T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E S FA A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N & S T E P H E N F. A U S T I N S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
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FALL GARDENING TIPS HOMECOMING 2011 CAMPUS DINING
Dianna Novy Lee ’92, winemaker
Lumberjack football players celebrate a hard-earned rushing touchdown during the 2010 Battle of the Piney Woods against Sam Houston State. The ’Jacks went on to win the game 31-28. The storied football rivalry continues Saturday, Oct. 8, at Reliant Stadium in Houston with a 2 p.m. kickoff. For ticket and tailgating information, visit sfajacks.com.
The black-and-white version of this photo earned SFA an award for candid sports photography from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Hardy’s Pic
“This is one of my favorite photos from 2010. Our guys were inside the 3-yard line trying to score, and Sam was holding tough. The two teams pushed and pulled each other in both directions before the ball carrier finally fell into the end zone for the touchdown, and the SFA crowd at Reliant Stadium went crazy.” – University Photographer Hardy Meredith
Sawdust
Fall 2011 • Volume 38, No. 3 EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jeff Davis ’02, Executive Director of Alumni Affairs
EDITOR Amy Roquemore ’93, Editorial Coordinator, SFA Public Affairs
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Rhonda Crim-Tumelson, Director of Alumni Publications, SFA Alumni Association
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative work and service. Through the personal attention of our faculty and staff, we engage our students in a learner-centered environment and offer opportunities to prepare for the challenges of living in the global community.
The SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the alumni, friends and current students of Stephen F. Austin State University through programs, scholarships and activities that create an attitude of continued loyalty and support.
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FEATURES 6 The Campus Dish SFA Dining offers variety of fresh fare
11Down Under
Music school launches exchange program in Tasmania
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Giant Salvinia Researchers discover cancertreating potential of water plant
20 Vintage Lumberjack ’92 grad makes a splash in California wine country
12 CAMPUS NEWS 2 3 4 10 17 18
Wildfire Prevention Faculty Advising President’s Message Work Space Vista Viewpoint ’Jacks of All Trades
ALUMNI NEWS 8 2 30 36 37 38 41 48
From the Association Out of Ecuador Scholarships Chapters Class Notes In Memoriam All Hail to SFA
SAWDUST is a joint publication of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association and Stephen F. Austin State University. It is published four times a year in the winter, spring, summer and fall. Subscriptions are included in SFA Alumni Association memberships.
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Campus News
SFA students, faculty and alumni are working in the classroom and the community to prevent wildfires.
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Firewise
By Pat Spence
AT A TIME when national attention is riveted on wildfires raging throughout the Southwest, efforts at SFA are focusing on preventing such destructive events in our own backyard. SFA’s chapter of the Student Association for Fire Ecology has made history by earning the first Firewise Community designation conferred on a university in the nation. The students have participated in fuel mitigation activities and helped create fire-adapted landscapes in the wooded areas of campus. Dr. Brian P. Oswald, fire ecology professor in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, advises the SFA student group and also serves as president of the na-
tional Association for Fire Ecology. Penny Whisenant, an SFA senior from Marble Falls, currently is serving as president of both the local and national SAFE groups, and she was instrumental in helping the university earn the prestigious designation. SFA students worked closely with Karen Stafford ’03 & ’11, a wildland urban interface specialist with the Texas Forest Service, to identify areas on campus that may pose fire hazards. “The Firewise Community designation has been largely student driven, from the hazard risk assessments to the written recommendations to the Firewise education events to the planned hazardous fuels reduction project,” she said.
Oswald said the Firewise assessment identified a potential problem area on campus. “The only place SFA really has a risk factor is across University Drive, where the university owns an L-shaped plot of about 68 acres,” Oswald said. “The back of that property backs up to a residential area, and there was a fuels buildup abutting the housing area.” The Texas Forest Service has been working with homeowners in the neighborhood to mitigate the wildfire risk by thinning trees and removing brush piles and will annually assess the area so it does not return to a hazardous condition. SAFE members also have worked with the more than 15 lo-
Sawdust
Need to get your yard in shape for fall? Here are some gardening tips from Dawn Stover, SFA horticulturist.
TIDY Pull all summer weeds by the roots and apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch. Pine bark and pine straw are equally effective and readily available in the Piney Woods. If weeds are bad, consider layering cardboard or several sheets of newspaper under the bark. PLANT Cool-season vegetables and herbs like broccoli, cabbage, kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, parsley and cilantro can be planted for a year-end harvest. It’s also time to plant summer-dormant bulbs like jonquils, oxblood lily and red spider lily. CLEAN Prepare bird feeders for their migratory winter visitors. Feeders should be cleaned often, but a deep clean in fall will start the feeding season off right. Use one part bleach to nine parts water and scrub. Make sure feeder is completely dry before adding seed.
Texas Forest Service workers clear trees and brush from SFA property abutting a residential area to reduce wildfire risk.
cal volunteer fire departments to identify other problem areas in Nacogdoches County. They have used GPS technology to map the area and identify potential risks. Another project involves working with Piney Woods Country Club south of Nacogdoches to identify wooded out-of-bounds areas with abundant brush and undergrowth. Oswald explained that the culture of the country in relation to wildfires has shifted from Smokey Bear and the individual-responsibility theme of the 1950s to an attitude of global prevention. Through their work in the Firewise initiative, SFA students, faculty and alumni are on the leading edge of this new direction by combating
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the challenges of wildland fire in the classroom and in the community. “It makes me proud to know I am not only giving something back to my alma mater, but also helping prepare these students by giving them a glimpse of what I spend my career doing, and that’s helping to protect communities and the citizens of Texas from the risks of wildfire,” Stafford said. The Firewise program also has helped Whisenant focus her career goals after graduation in the spring. “I want to work in the area of wildland urban interface,” she said. “I have the ‘fire bug,’ but in a positive way.”
REPLACE Remove spent summer annuals and plant cool-season, frost-tolerant color, including pansy, viola, flowering cabbage/ kale, snapdragon and stock, which perform very well in the South. PLAN In southern climates, winter is the best time to plant trees and shrubs so they have time to establish root systems before the next summer. Prepare the beds by tilling in organic matter, such as compost, and cover with a layer of mulch. DIVIDE Late fall is an excellent time to dig and divide overcrowded perennials. Be sure to replant immediately, mulch and water in. ENJOY Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
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President’s Message As Lumberjacks, we strive for personal excellence in everything we do. This collective ideal was formalized last year when a student-led initiative resulted in the adoption of SFA’s new honor code, known as The SFA Way. The code expresses that our faculty, staff, alumni and students expect the best from ourselves and from each other. And we hold each other accountable when we fail to maintain these standards. Grounded in five root principles, The SFA Way simply formalizes the fundamental ideals that Lumberjacks have valued since the institution was founded 88 years ago. The SFA Way principles include:
Baker Pattillo ’65 & ’66 President, Stephen F. Austin State University
• Respect – being considerate of others and tolerant of differences; • Caring – seeking to improve others’ quality of life and showing compassion, empathy and kindness; • Responsibility – doing what’s right, persevering in times of adversity and striving to do our best; • Unity – staying loyal to friends, family, university, state and country and seeking to understand the people and world around us; and, • Integrity – responding to each situation with steadfast values that are not subject to change based on the actions of others.
As we begin another academic year at SFA and look forward to all the excitement and challenges a new semester brings, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on what being a Lumberjack really means. Doing things The SFA Way is important for all Lumberjacks, whether you are a first-year student settling into a residence hall and attending your first classes or someone who graduated from SFA many years ago. I invite you to join me and the thousands of SFA students, faculty and staff members, and alumni who have already committed to modeling The SFA Way in every aspect of their lives. As Lumberjacks, we have many blessings for which to be thankful. I would like to thank you for your continued loyalty and support of our beloved university. I hope to see you on campus this fall. Axe ’em, Jacks!
BOARD OF REGENTS John R. “Bob” Garrett, chair, Tyler Steve D. McCarty, vice chair, Alto James H. Dickerson, secretary, New Braunfels Carlos Z. Amaral, Plano Dr. Scott H. Coleman, Houston Brigettee C. Henderson, Lufkin Kenton E. Schaefer, Brownsville Ralph C. Todd, Carthage Sarah Feye, student regent, The Woodlands
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UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION Dr. Baker Pattillo, president Dr. Richard Berry, provost/vice president for academic affairs Dr. Steve Westbrook, vice president for university affairs Danny Gallant, vice president for finance and administration Sid Walker, vice president for development OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS Shirley Luna, interim executive director of marketing/public affairs Hardy Meredith, university photographer Amy Roquemore, editorial coordinator Robin Johnson, publications specialist
Technology improves information access By Robin Johnson
TWENTY YEARS AGO, finding a book at Ralph W. Steen Library was labor intensive. The process involved foraging through the drawers of the card catalog and then combing through aisle after aisle of books in search of relevant research information. Suffice it to say that things have changed. SFA’s card catalog has been converted to a revolutionary online search engine, making it possible to access many of the library’s holdings from the other side of campus or the other side of the globe. Its new open-source discovery tool is based on an application developed at Villanova University and merged with ProQuest’s Summon service, a web-scale discovery tool. The combination was unveiled earlier this year as SteenFind, which allows online searches for traditional books, e-books, articles and other electronic resources in both the library and ProQuest’s database. “A single search returns Google-like results based on relevancy for books, articles and more,” said David Justus, associate director for library technology at SFA. “Patrons no longer have to
Dr. Janice Pattillo, retiring chair, Department of Elementary Education
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sift through irrelevant hits returned by traditional keyword searches.” The library is continuing to monitor development of new cataloging rules and formats and offers several online tools to help users conduct research and receive academic support: Ask a Librarian “Ask a Librarian” is a virtual reference service that offers patrons fast, reliable, easy-to-use online reference assistance. It provides library patrons the best of both worlds, combining the human element of traditional walk-up reference services with the convenience, speed and search power of the Web. Inquiries may be submitted anytime using the library’s online form. Questions are answered between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and a response can be expected within one business day. East Texas Research Center The East Texas Research Center collects, preserves and provides physical and virtual access to East Texas’ unique cultural history. Its digital collections come from
Ed and Gwen Cole of Nacogdoches, longtime SFA supporters
an array of sources and partners and may be searched from any computer. The center also has thousands of online photographs, including historic images related to Nacogdoches, East Texas, SFA and the lumber industry. Patrons are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to genealogy or East Texas history using an online form. Academic Assistance and Resource Center With the help of more than 170 certified tutors, Lumberjacks are able to receive academic assistance in more than 200 courses offered at SFA. This face-to-face assistance is strongly encouraged, but online assistance resources also are provided. The offerings include an Online Writing Lab, which has a drop-box feature for students to submit essays and research papers electronically for review and proofing. The lab also features online instructions for writing styles and other digital writing resources. An Online Math Lab operates in a similar fashion, with tutors responding to math questions via e-mail.
