THE MAGAZINE OF TRINITY UNIVERSITY WINTER 2017
The Entrepreneurship Issue
Breaking Through HOW ALUMNAE ENTREPRENEURS ARE BREAKING GLASS CEILINGS IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TRINITY Winter 2017 Discovery, excellence, impact, the individual, and community. At times, I think of these Trinity values like roots: They nurture us and keep the University grounded. At other times, I see them like weights on a balance scale for making decisions. This issue of Trinity magazine reminds us to read the values as signposts on a map for forging our future. You will read stories that follow the journey toward “impact,” veering by way of “discovery.” On this path, individuals cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit that allows them to grow and become contributors to our community. This trailblazing tradition emerges from an entrepreneurial drive stoked through the Trinity experience. Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of Gallup, asserts in his 2001 book, The Coming Jobs War: “Innovation has little to no value until it joins with entrepreneurship.” Clifton refers to the innovative creations that emerge from experimentation, basic research, and creative production. The argument for the value of basic research acknowledges that such creations may not immediately have a use or application in the world. But magic comes from the entrepreneurial insight that takes innovation a step further and seeks to “apply” it in the world. This is where our Trinity values make a difference. Trinity students do not only live in “discovery.” We also inspire “impact” to take innovative creations out into the world. This drive for “impact” is what Clifton describes as the entrepreneurial spirit: a force that takes an innovation into the Anderson views projects during the world in a way that creates value and has a Stumberg Competition last November. positive effect on others. The Trinity experience fuels the entrepreneurial spirit. The University’s pragmatic approach to the liberal arts and sciences encourages innovation, instills critical thinking, and develops excellence in all forms of creation. Most important, our pragmatic ethos motivates students to take their knowledge to the world. Whether engaged in internships, participating in undergraduate research, or developing their own startups, our students apply their education to real-world challenges. Trinity fosters an environment where it is safe to fail. And we emphasize that the “fail fast, fail forward” mindset only works if students learn from mistakes and adopt a “try again” spirit. You learn from failure, apply the insight, and try again on the path to success. Clifton describes an entrepreneur as “a person of action, one who possesses an unnatural overload of two attributes: optimism and determination.” As I have met Trinity graduates, they inspire me with a unique Trinity version of optimism and determination. Their deep connections with mentors and peers make them especially confident as they seek to have an impact. Their Trinity journey of rigorous discovery endures as curiosity, always seeing new opportunities for turning an innovation into a creation of value for community. Trinity alumni are catalysts: their entrepreneurial contributions make our lives better through the changes they bring to the world. Confident, curious catalysts: the unnatural overload of these attributes make Trinity students and alumni stand out.
Editor Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08 Writers Carlos Anchondo ’14, Michelle Bartonico ’08, R. Douglas Brackenridge, Susie P. Gonzalez, James Hill ’76, Molly Mohr, Justin Parker ’99, Sharon Jones Schweitzer ’75 Photographers Anh-Viet Dinh ’15, Ashley DuChene, Danielle Finney, Joshua Moczygemba ’05, Jen Neal, David Smith, Bennett Soriano ’19 Illustrator Taylor Dolan ’12 Copy Editor Ashley Festa
President Danny J. Anderson Board of Trustees Erin Baker ’99; Sharon J. Bell; Ted W. Beneski; Walter F. Brown Jr.; Clifford M. Buchholz ’65; Miles C. Cortez ’64; Janet St. Clair Dicke ’68; Douglas D. Hawthorne ’69, ’72; Gen. James T. Hill (Ret.) ’68; George C. Hixon ’64; Walter R. Huntley Jr. ’71, ’73; John R. (J.R.) Hurd; E. Carey Joullian IV ’82; The Rev. Dr. Richard R. Kannwischer ’95; Richard M. Kleberg III ’65; Katherine Wood Klinger ’72; John C. Korbell; Oliver T.W. Lee ’93; Steven P. Mach ’92; Robert S. McClane ’61; Melody Boone Meyer ’79; Marshall B. Miller Jr.; Michael F. Neidorff ’65; Thomas R. Semmes; L. Herbert Stumberg Jr. ’81; Jessica Thorne ’91; Lissa Walls ’80 Trinity is published two times a year by the Office of University Marketing & Communications and is sent to alumni, faculty, staff, graduate students, parents of undergraduates, and friends of the University.
Editorial Offices Trinity University Office of University Marketing & Communications One Trinity Place San Antonio, TX 78212-7200 E-mail: jgoodri1@trinity.edu Phone: 210-999-8406
Danny J. Anderson President
Fax: 210-999-8449 magazine.trinity.edu
CONTENTS
26 36 40 The Entrepreneurship Issue 26 Women Entrepreneurs Breaking Glass Ceilings 36 Entrepreneurship at Trinity Today 40 Trinity Alumni Artrepreneurs 47 Students + Startups Diving Deep 50 So You Want to Start a Startup? 52 A Recipe for Happiness
DEPARTMENTS 2
24
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Letters to the Editor Trinity Today 12 Tiger Pride 16 Trinity Press 18 Where Are They Now? 20 In Memoriam
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Entrepreneurship Features Alumni Profiles 64 Class Notes 74 Alumni News 75 Chapter Activities 80 Trinity Travels 81 Déjà View
The illustrations for this issue’s cover story were created by Taylor Dolan ’12. Dolan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art, and is attending the Cambridge School of Art earning her Master of Arts in children’s book illustration. She has every intention of bringing many fantastic stories of clever women to bookshelves near you.
Making the Cover
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reading Trinity magazine’s “Go Abroad” issue made me so proud! What fantastic things our alums are doing! Thank you for profiling these amazing young people— especially in these xenophobic times.
It was very nice to see the story on Cam Piper’s travel in the latest issue of Trinity magazine. I wanted to point out that the correct name of the fellowship that Cameron received is the “Trinity University Architectural Traveling Fellowship.” The fellowship is funded by gifts by or given in honor of the Wigodsky family.
– Nancy Nichols ’68
What a great summer issue of Trinity magazine, “Go Abroad!” I am reminded of a Trinity classmate, the Rev. John Laurence Miller ’45. The story of his life and ministry in Brazil for a half century is important. He played an exciting role in the development of Brazil, a developing nation that will prove to be a power in history. He worked with the poor not only in the area of their Christian faith but also helping them organize and exert their political power. His children and grandchildren carry on the work today. If my memory is correct (something I cannot guarantee at my age), John was elected president of our senior class at Trinity. There may be some who can help tell the story of his life and work after graduation from seminary besides his surviving family members in Brazil. – Dawson Tunnell ’45 Dawson, thank you for introducing us to the Rev. Miller. You remember correctly: Miller was the senior body president in 1944-45. His book, Impacto Brasilia, was published in Portuguese in 2006 by the University of Texas Press and tells the story of life in the Brazilian capital. Alumni may find limited editions online or use their alumni library cards at Coates Library to request a copy.
I just read the obituary of Jean Chittenden in the summer issue of Trinity. She was my mentor and a constant source of inspiration during my career as a professor of Spanish. I had not heard from her in a long while, in spite of sending Christmas cards and my last book, which I dedicated in part to her. She was not only a wonderful teacher but also a terrific person with a great sense of humor. – David Burton ’69
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– Kathryn O’Rourke, Art & Art History Professor Kathryn, thanks for catching that. We’re happy to share with our readers that donations to the Trinity University Architectural Traveling Fellowship can be made at give.trinity.edu or by mailing a check payable to Trinity University with “TU Architectural Fellowship” on the memo line to One Trinity Place #49, San Antonio, TX 78212. If you are interested in endowing this fellowship, call 210-999-8039.
Thank you for the most recent copy of Trinity magazine. The summer 2016 edition is excellent. It is very well done and informative. As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Luxembourg, I was interested to see that there is at least one other Trinity alumnus/a living in Luxembourg. I reside in Kansas but visit Luxembourg frequently. I plan to return in 2017 and maybe could have coffee with my fellow Trinity alumni. I was wondering, however, if the Luxembourg flag and the Netherlands flag were disarranged. The Luxembourg flag seems to be placed over the Netherlands and vice versa. But not sure since I’m an aging baby boomer and my eyesight is not like it was when I was a student at Trinity! The flags are very similar. Thank you again for your good work. Proud of Trinity University!
I read with great interest the story about Peace Corps volunteers in the last Trinity magazine. Little known fact: The forerunner of the Peace Corps was a program called Operation Crossroads Africa. I’m proud to say I took part in that program—in fact, unless memory fails me, I was the last Crossroader from Trinity, unless they revamped the program after I graduated. Several Trinity Crossroaders went on to become Peace Corps volunteers. The Rev. Raymond Judd ’56 was the program sponsor. – Jacquelyn Holt Hawkins ’72
I read the article about the Trinity students that went to the Peace Corps. Is there an organization of students and alumni for returning volunteers at Trinity or in San Antonio?
– Michael Hermes ’83
– Margaret Fukunaga
Michael, without a doubt, your eyes are still
Margaret, we’re glad you asked! Returned Peace
sharp. Yes, it does look like bottom stripe of the
Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) of San Antonio is an
Luxembourg flag printed a shade lighter of blue
advocacy, educational, service, and social or-
than it should have, causing these two flags to
ganization for returned volunteers, friends, and
look switched. Our apologies.
family. If you’d like to connect with SA RPCV, email Adam Tutor ‘10 at adam.j.tutor@gmail.com or find out more at facebook.com/sa.rpcv.
EDITOR’S NOTE
I found the article “Chasing Change” of particular interest since, after graduating from Trinity in June of 1964, I also joined the Peace Corps. Following six weeks of training on the Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado and one month of in-country training in Quetta, Pakistan, I was assigned to the Rural Public Works Programme in the Mianwali District, which is located in north central Pakistan. Among other things, the Rural Public Works Programme was responsible for the design and construction of two and four room school buildings, small medical clinic facilities, as well as basic water supply and sanitary drainage systems in remote areas of the district. Like the recent Trinity graduates and Peace Corps volunteers quoted in the article “Chasing Change,” I also found my Peace Corps experience to be extremely challenging, rewarding, and invaluable as I pursued a career in service. Closing, I wonder if your office has any way of determining how many Trinity graduates served with the Peace Corps since it was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961-62. Please let me know if you are able to do so. – Tom Boyd ’64 Tom, according to Peace Corps records, about 175 Trinity graduates have served the Peace Corps since 1961. In fact, in 2008, Trinity joined the Peace Corps’ Top 25 list of small schools that produce the most Peace Corps volunteers. We know there are probably other volunteers out there, so we encourage all alumni to let the Office of Alumni Relations know by submitting updates at gotu.us/alumniupdates.
My first foray into entrepreneurship started when I was 9 years old. My grandmother taught me how to sew on the grown-up sewing machine, and (much to her hesitation) I was ready to piece together my own projects. It was the mid-90s, and hair scrunchies were all the rage. For those of us brave enough to admit it, we adorned our hair, our side-tied t-shirts, and our bangle-clad wrists with the brightest, velvety-est scrunchies we could find. All the cool girls had the coolest scrunchies. Well, that is, all the cool girls that could sweet-talk their way into an 80-mile trip to the mall and spend their entire week’s worth of an allowance on a $5 scrunchie. I wasn’t much of a sweet talker, and my parents never really fell for it. But I, on the other hand, had much more powerful tools: I had a grown-up sewing machine, and I had scraps of glorious ’90s fabric to sew as I saw fit. I spent my $5 allowance that week on a package of thick elastic and hot pink thread. In my one-person assembly line, I measured and cut the elastic and fabric, sewed them together, and stitched the scrunched-up tubes shut. That first afternoon, I produced six or seven scrunchies; as weekends passed and my assembly line grew more efficient, I could make 25 or 30 in one day. But what was I going to do with 186 scrunchies? I was going to sell them at school, of course—and by my elementary calculations, at 50 cents a piece (10 percent of the going rate), I could recoup my $5 allowance and hopefully pocket a nice profit ... or at least enough for an extra Little Debbie Star Crunch bar. After one recess on the playground, I’d successfully earned enough to purchase at least one more package of elastic and four Star Crunch bars; I had also been shut down by the administration for lack of proper permits. Briefly considering a stint on the scrunchie black market, I closed for business and stuffed the rest of the scrunchies in Christmas stockings for the next three years. Despite my thwarted attempt at big business, my entrepreneurial spirit hasn’t left me—in fact, my time at Trinity only fueled the flames. It is both amazing and, to me, somewhat not surprising that more than 2,200 Trinity Tigers identify themselves as entrepreneurs on LinkedIn; we call ourselves lifelong learners, and entrepreneurship is one of many outlets through which we push ourselves toward our goals. As we began researching for this issue of Trinity magazine, a pair of questions stood out: What is entrepreneurship? And what makes it different at Trinity? Chris Warren ’78, a mentor, friend, and Trinity’s first entrepreneur-in-residence, once told me that his favorite definition of an entrepreneur is “someone who is too naive to see the obstacles that are obvious to others.” I’d like to offer a polite revision: A Tiger entrepreneur is someone who is determined to overcome the obstacles that are obvious to others—no matter what it takes. In this issue, you’ll read stories of Trinity being a safe place to fail. You’ll experience the guts that go into getting back up again, and the glory felt when you succeed. Hopefully by the end, you’ll find the spirit in yourself to sit down at your own grown-up sewing machine and make your own scrunchies. I hear they’re coming back in style!
Send comments, ideas, or suggestions to jgoodri1@trinity.edu or Jeanna Goodrich
Happy reading,
Balreira, One Trinity Place, San Antonio, Texas 78212. Letters may be edited for style and space considerations.
Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08
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The Big Picture James Procter ’19 and Sarah Fordin ’19 launched Relax and Do Designs (RADD) in 2016 as an outdoor gear company. RADD products are designed to provide stress relief for customers, thereby increasing productivity and sharpening focus. Procter, a business administration major, and Fordin, a computer science major, are looking to launch a new prototype on Kickstarter this March. Pictured: RADD’s first set of products, but “definitely not the last.”
CONTRIBUTORS Jeanna Goodrich Balreira words + photos Jeanna is a writer, designer, and coder for Trinity’s creative services and a proud English major, class of 2008. When she’s not gardening or trying new foods, Jeanna is probably watching Star Wars or singing with the ladies in the Beethoven Damenchor. Follow Jeanna at @jeannabalreira. Instagram Everyone has an idol... Leeroy’s idol will have his jersey put in the rafters forever tonight! #ThankYouTD #GoSpursGo
Trinity Online
Carlos Anchondo words Carlos is a writer and editor for University Marketing and Communications. Carlos graduated from Trinity in 2014 with a double major in communication and international studies. He is a runner, reader, and collector of as many stamps as possible to fill his passport. Follow Carlos at @cjanchondo.
Web Extras Interact with videos, slideshows, and other content through the magazine’s web extras. A “gotu.us” URL at the end of a story signifies there’s more to experience online—just type the URL as printed directly into your web browser.
Social Media Follow Trinity on social media and stay updated with stories from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. Show your Trinity spirit with #TigerPride! facebook.com/TrinityUniversity youtube.com/TrinityUniversitySA
Anh-Viet Dinh photos Anh-Viet is the digital content producer who has taken more than one million photographs, enjoys playing piano, exploring nature, and hopes to travel the world. He graduated from Trinity in 2015 as a biology major and feels blessed to have experienced music, art, and science at Trinity.
Susie Gonzalez words Susie started her career as a newspaper reporter but changed the “channel” to Trinity when she realized she is a lifelong learner. Susie loves to share stories about Trinity with media outlets and appreciates picturesque sunsets while walking her dog. Follow Susie at @susiegonz.
twitter.com/Trinity_U instagram.com/TrinityU gotu.us/linkedin
Joshua Moczygemba words + photos Joshua is the sports marketing coordinator at Trinity who helps run Tiger Network, captures sports photography, and maintains and updates trinitytigers.com. He graduated from Trinity in 2005 as a business administration major, with concentrations in marketing and communication.
Twitter For a year @StationCDRKelly took pictures of us from above. Last night we got to return the favor! #TUKelly
Doug Brackenridge words Doug served on the Trinity faculty in the Department of Religion from 1962 to 2000 where he taught courses in the Bible, history of Christianity, and American religion. A volunteer in the University archives, he regularly visits the Bell Center to exercise with fellow retiree Ken Hummel.
TRINITY TODAY
Twenty-five Years as No. 1 Trinity named by U.S. News & World Report as Best in the West For the 25th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” guide awarded Trinity University a No. 1 ranking in the category of institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs as well as select master’s programs in the Western part of the United States. The annual college rankings also recognized Trinity’s commitment to undergraduate teaching in the same category and region. Additionally, Trinity received a No. 2 ranking in the publication’s best value category, “Great Schools, Great Prices,” and the University’s engineering science program was ranked No. 25 among the nation’s best schools where the highest degree offered is a bachelor’s or master’s. Trinity’s School of Business was also named to the list of top undergraduate business programs in the country.
A Smart Investment Trinity’s Student Managed Fund is making researched stock investments and beating the market as a result Those invested in the stock market know they want their money to make more money, but how can this complex skill be learned? At Trinity University, undergraduates in the Student Managed Fund (SMF) are not only learning how to invest, they are also mastering the process. Students in the program manage more than $5 million of the University’s endowment and consistently outperform the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. They have accomplished this feat on a one-year, threeyear, and five-year basis as of December 2015. “To put this stellar performance in perspective, only 22 percent of U.S. mutual funds outperformed their respective benchmarks on a trailing five-year basis,” said T.J. Qatato, director of the SMF and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). In addition to “beating the market,” the student managers also outperformed their Lipper mutual-fund peer group on a one-year, three-
year, and five-year basis. Lipper is a global company that analyzes how funds perform for both large companies and mid-size companies. The student managers have bested both categories with their investment decisions. Students must apply to be part of the program, with the fall semester focusing on analyst tasks and the spring semester devoted to portfolio management. Such a structure provides students with a year’s worth of experience and provides them with a sense of what an investment job could be like after graduation. Trinity Trustees in 1998 initially approved a plan for students to manage $500,000 in the University’s endowment. The first faculty director was Philip Cooley, who retired in 2012. Successful investing and additional Board allocations have pushed the portfolio past $5 million.
