Here To Ignite - Trinity Magazine Spring 2023

Although it’s been several months, we’re still proud to say it: In its first year on the National Liberal Arts College list, Trinity University was ranked No. 55 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2022. Then the numbers kept coming. No. 51 for most innovative schools; No. 29 for best engineering programs; No. 50 for best value schools. And a big one: No. 53 for best undergraduate research and creative projects on a list that includes all national colleges and universities, not just in the liberal arts. In early 2023, Niche, a ranking system based on data from the Department of Education that is growing increasingly popular with high school students and counselors, ranked Trinity University the No. 1 best liberal arts college in Texas, along with being No. 30 in the nation and the best small college in Texas. The Princeton Review included Trinity in its annual rankings report, The Best 387 Colleges, and the University kept its coveted spot on the Review’s list of colleges that create futures.

Trinity Today

Trinity University Press

Lit Picks

An Anniversary to Remember

Tiger Pride

That’s a lot. And still, it’s not all. These numbers mean nothing without the commitment to back them up. You see, it’s not about the numbers themselves, but what goes into making them matter. At its core, our commitment to a national classification is our commitment to student success—to providing an exceptional and accessible liberal arts education, to nurturing and valuing the whole student, and to bringing learning to life. Yes, we’re No. 55, No. 30, No. 1. We’re also 2,578: the undergraduates and graduate students who answer questions and question answers. We’re 267: the faculty mentors who inspire inquiry. We’re 496: the staff who deliver the values of our community. We’re 32,871: the alumni who bring this community to the world. Most important, we are One Trinity. And together, we’ve said “yes” to supporting, equipping, and emboldening one another for lives of meaning and purpose.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

TRINITY Spring 2023

Editor

Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08

Managing Editor

Molly Mohr Bruni

Art Director

Anh-Viet Dinh ’15

Editorial Team

Jeremy Gerlach

Kennice Leisk ’22

Joshua Moczygemba ’05

Ryan Sedillo

Brian Yancelson ’22

Writing Interns

Hope Paschall ’26

Emma Utzinger ’24

Contributors

Trinity Community,

It’s hard to imagine that by the time this issue of Trinity magazine arrives in your mailbox, we’ll have wrapped up the 2022–23 academic year. Things are moving quickly!

This winter marked the formal start of my tenure as Trinity’s 20th president. Our week-long celebration was focused on recognizing our University’s history and future and gave us the opportunity to reaffirm and invigorate our values of enduring excellence, perpetual discovery, and intentional inclusion.

The investiture’s Marshal of the Procession was physics professor Dennis Ugolini, who, you’ll see, is active in much more than academics and pomp and circumstance. He and fellow physics professor Jennifer Steele volunteered as the down-and-distance “chain gang” for the Tiger football team last season. Learn why they became involved and what the gridiron has taught them.

Also join two Trinity cross country teammates and alums as they backpack across Europe, sustained by nothing more than a shoestring travel budget and a daily pint on an epic, 3,000-mile beer crawl. If that’s not lifelong learning, what is?

These stories and others found within remind me that we are a campus in perpetual motion, always experiencing and discovering new things. Our alumni continue that tradition long after they leave Trinity.

I am delighted to be a part of this community, and thank you for welcoming me with open arms. Great things are in store for our University, and I’m looking forward to achieving them together.

Caleb Aguiar ’25

Cade Bradshaw ’14

Sam Damon ’25

Abigail DeNike ’20

Ryan Finnelly

Ted Gartner ’91

Coleen Grissom

James Hill ’76

Harrison LaLone

Copy Editor

Ashley Festa

Graphic Designers

Anna Rodriguez

Laura Rodriguez

Fred Valenzuela

Vanessa B. Beasley President, Trinity University

Kathy McNeill

Katherine De Leon Morua

Justin Parker ’99

Tom Payton

Becca Rubbo

Carla Sierra

Burgin Streetman

Betty Ullrich

Cynthia Uviedo ’93

Trinity is published by the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing and is sent to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the University who remain engaged with Trinity.

Editorial Office

Trinity University

Strategic Communications and Marketing

One Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200 marketing@trinity.edu | 210-999-8406

trinity.edu/trinity-magazine

President

Vanessa B. Beasley

Board of Trustees

Ruth K. Agather

Shari Becker Albright ’83, M’86

April Ancira ‘02

Erin M. Baker ‘99

Annell R. Bay ‘77

Ted W. Beneski

Stephen W. Butt ‘77

Miles C. Cortez ‘64

Janet St. Clair Dicke ‘68

Cydney C. Donnell

Thomas E. Evans ‘84

Douglas D. Hawthorne ‘69, M’72

Marshall A. Hess ‘88

Gen. James T. Hill ‘68

Jelynne L. Jamison M’88

E. Carey Joullian IV ‘82

The Rev. Dr. Richard R. Kannwischer ‘95

Christopher M. Kinsey ‘79

Katherine Wood Klinger ‘72

John C. Korbell

Oliver T.W. Lee ‘93

Michael Lynd Jr. ’95

Steven P. Mach ‘92

Robert S. McClane ‘61

Melody B. Meyer ‘79

Jeffrey Mueller ’00

William Scanlan Jr.

Thomas Schluter ‘85

Pat Semmes

Nicholas A. Severino ’88

Darsh Preet Singh ’08

L. Herbert Stumberg Jr. ‘81

Jessica W. Thorne ‘91

Scott W. Tinker ’82

Nadia Islam ‘12

National Alumni Board, President

The Rev. Dr. James D. Freeman ‘83

Synod of the Sun Rep.

Playing with light and color, from cutting out light gels to watching lights in the sky. NOT untangling fishing line.

MEET THE STAFF

This year’s magazine staff answers, “What was your favorite part of preparing for the inauguration?”

Change. A professor of mine once told me that it’s the only constant thing in life. It’s also fitting to be the topic of my last editor’s note—albeit those leading sentences unchanged from my first editor’s note in Winter 2015. For some, change means that all good things must come to an end. But I am an eternal optimist. How about: All good things get even better with new beginnings?

The past several months have been chock full of new beginnings: A new president, Vanessa B. Beasley (read more about her on page 36). A new place on the national stage (read more on the inside front cover). New traditions that celebrate student success (pages 8 and 11) and new ways to celebrate existing traditions in our community (pages 16 and 62).

Seeing all of SCM come together and help out wherever they could, even doing things like tying (and untying) fishing knots for the community art project.

Seeing the Trinity community come together as one to bring this historic inauguration to life was truly awe-inspiring.

Molly missed the inauguration for a celebration of her own, the birth of her daughter Riley Ann on Feb. 11, 2023.

And now, a new beginning with Trinity magazine. The Winter 2015 issue was my first as editor; I was geeking out over the cover feature that gave readers a glimpse into Trinity’s architectural past. As a University, we were preparing for the arrival of our 19th president, Danny Anderson. As a community, we were embracing a new academic curriculum. As a team, we were beginning to make significant progress on an ambitious strategic plan. And change was constant in all of it.

Trinity has always had— and always will have—its own unique voice. This inauguration was an exciting opportunity to think about how each new president puts a new inflection on this voice.

I loved the creative collaboration. It really did spark a fresh approach to our collective processes and has continued to improve other projects.

In the past eight years, I’ve become a mom, a teacher, and a student (again). I’ve gained and lost loved ones. I’ve watched and lived the news, and I’ve considered jumping ship to nonprofits that support gun control and immigration and women’s rights. I’ve cried and laughed and celebrated, because at the end of the day, I’m right where I need to be: At Trinity University, where students become creative, critical, empathetic thinkers who will be leaders of the change that our world so desperately needs. And I’m staying put—in a role that is my own new beginning.

Molly Mohr Bruni is right where she needs to be, too. I’ve known Molly since my lip ring and studded belt college days (hell, we even contemplated going to “When We Were Young” together last October but figured it’d be another Fyre Fest). She’s a solid advocate for student success and for storytelling, and she’s downright fierce with a red pen (I’ve even heard folks compare her to Sammye Johnson). Most important, Molly has a vibrant and visible passion for Trinity magazine. Molly’s new beginning as editor of this storied publication will bring energy, excitement, and—you guessed it!—change. And reader, I hope you can’t wait!

Keep in touch, will you? With me, with Molly, with Trinity. You are what makes this community special.

With sincere gratitude, joy, and hope for what’s next,

I enjoyed planning the storyboarding and technical aspects of the drone show to present to the inauguration committee.

I loved participating in such a monumental part of Trinity’s history in welcoming our first female president.

In preparation for Dr. Beasley’s inauguration, I enjoyed participating in the creation of a variety of promotional materials from the SCM Office.

Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08

Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08 editor

Anh-Viet Dinh ’15 art director

Josh Moczygemba ’05 photos + videos

Ryan Sedillo photos + videos

Hope Paschall ’26 words

Molly Mohr Bruni managing editor Editor’s Note:

Jeremy Gerlach words

Kennice Leisk ’22 words + editing

Emma Utzinger ’24 words

Instagram What a day for Whataburger! On Jan. 26, Whataburger visited campus and brought goodness on wheels as part of their Feeding Student Success initiative. Parked beside the Miller Fountain, the bright orange and white truck served up burgers, merch, music, and joy for students, faculty, and staff passing by.

Trinity Online

Web Extras

Interact with videos, slideshows, and other content through the magazine’s web extras. Type the URL as printed directly into your web browser.

Social Media

Follow Trinity on social media to stay updated with stories from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. Show your Trinity spirit with #TigerPride!

facebook.com/TrinityUniversity

youtube.com/TrinityUniversitySA

twitter.com/Trinity_U

instagram.com/TrinityU

gotu.us/linkedin

Instagram Residential life at Trinity has evolved over the last 153 years, from seeking boarding accommodations in the homes of faculty members to the opening of the first co-educational residence halls in 1970 and the transformation to a primarily residential university by 1984.

The Big Picture

In September 2022, Trinity University officially opened the doors to Dicke Hall, the first center specifically for the humanities in San Antonio and one of a handful of its kind in Texas. “As impressive as Dicke Hall is, I’m most excited about what happens within,” says Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D, University president. “This building is an investment in those who matter most—our students and faculty. You can feel the hum of activity in this space, as it promotes interdisciplinary approaches to discovery and lifelong learning.”

photo by Ryan Sedillo

TRINITY TODAY

Trinity Votes!

University recognized for voter engagement

Trinity University was named a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. This recognition is given by ALL IN To Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that recognizes excellence among higher education institutions that work to get their students active in the democratic process. Jamie Thompson ’05, Ed.D., assistant dean of students and director of Student Involvement, estimates that the University registered more than 250 individuals to vote between January and October 2022 and helped transport approximately 100 individuals to the polls, many of whom were first-time voters with no alternative means of transportation.

Partners for Health Startup will offer new care options and services on campus

Trinity University launched a partnership with local health startup Betty’s Co., aiming to meet vital needs for students looking for long-acting, reversible contraception and other gynecological services. Marlaina Widmann, coordinator for Student Wellness at Trinity’s Wellness Services, says “This move is for anyone with a uterus on campus. Students, faculty, and staff between the ages of 18 and 45 are all welcome.”

McNair Grant Renewed $1.6 million to help underrepresented

students reach postgraduate success

Trinity University’s McNair Scholars Program has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue for another five years. This program, now in its 16th year at Trinity, provides funding and support to first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students planning to pursue doctorates. The program has served 186 Trinity students since 2007. In the past five years, 54% of Trinity McNair students immediately enrolled in graduate programs, while only 30-45% of all Trinity students immediately enrolled in a graduate program during this period.

Trinity co-awarded $2.5 million NSF grant

Funding will help increase diversity and inclusion in STEM fields

The National Science Foundation awarded Trinity University and three other private liberal arts universities in San Antonio a grant of nearly $2.5 million to increase the number of historically underrepresented and low-income students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields. St. Mary’s University will administer this $2,478,170 grant-funded project from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program and implement it over the next five years. Our Lady of the Lake University and the University of the Incarnate Word are the other local grant recipients.

Two Student Startups

Win

Big Stumberg Competition awards two $25,000 prizes

Startups Range Rehab and ReCap are the 2022 Louis H. Stumberg New Venture Competition grand-prize winners, both taking home $25,000. This is the first time in the history of the competition that two winners were selected. Both of the winning teams created products that aimed to help consumers: Range Rehab with a physical therapy device that helps people recovering from shoulder injuries, and ReCap with a mobile app that tracks spending habits and sets saving milestones to help alleviate the stress that comes with managing one’s finances. The runner-up, Skelton Musical, won $5,000 for its wearable metronome.

Anene Ejikeme Selected as ACS Mellon Leadership Fellow History professor to implement DEI initiatives on campus

The Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) has selected Anene Ejikeme, Ph.D., chair of Trinity’s Department of History, as a Mellon Foundation Academic Leadership Fellow. Supported by a $1.5 million Mellon grant, this program provides leadership experiences for humanities faculty members with the aim of expanding academic administration demographics at ACS colleges.

Neidorff School of Business

Reaccredited by AACSB Business school excels in engagement, innovation, and impact

The Michael Neidorff School of Business has been reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. Of the more than 10,000 business schools worldwide, fewer than 6% are accredited by AACSB International. This reaccreditation reflects Trinity’s commitment to providing only the highest standards of learning for its students.

Trinity Welcomed Fall Lecturers

On-campus speakers engaged audiences with diverse topics

POLICY MAKER BREAKFAST SERIES

Upward Bound Renewed

$2 million grant to help first-gen and underrepresented students

The U.S. Department of Education awarded Trinity University with a federal Upward Bound grant of $2.189 million to help potential first-generation and underrepresented students succeed in their precollege coursework in high school and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. The University has hosted this program for 35 years, and this renewal allows it to continue for another five years.

Bridging the Gap

Kathryn Vomero Santos and Texas A&M–SA collaborators receive $500,000 Mellon grant

Trinity English professor Kathryn Vomero Santos, Ph.D., and her collaborators, Katherine Gillen, Ph.D., and Adrianna M. Santos, Ph.D., from Texas A&M University-San Antonio, have been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to further their ongoing research on the reception and remaking of Shakespeare in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands.

Faculty Win NSF Grants

Research focuses on LGBTQ+ housing instability and engineering student identity

Amy Stone, Ph.D. Sociology and Anthropology

Theresa Payton / First female White House CIO

Geoff Colvin / Fortune’s senior editor-at-large

NOBEL ECONOMIST LECTURE

Richard H. Thaler, Ph.D. / 2017 Nobel Prize winner

DISTINGUISHED SCIENTISTS LECTURE

Harry Swinney, Ph.D. / Internationally renowned physicist

STIEREN ARTS ENRICHMENT SERIES

Guillermo Gómez-Peña / Performance artist and activist

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee / Award-winning composer

Awarded a $300,000 National Science Foundation grant to examine the effect of non-parental family members on housing instability among LGBTQ+ youth.

Emma Treadway ’11, Ph.D. Engineering Science

Awarded a $178,171 National Science Foundation grant to focus on the interactions between affect and identity in first- and secondyear engineering students, with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind.

A Major Success

Trinity’s inaugural Major Declaration Day connects students and faculty in celebration

by Hope Paschall ’26

While enjoying music, food, and conversation, Trinity students, faculty, and staff gathered at Miller Fountain on Feb. 17 to celebrate students declaring their majors. Major Declaration Day marks a new tradition for the University and serves as an annual reminder of its commitment to student success and as a celebration of a major milestones for its students.

Although students declared various majors from Trinity’s 58 degree programs and 23 departments, Aly Castillo ’25, a sociology and communication double major, says, “having everyone together at the same place made it feel more inclusive.” She explained how the arrangement of all the tables for each major around the fountain “really encouraged communication between the majors, no matter what your differences are.”

This inclusive atmosphere was palpable as students of all class years were able to meet with faculty, chat with other students in their major, and celebrate taking the next step in their academic journey. Those declaring their major received a pennant customized according to their major or discipline as a souvenir as well as food and party bags from the Office of Academic Advising.

“This event is such a good way for people to see who is in their department and to meet others who are doing similar things,” says Anusha Sharma ’25, a neuroscience and psychology double major. “And for those who haven’t declared, it’s a great way for people to see what’s out there and meet with faculty to figure out what they want to do.”

Sharma says her professors helped her decide that she wanted to double major, an option that suits many Trinity students, as they often pursue multiple areas of study.

Similarly, engineering science major Angel Gamarra ’25 credits Trinity’s 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio for his success so far. “The smaller-sized classes helped in the sense that I know my professors and they know me,” he says, “and [because of this] they have helped to guide me along my engineering path.” Gamarra appreciated how this event provided him and other students a unique opportunity “to talk about your major and meet your professors on an informal level that’s not in the classroom.”

Faculty members attending the event were also grateful for this opportunity to connect with and support students in a new way. “What’s so important here is that the students can identify with a department, and professors can have a moment to meet the students and celebrate,” says E. Cabral Balreira, Ph.D., the chair of Trinity’s mathematics department. “This is a great opportunity for us to get to see each other and increase the partnerships we have with students.”

The feelings of joy and festivity continued throughout the event as students took selfies with their friends and professors, snacked on yummy pastries, and enjoyed the completion of a major milestone.

Revisit this major moment for Trinity students by viewing the photo gallery.

In August 2022, Trinity celebrated the grand opening of Beneski Parkway, a new main entrance to the campus from Hildebrand Avenue. Beneski Parkway was made possible by a generous $3 million gift from Ted and Laurie Beneski, parents of alumni Jeffrey ’11 and David ’14. For the past decade, Ted has served on Trinity’s Board of Trustees and is the current vice chair and chair-elect. The Beneskis have supported Trinity in the past by giving to scholarship funds, to the construction of the Center for the Sciences and Innovation, and to the president’s discretionary fund. This new Hildebrand entrance is a key part of the University’s

New Faces

Tigers fill big roles across campus

As we welcomed a new president this past year, both longtime and new Tigers also stepped into significant roles in various departments across campus.

Juan

Campus Master Plan, developed in a 2017 collaboration with Page, a Texas architecture firm with expertise in O’Neil Ford architecture. The new street and grand entrance connect the City Vista apartments to campus and serve as a welcoming beacon for current and prospective students and their families as well as faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader San Antonio community. “We’re building something special here at Trinity,” says Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D., Trinity president. “Thank you, Ted and Laurie, for being leaders at this moment in Trinity’s history.”

Frank Guerra ’83 Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing

Wilson Terrell Jr.

/ Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs - Inclusive Excellence

Frances Frey /

Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Permanently stepping into the vice president role for Strategic Communications and Marketing (SCM) is Frank Guerra ’83, who has served as the interim vice president since February 2022. Guerra recently retired as CEO of San Antoniobased GDC Marketing Communications, which he founded along with former vice president of SCM Tess CoodyAnders ’93. Guerra brings decades of expertise in media relations, public affairs, crisis communications, and marketing to SCM.

A Grand Opening for a Grand Entrance Trinity celebrates the opening of Beneski Parkway

Sepúlveda / President’s Special Adviser for Inclusive Excellence

MEET THE CLASS OF 2026

Trinity University receives a recordbreaking 11,000+ applications

by Kennice Leisk ’22

This year, Trinity University received nearly 11,500 applications for the Class of 2026. This all-time record number of applications marks a 20% increase over last year, resulting in a decreased acceptance rate of 31%.

