Fall/Winter 2023 Tarleton State University Magazine

Tarleton State SPECIAL EDITION

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UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Trogdon House

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Reflecting on 100 Years TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JAMES HURLEY

Tarleton State

UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Fall/Winter 2023 | Volume 15 Number 2 President Dr. James Hurley University Communications Officer Cecilia Jacobs Associate Editors Elaine Hellmund | Phil Riddle, ’03 Photographers/Videographers Logan Hiemke, ’21 | Joey McReynolds Toby Rhodes | Caroline Wolf, ’21, ’22 Designer Kelly Wise, ’92

DIVISION OF UNIVERSITY STRATEGY

Box T-0415, Stephenville, TX 76402 | 254-968-9890 Vice President for University Strategy/Chief of Staff Dr. Credence Baker, ’03, ’05 Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications Nate Bural, ’10 Tarleton State University Magazine is published by the Department of Marketing and Communications, Box T-0730, Stephenville, TX 76402

Cover: Tarleton State University’s iconic Trogdon House celebrates 100 years this fall.

Dean J. Thomas Davis designed and oversaw construction of the President’s residence in 1923.

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FROM BREAKING GROUND to breaking enrollment records, this purple won’t fade. It just glows brighter.

Turn some purple sand for a facility that will benefit the entire region, and people will come. Hundreds did we broke ground for a Research and Economic Development Building and an Event Center this fall.

Tarleton State will share the brandnew $7 million facility with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The Research and Economic Development Building will create an innovation ecosystem to accelerate sponsored research and strengthen regional partnerships.

One of the largest venues in North Central Texas, the $110 million, two-story Event Center will sport NCAA Division I basketball facilities and room for symposiums, conferences and conventions with seating for nearly 10,000 for concerts and 8,000 for basketball games.

A lot of those seats will be filled by students, and they’re arriving in record numbers. Fall 2023 enrollment is up 8.9 percent from a year ago to some 17,000 students, outpacing many institutions nationwide.

Enrollment in our dual enrollment program tops 122 percent from our previous OnRamps partnership. Some 2,000 students are earning university credit while completing requirements at Texas high schools.

You’ll meet a few of them in this issue and learn why Tarleton Today is a perfect choice for success tomorrow.

We’ll introduce you to two remarkable faculty members, Drs. Tom and Eileen Faulkenberry, and trace the career of legendary athletic director Lonn Reisman. You’ll learn why this special place means so much to dyed-in-purple visionaries like the Lutons, John Henry and Marilyn, and Stacey and Robert Martin.

The cover story recounts the 100-year history of the Trogdon House (the President’s House). You’ll read of things kept secret until now. Visits by a squirrel, a duck and (maybe) a ghost.

Kindall and I love living at Trogdon and sharing it with the Tarleton State family. The moment we arrived in 2019, we sensed within its walls life and love, a cozy warmth to come home to and a solid foundation for greatness. So many outstanding Tarleton Presidents and their families have called it home. We’re honored to be among them.

From our family to yours, best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2024.

May you forever bleed purple!

THREE WAYS TO UPDATE 1) tarletonstate.us/update 2) advserv@tarleton.edu 3) 254-968-1918 2

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CONTENTS 2 | Paving the Purple Way

20 | Tarleton Loyalty Inspires Giving

8 | Dreams Do Come True

22 | Dressing for Success

12 | Meet the Faulkenberrys

36 | This Purple Won’t Fade

16 | The Power of the Blue Jacket

38 | Homecoming

18 | Supporting Young Artists

42 | Ready Player One 44 | Against All Odds 48 | For Love of the Game 52 | Class Notes

24| THE DAYS

REMEMBERING

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Paving THE Purple Way Fossil RimWildlife

Expands Tarleton State Partnership Tarleton State and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Inc., this summer agreed to strengthen their ongoing partnership by expanding student internships, collaborative research, community education activities, professional development and cooperative programming for faculty and staff.

A new faculty-in-residence from the Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources will be based at the Glen Rose facility, offering on-site classes and programming in zoo animal care and management.

The collaboration should have a lasting impact on students across programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, including agriculture communications, zoo animal care and management, and range management, increasing their skills to address 21st-century conservation challenges.

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Purple Poo Endows Legacy Scholarship Tarleton State’s Purple Poo, the oldest university spirit organization in Texas, this spring endowed its own scholarship after fundraising independently for 20 years.

Ten male and 10 female members of the secret group accept the Poo mission of anonymously promoting spirit each semester. Formed when Tarleton was a junior college, the Ten Tarleton Peppers (TTP) and Ten Tarleton Sisters (TTS) date to 1921 and 1923. They became known collectively as the Purple Poo after a glob of paint splattered on a spirit sign.

The TTP-TTS Alumni Association was formed in 1995.

Created with $90,000, the Poo Legacy Scholarship Endowment topped $100,000 during Homecoming 2023 in celebration of the TTS centennial.

Donations may be made through the Tarleton Foundation at https://donate.tarleton.edu/.

Sam Pack

Receives Honorary Doctorate Sam Pack, owner and operator of Pack Automotive Group in the DFW Metroplex, received Tarleton State’s highest recognition — an honorary doctorate of humane letters — at 2023 spring commencement ceremonies.

When Pack started classes at Tarleton in 1956 he fully intended to graduate, but an illness changed his plans. It didn’t, however, diminish his belief in the power of education or his desire to make life better for others.

Pack supports more than 300 nonprofits, service organizations and community events through Sam Pack Cares, the charitable arm of Pack Automotive. In 2003 he received the Ford Motor Company Salute to Dealers Award, presented by Edsel Ford II, for his commitment to improve communities and the lives of the individuals in them.

He has given to Tarleton’s food pantry, the President’s Circle and the Dr. James and Kindall Hurley Scholarship Endowment. The Tarleton State University Pack Automotive Group Intern Program provides Texans FALL/WINTER 2023

“His life’s work is an example of the spirit Tarleton Texans embody and a model for all of us to follow.”

— President James Hurley

with learning opportunities that inspire career success.

“Sam gives tirelessly of his time, selflessly of his energy and generously of his resources,” President Hurley said. “His life’s work is an example of the spirit Tarleton Texans embody and a model for all of us to follow.”

The Texas Automobile Dealers Association in 2005 recognized Pack as an Industry Legend — only the second person in the association’s 93-year history so named. He was one of five dealers inducted into Ford’s inaugural Top Volume Dealers Hall of Fame in 2016.

His business and community leadership earned him the national 1988 TIME Dealer of the Year tribute, one of the auto industry’s most coveted honors. Only one other Texas automobile dealer has received the award, and none since Pack.

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Dr. Michael Mathis

New Graduate Dean

Meet Dr. Michael Mathis, the new Dean of Tarleton State’s College of Graduate Studies. In addition to increasing visibility for graduate programs, he’s working with North Central Texas business and industry leaders, Tarleton faculty and staff, and community and educational partners to expand existing degree offerings and add new ones.

He previously served the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth as Dean of the School of Biomedical Sciences, where he saw enrollment increase almost 60 percent. Under his leadership, UNTHSC introduced its first undergraduate degree program and established a state-of-the-art preclinical imaging facility.

Before joining UNTHSC, Dr. Mathis served more than 20 years at Louisiana State University, with key administrative roles in Baton Rouge and Shreveport.

More than 100 scholarly publications highlight his academic career.

He holds a PhD in biochemistry from the UT Southwestern Medical Center, an EdD in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, an MHA from LSU and a bachelor’s in chemistry from Texas A&M University.

Record Funding

Freezes Tuition, Propels Research Gov. Greg Abbott this summer approved a record $1.19 billion in new spending for The Texas A&M System, ushering in an unprecedented 30 percent growth in general revenue for Tarleton for the next biennium.

Outlined across several bills, the new spending enables Tarleton to freeze undergraduate tuition and academic fees for Texas residents over the next two years, furthering the university’s commitment to opportunity and access for all students.

Tarleton State saw the secondlargest percentage growth in funding, behind only A&M-College Station, and also was allocated a $5 million exceptional item, reflecting its contributions to research and innovation in addressing healthcare needs throughout the region and state.

Legal Studies Gets ABA Approval

The American Bar Association this summer gave its approval to Tarleton State’s legal studies program, making it only the second ABA-approved bachelor’s degree in Texas and one of about 230 nationwide.

Legal studies majors may choose between two concentrations — pre-law, the program’s broad-based interdisciplinary curriculum designed to develop reasoning, rhetoric, analysis, critical thinking and writing skills, or paralegal, for students who have exceptionally logical and analytical minds, possess organizational skills and thrive on attention to detail. To assist attorneys, Tarleton’s program equips students to perform all functions under Texas law.

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First-Gen Center

Advances Tarleton in First Scholars Network The Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation, has advanced Tarleton State to the First Scholars phase of the First Scholars Network.

The university’s selection by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and Suder is based on its demonstrated commitment to positive outcomes for first-generation students through improving success initiatives and institution-wide approaches. More than 50 percent of Tarleton Texans are first generation.

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Biotechnology Institute Coming to Downtown Fort Worth

Tarleton State’s new Biotechnology Institute, approved in August by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents, puts the university in the middle of one of the largest, fastest growing life sciences hotbeds in the country.

Part of Texas A&M-Fort Worth’s downtown research campus, the institute will drive multidisciplinary discovery and innovation in bioinformatics and computational modeling of microbiomes, profoundly impacting everything from agriculture to medicine to energy to the environment.

Texas A&M-Fort Worth is a collaboration between the A&M System and the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. The three-building campus, across from the Water Gardens, will anchor an innovation district aimed at supporting business growth and workforce development. The first building, a replacement for the current Texas A&M Law School, is set to open in 2025 and the others by 2027.

