runs scored,and six RBIs while stealing four bases and boasting a .971fielding percentage, top among the team’s outfielders.

National Blocks Leader’Roo volleyball player Jessi Fleming ’12 ended the season asthe national NCAADivision III leader in blocks. Jessi averaged1.70 blocks per set, easilymaking her the statistical championfor 2009 as the next closest average was 1.48 blocks per set.Jessi, the only player in the nation to surpass 200 total blocksfor the year, had 64 block solos and 162 block assists. Shefinished fifth nationally with a .402 hitting percentage andwas the key factor in her team’s national second-place rankin blocks.

Kola Alade

AbbeyHayes

Jessi Fleming

TomThompson


Big Feats

PHOTOBYCHELSEAFREELAND

2009homecom

ing

PHOTOSBYCHELSEAFREELAND,KAITLINMcCOY,KATIESENOR,ANDMARCUSURBAN



Homecoming and FamilyWeekend 2009

brought hundreds to campus and put smiles on

the faces of faculty, alumni, students, and

families alike. FromAlumni College sessions to

sports action, theweekend offeredmany

opportunities tomake new friends and connect

with old ones. Homecoming king and queen

Nicholas Low ’11 and Emily Bull ’10 reigned over

themanyweekend activities, and a check to the

College for $808,415 showed the fundraising

success of reunion class agents.

The Board is seeking topic

proposals and alumni panel

participants or presenters for

Homecoming 2010, scheduled for

October 22-24.

The Board’s Alumni College

Committee also is seeking

suggestions of faculty whom

alumni would like to hear speak

on any topic. Submit topic or

presenter ideas to

[email protected].


Fellow Alumni:Can you believe that the first decade of the 21st century has just ended? (Remember theY2K scare?) Can youbelieve also all thewonderful changes happening at AustinCollege?Our alma mater will move further into this century toward New Horizons with a newpresident, a new logo, and (coming soon) a new Web site. I can even feel the change inmy pockets. Your Alumni Board has initiated some exciting changes of its own.

� Homecoming To reinforce the value of lifetime learning, Alumni Collegereturned to campus during Homecoming with outstanding (and packed)lectures by Dr.David Baker, physics; Dr.Mark Hebert, philosophy; and Dr.Shelly Williams, political science. Two newHomecoming events were well-attended: an alumni panel discussion on “The Current State of theMarkets”and a State of the College address by PresidentMarjorie Hass.� Faculty Service Award The Alumni Board created this award to honor afaculty or staff person who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment tothe support and education of Austin College alumni around the world. Thefirst recipients, honored at Homecoming 2009, were emeriti facultyDr. Shelly Williams and Dr.Kenneth Street.� The Dr. Hass “New Horizons” Tour During the early fall, the Alumni Boardhosted receptions to introduce President Hass in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin,San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, and Houston, Texas, as well as NewYork City, Los Angeles, andWashington, D.C.� Jan Term Select travel Jan Term courses will be available to alumni in thefuture based on space availability. Three alumni participated in Jan Termsessions in 2010.� Every Gift Matters When it comes to your annual contribution to AustinCollege, the count, not the amount, matters. Many philanthropists andfoundations considering large gifts to a college include alumni giving intheir decision-making process. Why not make a gift to our almamater beforeJune 30? Remember you can designate where your gift is applied, and everygift counts!

’Roo for life,Mike Nurre ’67President, Alumni [email protected]

From the Alumni Board

ShellyWilliams andKen Street

PHOTOBYKATIESENOR

Going Strong at 90Members of Kappa Gamma Chi sorority celebrated the group’s 90th anniversaryduring Homecoming activities in October 2009. Alumnae of the organization haveworked hard to establish contact among the group’s 700+ alumnae through theKappa Alumnae Network.