The Class of 2026 boasts a record average GPA of 3.75 (on a 4.0 scale), and an astounding 80% of the incoming first-years ranked in the top 20% of their high school graduating class. Under Trinity’s relatively new test-optional policy, the students showcase impressive score averages of 1401 on the SAT and 31.7 on the ACT. The class includes a record 49% students of color, 16% Federal Pell Grant-eligible population, 15% first-generation population, and 18% legacy population. Furthermore, 22% of the Class of 2026 are student-athletes and about 25% are interested in participating in fine arts.

While some students chose Trinity to stay close to home, overall the incoming class represents 36 states and has a 6.4% population of international students representing 26 countries.

“It’s not just the quantity; it really is the quality, too,” says Justin Doty, dean of Admissions. “Yes, we had the volume of applications, but when you look at the academic caliber of the class and the profile … that was just eye-popping! This is a diverse, competitive class with a strong academic profile.”

MEET A TIGER

Community has always been important to Curie Shim. “My lifelong dream is to heal people,” Shim says. “I believe this can only be done when there’s a healthy relationship between people.” It was with this dream in mind that Shim created her own radio show to build community at SALT International School in South Korea. Shim wanted to develop a platform where everyone in her high school could show appreciation for one another, get to know one another better, and start every day on a higher note.

“People slowly got to understand my intention, and they, too, deeply sympathized with each [radio] guest’s stories,” Shim says. She is proud that her radio show has settled in as a tradition in her high school.

Understandably, community was a high priority for Shim in her college search process. “Trinity had such a good care system and atmosphere that I could already feel during every [Admissions]

A THRIVING PARTNERSHIP

This year, the Trinity Community Investment (TCI) partnership with the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) gained momentum, enrolling 17 first-year students—more than double the number from last year.

Zoom session,” Shim says. Thanks to Trinity’s virtual recruitment measures, Shim was able to connect with the University despite her physical distance from the campus. It was during a Zoom session that Shim discovered Trinity’s strong pre-med resources, especially its internship opportunities, which she plans to take advantage of as she pursues biology on the pre-med track.

Shim appreciates how Trinity strives to provide guidance to its students regardless of where they are from, and says she continues to be amazed by how quickly and genuinely Trinity cares for all its students.

“Coming to Texas from Korea wasn’t an easy decision,” Shim says. Having to say goodbye to loved ones, albeit temporarily, was tough. But Shim looks forward to joining and contributing to the Trinity community: “At Trinity, I will strive to be the bridge between people as I did at my high school!”

The TCI partnership arose out of the University’s institutional value of intentional inclusion. The partnership works to ensure that Trinity’s nationally ranked liberal arts education is accessible to prospective students—regardless of their background or socioeconomic status—by providing financial resources and academic and social-emotional support. The partnership continues to thrive because of Trinity’s dedication to building strong relationships with SAISD students and counselors.

“We’ve really tried to step up our game and be valuable resources to the students and good partners to their counselors,” says Sarah Yaccino, a Trinity admissions counselor who oversees the TCI partnership. “We made it a goal this past year to try to physically set foot on as many SAISD campuses as we could, and I think that went a long way in gaining trust, building relationships, and ensuring a better understanding of the partnership.”

“My lifelong dream is to heal people.”

International student Curie Shim ’26 looks forward to fostering community at Trinity

YACCINO

TRINITY UNIVERSITY PRESS

Brackenridge:

Lewis F. Fisher

San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park

Extensively researched and illustrated with some 200 archival photographs and vintage postcards, Brackenridge: San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park is the first comprehensive look at the fascinating story of this unique park and how its diverse layers evolved to create one of the city’s foremost gathering places.

Land of Women

María Sánchez

Translated by Curtis Bauer

A bestseller in Spain, Land of Women promises to ignite conversations about the treatment and perception of rural communities everywhere. Part memoir and part rural feminist manifesto, Sánchez’s book interweaves family stories of three generations with reflections on science and literature.

The Last Speaker of Bear: My Encounters in the North

Lawrence Millman

Lawrence Millman first visited Northern Canada as a child and has since journeyed on 35-some expeditions over four decades in search of undeveloped landscapes, traditional cultures, and wildlife. The Last Speaker of Bear is the patchwork story of a life spent traveling in the North from Alaska to Canada and Siberia.

Miraflores: San Antonio’s Mexican Garden of Memory

Anne Elise Urrutia

Aureliano Urrutia, a prominent physician in Mexico City, built Miraflores garden after immigrating to Texas during the Mexican Revolution. A man of science, Urrutia valued nature, art, literature, history, and community. Miraflores: San Antonio’s Mexican Garden of Memory recounts the garden’s history and celebrates the importance of the cultural, historical, and artistic meaning of a place.

Trinity University Press is committed to civic engagement with ideas. Published books, public programs, and related media focus on helping us all understand our place in a crowded world with a particular focus on the following areas: bilingual early childhood literacy; the human relationship to the physical environment, ranging from wilderness to constructed, urban life; social equity and justice; the interdependence of animal and human life; and Southwestern U.S. and Mexican regional studies. For more information, visit tupress.org

Trinity University Press Launches Tinta Books

by Tom Payton, Director

Given the University’s proximity to Mexico and the rich Mexican cultural heritage in San Antonio, it’s no surprise Trinity University Press has published numerous books about Mexico over the years. To build on this history, we recently announced Tinta Books, a new imprint focused on Mexican-American life and the history, culture, and current affairs of Mexico. We’ll also publish select Spanish-English and Spanish-only books.

There is a profound interest in—and need for—expanded English-language publishing about Mexico, and we are honored to launch this new initiative. As a mission-driven organization that has grown considerably in the past decade, the press is one of the few U.S. publishers with such a focus.

Concurrent with news of the Tinta imprint, we announced that writer Yvette Benavides will serve as an editor-at-large for the press, developing the imprint and acquiring more broadly in support of our evolving mission. Benavides, a professor of English and creative writing at Our Lady of the Lake University, is also a writer and journalist with an extensive media presence, from hosting Texas Public Radio’s Book Public podcast to writing and producing radio commentaries that have been recognized with regional and national journalism awards.

Through visits to Mexico City and the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, we’ve also been building partnerships with Artes de México, Trilce Ediciones, Nostra Ediciones, Arquitónica Editorial, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Fondo de Cultura Económica, and other Mexican publishers, with the hope to publish future books with them.

Recent popular Trinity University Press works such as The Spirit of Tequila, Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico, and New Cooking from Old Mexico will be complemented by Pan Dulce, 100 Events in the History of Mexico, a Day of the Dead anthology, and other titles in years to come. The press appreciates those who make our work possible—the authors, readers, donors, booksellers, librarians, journalists, and others. We’re honing our strategies with the intent of focusing more clearly on mission-driven acquisitions, especially in terms of traditionally underrepresented voices and viewpoints. Our priority is to publish work that has true impact and that drives discussion, explores additional media formats, and contributes to lifelong learning. The launch of Tinta Books highlights these interests while reinforcing the University’s strategic goals and international profile, especially in the Americas.

¡Viva Tinta Books!

of Trinity University Press

top A farmer carries a piña through an agave field in Mexico.

middle Tom Payton (left) stands with Yvette Benavides, an editorat-large of Trinity University Press.

bottom Writer Sandra Cisneros holds up an anthology published by TU Press for which she contributed an essay.

Longtime Favorites and New Discoveries

Coleen Grissom’s Lit Picks

I always consider it an honor to be asked to offer my suggestions for “leisure” reading for the Trinity community in an issue of this magazine. Since I am a retired English professor, one would think my standards would be higher—more worthy of your consideration—but most of you realize I read for fun, not so much for enlightenment. And, as some will realize, I have limited patience—too quickly bored. Not that you can imagine this, but as I have aged, I’m quicker than ever to toss aside any book that motivates me to doze off. I certainly realize that many Trinity supporters, faculty, staff, students, alumni—and others—form their own reading lists and glance at mine in this publication only to feel superior and far more enlightened. But don’t forget: I have served this institution from the time I was 24 until they had to drag me out at retirement. (And still, I keep on creeping back in, as I’m doing here.) So, of course, I take liberties and presume to recommend what I consider worthwhile, stimulating reading. I think I’m comfortable doing this because I recall readings I assigned decades ago that blew the minds of some undergraduates. I didn’t fret too much about my audacity then, so you shouldn’t be surprised that I don’t now!

With such a range of material to view on television, in magazines, newspapers, book-of-the-month clubs, you hardly need my suggestions. But I forge ahead, hoping a few of you will be uplifted, inspired, challenged, informed, outraged by some recent fiction I urge you to consider.

I think my favorite reading these past few months came from contemporary writers whose works I try never to miss—Strout, Erdrich, Toews, Irving—as well as from a few previously overlooked or slighted ones—Brooks, Kingsolver, Enright. (Sedaris has long been a favorite, mostly just for

fun, but his satirical skills continue to improve, as in 2022’s Happy-Go-Lucky.)

Some works of fiction I’ve enjoyed enough to recommend this year include titles from three longtime favorite authors and one new.

I’m pretty sure that ever since she began publishing her novels, I’ve not missed any from Elizabeth Strout. I find each of her novels (particularly her recent Oh William!) insightfully drawing memorable—even recognizable—characters, and, not surprisingly, as Strout (and I) grow older, her characters and their illusions are usually, painfully, just too close to home.

Since Louise Erdrich began writing, she and her late husband, Michael Dorris, were acknowledged and praised as “America’s cultural couple,” and I believe I’ve not missed any of her novels. Her early capturing of a culture with which I (and many readers) had no experience—Native Americans—both informed and engaged me. And I hurriedly shared and continue to share all her works with others. So don’t miss the title The Sentence, even though some reviewers’ enthusiastic use of “dazzling” and “wickedly funny” may go too far for some of us Erdrich devotees.

Only recently have I become a fan of Miriam Toews, so I’m reading as much of her beautifully

“But I forge ahead, hoping a few of you will be uplifted, inspired, challenged, informed, outraged by some recent fiction I urge you to consider.”

phrased and engaging work as I can. Fight Night, Women Talking, All My Puny Sorrows, and A Complicated Kindness may tell you more about Mennonite life and perspectives than you really want to know. Toews’ work just happens to make her my favorite Canadian writer after the incomparable Margaret Atwood.

Still Life by Sarah Winman (not the one by Louise Penny) also entranced me—and not just with its animal character, Claude. It’s an informative, yet disturbing story of Tuscany during World War II and creates a fascinating and unusual depiction of both wartime and devotion to art.

I have absolutely no doubt that folks from Trinity read widely and avoid my late afternoon commitment to Jeopardy, so next time I see you, expect a pop quiz on the novels recommended here.

With every good wish—

Coleen Grissom, Ph.D.

Coleen Grissom’s Author Picks

Elizabeth Strout

John Irving

David Sedaris

Geraldine Brooks

Miriam Toews

Barbara Kingsolver

Louise Erdrich

Anne Enright

Sarah Winman

Dear Trinity Community,

When I stepped on campus in 1958, I never dreamed that upon my retirement from the administration, a group of alumni would create a scholarship in my name.

The great thing about having a scholarship named after you while you are still living is that you get to add to the scholarship yourself, which I have done over the past few years. But more important is that I get to see, hear from, and meet students who are receiving support from this scholarship. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that bright, engaged young adults are being helped and supported in their educational journey at Trinity.

I look forward to seeing your name on the list of all the generous donors who are helping to make a difference for Trinity students. Please donate what you can to the Trinity scholarship in my name, know of my gratitude to you, and be assured that your contribution will be well invested in yet another promising young adult who enrolls here.

Let’s face it: You’re too old to procrastinate, so donate what you can and celebrate all you gained from your Trinity experience!

All best to you and to all you love,

Coleen Grissom, Ph.D.

Coleen Grissom Scholarship Fund 2022-23

Regardless of her role on campus, Coleen will continue to inspire and ignite a love of learning in future students through the Coleen Grissom Endowed Scholarship.

174 gifts made totaling $27,531 from alumni, parents, and friends to provide scholarship support for students. Make

An Anniversary to Remember

Women’s sports celebrate 50 years of Title IX with nonstop success

By Brian Yancelson ’22

No story about the history of women’s sports at Trinity University can start without Julie Jenkins. She recently concluded her 38th season as head volleyball coach for the Tigers with 1,049 career victories, the most for any woman in Division III volleyball history.

Having graduated high school in 1977, however, Jenkins’ wins almost never happened.

“I was right on the bubble of taking advantage of Title IX,” Jenkins says. “A year or two difference in my life probably would have been very different.”

In 1972, only five years before she finished high school, 37 words altered both Jenkins’ journey and women’s athletics altogether:

“By the time that I got to high school, they had everything for women’s sports. I feel very fortunate that Title IX came into play because I would never have gotten to play sports, so it definitely changed my life,” Jenkins says.

Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 as a way to combat gender discrimination in all aspects of higher education, especially in collegiate athletics. The 2022–23 academic year marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark law. Half a century after the law’s passing, how can one measure the real-world impact Title IX continues to have?

Look no further than the success of Trinity’s women’s sports during this anniversary year. From Volleyball’s national championship appearance to a debut postseason bid for Women’s Golf, women’s sports teams at Trinity dazzled with their dominance.

Golden Year Indeed

Without the developments Jenkins described during her childhood, she would have never gone on to guide Trinity Volleyball to their third straight NCAA quarterfinals and second championship match in November 2022. Their appearance in the title game marked the Tigers’ first since 1999 and earned Jenkins her second American Volleyball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award.

Jenkins is the longest-tenured coach at Trinity, and on the opposite end of the experience spectrum, Trinity’s Shelby DeVore ’18 nailed a hole-in-one in her opening shot as head coach. DeVore directed the women’s golf team to their first NCAA Tournament bid in 2022.

Jenkins has two older sisters, one who didn’t play sports in high school and one who ran cross country. Jenkins believed that was because those were their interests, only later realizing they didn’t have any other options.

“A year or two difference in my life probably would have been very different.”

Trinity Volleyball celebrates during their NCAA national championship match against Juniata College.

2022 SCAC Coach of the Year Shelby DeVore ’18 (left) helps 2022 SCAC Player of the Year Kiona Hsiu ’24 at Women’s Golf’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

DeVore’s squad swept the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Player, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards. By winning Coach of the Year, DeVore became the first woman to win SCAC honors as a coach and as a player. Few know the program better, and she has always felt equality between the men’s and women’s golf teams that work closely together.

“As a player, I never felt like the guys got to do something that we didn’t get to do, or vice versa,” DeVore says. Coach DeVore and Head Men’s Golf Coach Sean Etheredge ensure the men’s and women’s teams have access to the same practice facilities and them as coaches. Another program that tightly knits the men’s and women’s teams is Swimming and Diving. Student-athlete Neely Burns ’26 recently concluded a trip to the NCAA Championships, where she earned First Team All-American status in three races, including a silver medal in the 400-yard individual medley. To her, unity between the teams is a must.

“When I was looking for different colleges to possibly swim at, being at a college where there’s both a women’s and men’s team was super important to me because I really enjoy that dynamic,” Burns says. “I feel like the women’s and men’s teams here at Trinity are very close, like we’re all one big team.”

While they do so much together, the teams compete separately. The women won their 20th consecutive SCAC championship and sent a school-record 10 participants to the NCAA Championships under Head Swimming and Diving Coach Cathleen Pruden.

The success in the pool mirrored other incredible performances by female student-athletes in sports that spotlight individuals.

Neely Burns ’26 takes a breath during the breaststroke, part of her silver medal-winning performance in the 400-yard individual medley at the NCAA Championships.

“I feel like the women’s and men’s teams here at Trinity are very close, like we’re all one big team.”

Kierra Francois ’23 loads up for the weight throw for which she won AllRegion honors during the 2023 indoor track and field season.

Trinity Levy ’26 (front) and Cate Cushing ’24 charge the ball during their ITA Cup Regional Championship.

Seven Tigers won All-Region honors during Track and Field’s indoor season as Joy Areola ’25 mastered the triple jump and long jump, Madeline Wietstruck ’25 conquered the triple jump, and Kierra Francois ’23 dominated the weight throw. Meanwhile, the quartet of Taylor Koftas ’23, Sealan Ledat ’24, Hayley Huck ’24, and CC Gray ’25 dashed to region-best times in the 4x400-meter relay.

On the tennis courts, Trinity Levy ’26 and Cate Cushing ’24 became Trinity’s first regional champions of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup since 2019. With the win comes All-American status, making Levy the first Tiger rookie to earn that title since 2011.

Many of Trinity’s teams are also led by women who are blazing their own trails. As a student-athlete, Head Cross Country Coach Emily Daum ’09 became the first Tiger AllAmerican in cross country, and, for good measure, she did it four times. Now as a coach, she sent a runner to the NCAA Championships for the seventh straight year in 2022.

In her third year as head softball coach, Abby Martin brought the Tigers back to the SCAC Tournament Final for the first time since 2016. In the process, she also won her 100th career game.

To add a cherry on top of the infinitely tiered cake that is success among Trinity women’s sports, how about a couple more Sweet 16 appearances? Well, Women’s Basketball and Women’s Soccer delivered.

above Emily Daum ’09 (left) oversees her cross country team at the Our Lady of the Lake University Invitational meet. below Abby Martin coaches Trinity Softball from foul territory just ahead of her 100th career win.

On the pitch, Women’s Soccer advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championships for the third straight year, with First Team All-Americans Bailey Meyer ’23 and Molly Sheridan ’23 leading the charge. Sheridan also earned a $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, awarded to only 126 student-athletes across the country who excel athletically and academically.

Inside Calgaard Gym, Women’s Basketball capped off a historic 28-win season by advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. During that campaign, Ashlyn Milton ’23 rewrote Trinity’s record books. Milton’s 230 career three-point shots made

Women’s Soccer jumps for joy after a goal that helped send them to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships.

are the most by a Tiger, and the Region 10 Player of the Year finished her career with the best three-point shooting percentage in school history.

“I am so grateful for our program and for the resources we have,” Milton says. “It’s really cool to be at a school where you’re not just thriving, but everyone around you is also thriving.”

On Deck

While Milton feels Trinity is doing well when it comes to equality between men’s and women’s sports, she says the rest of society could still use some work.

“I think that there’s still the stigma that men are better at sports, that they’re more fun to watch and more exciting,” Milton says. “It started with getting that first equality in law through Title IX, but now I think it comes down to conversations. It comes down to people calling out people who say, ‘Well, women can’t play sports’ or ‘Women aren’t as good at sports.’ You’ve got to speak up.”

Milton, along with DeVore and Jenkins, all independently acknowledged someone who has spoken up. Betsy Gerhardt Pasley ’77 recently released a book titled From the Sidelines to the Headlines: The Legacy of Women’s Sports at Trinity University, which captures previously untold stories about female student-athletes and coaches at Trinity.