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Research and Economic Development Building Construction Begins

Tarleton State broke ground Nov. 1 for a Research and Economic Development Building that will create an innovation ecosystem to accelerate sponsored research and strengthen regional partnerships.

Tarleton will share the $7 million facility, at U.S. Highway 281 and East Lingleville Road, with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

The university’s Small Business Development Center and new Institute for Rural Economic Development and Research will be located there, enhancing access to training and support for rural entrepreneurs. Tarleton will work alongside other A&M System institutions, regional universities, start-up companies, business incubators and chambers of commerce to help drive North Central Texas prosperity.

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved funding in May, with move-in set for fall 2024.

Tarleton State broke ground Nov. 1 for a $7 million Research and Economic Development Building in Stephenville.

From left, with shovels, are Vic Seidel, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer for Texas A&M AgriLife; Dr. Cliff Lamb, Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research; A&M System Chancellor John Sharp; Tarleton President Dr. James Hurley and Dr. Rupa Iyer, Vice President for Tarleton’s Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development.

The crowd gathers under the big top for the historic celebration.

President James Hurley One of 400 Most Influential Leaders

Tarleton State President James Hurley has been honored as one of the 400 most influential North Texans by Fort Worth Inc. magazine. He is cited among the movers and shakers in the education category of the Summer 2023 issue.

Dr. Hurley began his tenure as Tarleton’s 16th President in fall 2019 with the vision to create a premier comprehensive national public university.

Since his arrival, Tarleton has elevated to new heights of academic excellence, research, retention rates, graduation rates, fundraising and athletics.

Under his leadership, Tarleton attained the prestigious designation of Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, met the highest fundraising goal in its history — eclipsing $125 million — and joined NCAA Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

His signature initiatives include the Distinguished High School and twoyear Distinguished College Partners programs, the President’s Excellence in Research Scholars (PERS), the Tarleton Promise scholarship and Tarleton Today, a dual-enrollment program with more than 2,000 participants. An invitation in 2022 to join the impactful Association of Public and Land-grant Universities reflects Dr. Hurley’s commitment to groundbreaking discovery, educational access and student success.

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Saddle Bronc Rider Takes Sixth in CNFR Finals

Tarleton State saddle bronc rider Gus Gaillard saved the best for last in his first College National Finals Rodeo this summer in Casper, Wyo., earning an 81 in the championship finals and finishing sixth in the saddle bronc riding event.

Gus earned a finals spot with a 78.5-second score on his opening ride and 74.5 in rounds two and three. He qualified for the CNFR as the 2023 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region reserve champion saddle bronc rider.

Tarleton team roper Wyatt Bray and partner Cutter Thomison from Western Texas College posted a 6.2, 6.6 and 5.6 during CNFR week, good for seventh in the average, and Jordan Driver finished ninth in barrel racing.

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EDA, NSF Grants

Fueling Regional, National Innovation Drive innovation. Build research capacity. Grow professional workforce opportunities. Amplify economic prosperity. Tarleton State leads the pack at these, thanks to new federal funding announced in October.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will enable Tarleton to operate as an EDA University Center — the only one in North Central Texas and one of just 73 nationwide. In addition to $650,000 in EDA funding, regional partners are matching the grant in-kind for a total $1.3 million over five years.

The news comes on the heels of a National Science Foundation grant just shy of $100,000 to host a two-day GRANTED conference.

Emerging and established research institutions from across the country will share best practices and form multi-institutional collaborations to strengthen the nation’s research enterprise.

“To be selected as the only EDA Center in our region is remarkable,” said Tarleton President James Hurley, “and the support of area entrepreneurs proves our reputation as a champion for public good.

Together, we’re creating an exceptional quality of life.”

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Dreams Do Come True

by Cecilia Jacobs

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N Artist’s Rendering

ever mind temperatures either side of 108. Throw up a tent, turn some purple sand for an Event Center that will benefit all of North Central Texas, and they will come. Hundreds of them.

Aug. 22, 2023.

Tarleton President James Hurley called it “an incredible day in the history of our great institution,” and that it was.

A long-awaited dream made real.

Dr. Hurley said students and community members started emphasizing to him the need for such a facility the moment he and his family arrived in fall 2019. Now, “thanks to the unwavering support of Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp and the Board of Regents, this center will be a point of pride for the entire region.”

No doubt it will. At a whopping 148,000 square feet — one of the largest academic/athletic/entertainment venues in North Central Texas — the $110 million, two-story multipurpose arena will sport NCAA Division I basketball facilities and room for academic convocations, symposiums, conferences and conventions.

Seating nearly 10,000 for concerts and 8,000 for basketball games, the center will provide a permanent indoor home

“Tarleton State does things with style, and our new home will be a showplace for all to enjoy. The Event Center will elevate the region and be another source of pride for the university, the student body, the players and our loyal fans.”

— Billy Gillispie, Head Men’s Basketball Coach

The $110 million Event Center will amplify Tarleton State’s economic impact when it opens in 2025. The multipurpose arena will sport NCAA Division I basketball facilities and room for academic and community events and concerts.

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for convocations and commencements, and the city of Stephenville will enjoy increased income from community and regional events.

“It’s one thing to talk about it, but today it’s happening,” Chancellor Sharp said. “The shovels are in the ground. Before you know it, we’ll have the finest arena west of the DFW Metroplex. It’s going to be a golden ticket for this neck of the woods.”

The A&M regents approved budget and construction in May, with movein set for 2025. Funding comes from Revenue System Financing bonds and is part of Tarleton’s capital plan.

“Dr. Hurley knew we needed something like this, not only for the university but for the surrounding communities and North Central Texas,” said Lonn Reisman, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. “It gives everyone an opportunity to experience events they might not otherwise be able to attend. It will change the dynamics of the whole area.”

Dr. Hurley: “As a comprehensive national public university we have a moral and social obligation to deliver an outstanding student experience while spurring community prosperity and enhancing economic opportunity. With this new facility, we’re doing just that.”

Calling it a crown jewel on the university’s main campus, state Rep. Shelby Slawson (District 59) said the center is a game changer for Tarleton State, Stephenville and Erath and surrounding counties.

“Finally we have a venue in the heart of Stephenville for the community and students to gather, enjoy concerts, celebrate milestones, cheer on Texan basketball and move commencements indoors when the weather doesn’t cooperate,” she said. “I can’t wait for the grand opening.”

State Rep. DeWayne Burns (District 58) applauded Tarleton State’s ongoing efforts to partner with the community while remaining focused on student education and development. “Today’s groundbreaking is a testament to the university’s commitment to economic 10

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“The Event Center will enable the university to host activities currently held in other places and bring those people here. It’s an exciting time to be a Tarleton Texan and live in Erath County!”

— Brandon Huckabee, Erath County Judge

vitality, community service and the public good. As a Tarleton Texan, I am extremely proud.”

The center will include custom locker rooms, a nutrition center, a sports medicine suite, and a dedicated entrance for coaches and studentathletes. Portable, maple-wood flooring will make installing and removing the specialized gym surface a snap without sacrificing player safety or performance. Top-of-the-line sound, lighting and video technology point to every event being a showstopper.

“This is a day to remember. A new era,” Reisman said. “We don’t just talk about our future, we execute our vision. Look across this campus in any direction and you’ll see an institution that has been transformed from a small college to a major university.

“Tarleton is showing the state, the country and the world that this is a place where dreams became reality.”

And hundreds applauded what soon thousands will enjoy.

Tarleton State and A&M System leaders break ground for a two-story Event Center in the heart of the Stephenville campus. From left: Bill Brock, Head Women’s Basketball Coach; Lonn Reisman, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics; Tarleton State President James Hurley; Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Brian Thornton; Billy Gillispie, Head Men’s Basketball Coach; A&M System Chancellor John Sharp; and Blaine Hamilton, Head Cheer Coach. At 148,000 square feet, the facility will be one of the largest multi-purpose venue in North Central Texas.

Artist’s Rendering

A Quick Story

Artist’s Rendering

A&M System Chancellor John Sharp, Tarleton President James Hurley and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman felt supremely ready for their meeting with then-Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Jeff Hurd and WAC presidents in downtown Denver. It was Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.

Even exhaustive preparation, though, could not guarantee the outcome.

Tarleton’s delegation held the promise.

Others held the cards.

At stake was an invitation to join the WAC and transition to NCAA Division I. The Texans had proven themselves as members of the Lone Star Conference in Division II — 36 LSC championships, nine LSC tournament championships, 14 NCAA regional championships across 14 NCAA sports. Not to mention eight individual national championships in track and field.

Everything seemed favorable until 30 minutes into the meeting.

Commissioner Hurd said the conference had just one major concern.

Dr. Hurley recounted the story at the Event Center groundbreaking.

“Your basketball gymnasium doesn’t meet the NCAA Division I requirements

for our conference,” Hurd matter-offactly told the trio. “We’d like you to address this.”

Without missing a beat, Chancellor Sharp said, “We’ll build a new one.

It will be the greatest arena in the conference.”

Dr. Hurley and Reisman looked at each other and nodded.

As if they’d planned that response all along.

Hurd said the WAC would deliberate for a few days and be in touch.

Chancellor Sharp said, “We’ll wait upstairs.”

The Tarleton leaders camped out for three hours. Finally the news broke that put their university on the national stage.

“I’ll never, ever forget that day,” Dr. Hurley said. “Commissioner Hurd and the member presidents came upstairs and invited us to join the WAC as its ninth member. From the day we accepted that invitation Tarleton State has been on the rise. We were next-level ready then, and we’re next-level ready now.”

Pretty sharp on responses to the tough questions, too.

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Faulkenberrys MEET THE

by Elaine Hellmund

Faculty Couple Finds Their Fit at Tarleton

T

alk around their dinner table frequently focuses on work. And they wouldn’t have it any other way. Drs. Thomas and Eileen Faulkenberry have been married 21 years and teaching on the same campus almost as long.