Two SFA facilities recently were named in honor of individuals who have long served the university – one as a faculty member and two as devoted friends. The Early Childhood Research Center has been named in honor of Dr. Janice Pattillo. The lifelong educator is retiring after 42 years with SFA, having served most recently as chair of the award-winning Department of Elementary Education. The 120,000-square-foot Janice Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center opened in July 2009 and also houses the nationally accredited Early Childhood Laboratory and “exemplary” rated University Charter School. In addition, the Student Success Center located inside SFA’s newest residence hall, Lumberjack Landing, has been named for longtime SFA supporters Ed and Gwen Cole. The Coles have been among SFA’s greatest advocates since moving to Nacogdoches in 1978, and they remain active supporters of many programs, including academics, athletics and the arts. The 5,000-square-foot Ed and Gwen Cole Student Success Center provides students with access to computers, tutoring and other academic support services.
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Sawdust
By Amy Roquemore
If the words “on-campus dining” conjure up images of long cafeteria lines with limited choices and a preponderance of processed, pre-cooked foods, then you probably haven’t eaten at SFA lately.
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n the SFA campus, students enjoy an astonishing variety of healthy meal options prepared and served fresh all day in the university’s two “all-you-care-to-eat” dining halls. The Student Center Dining Hall and East College RFoC (Real Food on Campus) offer produce markets with an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies; a made-to-order deli; pizza, pasta, smoothie and dessert stations; soups and sandwiches; a variety of international and home-style entrées and sides; and six flavors of handdipped Blue Bell ice cream. An array of retail eateries includes local and national brands like Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Jack’s Brick Oven Bistro, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Bleeker St. Deli. Their popular cuisine offers students the quick meals they crave in locations convenient to residence halls and academic buildings. “No longer will you see the old-school, scoop-and-serve cafeteria that most folks remember from their college days,” said Marvin Grand, senior food service director for ARAMARK, SFA’s food service partner. “Instead, we offer a lot of interactive options, such as the international grill and make-your-own pasta station. And we cook our food in smaller, made-from-scratch batches throughout the day, so it is always fresh, and there is a lot less waste.” Students who favor healthy options or have special dietary requests may choose from a variety of low-calorie, low-fat, low-carb, gluten-free and vegan dishes that meet their needs without sacrificing taste or choice. Through regular surveys and focus groups, students play a big part in deciding what, when and how food is served at SFA. ARAMARK not only feeds thousands of students living both on and off campus each day, but also provides year-round catering services to the university – from muffins and juice at a morning faculty meeting to elegant banquets in the Grand Ballroom. Led by Culinary Institute of Americacertified Chef Dean Cates, the award-winning staff is just as comfortable preparing filet mignon for 350 SFASU Foundation Gala guests as it is making a grilled cheese sandwich for a hungry student on his way to an afternoon chemistry lab.
247,360 11,272
Where to Eat at SFA • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Student Center RFoC East College RFoC Panda Express Bleeker St. Deli Zoca (“Tex Mex to the Max”) Chick-fil-A Jack’s Brick Oven Bistro (pizza) Freshens (smoothies and yogurt) Sushic (sushi) The Sawmill (burgers, chicken and wings) Einstein Bros. Bagels Starbucks C-Stores (convenience stores)
Chocolate chip cookies served annually:
Operating hours each semester:
Students served in both dining halls each day:
1,400 5,500 Catering events per year:
300+ SFA dining employees:
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65,374 Pounds of cheese used each year:
113,189 Pounds of chicken prepared annually:
Sawdust
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE HUNGRY JACK INN?
WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR MEAL AT SFA?
The Hungry Jack Inn was replaced with new dining concepts when the student center was remodeled and renamed the Baker Pattillo Student Center. The $32 million expansion and renovation was completed in 2007.
Chicken fried steak – served in both dining halls every Thursday.
HAVE IT YOUR WAY options that cater to personal taste and are prepared fresh while you wait. Students can enjoy almost any pasta-and-sauce combination at the Pasta Your Way station, create their own stir-fry at the international grill or put their own spin on a spud at the popular Smashville mashed potato bar.
WHAT’S NEW?
SFA’s newest dining concept, The Sawmill, debuted this fall. The inspiration for the menu came from students, who requested a quick-serve grill where they could get burgers, bone-in chicken and wings.
Mac and Cheese for 50 7 qts., 1 cup rotini
3 gals., 2 ½ quarts water
3 qts. cheddar cheese sauce
3 lbs. deli ham meat, diced ¼-inch
1 qt., 2 cups 2% milk
1 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
1. In a stockpot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir and return to a boil. Boil the pasta for 12 to 14 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. 2. Combine the rotini, cheese sauce, ham, milk and half of the shredded cheese. Mix well. 3. Evenly spread the mixture into two large pans. Sprinkle each pan with 8 ounces of shredded cheese. 4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and the dish is heated through. Recipe provided by ARAMARK Want to make ARAMARK’s mac and cheese at home for your family? Visit Sawdust’s Facebook page for the downsized recipe.
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Work Space
What you’ll find on. . . head football coach J.C. Harper’s desk
1Family photo album his wife gave him to commemorate the 2009 Southland Conference Coach of the Year award. Harper was named Coach of the Year for both the 2009 and 2010 football seasons. 2Media guide for the South Dakota State University football team, flipped to a page about John Stiegelmeier’s coaching philosophy. Harper uses the text to inspire him when “something’s a little off” with the team. 32010 Southland Conference Championship trophy. 4Bronzed football honoring Jeremy Moses, winner of the 2010 Walter Payton Award, and signed by the two-time All American SFA quarterback. 5“Be positive! When you can find positives! Be critical & consistent all the time!” Harper wrote down these reminders following a heart-to-heart meeting with his team after last year’s tough loss to Texas State. During the meeting, he invited his players to offer criticisms of him, and he took their words to heart. 62011 Coach of the Year Clinics Football Manual, comprising lectures by college football coaches around the country. 7Snapshot of Harper and his wife of seven years, Marcie. The Harpers have a 5-year-old son, Michael, and a 1-year-old daughter, Emma. 8Framed photo of Harper in his football uniform at Clemson University, where he played defensive tackle for four years and helped the Tigers win three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. He is pictured with his late father, former Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Harper. 9New SFA uniform to be debuted during the 2011 football season. The color red has been eliminated from the Lumberjacks’ helmets this year, and the classic embroidered jerseys are made of a new breathable fabric that will help the players stay cool. 10Commemorative NCAA coin issued to Division I participants in the National Championship Playoffs. 11A can of Diet Coke, Harper’s favorite soft drink. 12Parking ticket recently issued by the University Police Department. “They’re just doing their job,” Harper said. 13One-page outline titled “The Plan: How We Win.” Elements of the note-riddled plan include “Don’t Flinch,”“Togetherness” and “Out Hit!!” 14Harper’s 2010 Southland Conference Football Championship ring. SFA head coach J.C. Harper is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Lumberjack football program. Under his leadership, the team won consecutive Southland Conference titles (2009 and 2010) for the first time in the university’s history. The ’Jacks also recorded back-to-back top-10 national rankings and twice advanced to the NCAA FCS playoffs, leading the nation in passing both seasons. In 2010, Harper was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. A 21-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Harper was at Western Michigan prior to joining the SFA staff as defensive coordinator in 2005. He also coached at Northwestern State, McNeese State and Southwest Missouri State. After a four-year playing career at Clemson, Harper began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North Carolina under Mack Brown. He later served two seasons as a graduate assistant for legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. The 2011 Lumberjack football season opens at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, against McMurry at SFA’s Homer Bryce Stadium.
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Sawdust
SFA launches exchange program Down Under By Sylvia Bierschenk interest. “I received my acceptance from Tasmania on the same day I learned I had won the annual SFA Composition Competition,” Treviño said. “That was the best day of my life so far!” Treviño has embraced Tasmania’s mountains, beaches and rain forests and feels he has definitely grown as a composer since arriving
Photo courtesy of Carmel Tenaka
WHEN LANCE TREVIÑO entered SFA in 2009, his college plans did not include a trip to Tasmania, the large Australian island state located 150 miles south of the continent. But thanks to one of SFA’s newest exchange programs, the music composition student is more than halfway through a 10-month study abroad program at the University of
Tasmania, located in the southern harbor town of Hobart. SFA Professor of Composition Stephen Lias, who laid the groundwork for the program in the summer of 2010, regards Treviño as the “ideal” pioneer student for the program. “I wanted someone who was very stable, intelligent, talented and personable,” he explained. “Someone who would represent SFA well and get the most out of the opportunity.” When Lias approached Treviño about applying to the program, the Athens junior “thought for all of five seconds” before declaring his
in Hobart in February. The faculty at UTAS have “exposed me to new styles of composition and encouraged me to create works that were previously beyond my scope,” he said. As part of Lias’ program, Treviño has collaborated with fellow composition students in writing the score for the annual feature-length film created by SFA cinematography students. In Tasmania, Treviño has expanded on that experience by studying with internationally celebrated film composer Mark Buys, learning digital audio programming,
dos and don’ts of film scoring and how to build connections. Buys will share his expertise with the rest of Lias’ students this fall when he spends three weeks in Nacogdoches, assisting with the initial stages of scoring this year’s feature film. Then, for the next several months, the SFA and Tasmanian students will send digital files back and forth through cyberspace. Tasmanian students will use synthesizers to orchestrate the cues written at SFA, but the actual written manuscripts will be created in Nacogdoches. A specially assembled orchestra will conduct live recording sessions in Hobart, and SFA sound and recording technology students will mix and dub the film. “The whole collaborative scoring process is very high tech and indicative of what would actually happen with the music for a film produced in Los Angeles,” Lias said. When Lias returned to Tasmania last May, he finalized plans for this extension of the exchange program and also met with prospective students about studying in Nacogdoches. “We have at least eight students who are seriously interested in coming to Texas in 2012, and my students are already lining up to follow in Lance’s footsteps,” Lias said. Treviño highly recommends studying abroad. “It has definitely been life-changing in more ways than one,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what kind of doors have been opened for me through this experience.”
Applause Aden Kent Ramsey ’09 has been accepted to the graduate program in musical theatre writing at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Rebecca Nuñez ’07 recently received her graduate certificate from the internationally acclaimed Thornton Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at the University of Southern California.