Jenkins is highlighted in the book, having lived through many changes, which even she admits she should talk more about with her current team. When she first arrived at Trinity, women needed higher GPAs than men to compete in sports, and they could only practice before 3:30 p.m. After years of evolution, that is far from the case today.

“One of the reasons I’ve stayed at Trinity all these years is because it is equitable. We treat every sport the same,” Jenkins says. “We’re proud of all we’ve accomplished and what we’re still doing. Every year, we’re trying to get that much better.”

Ashlyn Milton ’23, Women’s Basketball’s all-time leading threepoint shooter, releases a shot from deep during the SCAC Championships.

Trinity University Athletics Moving to Southern Athletic Association

The University has accepted an invitation to change athletic conferences

By Carla Sierra

Following the University’s recent Carnegie reclassification as a National Liberal Arts Institution, Trinity has accepted an invitation to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as a full member. The move provides excellent opportunities for student-athletes to reap the benefits of joining a national-level conference that spans the southern U.S. The transition to the SAA will be complete by Fall 2025.

“I view college athletics as one of the significant hallmarks of a residential liberal arts education, as student-athletes and their classmates alike gather inside and outside of the classroom to take on new challenges and support each other,” says Vanessa B. Beasley, Trinity University president. “Trinity University is grateful to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and its members for our shared history of decades of thrilling competition.”

All women’s and men’s athletics teams are currently members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) except football, which is already an affiliate member of the SAA. The football team will continue its partnership with the SAA in Fall 2023 and Fall 2024.

In addition, Trinity’s move to the SAA is being made jointly with Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Competing teams in the SAA will now travel to

South and Central Texas for games, and this combination makes scheduling and travel to Texas more efficient for all traveling teams.

“We are excited about the opportunities this move to the SAA will create for our athletes and the City of San Antonio as we become part of a conference with a more diverse footprint,” says Bob King, Trinity’s director of Athletics. “Yet we cannot adequately express our appreciation for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which we have been a part of for more than 30 years. We have tremendous respect for the conference as great competitors and have learned a lot from them.”

The SAA’s core members include Berry College, Birmingham-Southern College, Centre College, Hendrix College, Millsaps College, Oglethorpe University, Rhodes College, and the University of the South. Read

TIGER PRIDE

Emilie Burrer Foster ’69, longtime Trinity women’s tennis player and coach, was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 in May. This is her sixth Hall of Fame induction. Foster transferred to Trinity in 1967, and during her Trinity career, she captured two United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) Collegiate Singles Championships and two doubles championships (with Becky Vest ’69). The duo also brought home the USLTA Team Championship. While at Trinity, Foster was selected for the 1967 USA Pan American Games team. After graduation, Foster reached the 1969 U.S. Open doubles quarterfinals and the singles third round. She was

2022 Athletics Hall of Fame

also a member of the Houston EZ Riders of World Team Tennis in 1974. After coaching at Texas Tech University from 1970-78, Foster was offered the head coaching position at Trinity in 1978. Through the 1990 season, Foster’s Tiger teams amassed a record of 259-94, reaching the national collegiate finals on two occasions (AIAW and NCAA). Her teams finished third in the nation three times and were top-five finishers on three occasions. She coached the 1983 NCAA national doubles champion team of Louise Allen ’84 and Gretchen Rush ’86 and mentored 12 All-Americans during her tenure. Foster was named National Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1983.

A First Team American Baseball Coaches Association All-American and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Player of the Year in 2004, Armstrong had one of the greatest individual seasons in Trinity history. He was the runner-up for the National Player of the Year that same season, leading the Tigers to the SCAC Championship and their second-ever trip to the NCAA Playoffs. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft and spent five seasons in the Minor Leagues.

An All-American in 2001 and 2002, Boyce remains Trinity’s all-time leader in rushing yards and holds the school record for most yards in a single game (305), most rushing attempts, and most all-purpose yards. Boyce led the SCAC in rushing, with three straight seasons over 1,000 yards from 2000-02, and was named to the SCAC 15th Anniversary Team. He led Trinity to four straight conference titles and appearances in the NCAA Playoffs, including the 1999 NCAA Semifinals and the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

A three-time All-American in 1976, 1977, and 1978, Clifton helped the Trinity team to a pair of United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Collegiate Championships in 1975 and 1976. She reached the USTA Doubles Quarterfinals in 1977, was the Doubles runner-up in 1975, and earned a Gold Medal in the Pan American Games in 1975. Clifton reached the U.S. Open Round of 32 in doubles twice (1971 and 1975) and advanced to the Round of 32 in singles at Wimbledon in 1972.

Trinity University Athletics Hall of Fame inducted its 12th class during Alumni Weekend 2022.

Photo credit: Trinity University Special Collections and Archives

Jason Armstrong ‘04 Baseball

Jeremy Boyce ‘03 Football

Sandy Stap Clifton ‘78 Tennis

Tennis Alumna Named to Local Hall of Fame

San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame

to induct Emilie Burrer Foster ’69 by James Hill ’76

Emerick won Trinity’s first NCAA III Championship in three-meter diving in 2010, and she remains Trinity’s only four-time All-American in women’s swimming and diving. Emerick finished second on both boards at the 2011 NCAA III Championships and was a finalist (top nine) for the NCAA Woman of the Year award the same year. Emerick was a three-time SCAC Diver of the Year who led her team to four straight conference titles, during which she won seven of eight possible individual SCAC titles.

An all-conference athlete in multiple sports, Machu also served as the head coach of the Tiger basketball team from 1988-92 and was a coach of the Trinity softball team. In the spring of 1981, she was named the TAIAW Division III Softball Player of the Year while also starting a basketball career that would see her break multiple Trinity basketball records. She remains the Tiger record holder for most career free throws made as well as the most free throws made and free throws attempted in one game.

A First Team All-American and SCAC Player of the Year in 2003, Moebes was also a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region honoree and a four-time All-SCAC honoree, leading Trinity to four straight conference titles and four appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. Moebes is one of only four players in Trinity volleyball history ranked in the top 20 in career kills, hitting percentage, digs, and aces. She remains second all-time among Tiger volleyball players in career kills.

O’Neill was a captain for three different teams while at Trinity, earning All-TIAA honors in basketball, track and field, and volleyball. She remains second in Trinity basketball history in both points and rebounds. O’Neill led the basketball team to its first winning record in school history (1975-76) and also helped the volleyball team reach the 1976 TIAA Tournament Championship while also winning the 440-yard dash at the 1977 TIAA Track & Field Championships to lead the team to a second-place finish.

A true pioneer of women’s athletics at Trinity, Rushing championed equality for female student-athletes when opportunities were scarce. She worked in the physical education and athletics departments and served for years as the sponsor for many women’s sports. Rushing negotiated the first athletics scholarships for women at Trinity, placing a national championship trophy on the president’s desk as a result. Her dedication laid the foundation of what Tiger Athletics has become—a successful program that is committed to equal opportunities for all.

A two-time All-American, Tuggle was also named a four-time AVCA AllRegion and All-SCAC honoree. She led the Tigers to four straight SCAC Championships and four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. In 2002, she led the Tigers to backto-back appearances in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Tuggle still ranks in the top 20 in Trinity history in kills, hitting percentage, digs, and blocks, and she finished her career ranked in the top 10 in all four of these categories.

Hayley Emerick ’11 Swimming and Diving

Teresa Machu ’84 Basketball, Softball, Track and Field, Volleyball

Shawn McLaughlin Moebes ‘04 Volleyball

Morgan Anderson Tuggle ‘04 Volleyball

Shirley Rushing (1960-95) Physical Education and Athletics

Jill Harenberg O’Neill ‘78 Basketball, Softball, Track and Field, Volleyball

2022 Sports

Baseball

Men’s Golf

Head Coach Tim Scannell was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com Region 10 Coach of the Year after leading Trinity’s baseball team to the NCAA Division III College World Series for just the third time in school history in 2022. The Tigers finished with a 38-13 overall record. Harrison Durow was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team to lead Trinity during the postseason, while both Durow and MJ Metz were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team last season. Metz was one of six players to earn All-Region honors, with Ezra Gore, Joseph Chavana, Samuel Conte, Brian Schaub, and Tyler Pettit joining Metz on the teams released by the ABCA and D3baseball.com. Schaub broke Trinity’s single-season records in both walks and home runs last year, while Metz nearly broke the University’s record in the doubles category. Pettit was named a Fifth Team All-American by D3baseball.com.

The Tiger men’s team finished second at the SCAC Championships in 2022, and Jacob Mason earned an invitation to the NCAA Championships to play as an individual. Mason earned both AllRegion and Honorable Mention AllAmerica accolades from the Golf Coaches Association of America last season. Mason is the first of Director of Golf Sean Etheredge’s players to qualify for nationals individually, coming off the heels of the team finishing 11th at the 2021 NCAA event.

Women’s Golf

event. Two Trinity players qualified to continue through the rest of the weekend, and both Kiona Hsiu and Alejandra Sanchez De la Fuente Molino finished in the top 20 individually. Sanchez De la Fuente Molino earned Honorable Mention All-America honors, becoming the first in program history to reach All-American ranks, and was the SCAC Freshman of the Year. Hsiu was also an All-Region selection by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and earned the SCAC Player of the Year award. Coach DeVore made it a clean sweep in the conference awards with her SCAC Coach of the Year accolades, marking the first time Trinity has swept the women’s golf awards in the conference. Hsiu, Erin Flynn, and Lucy Hansen were also WGCA All-American Scholars for the Tigers.

Softball

Head Coach Shelby DeVore ’18 led Trinity’s women’s golf team to its firstever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships, and the Tigers were just four strokes from the cut at the national

Head Coach Abby Martin rallied the Tiger softball team from a slow start to the year to finish second at the SCAC Tournament for the first time since the 2016 season. Coach Martin has won 44 games in three seasons at Trinity, including 21 victories in 2022—her first season that was not cut short because of

DELALUNA

MASON

SANCHEZ DE LA FUENTE MOLINO

COVID-19. Seven players earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar All-American status, including Sammie Whitman, Jenna Kash, Cat Patterson, Bri Pena, Emery Boettcher, Madison Horn, and Abigail Miller. Nine Tigers garnered All-SCAC honors, including First Team All-SCAC player Jessica Lloyd. Patterson broke the Trinity single-season records for most appearances by a pitcher and for most innings. Marina Delaluna nearly broke the single-season home run mark and is poised to become Trinity’s all-time home run champion in 2023.

Men’s Tennis

Man of the Year finalist, while Nguyen was the Regional Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship award winner for the ITA. Assistant Coach George Rivers was the Regional Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in his last season with the Tigers. Head Coach Russell McMindes earned both SCAC and ITA Regional Coach of the Year honors during the 2022 season. Nine members of the Trinity men’s tennis team were named ITA Scholar-Athletes in the spring: Alessio Azzalini, Wilson Hamilton, Cal Hunter, Krimbill, Dalton Locke, Nguyen, Settles, Allen Song, and Connor Whittington. Hamilton has since replaced Rivers as the latest addition to the Tiger tennis coaching staff. Azzalini also kicked off the new school year by winning the 2022 ITA Fall Regional Singles Championship title, ensuring his All-American status for the season.

Women’s Tennis

Newcomer of the Year honors. Trinity had seven players earn ITA Scholar-Athlete distinction, including returning players Ella Cummings, Constanza Gomez, Trinity Hatchett, Ellie Hughes, and Sam Miller. Trinity Levy and Cate Cushing got the Tigers started off on the right foot in Fall 2022, winning the ITA Regional Doubles Championship to earn AllAmerican honors for the 2022-23 season.

Track and Field

Trinity’s men’s tennis team won the SCAC Championship and advanced to the Regional Finals before bowing out of the NCAA Playoffs. Christian Settles and Hao Nguyen were invited to the NCAA Doubles Tournament and made it to the Quarterfinals, while Cameron Krimbill competed in the NCAA Singles Championships. Krimbill was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the SCAC Player of the Year in 2022, and the ITA Regional Senior Player of the Year. Settles also earned the ITA Regional Most Improved Senior award and was an SCAC

Head Coach Drew Cohn wrapped up his second season at Trinity by leading the team to the SCAC Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. He was named the SCAC Coach of the Year, while Olivia Kim earned SCAC

MAJORS

Trinity’s track and field teams swept the SCAC Championships for the second straight season in 2022, led by Head Coach Marcus Whitehead. Sean Majors had an outstanding final season with the Tigers, piling up several honors. He was invited to both the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Championships for the long jump, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, to earn his third All-America accolades. He was also one of three Tiger student-athletes to earn All-Academic recognition from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), as well as being named a CoSIDA Academic AllDistrict award-winner. Majors also earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in both the long jump and the 400-meter dash. Josue Parra and Ellie Catron joined Majors on the

AZZALINI

LEVY

USTFCCCA All-Academic team. Catron was also an All-Region performer in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Jordyn White was selected for the long jump, and both Kyra Stafford and Joy Areola were chosen for the triple jump.

Cross Country

trinity.edu/live

Tiger Network is Trinity’s livestreaming network, covering athletics and special events for a worldwide audience.

Tiger Network showcases #TigerPride in full HD with realtime replays, color commentary by professionals and student-athletes, and on-demand options.

Watch events ON DEMAND

On-demand videos include:

• Tiger Enrichment Series webinars

• Concerts and performances

• Archived speakers and lectures

• Commencement exercises

• And more!

The Trinity cross country teams each notched runner-up finishes in the SCAC Championships in 2022 and a pair of top-10 finishes in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Regionals. Through their performances at the regionals, Will Salony and Elaine Kaster earned All-Region status from the NCAA, with Salony’s efforts qualifying him for the 2022 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships as an at-large berth. Since taking the reins ahead of the 2014 season, Head Coach Emily Daum ’09 has led both the men’s and women’s teams to finishes of no worse than second in SCAC Championships and has sent at least one Tiger to the NCAA Division III Championships in every season since 2015.

Football

The Trinity football team built upon the foundation laid from the undefeated 2021 regular season by repeating the feat in 2022 with a 10-0 record and the first home NCAA Division III playoff game since 2011. The Tigers defeated No. 9 Hardin-Simmons University, 14-7, for the program’s first postseason victory since its Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl appearance in 2002. Led by a trio of D3football.com All-Region first-team selections in linebacker Caleb Harmel, cornerback Trey King, and receiver/ returner BJ Stewart, Trinity reached a top-five national ranking from both D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association for the bulk of the 2022 campaign. Stewart and quarterback Tucker Horn earned Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Player of the Year recognition as the Special Teams and Offensive honorees, two of 22 total players mentioned in the All-SAA announcement for the 2022 season. Head Coach Jerheme Urban ’03 was named the SAA Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons and has amassed a 61-25 (.709) record through nine seasons at the helm for the Tigers, moving into second in school history in victories.

SALONY

HARMEL

Marcus Coleman Awarded Bill Walsh Fellowship Trinity coach works with NFL coaches for a diversity coaching fellowship

By Emma Utzinger ’24

Marcus Coleman is no stranger to the world of the NFL. After playing for the New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys for more than 11 seasons, he brought his knowledge of professional football into his coaching career at Trinity University as the assistant football coach and special teams coordinator.

Last summer, Coleman was awarded the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. The fellowship gave eight minority coaches the chance to work with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaching staff and other NFL coaches to gain the experience and skills necessary to eventually be hired by the NFL.

“To be in front of coaches that you’ve been coached by and recognizable coaches throughout the league is a great experience,” Coleman says. “A lot of the coaches, especially on the staff in Jacksonville, have been coaching a long time. Some of them have won Super Bowls and divisional championships.”

Coleman and the other fellows experienced the logistics of the NFL during the Jaguars’ training camp. Here, the fellows were given an

intimate look into the workings of the NFL, from the administrative aspects to relationship-building.

Coleman felt right at home among the experienced coaches and successful players. “I was very comfortable there. As a former player, I understood the environment and what it was like. So, I jumped right in and got to work—it was a blast,” he says.

Coleman isn’t the only Trinity coach who has received this fellowship. Former assistant coach Adam McGuire held the same fellowship in 2019, learning under the Minnesota Vikings and the late Adam Zimmer ’06, a former Trinity football player.

Coleman applied the knowledge he gained from this fellowship to game days with the Trinity Tigers last fall. Trinity’s football team capped off its 2022 season as Southern Athletic Association conference champions, with its first playoff win in 20 years.

“The more I learn as a coach, the more I can pass on to my players, and the better it is for them,” Coleman says. “You’re always trying to absorb something. The things that I learned there, I can bring back here.”

NOW

Order at tupress.org or visit the Trinity University bookstore.

Men’s Soccer

All Tigers, All Day

Trinity Athletics finishes in Top 20 Division III programs for 2021-22

Trinity took home another strong showing in the 2021-22 LEARFIELD Sports Directors’ Cup for NCAA Division III, earning the 20th overall spot out of 443 DIII programs—the Tigers’ best finish in the Directors’ Cup standings since placing 18th in 2013-14.

This annual competition measures how well schools in each NCAA division can assemble athletics departments that are successful from top to bottom. Each school must submit their men’s and women’s soccer and basketball teams for scoring and their top-scoring 14 teams, regardless of gender. Scoring is based on postseason finish. All 18 Trinity teams contribute to our Directors’ Cup score, while many other competitors can cherry-pick from well over 20 sports.

25 YEARS

#20

Trinity Men’s Soccer rallied from a slow start to earn the SCAC regular season crown with a record of 6-1-1 in league matches en route to a 9-5-3 finish overall. Defender JonConnor Rule and midfielder Joseph Kuri earned All-Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches, second and third team, respectively, and were two of eight Tigers named AllSCAC. Through his 32nd season at Trinity, Head Coach Paul McGinlay has produced an overall record of 540-92-40 (.833), which ranks 10th in NCAA history for overall wins, the fourth-highest among active coaches in NCAA Men’s Soccer.

Women’s Soccer

and 27th appearance in the NCAA Division III postseason. Defender Bailey Meyer and forward Molly Sheridan were each named FirstTeam All-Americans by the United Soccer Coaches, marking the fourth time since 2002 that a pair of Trinity players earned the distinction in the same season. On top of being one of three other players named First-Team All-Region by the nation’s coaches, forward Michaela Bosco was also one of a trio to be named College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans, marking the first time two Tigers (including defender Ashlyn Zingelmann) earned the title with firstteam honors in the same season. Head Coach Dylan Harrison became Trinity Women’s Soccer’s winningest coach by winning percentage this season as he moved his record with the Tigers to 121-13-6 (.886) through seven seasons. Harrison was named SCAC Coach of the Year alongside Player of the Year honors for Meyer and Sheridan.