“We’ll talk about research or projects that we’re working on, conversations that we think are just natural to have,” said Eileen, Dean of the Tarleton State Honors College.

“We also both happen to be mathematicians, so our conversations always gravitate toward that,” adds Tom, head of the Department of Psychological Sciences.

The pair have taught at Tarleton since 2013 and came specifically so they could both take tenuretrack positions. As parents of school-age children, they love the family-friendly vibe.

“Not only was Tarleton open to us both being here in an academic role, they also were very supportive of us having young kids,”

Eileen said. “We really do feel like we hit the jackpot.”

The journey took awhile.

Tom explained that while it’s common for couples to work at the same university, likely only one of the partners has tenure prospects.

“When we came here we didn’t have to settle. And we haven’t had to settle since.”

Eileen is Tarleton’s Faculty Athletics Representative. She recently was elected to be the “Representativeat-Large for Interests Pertaining to the Mathematical Education of Teachers” for the Mathematical Association of America Congress and last year was Chair of the Texas Section of the MAA. She is a member of the

Tarleton State University Mathematics Education Team, which received the Texas A&M System Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators Award for the 2022-2023 academic year.

In 2019 she received the Ron Barnes Distinguished Service to Students Award, which recognizes faculty for exemplary service and support of undergraduate students in the Texas Section.

She also serves on the board of the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT), an annual meeting co-sponsored by the Texas Section of the MAA, designed to improve the knowledge and skills of K-16 mathematics teachers and supervisors statewide.

“When we came here we didn’t have to settle. And we haven’t had to settle since.”

—Dr. Thomas Faulkenberry TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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Tom is an active researcher with numerous publications in mathematical cognition and Bayesian statistics.

He has recently served in several national leadership roles, including Secretary/ Treasurer of the statistics education special interest group of the Mathematical Association of America and President of the Southwestern Psychological Association. Last year he was named Chair of the Joint Committee on Undergraduate Statistics and Data Science Education, cosponsored by the American Statistical Association and the Mathematical Association of America.

Tom and Eileen grew up across the state line from each other in Oklahoma and Arkansas, respectively.

A math major, Tom was

contemplating grad school at Oklahoma State when he went to a math conference and a certain graduate student caught his eye.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I should go to Oklahoma State, because she’s there.’

In fact, the draw was so good that I gave up a better deal financially from the University of Oklahoma because there was this person at Oklahoma State I had met at a conference and then again at a grad student weekend.”

But when he started graduate school she was nowhere to be found. Tom thought maybe she left the school.

“Then all of a sudden I’m walking down the hall and I see her — she’s sitting in another graduate student’s office. And I just stopped. Mind you, I’ve

“Academia is a way of life.”

—Dr. Thomas Faulkenberry

only talked to this person twice, once barely when I was this lowly undergrad at a conference, and then a little more at the graduate student weekend, but I just stopped in the door and looked at her and said, ‘There you are!’ ” And Eileen said, “Here I am!”

They started dating, and Tom says that was the last first date he went on.

The two taught together at Oklahoma State and then for 10 years at Texas A&M University-Commerce. At Tarleton they worked in the same building until recently, when Eileen became Honors College Dean.

Do they take their work home? Of course. Tom says there’s no such thing in academia as leaving work at the office.

“Academia is a way of life — not just a job you punch a clock for. We’re constantly thinking about and talking about workrelated stuff. But it’s what we do, it’s who we are.

Our children know this.

They’ve grown up with academic parents, so they know how that works.”

Eileen’s father was a math professor, and she appreciates being able to raise her children in a college environment.

“They’re truly able to reap the benefits of being children of academics and being associated with the university.” The oldest, Emily, 17, is interested in education. Middle child Elena, 13, wants to help people through a medical field like nursing. Will loves dinosaurs and hopes to be a scientist.

“He’s already planning to get his PhD,” his mom says. “He has his whole life mapped out at 11 years old.”

Eileen’s and Tom’s advice to other couples working together: Celebrate and support.

“Tom had a mentor many years ago who had great advice: It’s good to have lots of things going on because some things won’t be going well at any given time, but something else will,” Eileen said. “Being able to celebrate those things that are going well and have support in those things that are not is very important.”

Drs. Thomas and Eileen Faulkenberry value being able to raise their family in a university environment.

Scent Tarleton

The

of

The essence of being a Tarleton State Texan never fades.

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Embrace the essence of Tarleton Te xan spirit, where the scent of purple won’ t fade.

The Power of Blue Jacket

by Phil Riddle

Future Tarleton Freshman Excited to be State FFA President ISAAC HAWKINS is proud of his blue corduroy jacket.

You’ve seen them, the ones with the gold trim that FFA members wear. For years the jacket has symbolized the Living to Serve motto of Texas Future Farmers of America.

Isaac, a May graduate of Wichita Falls Hirschi High School, was elected the organization’s state president and began his one-year term in July. The first Hirschi graduate to serve as president, he’ll be a freshman at Tarleton State when he begins classes in fall 2024.

“I believe Isaac was born to be a leader,” said Keyla McGuire, a Hirschi ag teacher and a major influence in Isaac’s life. “He just needed to be pushed in the right direction. From the time we met at the FFA Greenhand day we hosted at the school, I could see a kid who was interested in learning about FFA.” 16

“Tarleton is the best agriculture college in the state of Texas,” added Tarleton alumna Amber West, another Hirschi mentor. “So naturally I introduced Isaac and helped him fall in love with the great traditions.

I think Tarleton’s values really stand true for the student he is.”

Isaac wants to pursue a degree in veterinary science with an emphasis in exotics, but other criteria were in play as he chose a college.

“One of the things I considered was ‘where can I go that is far enough from home to feel like I’m away at school and still close enough to come home on weekends?’

I also wanted to go to the school that feels most like home. Tarleton feels like home to me.”

In some ways Isaac’s college choice was a natural. He had been on the Stephenville campus numerous times competing in FFA contests

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and attending other organizational functions as Tarleton hosts thousands of FFA students at numerous events each year. “When I got the opportunity to go there and speak with the faculty and the dean in that contest environment, I fell in love with the school. I can’t wait to be there next year.”

But he’s not your average FFA student. He didn’t grow up in an agriculture environment. He found FFA while searching for high school courses that would complement his aspirations.

“I always knew I wanted to be a vet, but going into high school I was not aware of any classes that would get me started on that journey. I was planning my high school schedule and I saw an ag class about animals through FFA and I said, ‘Sign me up.’ ” McGuire said Isaac’s personality earned him Texas FFA’s highest elected position.

“He is kind, passionate, relatable and inspiring,” she said. “He has shown so many people that just because you weren’t born into agriculture, if you open

your mind and take a chance to learn something new, your whole world of opportunity opens up.”

He took quickly to FFA, but it was Isaac’s first national convention that sealed the deal.

“It really changed my life,” he said of his trip to Indianapolis as a high school freshman. “I saw a sea of blue corduroy, I got my first jacket, and I was able to meet people from all over the country. I knew then that this organization is for me.”

He took office July 14. For a year he’ll visit three schools a day, five days a week, to interact and collaborate with some of Texas FFA’s 170,000 members.

“I remember being a freshman,” he said. “I’d never shown an animal. I didn’t have the typical FFA background. They were still willing to meet me where I was, to encourage me to participate and compete.

I want to take how they made me feel and pour that into someone else.”

Being a veterinarian remains his career target,

the and he credits FFA with energizing his dream.

“That’s the thing I love most about this organization,” he said. “No matter where you come from, you have the same opportunity as everyone else who wears the jacket to be successful.”

Maybe it’s easy to love the jacket ... because the jacket loves you back.

Wichita Falls Hirschi High School graduate and future Tarleton State University student Isaac Hawkins responds to being elected Texas state president of Future Farmers of America last summer. Isaac will enroll at Tarleton State when his term ends in July 2024.

Photo courtesy of Texas FFA.

S TAC E Y A N D R O B E R T M A R T I N

Supporting Young Artists

by Elaine Hellmund

S

tacey Martin was a biology major wanting to work in dentistry when she discovered what she enjoyed most was casting in the lab. Suddenly she was learning to weld, then blow glass.

“I just really found my gifts in art,” she said. Now she finds joy in encouraging other young artists to explore their skills. To this end, she and her husband started the Stacey and Robert Martin Endowed Scholarship for the Fine Arts at Tarleton State University.

The arts program at Tarleton, and really the school itself, attracted her.

“I love the way they take an interest in each student personally. I wanted to be a part of that.”

Stacey has mentored Tarleton art students as interns at her Granbury gallery and showcased Stacey and Robert Martin support an endowed scholarship for fine arts.

Stacey’s artwork, like Roots of Gold (right), can be seen in the Nursing Building on the Stephenville campus and in Tarleton-Fort Worth’s Central Administration Building.

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other area artists on their journey from unknown to sought after. Her work from the gallery and that of other North Central Texas artists can be seen in Tarleton’s Nursing Building on the Stephenville campus and in Tarleton-Fort Worth’s Central Administration Building.

Tarleton’s embrace of the art community was apparent to Stacey when she moved to Granbury and opened Your Private Art Collection Gallery on

the square in 2007. Janice Horak, Executive Director of Development, was running the university’s Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Educational Center then and introduced her to Tarleton.

“I found myself surrounded by wonderful Tarleton alumni and people attending there.

The involvement in the arts really is alive, and I’m a big supporter of that. I want to see students really be able to grow there.”

She’d also like to have more interns, students learning a “gallery sense” that they might not get in class, like how to show art: Don’t stand in front of your art, always put your name on it, always price it.