Technology Improves Honor Roll of Donors 2015-16 Honor Roll moves online Trinity University’s Honor Roll of Donors reflects how the Tiger community continues to strengthen the Trinity network. Previously only available in print format, the Honor Roll has moved to an online platform equipped with a customizable print function. The online format gives users the ability to access donor groups by category, giving level, and service to the institution. “The online solution is a cost-effective, sharable format that speaks highly to the prestige of our institution and its web presence,” said Stephanie Enoch, senior manager of web development for University Marketing and Communications. “From a coding and development standpoint, we will be able to update the Honor Roll annually with much less overhead and much less room for error.” This year’s Honor Roll serves as a snapshot for the 2015-16 fiscal year, where gifts to the University totalled $11,358,000; future years will be updated annually, and previous years will be available in an archive on the website.
Exploring the Final Frontier Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly describes life in space On Sept. 15, retired NASA astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly spoke at Trinity University as part of the 2016 Distinguished Lecture Series. His speech was called “The Sky is Not the Limit: Lessons From a Year in Space.” Kelly spoke to an enthralled Laurie Auditorium about his year-long mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The goal of the mission was to understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the space environment. Kelly conducted experiments and reconfigured station modules with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. During his speech, Kelly described life on the ISS, being sequestered from his family for such a lengthy period, and his experiences as he readjusted to life on Earth. Throughout his speech, Kelly discussed the importance of education and his own trajectory as a student. He talked about his mother as a role model for both himself and his twin brother, Mark, also a retired NASA astronaut and Navy Captain. Kelly said his mother taught him to always persevere and to push his limits. The Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible by the Walter F. Brown Family of San Antonio.
View the 2015-16 Honor Roll of Donors at donors.trinity.edu.
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Challenge Accepted Trinity donors demonstrate generosity in 24-Hour Giving Challenge On Oct. 26, Trinity University held its annual 24-Hour Giving Challenge through the Office of Alumni Relations and Development. An anonymous donor pledged $75,000 toward scholarships if 1,200 gifts to the University were made in a 24-hour period. At the end of the day, 1,342 gifts had been made to Trinity for a grand total of $235,657.40, including match dollars. Nearly 700 gifts were made by Trinity alumni, 277 from parents, 130 from faculty and staff, and more than 250 gifts were made by students and other donors. More than $77,000 from the challenge was directed toward the Trinity Fund, which helps meet students’ increased financial aid needs and allows Trinity to offer even greater opportunities for advanced scholarship. Ninety-five other areas on campus received the remaining total. In 2015, the 24-Hour Giving Challenge raised $160,609, including a $25,000 challenge match.
Trinity Theatre performed “Threepenny Opera,” directed by Kyle Gillette ’01, in November 2015.
The KRTU Tower Initiative, which aims to raise $300,000 by May, will mark an increase in terrestrial signal strength from 8,900 watts to 30,000 watts, expanding its reach from 549 square miles to 3,059 square miles. Additionally, the current listening area will hear 91.7 FM with significantly more clarity. Since 1976 when it was founded by Trinity University students, KRTU has provided programming that is educational, engaging, innovative, and a reflection of the community from which it broadcasts. In 2002, KRTU transitioned to jazz as its primary format and is one of only 52 FCC-licensed jazz radio stations in the country.
Set Apart Trinity Theatre wins 14 Globe Awards
40 Years of KRTU Trinity’s radio station marks milestone anniversary Trinity University’s KRTU 91.7 FM celebrated 40 years of broadcasting in October 2016 with an anniversary concert and a reveal of the Tower Initiative, an effort to expand the reach of its station by moving the broadcast signal to a stronger tower.
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Trinity Theatre captured 14 awards during the annual Globe Awards ceremony sponsored by the Alamo Theatre Arts Council. Faculty, staff, and students received awards in every category in the college division except sound design, indicating a well-rounded program. One production, “Threepenny Opera,” directed by theater professor Kyle Gillette ’01, was recognized with 10 awards. “The breadth of the awards that our program won this year shows not only the talent
of our faculty, staff, and students but also the strength of their vision of theatre being at the core of a liberal arts education,” said Andrew C. Hansen, chair of the Department of Human Communication and Theatre. The list of winners includes: Threepenny Opera: The department, Production of a Musical; music professor James Worman, Music Direction of a Musical; theater professor Kyle Gillette ’01, Direction of a Musical; Shelby Seier ’16, Choreography; Alejandro Cardona ’17, Lead Actor in a Musical; Matthew Reynolds ’17, Supporting Actor in a Musical; Amy Rossini ’16, Supporting Actress in a Musical; lighting designer and technical director Tim Francis, Lighting Design; costume designer Jodi Karjala and Tito Sandigo ’16, Costume Design; visiting professor Michelle Bisbee, Set Design. How I Learned to Drive: Dallas Akins ’16, Lead Actor in a Drama; Sarah Tipton ’16, Lead Actress in a Drama. The Mousetrap: Jacob Pursell ’17, Supporting Actor in a Comedy; Michelle Bisbee, Set Design. The awards evening was dedicated to the late John Igo ’48. He was named Trinity’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2001.
Faith Deckard ‘18 (left) and Sasha Faust ‘18 (right) have been selected to receive the Ed Whitacre Leadership Scholarship.
Trinity Juniors Earn S.A. Chamber Scholarship Two students recognized for leadership, excellence on campus by Susie P. Gonzalez Two Trinity University juniors, Faith Deckard and Alexan-
dra “Sasha” Faust, have been selected to receive the Ed Whitacre Leadership Scholarship from the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. They are the first Trinity students to receive the $10,000 scholarship named in honor of the longtime chairman and CEO of Southwestern Bell (SBC) who also led the company when it became AT&T. Whitacre is considered a San Antonio business giant who has been described as an American icon whose life is a testimony to hard work and the American dream. A larger-than-life legend, “Ed Whitacre is John Wayne in a business suit.” Deckard ’18 is a biology major and Spanish minor from Nacogdoches, Texas. She is a McNair Scholar, a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership society, and a peer tutor and researcher in biology professor Michele Johnson’s evolutionary lab. “Words cannot fully express what winning this award means to me,” Deckard said. “Education has been and continues to be my avenue to a better life and larger platform to serve others.” She credited several programs and individuals for helping her excel and said she likes to “take advantage of every opportunity to pay it forward and help someone else. To be awarded for my small efforts and contributions is absolutely amazing.”
After graduating, Deckard plans to pursue a doctorate in sociology with a concentration on the relationship between mental health, drug abuse, and imprisonment. “I cannot think of a more pressing issue and topic that necessitates our attention,” she said. Faust ’18 is a human communication major from Santa Fe, N.M. She is a member of the Trinity debate team and is president of the Trinity Forensics Society, a student speech and debate club. She also conducted research as part of the Mellon Initiative on the color blue and how it connected to a painful family history. Also on campus, Faust is a tour guide and Trinity Distinguished Representative for the Admissions Office, vice president of the Philosophy Club, vice chair of the Board of Campus Publications, and is active in Trinity theater productions. “I am grateful and honored to receive the Ed Whitacre scholarship,” Faust said. “This scholarship represents an investment in my future, which not only affirms my past decisions but also provides the financial support for me to take risks and get even more involved in my interests as I head into my final year at Trinity.” Faust said receiving the scholarship alongside Deckard, whom she described as “powerful and brilliant,” was particularly special because they were in a first-year seminar during their first semester on campus. “Faith and I occupy and excel in very different spheres at Trinity, so I think the committee granting us both this award powerfully recognizes that leadership comes in many shapes and forms.”
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Six Trinity Student Writers Master Six Words McNay Art Museum exhibit features poems of English professor’s students to describe photos by Susie P. Gonzalez When the McNay Art Museum was curating an exhibit
of photographs that tell a story, organizers asked Jenny Browne, associate professor of English at Trinity University and Poet Laureate for the city of San Antonio, to provide words for the images. In turn, Browne invited students in one of her creative writing classes to bring to life the commission from the McNay by writing six-word stories about the works of 17 photographers whose works appeared in “Telling Tales: Contemporary Narrative Photography” at the museum last winter.
“If you can only take one line with you, what will it be?” The result is red-inked, six-word stories placed next to photographs in the special exhibit. The six-word stories include the names and class years of each of the six Trinity students who contributed to the project. Browne said the museum shared a catalog of the photographs before the exhibit opened. She urged the students to examine the photographed relationships between people and between objects. “I told them, ‘You can’t write about the whole thing, so pick out some aspect of the photo,’” Browne said, adding with emphasis, “Because you only have six words.”
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The creative project also meshes with one of her goals as Poet Laureate—to engage the public in literature. “The first time I came in here and saw my words on a wall in a museum, it was like an out-of-body experience,” said Briauna Barrera ’17, a San Antonio student double majoring in urban studies and environmental studies, with a minor in creative writing. “People have been making crafts for years and years and years – or they are even dead – and they are in a museum. To be a college student and have my words on a museum wall is a humbling, incredible experience.” Narrative photography is used to tell a story, and in some of the McNay photographs, the events being depicted were staged with actors. On the surface, one photograph is a day in the life of an Asian restaurant. The accompanying six-word story by Derek Hudson ’19, is “Egg drop soup. Bombs drop too.” In addition to Barrera and Hudson, the other student writers were Megan Allen ’19, Brianna Azua ’19, Julia Camp ’18, and Michael Garcia ’19. In her description of the project that is posted at the beginning of the exhibit, Browne noted that the stories are a form of ekphrasis, a Greek word for “marking art about art.” She discussed the photographs in terms of their cause and effect, tone and time, and irony and surprise. When anyone got stuck, Browne drew from the metaphor of what important items would you grab to take with you if your house were on fire. She said, “If you can only take one line with you, what will it be?”
Making a Difference TUgether Trinity University launches crowdfunding initiative Trinity University rolled out a University-wide crowdfunding initiative in November 2016 that allows alumni and donors to engage more directly with student, faculty, and staff projects and goals. Through TUgether, donors are able to interact with and give at varying levels to directly support everything from student service projects and competitions, student and faculty research projects, student life and involvement, and more. Projects typically run for 30 days with goals up to $5,000. “Crowdfunding at Trinity offers another way in which our alumni and donors can give back to what they believe in,” said Mike Bacon, vice president for Alumni Relations and Development. “I am proud to have this initiative become a reality.” TUgether launched its pilot crowdfunding projects in mid-November starting with a campaign for the Trinity tennis programs’ Mabry Tennis Pavilion and to support the “Food Matters: Eating Disorders and Food Insecurity” research project jointly run by psychology professor Carolyn Becker and political science professor Keesha Middlemass. A little more than one week into the campaign, both projects successfully reached their funding goals: The Mabry Tennis Pavilion campaign was funded at 317 percent of its initial goal, and the Food Matters campaign was funded at 162 percent of its initial goal. In total, the campaigns raised more than $24,000. For more information on TUgether and to support upcoming projects, visit TUgether.trinity.edu.
Trinity Launches IMPACT Magazine Publication promotes commitment to lifelong learning by faculty and staff In November 2016, Trinity released a
Sustainable Future Trinity hires a director of campus planning and sustainability Gordon Bohmfalk joined the Trinity staff as the director of campus planning and sustainability in August. He is a member of the Campus Master Planning Committee, led by University Librarian Diane Graves, and will assume responsibility for plan implementation once it is approved by the Board of Trustees in February. Bohmfalk comes to Trinity recently having served nine years with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department as a statewide planning and design branch manager. As the Campus Master Plan solidifies, part of Bohmfalk’s mission is to preserve the architectural legacy of O’Neil Ford, whom he met as an architecture student at The University of Texas at Austin. Bohmfalk worked with Ford on a project at Hot Wells, a former hotel, spa, and health resort on San Antonio’s Southeast Side. At Trinity, Bohmfalk looks forward to making the campus more energy efficient and more sustainable, and to creating buildings where people want to learn and work.
new publication, IMPACT: Scholarship, Creativity, and Community Engagement at Trinity University. The magazine features the scholarly and creative works of faculty and staff at the University, addressing the strategic plan’s call for showcasing active scholarship and research. The inaugural issue of IMPACT highlights physics professor Dennis Ugolini’s work on the LIGO gravitational waves discovery, as well as stories about Trinity’s partnership with San Antonio’s Advanced Learning Academy and housing and urban development projects on San Antonio’s East Side. In addition to updates on grants and awards, IMPACT showcases a sampling of research and creative work done from June 2015 to May 2016 by Tiger faculty and staff. IMPACT, which will be published annually in the fall, is open for submissions for the 2016-17 academic year from current and emerti faculty and staff. Read the inaugural issue of IMPACT or submit scholarly achievements online at magazine.trinity.edu/impact.
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TRINITY TODAY
TIGER PRIDE
Fall 2016 Athletics Recaps Cross Country
Trinity University Faculty Rank Among the Best in the Nation Research, availability to students, and emphasis on collaborative learning lead to stellar ranking by Michelle Bartonico ’08 Consistently recognized as a top school for undergraduate teach-
ing, Trinity University is now held among the best in the nation in combining scholarly research with classroom instruction. In the inaugural Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking, Trinity University was recognized for its commitment to teaching and scholarship. The University ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in Texas in the “Top Faculties” category. This category looked at faculty research productivity and student evaluations of faculty accessibility, more specifically by assessing the number of research papers per faculty member and asking students to rate how accessible their professors were to them and to what extent the school provided them with opportunities for collaborative learning.
“Our faculty link teaching and research in meaningful ways.” “Since I arrived at Trinity, I have been impressed by the faculty. Their commitment to our students drives their teaching. Their commitment to knowledge drives their research,” said Trinity President Danny Anderson. “Our faculty link teaching and research in deep, meaningful ways. As a result, Trinity students become active, original thinkers.” In the journal’s overall ranking of national universities, Trinity ranked No. 72 out of more than 1,000 institutions of higher learning and No. 3 in Texas. This ranking took into account student outcomes, resources, student engagement, and learning environment.
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Sophomore Molly McCullough represented the Tigers at the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships at Louisville, Ky. McCullough finished in 65th place in the 6k event, crossing the finish line with a personal-best time of 21:43.7. She made Trinity history, as no other Tiger sophomore runner has ever finished better at nationals. McCullough and her teammates placed fifth at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional in Mount Berry, Ga. Individually, McCullough was the runner-up, earning her a spot in the NCAA Championships. Joining McCullough on the All-Region Team were Lexi Phelps, Laura Taylor, and Melissa Whitman. The Tiger men finished eighth at the Regional, while Austin Brown and Brian Wongchotigul were named to the All-Region Team. Trinity’s men’s and women’s teams were runners-up at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, held in Round Rock, Texas. Brown finished second in the men’s championship, and McCullough placed third in the women’s. Five men and six women earned All-SCAC accolades. Emily Daum ’09 completed her third year as head coach of the Tiger men and women.
Football The Tigers finished the season with a 5-5 record, capturing three of their last four games. Trinity, led by third-year Head Coach Jerheme Urban ’03, was the SCAC runner-up with a 3-3 mark. Senior defensive lineman Luke Packard received numerous national accolades. Packard was elected to the D3football.com All-America Third Team Defense and to the All-South Region Second Team. He was also a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award by the Little Rock Touchdown Club, presented to the top defensive player from NCAA Divisions II, III, and NAIA colleges and universities. Packard emerged as Trinity’s all-time sacks leader, with 27 in his career. He registered 16.5 sacks in the campaign, which established a single-season record for the Tigers.
Packard led a group of nine players selected for the All-SCAC First Team. Joining Packard as three-time honorees on defense were senior linebackers Julian Turner and Brad Hood and junior defensive lineman Alejandro Anzaldua. Junior linebacker Mitchell Globe made the First Team for the second time. Senior tackle Joseph Staggs gained a position on the All-SCAC First Team offense, as did three first-year players: center Patrick Quintana, wide receiver Tommy Lavine, and running back Zach Trevino.
Golf Trinity’s 17th-ranked women’s golf team wrapped up the fall season by winning its Alamo City Classic, held at San Antonio’s The Quarry Golf Club. Senior Hanna Niner finished as runner-up after rising from a first-round fifth-place position. The Tiger women’s squad is led by Carla Spenkoch, golf director, currently in her 19th year at Trinity. The Tigers men’s team emerged victorious at the Alamo City Classic, rallying from third place after the opening day of action. Senior Travis Hindle forced a three-way playoff for medalist honors. Hindle finished second in the playoff, which lasted two holes. Trinity’s men’s team is coached by Sean Etheredge, in his fourth season as the Tigers’ mentor.
Men’s Soccer Head Coach Paul McGinlay guided Trinity to a 22-2-0 record, and a No. 12 final ranking in the 2016 season. The Tigers, who advanced to their 20th NCAA Division III Tournament overall, qualified for the tournament for the 15th time in a row, the longest active streak in DIII soccer. Trinity won a 19th SCAC Championship, secured the automatic bid to the NCAA postseason event, and advanced to the round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year. Four Tiger players were elected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America Team. Sophomores Laurence Wyke and Austin Michaelis were tapped for the All-America First Team, while sophomore Christian Sakshaug and junior Kellen Reid made the Second Team. Sakshaug was also named an All-American by HERO Sports, and Reid was designated
as an NSCAA Scholar All-American. Reid, an accounting major, was also elected to the NSCAA Scholar All-America First Team. Each player also made the NSCAA All-West Region Team. McGinlay, in his 26th season at the Tigers’ helm, was elected SCAC Coach of the Year for the 14th time and for the second consecutive year. Michaelis was named the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Wyke was selected as Defensive Player of the Year. The four All-Americans were tapped for the All-SCAC First Team, as was junior Brent Mandelkorn.