Volleyball

top-20

23.8 out of 443 programs for 2021-22

of the Directors’ Cup current standing for 2022-23

The Trinity women’s soccer team posted its fourth 20-win season and fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III round of 16 in 2022, going undefeated through the first 23 matches of the season en route to the program’s 26th SCAC Championship

Trinity Volleyball had one of its best seasons in the program’s storied history in 2022, reaching the NCAA III Women’s Volleyball championship match for the first time since 1999

finishes, with 5 of these in the top 10

11 average rank –consistent success

(as of Fall 2022) #16

FLYNN

KURI

SHERIDAN

while logging its 20th 30-win season and the eighth postseason run to at least the NCAA III Quarterfinals. Right side hitter Sara Flynn and middle blocker Emily Ellis were each named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American First Team for their efforts up front, marking the second time in program history that a pair of Tigers earned the honor in back-to-back seasons. Flynn was also named SCAC Player of the Year, with outside hitter

Reagan Whatley collecting SCAC Freshman of the Year. Head Coach Julie Jenkins collected her 1,000th victory at Trinity in a conference matchup at Centenary College of Louisiana in September, becoming just the second coach in NCAA Division III to reach the mark at a single institution. Jenkins finished the 2022 campaign with a career record of 1,049-430 (.709) in her 39th season overall, the 10th-most victories of any NCAA Women’s Volleyball coach ever.

Winter 2023 Sports

All four of Trinity’s winter sports—Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Swimming and Diving, and Men’s Swimming and Diving—opened their respective 202223 campaigns ranked nationally inside the top 25, led by Tiger Women’s Hoops with top five ranks from both D3hoops.com and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Stay tuned for recaps from each sport in the next issue of Trintiy magazine.

IN MEMORIAM

JIM POTTER ’63,

M’67

“Coach” James (Jim) Robeson Potter Jr. died on June 9, 2022, of congestive heart failure. He was 86. Potter served as Trinity’s director of intramurals for 33 years, retiring in 2000. He was also an associate professor of physical education and athletics.

As a Trinity student, Potter played basketball and baseball, and he participated in the ROTC program. After graduating in 1963, he served for four years in the Army at Fort Hood in Texas, achieving the rank of lieutenant.

In 1967, Potter returned to Trinity as director of intramurals and as a Master of Education student. He built Trinity’s intramural program into one of the finest in the nation, helping to establish the Trinity Outdoor Recreation program. In 1971, the University honored Potter as an Outstanding Professor, and in

2007, he was awarded the Spirit of Trinity Award. In 2003, Potter was inducted into the Trinity University Athletics Hall of Fame, and the University named its intramural field after him in 2017. In the same year, Trinity established the Jim Potter Endowed Scholarship Fund, thanks to the generosity of David Prichard ’75 and other alumni and friends.

Potter received four National Service Awards from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) and served as the NIRSA Texas State director in 1975-76 and as the regional vice president in 1977-78. He officiated Southwest Conference and Lone Star Conference games for 16 years.

Potter is survived by his wife, Mary Alice Koewing Potter ’62, and his son, daughter, five grandchildren, sister, and brother.

left John Brazil served as Trinity’s president from 1999-2010.

top right Brazil (far right) is pictured with three former Trinity presidents: Dennis Ahlburg, the late Ronald Calgaard, and Danny Anderson. bottom right Brazil (second from left) attended the ribbon cutting for the Center for the Sciences and Innovation, for which he was instrumental in raising funds.

John R. Brazil, Ph.D., president emeritus of Trinity University, died on June 2, 2022. He served as the University’s 17th president from 1999-2010.

Brazil often stated that his vision was “to move Trinity from its position of eminence to preeminence and propel it into the front ranks of America’s finest smaller colleges and universities.”

To help fund this goal, Brazil oversaw the successful completion of a historic $200 million capital campaign. Dream. Inspire. Achieve. The Campaign for Trinity University exceeded its goal by raising $205.9 million in gifts and pledges that would sustain Trinity’s future and allow the University to further invest in its students and faculty.

Progress toward Brazil’s vision included hiring numerous new faculty members; redesigning the common curriculum; reconceptualizing student life; implementing the Academic Honor Code; revitalizing both Trinity University Press and KRTU FM 91.7; dramatically increasing the number, quality, and diversity of applicants for admissions; and internationalizing both the faculty and student body. Brazil increased the percentage of international students from 1% in 1999 to 9% a decade later. During his tenure, the number of students studying abroad also increased—from roughly a third of the student body to one-half.

As one of his first acts as president, Brazil revived the opening convocation for first-year and transfer students. He was the first president to climb Murchison Tower, creating the beloved Trinity tradition now known as Tower Climb, where the University president greets students at the top of the tower during orientation.

With technology booming at the turn of the 21st century, Brazil increased Trinity’s information technology resources

at a rapid pace. Under Brazil, Trinity’s campus went wireless, enhancing its technological infrastructure and taking degree audits and course registration fully online. To establish focused leadership in this area, Brazil created the position of vice president for information resources and administrative affairs. He also oversaw the construction of major facilities, including a new Northrup Hall and the Dicke Art and Smith Music buildings as well as a renovated Ruth Taylor Recital Hall. The Board of Trustees awarded Brazil the Distinguished Service Award, the University’s most prestigious honor, for his significant contributions to Trinity.

Before arriving at Trinity, Brazil served as president of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to Bradley, he was president and chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Brazil taught at Yale and San Jose State University before beginning his career in higher education administration.

Brazil received his Bachelor of Arts in history from Stanford University and earned a Master of Philosophy and doctorate in American studies from Yale University. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Sydney in 1980 and a delegate in the U.S. Department of Education and American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ mission to the Soviet Union in 1989. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Samara State Aerospace University in Russia in 1997.

Brazil was active in numerous academic, professional, and civic organizations and published in scholarly journals frequently. He is survived by his wife, Janice Hosking Brazil, and their two children—a son, Adrian, and daughter, Morgan.

Corinne Ondine Pache, Ph.D., professor of classical studies, died on July 20, 2022, of cancer. Pache was an accomplished scholar, revered teacher and mentor, and terrific friend to many all over the globe.

Originally from Lausanne, Switzerland, Pache enrolled in her 20s as a first-generation undergraduate at Hunter College in New York City and later earned her doctorate from Harvard University. Pache served as a professor at Yale University before coming to Trinity.

After her arrival at Trinity in 2009, Pache served as acting chair of the Department of Classical Studies, as a Faculty Senator, and as a First-Year Experience coordinator, and she worked enthusiastically with the Trinity Cat Alliance among other endeavors. She innovated the popular social history course “Daily Life in Ancient Greece” and was instrumental in setting up one of Trinity’s first humanities labs, dedicated to the early manuscript tradition of Homer.

For much of the 2010s, Pache labored on what would be her magnum opus: the monumental and invaluable Cambridge Guide to Homer (2020), the result of many years of editing, people-wrangling, and scholarship. Throughout these volumes and her many articles—including such far-flung topics as Virgilian echoes in Battlestar Galactica—Pache brought to bear her customary acumen, literary sensibility, and graceful style.

Pache was also profoundly concerned with helping others in the community, volunteering her language skills to welcome Congolese asylum seekers.

Pache is survived by family in Switzerland, including her mother, brother, nephew, and niece. She was rich in her vast circle of loving friends.

IN MEMORIAM

Obituaries reflect notable deaths in the Trinity community between May 2022 and January 2023.

CAREY LATIMORE

Carey H. Latimore IV, Ph.D., Trinity history professor, died on July 26, 2022, in San Antonio. He was 46.

Latimore joined the Trinity community in 2004, bringing passion and expertise in Black history and the African-American experience. He served as the chair of the Department of History from 2011-20 and was the codirector for the African American Studies minor. Latimore was central to the work of the Trinity University Roots Commission and to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion work across campus. As a humble advocate and dedicated mentor, he supported Trinity’s Black Student Union and the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society.

Among a long list of accolades, Latimore received the Dr. and Mrs. Z.T. Scott Faculty Fellowship in 2021, lauded for inspiring students to engage deeply with the AfricanAmerican experience, to learn from complexity and diversity, and to confront challenges with tolerance and empathy.

Latimore’s work did not stop on Trinity’s campus. He was an associate minister for Mt. Zion First Baptist Church and served on the Alamo Museum Planning Committee and the Alamo Citizens Management Committee, working to honor and highlight downtown San Antonio’s place in the history of the civil rights movement. He was a member of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, the Bexar County Historical Commission, and the Mayor’s Council on Police and Community Relations, among others.

Latimore was preceded in death by his mother. He is survived by his wife, Almie, and his father, two sisters, nephews, nieces, as well as a host of other family and friends.

DAVID J. STRAUS II ’44

Trinity Trustee Emeritus David J. Straus II ’44 died on May 28, 2022. He was 98. Straus served on Trinity University’s Board of Trustees for more than 30 years, from 1975-2009, and was awarded Trinity’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1995.

Straus enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 19 and served for 11 years before being discharged as a captain. He was the third generation to lead the Straus-Frank Company, working there for almost 60 years.

Straus was heavily involved with the commercial development of the San Antonio River Walk. He was the founding member and chairman emeritus of the San Antonio River Walk Commission, which he worked with for more than 30 years. Straus was also the chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce during the year of HemisFair ’68.

Straus is survived by his wife, Debbie, and four sons, his brother, 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

SARAH BURKE LUPINSKI

Sarah Predock Burke Lupinski, Ph.D., professor emerita of modern languages and literatures, died on June 12, 2022. She was 81. Burke Lupinski taught Russian language, literature, culture, and art history for more than 45 years, 38 of which were at Trinity.

After short stints at other universities, Burke Lupinski arrived at Trinity in 1973 to join the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. While at Trinity, Burke Lupinski received an NEA Fellowship grant to participate in a Modern Art and Tradition seminar at Columbia University for the 1977-78 academic year. In 2008, she received the Trinity University Outstanding University and Community Service Award.

Burke Lupinski also served for many years as a co-director of the Institute of Modern Russian Culture. She is survived by her husband, Stephen, and a son, grandson, and brother, as well as numerous brothers- and sisters-inlaw, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

BATES HOFFER

Bates Lowry Hoffer III, Ph.D., professor emeritus of English, died on Aug. 9, 2022. He was 82. Hoffer worked at Trinity for nearly 40 years, from 19702008, as an English and linguistics professor, English department chair, and faculty sponsor of the Spurs Sorority.

Hoffer attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning a bachelor’s degree in English in 1962 and a doctorate in linguistics in 1967. Before settling down in San Antonio in 1970, his academic career took him and his family to such varied places as Austin, Texas; Tokyo, Japan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Ithaca, New York. In addition to the many classes he taught, Bates co-authored several books, edited multiple journals, and spoke at international conferences until he retired.

Hoffer is predeceased by his wife, Helen, and his daughter. He is survived by his sister, brother, four sons, and 10 grandchildren.

BILL BRISTOW

William Arthur (“Bill”) Bristow, MFA, artist and Trinity professor emeritus of art, died on Dec. 1, 2022, after an extended illness. He was 85.

In 1960, Bristow joined Trinity’s Department of Art as an assistant professor, assuming the role of department chair by 1965 and receiving full professorship in 1979. He helped to shape the University’s liberal arts curriculum while serving as chair of Trinity’s Academic Council. After nearly 40 years of service to the University, he retired from Trinity in 1998. Bristow was awarded as a Piper Professor for teaching excellence by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation in 1983 and the Dr. and Mrs. Z.T. Scott Faculty Fellowship for teaching and academic excellence in 1989.

Throughout Bristow’s illustrious career, his artwork was featured in 16 major exhibits from Texas to New York. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in the institutional collections of the Houston, Dallas, and Longview Museums of Fine Art; the Witte Museum; and the Universities of Texas and Florida as well as the private collections of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, former Texas Gov. John B. Connally, and many others. Bristow was awarded the prestigious Julian Onderdonk Memorial Purchase Prize in 1961 and Artist of the Year in 1965 by the San Antonio Art League and Museum. He is an honorary lifetime member of the Coppini Academy of Fine Art and the San Antonio Watercolor Group.

Bristow is predeceased by his wife, Wilanna, and his sister, and he is survived by his daughter, grandchild, two nephews, and five great-nieces.

KATIE VICTORIA DAVIS ’25

Katie Victoria Davis ’25, a Trinity sophomore, died on Dec. 24, 2022. She was 20. Katie planned to major in sociology with a minor in ethics, and she was involved in Phi Delta Kappa, Trinity’s debate team, and Trinity’s Student Accessibility Services.

Katie valiantly fought severe mental illness for more than seven years and carried that advocacy into her time at Trinity. She wanted to help make a high-quality education more accessible to those with disabilities. Katie was well aware of the struggles faced by those with disabilities and was working on an initiative through Student Accessibility Services to educate professors on the challenges students face when using accommodations. Her parents shared that, from a young age, Katie exuded kindness and acceptance to everyone she met. She wanted everyone to feel included, valued, and respected.

“Katie had a sure sense of where her energy was needed the most, and she came at her education with an overriding concern for justice,” says Judith Norman, Ph.D., who taught Katie’s First-Year Experience course. “She knew she wanted to advocate for others facing similar struggles with fewer resources than she had. She wanted to use her own experiences—the knowledge she had gained and the resources she had developed—to guide the way for other people with mental health challenges.”

Katie is survived by her parents, her brothers, her grandparents, and many loving extended family members and friends.

The Davis family welcomes donations to the Katie Victoria Davis fund through Student Accessibility Services. The fund supports Trinity students who face challenges associated with the costs of mental health care.

DRONE

The Big Picture

After Harmony Ignited, the inauguration concert, Trinity showcased a surprise in the sky—a magical drone show that ignited both our imaginations and our Tiger spirit! Revisit every magical moment from the weeklong festivities celebrating the inauguration of Trinity’s 20th president on page 41.

photo by Ryan Sedillo

At her inauguration, President Beasley bore the presidential mace and medallion.

words by Ted Gartner ’91

photos

Tracing President Vanessa Beasley’s lifelong journey to promote student success

For Trinity President Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D., student success is more than just important: It’s personal. All she has to do is think back to her first days as a college student. It’s probably an experience familiar to many Trinity students, alumni, and parents.

“I was used to doing very well in high school without really having to study or prepare for classes. I could listen in class and then do really well on the exams, and writing papers has always been relatively easy for me,” Beasley explains. “But when I went to Vanderbilt as a first-year student, the level of preparation that needed to be done outside of class was much more significant, and I just didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know how to study.”

by Sam Damon ’25, Anh-Viet Dinh ’15, Josh Moczygemba ’05, and Ryan Sedillo

Fast forward to 2007, when Beasley returned to her alma mater as a faculty member and eventually served as vice provost for Academic Affairs, dean of residential faculty, and an associate professor of communication studies. She learned there were many students with experiences like hers: highly intelligent and achievement-oriented but not always prepared for the academic rigor of an elite university. But there was an even greater underlying challenge.

“I didn’t know how to ask for help. So that’s one of the investments in student success that I will always make—to seek ways to support a person like that, who was able to do the work but had no idea what doing the work actually meant or how to organize time and get tutoring,” Beasley says. “Higher education still needs to do some work on normalizing asking for help. If you’re that person who always did well in school and then became a professor or administrator without ever having to ask for help, you really don’t know how to do it. It’s a skill that is never too late to learn.”

As a first-generation college student, Beasley knows that asking for help can be an even greater challenge. Her commitment to student success manifests itself in her desire to make a Trinity liberal arts education accessible to capacious students across the nation, no matter their backgrounds.

President Beasley notes that she’s already seen how a Trinity education teaches students how to learn rather than simply what to learn. And that includes listening to—and learning from—fellow students as well as faculty and staff. She fully embraces the idea that the Trinity experience teaches you both how to answer questions and question answers.

“We want all students, no matter their backgrounds or any parts of their identity, to learn from each other. A central concept of the liberal arts is teaching people how to understand the world by providing tools to research more perspectives than just your own,” Beasley says. “I want our students to understand how other people think and also how to support

their own arguments by using the best evidence. That’s how we prepare them for a life of meaning and purpose in their careers and beyond.”

This philosophy is reflected in President Beasley’s chosen academic field of political rhetoric, which she discovered during her junior year of college. During a final exam, she was challenged by a communication professor to write an essay evaluating a political conflict from multiple perspectives.

“By then, I had learned how to study and prepare for the exam. As I turned it in, I was happy with my essay,” Beasley says. “When we came back at the beginning of senior year, that professor asked me to come see him in his office. I figured I was in trouble for something I didn’t know I had done—because why else would a professor want to talk to me? He ended up telling me how impressive my essay was and that he thought if I was writing and thinking at that level, I ought to consider going to graduate school.”

Soon after, Beasley found herself studying at the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a master’s degree and doctorate in speech communication. No stranger to the Lone Star State, she went on to teach at Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University before moving to the University of Georgia and eventually returning to Vanderbilt University.

Beasley has continued her research on U.S. political rhetoric, authoring You, the People: American National Identity in Presidential Rhetoric: 1885-2000 and editing the volume Who Belongs in America? Presidents, Rhetoric, and Immigration. She still enjoys her research, although it has taken a back seat to her new role at Trinity. Even so, she’s finding ways to promote civil discourse.

In today’s politically charged climate, Beasley has been a champion of asking how we might imagine a renewed “civic literacy” on Trinity’s campus and beyond. It’s a concept that harkens back to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and the beginning of the liberal arts tradition, which she says the University continues to revisit and revise.

We want all students, no matter their backgrounds or any parts of their identity, to learn from each other.

Beasley bagged personal care items during the Service Ignited inauguration event.

“The model associated with Ciceronian education, for example, requires that you have a sense of the importance of the greater community in ways that likely go beyond your own self-interest,” Beasley explains. And while that realization is important, Beasley says, there’s a second component to civic literacy that is also fundamental to the liberal arts.

“The second part of civic literacy is asking how we know what we think we know. This includes asking yourself whether you are only hearing from people you already agree with, which is not usually the most productive path to learning. How, then, do we learn to listen to people who we disagree with and to do so without being highly reactive, to listen with curiosity? How do you practice a habit of mind that enables you to say, ‘I don’t have to agree with it, but I want to understand why somebody else would think this way,’” Beasley says.

“Sometimes taking this stance confirms your own beliefs even more. It asks you to think about why you have the beliefs that you do. Other times, it might lead you to reconsider your beliefs, and that can be very meaningful, too. In both scenarios, you might also ask, and be asked, to provide better evidence for your claims. The ability to discover, interpret, and evaluate new evidence or data is one of the most important skills learned through a liberal arts education, ” she says.

President Beasley is energized and excited by what she sees at Trinity University: a faculty committed to scholarship as well as hands-on, experiential research and teaching; a newly reclassified, highly ranked national liberal arts college; exceptional new facilities, including Dicke Hall and Beneski Parkway; and a student body that continues to raise the bar in both academic profile and diversity.

“Trinity is a community where people genuinely care for each other and where relationships are important. I’ve heard that over and over again from faculty, students, and staff, and I have seen it, too,” Beasley says. “I’ve been struck by how many people have shared a story with me about how a relationship they formed at Trinity changed their life, and I’ve also been struck by how much people want to re-engage with each other right now.”

Meet Trinity’s First First Gentleman

Vanessa Beasley made history by becoming the first female president of Trinity University. Right alongside her is her husband, Trey Beasley, who has the distinction of being Trinity’s first “first gentleman” in the school’s 153-year history.

“This title has a nice sound to it, and it’s professional and appropriate for what I want to do here,” Trey says. “I take pride in being the first first gentleman at Trinity.”