“School teaches them how to create and unleash their imaginations, but it doesn’t walk them through a gallery sense when it comes to going to the next step and selling, the business side,” she said.

“Which is very important because you don’t want to be a hungry artist for the rest of your life.”

Stacey’s art spans a range of textures and materials — resin, metal, glass and paint.

“I like doing the mixed medium because there’s not really anything I can’t include with it. I don’t like to box myself into doing just metal or just glass. I like to incorporate all the mediums together.”

When not making art, Stacey can be found at the horse track. She and Robert raise and race horses and currently have eight active competitors. She recently met Dr. Barry Lambert, Dean of Tarleton State’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, at a race at Retama Park after noticing his Tarleton hat and striking up a conversation.

“We ended up winning some races that day, and it was a really fun evening for all of us. We’ve got him watching one of our racehorses, Uncle Ed’s Idea.

He has now become a fan.”

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J O H N H E N R Y A N D M A R I LY N L U T O N

Tarleton Loyalty

Inspires Giving

by Elaine Hellmund

E

verywhere John Henry and Marilyn Luton look, they see Tarleton Texans. While not alumni themselves, they recognize the influence of Tarleton State University in their community.

“Proximity naturally plays a big part,” said John Henry, board Chairman at First National Bank of Granbury. “A lot of employees at our bank went to Tarleton, two daughters and a son-in-law graduated from there, a ranch manager and a whole boatload of friends all went to school there.” Family members were longtime friends of Tarleton alumni Clyde and Marie Wells and Hugh Wolf, who was a bank stockholder.

John Henry’s family has been involved with First National since the late 1920s. When looking to give back to the community, Tarleton’s deep local roots were a factor. The bank started an endowed scholarship for Tarleton’s College of Business in 2017 and for the Texan Corps of Cadets in 2021, and Marilyn and John Henry began a corps scholarship last year.

The Lutons were founding donors to Tarleton’s Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Educational Center in Granbury in the late 1990s and have contributed to the Texan Club and to the Rio Brazos Art Exhibition, Tarleton’s national juried art show.

John Henry’s support for the Texan Corps of Cadets is inspired by his own FALL/WINTER 2023

experiences in the corps at Texas A&M. A 1972 graduate, he counts Chancellor John Sharp as a classmate.

“Bonds forged in groups like that last a lifetime,” he said. “Honor, discipline, patriotism, service.

Becoming a senior military college is a great thing for Tarleton.” He recently encouraged a fellow churchgoer who was seeking advice for getting into A&M to try Tarleton instead.

“I said, ‘You’ll have a better chance of making a difference at Tarleton.’

And he’s there now, and he is making a difference.”

Devoted sports fans, John Henry and Marilyn were excited about attending a Tarleton game this season and sitting in the President’s box. They have A&M season tickets for football and basketball. During basketball season, Marilyn noted, “we’re not home a lot.”

Marilyn grew up in Fort Worth but has lived in Granbury 50 years, the last 20 enriched by her volunteering.

Her husband calls her the “queen of nonprofits in Hood County.”

“My business card says ‘Professional Volunteer,’” she affirmed. “I’m probably three days a week working on something, then I’ll have an event that I drag John Henry to.” Currently she’s working with Mission Granbury; she also has been involved with Hood County United Way and the Hood County Committee on Aging.

The couple have been married 38 years. They met through their daughters, who were best friends in third grade. The Lutons raised five children in Granbury and have 10 grandchildren, whom they admit they don’t see as often as they’d like. Between the volunteering and the sports, John Henry and Marilyn are on the move.

“We’re very social people,” Marilyn said. “We have a great life!”

From First National Bank employees to family and friends, John Henry and Marilyn Luton are surrounded by Tarleton State alumni.

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Dressing

for

Success

Tarleton State Grad Brings Style and Realism to Stage, Major Film Productions

by Phil Riddle

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L AC I B R A D S H AW R O B E RTS

L

aci Bradshaw Roberts’ Tarleton State University theater degree punched her ticket to the bright lights. She parlayed her diploma into jobs working on popular Broadway touring shows and some of today’s hottest film projects.

You’ve probably seen her work. She was a wardrobe supervisor on touring productions of The Wedding Singer, Sweeney Todd, Beauty and the Beast, Elf, The Bridges of Madison County, The King and I, and Miss Saigon.

She also has worked as a costumer on “The Chosen,” “Bass Reeves” and the wildly popular Taylor Sheridan “Yellowstone” prequel, “1883,” much of which was filmed around Fort Worth.

A Forney native, the 2005 Tarleton State alumna always knew she wanted to be in show business. She started as a scenic painter, then advanced to costumes.

“My plan was to work in theater however I could,” she said.

An internship at an Ohio costume company as a college senior honed the skills she now uses backstage and on set. “I sewed in the costume shop at Tarleton for lab hours, so I learned to sew then, but during my internship, that’s when I really got better.”

Laci was working as a scene painter in New Jersey when she decided to try touring.

“I knew Broadway touring existed, and it would be a great way for me to save some money and travel at the same time. That’s when my touring career took off.

“I was running shows as the wardrobe supervisor. You dress the actors, do all the repairs, do all the

Tarleton alumna Laci Bradshaw Roberts has traveled the world and lived her dream of being in show business. Laci, who trained for her career in Tarleton State’s theater department, has worked on Broadway and in television as a wardrobe supervisor and costumer.

FALL/WINTER 2023

laundry, basically take care of every bit of the costuming for the show. It’s a lot of work, but it’s super fun.”

She was on tour with Beauty and the Beast when she met her future husband, Barrett, who is a stage electrician. The two now work together as much as possible.

With their respective jobs, they have visited all 50 states, Canada and Australia. When COVID hit in 2020, they were working their biggest tour, Miss Saigon.

“It was one of the hardest we ever did,” Laci said, “but I love that show so much.”

The pandemic halted touring, so she transitioned to film. In August of this year she had just returned from Utah after filming wrapped on “The Chosen,” a made-for-TV docudrama on the life

“I’m making a living doing what I love and what I studied for at Tarleton.

They have an amazing theater department.

I learned a lot there — how to sew, to paint, to build scenery.

We did everything.

They pushed us into internships, and that’s what got me work.”

— Laci Bradshaw Roberts

of Jesus that underscored some of her favorite aspects of film work.

“We spent every second outside in the mountains. I have opportunities to explore, to go to places no one ever goes.

I could never work all day in an office.”

With the career highs come challenges, and dressing actors is tougher than you might think.

Especially on days requiring multitudes of extras.

“I work on a lot of period shows,” she explained. “When we have 200 to 300 people in a scene, we have to come in really early in the morning and dress everybody.”

In film Laci enjoys the opportunity to include small personal touches.

“On ‘The Chosen’ we have so many colors and patterns and textures. We use a lot of big, chunky accessories. I get to piece together looks with the designers in mind, a little necklace I like or something like that.”

She’s in charge of dressing the major players on “1883,” including the mustachioed cowboy everyman with the recognizable voice, Sam Elliott.

“That was the ultimate,” she said.

“He was amazing. He’s the nicest guy and the coolest guy ever.”

Laci credits her time in Tarleton’s theater department as the springboard for her success.

“I’m making a living doing what I love and what I studied for at Tarleton,” she said. “They have an amazing theater department. I learned a lot there — how to sew, to paint, to build scenery. We did everything.

They pushed us into internships, and that’s what got me work.”

Are there any drawbacks to her dream career?

“There are times when it’s hot or it’s cold or you’re at the end of a 14-hour day, and you’re thinking, ‘What the heck am I doing this for?’

“Then you see the finished product and you get to say, ‘I was a part of that.’

“It’s amazing.”

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Remembering

the Days

TROGDON HOUSE TURNS 100

by Elaine Hellmund

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The Trogdon House was built in 1923 for Dean J. Thomas Davis at a cost of $8,000.

Originally a four-square design, the home grew over the years to include a screened porch, breezeway and garages.

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FALL/WINTER 2023

he Trogdon House walls have stories to tell.

Shhh. Listen. On a still night they whisper love and accomplishment and oh, so much humanity. So much living.

Stories of campus traditions and family celebrations, of children laughing and business being conducted, of student gatherings and student protests, and of a swimming squirrel.

And a duck. And perhaps a ghost.

Stories of the many changes the structure has undergone, from president’s residence to office and Purple Poo lair, then back to family home and energizing campus hub.

Countless folks have passed the twostory stone house on the Stephenville campus. It is as familiar a part of the Tarleton State fabric as the John Tarleton statue and the front gates.

Top, Dean J. Thomas Davis and the Color Guard march down Military Drive in 1928 from the president’s residence to the rock gates at the east end of the Stephenville campus. Left, President James and First Lady Kindall Hurley and their children are the fifth family to call Trogdon home.

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“From the moment we stepped inside, we knew the Trogdon House was a very special place. It reflects the timeless vitality of this amazing institution.”

— Dr. James Hurley Some may be oblivious as they stroll on, so accustomed to the stucco façade blending into the landscape. Others feel a tug, a reminder of the building’s legacy.

“It was not just another building on campus,” recalls Ben Baty, a Tarleton Distinguished Alumnus. “It kind of made you straighten up and sharpen your demeanor, knowing the president of the university might be looking out as you walked by.”

Former residents and family visitors remember celebrating holidays, playing on the lawn, hiding in the hedge and riding bikes around a circular drive. They recall different iterations of the floor plan to make the home more user-friendly.

Staff members who worked there talk of extra doors that did not lock and of the Purple Poo meeting in the attic.

These days the Trogdon House has regained its status as a centerpiece, the “front porch” of the campus. Its 4,500 square feet are a setting not only for President James and First Lady Kindall Hurley to raise their family but to host university friends and alumni from near and far, and for Tarleton State Texans to gather for Sundaes on Sundays to launch the fall semester, and for Late Night Study Breaks during finals.