The group initiated a Distinguished Alumna Award incelebration of the anniversary and as ameans to recognizeKappaswhohavedistinguished themselves in their careers, in communityefforts, and in service to Austin College. The first honoree wasRebecca Russell Sykes ’67, executive director of the DallasWomen’s Foundation. “Becky embodies the spirit of this award andmore than exceeds the award criteria,” said Jenny King ’92,founding president of the Kappa Gamma Chi Alumnae Network.“Wewere thrilled for Becky to accept the awardwith several of herpledge sisters in attendance,” addedNetwork boardmemberHanPham Hulen ’98. “More than 100 alumnae were in town forHomecoming activities,”Han said. “Itwas awonderfulweekendofcelebrating 90 years of sisterhood.”

Another priority of the alumnae is theKappaGammaChi Alumnae Scholarship,awarded each year to an Austin College junior or senior woman to assist with studyabroad funding. The scholarship fund, established in 1994 to commemorate the 75thanniversary of the sorority, now totals more than $36,000. The Kappa AlumnaeNetworkplans to bring the total to $100,000by the group’s 100th anniversary in 2019.The Kappas also gathered at the annual Homecoming early morning ’Roo Run,

which the sorority has sponsored since its beginning in 1990. The 5Kevent has raisedmore than $9,500 in donations for the Boys & Girls Club of Sherman.

’Roo Notes

A ’Roo CelebrationAnn Sebastian Black ’71 and several

Austin College friends gathered to

celebrate Ann’s birthday at the Plaza

Hotel in Las Vegas, NewMexico, in

August 2009. Pictured are, left to right,

front row,Wally Black ’70, Terry Tucker

Ford ’71, Ann Sebastian Black, Betsy

McCook Binkley ’71, Susie Jackson

Chapman ’61, andNancy Bateman

Rodgers; and back row, SteveHays ’70,

SarahCampbell Stevens ’75, Pat

Flanagan Ferguson ’69, Bill Skeen ’70,

Linda Skeen, Jerry Chapman ’63, and

BobRodgers ’74.


Celebrating Kappas included, left to right,

front row, AmandaOverstreet Hope,

Heather Lenhart Hale, and EricaHuggins

Harshaw; back row,Han PhamHulen,

Giselle FinneGafford, Alicia Surrat,

andMelanie Peltz.

Pioneering Alumnus Pierre Shamba DiesPierre Manenga Shamba ’64, the first non-white student toattend Austin College full-time, died August 27, 2009, at 73.Shamba grewup in theDemocratic Republic of Congo and

was educated in Presbyterianmission schools. He traveled tothe United States to attend Stillman College in Alabama, butthe Ku Klux Klan blocked his enrollment.Shamba enrolled at Austin College in 1961 andmajored in

sociology and French, was a member of Pi Chi Epsilonfraternity, and participated in Model United Nations. In aNovember 2005 Austin College Magazine article that detailedracial integration at the College, Shamba said he did notconsider himself a pioneer; he just wanted an education. “Bymyself I don’t think I couldhavedone it,” he said.His daughterCecile said her father had told his children that he suffereddiscouragement and discrimination at times, but his peersand professors at Austin College were good people and gavehim the courage to complete his education.Shamba graduated from Austin College in 1964—the same

year the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress—and earneda master’s degree fromHoward University inWashington, D.C., beforereturning to the Congo. Heworked as a school principaland as an administrator atthe Christian MedicalInstitute of the Kasai, aPresbyterian hospital inTshikaji, Congo.

IN MEMORIAM

’39 Mary Elizabeth “Beth” (Fitch) Brown . . . . . . .October 7, 2009

’41 J. Forrest Bryant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .October 16, 2009

’48 Eugene F. “Mac” McGlothlin . . . . . . . . . .September 13, 2009

’51 Eddie Bilger Nachtrieb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .October 9, 2009

’52 Phillip Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .September 21, 2009

’64 Pierre Manenga Shamba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .August 27, 2009

’68 Thomas R. Reese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .June 29, 2009

’69 Cathy Lynn Picone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .September 13, 2009

’71 Luana Zoe (McCoy) Kostyniak . . . . . . . . . . .October 10, 2009

’72 Mary Jane Norrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .October 24, 2009

’93 Kenneth Don Abernathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .October 3, 2009

’09 Stephanie Banith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .September 15, 2009