In fact, Trey Beasley is part of a growing trend of men who are husbands or partners to college presidents. According to the Council of Independent Colleges, this year more than 40% of new college president spouses and partners were male, whereas just a decade ago, fewer than 10% were men.

Trey is enthusiastically embracing his role as a university ambassador. On campus, Trey serves as a mentor at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is involved with Career Services, and regularly attends sporting events, theater productions, and musical performances. Off campus, he serves on the boards of Kinetic Kids and the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential.

Trey is excited that, as Trinity’s first first gentleman, he has the freedom to define his role and to support the University—and his spouse—in any way necessary.

“There’s no real road map,” he says, “so it’s kind of learning and doing it on the fly. But it’s been fun and immensely gratifying because everyone has been so welcoming to us.”

Read more about Trinity’s first first gentleman.

Beasley came to Trinity from Vanderbilt University, where she served as vice provost for Academic Affairs.

And while we all agree that Trinity University is a unique place, President Beasley says it’s part of her job to articulate just exactly why our campus and its people are so special. She also says it’s part of her job to use her expertise in presidential rhetoric to set the tone for the entire university on its path forward.

“I am listening closely to how people articulate what makes this campus special, and then I start to talk to colleagues about how we can get better at doing and being those things,” Beasley says.

As Trinity’s first female president, Beasley says she’s been surprised at how often she’s been approached by students, faculty, and staff telling her that the distinction is significant to them. “It means a lot to many people, and I take that responsibility very seriously,” she adds.

Beasley is also proud of receiving a mentorship award from the National Communication Association (NCA) for her work with graduate students. The NCA is the leading academic organization that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry.

“Mentoring is something we all say is important, but being a good mentor or a good mentee is really hard,” she says. “I believe strongly in our responsibility to share the ‘invisible guidebook’ to help a future generation of people who want to be professors or researchers. It meant a lot to me to receive that award.”

Beasley also serves as the current president of the Rhetoric Society of America, which provides

knowledge and research assistance to professionals who have chosen careers in the field of rhetoric and communication.

In addition to these academic honors, Beasley says one of her most cherished accolades is being a Texas A&M “Fish Camp” namesake. Fish Camp is an off-campus orientation that gives incoming students the opportunity to learn about the many Aggie traditions and to make friends before the semester begins. The camps are named after people who have made positive contributions to Texas A&M.

“Knowing that the students nominated me as a Fish Camp namesake while I was an assistant professor there was a huge honor,” Beasley says. “It was great to be recognized by the students themselves. That affirmed how important it is to be the best teacher I could be while also conducting my research.”

When out of the office, Beasley and her husband, Trey, spend time supporting students through their attendance at Tiger Athletics competitions and artistic performances and presentations. They also enjoy discovering cultural opportunities throughout San Antonio and visiting their two adult sons. Most of all, she makes time to stay engaged with those on campus—and alumni off-campus, too—by learning about their accomplishments, concerns, and needs.

“It’s very important to me that everybody knows we’re in a very special place with a special mission. In this community, we are interested in asking important, and sometimes hard, questions together,” Beasley says. “As a leader, it’s my job to make those conversations flourish on campus. . .

We never want to stop learning.

Alongside students, faculty, and staff, Beasley marched in San Antonio’s 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. March.

Trinity University’s 20th president is officially in the house. Trinity celebrated President Beasley’s inauguration through a series of successful events from Tuesday, Feb. 7, through Saturday, Feb. 11, each themed around the enduring values that ignite the imaginations of the University community.

At Trinity, we are committed to enduring excellence, which lets us thrive in a changing world; intentional inclusion, which connects and builds without leaving any driven mind behind; and perpetual discovery, which impels a lifelong curiosity for new knowledge and empowers us to act on that knowledge.

And President Beasley is here to lead the charge. With her at the helm, Trinity will continue to strengthen its reputation as a place where students and faculty alike can redefine the liberal arts in a way that ignites imaginations.

Flip through the next few pages to see how the Trinity community ignited their imaginations during the inauguration festivities.

Relive inauguration week by watching the recap video.

words by Jeremy Gerlach photos by Cade Bradshaw ’14, Anh-Viet Dinh ’15, Josh Moczygemba ’05, and Ryan Sedillo

Service Ignited kicked off the weeklong inauguration festivities with community involvement. Participants made a positive impact in the San Antonio community by volunteering at service events on and off campus. More than 200 participants united to log more than 500 combined hours of volunteer service. Together our Tigers accomplished some astonishing feats.

~1,500 care kits packed for donation with the Assistance League of San Antonio

30,000 diapers sorted and repackaged at the Texas Diaper Bank

23,000 lbs of food sorted at the San Antonio Food Bank

Days worth of trail maintenance at the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center

Days worth of work completed for landscaping and park preparation at Morgan’s Wonderland

At Pathways Ignited, a panel of Trinity faculty, students, and an alumnus explored and re-envisioned the future roles of academic imagination in scholarly and creative activities as well as in teaching and learning. Visit live.trinity.edu to rewatch the panel.

Panelists

Jade Bondy ’23

Jenny Browne, MFA

John Burnam ’10, MTS

Mario V. Gonzalez, Ph.D.

Matthew Hibbs, Ph.D.

Omarree Kimbrough ’25

Jennifer Mathews, Ph.D.

Wilson Terrell Jr., Ph.D.

Moderator

JJ Lopez

First, the Music

At Harmony Ignited, the Trinity University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble ignited our souls through an inauguration concert, themed around how imagination brings music to life. The students performing in these ensembles represented more than 20 different majors, all united by their passion for music.

First, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, directed by James Worman, Ph.D., and featuring soprano soloist Lydia Beasley Kneer, D.M.A., took listeners on a journey through concepts related to creativity, invention, and emotion; pieces included Alfred Reed’s “A Festival Prelude,” Henry Cowell’s “Ancient Desert Drone,” and Ron Nelson’s “Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice,” among others. The Jazz Ensemble, directed by Brian Christiansen, joined the evening to, as Chrstiansen put it, “throw a wrench into things” with pieces such as Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.” Visit live.trinity.edu to rewatch the concert.

Then, the Magic

The sparks didn’t stop when the music was over. During the all-campus reception following the concert, guests were treated to a magical surprise in the sky that incorporated light, life, and imagination together. Viewers looked on in delight as 150 drones took to the sky for a sparkling display under the stars.

At the formal investiture ceremony, Imagination Ignited, President Beasley delivered a rousing speech before the present delegates of institutions of higher learning and Trinity’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters, and friends watching in-person and worldwide. She called upon the Trinity community to view this inauguration as a chance to reaffirm and reinvigorate the passions and enduring values that drive each of us.

Here at Trinity University, we must have enough commitment to uphold existing scholarly traditions of inquiry, while also having enough humility to admit that we all have so much to learn and so much to learn by listening to each other,” Beasley spoke. “We must question answers even as we answer questions. We must pair knowledge with critical thinking, and we must be guided by Trinity’s values of enduring excellence, perpetual discovery, and intentional inclusion … Now is our moment. Now is our time to strengthen our community, learn from each other, and ignite imaginations for generations to come.”

Two Trinity physics professors take to the field during historic 2022 season

by Brian Yancelson ’22 photos by Cade Bradshaw ’14 and Anh-Viet Dinh ‘15

Footballis physical. Just look at the velocity that BJ Stewart ’25 reaches on punt returns, or the perfect angles at which Tucker Horn ’23 launches his throws, or the force Carson Byrd ’24 uses to sack opposing quarterbacks.

It only makes sense, then, that Dennis Ugolini, Ph.D., and Jennifer Steele, Ph.D., two Trinity University physics and astronomy professors, were part of the chain crew at home football games during the 2022 season. Ugolini carried the box that displayed the down and moved to wherever the line of scrimmage was, while Steele held one of the chains that shifted only on first downs.

Ugolini and Steele have been on the opposing sidelines for some thrilling games as the Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2002. This opportunity gave both professors the chance to live out their gridiron dreams while building a deeper connection with student-athletes.

FOOTBALL CURIOSITY

Growing up in Illinois, Ugolini thought he would play football because of his big frame. At just 14 years old, he was already 6’2” and 230 pounds. “I really thought I was going to be a monster,” says Ugolini, who was recruited by his high school football team.

However, fearing potential injuries, Ugolini’s parents refused to let him put on a helmet and pads.

“I always wanted to play, but they were adamant, so I never got to be on a football sideline,” Ugolini says.

Steele, meanwhile, did get to play football as a student at Rice University. Competition occurred between residence halls—known as colleges at Rice—and Steele became part of a league that featured eight women’s flag football teams. In those games, Steele was tasked with containing the run and going after the quarterback as a defensive end. She even played on the offensive line her senior year, meaning she stayed on the field the whole game.

“I have just really liked football for a while. I mean, I went to high school and undergraduate school in Texas, so it’s hard to escape,” Steele says.

Once they both reached the physics and astronomy department at Trinity, Ugolini and Steele played

fantasy football together for many years. Life got busy, though, so they dropped out of the league and watched football less often than before. Despite this, an itch for being around the game remained. When Quin Patterson, Trinity’s head athletic equipment manager, sent a message asking for volunteers at football games, both professors pounced.

Patterson put the request on TigerTalk, an online forum where faculty and staff can connect with other employees across campus. However, Ugolini is not subscribed to the message board. His wife, Rebecca, who works at Trinity as a program assistant for the McNair Scholars Program, forwarded Patterson’s request.

“I was always curious about what the coaches were yelling, how they work out the system of who’s getting on the field when, and the interaction with the referees, so I signed up for it,” Ugolini says. “Then I ran into Dr. Steele in the hallway, and she said, ‘You’re not on TigerTalk, but we got this request.’ It turned out she had signed up for the same thing independently.”

Patterson says roles like the chain crew used to be filled by external volunteers until COVID-19 forced him to keep those jobs within Trinity Athletics. This meant asking people such as injured

Jennifer Steele (right) says the most difficult part of her job was being physically linked to another person and moving in tandem with them (such as with Dennis Ugolini, left).

athletes, who already had COVID-19 testing, to help out on the sidelines. Entering 2022, Patterson wanted to open things up again.

“We want a lot of activation across the entire campus, not just Athletics, so it’s nice to have people who are interested in this from other areas across campus,” Patterson says. “Especially with the physical divide in the campus in Cardiac Hill. Whatever we can do to bridge that gap and have that involvement between north campus and south campus is a great thing in my mind.”

Jerheme Urban ’03, head football coach, agrees. “It is a really cool experience for the players to see a familiar face from north campus taking an added interest in them as a football player. I know that when I was a student, I had a little extra motivation when I saw my professors at my games, and I know that we have young men who are taking notice and doing the same thing today.”

HITTING THE SIDELINE

“I think the first game was maybe not my best, but I got the hang of it,” Steele says.

As the box man, Ugolini flipped the down marker on every play and constantly moved alongside the line judge. The most crucial instruction he received was to never move unless he was instructed to do so. If not paying attention, it might be easy to start walking as a play ends, but Ugolini learned to always look for penalties.

“One time, the referee missed it. He waved me over, and I said, ‘No,’ because there was a flag, and he hadn’t seen it,” Ugolini says.

Steele’s job was to hold one end of the chains that shift only after teams earn a first down. She also helped the line judge spot flags, but the most difficult part of her job was being physically linked to another person.

“You have to work out a system,” Steele says. “The other team is supposed to not be in our area, but they inevitably get there. So there were times when I looked over and I couldn’t see the other holder through the sea of bodies, but we had to pick up (the sticks) at the first down and then run at about the same speed.”

As Steele describes, she learned to be more assertive. “At first I was like, ‘Excuse me; excuse me,’ but now I’m like, ‘No, I’m supposed to be here.’ They’re supposed to get out of my way, so I just take up space and see what happens,” Steele says.

Everything the professors do takes place on the opponent’s sideline, making things all the more interesting. Ugolini describes the shift in

emotion he observed during some of the Tigers’ biggest moments.

“There were two times where [the opponents] were yelling and singing, and then all of a sudden, I could hear myself breathe,” Ugolini says. “Once on the blocked extra point [against Wheaton College] and once on the touchdown against Birmingham-Southern.”

IMPACT IN THE CLASSROOM

Even though the chains are operated on the opposite sideline, Jonathan Nwobodo ’25 and Jaden Powell ’26 suspected they saw their “Introduction to Mechanics” professor from a distance during a game.

“We were just sitting on the sidelines, and we saw someone that looked like our teacher, but we were like, ‘Yeah—no way,’” Nwobodo says. “I got in the game, and then between downs I looked over to my left, I saw him, and I knew it was him.”

Trinity Athletics sees Ugolini’s (left) and Steele’s (right) volunteer roles as bridging the divide between two typically separate areas of campus.

“It is a really cool experience for the players to see a familiar face from north campus taking an added interest in them as a football player.”

After making the discovery that it was really Ugolini that day, Nwobodo and Powell began trading stories with their professor in class about what they each saw from their respective sides during games. Nwobodo, an engineering science major, confesses having his professor on the field has increased his motivation in the classroom. He says that this reciprocal relationship, with both student and teacher investing in the other’s success, has pushed him to try even harder in Ugolini’s notoriously difficult class.

Nwobodo even wonders whether something that happens in a game could end up on a future assessment.

“He has so many sports examples,” Nwobodo says. “He’ll be like, ‘Do you know how fast this guy is going at this point?’ So now whenever I’m out there, I say, ‘Maybe this will be a physics question; maybe he’ll use this one.’”

Steele didn’t have students on the team last season, but she has been impressed in the past by the academic success of student-athletes, including those on the football team. A few years ago, she had what she called her “pack” of football players— they would sit in the front row of her class, visit office hours together, and support one another throughout the course.

Their dedication to the class prompted Steele to email Coach Urban to tell him how she enjoyed their unity and teamwork during the semester. According to Steele, Urban was grateful to hear his players were working well together in the classroom.

“I like the fact that the football team [takes] physics classes,” Steele says. “When I went to Rice, almost the entire football team was in one or two majors, and it was very rare to see them in any science classes. What I like about Trinity is that I do have these players in my classrooms. I get excited when they do well.”

Steele believes helping move the chains has provided her with another meaningful way to connect with students. It is exactly the type of activity that led her to a school like Trinity.

“The vast majority of our faculty chose to work at a residential, liberal arts undergraduate school for a reason—we wanted to have these kinds of relationships and a supportive environment for our students even outside our classroom,” Steele says. “If we were not interested in having in-person office hours that students actually come to, working with students on our research projects, or being a club faculty sponsor, we might have chosen to go to another university. This, to us, is part of the whole Trinity teaching experience.”

Over the past two years, Ugolini missed being in front of his students. During the pandemic, Ugolini held classes via Zoom for the 2020-21 school year, and then he took a yearlong sabbatical to work on his research during the 2021-22 school year. Stepping

“We wanted to have these kinds of relationships and a supportive environment for our students even outside our classroom.”

onto the field has been one way of linking back with campus now that he has returned to teaching.

“I’ve been gone for two years, and I wanted to reconnect with human beings again,” Ugolini says.

Like Steele, Ugolini appreciates the variety that comes with being a member of the Trinity community.

“That’s one of the reasons I came here,” Ugolini says. “My wife took a creative writing class with Dr. (Andrew) Porter, and I’ve taught a first-year experience with (retired) Rev. (Stephen) Nickle. To be able to easily cross those barriers is part of why I ended up in a place like this.”

POSTSEASON PERFORMERS

The professors joined a season that carried the Tigers all the way to the end of November. Trinity defeated Hardin-Simmons University, earning the program’s first playoff win in 20 years. Steele missed that game, but the next home playoff game against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders gave her and Ugolini one last chance to walk the sidelines.

“It was very exciting,” Steele says. “Everything was more professional. We needed passes to enter the stadium, and the officiating crew spent more time with us before the game going over how they wanted us to run the chains.”

Early in the game, the officials needed to measure a spot to see whether a first down should be called. The fans were focused on the outcome, but Steele was out on the field involved in the process.

“The very first game, I told Dennis I really wanted there to be a measurement, so it was a thrill when it happened. The refs did most of the actual measuring, but it was still amazing to run out there,” Steele says.

The Tigers and Crusaders battled down to the final play, but a timely sack by Mary Hardin-Baylor ended the season for Trinity. It was a stressful ending to a thrilling year—which Ugolini compares to the television series Friday Night Lights

“People used to criticize the show because of how cliché and unrealistic it was that every game came down to the last play,” Ugolini says. “Well, I worked seven games this season, and five came down to the last play, including both playoff games. Can we have an easy one, just once in a while?” Ugolini says with a laugh.

Once a season ends, it is impossible not to think about the next one. So, will the physics professors be back on the sidelines?

“If they need me, I’d be happy to come back. But if someone else wants the experience, I would never stand in their way,” Ugolini says. “I enjoyed the season, I took pride in my job, and I accomplished my goal of getting out again after two years of COVID-19 lockdown.”

Whether they come back or not, Steele is happy with the role she played in a magical campaign for Trinity Football.

“It was a pleasure and an honor to be a very, very small part of the football program,” Steele says.

So, next season, when the Tigers complete many more first downs, keep an eye on who is physically moving those chains.

Steele (left photo, on right) and Ugolini (right photo, in center) agree that supporting students outside the classroom enriches their connection with them inside the classroom, and it’s what makes the Trinity teaching experience so special.

Trinity alumni draw international attention for “world’s longest pub crawl” across Europe

by Jeremy Gerlach photos by Harry Bellow ‘20 and Elliot Blake ‘19

As cross country teammates at Trinity University, Harry Bellow ’20 and Elliot Blake ’19 could have called it a day after running a few thousand miles together by the time their graduations rolled around.

Even with their Trinity undergraduate degrees in geosciences, these young professionals could have looked out on a challenging job market with dread in the summer of 2022.

Instead, they decided they just needed a drink—and a 3,200-mile hike from the Netherlands to Turkey.

Bellow and Blake eschewed hotels and hostels for a life of simple camping on the road.

180,000 970

Bellow and Blake enjoying Laško, a product of the largest brewery in Slovenia.

“I was in graduate school, and I did really bad on this big test, so I texted Harry: ‘OK, dude, let’s … go to Istanbul,’” Blake says with a laugh. “I said it just as a way to vent, just joking around, but Harry was immediately on it. He already had a rough skeleton of our map, and he just jumped into planning mode.”

What started out as a moment of frustration soon panned out into a once-ina-lifetime journey for these two Trinity friends, who’ve since gained significant international attention for undertaking what has been dubbed “the world’s longest pub crawl.”

The basics: The journey covered 3,200 miles and 12 European countries over the course of five months, all on a $2,500 budget. The pair became sensations on social media platforms such as TikTok, where they garnered more than 30 million views and 180,000 followers for their exploits. Starting in Bloemendaal aan Zee, a city in the Netherlands, on June 14, 2022, the pair stopped at each town in their path for a beer, downing more than 200 pints together on the way to their final stop of Istanbul, Turkey, in October.