There are dinners for graduating seniors, a Family Weekend breakfast, the lighting of the Christmas tree in the backyard, and a holiday reception for faculty and staff.

“From the moment we stepped inside, we knew the Trogdon House was a very special place,” Dr. Hurley said. “It reflects the timeless vitality TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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The structure was renovated in 1995, and in 1999 The Texas A&M System approved the name Trogdon House in recognition of the last family to live there before it became offices. of this amazing institution. So many great people have walked through these doors. Outstanding Tarleton presidents and their families have called it home. It is an honor to be counted among them.”

First Lady Kindall Hurley: “Nothing is more important to us than getting to know our students and their families.

We’re in the center of everything — academics, arts, athletics — and that makes connecting with them so easy.

We want them to know that they’re part of our family, the Tarleton family, and the Trogdon House is their home.”

The Mediterranean-inspired edifice, situated between the O.A. Grant Building, the E.J. Howell Education Building and the Dick Smith Library, was built in 1923 at a cost of $8,000. Dean J. Thomas Davis and his family came to Stephenville to

start the 1919 fall term, and they lived in a wood frame home built for the previous dean. When plans gathered steam for a new residence, Dean Davis got involved, choosing a site central to classrooms and residence halls.

Local laborers and students earning 25-62.5 cents an hour crafted 18-inch-thick walls using massive slabs of local fieldstone, which yielded an interior with very deep windowsills and some walls that are not quite perfect angles. Originally a four-square, the home grew over the years to include a screened porch, breezeway and garages.

After the Davises departed in 1945, President Eugene J. Howell and his family lived there 21 years, during which time an administrative realignment changed “dean” to “president’’ and the structure became known as the President’s House. From 1966 to 1982 Dr. W.O. Trogdon and his family lived there. It was renovated for President Dominic Dottavio in 2010.

Presidents Barry Thompson (1982-91) and Dennis McCabe (1992-2008) lived off-campus during their tenures, and the building adopted a new purpose — hosting the Tarleton State University Foundation, Sports Information, Student Services, the News Service, the Tarleton Alumni Association and the Purple Poo.

Janis Petronis, Executive Director of the Tarleton Alumni Association from 1988 to 1995, officed in the Trogdon House.

During that time (1989), the Texas Historical Commission recognized the house as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

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Saved from the Wrecking Ball Its office years stressed the house. In the mid-1980s a university master plan suggested razing or at least relocation. Far-sighted student leaders, devoted alumni and the Erath County Historical Society secured its future with a historical designation and marker. Today it is one of only three sites in Erath County that are both Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks and State Archeological Landmarks.

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The structure was renovated in 1995, and in 1999 The Texas A&M System approved the name Trogdon House in recognition of the last family to live there before it became offices.

When Drs. Dominic and Lisette Dottavio came to Tarleton in 2008 they began to explore with thenChancellor Michael McKinney the idea of making the Trogdon House a residence again.

“Something (Dominic) and I recognized immediately was the rich FALL/WINTER 2023

heritage of Tarleton and how so many parts of the campus were integral to our alumni. The house is a touchstone for them,” Lisette said. “Their stories about cruising the island, meeting in the third-floor attic, or proposing to their spouse under a tree on the front lawn made us realize how important it was to keep this campus landmark.”

Dr. McKinney liked the idea of presidents living on campus, and he approved using the Dottavios’ housing allowance to retrofit the historical

structure. Legendary alumni Col. Will Tate, Class of 1935, and Ben Baty, Class of 1950, led fundraising efforts.

“We were excited and very active participants in the campaign — and very pleased with the outcome,” Ben said.

But much work was required.

“When you have an old house and you have to put offices in, you put up a wall. They just put up walls all over the place,” Lisette said. “It was falling into disrepair. Things needed to be done to take care of it.”

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The Texas Historical Commission had to approve the renovation plans, so any changes were carefully implemented. One feature that had to stay was the distinctive newel post at the bottom of the original staircase.

Its pattern was replicated on pillars that were installed between the living room and former sunroom to create one large reception area, a major alteration the Dottavios requested so they could host public events.

Many of the original wavy glass windowpanes remain as well.

Research explored what paint colors and furnishings would have been typical of the 1920s. Alumnus Darren Carpenter, the project’s interior decorator, appropriated furniture from 30

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the university’s collection to dress the rooms in period fashion.

With the first floor dedicated to public entertaining — the open reception room on one side and the dining room and catering kitchen on the other — the second floor could be the family living quarters, including a kitchenette. The third floor became a guest suite, courtesy of the Tarleton State University Foundation, which funded that portion of the work.

“Before that it was just attic space,” Lisette said. “When the Poo met up there they actually put a hoop up on one of the chimneys and played basketball in the attic.” Getting new furniture up there required creativity, as the attic stairs were narrow. “They

had to remove the windows anyway because they were sealing them, so they put all the furniture that was going upstairs on a lift and put it through the windows.”

Poo in the House Janis Petronis officed in the house as Executive Director of the Tarleton Alumni Association from 1988 to 1995 and remembers when the attic was Poo HQ. While she never noticed the basketball hoop, the attic décor screamed student hangout. The Poo only met there after working hours, but none of the building’s office doors locked, she said, which created a concern that eventually led the Poo to another locale.

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and my office was back there. They were not very quiet. I would hear them coming and I would just turn my head, because you’re not supposed to know who they are.”

Annie muses that “anyone who was ever anyone has gone through that house.” She has fond memories of children from the Tarleton Child Development Center trick-or-treating and not so fond memories of the Homecoming drum beating right outside. Steve Trogdon, President W.O. Trogdon’s son, remembers his mother, Flo, lamenting that the thump thump thumping kept her awake at night.

Janis found working in the house a captivating experience. Her office was in what is now a dining room, and she enjoyed the view out the large front windows and being able to park in the driveway. She remembers a service started for students that enabled parents to order cakes for

their birthdays.

“We would call them and surprise them and tell them they had a birthday cake at the Trogdon House.”

She also remembers the day Oscar P came to visit.

“One of my Alumni Ambassadors decided we needed a duck. It was a real duck — feathers and quack and poop everywhere. On the back side of the house next to the [former] dining hall there was a screened porch. She took that duck out on the patio and

One feature that had to stay was the distinctive newel post at the bottom of the original staircase.

Business meetings and dinners have long been part of the grand events at Trogdon.

From left, former Tarleton State President Dr. Dominic Dottavio, former state Sen. Kent Caperton, the late U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, A&M System Chancellor John Sharp and the late state Sen. Robert Glasgow enjoy a little after-dinner conversation.

Annie Barnes was Administrative Assistant for the Tarleton Foundation during that time and sometimes worked late. She did her best not to observe the Poo come and go.

“They’d try to sneak in and out without anybody seeing them, and you can’t do that in that house. Where the steps go over the landing, that’s the way they elected to come in, through that back door of the kitchen, FALL/WINTER 2023

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Steve Trogdon (with a portrait of his father, former Tarleton President W.O. Trogdon) has fond memories of living in the President’s House, although that late-night visit by a ghost was a bit unsettling. W.O. Trogdon was the last president to live in the house until it was renovated in 2010.

just dropped it there. The duck was not very sanitary, so I had to call her and tell her to come get it. So we had a real Oscar P duck in the Trogdon House for maybe six or eight hours.

She took the duck home and it visited other activities, but its visit at the Trogdon House was not real long.”

Fond Memories The duck was not the only animal visitor. Steve Trogdon recalls a surprise while he toured the home with outgoing President Howell’s wife.

“Mrs. Howell said, ‘You have to be careful and look out for squirrels.’ And Mom said, ‘Squirrels? We’re inside.’

Well, at one time a squirrel had fallen down the vent stack from the roof 32

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and come up in the toilet. Mrs. Howell said she opened the lid and it was just swimming around in there.”

Steve also recounted modifications to the living spaces to accommodate President Howell after his health declined. “One of my first memories was walking into the kitchen, and the pantry had a bathtub in it! That was because President Howell could not climb the stairs. They put a bathtub in that little corner, and when you walk in to the right, that room functioned as his office/bedroom.”

While some rooms have had multiple uses over the years, the central staircase remains a dominant feature, as does the pass-over landing leading from the front of the house to

the back. Steve remembers his mother insisting early in their residency that a door be installed from the front room into the kitchen so she didn’t have to climb up and over the landing.

“To get from the front door, or that front room that became our den, you had to either go all the way around through the living room, formal dining area and breakfast area to reach the kitchen, or go up and down the stairs. You would get your mileage. First thing I remember Mom saying is, ‘I’m not sure about this.’

“Maintenance gave her all sorts of reasons why [installing an extra door] wouldn’t work. My dad looked at them and said, ‘You don’t understand — she wants a door there.’ And that’s how that door got in there.”

No matter how the rooms have been utilized — sitting areas, offices, bedrooms, kitchens — there’s no shortage of stories about the lives spent in them. Children, grandchildren and other family members, staff, faculty, students, dignitaries and friends have made memories within and around those walls. Carolyn Kennedy, granddaughter of Dean Davis, fondly recalls Christmases in the 1940s.

“Christmas in Stephenville was something the kids looked forward to with great anticipation. It was a Davis tradition. Grandfather would have cut down a big tree and hauled it inside, set it in front of the living

“Christmas in Stephenville was something the kids looked forward to with great anticipation.

It was a Davis tradition.”

— Carolyn Kennedy FALL/WINTER 2023

Christmas at Trogdon was a special time for Dean J. Thomas Davis and his family.

The Dean (at far right with his wife, Uta) cut down a tree to be decorated with red bows and all things shiny. Visiting West Texas grandchildren were captivated by the magnificence of the house and beauty of the campus.