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SFA researchers discover cancer-treating potential of invasive plant By Amy Roquemore
A THORN IN the side of area boating enthusiasts may provide a ray of hope for some cancer patients, according to recent research findings at SFA’s National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops. Researchers at the center have discovered that giant salvinia, one of the most noxious invasive species in the world, has promising medical potential that could provide a novel approach to controlling the species. The team recently discovered that extracts of giant salvinia can effectively inhibit the growth of human tumor cells with minimum damage to normal cells. The researchers are also the first to have isolated a class of compounds responsible for the bioactivities. “Our research opens a new door to positive control of noxious invasive plants,” said Dr. Shiyou Li, research professor and director of the
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center, which is housed in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at SFA. “Also, our elucidation of the chemical composition of giant salvinia will help researchers better understand the molecular mechanism of invasion.” Giant salvinia, also known as water fern and kariba weed and by its scientific name Salvinia molesta D. S. Mitchell, is a fern species native to Brazil. Since 1939, it has invaded lake and river systems in warm climates. Climate change, particularly increasing temperatures, a longer growing season and rising carbon dioxide levels, have increased both the abundance and diversity of invasive plants. Giant salvinia currently is one of the most widespread and environmentally, economically and socially destructive invasive plant species in the world. Dense mats of salvinia reduce
dissolved oxygen levels and block all sunlight from penetrating the infested water body, causing macrophytes and microscopic algae that form the base of the food chain to die off. The animals that feed on the
Sawdust
left Texas Parks & Wildlife Department representatives remove giant salvinia from B.A. Steinhagen Lake near Jasper. The samples are being used by researchers at SFA’s National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops. right A thick mat of giant sylvinia covers the lake, creating problems for area boaters.
algae may die, too, and so on, up the food chain. This pest also threatens cultivated aquatic crops, and it can clog irrigation and drinking water lines and foul hydroelectric plants. Salvinia-infested waters cannot be used for boating or other recreational purposes. Part of the NCPC project is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Li is the principal investigator, while Drs. Ping Wang, Guangrui Deng and Wei Yuan participated in the research and were responsible for the primary isolation of the compounds. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has collected about 1,000 pounds of plant matter in East Texas for use in the study. To date, more than 30 different compounds, including four new compounds, have been isolated from the giant salvinia. Further tests of the bioactive compounds isolated from giant salvinia are ongoing in Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal’s lab in M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “Dr. Li and I have been discussing all the results we have jointly obtained with this plant, and it is looking extremely promising,” said Aggarwal, a professor in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, at M.D. Anderson. “We are very excited about the potential that exists with it, especial-
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ly in the area of cancer, and I am very optimistic about what could result from this collaboration.” Aggarwal added that securing funding for the continuing research is the biggest obstacle for the researchers to overcome in the short term. “Without funding, we can only do so much. So, that is going to be one of the limiting factors.” Dr. Steven H. Bullard, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, said pioneer studies at the NCPC have made SFA an international leader in researching pharmaceutical crops. “In the last several years, the center has dedicated its research to identifying novel anticancer and antiviral agents from native plants in Texas and noxious invasive species and to securing national strategic pharmaceuticals,” he said. “The team has tested 1,200 plant species native to Texas and isolated more than 600 compounds, including 106 new structures.” Li and his colleagues at National Cancer Institute, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, New York Botanical Garden and the University of Puerto Rico have developed the concept and principle of pharmaceutical crops. With the support of a team of international leading scientists, they recently launched Pharmaceutical Crops, the only international peerreviewed journal in the field, with Bentham Science Publishers.
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HITTING HIS STRIDE BY BRIAN ROSS
Phil Olson’s teams have earned a total of 19 Southland championships in track and field and cross country.
HEN ASKED WHICH of his 19 Southland Conference championships was his most memorable, Phil Olson ’86 didn’t have to reflect too far back on his 12 years as head track and field coach at SFA. The most recent one, a men’s and women’s sweep of the league’s outdoor meet in 2011, sprang to mind the quickest. The Lumberjacks’ team title was the program’s first at a Southland Outdoor Championships. The women’s win locked up the program’s first triple crown, as the Ladyjacks won cross country in the fall and both the indoor and outdoor track championships in the spring. Olson’s explanation was simpler than that, though. “Any time you can sweep a conference championship, it’s a little more special,” Olson said. “… It’s just never fun to go to a conference meet where one team
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wins and the other doesn’t. As happy and proud as you are for the one group, you feel as bad or worse for the other. Having both teams win is just a very special thing.” And winning has been plentiful under Olson. His teams have combined to win 19 Southland championships in track and field and cross country. On an individual level, SFA has produced 124 league title performances since 2000, and Olson’s athletes have earned six All-America honors. He has been named the league coach of the year 11 times. Those numbers are staggering enough on their own. They take on a new measure when compared to the rest of the Southland. Only Texas State, with 12 team titles since 2000, is even close to matching Olson’s total. And, to really put things in perspective, one must consider SFA’s situation at the start of Olson’s tenure. Since joining the Southland Conference for the 1987-88 Sawdust
year, the Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks had a grand total of three team titles when he was hired. All three were in women’s cross country between ’87 and ’90. Twelve years later, Olson is one win shy of owning a ring for each of his fingers and toes, and his teams have accounted for more than 86 percent of SFA’s wins as a Southland member. “He’s always sure to thank those around him,” said longtime assistant Ron McCown. “He’s never been one of those people to take the credit himself, which with 19 championships would be easy to do.” McCown has been around for all 19 titles, having come on board as an assistant with the women’s team in 2000. At the time, the men’s and women’s programs were separate entities, each with its own coaching staff. Olson had been hired as the men’s head coach in January 2000. In the fall, he was tapped by thenathletic director Steve McCarty as the man to bring the two programs together. “Steve had so much confidence in what Phil could do. He knew Phil was more than capable of bringing both teams together,” said Robert Hill, SFA’s current athletic director and a former staffer under McCarty. That confidence was rewarded almost immediately, as SFA won the men’s cross country championship in 2001, the first of five straight titles for the ’Jacks. The Ladyjacks would win cross country in 2002; then the SFA women broke through with their first Southland Indoor title in the spring of 2003.
“Some of the best relationships I have with former student-athletes came out of that group,” Olson said. “That was a very special year for us.” It’s been getting better and better for Olson and SFA ever since. In 2005, SFA swept the league indoors. The women’s team has won three straight indoor titles and five of the last seven. In 2010, the Ladyjacks posted both the highest point total and largest win margin in Southland history at the outdoor championships. Then came 2011, the women’s triple crown and the outdoor sweep. And that success, according to Olson, isn’t even the most rewarding part of his job. “It’s having kids come through the program who were maybe at-risk students when they came in; then within four or five years they’ve graduated and got a job,” he said. “Or the kids who excel in school, finish with a 4.0, then get their grad school paid for and go on to huge success. That’s the most rewarding part–not what they did here, but what they do with themselves afterward.” That philosophy may be, as much as anything else, the secret to Olson’s winning. “He’s just so caring for people,” Hill said. “He’s a big guy, and he’s got a huge heart. He cares about people. I think the kids really respond to that because they can tell when you care about them.”
Track and field athletes celebrate their sweep of the Women’s and Men’s 2011 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships held in Natchitoches, La.
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Photo by Robin Johnson
A gift for the gardens By Amy Roquemore
Brundrett
A PLANNED CONSERVATION Education Center at SFA’s Pineywoods Native Plant Center will include an open-air pavilion named in honor of philanthropist Ina Brundrett of Tyler, a member of both the SFA Gardens and Native Plant Center boards of advisers. Brundrett credits her late parents for instilling in her a passion for both gardening and higher education. She hopes her recent gift will help do the same for the thousands of children who visit the SFA Gardens each year. The pavilion will allow SFA to accommodate visitors to the SFA Gardens year-round, rain or shine. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility will embody the environmental and conservation lessons taught through the Gardens’ various educational programs. “I love the way the staff works with visitors, and the SFA Gardens are a wonderful outdoor classroom, not only for school children but for the entire community,” Brundrett said. “I had an idea that this pavilion would help make that experience even better and perhaps make a difference in some young people’s lives.”
In addition to the Ina Brundrett Pavilion, the new Conversation Education Center will feature an enclosed building containing flexible laboratory and classroom space, as well as public restrooms. The total cost of the planned CEC, including both the pavilion and the classroom building, will be $1.5 million and will be paid for entirely by donations. “Both structures will be very advanced in their energy-efficient design and will be, by example, an integral part of the environmental education program,” said Dr. David Creech, professor emeritus of agriculture and associate director of the SFA Gardens. “We envision buildings that are integrated into the landscape rather than imposed upon it,” he said. “We plan for the beauty of the natural surroundings to be incorporated into – and visible from – the structures, so that even in inclement weather, our visitors are still surrounded by nature.” More than 17,000 people participate in education programs at the SFA Gardens each year. Besides school children, regular visitors include SFA students, teachers, senior citizens and residents of the local
community and the broader East Texas region. Brundrett said it is rewarding to be able to help provide children with outdoor experiences such as the ones she enjoyed as a child growing up in Beeville. “I remember my mother had a yard full of bluebonnets and larkspurs and lots of other flowers,” she said. “Before she was gone, she was in her wheelchair, piddling around in her garden, and she was gardening in her walker before that. Gardening was a big part of who she was, and it’s a part of me, too.” A member of three garden clubs, Brundrett also is a former president of Texas Garden Clubs, Inc., and a Certified Master Gardener. The backyard of her Tyler home has been declared a wildlife habitat by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation. Brundrett also grew up with a strong appreciation for higher education and the opportunities it provides. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas College of Arts and Industries (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) and did post-graduate work at The University of Texas at Austin. Her late husband, Jesse Brundrett, earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology from The University of Texas at Austin. The couple’s son and daughterin-law, Lee and Joannie Brundrett, both attended SFA, and the gift to SFA Gardens also is intended to honor them, she said. “Education has always been very important in my family, and I’ve seen for myself how a college education can dramatically change the course of someone’s life,” Brundrett said. “To help schools provide places like the pavilion where young people can learn and grow is very rewarding.”
If you would like to make a gift to the new Conservation Education Center at SFA, please contact the SFA Office of Development at (936) 468-5406 or jstill@sfasu.edu.