’12 Robert Blake Trammell . . . . . . . . . . . . . .September 14, 2009

Fort HoodTragedyHas Tie toAustin CollegeEduardo Caraveo ’79 was one of the victims of the November14, 2009, shootings at FortHood inTexas. AnArmypsychologistfor 10 years, Major Caraveo was on the base preparing fordeployment to Afghanistan.ThoughCaraveo attendedAustin College for only one year

before transferring, theCollege communitymourns the loss ofone of its ownand joinswith thenation in extending sympathyto all associated with the tragedy.A Herald Democrat article about the Austin College

connection to the death included comments from FelixSaldivar, Jr., ’79, an attorney in El Paso, Texas. The twodeveloped a lasting friendship as classmates at AustinCollege.Saldivar said that Caraveo moved to the United States fromMexico as a teenager and, at first, struggled to learn English.Those struggles became the motivation for Caraveo tocontinue his educational goals, Saldivar said.After Caraveo’s freshman year at Austin College, he

transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso, where heearned a bachelor’s degree in 1979 and a master’s degree incounseling in 1980. In 1986, he completed a doctorate inpsychology at the University of Arizona and a post-doctoratecertificate in psychopharmacology for psychologists at NewMexico SateUniversity in 2002. Caraveo’sWeb site said hehadpracticed clinical psychology for 20 years. He lived inWoodbridge, Virginia.EduardoCaraveo

PierreManenga Shamba

COURTESYPHOTOS


nowAustin

College

scholarshipslaunch the journey

At Austin College, our students experience learning opportunities that challenge them to see and servethe world. The Austin College NOW Scholarship Fund provides critical support to financially assistdeserving students, and gifts to this fund in any amount provide scholarships for a current student forup to four years of enrollment. Our commitment to scholarship availability is sustained by thegenerosity of alumni and friends whose gifts help give access to the Austin College voyage of discoveryfor all students—regardless of their financial status. Your gift matters! Make your donation to the NOWScholarship Fund online at www.austincollege.edu/giving.

A S H L E Y O V E R T U R F ’1 1Sally Posey Leadership Fellow

George & Fay Young Foundation Scholar

When Ashley Overturf got a call from the Austin College Financial Aid Office withnews of her selection as the Young Scholarship recipient, she cried through thewhole conversation, overjoyed at the news that meant Austin College wouldremain her home throughout her undergraduate career. Financial aid staff hadbeen working with Ashley’s parents to find additional aid, but the stress of payingtuition had pushed the rising sophomore to consider transferring to a communitycollege. The newly established Young Foundation Scholars programwas a perfectmatch for the family’s situation, with the scholarship’s criteria for a student withfinancial need and an established course of study in education, science/healthcare,or social work.

In typical Austin College fashion, Ashley has pursued diverse interests; she ismajoring in Spanish while following a pre-medical track of courses in anticipationof applying to medical school upon graduation. Her dual interest in Spanish andmedicine is motivated in part by her summer2008 experience as an Austin College GlobalOutreach (GO) Fellow in Uspantain, Guatemala,where she served on a medical teamwith HELPS International. The summer travelexperience confirmed her desire to go intomedicine as a career. She also has spent asemester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina,taking courses in Latin American history andculture while strengthening her language skills,preparing for the journey beyond Austin College.

The Young Foundation

Scholarship

is the reason I am here,

living out my passion for

helping people as I

prepare for a life in

medical missions.

Office of College Relations900 North Grand Avenue, Suite 6HSherman, Texas 75090-4400

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

James Skinner ’09 stopped for an awesome photo during a trek through the Sahara Desert whileparticipating in a semester-long study abroad program at the Center for Cross-Cultural Study inSeville, Spain. He also was able to travel throughout Spain and other European sites.

Austin College was included among the nation’s top-ranked colleges for study abroadparticipation in the November 2009 report released by the Institute of International Education.Based on data from the 2007-2008 year, Austin College is listed #2 in the nation. The College hasbeen ranked in the top five in the nation on that list six of the past seven years, including threefirst-place rankings.

Documents

Magazine Winter 2010 - Austin College