In each of the 13 countries—the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Turkey—the pair experienced different highs and lows. Temperatures at various locations swung between a sweltering 95 degrees Farenheit to a frigid 42 degrees. Some roads were tougher (or more pleasant), as were some towns and camping locations.

But across languages, cultures, and geography, Bellow and Blake found their way using many of the same skills they demonstrated during their time at Trinity: an insatiable curiosity to discover new perspectives; an athletic and spiritual grit to endure tough trails and tough days; and, of course, knowing how to keep a good time going.

A Nikšićko beer, popular in countries like Serbia and Croatia.

FAST FRIENDS

Before they were trekking through beer halls in Czechia or the Balkans, Bellow and Blake could often be found at one of San Antonio’s hot spots.

“Cullum’s Attagirl and Bombay Bicycle Club were our favorite places,” Bellow says, as Blake deadpans, “As cross country runners, we really love our beer. As geologists, we really love our beer.”

This line is delivered tongue-in-cheek: The pair is really saying that as high-mileage distance runners and geosciences students at Trinity, their schedules were already full enough without going out on the weekends.

Bellow, who came to Trinity considering a major in computer science (with dreams of creating his own successful app), says the pull to geosciences came after “being blindsided by a volcanology class.”

The two Tigers became fast friends in “Intro to the Environment,” a class that incorporated environmental science policy and environmental art. “I remember I sat next to Harry in the back corner, just making little jokes and having a good time with the teacher,” Blake says.

The students continued bonding while studying climate change, a particularly interesting subject to Bellow, despite that he says, “It’s not true geology, but it was taught by a geology professor, and that was really fascinating to learn the science behind climate change.”

And as cross country runners, these fast friends spent their college years getting even faster.

“I really enjoyed being a student-athlete at Trinity,” Bellow says. “It gave me a structure, and it kept me on the rails.”

He found it “fascinating to learn how the world works and how nature functions.”

Blake, on the other hand, came to college already knowing he wanted to study something environmental. He remembers one of his environmental geology classes ticked all the boxes on his list.

For Blake, running with Bellow instilled the mental and physical toughness one needs not only to survive all-nighters and cram sessions at the University but also to eventually undertake a 3,200-mile hike across, say, an entire continent.

“Being a student-athlete, especially at Trinity

“As cross country runners, we really love our beer. As geologists, we really love our beer.”

The pair enjoyed the stunning natural scenery of Europe, from the Netherlands through the Balkans and on to Turkey.

with top-tier academics, definitely imparted some sense of grit,” Blake says. “I can recount many times where I was having to work on labs all night, all the way up to 30 minutes before [cross country] practice the next morning, and then go to practice running on zero sleep. But I definitely don’t regret doing it at all—I would do it again in a heartbeat. It definitely made us tougher.”

ROOM TO BREATHE

Toughness aside, the pair want to be clear they didn’t set out on an epic, continent-spanning pub crawl because they wanted to make their lives harder.

They did it because, after the all-out sprint (literally and figuratively) through graduation into the postgraduate world and an international pandemic entering its third year, they needed a breather.

When the summer of 2022 rolled around, Bellow was living in Nice, France, with his girlfriend, also a Trinity alum, while Blake had traded his job with a geotechnical and engineering firm in Houston for graduate school at the University of Georgia. When Blake finished his degree— after sending the aforementioned text to his Trinity friend—the time was ripe for the two to take a hike.

“This trip was never actually planned to be a pub crawl,” Bellow says with a laugh. “We were really just wanting to walk all the way across Europe, experience things firsthand, and live life every single day in the moment.”

The pair originally wanted to start in Spain, but they pivoted to the Netherlands when their astute geosciences and environmental sciences instincts told them that crossing the hottest parts of Europe during historic heat waves probably wasn’t the type of breather they were looking for.

“This trip was never actually planned to be a pub crawl ... We were really just wanting to walk all the way across Europe, experience things firsthand, and live life every single day in the moment.”

By the end of the trip, these two fast friends had become an international spectacle on social media.

“It was really bizarre because those heat waves were international news—‘huge heat waves sweep through Europe’—and all my friends were sending me screenshots of the warnings to stay inside,” Blake says. “So, we would just take it easy, duck inside a pub and drink some beer during the heat of the day, and get more miles in during cooler hours.”

Their days started with waking up in backpacking tents, making coffee on a portable stove, then eating a bunch of granola bars and setting out on the day’s walk. Bellow says their daily goal was to make it more or less 25 miles in the general direction of Istanbul.

“I had all the maps on my phone, so we kind of knew where we were going most of the time,” Bellow says. “And usually we’d run into a town at least once a day. They were always so unique and cool, so we would usually hang out for a few hours in the town; we would charge our phones and cameras and find a bar in town. Then we would end up getting a beer because that’s how we recharged.”

Bellow and Blake packed light, carrying everything they needed for their journey on their backs.

Viewers from each country on the trip tuned in to see their own beer represented.

STAYING SOCIAL

As the pair started to meet more and more people, they started thinking about how the trip was serving as more than a breather; it was the eye-opener people often get while studying abroad—something the two hadn’t gotten the chance to do as student-athletes.

From Northern Europe through the Balkans, Bellow and Blake say they learned from both the people and the brews they encountered.

“Every country had different attitudes toward us,” Bellow says. “Overall, we had maybe one or two sour encounters out of thousands and thousands and thousands. Everyone was really generous and kind.”

On one stop in the German Heartland, the pair was flagged down by a man who Bellow says, “was like, ‘Hey, we have a beer tap in our garden: Do you want some beer? Come sleep on my property.’ And then he comes out with two massive, liter-size beers and is like: ‘Enjoy!’ That sort of thing would happen sporadically.”

Bar none, the pair’s favorite place to drink was a spot in Czechia, in a small town of 1,800 people called Chodová Planá. “They had this beer cave where you could just go sit in this dank, musty cavern and eat soup and drink beer,” Blake says. “We went into this building thinking that was the pub, but they said, ‘No, you have to go drink beer in the cave.’”

But the two weren’t hiding under a rock as they drank their pints in Chodová Planá—they had been posting videos of their adventures on social media. Thousands, then millions, of viewers started following their journey.

“Each day I did a short vlog, and people really seemed to like it,” Bellow says. “In every country we would visit, we would get a few more viewers from that country who would tell us a bunch of tips and stuff. It was really cool to hear about what brews to try and also what not to do.”

At the end of the trip, about 20% of their TikTok viewers hailed from the U.S., about 19% from the United Kingdom, and the rest from those countries the two friends had traveled through.

“Whenever we would stop for beer, we’d tell the person at the pub what we were doing, and they’d ask us, ‘So, what’s your favorite?’” Blake says. “So obviously, we’re answering, ‘Your country’s beer!’ And they’d say, ‘Well, of course it is.’”

Still, the pair was intrigued to see how the beer differed from country to country. “Starting in the Netherlands, it’s these strong tripels and such,” Bellow says. “Then in Germany they have lagers; Czechia has pilsners; and Austria has both of those. And then once you get to the Balkans, it’s mostly just lagers, but they also have up-and-coming craft brewery scenes, which are really cool to try out.”

The trip was the kind of foreign getaway the two hadn’t gotten to experience during busy college life. The pair finally got to enjoy the open air.

And after four months, Bellow and Blake reached Istanbul, albeit on their last legs.

“When we got there, we were so dead,” Bellow says with a laugh. “Also, we only had shorts, so we couldn’t go into any of the mosques, which was a little sad. But we went to the Grand Bazaar; we got some really hot peppers; and we spent that afternoon at a bar eating some of the spiciest ones.”

LAST CALL

Bellow and Blake say this experience has been a life-changing one, both for themselves and for those watching their travels online.

“This journey was the most rewarding thing I’ve done,” Bellow says. “It was just wonderful to be able to share this adventure with people that

haven’t had the opportunity to make it or maybe inspire people to do something adventurous, even if it’s not necessarily this trip. Seeing all the comments online about people telling me they’ve been inspired—that really made it all worth it.”

Blake says this is the type of adventure that Trinity prepares its graduates for.

“Leaving Trinity, I felt pretty well-rounded as a person because I took so many classes that were out of my major, and they gave me perspective on a lot of different fields,” Blake says. “I think without that, I would’ve been a clueless American out there in Europe. I think without Trinity, without those experiences, I wouldn’t have been as comfortable.”

“It was just wonderful to ... inspire people to do something adventurous ... I see all the comments online about people telling me they’ve been inspired. And that really made it all worth it.”

Bellow and Blake finished the trip exhausted but rejuvenated.

At every turn, a new set of faces and a new brew awaited.

Alumni Weekend

2022

Trinity University put on an Alumni Weekend like no other in Fall 2022, as more than 1,000 alumni came together from more than 35 states to enjoy 45 events packed into one weekend.

The annual event was bolder, bigger, and even more beautiful in person, with class reunions, athletic victories, delicious drinks and food, and more. See how Tigers of all stripes—ages, backgrounds, and career fields—shared stories, relived favorite memories, and made new ones over an unforgettable weekend.

View more photos from Alumni Weekend 2022!

Smiling faces and cheers greeted alumni as they returned to campus for a fully in-person celebration.

Tigers met President Vanessa Beasley in person, most for the first time.

Trinity’s classrooms and hallways filled with alumni retracing their steps.

Leslie Bleamaster III ‘98 (right), science facilities manager, fields questions at Fiesta with the Faculty, a chance for alumni to catch up with their favorite professors. The always popular pregame tailgate just outside the football stadium was buzzing with excitement as Tigers grilled, ate, and stepped up their cornhole game.

3

4

2022 Alumni Award Winners

At the Alumni Awards Ceremony during Trinity’s 2022 Alumni Weekend, six alumni were awarded for their work with the University and the broader community.

Learn more about the awards, and nominate a fellow Tiger!

Distinguished Alumni Award

Joseph Gathe Jr. ’78, M.D., is a board-certified infectious disease specialist and one of the world’s leading HIV and AIDS physicians. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a fellow for the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Gathe has advised the Clinton White House on AIDS policy and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Joe Biden, J.D., president of the United States, in 2021.

Spirit of Trinity Award

Mary Ullmann Japhet ’84 has served as the Trinity University Alumni Association board director, a member of the Spurs Sorority Foundation Board, a Spurs Sorority alumni adviser, chair of the Business Advisory Council, a part of Trinity’s Venture Mentoring Service, and the 2019-20 entrepreneur in residence. After an 18-year career with San Antonio Sports and various volunteer efforts to improve the lives of women and girls and encourage fitness, she founded Japhet Media in 2019.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Jeremy Wolf ’16 was a 31st-round draft pick in 2016 by the New York Mets and played as an outfielder for the Israeli national baseball team from 2018-19. Wolf is the cofounder and chairman of the board of More Than Baseball, a nonprofit organization that has raised $2 million to assist ball players in need, and the co-founder and CEO of MindReady, a venture that helps athletes at all levels receive mental performance coaching.

JOSEPH GATHE JR. ’78, M.D.

MARY ULLMANN JAPHET ’84

JEREMY WOLF ’16

Tom James ’90 serves as the vice president of communications for Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E). During his tenure, James has helped turn the Spurs into an iconic brand while experiencing five NBA Championships, 11 trips to the Western Conference Finals, and 28 playoff berths. James leads all communication efforts for SS&E’s business operations, its four sports franchises, and its official nonprofit, Silver and Black Give Back.

Caz Harleaux ’02, editor-at-large for Off the Bench magazine, is an actor, voice-over artist, and writer who has worked with FOX Sports LA, Taco Bell, AT&T, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Harleaux has served in multiple leadership programs as a Trinity alumnus, including the Legacy of Excellence Mentoring Program and the Alumni Leadership Academy, among others. Additionally, he is active with fundraising and volunteering in San Antonio and worldwide.

Fraternity/Sorority Life Alumni Adviser of the Year Award

Angie Boudreau Cox ’97 is the dedicated alumni adviser for the Spurs Sorority. Each year, with the election of a new Spurs executive council, Cox begins to coach her new student leaders. She provides encouragement and support, lends a listening ear and a shoulder of comfort, and challenges her students to work hard. She knows many of the actives individually and serves as a confidante and mentor to all who seek her out.

Watch videos about some of the Alumni Award winners.

TOM JAMES ’90

Tower Award

CAZ HARLEAUX ’02

Tower Award

ANGIE BOUDREAU COX ’97

Andrew Hoing ’11 wins big as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune

by Abigail DeNike ’20

Andrew Hoing ’11 has always had a slight obsession with Wheel of Fortune. This fall, he put his skills to the test as a contestant on the television show nicknamed “America’s game,” which challenges players to guess hidden phrases while spinning a wheel that determines prize amounts per turn. In his episode, aired on Jan. 3, Andrew walked away with $77,995 worth of prizes.

Some may call it luck, but Andrew has been preparing for this moment since childhood. “I was a weird kid,” Andrew says, laughing. “Wheel of Fortune is a family show for most people, but no one in my family watched it. I just loved it, and I used to watch that and Jeopardy every day when I’d come home from school.”

He credits his wife, Claire Murphy-Cook ’11, for kick-starting his journey to fame and Fortune. Andrew met Claire at Trinity University in their junior year. “We both lived in South Hall, and we were both communication majors with classes together.” He jokes, “It was almost forced interaction.” They married in 2014 and live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Claire saw an ad on the local news station for Wheel of Fortune open tryouts coming to South Florida and told Andrew, “You have to do this!”

Andrew did his first tryout for the show in 2019 when the “Wheelmobile,” a van decked out with a miniature

wheel, rolled into town. From there, he got a callback for a second round at a ballroom in Miami. “You had to do a timed written test where they give you parts of completed puzzles,” he explains, “and you are asked to fill the rest in.” Weeks later, he was shocked and excited when his acceptance letter showed up in the mail.

Once he was selected as a contestant, he waited almost three years to film due to delays with the pandemic. Things quickly sped up in November 2022. “I had less than two weeks’ notice from the time I got the call to appear on the show to then be there in person,” Andrew says. He flew to Los Angeles and went straight to Sony Pictures Studios.

“When you show up, you get there super early in the morning, and you sign a bunch of paperwork,” he remembers. “Then you get your hair and makeup done and meet some of the other contestants.” One highlight for Andrew was waiting to record in the neighboring studio, where Jeopardy is filmed, and taking practice spins on the wheel. “They coach you on what to do, what to say. Basically, they want you to feel as comfortable as possible when the cameras are actually on.”

Still, he couldn’t help feeling nervous. “When you’re practicing, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, there are all these lights, cameras, everything.’”

The hosts, Pat Sajak and Vanna White, walked out onto set, and the cameras started to roll. “You jump into it right away. I solved the first puzzle, which kind of calmed the nerves a little bit.”

Filming was largely uninterrupted. The whole thing lasted roughly 30 minutes. “What you see on TV is exactly what happens,” Andrew says.

On the next spin, he maintained possession of the wheel, making it a “perfect round.” “I ended up winning more than $15,000 that round,” he says with a smile. “The puzzle I solved was ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play hopscotch.’”

When asked about his strategy, he says, “all that goes out the window when you’re on stage and the lights are on. It’s more just try to relax and have as much fun as possible.”

Andrew’s instincts—and the years of watching the show—paid off. In total, he won a beach vacation to St. Croix, a Mazda CX-9, and nearly $20,000 in cash. He is most excited about the vacation. “It’s our 10th wedding anniversary next year. So hopefully, we will put some of the money toward making the trip a nice vacation to celebrate,” he says.

Andrew now works in growth marketing for a restaurant software company but initially did not know where he would take his communication degree.

“When I graduated from Trinity, I had no clue what I wanted to do as a profession,” he says. “I took an administrative job to start getting work experience.”

After a year, he became a residential life coordinator at Trinity. Andrew remembers, “I had thought I wanted to work in higher education and student development, and that’s how I ended up back at Trinity. I loved it, and it helped me pivot into a marketing role, which is the area I am in now.”

His advice to Trinity grads is to explore and build on connections: “Don’t get discouraged if your first job is not your dream job. Don’t be afraid to try new things and figure out what you want to do.”

Life’s a bit like spinning the wheel, Andrew says. “There’s definitely luck involved, but to capitalize on that luck, you have to go for it and have fun with it.”

“Don’t get discouraged if your first job is not your dream job. Don’t be afraid to try new things and figure out what you want to do.”

1951

Clara Lutz moved to Loveland, Colorado, to be near her son Ed.

1960

Jake Bleveans was included in the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award listing for 2022-23 in the Wall Street Journal on April 13, 2022.

1961

Sarah Miller retired from Miami University in Ohio as a student teacher supervisor and instructor. Miller served the university for 48 years.

1964

Christine Longoria wed Lewis Sorrells just before COVID-19. A full-time painter at NorthLight Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, and a singer in the Asheville Symphony Orchestra Choir, Longoria is also active in the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church parish and participates on countless boards in her community. She is stepping back from some of these roles in order to concentrate on local activism and working on behalf of people experiencing homelessness and marginalized communities promoting justice, peace, and equality.

1967

Elizabeth Hoffmann enjoys retirement by keeping active. Hoffman participates in church KnitWits (knitting and crocheting prayer shawls, scarves, and hats) and helps with the children’s ministry in her congregation. She also participates in writing classes, church choir, church citizen group, women’s Bible study, and Bible study fellowship.

1970

1977

Paul Goode retired from his career of more than 30 years in technical publications, including positions with Apple, Microsoft, and Capital One. Goode, Jeanne, and their golden retriever, Teddy, enjoy retirement in both their Virginia and Ireland homes.

1978

Peter Koelling was named associate instructional professor in the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of Houston and became the program director in Fall 2022.

1979

HB Paksoy, Ph.D., had his 13th and 14th novels, Blue Mohini and Chasing Blue Mohini, published in May and July 2022.

1976

Patti Bender wrote Happy Landings: Emilie Loring’s Life, Writing, and Wisdom, the first biography of this popular author, and it will be released March 14, 2023. Bender was an English and history major at Trinity and gives special thanks to professors David L. Middleton, Philip Detweiler, Alan O. Kownslar, Bates Hoffer, Harry B. Caldwell, Jesse G. Carnes, and, especially, Gene Norris.

David Cantwell represented Trinity University at the inauguration ceremony of Krista L. Newkirk, Ph.D., the 12th president of the University of Redlands, on Feb. 23, 2022.

1980

Scott W. Stucky, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, ended his term of office in August 2021. In November, his portrait was hung in the historic courthouse in Washington, D.C.’s Judiciary Square. In December, the Judge Advocates Association presented Stucky with its highest award, the Chief Judge Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Lifetime Service Award. In April 2022, Stucky received the Alumni Achievement Award from his undergraduate college, Wichita State University.

Atlanta Alumni Club members served their local community by planting trees with Trees Atlanta near the Peachtree Creek Confluence Trail. The group had a great morning giving back and celebrated their hard work with lunch afterward.

1981

David Otey, after a career of broadcasting engineering, now works with STEM professionals on their presentation skills. Otey’s most recent keynote was “Audiences Don’t Need Speakers.”