Trinity Women’s Tennis Coach Inducted into Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame by James Hill ’75 Trinity women’s tennis coach Gretchen Rush ’86 was inducted into the Inter-
Farra
Women’s Soccer Dylan Harrison ’02 skippered the Tigers in his first year as head coach. Trinity finished the 2016 campaign with a 23-1-0 record and went undefeated in the regular season. The Tigers competed in their 22nd NCAA Division III Tournament and won the first three rounds of the postseason event. Trinity lost a tightly played quarterfinals matchup to eventual NCAA champion Washington University-St. Louis in a home game. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) ranked Trinity sixth in the nation in the final poll of the year. Senior Yasmeen Farra received a number of national laurels, including election to the NSCAA All-America First Team. Farra, an engineering science major, was also selected for the NSCAA Scholar All-America First Team and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Third Team.
collegiate Tennis Association Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held Nov. 12, 2016, in Williamsburg, Va., at the College of William and Mary. Rush had an illustrious career as a Tiger player from 1983-86, during Trinity’s NCAA Division I era. Along with Louise Allen ’84, Rush won the NCAA Doubles Championship in 1983. Rush was the NCAA Doubles runner-up in 1985 with Lisa Sassano ’85 and in 1986 with Ann Hulbert ’88. She also was the NCAA Singles runner-up both years. A four-time All-American, Rush was also a two-time College Women’s Player of the Year and the ITA Senior Women’s Player of the Year. Rush was also presented the Broderick Award as the top women’s collegiate player in the nation. Rush advanced to the singles quarterfinals of the 1982 U.S. Open and the 1983 French Open. As a pro player, Rush was ranked as high as 13th in the world. She reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals in 1986 and 1989, and was a Wimbledon mixed doubles finalist in 1988. She was inducted into the Trinity University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. Rush returned to her alma mater in 2014 to become head coach of the Tiger women’s tennis team.
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TIGER PRIDE
A Legacy of Tiger Pride Bell Center renovations underway with a nod to commitment and community Since 1964, Trinity’s Bell Athletic Center has been a cam-
pus hub for fitness and recreation for the Tiger community. Extensive renovations to the Bell Center began in December 2016, launching a significant transformation that will dramatically change the facility’s appearance and better meet the growing demand of today’s students.
volleyball, will receive new maroon bleachers, an electronic scoreboard with video capabilities, and upgraded scoring tables and locker rooms. Once renovations are completed, Sams Gym will be renamed the Ron and Genie Calgaard Gymnasium. This naming honors the Calgaards’ legacy of commitment to
“Our highly successful NCAA Division III program and a growing trend toward a more wellness-conscience culture have increased demands for use of the facility.” Trinity students, faculty, and staff will enjoy the addition of a multi-level fitness center with a weight room and cardio area, an expansion of approximately 10,000 square feet that more than doubles the size of the current weight and cardio facilities. “Our highly successful NCAA Division III program and a growing trend toward a more health- and wellness-conscience culture have increased demands for use of the facility,” says Bob King, Trinity’s athletics director. Benefiting more than 500 Tiger student athletes, construction also includes expansions and upgrades to locker rooms, athletic training facilities, sports medicine facilities, and a new, 4,000-square-foot Olympic strength training room. Hixon Natatorium, the home of Trinity’s swimming and diving teams, will receive upgrades to its mechanical and filtration systems, while Sams Gymnasium, the main competition site for Tiger basketball and
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excellence and their strong sense of campus community. Ron Calgaard served as Trinity’s 16th president from 1979 to 1999, guiding Trinity to a new stature as a residential liberal arts and sciences university with a national reputation. Trinity continues to recognize the resources that have made these improvements possible. The beginnings of the University’s athletic and wellness facilities can be traced to a significant gift from the Earl C. Sams Foundation that helped build the Sams Memorial Athletic Center in 1964 under President James Laurie’s leadership. Led by President Calgaard, the facility was last renovated and expanded in 1992, when it was also renamed in honor of longtime Trinity Trustee William H. “Bill” Bell. The current $15.3 million renovation is made possible largely by the Chapman Trusts, with special direction by Board of Trustee member Sharon Bell and other Trustee donors.
Joining Farra on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team were senior Jordan Leeper and junior Hannah Booher. Juniors Julia Kelly, an economics major, and Julia Cam, an English major, were selected for the NSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team. Farra, Kelly, Camp, and junior forward Colleen Markey garnered NSCAA All-West Region recognition. After the Tigers won their 21st conference championship, Farra was selected as the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Farra and squadmates Leeper, Booher, Camp, Markey, and Kelly were named to the All-SCAC First Team.
Men’s Tennis Junior Matt Tyer and sophomore Wilson Lambeth advanced to the Division III Doubles Championship of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Oracle Cup in Surprise, Ariz. The event was previously known as the ITA National Small College Championships. Tyer played in his second straight ITA national final. In 2015, Tyer and Trinity tennis graduate Adam Krull ’16 won the championship. The 2016 event marked the third consecutive year a Tiger tandem had advanced to the title match. Tyer and Lambeth qualified for the Oracle Cup by winning the ITA Southwest Doubles Championship in Tyler, Texas. Russell McMindes ’02 is the Tiger men’s tennis head coach.
Smith
Volleyball Head Coach Julie Jenkins, in her 32nd year at volleyball’s helm, led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time. Trinity won its 18th SCAC Championship— defeating fifth-ranked Southwestern (TX) University—and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA event. The Tigers
headed to the NCAA Regional and lost to Hendrix (AR) College. Trinity finished the slate with a 27-8 record and a No. 16 ranking by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Jenkins was elected by her peers as the SCAC Co-Coach of the Year, marking the 13th time she has garnered the league’s top distinction. Junior Kirby Smith was named to the AVCA All-America First Team, becoming the eighth Tiger player to earn First Team honors. She also made the AVCA All-West Region First Team, and the All-SCAC Team. During the season, Smith was picked as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week. Senior Erika Edrington and junior Madeline McKay earned AVCA All-West Region Honorable Mention Team plaudits. Conference coaches voted to place Smith, Edrington, and McKay on the All-SCAC First Team.
Southwick
Women’s Tennis
Boots on the Court
Senior Liza Southwick and junior Marie Lutz advanced to the doubles final for the third straight year at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Region Championships in Abilene, Texas. The Tiger duo had won the title the previous two years. Southwick also advanced to the singles final for the second time. She was previously runner-up in 2014.
Dick Stockton ’72, a former top-ranked tennis pro, organized Boots on the Court at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Air Force Base in October 2016. Boots on the Court was created to use tennis to thank military servicemen, sevicewomen, veterans, and their families for their continued service to the U.S. front Mary Hamm-Ridings ’76; Anne Wellford ’20; Elena Wilson ’17; Abby DeNike ’20; and Caroline Kutach ’19. back Bob McKinley ’72; Dick Stockton; Lisa Sassano Westergard ’85; Butch Newman ’65; Jim Timmins ’76, ’78; and Tom David ’79.
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TRINITY PRESS
Coming of Age at the End of Nature edited by Susan A. Cohen and Julie Dunlap, foreword by Bill McKibben Coming of Age at the End of Nature explores a new kind of environmental writing. This powerful anthology gathers the passionate voices of young writers who have grown up in an environmentally damaged and compromised world. Each contributor has come of age since Bill McKibben foretold the doom of humanity’s ancient relationship with a pristine earth in his prescient 1988 warning of climate change, The End of Nature.
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Juan O’Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations Catherine Nixon Cooke Juan O’Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations follows O’Gorman’s life and the creation of his mural, “Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas,” a spectacular piece of midcentury public art that stands the test of time as one of the Mexican artist’s most influential works. The mural was unveiled at HemisFair ’68, which marked a shift in San Antonio’s history, transforming its cultural landscape from one of Spanish colonial settlement and antebellum America into a crossroads of many cultures.
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Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream Char Miller Environmental historian Char Miller looks below the surface of California’s ecological history to expose some of its less glittering conundrums. In this book, Miller—formerly a professor of history at Trinity University and current director of the environmental analysis program and W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College—asks tough questions as we stand on the edge of a human-induced natural disaster in the region and beyond.
San Antonio Uncovered: Fun Facts and Hidden Histories Mark Louis Rybczyk The Alamo City’s charm, colorful surroundings, and diverse culture combine to make it one of the most interesting places in Texas and the nation. In San Antonio Uncovered, Mark Rybczyk examines some of the city’s internationally known legends and lore and takes a nostalgic look at landmarks that have disappeared. Introducing the city’s characters and unusual features, Rybczyk debunks local myths and corrects common misconceptions to create a unique portrait of a city on the rise.
Spurs Nation: Major Moments in San Antonio Basketball Staff of the San Antonio Express-News From the Memorial Day Miracle to coach Gregg Popovich’s legendary leadership to winning five NBA championships, the San Antonio Spurs have brought excitement to San Antonio since 1976. Celebrating the team with one of the most loyal fan bases in basketball history, Spurs Nation captures the Spurs’ unforgettable plays and crucial junctures from the past 30 years as seen through the eyes of the San Antonio Express-News’ photographers and writers who have covered the team’s monumental rise.
Wind of Enthusiasm
For Barbara Ras
When she came into our view The air changed Sky opened What could a press do? Not only make gorgeous books but important books to enlighten January marked the retirement of Barbara Ras, an internationally
Talking on the Water: Conversations about Nature and Creativity edited by Jonathan White During the 1980s and 1990s, the Resource Institute, headed by Jonathan White, held an ongoing series of “floating seminars” aboard a 65-foot schooner, featuring leading thinkers and artists from an array of disciplines. Over a period of 10 years, White conducted interviews with the writers, scientists, environmentalists, and poets—including Ursula Le Guin, Lynn Margulis, Richard Nelson, Gretel Ehrlich, Paul Shepard, Peter Matthiessen, Gary Snyder, and more—exploring the human relationship to the wild.
acclaimed poet who served as the director of the Trinity University Press after a national search when it reopened in 2002. Her work in publishing, which spans more than three decades, has earned her a reputation as one of the best editors in the fields of nature and environmental writing. She built a publishing operation for Trinity University that quickly became known for its high quality, award-winning books, and she assembled a top-tier professional team, including the Press’s new director, Tom Payton. Today, the press publishes 15 to 20 books a year and boasts more than 200 books in print. Please join poet Naomi Shihab Nye ’74 and all of us in wishing Ras well in her retirement.
uplift the consciousness of all who read them held them
spent time with them
Barbara, please move here!
We were sent like a secret undercover brigade to convince her – but our help was barely needed once she felt our soft air tasted our food
Barbara, we treasure you!
A new wind of enthusiasm blew through San Antonio Something to be proud of Body of books like a family worthy of attention In a country proud of thinking and considering Questioning and caring This was our passport
diploma and calling card
from a poet who shared her brilliance with so many lucky writers and readers
Barbara, we thank you!
For making a whole country of books spread before us on our tables and shelves Naomi Shihab Nye ’74 is a poet, songwriter, and novelist whose works are based on heritage and peace and are connected to her experience as an Arab-American. She received
for the times that are hurting and the better gleam of futures we could all inhabit.
Safe journey, deepest grace.
her Bachelor of Arts from Trinity in English and world religions.
Love, Naomi Shihab Nye ’74
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Chocolate played a seminal role in Dick
Dick Swope Professor Emeritus, Engineering Science by R. Douglas Brackenridge
Swope’s career decisions. Born in a rural setting outside of Hershey, Pa., Swope worked summers as a youth in the Hershey Chocolate Factory where his father and mother were employees. (He is noncommittal about how much chocolate he consumed on the job.) In ninth grade, Swope opted for a vocational rather than a collegiate track because he lacked a strong background in math and science. However, the Hershey Company funded a junior college where workers and their families could attend tuition-free. Swope decided to enroll and test his ability to do the work. His only expense was the cost of a sliderule. The vocational regimen featured two weeks of shop and two weeks of academic classes. “Along the way,” Swope said, “something clicked.” He rapidly overcame his academic deficiencies and ended up first in his class. His success resulted in a series of substantial scholarships from the University of Delaware where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, completing his Ph.D. in 1966. After two years of experience at the Armstrong Cork Company, Swope accepted a position as assistant professor of engineering science and later as assistant dean at Widener University in Chester, Pa. A chance meeting with Trinity engineering science professor Herb Treat in 1980 led to an appointment as a tenured professor in Trinity’s Department of Engineering Science. Early in his Trinity career, while serving as department chair, Swope led his colleagues through a national accreditation process and a comprehensive curriculum restructuring. He dedicated the rest of his career to teaching and research. Rather than focusing on theoretical solutions to abstract problems, Swope concentrated on laboratory and design courses to motivate students to make critical and creative practical applications. He especially enjoyed working with students who asked challenging questions and caused him to rethink his ideas or rephrase his remarks. One of Swope’s mind-stretching student assignments was to have them design, construct, and test a water balloon launcher. He agreed to be the target at a distance of 50 yards but went untouched by the barrage. In 1987, he received a Texas Monthly “Bum Steer” award for the project and was mentioned by commentator Paul Harvey on his national radio program. Swope was active on numerous University committees including the curriculum council and the special benefits committee. In the 1980s, he and engineering student Cindy Guldan ’87 collaborated to establish a local chapter of the Society of Women Engineers with Swope serving as faculty sponsor. Off campus, Swope did consulting work for NASA and Brooks Air Force Base in cardiovascular research. He spent three weeks in Russia with a group of American scientists to assist Russian scholars in their research. Swope published numerous articles in scholarly journals on his research activities. Retiring in 2003, Swope and his wife, Yolanda, live on a 15-acre ranch near Boerne. They enjoy interacting daily with Chica, their border collie, and most evenings play educational mind games that test and enhance their vocabularies. Health issues have forced Swope to curtail lifelong running and jogging, but he continues to exercise by doing upper-body aerobic weight lifting and extreme precision target shooting. Reading and occasional fishing trips provide pleasurable relaxation. Swope makes trips to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he visits his children from a previous marriage—son, Richard, and daughter, Cheryl—and grandchildren, Rachel and Adam. Swope welcomes emails at rswope@gvtc.com, phone calls at 830-336-2731, and letters at 10002 Cordillera Trace, Boerne, TX, 78006.
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John Howland had never seen a computer
John Howland Professor Emeritus, Computer Science by R. Douglas Brackenridge
above Howland was an actor in a Western movie, Upon the Awful Tree, in which he portrayed a Bible-thumping preacher.
before he entered college in 1959. Intending to major in physics and mathematics, Howland took an electronics class from a professor who had a background in computer design. He taught Howland and his classmates how to build computer circuits and took them to see the only computer in the college’s town of Anderson, Ind. That experience changed the trajectory of Howland’s academic goals and culminated in a Ph.D. in 1970 from the University of Oklahoma in mathematics and computer science. Completion of his doctorate coincided with an offer from Trinity University to be chair of the newly established Department of Computer Science, the first such undergraduate department in Texas. Even though Howland had very little teaching experience, his faculty adviser recommended him highly to Trinity as someone who could deal creatively with the imposing task. His parting words to Howland, “John, don’t screw up, or they will be coming after me,” gave him extra motivation to succeed. No one came after his adviser, and Howland had a productive and fulfilling 42-year career at Trinity. When Howland arrived at Trinity in 1970, he faced a number of challenges as chair. Computer science was a novelty, and Trinity faculty and administrators had lengthy discussions about its status in traditional academic groupings before placing it permanently in the sciences. While these discussions were ongoing, Howland engaged in what he termed “an interesting and exciting period of building a department” by constructing a curriculum, hiring new staff, and working with students. Three years later, the undergraduate department had 150 majors, and shortly thereafter, a graduate program was in place with about 100 students. In addition, Howland taught classes, served on University committees, wrote numerous scholarly articles, and received a number of major research grants. From 1976-83, he was founder and chairman of Vanguard Systems Corp., which developed a chain of retail computer stores under the name of Computer Shop. As an entrepreneur, Howland was able to advise students who were interested in generating startup computer businesses. He estimates that Trinity graduates formed 30 or 40 successful organizations over the years including Rackspace, an internationally known web hosting company in San Antonio. Rackspace founders established a scholarship fund to honor Howland and colleagues Maury Egan and the late Gerald Pitts, in appreciation of their contributions to Trinity’s Department of Computer Science. Following his retirement in 2012, Howland and his wife, Glynne Peden Howland ’75, ’82, have traveled extensively in England, Scotland, Ireland, China, and across Europe. They visit and travel with their two children, Miriam and Patrick, and their spouses. Howland’s primary hobby is associated with off-road motorcycles. His longest group trip, 5,700 miles, began in British Columbia, Canada, and followed trails along the North American Continental Divide to the Mexican border. Other trips were to Colorado and New Mexico. Howland has a workshop at his home where he repairs and restores old motorcycles. Through the influence of a friend, Howland became co-producer and an actor in a Western movie called Upon the Awful Tree in which he portrayed a Bible-thumping preacher, the only character who got shot. Check it out on Facebook (and view it for a price) if you are interested in his performance. Howland welcomes emails at jhowland@trinity.edu, phone calls at 210-861-0034, and letters at 9611 Dove Shadow, San Antonio, TX 78230.