President Eugene J. Howell and family enjoy an evening in the Trogdon living room.

During his administration the title of “dean” was changed to “president’’ and Trogdon became known as the President’s House.

room window, and decorated it with red bows. Our family was usually the last to arrive. We would be greeted in the driveway by Grandfather, who would let us look in his pockets for the ‘surprise’ he had for us — chocolate — which was scarce in wartime.

“My grandparents were larger than life to me. I was in awe of the house that seemed so magnificent. We didn’t have trees in Lubbock, especially around our newly built house. Stephenville was ‘other worldly’ to West Texas children.

We were enchanted by the campus — the cannons, statues, students and trees.”

Steve Trogdon moved into the house at age 13 and immediately realized that no one his age lived anywhere nearby.

But those were girls’ dorms across the street. “Being a teenage boy, I was like, oh, I got this made!”

Steve had his own window on the world, and one day he witnessed his father diffuse an attack on protesters across from the house. It was the first anniversary of the Kent State shootings.

“There were these three ‘hippies’ with their protest signs who had been sitting on that wall in front of the Howell building. It was around dinnertime, and as the college students came out of the dining hall next door, some folks from off campus joined them and they started agitating. Dad got up from his easy chair and stood there in the door and was watching.

“Some guys pulled up in their pickup truck and yelled, ‘Hey, hippie, you want to talk to the crowd, get up there where they can see you,’ and this one guy was foolish enough to do it. They pulled him down from the wall and took off with him — he did get away about two blocks off campus — and at that point, Dad put his coat back on, put his tie back on, and walked out there. Mom had a death grip on me standing on the front porch, which I eventually broke and went over by the cannon.

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“Dad was standing behind them about 20 feet with one of the campus police while people were shouting things, and I could tell — he always smoked a pipe, and I knew it had gone out, he hadn’t relit it, and he slipped it into his pocket, reached up and straightened his tie — he’s about to do something. I remember he stepped right up behind them just as somebody yelled, ‘Stone ’em with rocks!’ Dad

reached down, picked up a rock, threw it to the shouter and said, ‘Throw your first one at me. I do not agree with these young peoples’ view, but I fought a war to defend their right to express it.

It’s time y’all go on about your business and leave them alone. They’ve been here peacefully all day.’

“When Dad spoke, everybody listened. I saw it there, and I saw it when Tarleton went from a college to FALL/WINTER 2023

when working late, she blamed it on the Poo. But Steve Trogdon had an encounter one night when family were visiting. He awoke around 2:30 a.m. to the sound of footsteps on the attic stairs near his bedroom.

“We didn’t have anybody in the attic, but I heard that door open and shut. I got real still, had my eyes closed but was peeking.

My door opened about three inches, and I could see an eye looking in at me. I just was frozen there. After about 10 seconds my door closed, I heard the attic door open and shut, and footsteps going back up. After a few minutes I got up, walked through the entire house, and everybody was asleep. I finally got up the nerve to go upstairs. No one was there. I didn’t sleep much the rest of the morning!

“I asked people the next day, particularly a couple of my uncles who were jokesters: ‘Did you do this?’

‘No, we were asleep!’ And I knew that, because they were both on couches and I saw them both lying there asleep.

For them to have gone up into the attic and then back down, I would have heard their steps.”

Steps. Footfalls. Thousands upon thousands (let’s not count the ghost) have defined the Trogdon House as both the journey and the destination, a residence and a workspace, a place of state dinners and stately manners, of spirits light and discussions deep, of reverence and reflection.

If ever a building can be thought to have a soul, it is the Trogdon House.

a university, in legislative hearings — somebody would ask him a question and the whole room would be silent when he spoke.”

A student knocked on the Trogdons’ door one night and asked to take a hot shower because the dorm boiler was out. Lisette Dottavio made a ham sandwich for a student who missed dinner at the Dining Hall, and she recalls serving hot chocolate and FALL/WINTER 2023

cookies to an unexpectedly large crowd on a chilly December day when an ice storm canceled classes. Ben Baty visited the home to date Dr. Howell’s daughter, Nancy.

Prank or Paranormal?

And one night a ghost appeared.

Maybe.

If the Tarleton Foundation’s Annie Barnes ever heard anything unusual TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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THIS E D A F T ’ N O W

WE’VE ALWAYS KNOWN IT TARLETON TEXANS ARE TRAILBLAZERS. TENACIOUS HEROES.

W

e inspire. Challenge the status quo. Rise through research. Champion change. Impact industry and community. Lead with confidence.

Our new brand promise — This Purple Won’t Fade — fits us to a T. It says permanent contributions that never lose their luster. Our results matter. Our work lives on.

Crafted by Tarleton State’s Division of University Strategy and Belmont Icehouse, a Dallas-based creative agency, the refresh made a quiet debut late last fall with billboards and 36

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banners and broadcast and print ads. You may have seen some at DFW Airport over summer travels.

Focus groups — students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners, friends — all had a say.

This Purple Won’t Fade is a story that began almost 125 years ago when the university’s founder and benefactor envisioned a school where students have access to an education that empowers, improves and makes the world a better place.

John Tarleton’s spirit and determination continue to fuel FALL/WINTER 2023

Billboards, banners and broadcast and print ads promote Tarleton State’s new brand promise — This Purple Won’t Fade. More than a play on the university’s dominant color, it affirms that the contributions of Tarleton State Texans will always gleam.

C E 18 9 9

E T A T S N O T E L R A T

IN V E

TEXA S T IN G IN

N S S IN

RPLE T H IS P U

W O N 'T

FA D E

John Tarleton set the stage for a 10,000 acre investment of land to become one of the nation's premier comprehensive universities. Tarleton State University, a founding member of the Texas A&M University System, transforms generations by inspiring discovery and leadership through educational excellence.

See how Tarleton's investment continues to thrive through our strategic plan, Tarleton Forward.

www.tarleton.edu/tarletonforward

greatness in every Tarleton Texan. He’d be proud that we’re fiercely passionate about everything we do. Academics, arts and athletics. Exploration, entrepreneurship and life-changing research.

Our refreshed brand proclaims all of this through distinctive fonts, updated voice and tone, and, of course, purple. Replace the word with any noun. You’ll get the idea.

• This breakthrough won’t fade.

• These memories won’t fade.

• Our persistence won’t fade.

FALL/WINTER 2023

This Purple Won’t Fade.

It’s more than a slogan.

It’s how we define our accomplishments.

It makes every member of the Tarleton family — yes, that means you — the real hero of our story.

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37

Homecoming T A R L E T O N

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

OCTOBER 15-21, 2023

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TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Give to the Purple Poo scholarship fund

OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM

A

trio of Latin words with a simple philosophy: Everything that comes in threes is perfect.

That was Homecoming 2023.

Three 100-year celebrations. A shutout by the Texans.

All-time-high attendance at Memorial Stadium.

The iconic Trogdon House and Smokestack and the Ten Tarleton Sisters — half of Tarleton State’s Purple Poo (the oldest spirit organization in Texas) — all turned 100 this fall.

Just in time to mark Homecoming.

The week is always a little sweeter when it includes a football win. It’s even sweeter with the stands packed.

Tarleton State dominated Morehead State 42-0 and, for the third year straight, set an attendance record with more than 23,000 fans cheering the purple and white.

More threes: Three Texans — Ahmir Crowder, Josh Griffis, O’tay Baker — recorded quarterback sacks, and three Texan running backs found the end zone — Kayvon Britten, Derrell Kelley III, and Caleb Lewis.

Dean J. Thomas Davis designed and oversaw construction of the Trogdon House (the President’s House) in 1923.

Building it cost the school $8,000. Smokestack, towering over the east end of the Stephenville campus, was added that year to complement the Central Heating Plant. The Tarleton name was added in 1998 when it was restored.

TTS formed a century ago as the female counterpart of the Ten Tarleton Peppers, a 10-man group Dean Davis backed to boost school morale. The groups painted and hung canvas banners around campus. They became known as the Purple Poo after a paint glob splattered on a sign they were making.

And the Poo were at every single Homecoming event, raising the spirit of Oscar P. Perfection! Now somebody look up “spot on” in Latin.

JOIN OR RENEW NOW!

FOR TARLETON FUN AND ALUMNI CONNECTIONS! National Finals Rodeo Alumni & Friends Social- Las Vegas, Dec. 9 FW Stock Show & Rodeo Alumni & Friends Social- Fort Worth, Jan. 18 Smokin Guns Shootout- Defender Outdoors, Fort Worth, April 11 FALL/WINTER 2023

TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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Ready Player One Esports Lounge Sets the Stage for Intercollegiate Club Competition

By Phil Riddle

I

t’s a state-of-the-art facility that showcases Tarleton State’s competitive drive. But it’s not Memorial Stadium, Wisdom Gym or even the planned Event Center.

It’s the new Esports Lounge in the Thompson Student Center.

Outfitted with top-ofthe-line gaming computers, the area houses Texan Esports, an organization that operates under the university’s Recreation Sports umbrella.

“The esports gaming lounge was created to hone our competitiveness,” said Jayce Thedford, Vice President for External Affairs

for Texan Esports. “We’ve been renovating the space and installing more ports.

What the lounge provides is the opportunity to utilize resources that other schools have to allow us to grow our competitive edge.”

The esports club was started in 2019. While other campus organizations’ membership took a hit during the pandemic, esports began growing since gamers can participate without being at a physical location.

“It’s an opportunity to engage a portion of the community that is typically not as socially involved,” Jayce said. “This venue provides the opportunity

for them to be a more active community. That’s what we’re excited about.”

Texan Esports President Patrick Lacey said the lounge meets the need to make club membership more than just a competitive experience.