Lynne W. Perry retired after a 36-year career as a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch in San Antonio. Perry now serves on the Trinity University Women’s Club Board of Directors and the Trinity University Board of Visitors. She is working on getting certified as an arbitrator for FINRA, the governing body that oversees the brokerage industry, and hopes to begin overseeing cases in 2023. Perry is enjoying international and domestic travels as she checks off her bucket list items and explores the world.

1984

Sam Ayers M’86, Ph.D., advanced to the rank of professor at Lubbock Christian University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in the School of Education. Ayers also serves as the university’s director of graduate education and coordinator for the educational leadership program.

Olive Elaine Hinnant became the interim pastor at United Church of Christ Parker Hilltop in Parker, Colorado.

1985

Cleveland Clinic for 25 years. There, he developed a regional neuroscience program and the first tele-neurology hospital service, a consulting business in the U.S., China, and Thailand. He also built the neuroscience program as chair of the Neurological Institute Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

1986

Theresa Gregory and Martin Hajovsky ’87 returned to campus in May 2022 to attend the graduation of their son Nathaniel Hajovsky ’22. Now that he’s graduated, Nathaniel can join his parents in telling stories that begin with, “‘We had it tough back when I was at Trinity. Let me tell you.’ We’re really so proud we could burst!”

Stephen Samples, M.D., has served as a neurologist at the Neurological Institute at

The Rev. Beth Patillo has returned to the Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt University to serve as acting dean. She is

1987

Dayna Watson Culwell made a career change in 2013 from pharmaceutical sales representative for Bristol Myers Squibb to certified yoga therapist. Culwell and her retired husband plan to travel to Northern Italy in June. Culwell sings with her sister’s rockabilly blues band, Debra Watson & the Smokin’ Aces, in Austin, Texas.

pictured with Allison Lanza ’05, fellow Trinity alumna and Vanderbilt Divinity School alumna.

Austin Alumni Club members welcomed the newest alumni from the Class of 2022 for a mid-week happy hour at the Mean Eyed Cat.

MARRIAGES

Christine Longoria ’64 and Lewis Sorrells

Daniel Dahlinger ’19 and Madeline Grimes-Dahlinger ’19

June 18, 2022

Michael Yancey ’13 and Amanda Wolf ’13 Sept. 17, 2022

NEW ADDITIONS

Zada Beyda to Jacob Cameron Beesley ’02 and Sara Pruneda Beesley ’08 Oct. 5, 2021

Russell to Allison (Huseman) Mickey ’13 and Steven Mickey ’13 Oct. 6, 2022

Michael Kubena worked for 25 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers and retired in 2016 as partner and CEO of the Central and Eastern European region. After living in Europe for 25 years, Kubena and his family (wife, Carolyn, and two daughters) moved back to the U.S. and chose Denver as their home. Since then, Kubena has done extensive training and has established a coaching business, LifeMatters, LLC. LifeMatters specializes in working with men who are facing the challenges of crises and transitions in their lives involving career, marriage, finances, or other matters.

Robinson Kurth, semiretired, now resides in his hometown city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, after teaching elementary school in Southeast Asia.

cancer. Melia lives in Carlsbad, California, with her husband, Bill Deal, who is a clinical psychologist for the U.S. Navy, and a menagerie of cats and dogs. She has two adult children, neither of whom she was able to convince to attend Trinity: Amanda (26), who is attending the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Will (22), who graduated from Sonoma State University in May 2022 with a degree in anthropology. Melia received a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1994 and subsequently worked as a research assistant in the eating disorders program at New York Hospital for two years. In 1996, she accepted a data management position at a pharmaceutical company, which led to her career in drug development.

1988

Theodora to Luke Ayers ’19 and Madison D’Iorio Ayers ’20

June 16, 2022

Kathryn Bartlett Anderson is a psychology professor at Our Lady of the Lake University and the 2022-23 president of Division 35 of the American Psychological Association, the We want to

Lisa Ann Melia is the vice president of clinical operations at Shoreline Biosciences, working on cellular immunotherapies for

Not only will your updates appear in Class Notes, we may also find them inspirational and reach out for a

Society for the Psychology of Women. If any Trinity psychology students or alumni are interested in getting involved in Division 35, they are welcome to contact her at kbanderson@ lake.ollusa.edu.

Andrea Hall works at InterAction, the largest alliance of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the U.S. Hall is the senior manager of the Together Project, advocating for NGOs that face discrimination based on where they serve, the people they serve, or their faith-based identity, with a focus on disinformation and financial access challenges.

Diqui LaPenta, Ph.D., returned to San Antonio and accepted a teaching position at the University of Texas at San Antonio after working for 24 years in the California Community College system.

Robert Nagle runs Personville Press, a Texas-based ebook publisher of quality fiction that he founded in 2010. In October 2022, Personville Press republished the out-of-print 1942 novel My Heart For Hostage, by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Hillyer. Nagle wrote the book’s critical introduction. Personville is a small town south of Dallas with a population of fewer than 100. Nagle lives in Katy, Texas.

David Rylander, after 20 years as a marketing professor at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), has been named the first department chair of the newly formed Department of Management and Marketing. Rylander also received the Humphries Award for distinguished service to TWU.

1989

Paisley Huntoon serves as the president of the Colorado state chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Sisterhood. PEO, where women help other women with their educational needs, has assisted more than 119,000 women and provided nearly $400 million in educational assistance.

1990

Margaret Oertling Cupples has been named the Mississippi Bar Association’s (MBA) 2022 Susie Buchanan award recipient. Cupples was presented with the award at the 23rd Annual Price-Prather Luncheon at the MBA’s annual meeting in July 2022.

Cathy Marston became the grant coordinator for Mano Amiga San Marcos in July 2020.

Becky Spurlock, Ph.D. (far right), former director of Career Services and the first director for Campus and Community Involvement (CCI) at Trinity (now Student Involvement), shares two special moments when she reconnected with Trinity alumnae:

“I worked at Trinity from 2001-09 with Career Services and CCI. During my years with CCI, I started the Nacho Hour—now a core Trinity tradition—and I worked with many students, including Shelby Levins Landgraf ’07 (left), a leader in Greek Council.

“I left Trinity in 2009 to take a job in Tennessee but came back to Texas to work in my current job at the University of Texas Permian Basin as vice president for student affairs and leadership. At a community event, I saw Shelby across the room, and it was a sweet reunion. Fast forward two years, and I ended up hiring Shelby to work as the director of community engagement in our Shepperd Leadership Institute. What a full circle moment. I love the way these Trinity connections evolve.

“Just last week, Shelby and I were in Washington, D.C., with a group of students. I recalled a former student from the same era as Shelby who worked in D.C., Robyn Hodgkins ’05, Ph.D. (center). A few emails later, we met up with Robyn, who is working at the Library of Congress. Robyn was one of the founders of the Chocolate Festival, another tradition that is still thriving at Trinity.”

1991

Stephanie (House) Segal is in the early planning stages of creating an intentional community with a small starter group of like-minded humans who value sustainable energy, regenerative farming, living off the land, etc., in the San Luis Valley area of Southern Colorado. Segal left corporate Kaiser Permanente to become the medical director of a nonprofit clinic in Littleton, Colorado, where she is learning the ins and outs of running a nonprofit, with plans to start something similar in a few years.

1992

Carrie Dodrill lives in Houston and has been in private practice since 2018. She has been

on campus and touring schools with her daughter, who hopes to attend Trinity.

Susi (Beveridge) Mapp just completed her second year as associate provost of institutional effectiveness and innovation at Elizabethtown College. She has decided a Master of Social Work and a doctorate are not enough and has started a master’s degree in strategic leadership with a concentration in data analytics. Her sixth book, which is an edited volume on academic leadership, will be published this spring. For someone who dislikes research, she definitely does a lot of it.

Joseph Peckham is proud to have another Tiger in the family! His daughter Madeline joins the

Class of ’26, following her big sister, Meredith Peckham ’20

Douglas Smith became the executive vice president at Wells Fargo within risk management.

Kristan Tucker Wheeler was appointed to the 1st Judicial District bench as a county court judge in Golden, Colorado, on July 13, 2021.

1994

The Rev. Bonnie Mixon McCrickard, D.Min., served in churches in Alabama and Pennsylvania while completing a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2020 at Drew University in New Jersey, where she used her social science background to examine perceptions about the church.

She moved to Philadelphia in 2018 to become the first female rector of a 160-year-old parish. Prior to that, McCrickard pursued a Master of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 1996, after she completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Trinity. McCrickard then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and launched a 15-year social work career. Just for fun, she took some evening and weekend classes from Belmont University, completing another bachelor’s degree in 2009. In 2011, McCrickard left her position as assistant director of a nonprofit to pursue a Master of Divinity at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Upon graduation in 2014, she was ordained as a deacon and then a priest in the Episcopal Church.

Houston Alumni Club members gathered for a cultural afternoon learning about the murals and street art of East Downtown. Alumni and family had a great time learning about their city’s history while reminiscing about their Trinity days.

Amy Wiseman has been working at Texas State University since 2022, researching public education teacher pipeline issues. She says the teacher pipeline certainly needs more people, given mass teacher resignations, specifically, a more diverse teacher population in terms of gender and ethnicity.

1995

residency. She had been doing mostly forensic evaluations for the courts, but following a battle with cancer a few years ago (she says she’s fine now), she’s decided to stick with lower stress work on a part-time basis. Smith now works a couple days a week at a juvenile correctional facility. She and her family just moved to a farm out in the country. They enjoy watching the cows, tending to the chickens, and dreaming of what new animals they can bring on.

1996

Anne-Marie Smith, Ph.D., got her doctorate in clinical psychology from Texas A&M University and moved to Oregon for her internship and postdoctoral

Ana Unruh Cohen, Ph.D., staff director for the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, celebrated the passage of the biggest investment in climate action in U.S. history with her boss, the chair of the committee Rep. Kathy Castor. Cohen has worked toward this achievement since first coming to Washington, D.C., in 2001 and looks forward to even more clean energy deployment in the United States in the years to come.

Jennifer Huerta Montes is working toward her doctorate in social work at Walden University. She will begin her dissertation this spring, which will focus on the influence of self-efficacy and social-emotional learning on the academic achievement of Hispanic elementary students from low-income communities. Montes earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2002 and has served as a school social worker for Harlandale ISD in San Antonio for the past 20 years. Montes also served as an adjunct faculty member for the Worden School of Social Work MSW program at Our Lady of the Lake University from 2013-21.

Yoli Vazquez was elected to the city council in her community of Ada, Oklahoma, in February 2022.

1998

Anne McLaughlin published her first book for the public, All Too Human, with Cambridge

University Press in February 2022. She wanted to share all the coolest facts from the study of memory, attention, and cognitive biases paired with how we can use that knowledge to make a better world around us. It was so much fun for McLaughlin to find the connections between research studies and stories from the news, with examples as big as Chernobyl and as small as the design of a table saw. She tried hard to insert humor and avoid jargon to make it enjoyable for anyone who likes psychology.

Drew Murray was selected by the National Conference of State Legislatures from among over 30,000 legislative staff members nationally for a 2022 Legislative Staff Achievement Award, one of 19 such awards given this year. Murray is a senior legislative analyst with the Louisiana House of Representatives. Throughout serving 25 legislative sessions for the House Committee on Health and Welfare since his tenure with the House began in 2010, Murray

A group of Tigers is called a streak, and this year, more than 3,000 alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students, and friends of Trinity University joined that streak to conquer the 1869 Challenge together.

Over 1,869 minutes from Sept. 28-29, this streak raised $620,040 to support Trinity students across campus. The streak charged past the overall challenge goal of 3,000 donors, unlocking an additional $38,000 donation. Tigers rallied their friends and went on to meet many other challenges, reaching across academic departments, athletics teams, student organizations, and more.

has drafted over 850 bills and resolutions covering the entirety of his committee’s extensive subject matter. Additionally, since 2019, he has staffed the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and serves as the House staff liaison to Louisiana’s homeland security and emergency preparedness agency. Murray is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a product of that city’s public schools. He holds degrees from Trinity and the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Peter Marston Sullivan became the new artistic director for the Marriott Theatre in Chicagoland.

Sullivan is now in charge of envisaging, developing, and executing the artistic vision and goals of the Marriott Theatre.

1999

Veronica (Roni Mitchell) Santos is in her 10th year working as a BHIP psychologist at the VA clinic in San Antonio. She provides virtual care for the veterans from the North Central Federal Clinic. The clinic focuses on evidence-based practice, and Santos is trained in CBT, DBT, IPT, and CPT and is working to become more proficient with ERP and RO DBT. Santos keeps pretty busy when she’s not working, raising her three children still living at home (ages 8, 12, and 14) and visiting with her older son (age 25) and grandson

(age 4). She also has a lively pit bull and a curious rabbit.

2000

2001

Kristan Siegel is teaching geometry and precalculus at the Kinkaid School in Houston after teaching high school math for six years at Incarnate Word Academy.

2002

Liz Chiarello and her husband, Chris Bethel, were married this summer using a creative strategy that the two called the “Deconstructed Wedding.” An article was written about their COVID19-friendly wedding for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Marie Merle Caekebeke, after more than 19 years working at Schlumberger, joined Baker Hughes as its new energy transition executive. Caekebeke leads the company’s global emission reduction program, knowledge management program, and external stakeholder engagement efforts.

Madeline Zeringue joined a new brand and media company, Teton Ridge, as the vice president of communications and activation in Summer 2022. Zeringue worked previously with Red Bull for 15 years.

2004

New York Alumni Club members welcomed the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) when their staff visited town. Alumni met with two visiting young alumni entrepreneurs and CIE staff. The group had a great time mixing and mingling in Manhattan over appetizers and cocktails.

Leslie Shaffer South and her husband, Eric South, are the founders of Gladiator Proj-

ect, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports brain cancer research and helps patients and their families fight like gladiators. In early 2021, Eric was diagnosed with a grade IV brain cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Since its founding, the Gladiator Project has raised more than $150,000 in an effort to find a cure for GBM.

Kathryn Patterson Tipton has a daughter in 4th grade and a son in kindergarten. The joint practice, Houston Center for Valued Living, that she started with her colleague is growing. They have opened an intensive outpatient program for OCD and anxiety disorders. Work never really stops as a business owner and clinician, but it’s brought so much fulfillment to Tipton’s life. She is in private practice full time and loves the work-life balance. Tipton is a Girl Scout leader, a gymnastics mom, and now a soccer mom, too.

2005

Carissa (Zimmerman) Espinosa teaches cognitive psychology and social sciences statistics at Rice University, where she lives on campus with her husband, Nick, and 7-year-old daughter, Amelia. Last year, she received one of Rice’s George R. Brown Awards for Superior Teaching. This year, she and Nick celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary and are looking forward to traveling again now that many COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted. Amelia started taking gymnastics lessons and is determined to advance to a competition-level team within the next year.

Kim LeBlanc will be taking on a new and exciting opportunity as the film and music commissioner for the city of San Antonio.

2006

Julie Huerta has been hired by Freese and Nichols, Inc., a professional consulting firm specializing in water quality and regulatory compliance that serves cli-

ents across the Southeast and Southwest United States. Huerta will be directing their program, assisting clients in meeting new drinking water standards under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions.

John “Jay” Riola was chosen as part of Sports Business Journal’s 40 under 40.

book, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, can be found everywhere books are sold.

2008

Simran Jeet Singh has achieved his lifelong dream of publishing a book that shares Sikh stories and wisdom with the world. Singh’s

Nick Blazosky, his wife, Alli Blazosky ’08, and 5-year-old daughter, Philipa, relocated to Singapore after living eight years down the street from Trinity to start an office in Asia for OneStream Software.

North Texas Alumni Club members cheered on the Frisco RoughRiders during college night. Alumni and family members wore their favorite Trinity gear and filled the ballpark with Tiger spirit.

Leda McDaniel is a practicing physical therapist in Atlanta and is also an adjunct professor at Emory University in the Division of Physical Therapy. McDaniel earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2019 from Ohio University and went on to graduate from Emory University’s Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency program and obtain her board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist. McDaniel’s passion for physical therapy (PT) is paralleled by an interest in teaching and education. Her teaching roles have included those within Emory University’s DPT program and orthopedic PT residency program as well as delivering guest lectures for various other PT programs around the country. McDaniel has also pursued this passion for excellence in PT education by implementing evidence-based teaching and learning strategies, some of which have come from her father’s (Mark McDaniel, Ph.D.) work as a research-based psychologist and expert in the science of learning. McDaniel and her father have delivered lectures and workshops to various PT programs around the country on applying the science of learning to PT education. They also co-authored the article, “The Science of Successful Learning: Applications to Physical Therapy Education,” which they published in the Fall The Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. accepted a new position as human factors engineering lead at Google and relocated to Austin, Texas.

In this role, he oversees the usability of all healthcare products at Google, including AI-driven diagnostic software and health features found on mobile and wearable devices, such as Fitbit. It was a great opportunity to apply Schwark’s medical device experience and build a division from the ground up. He is also co-chairing the digital health track at next year’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Society healthcare symposium and started mentoring graduate students and former academics interested in transitioning to industry.

2010

Caroline Crocker is a practicing neonatologist in Little Rock, Arkansas. She bought her first house (1920s craftsman) and is doing her best to take care of a yard for the first time. Crocker’s psychology education has definitely stood her in good stead with knowing how to read people and talk to families, which is a huge part of her job.

Molly Marrou Hamilton graduated with an accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in August 2021. Hamilton works at an intensive care unit in an area level one trauma center.

Kaitlin Hill graduated with a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa last August after completing an internship at Rogers Behavioral Health in Wisconsin. Hill took a job as the clinical supervisor of Rogers’ adult inpatient and residential eating disorder programs and has

San Antonio Alumni Club members hosted a happy hour and pickleball game at Chicken N Pickle. The weather was unexpectedly chilly, but it

loved being involved in eating disorder treatment full time. She has completed a year of supervised postdoctoral hours and is preparing to take the EPPP in the fall. This last year has been tough with navigating the many challenges the pandemic has brought to mental health, but Hill is grateful to have a great team to help weather the storm.

Annia Parra Palacios is a licensed professional counselor specializing in caring for the mental health needs of pregnant women, new and seasoned moms, and their partners. To help moms find balance both in life and motherhood, Palacios launched Tightrope Therapy, an online therapy and coaching practice.

2011

Amanda (Benbow) Draheim is in her second year as a tenure-track assistant professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. It’s lovely there, but she desperately misses breakfast tacos. In the past year, Draheim co-authored with her spouse, Chris, her first publication in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, which explores real-world applications of attention control. She also published a manuscript based on her dissertation in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders

and has contributed to a number of projects aimed at promoting psychological well-being among members of minority groups.

The most recent study along these lines, accepted for publication in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, is a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of digital mental health interventions for members of racial and ethnic minority groups. In the coming year, Draheim will continue to teach courses in psychopathology, clinical psychology, and human sexuality. She will also help teach a “Doing Nothing” course and hopes to teach a December-term course on suicide risk assessment and prevention. In terms of future research, she is developing a study exploring the role of the availability heuristic in outcome probability bias for social anxiety. Draheim’s passion project is a well-being campaign designed

to challenge “The Lawrence Busy” culture and has support from the university’s cabinet.