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Sawdust
Vista Viewpoint By Dr. F.E. Abernethy
I BURNT OUT a wheel bearing on the way back from a big hunt on the Devil’s River. That happened the same Sunday afternoon in 1979 that the Cowboys lost to the Rams 21 to 19 in the playoffs. The countryside was in deep mourning over Staubach’s loss, but I was able to get a tow back into Junction and a ride to a comfortable tourist court. I retrieved my repaired pickup at Junction Ford Motors the next morning and had a most interesting “small world” SFA experience. When the man at the desk looked at my check, he said, “Well, I see you’re from Nacogdoches.” I admitted that I was. He said, “I spent a couple of days there on the SFA campus.” I said, “Is that right? I teach there.” He was grinning and said, “Let me tell you about my visit.” By the end of a minute’s recitation, I knew his story about as well as he did. SFA played Sam Houston in Nacogdoches in the fall of 1948, and a couple of carloads of Bearkats came from Huntsville to paint up the SFA campus and do other dastardly deeds. The Bearkats were spotted before they could do any mischief and were chased back across the Angelina without further mishap. They had escaped the wrath of the Lumberjacks. That is, all but two had escaped – one of whom was working during the 1979 deer season at the Junction Ford Motors Company business desk. My Ford man said that he and another Sam Houston student had just gotten out of a car on the campus when they were spied by SFA students. They made a great run of it through the Piney Woods campus before they were caught and wrestled down. If the ’Jacks put any hard knocks on these captured Bearkat marauders, he didn’t mention it. But when classes started the next day, both of these outlaws were in a wire cage on the back of a bobtail truck parked in front of the Austin Building. They stayed there throughout the school day for all to see and enjoy. My desk man said that they had a fun time. He said they were taunted and laughed at some, but nobody was mean to them. Everybody wanted to talk to them. They were a fair looking pair, and girls flirted with them and brought them ice cream and soda pop. Jimmy Partin sent down plate lunches at dinner from the College Café. Their guards took them to the restroom – singly! – when necessity arose.
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The prisoners had an audience of students and faculty all day long. I think even SFA President Paul Boynton went out to greet them. My man said that he and his buddy got more goodhearted attention that day on the SFA campus than they had in their lives before or since. If I remember right, he said he sent his daughter to SFA. Around three o’clock that afternoon, a large contingent of students gathered to watch a Red Ball freight pull up to the Austin Building. They watched as the Bearkats’ guards slid the cage with the prisoners into the back of the freight truck. The Red Ball drove off into the sunset, hopefully to the sound of “Make Way for SFA.” When they got to Huntsville, they found out that they had been shipped home collect! My Ford man said that his “Day at SFA” was one of the most memorable events in his life and that he and his cellmate also became celebrities on the campus at Sam. He said he told that story about his time in the SFA jail anytime anyone would listen. However, he still didn’t give me a discount on the wheel-bearing job. I guess it Dr. F.E. Abernethy ’49 Professor Emeritus of was because of the “collect” English; Editor Emeritus, shipment. Texas Folklore Society
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Shanklin’s Tips for Staying Organized
1 2
Plan ahead by keeping a calendar. Jotting down a schedule encourages you to plan well in advance and helps solidify goals.
By Shirley Luna
Become a creature of good habits. It takes the average person 21 consecutive days for an action to become a habit. Streamline your daily routine by adopting three helpful habits, such as putting your keys in the same spot every day.
3 4
Learn how to say “no.” Rushing from obligation to obligation drains your energy and can waste valuable time.
Make a grocery list and stick to it. The average shopper spends $2 per minute in the store. The quicker you shop, the more you will save by not buying items your family does not really need.
5 6 7
Clear away the clutter. Remove household items you no longer need or want by selling them or donating them to a good cause. Create a home for everything. Establish one place for items such as batteries, light bulbs and paper products for quick, easy access.
Include the children. Kids are more likely to keep their rooms and play areas organized if they are involved in the process. This fosters independence and excuse-proof cleanup.
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Thin out closets. When purchasing new items, remember the “one in, one out rule.” If you bring home a new pair of shoes, select a pair to sell or donate.
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Group nearby errands together. If your dry cleaner is next door to your grocery store, then only drop off or pick up cleaning when you go grocery shopping. This will help you save time and gas money.
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Just get started. Tackle the highest-priority task first, especially if it’s the hardest on your to-do list. You’ll face it when your energy level is the highest and establish momentum to keep going.
Christina Martin Shanklin ’91, professional organizer Christina Martin Shanklin ’91 earned more than a degree at SFA – she earned the nickname that became a moniker for her business. After graduating with a degree in fashion merchandising, a minor in general business and close friends who called her “Chicka,” Shanklin worked for 15 years as a merchandiser, a buyer and a sales representative. Six years ago, she started Closets by Chicka!!!, a professional organizing service. While most of her clients are residential, Shanklin also helps businesses establish systems for filing and other purposes. “It’s really a money saver for them,” she explained. “After getting organized, they can spend their time working and making money rather than searching for things.” Shanklin sometimes sets up entire households for new homeowners. “The bottom line is that sometimes people do have more money than they have time,” she said. “They aren’t necessarily wealthy, but they would rather spend their free time with their children, and they want to maximize that time.”
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Shanklin, who is married to John Shanklin ’92, said it is easier for a professional organizer to de-clutter because there is no emotional attachment to items. “Sometimes people are attached to an item because a relative gave it to them, but you have to stop and wonder, ‘Did my grandmother give this to me because she really didn’t like it either?’” Shanklin is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, a past president of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of NAPO and the 2011 recipient of SFA’s Edna Wilkin Teagarden Award for exemplary service in human sciences. In September 2010, she made a guest appearance on the A&E program Hoarders. “We all have our talents – some people just aren’t great organizers. But if you have 300 pairs of shoes and have to be talked off the ledge to get rid of 10, there’s a problem. My real goal is to give my clients some skills that will improve their overall quality of life.”
Sawdust
Sustainability degree debuts THE COLLEGE OF Liberal and Applied Arts continues to demonstrate its dedication to creating a more sustainable world by introducing a new degree program, one of the first of its kind in the nation. Beginning in the fall, SFA students will have the option to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in sustainable community development. This degree program seeks to address the issue of sustainability from a unique perspective while preparing students to make meaningful contributions within this fast-growing field. In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In essence, sustainable development involves balancing economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and social well-being, also referred to as the “triple bottom line.” While many university programs related to sustainability focus on the application of new technologies or design standards, SFA’s program will emphasize the human element. “The degree is designed to prepare students for a career assisting communities in the adoption of practices that promote a sustainable lifestyle,” explained Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of the college. “Courses
Fall 2011
By Sarah Cutler
in the program will build theoretigram. “This broad, interdisciplinary cal knowledge and applied skills approach is needed in today’s world that provide students with an underof integrated economic, environstanding of economic, environmenmental and social values. Employtal and social aspects of how comers, both large and small, are inmunities can shift to a sustainable creasingly realizing this need.” lifestyle.” According to the U.S. EnvironIn 2010, the college launched mental Protection Agency, “many the Center for a Livable World with companies are now pursuing the a workshop at the Texas Capitol goal of sustainability, realizing that in Austin. The center, comprising protecting the environment makes faculty members from the college, good business sense.” guided discussions among 20 susThe U.S. Bureau of Labor Statainability leaders from “This broad, interdisciplinary approach is needed in today’s world around the world on of integrated economic, environmental and social values.” ways policy makers can -Dr. William Forbes create a more sustainable future. Their recommendations will tistics also has acknowledged this be published by the SFA University growing trend. Recently, the bureau Press, and this book will be supplereceived funding to begin collectmental reading in the introductory ing new data pertaining specifically course to the new degree program. to “green” jobs. Through this green Given the multifaceted nature jobs initiative, the bureau will be of sustainability, the program’s curable to provide policy makers, busiriculum will cover a broad range of nesses and job seekers with statisticourses offered by various departcal analysis pertaining to sustainments within the college while also ability-related jobs. providing valuable hands-on expeFor graduates of the program rience through junior or senior year and the organizations they will be internships. assisting, the future looks bright. “The interdisciplinary and field “The degree is offering not internship aspects of the program merely a career path, but a are unique from other majors and chance to make a genuine will help students become highly difference in communiadaptable and employable citizens, ties,” Murphy said. “Lives able to work and communicate will be improved as a result across subject areas,” said Dr. Wilof the program.” liam Forbes, associate professor of geography and director of the pro-
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LUMBERJACK By Shirley Luna
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Fall 2011
21
ianna Novy Lee ’92 laughs while remembering that when she graduated from SFA, her knowledge of wine centered on which brands sold by the box were the least expensive. Dianna and her husband, Adam Lee, now produce wines sold in 44 states, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Chile and the Bahamas.
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The Lee family is pictured at their winery in Santa Rosa, Calif. From left, Adam, Amber, Christian, Truett and Dianna.
Dianna and Adam met while working for a national department store in Dallas. As a wine buyer for the company, Adam had some knowledge of the wine industry. He also had a dream – one he shared with Dianna – of being on the other side of the business: formulating and creating wines of their own. The Texans moved to California. “Adam and I got jobs working together in a winery’s tasting room,” Dianna said. “We started talking to winemakers and soaked up every bit of knowledge we could about winemaking and viticulture.” With a unique business model and a firm understanding of terms like tannin, lignification and véraison, the Lees’ dream became a reality when they released their first Pinot Noir in 1994. “We put an ad in a newspaper to buy grapes by the ton,” Dianna said. “There was no way we could have afforded to purchase a vineyard. We made our first wine at the winery where Adam and I were working.” They weren’t the first winemakers without their own vineyard, but the Lees were among the first to source fruit from what are now considered California’s top Pinot
Noir vineyards, according to Wine Spectator magazine. The Lees have become known for turning out some of the most coveted singlevineyard wines in California and have helped elevate the status of wine regions such as Santa Rita Hills, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands. “Our biggest accomplishment is our consistency of producing high-quality wines and our ability to maintain our relationships with our growers,” Dianna said. “We have developed a reputation of creating high-quality wines that reflect their diverse geography. Adam and I make several small lots of wine, and we manage to give each of these lots our complete attention.” In the early years, before children and before seeing any return on their investments, the Lees
saved money by sleeping in tents near the vineyards. “Getting fruit from a wide variety of sources helped us learn how to make wine,” Dianna said. More than 900 miles now separate their southernmost grape source in the Santa Rita Hills Appellation in California and their northernmost vineyard in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. “The weather would have to be horrible from Santa Barbara all the way to the northern Willamette Valley in Oregon to really cause a problem for us,” Dianna said. Winemaking begins in the vineyard, and the Lees contract with growers to buy grapes by the acre. Dianna and Adam are in charge of specific rows in some vineyards, and are hands-on in managing the crop.