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IN MEMORIAM
FRED BREMNER
PHIL EVETT
Fred Bremner, professor emeritus of psychology, died June 30, 2016. He was 80. A specialist in the relationship between the brain and behavior, Bremner joined the Trinity faculty in 1965 as an associate professor. Promoted to full professor in 1974, he served twice as chair of the Department of Psychology before retiring in 1999. He preferred researching and teaching in the classroom over administrative work and frequently sponsored students’ research and presentations at professional conferences. He authored nearly 50 research papers and frequently presented at scientific meetings. He was the chief administrative officer on several privately or government-funded research projects to study both human and animal psychological behavior. Much of his research in his later career at Trinity revolved around pacemaker neurons and neural networks through computer simulations, robotics, and neural physiology. Research projects from this interest were often shared with the Department of Engineering Science. Prior to joining the Trinity faculty, he was a research fellow at UCLA’s Brain Research Institute and a human factors scientist on the Apollo Moon Project with General Precision Inc. Bremner had a great love for horses and the outdoors and enjoyed teaching others to ride. He is preceded in death by his wife, Lois Wolfe Bremner, and survived by his son, Morgan, and daughter, April.
Phil Evett, professor emeritus of art and noted sculptor, died Aug. 5, 2016. He was 93. Born in Swanscombe, Kent, England, Evett studied at the Cambridge College of Art. During WWII, he was a member of the Royal Air Force who, after the war, restored bombed churches and carved war memorials at university chapels in Cambridge. He immigrated to the United States in 1954. Living first in Austin, Texas, Evett moved to San Antonio in 1958 and taught at the San Antonio Art Institute and worked in a studio at La Villita. He began teaching at Trinity University in 1960 and retired as professor emeritus in 1987. A prolific artist his entire life, he created sculptures and drawings and inspired thousands of students. “In fact, he inspired everyone he met with his gentle nature, quick British wit, a passion for living well, and a keen appreciation of the visual world,” said Ansen Seale ’83, who considered Evett a lifelong mentor. Evett had hundreds of exhibitions over his lifetime, and several of his sculptures are part of the major collections in museums across the Southwest and in England. He earned several art awards and prizes including the San Antonio Art League’s Artist of the Year in 1962. An artist who created works in stone, clay, plastic, aluminum, and steel, Evett’s primary medium for the past several decades had been wood sculpture. Two of his sculptures are part of Trinity University’s art collection, including Millennium 2000, an 8-foot-tall wood sculpture installed last year in the foyer of the Dicke Art Building. The piece was donated to the University by Trustees Gen. Tom Hill ’68 and Jim Dicke ’68 in honor of Evett’s contributions as an artist. The second piece, a bust of Trinity President James Laurie, stylistically very different from his typical work, was installed and dedicated in the lobby of Laurie Auditorium in 2010. Evett is survived by his wife, JoAnne.
Millennium 2000, by Phil Evett
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DICK GENTRY
BILL TRENCH
Richard “Dick” Gentry, professor emeritus of communication, died Nov. 3, 2016, at his Burnsville, N.C., home. He was 87. A long-time professor of journalism and communication, he began teaching at Trinity in 1968. He was the Lozano Professor of Journalism, Broadcasting, and Film and served as chair of the department twice. Shortly after he arrived, Trinity received a major grant that added state-of-the art television and film equipment and studios. Gentry helped design what was named the Department of Journalism, Broadcasting, and Film. He taught courses in writing, media history, ethics, and law before retiring in 1992. Beyond his administrative and classroom teaching responsibilities, Gentry was always eager to connect Trinity with the wider community. For many years, he directed a summer Journalism Institute that drew nearly 400 Texas high school students and advisers for intensive sessions on newspapers and yearbooks. He also directed an Election Bureau, funded by local media, where he recruited members of campus clubs to go to voting precincts and phone in results, often hours before they were hand-carried to a downtown tabulation center. A former journalist, he served several years on the news staff of the Tulsa World, the city’s morning newspaper, before enrolling in graduate study at Stanford University. There he inherited the teaching of an undergraduate news writing course and found teaching was his passion. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tulsa, a master’s in journalism from Stanford University, and a doctorate in communication from the University of Illinois. Gentry is survived by his wife of 50 years, Diane, with whom he enjoyed traveling the U.S. and abroad and shared a love for hiking mountain trails.
William “Bill” Trench, professor emeritus and the former Cowles Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, died Dec. 4, 2016, in Hopkinton, N.H. He was 85. Trench joined the Trinity faculty as the Cowles Distinguished Professor in 1986, having previously served as professor of mathematics at Drexel University. Prior to entering academia, Trench was employed as an applied mathematician by RCA, Philco, and General Electric. His main research interests were linear algebra and ordinary differential equations. He was the recipient of multiple National Science Foundation grants. Trench was the author of three textbooks and more than 120 research papers. Although he retired from teaching in 1997, he continued to publish research, with articles appearing in leading journals as recently as 2014. His teaching experience spanned nearly 35 years and included a broad spectrum of mathematics courses for undergraduates and graduate students. At Trinity, students found him to be interesting and intriguing and especially appreciated his sense of humor. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics from Lehigh University and a master’s and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, the American Mathematical Society, and Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Beverly.
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IN MEMORIAM
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GERALD PITTS
BOB TIEMANN
Gerald N. Pitts, professor emeritus of computer science, died on Dec. 23, 2016, following a courageous battle with leukemia. Pitts joined the Trinity faculty in 1981 and served for many years as the chair of the Department of Computer Science. He was named the Caruth Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in 1999. A dedicated teacher and scholar, he received the Dr. & Mrs. Z.T. Scott Faculty Fellowship Award for excellence in teaching, advising, and student service in 2000. He also received the Piper Professor Award for superior teaching in 2004. Pitts graduated from Texas A&M in 1966 with a bachelor’s in mathematics. A former A&M football player, he was proud of his Aggie heritage. He went on to earn a master’s in computer science from Texas A&M, a master’s in management science from American Technological University, and a doctorate in computer science from Texas A&M. In 2005, Pitts was named the Distinguished Former Student from the Texas A&M Department of Engineering and Computer Science. Author or contributor to five books and more than 130 articles and presentations, Pitts was the recipient of numerous research grants, including awards from the National Science Foundation. He pioneered the concept of shared microcomputer virtual reality interface with simulation models and worked in the field for more than 30 years following his involvement with the Apollo space program at NASA. Pitts was dedicated to promoting computer programming skills in young people. He was a co-creator of the National ACM Programming Contest in 1974 and organized the Trinity University Programming Team upon his arrival in 1981.
Robert “Bob” Tiemann, professor emeritus of art, died Dec. 29, 2016. He was 81. Tiemann joined the Trinity faculty in 1965. He was appointed chair of the art department in 1982 and served in that position for six years. A gifted educator, Tiemann spent 35 years teaching both studio art and art history at Trinity. At different times throughout his career, he also taught at the University of Texas in San Antonio, Harvard University, Alamo Heights High School, Texas Lutheran University, San Antonio School of Art, and Melbourne High School in Florida. An accomplished abstract painter, Tiemann’s art was shown in exhibits across the world. His works are included in the collections of the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Dhondt Dhaenens Museum in Belgium, and the Museo Cantonale d’Arte in Switzerland, among others. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Tiemann received a BFA from the University of Texas in 1958 and an MFA from the University of Southern California in 1960. Although his primary residence was in San Antonio, he fell in love with the Fort Davis, Texas, area and eventually built a home there, spending more and more time in the Davis Mountains after he retired. Tiemann’s wife of 40 years, Annabelle, and son, Michael, were with him when he died.
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Read a tribute to Bob Tiemann by art alumnus Bob West ’78 online at gotu.us/tiemann.
Full House
A tribute to familiar faces who have gone before us
by Robert Blystone
Robert Blystone is a biology professor who has been teaching at Trinity University for 46 years. His professional interests currently center around global health.
On Dec. 14, 2016, at 2 p.m. the bells atop the 166-foot Murchison Tower tolled for Dick Gentry. Inside the 50-year-old Margarite B. Parker Chapel, Dick’s friends and colleagues came together to reflect on his well-lived 87-year life. Once again University Chaplain Stephen Nickle and Chaplain Emeritus Raymond Judd ’56 led the assembled through the remembrance of a kind, keen witted, long-serving, and long-retired faculty member. As Professor David Heller finished his gathering prelude on the 7,000 pipe Hofmann-Ballard organ and the bells signaled the beginning of the memoriam, the heads of the assembled swiveled to see who had gathered. In a manner of speaking, they looked to see who was left. As Trinity moved toward its centennial celebration in 1969, the campus had been ablaze in growth and development. Forty new buildings had been constructed under the leadership of James Woodin Laurie. More important than the expanding endowment and the movement away from open enrollment, the miracle of Trinity Hill had to do with the recruitment of faculty and staff. During the decade-long period starting around 1965, the skyline campus attracted an incredible cohort of new faculty and staff. Richard Gentry was a member of that cohort as he found his place in the journalism department. Both before and after the service, the refrain was, “our group is growing smaller.” Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation in some ways could serve as a template for this generation of Trinity. Having fought the great fight generations before, the number of survivors are rapidly dwindling. Fewer and fewer seats among Parker’s 600 are being occupied for these memorials. For but a few moments I felt sad by these thoughts. As I looked about the spacious chapel, I realized that we really had a full house. We had a full house brimming with a multitude of wondrous spirits. I overlooked that Russ and Doris Gossage were positioned by the massive wooden front doors of Parker Chapel. Huddled curiously together in the lobby were Howell Cobb, Tom Sergeant, Jake Uhrich, and Tom Koppenheffer. Walking past me with her customary shuffle was Jean Chittenden. Seated quietly on the last left pew reading was Annelise Duncan, just as she did in the old Northrup Faculty Club. In front of her was Wilana Bristow concentrating on some type of European cross-stitch as only she could do. My heart leaped when I realized that John Hutton was located nearby as well. I wondered what he thought of the last election. Standing together looking customarily distinguished were Robert Andrews, Jeff Goring, and the bow-tied Herb Treat. How could engineers look so good in tweed coats?
Tears came to my eyes as I continued to survey the multitudes who came to greet Dick Gentry into their company. George and Lois Boyd were in the chancel of this great assembly hall. Ed Roy, Don McGannon, and Ed Schleh were there too. My gosh, it is Garnett Gray talking to O.Z. White... must be an interesting conversation. That’s Andy Milhalso standing by the organ console with Paul Walthall. Both are trying to out tall-tale the other. In his usual obscure place is Dick Helmer, or Mr. Wizard as he was christened by Mel Frei. There’s Gene Norris with Clarence Mabry. That’s no big surprise. I see that Tom Nixon is explaining some detail of the administration to Marge Hollinshead. Marge was ever so patient with me those many years ago. Guy Ranson is taking John Donahue and Mike Kearl into his confidence about something. I see Glenna Fearing stuffing Olin’s origami creations in her purse, or is she looking for paper for another folded critter? I stop in my tracks and then sit down, for I spy Earl Lewis. I have no greater respect for any Trinity faculty member than I do for Earl Lewis. My awe is broken when Earl is joined by Cathy Powell. What a combination! There is Mike Yost, and Phil Evett, and even cowboy Fred Bremner. I hear the resonant Southern voice of Bruce Thomas, but I cannot see him in this chapel that has become so crowded. There is Beverly Murray trying to influence Frieda Sergeant and Gwen Burke about something. Don Everett and Roger McShane are missing. They must be here somewhere. Aha, there is Aaron Konstam out shuffling Chittenden. There goes Ott the Plumber and Fred the Key Guy. I feel ashamed that I cannot recall the names of the many physical plant people and secretaries who have kept this place humming along for so many years. But I do recognize Jud and June Abernathy by the Chapel’s reflection garden. These glorious ghosts have come to induct another into their midst. The Parker Chapel on that Wednesday afternoon was filled to capacity to honor Dick Gentry. I am glad they let the living share the hour with them. Diane, thank you for sharing Dick with us as well.
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Entrepreneurship students participate in a community pitch night, taking the opportunity to pitch their ideas to incubators such as CodeUp and Geekdom in hopes of securing funding or developer support.
Entrepreneurship at Trinity 26 Women Entrepreneurs Breaking Glass Ceilings 36 Entrepreneurship at Trinity Today 40 Trinity Alumni Artrepreneurs 47 Students + Startups Diving Deep 50 So You Want to Start a Startup? 52 A Recipe for Happiness
BREAKING
through
THE PROVERBIAL GLASS CEILING: CAN IT BE BROKEN? As the percentage of female entrepreneurs continues to grow, six Trinity alumnae reveal what it takes to own a successful business and how they’re barely getting started. words by Carlos Anchondo ’14 illustrations by Taylor Dolan ’12
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D
iana Hirsch Kenny ’94, ’02 started her business in a parking lot. In 2011, Hirsch Kenny was a licensed psychologist working for a San Antonio private school. Her work was meaningful, yet she had become disillusioned with school bureaucracy and craved something different. A new mother, she sought a schedule with more flexibility. Fulfilling an idea she first visualized as a master’s student, Hirsch Kenny realized a market existed for school psychologists outside of schools. Trading files and using a virtual office software program, Hirsch Kenny and three colleagues met in parking lots, initially unable to afford the cost of an office. They named their business—“a special education department for hire”—A.I.M., or Assessment Intervention & Management. To date, A.I.M. is on its third office and employs 65 people, from school psychologists to speech and occupational therapists. “In San Antonio, we are the only business like ours,” Hirsch Kenny says. “Right now, we are growing so rapidly we have moved into the Dallas market and are even exploring other states.”
Diana Hirsch Kenny ’94, ’02 International Studies Master’s in School Psychology
“I do it as much for myself as for the students I have taught and mentored for the last 10 years.” Fifty percent of A.I.M.’s business is evaluations, where children become detectives who are trying to discover how they learn best. By working together, children become equal and empowered partners. A parent interpretation meeting reviews any testing or screening that was conducted. Additionally, Hirsch Kenny and her co-founders formed A.I.M. so it could also expand from one-onone evaluations to running an entire school special education program. Like many entrepreneurs, Hirsch Kenny designed her business around a niche problem that was unaddressed. A.I.M. is a mission-driven enterprise, a common theme for women business owners who build a purpose into their companies from the start. The business is economically profitable and is also imbued with a sense of social responsibility. “When I meet with parents and I am able to explain to them, often for the first time, why their child is struggling, … that moment that washes over a parent, when they finally have an answer to all of the stress and the fear they have experienced, that is a defining moment of success,” Hirsch Kenny says. “Nothing feels better than that.” As an entrepreneur, Hirsch Kenny has brought her skillset to the Texas Capitol in Austin, where she has lobbied representatives about regulations from the Texas State Psychology Board. This work is an opportunity she believes she would not have had if she had stayed in the public school system. “I see this as hugely important to the future of my field and to students that I have taught and mentored for the last 10 years,” Hirsch Kinney says. “I do it as much for myself as for them.”
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imilar to Hirsch Kenny, Brenda Coffee ’74 founded her business, 1010 ParkPlace, when she spotted a gap in the market. For Coffee, that market was editorial content that catered to women over the age of 45. She began her journey after her breast cancer website earned her a ticket to Yahoo’s Internet Week in New York City. Coffee attended a talk about what women over 45 enjoyed about their lives. Inspired, Coffee returned to San Antonio and launched 1010 ParkPlace as a media company to discuss everything from fashion to sex to financial management with that demographic in mind. “I’ve always thought the Monopoly board is a good analogy for life,” Coffee says. “For women 45 and above, whether we live on Park Avenue in New York or rural Middle America, we have reached our Park Place.” To engage online readers—“diehard loyal fans”—Coffee employs a cadre of influential
Brenda Coffee ’74 Print Journalism
“I’ve always thought the Monopoly board is a good analogy for life.” writers, including business owners, doctors, models, producers, and others. Currently, 1010 ParkPlace is garnering as many unique website views as possible so Coffee can best recruit brands and “charge what good media placement is worth.” As the website grows in popularity, Coffee acknowledges the journey has not always been easy. She recalls an instance when she was seeking investment capital and was met by a sexist and condescending potential investor. “This man told me, ‘Honey, I know 10 other guys worth 100 million dollars apiece,’” Coffee says. “‘We like to brag about sexy new deals we invest in, and honey, there’s nothing sexy about women over 45.’”
Coffee was disgusted. What did this man know? Wasn’t he aware of the tremendous purchasing power of her target demographic and their burgeoning online presence? Undeterred, Coffee forged ahead, using her business plan as her guide. For every entrepreneur, Coffee says the business plan should be treated as their bible. It answers how any business owner will get from point A to point B. In her estimation, a business plan is about more than raising funds, comparing it to a doctor’s manual that details exactly how a surgery is executed. She encourages future Trinity entrepreneurs to study their prospective industry carefully and incorporate that research into a surefire business plan.