Amy Oliver reached one full year of being in private practice in Austin, Texas. She started Bluebell Counseling PLLC last August, and it has been such a wonderful change. Oliver continues to work mainly with clients struggling with eating disorders and sometimes brings her sweet pup, Bluebell (the business’ namesake), to the office to work her doggie magic on the clients.

2012

Daniel O. Hernandez started a new position in late March 2022 as the senior client strategy manager at YipitData in Austin, Texas. YipitData’s platform provides research and analytics on digitally enabled sectors like ridesharing, e-commerce marketplaces, payments, and video

streaming to both institutional investors and corporations. Hernandez became engaged to Constance D. Dexheimer, and they had their wedding ceremony in El Salvador in January 2023.

Seattle Alumni Club members gathered at the home of Craig Norton ’77 and welcomed Trinity professor Mark Lewis ’96, Ph.D., who shared his experience of being on sabbatical and working for Amazon. The group spent the evening reconnecting with hors d’oeuvres and wine.

2013

Moises Flores founded The Innocent’s Guide 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free educational resources to the public on how to prevent or navigate false accusations. Flores was accused of burglary in 2018 and does not want anyone else to have the same experience.

2014

finance team for a growing tech company. Adler is involved in various organizations, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, the Colon Cancer Foundation, and Downtown Giants.

2015

2017

Justin Adler joined the NYC Alumni Club as treasurer in May 2022 and leads a strategic

William Watson joined Fox Rothschild LLP in Miami, Florida, as an associate in the taxation and wealth planning department. Watson focuses on taxation and wealth planning practice in cross-border tax consulting for private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds. He also handles matters involving income tax planning, general partnership and corporate tax planning, and wealth management and international tax planning with respect to individuals with high net worth.

Ashley (Ogilvie) Kovacs graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy from California State University, Long Beach in 2021. She is a physical therapist with a specialty in treating neurological conditions in North Carolina. Kovacs has been happily married to Brian Kovacs ’14 for five years, and they have two beautiful dogs to make up their family.

2018

Isaiah Mora was promoted to fundraising manager at Merced Housing Texas in May 2022. In his new role, he identifies, prepares, and submits all grant applications and fundraising reports while also managing other fundraising campaigns.

2019

Carson Smith was named chief operating officer for Methodist Hospital Stone Oak.

Enrique Garcia works as a constituent services representative at state congress member Sylvia Garcia’s (TX-29) office.

Madelyn Haas graduated from Trinity and took a gap year. She’s now pursuing a master’s degree in clinical counseling psychology at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is on track to become a licensed professional counselor. Haas completed her first year of graduate school and interned at a mental health partial hospitalization program over the summer—she loved it.

David Herman finished his master’s degree and began working with a colleague with whom he hopes to author articles. Herman’s YouTube channel, Social Psychology Explained, continues to grow, and he is hard at work on a video about a paper refuting the prospect of fulfilling belonging hypothesis. On top of all that, Herman became involved in the Washington, D.C., activism scene, including leading a thousand-person bike ride through the city streets.

Andrew Loder became engaged to Amulya Deva ’19 in June 2022.

St. Louis Alumni Club members showed their support for the Trinity women’s soccer team while they were in town for their season opener against Fontbonne University. The group celebrated a Trinity win with a lunch gathering afterward.

2020

Brooke Bloom is in her first year of medical school at McGovern Medical School at UT Health in Houston. She is enjoying her time there and looks forward to seeing where the next four years lead.

2021

Andrea Cruz graduated and returned to her Midwestern roots. After moving back to Chicago, she worked as an academic coach for the Schuler Scholar Program, supporting first-generation, underrepresented, and low-income students through their high school experience in order to be prepared for college. Cruz is looking forward to getting her yoga teacher training certification and eventually applying to graduate schools to become a therapist.

Jordan Rudd is in his last year of graduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas, working toward a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

Rudd is serving as a research assistant focusing on preverbal development and as a student clinician at Plano Pediatric Imaging working with children with potential swallowing disorders. He hopes to accept a medical internship in his final semester.

2022

Victoria Bell started a research specialist job at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. While Bell is going through training at the moment, soon she will be engaging with adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. She will also research the effectiveness of family-based treatments as well as other projects focused on executive functioning and sleep patterns. Bell is incredibly thankful for all of the amazing psychology and neuroscience professors who helped her grow as a student and a researcher and who served as such a great support system, even after graduation. Bell is so glad to continue in this field with her dream job.

Ashley Gans was chosen by the Knowles Teacher Initiative as a member of its 2022 cohort of Teaching Fellows. Gans is a first-year teacher at the International School of the Americas in San Antonio. She is committed to teaching math to high school students in the U.S. She received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with minors in German and mathematics in 2021 from Southern Methodist University and received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University. During college, Gans tutored students at her local Mathnasium, where she taught math to students

in grades K–12. Additionally, during her summers, she worked as a camp counselor in the Texas Hill Country.

Ciara Keogh started the English doctorate program at Tufts University.

Rayna Webb graduated in May and moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to pursue a master’s degree in exercise psychology at Texas Christian University (TCU). She is working in a research lab that studies the socio-emotional effects of unstructured playtime on elementary-age children. Aside from starting her thesis project, Webb was hired as the TCU powerlifting team coach.

Stay Connected

@TrinityUAlumni @trinityu.alumni

“Trinity University Alumni Association”

“Trinity University Alumni Group”

“Trinity University Alumni” group

Trinity University Alumni Association

Find an Alumni Club

Network, volunteer, and attend events with Tigers in your area. There are Alumni Clubs throughout the United States—visit gotu.us/ alumniclubs to find one near you!

Trinity encourages Alumni Clubs to follow local best practices and guidelines regarding COVID-19 protocols.

Washington, D.C., Alumni Club members celebrated Halloween with a spooky and historic tour of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. Following the colonial tour, the group headed to Urbano Mexican Fare for a San Antonio Tex-Mex-inspired lunch.

IN MEMORIAM

David J. Straus II ’44

May 28, 2022

Mary Matthews McCaskey ’46

July 24, 2022

Dorothy Johanson Rice ’47

Nov. 12, 2022

John McCaleb ’48

Feb. 12, 2022

Helen Buchanan Meads ’48

March 16, 2022

Effie Francis Stackfleth ’48

Sept. 22, 2020

Fannie Dornberger Hewitt ’49

March 12, 2021

Juanita Cook Lewis ’49

Aug. 20, 2022

Betty Byrn Byrd ’50

Aug. 15, 2022

Barbara Carreon Chadwell ’50

Aug. 13, 2022

Charles Chadwell ’50

April 13, 2022

Jody Jordan Wallace ’50

March 24, 2022

B. Anderson ’51

Aug. 25, 2022

Marguerite Hoermann ’51

Feb. 23, 2022

Shirley Fisher Kline ’51

Aug. 25, 2022

Virginia Woods ’51

Sept. 6, 2022

Richard Aijian ’52

Feb. 15, 2022

Elizabeth Boyd Frey ’52

May 17, 2022

Robert Hohenberger ’52

Nov. 13, 2022

Mary Lutts Keller ’52

Sept. 22, 2022

Doris Hudspeth

Miller ’52

Nov. 4, 2022

Consuelo Vasquez

Akin ’53

Feb. 23, 2022

Sam Sanchez ’53

Sept. 28, 2022

Jacqueline Ferry

Shannon ’53

Oct. 12, 2022

C. Slaughter ’53

Oct. 30, 2022

Peggy Koch Cotton ’54

Sept. 25, 2022

Gayle Smith

Epperson ’54

Feb. 4, 2022

Elaine Fairbanks Nail ’54

Oct. 17, 2022

John Poteet ’54

May 25, 2022

Patricia Salmon ’54

May 2, 2022

Helen Rawlings Shin ’54

Aug. 10, 2022

Douglas Semmes ’55

Aug. 17, 2022

Dorothy Williams

Lusk ’56

April 1, 2022

Joanne Huedephol Skinner ’56

July 3, 2022

Milton Allison ’57

Nov. 18, 2022

Joe Carmack ’57

May 22, 2022

Tommy Economy ’57

June 1, 2022

Richard Gonzales ’57

March 20, 2022

Jean White Howell ’57

April 26, 2022

Anna Moody Stewart ’57 Oct. 31, 2022

Lanelle Waddill

Taylor ’57

Oct. 4, 2022

Warner Fassnidge ’58

Oct. 2, 2022

Carl Rutherford ’58

April 20, 2022

William Schick ’58

March 24, 2022

Faye Ewing Shenk ’59

May 25, 2022

Elizabeth McClelland Barnes ’60

June 1, 2022

George Heyen ’60

March 6, 2022

T. Nehring ’60

Nov. 10, 2022

Lynne Bell Newitt ’60

Sept. 3, 2022

Raul Perez ’60

June 29, 2022

Sharon Hannum

Seager ’60

Aug. 12, 2022

Thomas Leeper ’61

April 15, 2022

Sylvia Cantu Marcus ’61

Aug. 8, 2020

John Brantley ’62

Jan. 26, 2022

Elizabeth Rawlings

Moad ’62

Aug. 11, 2022

Margaret MclaughlinBernstein Parr ’62

Feb. 21, 2022

Thomas Testman ’62

July 12, 2022

Olga Mendoza

Alvarez ’63

March 13, 2022

Michael McCarley ’63

Sept. 30, 2022

Betty Lemex Petrie ’63

July 22, 2022

James Potter ’63

June 9, 2022

Betty Biegert ’64

March 6, 2022

Pamela Henke Bailes ’65

March 9, 2022

Betsy Brown ’65

April 2, 2022

Offord Carriere ’65

Feb. 14, 2022

Richard Doehring ’66

Nov. 17, 2022

Joycelyn Haelbig

Rudeloff ’66

June 20, 2022

Donald Vreuls ’66

Aug. 3, 2022

Sally Lanyon Whitten ’66

March 14, 2022

William Dodge ’67

May 27, 2022

Lyn Thomas Kirkwood ’67

July 28, 2022

William Lacy ’67

Jan. 1, 2022

Don Shefte ’68

April 18, 2022

S. Blodgett ’69

Oct. 19, 2022

Kery Hummel ’69

March 9, 2022

Janet Jones Ihfe ’69

Oct. 2, 2022

John Matthews ’69

March 6, 2022

Johnney Pollan ’69

April 4, 2022

James Dublin ’70

Feb. 22, 2022

Robert Gibson ’70

June 16, 2022

Sandra Casey Gros ’70

Aug. 18, 2022

Peggy Hamden Piccola ’70

July 16, 2022

John Tuck ’70

Aug. 17, 2022

David Turman ’70

April 6, 2022

Gaston Broyles Jr. ’71

Nov. 21, 2021

John Ford ’71

Aug. 7, 2022

Broyles Gaston ’71

Nov. 21, 2021

Judith Hooper ’71

April 16, 2022

Dennis Martin ’71

July 30, 2022

William Stokes ’71

Feb. 24, 2022

Jerry Brooks ’72

Sept. 4, 2022

David Johnson ’72

Oct. 30, 2022

Michael Wheeler ’72

Aug. 3, 2022

Bennie Flyn ’73

July 29, 2022

Michael Gonzalez ’73

Oct. 27, 2022

Joan Whitmore Nielsen ’73

March 17, 2021

Ed Turner ’73

May 25, 2022

Richard Reynolds ’74

April 14, 2022

Asa Rogers ’74

June 23, 2022

Bobbie Williams

Saulter ’74

May 19, 2022

Gordon Utgard ’74

Dec. 4, 2021

Lousie Quackenbush

Wisian ’74

June 6, 2022

Carolyn Cunningham

Frost ’75

June 3, 2022

Gerard Gavia ’75

April 6, 2022

Ellen Rode ’75

July 21, 2022

Eugene Ticknor ’75

May 26, 2022

Dolores Farias ’76

July 9, 2022

Barbara Browne

Maloy ’76

Sept. 1, 2022

Donald Ramp ’76

Feb. 18, 2022

Ruby Hahn Richardson ’76

May 6, 2022

Roberta Elliott ’77

Oct. 30, 2022

Elsie Martin ’77

May 21, 2022

Ophelia Ernst ’78

March 19, 2022

Glenn Wessler ’78

April 30, 2022

Karon Cogdill ’79

Aug. 31, 2022

Lenore Weldon ’79

Oct. 13, 2022

Mark Wood ’79

Jan. 31, 2022

Scott Hewitt ’80

Nov. 27, 2019

Uma Pemmaraju ’80

Aug. 8, 2022

Robert Peterson ’80

Aug. 20, 2022

Peggy Tisinger Abraham ’81

Sept. 22, 2022

Susan Crutchfield

Russo ’81

April 2, 2022

Tom Winborne ’81

Feb. 13, 2022

Paul Kattapong ’82

Nov. 2, 2022

Greg Blaisdell ’83

Sept. 27, 2022

Harold Burkhardt ’84

April 7, 2022

Tony Gilchrist ’84

April 4, 2022

Letita Lindwall ’84

April 11, 2022

Connie Taylor Pace ’84

May 22, 2022

Lacy Wykert Bearden ’85

July 9, 2022

James Halpert ’86

June 2, 2022

Nick Lockard ’86

Nov. 7, 2022

Benjamin Aston ’88

Oct. 15, 2022

Heath Schiesser ’89

March 30, 2022

Cheryl Crain-Sanders ’90

Feb. 23, 2021

Michael Ballantyne ’91

March 30, 2022

Joel Pierce ’91

Oct. 20, 2022

Shannon Lear Martin ’92

March 31, 2022

Andrew Maslona ’92

April 25, 2022

Jeanne Amacker

Browning ’95

March 4, 2022

Michael Brinkman ’99

April 1, 2022

Kyle Clark ’99

Sept. 13, 2022

Adam Zimmer ’06

Oct. 31, 2022

Ian Land ’07

Nov. 8, 2022

Katie Davis ’25

Dec. 24, 2022

by

Advocate: Used as both a noun and a verb, this word comes from the Latin word advocare, meaning “to call or summon,” and refers not only to people giving voice to needs but also to a calling or vocation.

In 1983, I drove from Tucson, Arizona, with three graduate school friends to attend the American Sociological Association (ASA) meeting in San Antonio. It was my first time here, and I fell in love with this city. Of course, at that time I had no idea I would one day live here. During that conference, I met a professor named Dr. Michael Kearl who studied aging. A mentor from my graduate program who went to Stanford University with Mike introduced us because I was writing a political history of Social Security.

Fast forward to the spring of 1988, and I was on the academic job market. Again, I was at the national ASA meeting, and Mike Kearl left me a handwritten note at the registration desk (this was pre-email and cell phone text messages!), letting me know that Trinity University was looking for someone who could teach statistics. I knew that I would love teaching the powerful (and marketable) skill of statistical analysis.

When I joined Trinity’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology in August of 1988, I had just defended my dissertation, moved across the desert Southwest, and skidded into town with grand anticipation. Small details might have been missed: Did students need textbooks for my three classes? Yes. Had they been ordered? No. Bea Fagan—our beloved administrative assistant—came to the rescue.

The department intentionally hired Dr. Meredith McGuire (fully tenured) and me (tenure-track) to ensure I had a strong female mentor. Meredith was my guardian angel—as were Mike Kearl, Don Van Eynde, and John Donahue. Before Trinity had family leave, John ensured that I had time with our newborns when we had our son, Grayam, in 1992 and our daughter, Tess, in 1994. (Fun facts: Since I retained my maiden name when I got married, Trinity students helped me choose the last name for our kids, “Sailor-Tynes.” Music majors said it was the most musically pleasing. Names of Trinity students inspired our kids’ first names as well.)

In 2003, I was on academic leave when the super-human Moya Ball decided to step down from her 70-hour weeks as the associate vice president for Academic Affairs. I had no interest in applying for her job, but Dr. Michael Fischer restructured the position to make it more humane. When I accepted the job, I joined an amazing team in that office—Sarah Burke, Fred Loxsom, and later Diane Smith. In that work, I was involved closely with amazing colleagues in other divisions, including Student Life, and in 2016, I was invited to serve as vice president for Student Life. I said yes because I knew that I would have superstars as partners in the difficult 24/7/365 work that Student Life does so quietly and humbly behind the scenes.

Through it all, helping Trinity students navigate life’s frictions and walking with them side-by-side through tragedies and challenges have been the most meaningful work I have ever done. Working with our first-generation, Pell-eligible students; giving students a place to call home; easing life’s burdens; and focusing on the bright lights ahead of the dark times have meant that my relationships with so many are deep and abiding. These students are sprinkled all over the planet—Hong Kong, Cameroon, Denmark, Jordan, Istanbul, London, India, and all over the Americas—all making a difference. They stay in touch. They send photos and cards. We visit in person when we can. Connecting them to current students is so fun, and seeing the sparks fly in those connections brings a ton of joy.

What lies ahead for me and my family? I am stepping down as the vice president for Student Life and returning to the sociology faculty this August to teach the next two fall semesters. I have a year of administrative leave, and my family and I are planning worldwide bucket-list-worthy travels in Spring 2024 and 2025.

All of us who give our time, talent, and treasure to our amazing young people advocate for them so they may find joy in a well-lived and purposeful life. And the one constant with Trinity students—they remind us what loving kindness is each and every day. It truly is a wonderful life.

Trinity’s Vice President for Student Life reflects on what it means to be an

Sheryl Tynes, Ph.D.

Tynes (center) stands with her fellow faculty members in Trinity’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1992.

above In Fall 2023, Tynes will continue to advocate for student success as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. left Tynes (left) and her family pose in front of mountains while on a vacation in New Zealand.

cONGRATULATIONS

to the top volunteers from the 1869 Challenge in September 2022!

1. Marcus Whitehead - 93 gifts (Track and Field)

2. Anna King ‘23 - 57 gifts (Cross Country student team champion)

3. Jennifer Mathews, Ph.D. - 36 gifts (Sociology and Anthropology)

4. Tricia Kim P’25 - 30 gifts (Cross Country parent

most donations generated most dollars raised

1. Marcus Whitehead - $6,960

2. Tricia Kim P’25 - $3,672

3. Dave Mansen ‘76 - $2,675

4. Jennifer Mathews, Ph.D. - $2,130

DATEs! This year’s 1869 Challenge is Sept. 27-28, 2023!

SAVE

Alumni Weekend is Oct. 26-29, 2023! Stay tuned for more info.

One Trinity Place

War paint, battle cries, and Greek unity

On Friday, March 3, Trinity’s Fraternity and Sorority Life hosted its annual Greek Olympics competition. This year, Greek Life organizations participated in a series of tournaments including inflatable jousting, a bouncy-house obstacle course relay race, tug of war, and a water balloon toss. Cheers filled the Jim Potter Intramural Field as different organizations showcased their club spirit, and after nearly four hours of competition, fraternity Chi Delta Tau and sorority Gamma Chi Delta came out on top.

– Omar Ratrut ’26 Trinitonian, March 9, 2023

Photos by Sofia Leobas de Macedo ’25