“E verything we do is an attempt to make certain that the character of the vineyard
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shows through in the wine. It’s not about which is the best. It is ultimately about their differences and their uniqueness.” 23
Young Siduri grapes at Van der Kamp Vineyard
Siduri is named for the Babylonian goddess of wine, who held the wine of eternal life.
“Having set sections in vineyards and controlling them was a new concept when we started out in 1994,” said Dianna. “This allows us to better control factors such as crop size, sun exposure and water, and when the grapes are picked.” From their warehouse winery in a Santa Rosa industrial park, wines are sold under the labels Siduri and Novy. The Lees produce 8,000 cases of more than 20 different Pinot Noirs each year, as well as 5,000 cases under the Novy label. In 2010, the Siduri label included 15 vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from five regions, plus six appellation blends of Pinot. The Novy label produced six vineyard-designated Syrahs, two Zinfandels and two Chardonnays, as well as six other varietals. Their wines consistently
rate in the 90s on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale and have received national acclaim and notoriety from Savor WineCountry magazine and The Wine Advocate. From September through early November, the work of the winemakers burgeons to 16 hours a day, seven days a week as just-picked grapes flood the winery. Called “crush,” the season is especially hectic for the Lees, who personally supervise the picking to make sure the grapes are harvested at the peak of ripeness. Occasionally, half the fruit for the year comes into the warehouse in a single week, creating a busy schedule for a family that includes three energetic children. “I’m a morning person, so it’s not unusual for me to get to the winery at 3:30 a.m.,” Adam said. “But that works out well, because Dianna can get the kids ready for school and come in around 9, and then I pick the kids up from school in the afternoon. It’s not unusual for us to work until 8 or 9 at night.” The Lees spend extra hours punching down the fermenting grapes to circulate the skins and seeds that rise to the top of the fermentation tanks and bins. “The caps must be broken up and pushed down into the juice at regular intervals to get the full extraction of color and flavor,” Dianna explained. “Every decision we make affects the flavor of the wine – whether to use yeast, what type of barrel and even the fermentation temperature. “There’s a lot of washing involved,” Dianna said, indicating the hundreds of bins and numerous vats and barrels that fill the warehouse. “It’s a whole lot more cleaning and scrubbing than it is I Love Lucy jumping around in a vat
full of grapes.” The Lees have developed a faithful following among restaurateurs, and much of their production is sold to mailing-list customers. “Everything we do is an attempt to make certain that the character of the vineyard shows through in the wine. It’s not about which is the best. It is ultimately about their differences and their uniqueness,” Dianna said. When Dianna left SFA in 1992 with a marketing degree in hand, she didn’t envision a career as a winemaker, but feels her degree prepared her well to meet with businesses and present information about Siduri and Novy products. “I didn’t imagine that I would enjoy speaking in front of people, but I don’t have any trouble remembering the details about which vineyard a particular wine came from or a specific vintage, so I feel very comfortable doing this now,” she said. “That was the great thing about the College of Business at SFA. They made everyone feel very important and very professional. This feeling that I could accomplish anything was kind of born there at SFA.”
“I t’s a whole lot more cleaning and scrubbing than it is I Love Lucy jumping around in a vat full of grapes.” 24
Sawdust
“O ur biggest accomplishment is our consistency of producing high-quality wines and our ability to maintain our relationship with our growers.�
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“WELCOME to the best years of your life! Axe ’em, Jacks! P.S. . .go to the Involvement Center when you get on campus for some AWESOME info on getting involved on campus!”
Alex Ranc (SFA Facebook)
“SFA is the best alma mater a girl can have. I contacted Alumni to see about donating some stuff for my classroom/door to highlight next year’s theme, and they came through without hesitation. My door is going to ROCK. Axe ’em, Jacks!” Amy Norris Yancey ’94 (Facebook)
“SFA Bass Team National Champions! Congrats to Andrew Upshaw and Ryan Watkins. You guys deserve it!”
SFA Alumni Association (Facebook)
“After receiving a great package of info today from SFA athletics, I hereby FULLY
support the NEW TAILGATING plans. . .this change will truly make SFA better. Axe ’em, Jacks!”
Jose Piñones (Facebook)
“As a parent who just participated in freshman orientation with my son, I want to say SFA did a fabulous job getting us acclimated and informing us of all the things coming! I am
completely THRILLED my son will be part of this university! Karen Kelley Allen (SFA Facebook)
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State adopts SFA’s plan to retain at-risk nursing students By Kayli Steger COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO SFA academic areas has led to pioneering research, prompting a statewide initiative to address the nursing shortage in Texas. Dr. Glenda Walker, director of the DeWitt School of Nursing, and Dr. Greg Miller, statistics professor and director of the Statistical Consulting Center, have worked for nearly a decade to determine the factors that put a student at risk for not completing nursing school. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently adopted their practices for statewide implementation in the AtRisk Tracking and Intervention Project, marking the first local project of its kind to be extended and supported across the state. The demand for recruiting and retaining qualified nurses is becoming more crucial each year and is estimated to triple by 2020, Walker said. Because Texas nursing programs have a finite number of medical facilities and faculty, it is of utmost importance to retain and graduate each student who enters nursing school. As part of a $3 million THECB grant, SFA will lead 27 Texas nursing schools in surveying a cohort of students who,
based on their results, may be flagged as at risk, depending on specified variables. Reading comprehension, anatomy and physiology scores, and working a parttime job are among the most common predictors. To combat these risk factors, personalized intervention strategies have been established to address stress, anxiety, test-taking skills, critical thinking and lecture participation. “Identifying an area of weakness is only half of the process,” said Walker. “The faculty must then let the student know they are committed to seeing them walk across the stage, and that helps develop the motivation and self-confidence they need for success.” At the conclusion of the two-year grant, the project will have amassed an extensive dataset on the subject that is unrivaled in size and scope, Miller said. Faculty members in both departments hope the results will be a catalyst to continue this statistical research and expand to different academic areas. “Statistics is a service discipline,” Miller said. “This is an example of two seemingly different disciplines merging together to solve big problems.”
Sawdust
Alumni News
Photo by Kayli Steger
Tailgate at Alumni Corner
SFA Alumni Association staff
GAME DAY TAILGATE MAP NELSON ST.
RAGUET ST.
DAVIS ST.
1ST COME 1ST SERVED TAILGATE AREAS
DONOR PARKING
ALUMNI CORNER SFA ALUMNI TENT
RV PARKING W/ ELECTRIC HOOK-UP
LOAD-IN ZONES
RV PARKING W/ NO HOOK-UP
JOIN THE SFA Alumni Association staff at Alumni Corner this fall. Pre‐game tailgate activities for Lumberjack fans will take on a new atmosphere, thanks to an approach designed to get everyone closer to the gridiron action. With the new plan, tailgating will no longer take place in the commuter parking lot. Instead, fans can enjoy pre-game activities in green spaces adjacent to the Ag Pond and Homer Bryce Stadium. Tailgate spots will be available to individuals on a first‐come, first‐served basis. The SFA Alumni Association will tailgate at Alumni Corner, located on the grounds of the Janice Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, at the intersection of Raguet and Hayter streets. Alumni and fans may gain entry to Alumni Corner by purchasing tailgate passes, which will provide access to a stress-free pregame experience, including a catered meal and tented seating. Passes for each tailgate cost $10 for SFA Alumni Association members and $15 for non-members. Away-game tailgates will be hosted at Baylor University, Reliant Stadium and Lamar University. Attendance at these tailgates will be free. For more information about tailgating or to purchase Alumni Corner passes, visit www.sfaalumni.com or call (936) 468-3407.
GENERAL PARKING
E CALIFORNIA ST.
Alumni Tailgate Calendar ECRC
LLOYD ST.
STADIUM
BLOUNT ST.
HAYTER ST. AG POND WETTERMARK ST.
LANANA CREEK
)
AIKMAN DR.
Thursday game
Sept. 10
Northern Iowa
Hall of Fame
Sept. 17
Baylor
@ Baylor
Sept. 24
Texas State
Parents Day
Oct. 8
Sam Houston State 2 p.m. @ Reliant Stadium
Oct. 29
McNeese State 3 p.m.
Homecoming
Nov. 5
Lamar
@ Lamar
Nov. 12
Southeastern Louisiana
Chili Cookoff
Games begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. (Subject to change for SLC TV) Alumni Corner opens three hours before kickoff.
27 DR.
RAGUET ST
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McMurry
E COLLEGE ST
E COLLEGE ST
Sept. 1
From the Association
Chuck Tomberlain ’84 President, SFA Alumni Association
“Now we will all be able to tailgate like many other universities where the beauty of the campus is rediscovered every time you set up your tailgate spot!”
As we make our way through the dog days of summer, we can find joy in awaiting fall’s arrival. With it will come not only cooler weather, but also the possibility of another football championship for SFA! A “threepeat” would be a first in school history! We are sure you will enjoy the new tailgating venue “Lumberjack style.” You get to pick out your perfect spot on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8 a.m. on game day. Prime spots will be scattered among the beautiful shade trees instead of on the hot asphalt parking lot. Now we will all be able to tailgate like many other universities where the beauty of the campus is rediscovered every time you set up your tailgate spot! I also encourage you to mark your calendar for some important dates. Join us in Waco Sept. 17 as we take on the Baylor Bears of the Big Twelve and showcase our school at a new level. Oct. 7-8 promises to be another great weekend of college football as we take on Sam Houston at Reliant Stadium in Houston with more than 26,000 screaming fans. Also, make plans to be in Nacogdoches the last weekend in October for all of the homecoming activities on campus. Oct. 2829 will be filled with fun, fellowship, football and memories. Your alumni staff is working hard for you and your alma mater, so please wear purple and join us for all these great events. You can make the Lumberjack events desirable to all by your enthusiasm and support. I will see you on campus.