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L
aurie Wann ’84 agrees wholeheartedly.
tRadio, Television, and Film
Wann is the founder and CEO of Intentional Entrepreneurs, a consulting firm that helps budding entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses. Based in Chester, Calif., Wann believes a solid business plan is the bedrock of any company. “When I started my business, the first step was to write a business plan,” Wann says. “I sat down to think through every step of what I was getting myself into. What was it that I had for sale and who was I going to serve? What were their needs? What was my unique gift or talent to offer?” By answering these questions and others, Wann laid out a roadmap for her business. Perhaps the most important action entrepreneurs can take, Wann says, is to define why they are creating a business in the first place. Whether that reason is to make a profit or to make a difference, it does not matter, Wann says. The important thing is to have a mission statement you believe in. Keep it accessible for a constant reminder of your business’ purpose. “Get clear on your ‘why,’” Wann says. “Owning a business is one of the biggest personal development journeys anyone can undertake. Whenever you feel like giving up, use your mission statement as motivation to keep moving forward.” Wann launched Intentional Entrepreneurs in 2013 after careers in film and television, marketing, radio, and public education. Before starting her current business, Wann was the program director at a nonprofit. She had joined a local Mastermind, a group for people to support one another and to
“I thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’” Wann says. “I feel that so many people go into business because they have a passion, but their passion is not business. People get overwhelmed or afraid, but there are steps to make the journey easier, which is my specialty.” Wann never thought she wanted to be an entrepreneur but feels that serving small business owners is what she’s “supposed to be doing.” She gushes with enthusiasm as she talks about her work with the economic drivers of America’s small towns and communities. Wann has discovered that she is the toughest boss she has ever had. “It is a double-edged sword,” Wann says. “There is no slacking off, but being an entrepreneur offers the ability to create true time, financial, and spiritual freedom. My business works for me, supports me, and allows me to live my purpose.” By creating a business that fits her lifestyle, Wann joins a movement of women entrepreneurs who are self-authoring, or starting businesses that create workplace cultures that fit their needs and schedules. As business owners, women are able to dictate their own terms of work, which eases the disproportionate social burdens they face as wives, mothers, and caregivers1.
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uch like Wann, Denver-based Lisa Jasper ’95 enjoys the flexibility and autonomy that business ownership provides. Jasper is the CFO and managing partner of Thought Ensemble, a technology consulting firm she co-founded with Jim Smelley ’95. The firm provides strategy to clients so they can innovate with maximum impact.
“I sat down to think through every step of what I was getting myself into. What was my unique gift or talent to offer?” provide perspective, and voiced concerns about challenges at her nonprofit. As she listened to herself, she suddenly realized her true calling was in helping others succeed at their businesses.
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“Historically, females are less often in the primary career seat,” Jasper says. “Regardless of the situation, women, as moms, are the quarterback of the household and everything goes through them—all of the schedul-
1. Azzarelli, K. and M. Verveer. (2015). Entrepreneurs and Innovators. Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose (pp. 97-111). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
ing, information, and organization around it. As an entrepreneur, you have to find ways to be authentic to who you are, to be the leader that works for you, and to use that ultimate flexibility to create the life you want.” A “lifer consultant,” Jasper took a major step in her leadership journey in 2008 when she and Smelley left the small consulting firm where they were working together. The duo had been computer science majors at Trinity and saw an opportunity to make their mark with Thought Ensemble. Their firm was named to emphasize the insight they would bring to clients, their prioritization of intellectual capital, and—believe it or not— their shared extracurricular involvement in the Trinity choir. Jasper and Smelley saw an analogy between the way voices complement one another in a choir and the harmony that can be created when colleagues work together for a shared goal. Delving into their industry experience, the pair co-wrote Reboot: Competing with Technology Strategy in 2011 to inform readers of the best way think about technology within their business.
Women in Business Top 10 Types of Women-Owned Businesses in the U.S. 500,000
0
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
Other services except public administration Health care and social assistance Professional, scientific, and technical services Administrative and support and waste services Retail trade Real estate and rental and leasing Arts, entertainment, and recreation
27.6 million
Educational services
All businesses Construction Accommodation and food services
9.9 million Women-owned businesses
Source: 2012 Survey of Business Owners
75.6
Lisa Jasper ’95 Computer Science
39,621
million
$
The number of women age 16 and older who participated in the civilian labor force in 2014. Women comprised 47.4 percent of the civilian labor force in 2014.i
The median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked yearround, full time in 2014. In comparison, the median annual earnings of men were $50,383.ii
79¢ The amount that female year-round, full-time workers earned in 2014 for every dollar their male counterparts earned.iii
i: 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table DP03. ii: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014, Table A-4 iii: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014, Figure 2
All data was gathered from the 2016 Women’s History Month report published by the U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov/ newsroom/facts-for-features/2016/cb16-ff03.html
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For Jasper, a critical factor in Thought Ensemble’s success is the company’s intentionality about who they hire and how that person fits into the team’s dynamic. “We are different because we will bring multiple partners into an engagement to help a client think something through,” Jasper says.
exchange in graduate school brought her to St. Petersburg, Russia, Polancic joined the expat community there, switching industries to become a chief administrative officer at Caterpillar’s Moscow office. She eventually returned home to Illinois and settled in Chicago, founding ClearSpace in 2002.
“As an entrepreneur, you have to find ways to be authentic to who you are, to be the leader that works for you.” “If you work with clients to reach a solution, it feels like their idea. We feel most proud of our clients’ successes when they really own the idea and we are propping them up.” Throughout her career, Jasper has found female role models in her professional peers because mentors in the form of senior women simply were not there. A fellow managing partner, as well as clients and colleagues at other firms, serve as touchstones. In the United States today, 38 percent of businesses are owned by females, an increase from 29 percent in 20072. And while women-owned companies employ nearly 7.9 million Americans3, they still face greater obstacles in terms of accessing investment capital or obtaining loans.
A
ccording to Thea Polancic ’90, founder and managing partner of ClearSpace, this disparity is unacceptable because 51 percent of the population is not equally represented in the solutions posed by entrepreneurial thinking. At ClearSpace, Polancic coaches mid-market CEOs and their leadership teams at moments of growth and creates organizational structures designed for every employee to achieve. Polancic and her team teach executives to work effectively with one another to optimize success and long-term sustainability. “We feel that by helping leaders evolve and be the kind of people to steer healthy organizations, that’s the kind of tide that raises all ships,” Polancic says. She came to executive coaching circuitously, having majored in art history and Russian studies at Trinity. After a scholarly
As she navigated life as a businesswoman and a new mom, Polancic turned to a Windy City icon for inspiration: Oprah Winfrey. “I admire Oprah because of the extraordinary organization that she has created,” Polancic says. “As I thought about how to get things done, I realized Oprah would get somebody to do things for her, which caused me to think bigger and focus my time strategically.” Akin to Wann, Polancic also thought deeply about her purpose. She envisioned a world of beauty, happiness, and prosperity powered by business. To realize this dream, Polancic convened a group of like-minded business people who also saw business as a source for good. The group that emerged would become the Chicago chapter of Conscious Capitalism, a global movement dedicated to elevating humanity through business.
2. 2016 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report by American Express 3. National Association of Women Business Owners. www.nawbo.org
Thea Polancic ’90 Art History and Russian Studies
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In 2016, Polancic co-chaired the Conscious Capitalism national conference, which featured field trips to area companies, panels, keynote lectures, and networking events for CEO attendees. Daniel Lubetzky ’90, founder of KIND snacks and a personal friend of Polancic, gave a keynote address. The conference even caused Polancic to innovate within her own company. As ClearSpace accrues new clients, Polancic says it would have been unfathomable to anticipate her career trajectory as a Trinity student. “My job did not even exist back then, so I advise Trinity students to do the next thing that feels right for you and do not worry if nobody else understands,” Polancic says. “Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and believe in yourself.” Furthermore, she adds that students should be strategic in their search for mentors. Instead of corporate mentoring programs, Polancic tasks Tiger entrepreneurs to find someone they admire and develop a list of reasons why. Explain to the potential mentor why you admire her or his career and ask to spend time with her or him to address thoughtful and tough questions.
“Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and believe in yourself.”
F
or women business owners, mentorship and strong business networks have proven essential for longevity and expansion. Sharon Lyle ’00, co-founder of Public City, says the “single most important thing in starting my business has been my tribe,” which is made up of mentors, advisers, and friends who have been her support along her journey. A key moment in that journey happened in the Trinity development office, where she interned as a student worker. As she neared graduation, a supervisor named Ana Stuart advised Lyle to pursue a job that addressed causes she was passionate about. Lyle realized she cared strongly about the arts, education, and economic development. Her first job was as a development associate and coordinator for a private boys school; it was deeply satisfying work. Seventeen years later, Lyle has made those three areas the cornerstones of Public City, a culture-driven public engagement consultancy and studio based in Dallas. “You can always get a job, but you will be much more effective and a lot happier if you can find a job that aligns with the things you care about,” Lyle says. “The work that we do at Public City is helping our clients connect with the people they are trying to reach.” Through strategic planning, Public City helps cultural organizations plan
Sharon Lyle ’00 Business Administration
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and make investment decisions that will maximize the impact of their work. The company also engages people with their communities through public art, whether it is a physical piece or an art experience. Lyle views her work as a true extension of herself, a realization that became even clearer when she became pregnant a year into founding Public City. Although the pregnancy was a wonderful surprise, Lyle had not anticipated the possibility so soon into her business. When she came back from maternity leave, she vowed to give the same level of commitment she had prior to her pregnancy. She was motivated by the reality that Public City’s success was largely contingent on her involvement and leadership. “I gave myself the freedom to stay home, but that was never what I wanted to do,” Lyle says, alluding to society’s lopsided social norms. “At the end of the day, I was account-
“You will be much more effective and a lot happier if you can find a job that aligns with the things you care about.” able to clients and to my business partner, and the business had a lot of me baked into it.” Today, Public City has become what Lyle and her co-founder envisioned at its founding. Like her fellow Trinity alumnae, owning her own business means Lyle can “design her own playbook and write her own rules.” Her life is a balance between Halloween classroom parties, gymnastic practices, and board room negotiations, and she would not have it any other way. And while Lyle recalls professors Sheryl Tynes and Coleen Grissom as mentors, she has undoubtedly become a role model in her own right.
They may not have imagined growing up to be role models, but these six Trinity alumnae have blazed entrepreneurial paths—for themselves and for the women who look up to them. Instead of waiting for their turn in established corporations, each woman has carved her own place in the business world. Their businesses are fruitful because they each have a mission, a cause, a gap in the market that only they could fill. Does a glass ceiling exist? If the percentage of women business owners is any indication, then yes, it does. But these women have shown that, armed with a Trinity education and a dream, anything is possible.
SO GRAB YOUR HARDHATS - TRINITY SEES SOME GLASS THAT’S ABOUT TO COME DOWN.
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2010 2007
2007
Entrepreneurship is officially offered as a minor for Trinity students for the 2007-08 academic year. Students from any major are encouraged to add entrepreneurship as a minor.
TUNE, the Trinity University Network of Entrepreneurs, is formed to connect student entrepreneurs with alumni and business mentors.
TWO DECADES OF
Trinity participates in San Antonio’s first 3 Day Startup (3DS) program in collaboration with Rackspace, Geekdom, TechStars, and Trinity alumnus David Morris ’86. 3DS encourages participation in active, hands-on education, and introduces students to a global startup ecosystem.
1996
2010
The first entrepreneurship course is offered at Trinity, BUSN-3355 “Entrepreneurship and Venture Planning.” The course was taught by William Freed and Steve Dutton ’82, ’88. It is currently taught by Jacob Gray ’90.
Luz Cristal Glangchi joins Trinity to lead the creation of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Glangchi develops a strategic plan for the Center and establishes collaborative partnerships between the campus, the community, and business leaders in San Antonio to increase cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship edu-
cational programs.
2007 E-Hall, a first-year living-learning community residence hall, is established. The hall is limited to 16 students and is tied into a first-year seminar course on entrepreneurship. Additionally, the Entrepreneurship Club becomes a registered student organization.
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2013 Following Glangchi, Luis Martinez ’91 returns to Trinity as the director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Martinez is charged with expanding the entrepreneurship program to be a “safe place to fail.” By incorporating experiential learning through startups and other business endeavors, Martinez says, “We want to shift the failure cycle from after you’re a student to while you’re a student so you can get your first failure out of the way.”
2013 E-Hall expands to include any Trinity first-year who is interested in being a part of the entrepreneurship program, regardless of major or minor.
2015
2016
The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship relocates to the new Center for the Sciences and Innovation, fully equipped with collaborative spaces and offices for student businesses
The inaugural Stumberg New Venture Competition is held with a grand prize of $25,000 for the winning startup. The Stumberg Competition, honoring the legacy of the late San Antonio businessman and civic leader Louis H. Stumberg, is designed to inspire innovation and prepare student entrepreneurs for
housed on campus.
real-world experiences.
Michelle Mudge-Riley ’99 returns to Trinity as the third entrepreneur-in-residence. With a background in medicine and nutrition, Mudge-Riley’s expertise includes offering mentorship to healthcare-minded entrepreneurs.
2014
AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY 2014
2015
2016
Trinity hosts its first entrepreneur-in-residence, Chris Warren ’78. Warren helped shape the entrepreneur-in-residence program to include teaching entrepreneurship courses, raising funds for the program, and mentoring more than 70 students.
Trinity University is ranked No. 8 for best entrepreneurial colleges in America by Forbes. The ranking, which was determined by looking at the percentage of graduates who have CEO or founder in their job descriptions, touts the liberal arts setting as being well suited for the
Trinity, along with Geekdom and the 80/20 Foundation, launches Students + Startups to connect undergraduate interns with local San Antonio startups, matching companies directly with students looking for work with startups.
startup world.
2015 Mark Hill ’77 comes back to Trinity as the second entrepreneur-in-residence. Hill is both a mentor and alumni ambassador, representing Trinity at San Antonio startup hubs such as Geekdom, Tech Bloc, and Café Commerce.
2017 Trinity aims to graduate its first entrepreneurship majors, who have each developed her own course of study through Trinity’s interdisciplinary second major program.
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Special Thanks to Our Donors Driven by increasing student demand, the entrepreneurship program at Trinity University has shown tremendous growth in a very short time, thanks in large part to alumni, community, and foundation donors including Barbara ’78 and V. Douglas Pierce Jr. ’78, Bert Jones ’78, Herb Stumberg ’81, Pat Condon ’96 and the 80/20 Foundation. Trinity Trustee Emeritus Barbara Pierce and her husband were among the earliest major donors to the program when they created the F. W. Olin Scholarship for Entrepreneurship in 2008 in memory of her entrepreneurial great grandfather. Bert Jones has underwritten many program components, including a new program coordinator. Pat Condon and his wife, Luz Cristal Glangchai, have been visionary supporters for several years, and Trustee Herb Stumberg, with his brother Eric, created the Louis Herbert Stumberg Entrepreneurship Venture Fund in memory of their father, an entrepreneur and former Trinity Trustee.
A PITCH
above Liz Metzger ’19 and Bria Woods ’16 entered their app, Good Looking Out (GLO), in the 2016 Stumberg Competition. right, above Danny Oh ’18 pitches Country Club Collective at the 2016 Stumberg Competition’s final pitch round in November. right, below As the grand prize winners, Oh and the Country Club Collective team received $25,000 in seed money.
Danny Oh ’18 isn’t a stranger to the will to succeed—some may even say it’s in his DNA.
AND A WIN Stumberg Competition becomes an integral aspect of entrepreneurship education at Trinity
by Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08 and Sharon Jones Schweitzer ’75
“My parents immigrated to this country with $400 in their pockets,” Oh began, but he wasn’t given the chance to finish before the crowd interrupted with loud applause. Driven by his past toward a brighter future, Oh found an outlet for his motivation in Trinity’s Stumberg New Venture Competition, where he emerged as the grand prize winner last November. The Stumberg Competition is a campus-wide, Shark Tank-style showcase in which Trinity students who have built real businesses compete in front of judges, fellow students, alumni, and the San Antonio community. The grand prize? A hefty sum of seed funding: $25,000. The competition, which began in 2015, consists of three rounds: a business canvas round, from which 10 to 14 teams are chosen to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges; a pitch round, from which five finalists are awarded $5,000 each in seed money and dedicated mentorship; and the final pitch round, where one team shines victorious—and takes home the big check. Oh’s grand prize will bolster his startup, the Country Club Collection, an online shop that liquidates golf apparel and gear typically sold exclusively at pro shops, on tours, or through other private retail. As one of the five Stumberg finalists for 2016, the Country Club Collection competed alongside other student startups, including the Women’s Ambassador Forum, Good Looking Out (GLO), The Contemporary, and Cloud Therapy. The competition honors the legacy of the late San Antonio businessman, civic leader, and Trinity Trustee Louis H. Stumberg. Trinity Trustee Herb Stumberg ’81 and his brother Eric established the initial endowment at Trinity that supports the Stumberg Prize, and he cannot think of a better way to honor his father’s memory than to push these student startups to succeed. “This would have been the biggest thrill for my father—to see Trinity students strive to create businesses in the city he loved and worked tirelessly to promote,” Herb Stumberg said. “He loved the creative process, young people, especially entrepreneurs, and gave generously of his time and treasure.”
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REPRENEURSHIP tireless tenacious transformational
by Jeanna Goodrich Balreira ’08
above Leslie Roades stands in front of a collection of her art. left and right Close-ups of pieces created with Roades’ “new perspective.”