“Gamers will play in their rooms on their own setups, but I wanted to bring the players together,” he said. “When we go to tournaments, we’ll be playing side by side. To get that experience, you don’t just play in your room. I wanted to bring people together, fully emphasizing the social and the team side of it.”

After trying various locations on campus, team leaders looked to the administration for help finding a permanent home.

“We took it up the chain to see who we could find to help us make it a reality,” Patrick said. “We talked to (President) Dr. (James) Hurley about it and he said, ‘We can do this.’ We got the space in the student center, and here we are.”

The lounge can host 10 players at a time. With a club membership topping 50, that means there’s action almost every day.

Across the country major colleges are adopting esports as a varsity program, though currently there is no central administration entity.

Some high schools are sanctioning activities.

Exceptionally talented players are opting to go pro.

Globally, the top 100 esports gamers earn in the mid to high seven figures annually.

Texan Esports President Patrick Lacey, Texan Esports player Gage Wilson and Jayce Thedford, Vice President for External Affairs for Texan Esports, from left, are excited about the new gaming lounge in the Thompson Student Center. The lounge features state-of-the-art gaming computers and hosts the competitive club team Texan Esports.

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FALL/WINTER 2023

“Esports is treated just like a traditional sport — baseball or football,” Patrick said. “There are practice sessions, coaching sessions, reviewing film, discussing strategies and plays. It features the same levels of dedication and intricacy.”

Club leaders see the lounge as a recruiting tool for the university.

“We can reach students in metro areas or in rural areas,” Patrick said. “There are members of our club

who have mentioned they came to Tarleton because we have an active esports club.”

Club leaders expect to host camps and other events for middle school and high school gamers.

“Tarleton has a unique opportunity to pull students from the Metroplex and from the more rural areas of North Central Texas,” Jayce said.

Though not yet a mainstream athletic

“The esports gaming lounge was created to hone our competitiveness.”

— Jayce Thedford program, Texan Esports provides an outlet for its members similar to other traditional sports teams.

“When I look at Tarleton, I see that some of the programs that give the school notoriety are rodeo and the Bass Fishing Club,” Patrick said. “I think we fill a similar niche.

“There’s not much comparison between rodeo and video games, but in terms of the types of students who are here, we have a lot of talent on campus. A huge talent pool, plus the affordability of the school makes it a really attractive option for people who want to pursue this.”

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Reisman Guides Tarleton Sports from Non-scholarship NAIA to NCAA D-I

W

hen Tarleton State University offered Lonn Reisman its head men’s basketball position in 1988, some of his buddies in the business advised him to decline.

He took the job anyway.

The decision launched an extraordinary journey for himself and the school.

After being named athletic director in 1993, he led Tarleton State out of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ranks to be a force in NCAA Division II, and then he saw the Texans ascend to the college sports mountaintop, NCAA Division I. His more than threedecade tenure in charge of Tarleton athletics will come to a close with his retirement next spring.

“I came here in 1988 to coach basketball and raise my family. Along the way, I’ve been accepted into this community,” he said. “I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams to have been able to call Tarleton 44

State University home for the last 35 years.”

During its reign in Division II, Tarleton State made the national top 25 polls and qualified for the NCAA national playoffs in every sport, including Final Four finishes in men’s basketball and women’s golf. In spring 2022, in just its second year of NCAA Division I competition, Tarleton snared its first conference championship (women’s tennis) and first national postseason bid and victory (softball).

It all began with that job interview 35 years ago.

Reisman remembers so many details.

He had reversed the basketball fortunes at Connors Community College in Oklahoma after only one season, winning 21 games. Tarleton Assistant Athletic Director Ron Newsome called to gauge his interest in Stephenville.

Newsome and Reisman had met at Southeastern Oklahoma State University;

TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Newsome had been on the football coaching staff, and Reisman was an assistant basketball coach.

“This job became available, and I came down because Ron and I were friends. I didn’t know what to expect. I did some research, and it was pretty rough. This place had one winning season in 27 years of basketball. A lot of my colleagues told me not to come here, that it was a coaches graveyard.”

But Reisman liked the men who were recruiting him.

“I visited with Ron and Dr. Joe Gillespie, the Athletic Director, and university President Dr. Barry B. Thompson. Dr. Gillespie really impressed me as a forward-thinking gentleman, and Dr. Thompson absolutely blew me away. He was a very magnetic person.

He challenged me in the interview. I really felt drawn to his vision of building a basketball program.”

by Phil Riddle

Reisman accepted the offer and the bad odds. In addition to the losing tradition, Tarleton State as a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, part of the NAIA, had no scholarships to offer. But there were positives.

“It was a beautiful campus, and being just outside DallasFort Worth, near Austin, was a central location to recruit.

I was intrigued with the opportunity to do something that no one else had done.

I took the job and went to work right away to turn the program around. Our first year we won 18 games and won the TIAA. After that we won 26, 26, 25, and here we go.”

The next step was advancing to NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference, bringing scholarship athletics to Lonn Reisman, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, has led Tarleton State’s sports endeavors since 1993, taking the Texans from NAIA non-scholarship competition to NCAA Division I. FALL/WINTER 2023

Tarleton in 1993. Reisman and President Dennis McCabe made the decision together to proceed with the transition, and it proved to be the right one. As the millennium dawned, Reisman, now the Athletic Director, was building a sports juggernaut.

“We became one of the premier teams in NCAA D-II,” he said. “Many of our sports were competing for national championships.”

After three decades, Reisman and Tarleton President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio decided that the next step in Tarleton Athletics’ success called for a full-time athletic director.

So Reisman stepped back as the Texans head coach in 2018. He had 691 career wins — 654 of them at Tarleton — the most in school history and the most of any active head coach in Texas at any NCAA level.

He’s one of 14 coaches at the Division I and Division II levels combined with more than 650 career wins.

He ranks in the top 15 in the country in winning

percentage by a Division II head coach.

That’s bountiful success, and the high-profile programs noticed. He received offers, but he says he never considered leaving.

“I could have gone to a D-I university,” he said, “and there’s no telling what the salary would be today, but there’s more to life than that for me.

“I want to watch the players become doctors, lawyers, coaches, teachers, law enforcement officers and firefighters and know I was a small piece of their life. That’s what I wanted to do, and this is where I wanted to raise my family.”

Though he no longer operated between the lines, Reisman was not finished. In 2019, as the university’s new Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, a vision he and incoming President James Hurley shared led to Tarleton making the historic leap to NCAA Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

REISMAN BEGAN THIS YEAR AS THE SECOND LONGEST TENURED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IN FCS AND THE LONGEST TENURED IN TARLETON HISTORY. HE HAS LED TARLETON THROUGH TWO SUCCESSFUL RECLASSIFICATIONS. FALL/WINTER 2023

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45

“WE BECAME ONE OF THE PREMIER TEAMS IN NCAA D-II. MANY OF OUR SPORTS WERE COMPETING FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.” — Lonn Reisman

The Texans will finish their four-year reclassification to Division I this year and begin competing for national championships in the fall.

The NCAA required massive upgrades to the university’s athletic facilities, including a multimilliondollar renovation that puts Memorial Stadium in the conversation as a major college football site (one that now carries Reisman’s name).

Baseball, softball, tennis, and track all upgraded venues, as well, while soccer debuted its new home in 2022. The new 8,000-seat Event Center, which will house Tarleton basketball, graduations, and local events, broke ground in August.

“I’m really proud of the facilities we’re building,” Reisman said. “The Event Center will be an outstanding venue for our men’s and women’s basketball teams. For the university and the community, it will be available for other things we 46

need — graduation, strategic planning meetings and concerts. It’ll be great for Erath County and Stephenville.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to miss Wisdom Gym. There’s been a lot of history made in that place, a lot of wins, but we continue to build the future of this institution and the vision of where we want to be.”

Also under Reisman’s guidance, men’s golf was revived and Tarleton fielded its first women’s soccer team, both in 2022.

Additionally, the new beach volleyball team begins competition in spring 2024, bringing the number of Tarleton athletic teams to 17.

Reisman says the credit for Tarleton’s athletic success is not his alone but is shared with dedicated staff members, coaches, student athletes, alumni, the Texan Club and the Texan Club Board of Directors. Then there’s this: “I give God all the glory,” he said, “for watching over me and helping me make the right decisions, and for the success we’ve experienced.”

From first glance, Reisman thought Tarleton could be an athletic powerhouse. He had a dream it would one day be a D-I school.

Dreams do come true, and never discount well-meaning advice from your friends.

But sometimes the best advice comes from your own heart.

Lonn Reisman collected 654 wins as Tarleton head basketball coach. He’s one of just 14 coaches nationwide with more than 650 wins combined in NCAA Division I and Division II.

TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

FALL/WINTER 2023

For LOVE of Tarleton Softball Player Returns After Life-threatening Injuries

E

verybody loves a comeback story, and Kendall Daniel is at the center of a good one.

Kendall, a two-way standout on the Tarleton State University softball team, took the field recently for the Texans’ fall practices after redshirting the 2023 spring season. Her missed season followed a horrific car crash toward the end of her high school senior year.

She had posted about her commitment to Tarleton State that morning, then helped her Liberty High School (Kingwood) team win a big game the afternoon of April 11, 2022. She celebrated with her parents and grandparents in the parking lot and hugged them all goodbye, staying behind to support the baseball team.

After dropping off a friend after the baseball game, Kendall was headed home on a farm-to-market road when a pickup with no headlights towing a van veered into her lane. The van hit her head on, totaling her car and causing it to flip.

Reports say the driver fled the scene, leaving Kendall alone in the wreckage with potentially fatal injuries for more than an hour before emergency medical personnel freed her. Her parents stood at the accident site watching as Life Flight transported her to the trauma center.

Kendall endured three reconstructive surgeries, two on

her compound-fractured right femur and the other on her shattered left wrist.