Chuck Tomberlain ’84 903.445.2943
SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS Chuck Tomberlain ’84 - president Curtis Sparks ’85 - president-elect Mike Harbordt ’63 - past president ASSOCIATION BOARD Wendy Buchanan ’85 Don Cox ’71 & ’76 Robin Dawley ’77 Ryan Emmons ’03 Karen Gantt ’95 Doris Havard James Hawkins ’83 Kent Hutchison ’92 David Madrid ’02 Justin McFaul ’04 Susan Roberds ’75 Roger Robinson ’92 Phillip Scherrer ’99 Steve Whitbeck ’75 Chris Woelfel ’95 Student Foundation Association Josh Perry ’10 & ’12 SFA ALUMNI FOUNDATION GOVERNORS Mike Harbordt ’63 - chairman Brad Bays ’91 Lewie Byers ’68 Ford Cartwright ’69 Shirley Crawford ’58 & ’70 James Hamilton ’77 Andy Mills ’91 Bill Roberds ’75 Chuck Tomberlain ’84 SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF Jeff Davis ’02 executive director of alumni affairs (fundraising) Mitzi Blackburn director of alumni activities (activities & events) Katy Crawford assistant to the executive director of alumni affairs (operations) Rhonda Crim-Tumelson director of alumni publications Dale Green ’99 director of marketing & membership Emily Payne ’99 & ’01 chapter coordinator Beverly Smith ’96 accountant (finance) Alicia Roland Chatman gifts & records specialist Mo Davis Williams ’09 scholarship coordinator
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SFA alumni coaches honored
Eight Stephen F. Austin State University alumni were honored at the 33rd annual Coaches Awards luncheon sponsored by the SFA Alumni Association. The luncheon was held Aug. 8 in the Twilight Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus. Barry Bowman ’89 of Paris is the recipient of the Ted Jefferies Football Award. The Daingerfield Tigers won the class 2A, division I state championship. The Alumni Association Volleyball Award was presented to Michael Dearman ’93 of Kaufman for leading the Highland Park Scots to the region II, class 4A semi-finals. Brian Nichols ’01 & ’06 of Nacogdoches is the recipient of the John O. Stephens Basketball Award for coaching the Laneville Yellowjackets to the region III, class 1A finals. Phil Olson ’86 of Nacogdoches and Brad Purvis ’91 of Corrigan received the Joe Richardson Track Award. Olson led the SFA track team to the NCAA Southland Conference indoor and outdoor championships. Purvis’ Corrigan-Camden men’s track team earned the class 2A state championship. The Alumni Association Softball Award was presented to Ruth Wright ’88 & ’90 of Huntington. Wright coached the Red Devils to the class 3A state semi-finals. Becky Fall 2011Cobb ’00 of League City led the Klein Oak Panthers to the
From left, Brian Nichols, Craig Fuller, Ruth Wright and Phil Olson region II, class 5A quarter-finals. She received the Alumni Association Soccer Award. The Joe Gallagher Baseball Award was presented to Craig Fuller ’85 of Nacogdoches for coaching the Central Heights Blue Devils to the class 2A state finals.
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Photo courtesy of RhoAnn Wallace
SFA ALUMNA RHOANN Wallace’s lifelong interests in nature, travel, foreign cultures and business have converged in the RealNature Travel Company, an international eco-tourism business she and her husband operate at the edge of the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin. Located on the east slope of the Andes Mountains in Macas, the capital of the Morona Santiago province, the company offers birding and nature tours throughout Ecuador. The couple also runs a bed and breakfast and bird sanctuary called Casa Upano, and is dedicated to tourism that supports the conservation of one of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems. “We believe the only way to make a difference in areas where conservation is important is to live and work in those areas and be a responsible representative of the tourism industry,” said Wallace ’03. All of the trips by RealNature Travel Company are arranged with an eye toward minimizing the human impact on the environment as much as possible. “We see to the small details, such as packing lunches with organic produce and providing durable water bottles instead of throwaways to all our guests,” she said. “We also patronize locations that are involved and interested in conservation, and we try to stay away from chains and large corporations, helping to support other family and
Fall 2011
small businesses in the area.” A native of Nacogdoches, Wallace has lived in Ecuador for seven years. Two years ago, she and her husband, Galo Real, purchased a 50-acre farm and began building their business from the ground up. The rustic farm and bed and breakfast are resplendent with flowering plants, fruit trees and sustainable native crops such as coffee beans that attract the area’s colorful birds and butterflies. “We are very fortunate that our property is located in the Kutuku mountain range, one of the world’s hot spots for biodiversity,” she said. “You can see a lot of Ecuador’s beautiful wildlife without ever leaving the terrace of the bed and breakfast.” From an early age, Wallace seemed destined for a career in ecotourism. “As a kid, I did my own little wildlife research projects,” she said. “I remember putting salt pork on a string and catching crawfish, and then I would mark them with fingernail polish and try and catch them again.” Growing up, Wallace also enjoyed going on birding trips with her parents. After studying business communication and Spanish culture at SFA, she moved to Ecuador to get experience in the tourism industry. She worked at Administrate Cabanas San Isidro and Cloud Forest Reserve on the east slope of the Andes
in the Napo province before forming RealNature Travel Company with her husband in 2009. Besides acting as co-owner and general manager of the company, she teaches English and spends a lot of time cooking with local ingredients and the fruits and vegetables she grows in her garden. Real is a native of Ecuador and has a degree in eco-tourism. The “green-thumb” in the family, he also serves as the tour guide for the business. Both Wallace and Real are involved in organized conservation efforts in southwest Ecuador. “The reason RealNature focuses its market toward birders – besides the fact that we are birders ourselves – is that bird conservation means forest conservation,” Wallace said. “If you protect the birds, the rest of the forest and all the other wildlife are protected, too.” The couple has two children, 5-year-old Aster and 11-month-old Diem. Wallace’s father, Dave Wallace, still resides in Nacogdoches and makes frequent trips to Ecuador to visit his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. “Nacogdoches will always be my home, but Ecuador is where my heart is,” she said during a recent visit to SFA. “I enjoy getting to introduce people from different countries to this very special little piece of the world and doing what I can to preserve it for future generations.”
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Schedule of Events
FRIDAY OCT. 28 11:00 a.m. Alumni Golf Tournament. Get a team of your classmates together and kick off Homecoming weekend playing golf with other SFA Alumni at Piney Woods Country Club. $150 7 p.m.
Lumberjack Bash in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. A reception consisting of heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, silent auction and special recognition of the Class of ’61 will take place at this event. The Original Cast, SFA’s musical comedy cabaret troupe, and the SFA Repertory Dance Company will provide live entertainment after the auction. Free admission.
8:30 p.m.
Torchlight Parade kick-off party, SFA statue
9 p.m.
Torchlight Parade begins at SFA statue
9:30 p.m.
Bonfire, pep rally and fireworks at Intramural Field (Homecoming Court announced during bonfire.)
SATURDAY OCT. 29 7:30 a.m.
Registration for 5K Fun Run, parking lot behind the Schlief Tennis Complex. Pre-register online at www.sfasu.edu/ campusrec.
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast for the Class of ’61. Enjoy a full breakfast buffet in the Hotel Fredonia Convention Center. $10 per person.
9 a.m.
Early Bird Coffee. Free pastries and coffee will be available in the Hotel Fredonia lobby for alumni before the parade begins.
10 a.m.
Homecoming Parade. Step outside the Hotel Fredonia and watch the parade as it makes its way through downtown.
11 a.m.
Lumberjack Day with the Sylvans behind forestry building until 2 p.m.
11:30 a.m. Homecoming Picnic. Drive to campus for the Homecoming picnic at Alumni Corner, located on the corner of Hayter and Raguet streets. Picnic will be a catered meal. $10 per person for picnic. Noon
Duck Dash at the Ag Pond. Sponsor ducks for $5 each or six ducks for $25.
3 p.m.
Homecoming Football Game. See the Lumberjacks play McNeese at Homer Bryce Stadium. $12 per ticket.
5 p.m.
Office of Multicultural Affairs Homecoming Reception in the Twilight Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. Come out after the Lumberjacks’ Homecoming game to meet with the OMA staff and African-American Alumni Association. Catch up with old friends and meet current students. Sawdust
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Questions
Please e-mail the alumni office at alumni@sfasu.edu; call (800) 765-1534 or (936) 468-3407; or visit www.sfaalumni.com if you have questions about Homecoming events.
Golf Tournament
Register your team for the annual Homecoming SFA Alumni Golf Tournament. The entry fee is $150 and includes tournament play, cart, refreshments, box lunch and post-tournament hors d’oeuvres. Registration forms are available at www.sfaalumni.com.
Duck Dash
Sponsor a duck for the 21st annual Duck Dash, where toy rubber ducks race to win prizes. Ducks are $5 each or six for $25. Deadline to sponsor is Oct. 21.
5K Fun Run / Walk
Run will meander through the new Hunt’s Woods Recreational Trails and the arboretum. Visit www.sfasu.edu/ campusrec for more information.
Lumberjack Bash
Reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and events, including silent auction, Golden ’Jacks 50th Reunion, and Benefit Drawing. Free admission.
Order securely online at www.sfaalumni.com Friday, Oct. 28 Golf Tournament
Time Cost 11:00 a.m. $150
Qty Total $
Saturday, Oct. 29 Reunion Breakfast 7:30 a.m. $10 Alumni Picnic 11:30 a.m. $10 Duck Dash Sponsor Noon $5 each or $25/6 SFA vs. McNeese 3 p.m. $12 Unrestricted gift to the SFA Alumni Association Total $
City
State
Zip
Return completed order form to: SFA Alumni Association P.O. Box 6096 Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6096
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STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The SFA Alumni Association bestows its highest honors on those who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and community, committed themselves to advancing the values and goals of SFA and ensured a better quality of life for future generations.
6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 Twilight Ballroom, Baker Pattillo Student Center
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Dr. David Hyink ’71 & ’72
Bob Allen ’71
Neal Slaten ’01
Dr. Kathleen Belanger
Forester, Scientist and Businessman in Rapid City, S.D.
Sports Director, KTRK-TV in Houston
Sole Owner and Dealer Principal, Tipton Ford Lincoln in Nacogdoches
Associate Professor of Social Work, SFA
Tickets to the awards ceremony dinner are $40 per person or $300 for a table of eight. Purchase tickets online by Nov. 1 at www.sfaalumni.com or by calling the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407. Dress is business attire.
Upcoming Events
SEPTEMBER 1
Tailgate at Alumni Corner, SFA vs. McMurry State
10 Tailgate at Alumni Corner, SFA vs. Northern Iowa
17 Tailgate in Waco, SFA @ Baylor
Join the SFA Alumni Association at Alumni Corner for tailgating!
24 Tailgate at Alumni Corner, SFA vs. Texas State Parents Day
OCTOBER 1
SFA @ Central Arkansas
22 SFA @ Nicholls State
8
Tailgate in Houston, Battle of the Piney Woods at Reliant Stadium
26 Alumni Foundation Board Meeting 27 Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting
29 Homecoming
28 Lumberjack Bash, Benefit Drawing
Alumni Golf Tournament
Tailgate at Alumni Corner, SFA vs. McNeese State
31 Halloween
NOVEMBER 5
Tailgate in Beaumont, SFA @ Lamar
11 SFA Alumni Association Awards Dinner
12 Tailgate at Alumni Corner, SFA vs. Southeastern Louisiana
Student Foundation Chili Cook-off
2
Big Dip Ceremony
5
Senior Send-Off
19 SFA @ Northwestern State
Find chapter events online at www.sfaalumni.com.