Amid booming techno, flashing lights, and the
musky smell of a dirty dance floor, Leslie Roades ’09 started her art career. No, it wasn’t as glamorous as she had hoped. It was 2012, and Roades was a part of a group show called Raw Artists. To an artist who describes her art as “cosmic surrealism,” the cosmos in the nightclub that night may have even seemed surreal. As homespun as it was, “Raw Artists helped me get going. They help new, emerging artists expose their work,” Roades says. “I was just excited to have a space to put up my art for a few hours.” Roades would go on to show her art around Houston at Hardy and Nance Studios and JoMar Visions, and she was a part of The Big Show at the Lawndale Art Center. “At that time, I was really confident about my art,” Roades says. “Now, I’m actually in a place where I am questioning everything, realizing that I didn’t really know what I was doing, and that I had so much still to learn.” She calls it a new perspective, one that is triply inspired by her balance of work life, school life, and artistic life. A high school art teacher in the Houston area, Roades is also pursuing her MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and challenging herself each day to find her voice as an artist. Through this wonderful connection in the cosmos, she is building a portfolio with a new perspective, one she hopes will propel her artistic endeavors to gallery showings, commissions, studio spaces, and beyond. A painter, Roades is currently branching out into new art mediums, such as photography and conceptual art. “My art is completely transforming
because of this MFA program. My work has begun examining my own relationship with nature and my interactions with my environment,” Roades says. “It is about time, matter, transience, and honoring these connections we have with all of existence. As humans we are ‘wholes’ but also a part of something grander than ourselves.” Roades notes that education is the most important way for artists to understand themselves within the larger artistic world. Education, especially at Trinity, is how Roades found the confidence she needed to begin the continuous process of finding and sharing her understanding. “My Trinity professors always emphasized that when you’re making art, the idea behind it is the vision you are sharing with the world. It’s not just how good you are at drawing or painting, but that you want to use your art to say something. You’ve latched onto something that you’re really passionate about,” Roades says. “My professors encouraged me to pursue that.” Roades kept this encouragement so close to heart that she decided to pursue teaching. She received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Rice University in 2011, and she hopes her teaching career will one day transform into university professorship. As a teacher, Roades believes her job is not only to teach students art, but also to introduce them to different types of artistic mediums, artists, and genres—to support their creativity so they can come up with something new. “Art is a way to address what their passions are,” Roades says, “a way to explore a spirit that’s personal to them.”
View more of Leslie’s art at leslieroades.com.
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It’s no coincidence that the word “spirit” is so closely associated with both art and entrepreneurship. An artistic spirit is a moving, passionate, creative idea; an entrepreneurial one a bold, gutsy, go-for-it perseverance. When these spirits align, spirits that are tireless, tenacious, and transformational, artrepreneurship is born. From painting to photography, music to theater, many Trinity artrepreneurs have created successful startups in their own mediums and genres, and they’ve used their own artistic and entrepreneurial spirits to get there.
TIRELESS Walking through the lobby of Northrup Hall, it is hard not to be mesmerized by the billboard-size image that covers the south wall. On a dark, lightbent background, plumeria and wisteria weave intricately through one another, and several bees buzz above a thistle. A lone, folded note sits oddly misplaced in the middle; it silently screams that it doesn’t belong. A student walks by and says to her friend, “That’s a pretty cool painting.” Her friend studies it for a moment and replies, “I don’t think it’s a painting. I think it’s a photograph.” The plaque on the wall confirms it. Yet this isn’t just any ordinary photograph; it’s “The Secret,” an authentic Ansen Seale.
The apparent “distortions” in his images all happen inside the camera. “When the real world is this beautifully bizarre, manipulation is unnecessary.” With a composer for a father and a poet for a mother, Seale was born with an artistic spirit—his brothers are both artists, too. He had an inkling that he wanted to get into photography while he was still in high school—he and a group of friends developed short films in the style of Monty Python in their free time—and he picked Trinity because of its strong journalism, broadcasting, and film department (now named the Department of Communication). Being a photographer with the Trinitonian gave him access to the film lab, and his art professors, namely Bill Bristow and the late Phil Evett, allowed Seale to “let me do anything I wanted to do” in the art studios, Seale says, “and they were very supportive about all of it. I think that’s really the key to a creative person’s spark.” Seale says he didn’t realize until about a decade after graduating that he had grown to be a professional artist. “The focus was on studio art: How do you draw? How do you sculpt? How do you design? It was not about how you make a living drawing or sculpting or being a graphic designer,” Seale says. “Those skills were saved for after I got out of school. So I had to scrap a little bit and learn on my own.” As a senior at Trinity, Seale tried his hand at these skills, landing a job with photographer and fellow alumnus Charles Parish ’60—a job that would continue to support Seale for several years while
“When the real world is this beautifully bizarre, manipulation is unnecessary.”
View more of Ansen’s slitscan photography at ansenseale.com.
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Known for his use of a little-known technique called slitscan photography, Ansen Seale ’83, who graduated with double majors in journalism, broadcasting, and film and studio art, enjoyed learning about surrealism during his art history classes at Trinity. He had an eye for things slightly misplaced and began photographing these oddities from a formalist perspective, describing his art as “halfway between Mondrian and Dalí.” This experimentation culminated in the creation of his own custom panoramic camera, and from this camera, Seale’s distinctive photographic style was born. Rather than suspending a single moment, Seale’s photography examines the passage of time. Through his camera, a single sliver of space is imaged over an extended period—hence the term slitscan. “Instead of mirroring the world as we know it, this camera records a hidden reality,” Seale says.
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he began experimenting with creative techniques of his own. He built a black-and-white darkroom at Parish’s facility and enjoyed the supportive freedom to tinker, fail, and start over again. “My techniques weren’t that sophisticated and my tools weren’t that good” at first, Seale says, “but I did begin to notice strange things while I was taking pictures with this new kind of camera.” Honing both his tools and his craft—even drawing on Einstein’s concepts of light and relative motion—Seale recognized the action of the subject in front of his lens resulted in amazing distorted forms akin to cubism in painting. While some artists choose to reserve their most creative actions for art shows and galleries, Seale found commissioned and commercial work to be a better business model: Pitch an idea, sell the idea, then get the money to do the work.
above Ansen Seale stands in front of “The Secret” in the lobby of Northrup Hall at Trinity University. right Seale’s “Vortex no. 3” is on display on the second floor of the Center for the Sciences and Innovation. Photos by Anh-Viet Dinh ’15.
“I did commercial work, and I don’t regret that at all,” Seale says. “It gave me the skills, the contacts, and the ability to stick with a budget and all of those practical things I needed to succeed.” In addition to “The Secret,” Seale was commissioned to create work for the Center for the Sciences and Innovation: “Vortex no. 3” is a slitscan photograph on acrylic illuminated by LED lighting and depicts water flowing over time. Outside of the red brick buildings, Seale’s commissioned works around San Antonio include his favorite public art installation, “You Activate this Space.” An interactive display, passers-by on the staff bridge at University Hospital are encouraged to play with the piece as they walk by 42 backlit panels that react with color, music, and light in response to human movement. “It was very challenging, and I like a good challenge,” Seale says, adding, “but I’ve learned that I can’t do it by myself. You have to be open to help, to suggestions, to serendipity and ideas that run across in front of you when you’re not expecting it. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and what I’ve been able to achieve is only because I learned how to balance there at Trinity.” Lucky us!
TENACIOUS “In the arts, it’s all about what you’re going to do next.” So says Rob Drabkin ’04, a singer-songwriter from the Denver area. Perhaps budding musicians wouldn’t expect to hear a piece of advice such as “underestimate whatever you’re doing” or “make sure you’re always thinking three steps ahead,” but they are words that Drabkin lives by. This musical artrepreneur would know: After multiple national and international tours that have taken him from the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver to Doha, Qatar, and after receiving more than 650,000 spins in one month for his latest single, “Someday,” the two-time Westworld’s Best Singer-Songwriter is a voice to listen to. Drabkin’s career has been a series of “nexts.” Majoring in biochemistry/molecular biology and Spanish at Trinity, Drabkin began thinking his senior year about the next phase of his life. “The more I got into the science program at Trinity, the more I wanted to pursue my Ph.D.,” Drabkin says. “But then the next thing I knew, all I wanted to do was music.” It was a whirlwind transition from there. “I had always done music. I was ‘the campfire guy’ within my
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above Rob Drabkin performs at the SolShine
Listen to “Someday”
Music Fest in Winter Park, Colo., in 2015.
and view Rob’s
Photos courtesy of Kit Chalberg Photography.
upcoming tour dates at robdrabkin.com
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social circle since I had played guitar my whole life,” he says. Drabkin’s first immersion in the art scene was in New York during his senior year, where he saw active, professional musicians dedicating their lives to music and art. It was truly an inspiration. “Something about that trip made me want to sing,” Drabkin says. “Singing was something that I’d never done in my life, and at the time, singing and writing songs were the hardest things I could imagine doing. But both of those challenges lit a fire in me, and suddenly all I wanted to do was music.” In his last semester of college, Drabkin took a piano course from music professor Carolyn True. “I think she saw in me a really driven student. I was tackling music from a personal level, and when I told her that I wanted to pursue music when I was done with college, she could not have been more on board,” Drabkin says. He also fondly remembers music professor Jim Worman’s support and advice; Worman was then-director of Trinity’s Jazz Ensemble, where Drabkin played rhythm electric guitar. “Having that kind of encouragement from faculty at Trinity certainly put my head in a different direction to think that I could play music professionally.” After graduation, Drabkin moved back home to the Denver area, and it was there that he worked up the courage to perform his first open-mic show. He took the leap from being “the campfire guy” to being a professional musician, entering the music scene in 2006 at a time when music was undergoing a digital revolution. With a huge shift over the past 10 years in the way music is made and produced, Drabkin says that he’s learned most of his music business expertise just by being “out there” and networking with the people he knows. Lucky for Drabkin, he had a built-in network with his fraternity brothers in Kappa Kappa Delta. “Right after college, when I started playing small venues, my first group that supported me were Kappa alumni,” Drabkin says. “I could go play in New York and have 20 people at a show because of this network I had.” Drabkin even had the chance, cheered on by the Kappas, to come back to Trinity in the summer of 2007 and play the New Student Orientation Welcome Week Concert. “It’s your own career to develop,” Drabkin says. “Every performance you learn something new. Sure, I can sit here and say I’ve turned on the radio and heard my songs, and those songs have done really well, and from that momentum we’ve gotten some really great gigs and great tours, but then eventually that goes away. So what am I going to do next?” Next, we find now, is “Someday,” a song about having the courage to choose love in every decision we make—a song that Drabkin says has the potential
to become a hit, by his standards anyway: “When everyone knows a song, when people can sing along to it, that qualifies as a hit. And I can’t wait to see what we do with that momentum in 2017.” With momentum comes agility, a trait Drabkin notes is essential to what comes next. He writes and performs both as a singer-songwriter and as a vocalist with his “musical dream team,” and admits that even though he is sometimes stubborn, he recognizes the importance of working together to produce music. “On the most primitive level, success is being happy with what you’re producing, what you’re creating, what you’re putting out there,” Drabkin says, noting he and his band collaborate not just to produce something successful, but to produce music that is new, innovative, and—there’s that phrase again—“three steps ahead.”
keep me out of the theater department,” Polendo says, laughing. His academic adviser, chemistry Professor Emeritus John Burke, advised him to pursue his theater passions further by studying abroad, and it was at the University of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, that Polendo realized the true nature of his dream. “I was indeed interested in experimentation,” Polendo says, “but it wasn’t in the form of chemicals or biochemical systems. It was with images and how we tell stories and how we use theatrical language to convey emotion.” Polendo notes that people have always asked him how he made the leap from biochemistry to theater, (and as it happens, the author of this article was guilty asking, too), but to Polendo, this didn’t feel like a leap—“it felt like a progression. Everything I learned as a biochemist was then to be applied to the arts.”
“I realigned myself and felt very much akin to the startup mentality. There wasn’t something for me to ‘fit in’ to, so I had to create it.” “Having a next step in mind is a big part of the ‘mental game,’” Drabkin says. “From small goals to huge goals, whether the goal is ‘I need to finish the last line of a chorus today’ or ‘Two years from now, this is where I want to be,’ having goals is essential.” As of Feb. 2, Drabkin is one step closer to where he wants to be: He has signed his first major management and record deal with Denver-based 7S Management. In the company of music groups such as American Authors and Dinosaur Jr., he is the first artist signed with 7S as a label. As Drabkin powers forward, he reiterates a favorite quote through the strings of his acoustic guitar: “You’re only as strong as your next move.”
TRANSFORMATIONAL If you think about startups brewed in biochemistry labs, a theater company might not be your first thought. Yet such is the case for Rubén Polendo ’93, the chair of the Department of Drama at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and founding artistic director of Theater Mitu. While Polendo graduated with a biochemistry major, his spirit of inquiry was in the research lab and his heart was on the stage. Though theater wasn’t his formal major or minor, “They couldn’t
Coming back from abroad, Polendo felt transformed and alive. He dove head first into the theater program at a time when the theater department “invited a kind of agency,” he says. “In other words: If you want it to happen, make it happen.” Polendo credits Trinity’s intimate size and culture of curiosity for encouraging him and his classmates to begin a theater company on campus his senior year. Lemon in Your Eye used the theater for midnight performances, but that didn’t keep Polendo’s chemistry classmates and professors—and other students and teachers from all academic corners of campus—from attending. “It was so meaningful to be trusted and mentored at that level,” Polendo says. “I was shaped into a scientist, I was invited to have agency over what I did, and I was invited to consider collaboration to be well outside of a traditional field.” By the time Polendo graduated, this trust had begun to steer him in a new direction. Enrolling in a theater graduate program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Polendo felt charged with the idea of making something unique happen. Relying on his research background, Polendo revisited the creation of a theater company during his second year at UCLA. “I realigned myself and felt very much akin to the startup mentality,” Polendo says. “There wasn’t something for me to ‘fit in’ to, so I had to create it.”
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left Theater Mitu’s production of “Hamlet/UR-Hamlet.” Photo courtesy of Theater Mitu. above Rubén Polendo visits Japan on a research trip.
Learn more about Theater Mitu online at theatermitu.org. While you’re there, check out their tour dates or join their mailing list.
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It was in this “unique constellation of things” that Theater Mitu was born. Polendo’s interest in innovation inspired an experimental twist on the traditional theater company, employing a permanent group of innovative, interdisciplinary collaborators who are globally educated in all facets of theatrical arts. More than 20 years later, Theater Mitu is still committed to challenging the parameters of theater research and practice. After being given a residency at the Public Theater in New York, Theater Mitu moved across the country and found its current home. “We had a great amount of recognition very quickly in New York because we were doing something different, from looking at arts practice as research, to looking at interdisciplinarity, and to looking at global collaboration,” Polendo says. “All of these seeds were planted during my time at Trinity.” As these seeds took root, Polendo began to sow more theatrical gardens around the world. When not on tour, he splits his time between New York City and the United Arab Emirates at NYU Abu
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Dhabi while also leading artist training programs at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México’s Centro Universitario de Teatro in Mexico City, the Patravadi Theater in Thailand, the Visthar Center in India, and at Duoc UC in Chile. At the end of the day, bags packed or unpacked, what it boils down to for this globetrotting artrepreneur is an interdisciplinary community bringing multiple perspectives to experience visual, aural, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual all in the same moment. “The community that Trinity builds really sets individuals on a path to understanding how important community can be in your life and in your work. Whether it’s a financial or artistic company that you’re starting, you’re starting a community—a community invested in a goal, a community working toward something,” Polendo says. “This was awakened during my time at Trinity. “When you feel that community, take advantage of it,” he adds. “Grab it. Breathe it. Talk it. Eat it. It is so important to your success.”
diving W Students + Startups internship program integrates Trinity students into San Antonio’s entrepreneurship culture by Carlos Anchondo ’14
hen a member of the United States Armed Forces receives orders to relocate to a new duty location, that move is called a permanent change of station, or a PCS. For many, moving to a new base, state, or country can be a stressful time filled with all of the traditional hassles of packing up belongings and furniture. Cue MilTribe, a community-driven marketplace for the U.S. military and their families. The San Antonio startup connects members to shop, buy, and sell goods and services within a trusted network of military families. Bintee Karia ’17, a Trinity economics and math/finance major, served as a summer 2016 intern at MilTribe through the Students + Startups internship program. The experience was an introduction to the needs of the American military community and a deep dive into the startup world.
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left Dani Galarza, Devina Kumar, Calvin Usiri, and Philip “Monty” McKeon visit Geekdom to learn about startup culture. above Bintee Karia shares her research at the 2016 summer undergraduate research symposium.