Her dreams of playing softball again, as well as her life, hung in the balance.

“Once softball was taken away from me, all I could think about was going back to it,” Kendall said. “I told my parents, ‘I don’t care how much extra work this takes, we’re going to figure it out and get back on the field where I belong.’ ” The comeback began this summer when she took the field for the Nashville Fame in the Music City Collegiate League. Her body was tested as she played in all 30 games of the season. She responded by being named Breakthrough Player of the Year, pitching 46 innings with 45 strikeouts,

“Once softball was taken away from me, all I could think about was going back to it. I told my parents, ‘I don’t care how much extra work this takes, we’re going to figure it out and get back on the field where I belong.’ ” — Kendall Daniel

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FALL/WINTER 2023

the GAME

by Phil Riddle

and hitting leadoff and batting .339 with a .487 on-base percentage.

No question, she had her low moments.

“As time went on longer and longer, near my second surgery last October, I didn’t see much progress in my legs, not as much as the doctors had hoped.

I walked with a limp for a long time, had a lot of pain in my leg.

“After the second surgery, though, I realized things were moving in the right direction. All the doubts kind of left my head.”

No one wants Kendall to succeed more than Tarleton softball coach Mark Cumpian.

“She was a really good pitcher coming out of high school,” he said. “At this level you have to have top-notch

Tarleton State softball pitcher Kendall Daniel practices during the Texans’ 2023 fall season at the Tarleton Softball Complex.

TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

49

pitching, and she was really good. She fit what we needed.

“She had her accident just as we were about to sign her. I think a lot of coaches would have wanted the roster spot and not honored their commitment with so much uncertainty. It was important to me to show her that we were her softball and Tarleton family. It was important to me because I felt like she needed that.”

Kendall enjoyed a stellar high school career, leading the Panthers to Class 4A state championships in 2021 and ’22. She hit .562 and earned all-district honors after being named 20-5A Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman.

That kind of athletic résumé gives a player choices when it comes to

“I absolutely love the game. I didn’t want the injuries to take it away from me.”

— Kendall Daniel

college. A major factor in Kendall’s decision was Tarleton’s animal science program.

“I got stuck in an animal science class in high school and ended up loving it,” she said. “I decided that was definitely the path I wanted to take.

Once I found out about the program at Tarleton, it was a no-brainer.”

Back on the field, she hopes this year to finally showcase her competitive fire.

“She really wants to play,” Cumpian said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a

person with this much drive. She’s a great kid, she has good grades, and we’d love to have a lot more like her.”

That drive gives Kendall an attitude that served her well in the tough times.

“I absolutely love the game. I didn’t want the injuries to take it away from me.

“I also want to hopefully help someone in a similar place in the future. Being able to know I can do it would help someone else to push through and not give up on their dreams. Even if I could pass it on to just one person, that would be great for me.”

And initiate in that person fresh successes where once there was doubt and pain.

Everybody loves a comeback story.

Kendall Daniel is ready to get back to real game competition following her accident.

TARLETON PRIDE, TEXAN PRIDE Tarleton Texans show their spirit by raising their hand folded in the shape of Texas. The shape is created by extending the thumb out, the pointer and middle fingers upward while folding the ring and pinky fingers inward to point at where Stephenville would be located on a map of Texas.

Tarleton Rings are made in Texas by Jostens. Texan pride cannot be duplicated or copied, Texans know Texas and Texas knows Tarleton pride.

THE PERFECT TRIFECTA

Tarleton Degree, Tarleton Ring and Made in Texas!

Order your official ring at jostens.com/TarletonState FALL/WINTER 2023

TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

51

CLASS NOTES

BY D E C A D E

90

JASON GIESEN ’98, BS agricultural services and development, has been

LARRY HOGAN ’92, BS

named assistant principal

criminal justice, has been

at Wimberley High School.

named Chief of Police for the

In his eighth year at WHS,

Paris ISD. Hogan, who joined

he previously was an

the Paris ISD Safety and

agricultural mechanics

Security Department in 2022,

teacher. He has served as

began his law enforcement

the FFA adviser and Science,

career in 1994 with the Paris

Technology, Engineering,

Police Department, where he

Arts and Mathematics

was a patrol officer, juvenile

(STEAM) Fair coordinator.

officer and on the SWAT

Prior to WHS, he taught in

team. He previously served

San Marcos and Mineral

with the Wichita Falls Police

Wells and spent 10 years

Department as a patrol officer

working in his family’s

and a member of the tactical

construction business.

unit.

TRAVIS McKINNEY ’99, DAVID BELDING ’94,

BS agricultural services

PhD education, is the

and development, has been

new Midlothian ISD

promoted to executive vice

superintendent of schools. A

president and chief lending

Texas public school educator

and operating officer for

with 36 years experience,

Central Texas Farm Credit.

Dr. Belding previously

A Stephenville native, he

was superintendent of

previously served as the

the Aubrey ISD. He began

rural lending cooperative’s

his career as a high school

chief lending officer. He has

and middle school band

23 years with CTFC and has

director in the Fort Worth

served in capacities ranging

ISD, then served similar

from loan officer trainee to

positions in Weatherford

chief credit officer. He will

and Azle. He was a middle

continue to oversee lending

all former students and friends

school assistant principal, an

and marketing activities

elementary school principal,

plus be responsible for loan

of the university to join in this

a high school principal and

systems, loan documentation

director of assessment and

and IT operations.

tradition of promoting excellence.

organizational development

Each of us can play an important role in the continued success of Tarleton State University.

Remember, big accomplishments begin with small acts. The Tarleton Alumni Association encourages

in Weatherford before being named superintendent at Millsap in 2012. In 2020 he was nominated for Region 11

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TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

00

Superintendent of the Year,

COBY KIRKPATRICK

and in 2019 he was recognized

’04, MEd in educational

as a TASA Inspiring Leader in

leadership and

its Insights magazine and was

administration, has

awarded the Texas State FFA

been named Cleburne

Honorary Lone Star Degree.

ISD superintendent. He

FALL/WINTER 2023

served as Burleson ISD

JASON ROBERTS ’07, BS

BRANDON BISHOP ’11, BS

LUKE WILLIAMS ’17,

chief of schools for four

exercise and sports studies,

agricultural economics, was

BBA finance, has joined

years. Before that he was

has been named head

promoted to vice president

Dallas-based Plains Capital

executive director of human

football coach at Brady

of merchandising for

Bank as vice president/

resources and student

High School. Roberts, a

McCoy’s Building Supply.

commercial loan officer at

services for nine years at

2003 Comanche High

He has spent 15 years at

the Weatherford location.

BISD. He began his career in

School graduate, has 16

McCoy’s, including five years

He will provide commercial

1990 as an athletic trainer

years of teaching and

working at the company’s

lending, banking and

and teacher in the Fort

coaching experience at

Stephenville location. He

credit underwriting

Worth ISD, where he served

the Wellington, Falls City,

served at headquarters

solutions to bank clients

through 1998. He spent

Merkel and Stamford ISDs.

as a forest products

in Parker County. He has

16 years with the White

buyer before moving into

more than eight years of

Settlement ISD as

TABITHA RICHARDSON

management roles in the

banking experience in

an athletic trainer and

’09, MEd education

commodities department.

the area.

teacher for five years

administration, was chosen

Most recently, he served as

before moving into campus

principal of Morningside

director of merchandising

FISHER RINDERKNECHT

administration as an

Elementary School in the

for commodities, leading his

‘17, BBA, and BRADY

assistant principal. In his

Lewisville ISD. She has

team while working closely

WITCHER ‘19, BBA,

last seven years in the

worked in education for

with members of McCoy’s

continued their thriving

district, he served as an

21 years, most recently as

vendor community facing

businesses with their new

elementary school principal.

assistant principal at Spears

supply chain challenges.

line of elegant fragrances,

Elementary in Frisco, where

Portal Parfumes. Two

CHAD HODGES ’05, BBA,

she has been since 2017. She

ERIK HILL ’14, MBA, was

pieces of the collection

has been named assistant

taught science for 15 years

named managing director of

are licensed Tarleton

principal at Lindale Junior

at various elementary grade

Partner Valuation Advisors,

State product (pg 15). The

High. He previously served

levels in Frisco and Killeen.

a national commercial real

Tarleton alumni also share

estate valuation advisory

their first business venture,

firm headquartered in Dallas.

Flight Reach Productions,

He will deliver valuation

which won the 2017

and advisory services for

Entrepreneurs of Erath

healthcare and life sciences

contest and specializes

and as an assistant principal

KATHRYN THALKEN ’11,

properties nationwide, and

in drone and ground

for the Lindale Independent

BA English language and

be responsible for overseeing

photography for real estate

School District.

literature, has been named

the company’s growth in

and architecture. They now

executive director of Fort

Dallas.

reside in Dallas.

as the secondary assistant

10

principal at the Alba-Golden ISD. He also worked as a teacher, coach, Career and Technical Education chair

CHARLES MIMS ’07,

Worth-based The Ladder

BS kinesiology and

Alliance. She has worked in

exercise science, ’22 EdD

social services for the last

educational leadership,

10 years and is a licensed

has been named

marriage and family therapist.

superintendent of the

She most recently served

Throckmorton Collegiate

as the senior director of

Independent School

programs for The Parenting

District. His education

Center. The Ladder Alliance

career has included

is dedicated to providing

service as a teacher, coach

survivors of domestic violence

and administrator. His

and low-income women with

most recent position was

the tools to lead self-sufficient,

principal at Rio Vista

successful and independent

High School.

lives.

FALL/WINTER 2023

CONTAC T US

Send your alumni and class updates to Tarleton State University Box T-0730, Stephenville, TX 76402 media@tarleton.edu

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