24 Thanksgiving
DECEMBER 17 Commencement
24 University closes for the holidays 25 Christmas
For more information, visit www.sfaalumni.com/events. *Times and dates are subject to change. Visit www.sfaalumni.com for the most recent information.
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The Ryan Koonce Memorial Scholarship The Arthur “Ryan� Koonce Memorial Scholarship benefits SFA criminal justice majors. The scholarship honors Ryan Koonce, who had a passion and dedication for law enforcement. Choosing this field while still in high school, Koonce began preparations to achieve his goal. Serving four years in the U.S. Air Force as a security police officer gave him experience, as well as the opportunity to take college courses. He earned a position on the Air Force Contending Warriors team and further challenged himself by attending Army Ranger school. He is a graduate of the 2001 Texas Department of Public Safety Academy in Austin. In 2005, Koonce was honored by the East Texas Peace Officers Association, as they awarded him the ETPOA Narcotics Officer of the Year Award. Koonce was born in Nacogdoches and graduated from Nacogdoches High School. He grew up attending the Nazarene Church, accepting Christ at an early age. Those who knew him will fondly remember his quick wit and kind heart.
How to Start a Scholarship 1. Make the decision to help.
Future SFA alumni need your financial assistance. Plan your contribution today.
2. Name your scholarship.
You may name your scholarship after yourself or in memory or in honor of someone else.
3. Determine eligibility criteria.
You may include college major or GPA or restrict the scholarship to certain types of recipients.
4. Complete an endowment packet. You may download and submit documents online at sfaalumni.com or request documents via U.S. mail.
5. Contact us.
(936) 468-3407 or (800) 765-1534 crawfordkp@sfasu.edu
More than $20 million has been contributed to the SFA Scholarship Fund by thousands of former students and friends to assist future students in achieving their goal of a college education. The SFA Alumni Association awards scholarships through the SFA Scholarship Fund administered by the SFA Alumni Foundation. Alumni scholarships make it possible for students to enjoy all college life has to offer by helping relieve some financial burdens. The association has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to students during recent years. Scholarships are endowed by cash or gifts of stocks, bonds, life insurance, memorial contributions and wills, as well as corporate matching gifts. A minimum of $20,000 is required to endow a scholarship. This may be accomplished during a 10-year period.
Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association P.O. Box 6096, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6096 Phone: 936.468.3407 Toll Free: 800.765.1534 Fax: 936.468.1007 E-mail: alumni@sfasu.edu website: www.sfaalumni.com
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Alumni Chapters
Beaumont Chapter Freshman Send-Off
SFA Alumni chapters host Freshman SendOff Parties each fall. These events are a chance for SFA alumni to meet incoming Lumberjacks and send them off to SFA and Nacogdoches. This year, a $100 book scholarship was given away at each event. Thanks to our Alumni chapters for supporting SFA!
Stay connected. Get involved. Have fun. Join a chapter! Happy Hours Networking Tailgating Freshman Send-Offs Service Projects Luncheons Family Picnics Golf Tournaments Visit our website to find chapter events. www.sfaalumni.com REGIONAL CHAPTERS • • • • • • • • •
Austin Chicago Coastal Bend Dallas Denver Houston Longview Nacogdoches Nashville
• • • • •
Ohio Oklahoma Oregon San Antonio Southeast Texas • Tarrant County • Tyler • Victoria
SPECIAL INTEREST CHAPTERS • AfricanAmerican • Agriculture • Chi Alpha • Chi Omega • Film School • Interior Design • Intramural/ Campus Recreation
• • • • •
Lacrosse Nursing ROTC Rugby Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity • Yellow House • Wesley Foundation
Tyler Chapter Freshman Send-Off
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Class Notes 1970
Jimmy Marshall ’74 of Nacogdoches, retired battalion chief of 37 years with the Nacogdoches Fire Department and wife, Mary ’84 & ’86, have relocated to Naples, Fla. Mindy McCaw ’78 of Longview is vice president and trust officer MCCAW of Texas Bank and Trust Co. Mark Stanford ’78 of College Station is an associate STANFORD director for forest resource protection at the Texas Forest Service. John Westbrook ’79 of Gatesville is prinWESTBROOK cipal of Gatesville High School.
1980
David Baty ’80 of Richardson is president of Texas Republic Bank in Frisco. Glenn Wells ’80 of Kilgore is the band director at Kilgore College. Bill Oates ’81 of Nacogdoches is associate director OATES for forest resource development and sustainable forestry at the Texas Forest Service. Larry Fields ’82 of Carthage was reappointed to the Texas Optometry Board by Gov. Rick Perry. Rusty Brockman ’83 of New Braunfels was appointed BROCKMAN to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Board of Directors by Gov. Rick Perry.
The Madison Square Garden Company has promoted Casey Coffman ’89 to the newly-created position of corporate senior vice president, corporate strategy and development. In her new position, Coffman will work to support the company’s strategic priorities and help drive continued focus on growth across all of its businesses. In addition, Coffman will take a lead role in helping to manage and expand the company’s corporate initiatives. She will help drive existing and new corporate projects; initiate and develop new global business opportunities; coordinate company-wide development efforts; oversee the business aspects of major corporate transactions and assist in the evaluation of new corporate opportunities.
1990
Kevin Lardie ’91 of Clear Lake City is the general manager at Gay Buick, GMC, Kia, and wife, Amy ’91, is a teacher at Clear Lake High School. Dr. Dawn Slavens ’93 of Wichita Falls is the 2011 Hardin Professor at Midwestern State University. Jeffrey D. Roquemore ’94 & ’06 of Lilbert is the ROQUEMORE principal at Douglass ISD.
Chris Wren ’94 of The Woodlands is president and COO of LGI Land. Terry Short ’95 of Groveton is the girls coordinator/head girls basketball coach at Groveton High School.
MANDOLA
John and Carol Mandola ’98 of Houston announce the Jan. 14 birth of sons Reed, Jaxon and Nicholas.
The Dudes organization came into being in fall 1969. We all lived on the first floor of Hall 14 under the guidance of our dorm mom, Mrs. Hartman. We started the Dudes primarily to play any and all intramural sports. We were sort of like a fraternity with no rules except to have a good time (which we did.) We also enjoyed many SFA activities of that time, such as attending Lumberjack basketball games and woodsies. The group remained active for many years, well after the original group had graduated and moved on. Most of us drifted apart after graduation, but through the efforts of one of our original members, Jay Trainor ’73, we were able to reconnect 11 years ago and have been meeting once a year ever since. We have all enjoyed successful careers and truly cherished our time at SFA as Lumberjacks. Pictured from left are Gary Welch ’73, Phillip Pierpont ’73, Milton Wylie ’73, Bud Kopczynski ’73, Clark Jacob ’73 and David Scott ’75. The alumni attended a Dudes reunion in May.
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John Wink ’95 of Longview is principal of Gilmer Elementary School. Casey M. Randall ’97 of Lufkin is serving with the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Eric Hueber ’99 and Andy Cope ’99 of Austin premiered their film, Rainbow’s End. Tonya Turnage ’99 of Tyler was selected to participate in the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in Jersey City, N.J.
2000
Christopher and Kristin Ali ’00 of Spring announce the May 18 birth of daughter Lauren Nichole. Matt and Brandi Smith Banks’01 announce the May BANKS 27 birth of daughter Hazel Rae Banks. Cody Lane Corley ’01 of Houston earned his juris docCORLEY torate from the University of Houston Law Center in December 2010 and passed the Texas Bar Exam in February Corley has worked at NASA Johnson Space Center since 2001 and recently transferred to the NASA Legal Office. He is
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married to Jessica Brooks Corley ’00, who also works at NASA, and they have two sons, Jaxson and Trent. Jennifer Stevens ’01 & ’08 of Lufkin is the director of marketing for Woodland Heights Medical Center in Lufkin. Missy ’01 and Dale Green ’99 of Nacogdoches announce GREEN the April 17 birth of their second son, Holden Michael. Chad Frost ’02 of Houston is a safety professional auditor at Pacific Industrial Contractor Screening. Sarah Hueber ’02 & ’03 of Athens is director of the Athens Chamber of Commerce. Marcy Cushing and Jason Oberle ’03 of Boston, Mass., were married June 25. The Rev. Ashley Cook ’04 of Lufkin was ordained an Episcopal deacon July 18 at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. Jeff Sorrels ’04 & ’07 is an assistant professor of communication at Delta College. Tony Moline ’06 of Plano is the president and CEO of the MOLINE Coppell Chamber of Commerce.
The newest chapter in a 22-year-old love story began this summer with an intimate wedding ceremony at Stephen F. Austin State University, just a few steps away from where the bride and groom first met as students in 1989. Tim Brooks ’92 of Corsicana and Kelli Dunlap ’93 of Lewisville were married July 22 in the Presidents Suite of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. The Rev. Allen Reed, pastor of First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, who also baptized Dunlap as a child, officiated the private ceremony. “The fact that I am marrying the love of my life some 22 years later in the same place we first met still amazes me,” said Brooks, who works as a probation officer in Navarro County. “SFA was responsible for getting both of us started on our career paths, and now the university is playing a part in us starting our life together. It’s really a dream come true.” Brooks and Dunlap were first introduced by a mutual friend in the student center cafeteria when they were both students at SFA. They began a dating relationship and eventually got engaged. But after Brooks graduated in 1992, the couple grew apart and went their separate ways. Brooks married someone else and has a 15-year-old son, Jacob. Dunlap never married. “I think I just never truly got over him,” she said. “He was the one that got away.” About a year ago, Dunlap learned that Brooks was single again, and the pair reconnected on Facebook. Their college romance was soon rekindled. “We decided it would be really cool to get married in the same place we met and fell in love all those years ago,” said Dunlap, who is now in the process of moving to Corsicana to begin her new life with Brooks. Neither Brooks nor Dunlap had been back to SFA since graduating in the early 1990s. Both were surprised at how much things have changed and said walking around the campus brought back a flood of good memories from their college days. In celebration of their wedding, the SFA Alumni Association gave the couple a joint annual membership, and the pair said they intend to visit SFA more often once they settle into their new life together. “Sometimes in life, you don’t get second chances,” said Brooks. “We feel truly blessed to have found each other again, and we will always be grateful to SFA for making our love story possible.”