“My job was to look at data, like age and spending habits, for all kinds of military people,” Karia says. “I did demographic research to show companies how much business we could bring them and why they should offer discounts to MilTribe members.” Karia was one of 15 Trinity students who interned at San Antonio technology startups through the Students + Startups internship program. The initiative was organized by Trinity, Geekdom, and the 80/20 Foundation to provide budding small businesses with quality student talent. The pilot program launched in June 2016 and connected Trinity students with 13 different startups. Students interned for 10 weeks, worked 40 hours per week, and earned one academic credit hour. Like many entrepreneurial endeavors, Students + Startups was conceived in a brainstorming session. Lorenzo Gomez, CEO of the 80/20 Foundation, had recently visited Detroit to observe the Venture for America program, which connects recent college graduates with jobs at startups in cities such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Detroit. Inspired, Gomez met with Luis Martinez, director of Trinity’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Graham Weston, co-founder of Rackspace and Geekdom. The trio talked about the possibility of implementing a similar program in San Antonio to nurture the city’s blossoming startup community. Energized by the idea’s promise, Gomez, Martinez, and Weston began laying the groundwork for the Students + Startups pro-
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gram. The 80/20 Foundation covers half of the $4,000 stipend received by interns, with participating companies paying the remaining balance. Students are housed and fed on the Trinity campus, just four miles north of Geekdom’s headquarters on East Houston Street. Despite the quick turnaround—applications opened in March—60 students applied and were winnowed down to the 15 available spots. “Here was an opportunity to do three really important things,” Martinez says. “We wanted to provide students with valuable startup experience, provide companies in the city with exciting millennial talent, and help our students understand that what’s happening with the local startup ecosystem in San Antonio shows that the city is ripe for opportunity.” Joining An Ecosystem
With the arrival of businesses such as Codeup, Grok Interactive, EasyExpunctions, Jungle Disk, SnackDot, Seat Smart, and Google Fiber in recent years, the prospect of a downtown ‘tech district’ has city and tech leaders buzzing. Some proponents believe it has already come and is thriving. Students + Startups is designed to introduce students to San Antonio’s tech “ecosystem” through after-hours lectures, networking events, and coding challenges. Martinez says an ecosystem is fitting to describe San Antonio’s startup culture because entrepreneurs thrive best when they are working in tandem with one another. “Healthy ecosystems have really strong
segments that are all contributing,” Martinez says. “Trinity has historically been that source of outstanding early-stage talent. Students + Startups is our way to provide that talent to our local ecosystem here in San Antonio.” Students who participated in the pilot program agree. Forty percent of interns say they are more likely to recommend San Antonio as a place to live and work after partaking in the program. Laura Wilson ’18, an engineering sciences major, says the program got her more involved in San Antonio, especially on a professional level. Wilson was an intern at Grok Interactive, a software company that mainly develops websites and mobile apps. Although she admits her major did not directly translate to the business development and programming work she did at Grok, she says the experience provided “many professional connections.” “This experience showed me that I could be valuable in any workspace,” Wilson says. “There were no instructions for what I needed to do, so I quickly learned how I could be valuable in a lot of different situations.” For Wilson, that meant creating a scope of work or site map for potential Grok clients. She would annotate their websites and make note of areas in need of improvement. Then, she would prepare a list of proposed modifications and price out different options. Regularly she sat in on meetings with clients and her boss, CEO Jason Straughn. The ability to adapt and learn new skills on the fly is required for a Students + Startups intern, says Martinez. Students must be
left and above Stephen Chang and Laura Wilson present their findings at the 2016 summer undergraduate research symposium.
prepared to get out of their comfort zones, to find solutions to problems they have never encountered before, and to be comfortable with ambiguity. Companies encourage students to become the expert and tackle complicated topics on their own. Paramount is the need to constantly communicate, even when that means acknowledging that they do not know how to do something. “There is a need to communicate and be honest in a startup environment, because even normal mode for startups is going a thousand miles per hour,” Martinez says. “Regardless of the major, Trinity students share the ability to think deeply and critically and to see something from multiple perspectives at one time. That is what makes them ideally suited to work in a startup environment.” Learning Through Experience
As Students + Startups builds on its pilot year, the program is looking to be more intentional with the matching process between startups and Trinity students. Startups have expressed interest in choosing their own interns and will ‘sell’ their companies to prospective interns at a pitch night in February. Shortly after, students will attend a “speed dating” style interview night where they will pitch to startups why they should be hired. This idea is the brainchild of Carmen Aramanda, the program coordinator of Trinity’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “One important thing is that if you are going to host an internship, then you have to have a clear and solid vision of what their
“There is a need to communicate and be honest in a startup environment, because even normal mode for startups is going a thousand miles per hour.” intern is going to do,” says Erin Hood ’03, internship coordinator for Trinity’s Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success. “After the pitch night, students and startups will each send us their top three choices and we will facilitate interviews.” Both Hood and Martinez point out that Students + Startups realizes objectives from the Trinity Tomorrow plan. The University’s 10-year strategic plan calls for “strengthened experiential learning opportunities for all students” and “faculty support and development to increase engaged and experiential learning in San Antonio and beyond.” Critical to experiential learning is the ability to reflect on what you are learning, and so that too is built into Students + Startups. Students all completed written reflections that tasked them to consider what they learned from the job responsibilities. “There is so much research that says you hold on to what you learn more if you process what you are learning while you are learning it,” Hood says. “You are better able to articulate what you have learned and have a more developed sense of your own skillset.” Another goal for 2017 is a more deliberate effort to facilitate networking between Students + Startups interns and summer
interns for Trinity’s Arts, Letters, and Enterprise (ALE) internship program, as well as students conducting academic research on campus. Not only are students exposed to the startup tech culture downtown but also to many amenities that make San Antonio a great place to live long after graduation. Adriana Rios, a Geekdom program coordinator who organizes Students + Startups with Trinity, says that Geekdom believes in building a pipeline of talent that will grow downtown’s presence. “We believe that Trinity is full of great talent that can integrate new, young, and fresh minds into San Antonio’s ecosystem,” Rios says. “Short term, we are matching interns to companies in the hope of creating jobs, but long term we are getting people excited about what is happening in downtown San Antonio.” As Students + Startups grows the program and hopes to increase the number of interns, one aspect remains the same: a desire to give students a worthwhile summer internship experience. The San Antonio ecosystem is strong, ready to grow, and already embracing Tiger talent. Learn more at studentsstartups.com.
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UP STARTING
Michelle Mudge-Riley ’99 Entrepreneur-in-Residence 2016-17
Luis Martinez ’91 Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Proving a Business Concept
Developing a Business Plan
So… you’re thinking of starting a business? Congrats! You’re on your way to being your own boss and doing something special and significant. No matter what your idea is, proving your concept is valuable to people. To find out if people will actually want to buy what you intend to sell, consider this: How many people have you tried to sell this idea to, excluding friends and family? Ideally, talk with at least 100 people—preferably more—to test your idea. When you go through this exercise, it’s interesting what you’ll find. Maybe you assumed people would pay $1 for your product when they would be happy to pay $5. Perhaps you thought everyone would love the product in blue, but you found out only one person wanted blue and everyone else wanted orange. The point is, we all have biases, likes, and dislikes, so we make assumptions about the idea we fall in love with. But if you want someone to buy your product, you need to find out how to combine your idea with what your customer needs and wants. Try asking 10, then 50 people, about your idea. You’ll be amazed at what you learn, and you just might get that much closer to making your dream of a successful business come true.
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While conventional wisdom suggests that a business plan should project three to five years ahead, keep in mind that startups are not just small versions of big companies. Instead, think of your business plan as an agile document that allows you to constantly adapt while keeping the larger goal in mind. My advice: Start with a canvas. Develop a one-page diagram of how you create value for yourself and your customers. The goal is to provide a structured learning tool as you discover how your organization creates and delivers value. It is a versatile blueprint, a working document to be revisited. Startups are built with assumptions about the business, customer, market need, product or service, revenue streams, and cost structure. The canvas is a way of articulating assumptions about your business, prioritizing where to start, and tracking ongoing learning. Drafting your canvas is just the beginning. Now, ‘get out of the building,’ and test all the assumptions on your canvas. Go out and listen, gathering feedback from potential users, purchasers, and partners. When your product or service is refined enough to sell beyond early adopters, then you’re ready to write your business plan using a final, proven canvas as the basis for scaling up your business.
Trinity University is a safe place to fail. As budding entrepreneurs, students are encouraged to fail in a nurturing environment so that when graduation comes, they are ready for success and whatever comes their way. If you’re pondering life as an entrepreneur, Trinity urges you to take that risk, fail, and ultimately achieve your dreams. But don’t worry! We’ve enlisted the help of our trusted faculty to guide you as you begin life as a startup founder.
Chris Warren ’78 Entrepreneur-in-Residence 2014-15
Dante Suarez Associate Professor, Finance and Decision Sciences
Startup Fundraising
To Profit or Not to Profit?
Knowing your startup fundraising options is important. Self-funding allows startups to avoid raising money from outside investors and gives an entrepreneur a low-risk chance to grow while retaining control of equity. Friends and family want to see you succeed, but beware of the adage, “Don’t mix business with friends.” If your startup offers something new, crowdfunding platforms give people the option to invest in return for the chance to get the product before the rest of the world. In the business sector, strategic partners may be interested in licensing or investing, and angel investors often provide mentorship and networking benefits. Venture capitalists fund about one percent of startups each year and generally seek those that will generate enormous returns. Grants and loans can also help with funding. While bank loans are generally not favorable to providing money for startups, there are many government agencies that provide loans or grants—economic development officers are a good place to start. In addition, consider entering an incubator or competition with prizes that include cash, consulting, and services. Not all of these sources will be a match for your startup, but knowing your business inside and out will put you on the path to successful funding.
That is the question. On one hand, the objective of a business is to maximize profits. On the other hand, a nonprofit entity has a completely different reason for existing, a specific philanthropic mission that trumps profits. As you consider a business venture, how do you determine your organization’s direction? Actually, for-profit businesses may have many more objectives in mind than just maximizing profits. Ultimately, customers hold the company accountable, and the customers may be driven by a social mission. Conversely, the mission of a nonprofit, while charitable at its core, must also be sustainable—the ability to support operations with a longer horizon in mind. Whether we as entrepreneurs decide to start a socially conscious for-profit business or a viable nonprofit one, we must be sure that it actually achieves what it sets out to do. I have personally had to learn the lesson of how hard it is to provide a service that is useful to the community I am trying to improve. Before we move forward, we must get in the shoes of the people we are trying to help. Only then will we really understand our target community and its needs, and begin to think of ways in which we can improve lives—with or without profits.
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Lauren Swoboda Pepping ’06 (left) and Lyn Swoboda Akhil ’06 (right) enjoy cookies from the Cookie Cab kitchen.
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a
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S S E N I P P
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zalez Gon . P e si h ’15 by Su -Viet Din s d r wo Anh os by phot
Warm cookies can transport people to their “happy place,”
but who knew that a business transporting warm cookies could have been baked at Trinity University? The Trinity bug bit Lyn Swoboda Akhil ’06 and Lauren Swoboda Pepping ’06 when the twins first toured the campus. Tucker Gibson, professor emeritus of political science, spotted them and immediately took them under his wing. “In a sense, we were lost, and he said, ‘I’ll show you around.’ He was warm and welcoming,” Akhil says. It was the first of many faculty encounters that left the Swoboda twins feeling warm and fuzzy about their alma mater. Now they are making and delivering warm cookies to corporate clients and other cookie lovers because—as they often say—“Who doesn’t like freshly baked and warm cookies delivered to their doorstep?”
Their business, Cookie Cab, opened in January 2014 with Pepping and another business partner. Not officially involved yet, Akhil says she was a taste tester. Pepping, who had always wanted to open a business, and her then-business partner, were young moms who wanted to try their hand at something fun with variable work hours. At the time, San Antonio did not have any cookie delivery services, so Cookie Cab was born. If good news spreads fast, news about good cookies spreads even faster. Cookie Cab’s overnight success was actually its first challenge, Pepping says. “From Day 2 we couldn’t fill all the orders, and we had to figure it out,” she says. “We should have prepared for the best and for the worst.” They quickly hired more people and now have three additional employees.
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Cookie Cab didn’t need a lot of start-up capital—just 500 pounds of flour, lots of sugar, what Pepping describes as “tons” of butter, and other (secret) ingredients. Pepping and her original partner scratched an idea to bake at home because of rigid licensing requirements and to keep all that flour out of their family kitchens. Instead, they rented baking space and have moved to the former home of Janie’s Pies in the Carousel Court Shopping Center not far from the Trinity campus. In early 2017, Cookie Cab plans to offer curbside pickup in addition to delivering orders. Pepping’s next struggle came when her business partner decided to move her family to Vermont to fulfill a lifelong dream of raising kids in New England. It was an amicable split, but with no succession plan, Pepping turned to Akhil, who had left a seven-year career as a business consultant to become a physician assistant working 12-hour shifts in an emergency room. “We only live a mile apart, and I thought, ‘I spend a lot of time with my sister anyway, so why not join in and have fun?’’’ Akhil says.
Each day also offers some flexibility in case an employee needs to attend a child’s school function or make a medical appointment. In addition to offering retail cookie sales, Pepping and Akhil are considering extending hours—in case Trinity students need a late-night snack— or adding locations. “We have nothing but awesome things to say about Trinity,” Pepping says. “Both our husbands went there.” Pepping’s husband is Matthew Pepping ’05, a San Antonio attorney, and Akhil’s husband is Omar Akhil ’00, ’01, who holds a master’s degree in accounting. They have attended athletic events, and Pepping has been a guest speaker in an entrepreneurship class. “We try our best to give back as much as we can, but we would like to do more,” she says. When they were Trinity students, everyone seemed to know the Swoboda twins. One of their biggest fans was Dean of Students David Tuttle and his wife, Donna, who employed the twins as babysitters and invited them to holiday gatherings because their own family was thousands of miles away. The twins speak glowingly of nearly
“In some sense we had to start over. Trinity prepared us to overcome real-life situations like this.” At Trinity, both sisters earned degrees in finance and international business, which has served them well in starting and running the company. Although they emphasize the fun side of baking cookies, they recognize that Cookie Cab’s long-term health depends upon their business savvy. In addition to using their learned skills to do their own bookkeeping, do most of their own marketing, and manage employees, that became evident when someone burglarized their prior location, stealing their computers and other equipment. Now, Pepping says, they back up all their digital files and are perfecting their technological skills. “In some sense we had to start over. Trinity prepared us to overcome real-life situations like this,” Pepping says. A typical day at Cookie Cab follows the rhythm of casual fun. Someone comes in and reviews online orders and invoices, boxes are prepped for the day’s deliveries, and cookies are mixed, shaped, and refrigerated. “We usually have loud music going, we have fun, and chit chat while we get orders out,” Pepping says. “Ninety-nine percent of our customers are happy. People are smiling and cheerful when you drive up and they see you coming. That’s what I love versus my old job (at a financial software company) where you would have to deal with unhappy people. Here, our typical day is a happy day.”
every business administration faculty member—especially professor emeritus Don Van Eynde and his wife, Dixie, who also invited the Swobodas to their home for Thanksgiving. “We had no place to go,” Akhil says. “When we were first-years, Dr. Van Eynde invited us into his office to get to know us and said, ‘Let us know if you need anything.’ He made us feel at home away from home.” Attending Trinity was an easy decision because it lies at the midpoint between Mexico City, where their mother is from, and St. Louis, which is their father’s home. They briefly attended elementary school in Castroville but grew up in Saudi Arabia, attending a high school with a senior class of only about 50 students. It provided a close-knit environment similar to what they experienced at Trinity. Although Pepping jokes, “We were nerds,” the sisters were active outside the classroom as Residential Life assistants, the international club, a business fraternity, a book drive with TUVAC, a PAWS animal rescue group, and honor societies such as Mortar Board and Blue Key, among others. Trinity alumni have been supportive of Cookie Cab, and the Student Involvement office has placed orders for the weekly “Cookies and Milk” engagement activity. “This has been awesome and amazing,” Pepping says. “It’s not rocket science. It’s a simple concept, and everyone loves it. We bake and deliver warm cookies.”
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Celeste Diaz Ferraro Chasing Curiosity by Carlos Anchondo ’14 Grandma knows best. As a high school senior, Celeste Diaz Ferraro
visited San Antonio for an aunt’s wedding. Her grandmother knew she was busy applying to colleges and preparing for interviews with admissions counselors. Secretly hoping her granddaughter would move to San Antonio and be closer to family, Grandma Ferraro mentioned Trinity was just down the road and would be good for a “practice” interview. Heeding her grandmother’s advice, Diaz Ferraro visited Trinity during her stay. “She was so sneaky,” Diaz Ferraro says. “She knew what she was doing, and she was right. I walked onto campus and thought I’d died and gone to heaven.” A first-generation college student, Diaz Ferraro came to Trinity planning to major in communication. She wanted to be a journalist, having read Woodward and Bernstein’s All the President’s Men “more than 47 times.” Like many Trinity students, her academic interests were broad. She studied sociology, political science, and economics in addition to communication. When the starting salary of an entry-level newspaper reporter deterred her from pursuing journalism as a new graduate, Diaz Ferraro turned to marketing and public advocacy as a way to create a more just and equitable world. In a career she calls “nonlinear,” Diaz Ferraro worked in hospitality, Hispanic marketing, politics, and advocacy. After earning her MBA from Georgetown University, she transitioned to a career in international development working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector development arm of the World Bank. Diaz Ferraro helped launch the IFC’s first branding program to communicate leadership in global corporate sustainability and social responsibility standards. During this experience she was exposed to new concepts such as impact investing, microfinance, and social enterprise. At the IFC she came to understand how business “done right” had the “opportunity to transform the world and have a positive impact.” As time progressed, the call of family pulled her back to San Antonio, and in 2007 she left the IFC and launched her own consulting firm, PaxMundi Strategy. Working with small social enterprises helped her “integrate my personal values and professional priorities.” Her clients were small for-profit companies who incorporated environmental and social values and activities into their operations. “I loved helping them grow their businesses,” Diaz Ferraro says. “Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot resiliency, flexibility, and willingness to take on risk. These mission-driven entrepreneurs were my heroes and models for the kind of business that I would like to see more of in our communities. Businesses absolutely have a responsibility to the communities they operate in.” Whether it meant advocating for solar energy or connecting
homes with local farmers, PaxMundi supported micro-entrepreneurs with business planning and strategy, organizational development, and branding. For Diaz Ferraro, each client reaffirmed that business could and should be a positive contributor to society. During this time, Diaz Ferraro also taught entrepreneurship courses at St. Mary’s University. As a visiting lecturer, she saw the opportunity to instill an awareness of social environmental principles in students as they became “responsible and transformational business leaders.” Later, after several years abroad working in different business environments, Diaz Ferraro shifted from supporting entrepreneurs to studying them. She was accepted to Pennsylvania State University, where she is now a Ph.D. student in management strategy and organization theory. Energetic and personable, Diaz Ferraro says that business, and even our idea of work, is on the cusp of radical change, led by forces such as technology, social inequality, and climate change.
“Business ‘done right’ has the opportunity to transform the world.” “The faculty here at Penn State are inspirational and some of the nation’s best,” Diaz Ferraro says. “One of my greatest interests is where business intersects with society and the opportunities for business to have a positive impact on this planet.” Midway through her first year, Diaz Ferraro is collaborating on research with her adviser about ethical norms in newly emerging industries such as genomics, while studying new forms of organizations such as sharing economy businesses and social enterprises. “I love the faculty here and how we are looking at the transformation of what it means to be a business,” Diaz Ferraro says. “We are looking at the future of work. Right now is a good time to be philosophical about what we want our world to look like.” Despite having landed at Trinity “by accident,” Diaz Ferraro says the University was an excellent place to build the foundation for her pursuit of a better world. “Trinity gave me the opportunity to earn my education and cultivate an awareness of the world that has served me well my entire life,” she says. “Trinity stoked my intellectual curiosity, and I have been chasing it ever since.” Follow Celeste on Twitter at @PaxMundi.