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LIFE MEMBERS The SFA Alumni Association would like to thank the following alumni who recently became life members. We appreciate your support. 7676. Laura Fitzwater ’11 of Houston 7678. Brigettee Carnes Henderson ’85 of Lufkin 7679. Hubert Charles Douglas ’95 of Nacogdoches More than 65 attendees enjoyed the Delta Zeta, Zeta Psi chapter 70s & 80s reunion this summer, reminiscing and discussing how much Nacogdoches and SFA have changed. The alumni looked through old scrapbooks and took pictures. A remembrance was held for the sisters who have passed away. Twentyfive-year certificates were awarded. Esther Allen Campbell ’07 received her MBA from Amberton University in May 2011.
Kent Willis ’08 of Grapeland is the interim dean of students at Lon Morris College.
Brad Robertson ’07 of Brownsboro is the principal at Brownsboro Junior High School.
Taylor and Megan Kovar ’09 of Lufkin, KOVAR announce the May 5 birth of Kix Jameson.
Greg ’08 and Dina Hegseth ’10 of Nacogdoches announce the Feb. 18 birth of son Hayden Cayle.
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7681. Erin L. Cravey ’04 of Austin 7682. David E. Johnson ’11 of Richardson 7683. Carla M. Hoefler ’07 of Nacogdoches 7684. Dr. Karen L. Semones ’97 of Tacoma, Wash. 7685. John P. Calloway ’85 of Lufkin 7686. Gregory M. Hegseth ’08 of Nacogdoches 7687. Dina Hegseth ’10 of Nacogdoches 7688. Candice Johnson ’05 of Jersey City, NJ 7689. Jessica M. Matocha ’09 & ’11 of Benbrook 7690. Lauren E. Gandy ’11 of Huntington
Kendra Maness ’08 of Houston is the managing editor for the Madisonville Meteor. Christine Richardson ’08 of Mesquite is an agent with RICHARDSON Liberty Mutual Insurance.
7680. Beverly Denise Douglas ’04 of Nacogdoches
7691. Brett E. Morton ’10 of Nacogdoches 7692. Bethann A. Werblo ’10 of Grapevine 7693. Rebecca S. Russe ’10 of Lewisville 7694. Megan L. Langford ’10 of Shelbyville 7695. Jason R. Oberle ’03 of Boston, Mass. Mo Davis ’09 and Razzmon Williams of Lufkin were married July 9.
7696. Devin T. Ducote ’11 of Baton Rouge, La.
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In Memoriam
Alwin Biggs “Sonny” Whitaker ’57 of the Rehobeth Community died March
Lee Roy Baty ’56 of Tyler, June 18.
9. Whitaker was born Jan. 14, 1932, in the Rehobeth Community of Panola
Jack Frances Bowen ’48 of Victoria, Oct. 18.
County to Amos Alwin and Minnie
Lyle Burnett ’72 of Denton, June 3.
Mae Biggs Whitaker. He graduated from Carthage High School in 1951
John Buck of Galveston, June 9.
and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve unit
Dr. Frank Codispoti of Humble, former SFA professor, July 13.
active duty during the summer of 1951
Rose Kathleen “Kathy” O’Meara Eddington ’94 of Pearland, June 2.
and served two years during the Korean War as a member of the
Patsy Fisher ’69 & ’73 of Bullard, June 5.
Pocono communication ship. He received an honorable discharge in
The Rev. Robert Francis ’80 of Sherwood, Ark., May 3.
November 1952.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Justin Gaudet ’03 of Watertown, N.Y., June 5.
a roughneck for Arrow Drilling Service and then worked in the
Navy band stationed in Little Creek, Va., and later aboard the USS
After military service, Whitaker entered the workforce as
Texas Highway Department’s maintenance division. He graduated
Bennie George ’78 of Pasadena, May 28.
from Panola College with an associate degree in 1953. Whitaker
Marilyn Hogue ’41 of Overton, Nov. 20, 2010.
transferred to SFA, where he received a bachelor’s degree in
James Holt ’74 of Plainview, July 6. Thomas Kenneth Hunter of Nacogdoches, April 11. Lonnie Jackson ’70 & ’80 of Nacogdoches, June 12. Don Karr ’72 of Dickens, May 12. Iwana A. Long ’67 of Lindale, May 17. Joel Morgan Sr. ’52 of Nacogdoches, May 25. Bob Oates ’78 of Waco, Oct. 26, 2010. Melinda Permenter ’87 of Lufkin, June 23. Barbara Picou ’54 & ’89 of Etoile, May 31.
business administration in 1957. While at SFA, he served as president of the student government and was a charter member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He married Patty Lew Easley in Starkville, Miss., on Nov. 4, 1957.
He worked as the senior tax agent for Panhandle Texas Eastern
until his retirement in 1989. In December of 1988 while at Texas Eastern, he was awarded the Volunteer of the Month Award and was nominated for the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. Whitaker served as a member of the Panola County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, the Carthage ISD Education Foundation and the Carthage Lions Club.
Whitaker lived most of his life in the Rehobeth Community,
where his great-grandparents donated the land for the Rehobeth
Zelda Reed ’62 of Groesbeck, July 4.
Church and Cemetery. Whitaker was a member of the Rehobeth
Minnie Rice ’48 of Houston, May 12.
United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir. He also was
Anna Risinger ’52 of San Antonio, June 23.
a member of the Society of the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America.
Kenneth Scarbrough ’55 & ’56 of Kerens, July 18.
Carl Snyder ’67 of Grand Prairie, May 11.
and his brother, Lynn, established the Whitaker Brothers Scholarship
Sherri Tomberlin ’79 of Fort Worth, May 25.
in Shreveport, La. He was called to
Whitaker was a life member of the SFA Alumni Association. He
with the SFA Alumni Foundation in 1991. The scholarship benefits athletics and students who transfer to SFA from Panola College. In
Freddye White ’49 of Palestine, July 17.
2004, he was honored as the Panola College Alumni of the Year, and
Larry J. Woods ’83 of San Augustine, Nov. 24.
in 2005, he was honored with the SFA Distinguished Alumni Award.
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Purchase a 2011 Benefit Drawing ticket for the opportunity to choose which existing SFA Alumni Foundation scholarship will get an extra $10,000 donation, or use the funds to start a new scholarship! Benefit Drawing tickets are $100 each. The drawing will be held Oct. 28, 2011, at Lumberjack Bash during Homecoming. You do not need to be present to win! Your tax-deductible contribution benefits the SFA Alumni Scholarship Fund, administered by the SFA Alumni Association. Please join our efforts in making a difference in the lives of deserving students at Stephen F. Austin State University. You may purchase tickets securely online at www.sfaalumni.com. Contributions must be received by Oct. 27, 2011. If your employer is a matching gift company, please take advantage of this opportunity to double your gift to the SFA Alumni Scholarship Fund.
Sponsor a duck! The 21st annual SFA Alumni Association Duck Dash will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Ag Pond. Toy ducks race to win prizes. You don’t have to be present to win. Each duck entered in the race has a unique number that corresponds to the registration sheet.
Sponsor ducks securely online at www.sfaalumni.com.
Your lucky duck could win one of these great prizes!
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1st Prize - $750 Life Membership, SFA Alumni Association
6th Prize - $50 gift card, Kentucky Fried Chicken
2nd Prize - $500 set of tires, Boatman Tire and Service Center
7th Prize - $50 gift certificate, Cotton Patch
3rd Prize - $500 gift card, Brookshire Brothers Fresh Harvest
8th Prize - $50 gift certificate, Cotton Patch
4th Prize - $100 gift card, Walmart
9th Prize - $50 gift card, Chili’s
5th Prize - $50 gift card, Kentucky Fried Chicken
10th Prize - $25 gift card, Sonic
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James I. Perkins College of Education l Online Programs
During challenging economic times, the James I. Perkins College of Education is making selected undergraduate and graduate programs not only accessible and convenient, but also affordable! There are specific eligibility and admission criteria for each of these programs.
Master of Education Educational Leadership Principal’s Certification
Master of Education Early Childhood
Bachelor of Science Head Start Degree Completer Program
18 credit hours for those with a master’s degree $3,300 (with scholarship)*
36 credit hours $8,150*
30 credit hours Less than $200 per credit hour*
30 credit hours $5,500 (with scholarship)* Visit online at sfaonline.sfasu.edu/principal
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Visit online at degree.sfasu.edu/now/earlychildhood-education-med
Visit online at degree.sfasu.edu/now/ head-start-completer *pricing for Texas residents only
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Become a member of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association, and you’ll receive all four issues of Sawdust during the year. Reading Sawdust is a great way to keep up with SFA activities, news and events.
Join online at www.sfaalumni.com or call 800.765.1534
Your membership dues also help provide scholarships for SFA students and fund alumni events like homecoming weekend, tailgate parties and chapter activities.
Rediscover the Lumberjack Experience by becoming a member of the SFA Alumni Association. Find the full list of membership benefits at www.sfaalumni.com.
October 7 Reception
October 8
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Tailgate and Game
SFA will host a reception at the J.W. Marriott on Friday, Oct. 7, for fans, friends and alumni from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Austin Room, located on the first floor. Everyone is invited.
Visit sfajacks.com for more info.
On Saturday, Oct. 8, in addition to the availability of individual tailgating for SFA fans, alumni and students in the Blue Lot, SFA will host a tailgate party at the southeast corner of Reliant Stadium adjacent to the Astrodome from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Food will be available for the first 1,000 fans, and cash bars will be open throughout the event. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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SFA Walk of Recognition We invite you to participate in the project that will forever link the past to the future: the SFA Walk of Recognition. For $100, $250 or $500, you may permanently make your mark on an inscribed brick. The Walk of Recognition is located in the Sesquicentennial Plaza around the Stephen F. Austin fountain. You may purchase bricks securely online or download an order form at www.sfaalumni.com. Contact the SFA Alumni Association at (800) 765-1534 for more information.
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All Hail to SFA
Sawdust would like to know more about this SFA photo. If you can help, please contact: alumni@sfasu.edu 800.765.1534
“That is a picture of the alumni rugby game, probably sometime between 1995 and 2005. The one on the far right making the tackle is me, Scott Sullivan. I don’t recognize the other two, but the one with the ball would have been a student at the time, and the one on the ground, another alumnus. The alumni won – they always do.” –Scott Sullivan ’84
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GET YOUR SFA GEAR! www.shopsfa.com caps | gifts | drinkware | tote bags clothing | auto accessories | and more!
A portion of the proceeds from ShopSFA goes to support the SFA Alumni Association
SHOP
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Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association P.O. Box 6096, SFA Station Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Stephen F. Austin State University