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David Morris ’86 Strengthening a Bond by Carlos Anchondo ’14 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was first published in 1943 and has been translated into more than 250 languages. The book tells the story of a pilot and a young prince. In one scene, the prince encounters a fox, whom he gradually befriends. Eventually the prince must continue with his journey but not before the fox leaves him with these words: “Men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” To this day, David Morris still remembers the fox’s advice. As the CEO of ZuPreem, a food manufacturer for zoo animals and specialty pets, Morris believes adamantly in man’s moral obligation to take care of the animals they have tamed. Since 1993, Morris has led
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“Hire good people, define what success looks like, and empower those people to deliver the expected results.” ZuPreem in its commitment to high-quality products for companion birds, ferrets, small animals, omnivores, exotic felines, and primates. ZuPreem is part of a family business founded by Morris’ grandfather Mark L. Morris Sr. He was a veterinarian in Edison, N.J., who noticed that sick dogs and cats could sometimes be successfully treated by changing their diets. Through research, Morris Sr. developed a line of foods to treat various diseases and established a company that over time would develop three distinct brands, Prescription Diet, Science Diet, and ZuPreem. Although all three product lines were eventually sold to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Morris spun off the ZuPreem product line in 1993. “To become independent, I had to establish manufacturing and distribution outside of the Hill’s system within the first year,” Morris says. “We had some sales, and that was a huge benefit, but in many ways we absolutely were starting the business again from the ground up.” Now, Kansas City-based ZuPreem is one of three nutrition lines feeding zoos across the United States. ZuPreem branded products can also be found in pet retail stores, breeding facilities, and veterinary clinics around the world. The key, according to Morris, is understanding the needs of the consumer and “meeting those needs as consistently as possible.” A business administration major and political science minor at Trinity, Morris remembers fondly the challenge of his business policy and business law courses. Chuckling, he also recalls political science professor Tucker Gibson, a “dynamic” teacher who lectured with an unlit cigar hanging from his mouth. In addition to academics, Morris was engaged in multiple extracurricular clubs, ranging from the Triniteers social fraternity to the Trinity Student Association, where he served as president his senior year. It was groups like the Student Association, Morris says, that taught him valuable lessons he uses today as a CEO. “The biggest things I learned were learned outside of the classroom,” Morris says. “Through the Student Association alone I learned how to negotiate, to perceive when there was a problem or oppor-
tunity, to understand how we could all come to an agreement and then execute. It was selling ideas, gathering buy-in, and trying to fix a problem. At the end of the day, that is management.” Morris helms ZuPreem with a simple philosophy: “hire good people, define what success looks like, and empower those people to deliver the expected results.” He jokes that CEO cannot mean “chief everything officer” and says it is important to have the discipline not to become involved in every single decision. Morris was fortunate to be able to turn to his late father, Mark Morris Jr., for guidance about the family business until Mark passed away in 2007. “I am proud to be the third generation in the animal nutrition industry,” Morris says. “Both my father and my grandfather understood the gift of being your own person, making your own decisions, and learning from your mistakes. Yet, he was always there when I asked for help.” In addition to heading up ZuPreem, Morris also serves as the vice chair of the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF), established in 1948 by his grandfather and wife, Louise, as the Buddy Foundation. In its nearly 70-year history, the MAF has invested more than $100 million into studies that advance the health of animals worldwide. Currently, the MAF is funding a $32 million national study that follows 3,023 golden retrievers over the course of their lifetimes. Since the breed has an elevated risk for developing cancer, this study aims to understand possible genetic risk factors that could make the animals more likely to develop the disease. If Morris is proud of his work at ZuPreem, he is even prouder of the MAF, the largest private funder of animal health studies in the world. “Nutrition is a key component in helping animals live long lives,” Morris says. “I deeply believe in the power of the human-animal bond and how animals enrich the lives of people. If we can help animals live longer and healthier lives, then we are absolutely promoting that bond.” It is a bond Morris lives out in his own home with the animals he has tamed, two rescue dogs named Bradley and Boeing that are the most “fabulous, greatest dogs in the world.”
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Todd McCracken ’88 Campaigning for Business by Carlos Anchondo ’14
What common trait do all entrepreneurs share? If you ask Todd McCracken, the answer is a willingness to accept risk. “If you think about what it takes for someone to start a business, these are people with a skill or an idea who say, ‘I can do this on my own,’” says McCracken, the president of the National Small Business Association (NSBA). “Yet to take that leap, you have to feel pretty confident, psychologically, about the future.” As the head of the NSBA, McCracken advocates for more than 70 million small-business owners and employees across the United States. He works to understand the evolving and varied needs of the small-business community so the risks they have undertaken will prove worthwhile. It is a difficult task, with the NSBA reaching more than 150,000 small businesses. McCracken says communication is key when dealing with businesses that range in scope from one person to nearly 500 employees, the NSBA cap used for membership purposes. Since his start at the NSBA in 1988, McCracken has come to view diversity within the
“This past summer we put together a toolkit for companies to encourage their member of Congress to visit them,” McCracken says. “A visit helps to build a relationship, create empathy, and shows Congress the needs of small businesses they might not understand if they don’t go and see how they operate firsthand.” McCracken says there is no greater reward than the success of the small-business community. Although the U.S. saw a decline in the rate of new companies forming in the wake of the 2008 economic collapse, McCracken is enthusiastic about the future of the American business. Part of what makes the U.S. unique, he says, is the country’s entrepreneurial nature and history as a welcoming place for immigrants. “There is something fundamentally entrepreneurial about a person who comes across the globe to start a new life and will value that and pass it along to their kids,” McCracken says. “If we as a nation begin to lose that sense of entrepreneurial risk-taking tied to our immigrant heritage, then we will begin to look a lot like other countries from a small-business perspective.”
“There is something fundamentally entrepreneurial about a person who comes across the globe to start a new life.” small-business community, whether in size or nature of the business, as an advantage for the organization. The NSBA is a member-run, member-driven nonprofit. “One of our key principles is to be nonpartisan,” McCracken says. “We are committed to working with anyone who will help improve the ability of smaller companies to start, grow, and treat employees properly.” Moreover, McCracken represents the NSBA’s interests before the U.S. Congress. He has testified on a number of issues but primarily regarding affordable and appropriate health care coverage for small business and their employees, regulatory policy, and taxes. Every two years, at the beginning of a new Congress, NSBA holds the Small Business Congress where small-business owners vote on what they consider their priority issues. In addition to advocating on behalf of the small-business community to politicians, McCracken and the NSBA communicate with their members to ensure they understand what motivates Washington, D.C., and the ways they can impact policy. While they are unable to speak to every member face-to-face, the NSBA hosts conferences where session leaders discuss how to speak with media and make effective points. Online seminars have also proven effective.
As a first-generation college student from New Mexico, McCracken took a risk of his own when he applied to Trinity. Although few students from his high school went to college, something appealed to McCracken about Trinity’s combination of the “liberal arts with a practicality about the world.” He became an economics major because he thought the field was an interesting way of looking at human behavior and historical trends. Outside of economics, he was involved in the Coates Center Program Board, forerunner of the Student Programming Board, and chaired the Issue Awareness Committee. He helped start the Soapbox Forum, a weekly event where students debated a chosen topic on the Esplanade. Today, McCracken is a member of Trinity’s Board of Visitors. McCracken and wife, Melissa ’87, live in Arlington, Va., and their elder son, Finlay ’18, is a history and economics double major. In his 28th year with the NSBA, McCracken is still excited to come to work each day. To be happy in the advocacy business, he says, you really have to believe in the mission for which you advocate. It is clear that McCracken believes deeply in small business and that this career has been worth the risk.
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Lindsey Handley ’10 Coding Confidence by Carlos Anchondo ’14 Late at night, hostile monsters roam through the dark. In addition to zombies, skeletons, and spiders, creepers lurk quietly in the hope of sneaking up on unsuspecting victims and exploding. Yet, before any damage is inflicted, a Minecraft player “mods” the creature’s artificial intelligence. Suddenly, the creeper is reprogrammed to defend the player—not blow her up. Written with code, modifications, or “mods,” allow players to take the sandbox video game Minecraft into their own hands. It is part of the genius of LearnToMod, a computer science education software built by Lindsey Handley and Stephen Foster at ThoughtSTEM, the startup they co-founded in 2012.
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“Coding is always going to be a challenge, but it is a challenge that anyone can face and then succeed.” “Anyone can write these smaller pieces of code that modify the game,” says Handley, ThoughtSTEM’s COO. “Our software makes it easy to put those pieces of code into the game, thereby teaching people to code through Minecraft.” First launched in 2015, LearnToMod is designed for children ages 8 to 14. The software uses a series of tutorial videos that teach students how to construct Minecraft mods with a drag-and-drop programming interface. The mods are then transported to a private server where students can test their code and explore how it alters the game. The goal, Handley says, is to introduce coding to children in a familiar and fun environment. LearnToMod’s innovative approach has caught the attention of the National Science Foundation (NSF), which has awarded ThoughtSTEM two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants totaling $900,000. The grants fund the salary of ThoughtSTEM developers and allow the startup to share LearnToMod, free of charge, with more than 2,500 educators worldwide. An estimated 60,000 students have used the software, and this number is constantly rising. It is an exhilarating experience for Handley, who only learned to code as a Ph.D. student at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Handley, a chemistry major at Trinity, studied biochemistry at UCSD, focusing on the proteins that regulate the blood coagulation process. Her lab work was satisfying, yet Handley and her husband craved something more entrepreneurial. The pair started ThoughtSTEM as a small tutoring operation that rapidly grew. “As a graduate student in science, I had this feeling that I wasn’t in control of my own future,” Handley says. “As a Ph.D. student, you spend long days working hard in the lab and, to some extent, you’re just left hoping that someday your work will lead you to discover something worth writing a scientific paper about. Running this business was a way for Stephen and I to feel like we had control over our own success.” At ThoughtSTEM’s office in San Diego, Handley wears many hats as the COO. One moment she is the accountant. The next, a project manager. No matter the day, though, there is one role Handley always shoulders proudly: educator.
“We are educators at our core,” Handley says. “I understand the plight of educators in terms of budgets, and so the NSF grants are really what allows any teacher to use our software for free.” In addition to LearnToMod, ThoughtSTEM also conducts afterschool programming, winter, spring, and summer camps, and weekend workshops. With a shrewd business sense, Handley is planning to grow ThoughtSTEM’s number of after-school program locations from 40 to 100 in the upcoming year. At any one time, a fleet of 10 to 15 instructors are deployed across the San Diego area teaching computer science. To provide students with the best possible education, Handley is selective about the teachers she employs. She would rather hire a “fantastic educator and teach them how to code” than have a great programmer who cannot teach. In a novel approach, ThoughtSTEM is offering free coding instruction to teachers and adults with teaching experience in exchange for service in the startup’s after-school programs. Handley believes a free coding education in exchange for a teaching commitment will entice many young adults interested in a career transition. “When I first started learning how to code, it was intimidating,” Handley says. “Coding is always going to be a challenge, but it is a challenge that anyone can face and then succeed.” As Handley prepares for more rounds of grant writing, she is excited about ThoughtSTEM’s future. The startup is revamping LearnToMod’s built-in game engine, Vox-L, where students can test their mods in-browser. The engine does not require Minecraft to operate, potentially saving teachers the cost of purchasing the game for each student. The software runs on Chromebooks, which lets students code in a Minecraft-like environment without relying on the internet, enabling those in rural areas to code and explore. The work, however time-consuming it appears, is invigorating for Handley, and the end goal—students well-versed in computer science—is certainly worthwhile. How does she navigate life as a COO? Caffeine, laughs Handley, in the form of a tall, dark coffee. Follow Lindsey on Twitter at @LindseyDHandley.
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Alumni Corner I am honored to represent our 29,000 alumni
worldwide as your Trinity University Alumni Association president. I graduated in 1988 with a double major in business administration and sociology. I live in Houston and have served as an Alumni Association board member for almost 11 years. I am so grateful for my ever-growing network of Trinity connections. The Alumni Corner column allows me to keep you all updated on the work the Trinity Alumni Association Board performs on behalf of alumni engagement with the University and current students. This past fall, the Board ratified and adopted a new strategic plan for the Trinity University Alumni Association. You can find the strategic plan on the Trinity website on the Alumni Association Board page at gotu.us/TUAAB. Have you heard about Maroon Fridays? Show your #TigerPride by wearing maroon on Fridays—even if you are far from campus. Then share a photo with the #TrinityNation via Facebook or tag @Trinity_U on Twitter. As alumni, we are curious about how our classmates are succeeding in life. One of the most popular areas of AlumNET and Trinity magazine is the Class Notes section. We need your help in keeping the updates coming in to the alumni office. It’s easy to share your updates with your fellow Tigers at gotu.us/alumniupdates. The “Tiger Enrichment: Lifelong Learning” webinar series that launched in 2016 continues to grow in content. Look for President Anderson’s annual State of the University webinar coming this spring. Past webinars are archived on the Tiger Network at live.trinity.edu. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please reach out to me at tuaa.president.leslie88@gmail.com.
Leslie Hollingsworth ’88 Trinity University Alumni Association President
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LaRocque DuBose is celebrat-
Sharon Scholl has published her third book of poetry, Summer’s Child, from Finishing Line Press.
ing 10 years as the editor of The Seahorse magazine, a publication of one element of the U.S. Marine Corps. DuBose also celebrated his 65th anniversary with his wife, Estelle ’51-’53.
1957 James McCloskey currently
1950 Rev. Barry Cox will soon receive
a Ph.D. Cox has four honorary doctorate degrees, seven undergraduate degrees, and four master’s degrees. He is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army and was promoted to Air Force pilot during his time of service. Cox also played an important role in reforming the prison system in Wyoming.
resides in Grey Forest, Texas. McCloskey retired in 2007 from the University of Utah School of Medicine and College of Pharmacy after having published more than 200 scientific papers and books in addition to receiving continual funding for his research from the National Institutes of Health for 35 years. In 2005, McCloskey’s career achievements were recognized by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry with the Award for Distinguished Contributions in Mass Spectrometry.
Rita Wycoff Zener took a threeand-a-half-week trip to Spain. It was her first time there, and she notes, “It is wonderful.”
1964 1952 Lynda Adkins SteJulian Dewell retired from the
practice of law in 2015. Dewell currently is a volunteer trail builder and maintainer, and his book, Tread and Retread the Trails, is in its third edition. He is also involved in the community through a number of school and nonprofit boards. Martha Utterback retired from
the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Liberty at the Alamo where she served for 35 years as assistant director and image curator for the art and photograph collections.
phenson recently
released a book, Still Marching On, published by Outskirts Press.
Trinity University is excited to announce the first national conference for Tiger alumni and parents.
Saturday, April 8, 2017 Marriott Marquis Houston
On the Road TUgether brings Trinity to YOU! Join us for a day-long conference featuring perspectives by President Anderson, sessions taught by outstanding Trinity faculty, and a lunch keynote by Mark Kline ’79. Experience Houston at a faculty-led tour of the Museum of Fine Arts, and socialize with fellow Tigers at an Astros game or Dining TUgether dinner. Space is limited, so register now! Visit gotu.us/NationalConference to learn more.
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Bennett Boeschenstein was elected for a second term to Grand Junction City Council in Grand Junction, Colo.
Sylvia “Sally” Cassil has been retired from Los Alamos National Library for four years. Cassil is active in her church and volunteers in their thrift shop, which gives over $20,000 per year to charitable causes. Cassil is also active in Los Alamos Little Theatre, Light Opera, and Choral Society.
Leslie Jo Gatti has been elected
James “Jim” Elkins retired
Jacqueline Claunch retired in August 2014 after more than 16 years as president of Northwest Vista College (part of the Alamo Community College District). In July of 2016, Claunch completed a trek to Machu Picchu with a group of 20 from San Antonio.
Wyoming State President of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) and is on the National Board of Directors for GFWC in Washington, D.C..
Sara Jo Mueller retired in 2010
Jim Couch embarked upon a nine-day National Geographic Adventure tour of Cuba.
and has remained busy volunteering with her church and the Girl Scouts, recently receiving her 50 years of service and Thanks Badge II from the Girl Scouts.
to Seattle with his wife, Kay ’67.
Trinity Trustee Gen. James
Geary Reamey has published
Judy Madden launched a career
Sports Outdoor and Recreation (SOAR) Board of Directors.
Jack Kite ’66, ’68 recently moved
in the computer field. Madden retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., after many years of working in San Antonio and both the East and West Coast. She currently resides in San Antonio and enjoys visiting with friends from Trinity. Marian McKim retired from teaching physics in high school after 34 years but still teaches one AP Physics class.
T. Hill has been named to the
1969 Harry Cowan retired in 2014 af-
ter 42 years in the oil and gas industry. Cowan currently dabbles in photography, photojournalism, watercolor, and is writing his second novel, a western.
Richard Rosen has been working on a play and musical since retiring.
a new book, Principles of Texas Criminal Law, the 12th edition of his casebook, Texas Criminal Procedure, and an article in the Texas Tech Law Review, “The Truth Might Set You Free: How the Michael Morton Act Could Fundamentally Change Texas Criminal Discovery, or Not.”
from his position of director of the Texas Center for Infectious Disease in San Antonio after holding this title for 22 years.
Jim Nelon owns the production company WNDA Studios and just finished the 14th year of filming matches, tailgate parties, and award ceremonies for the Myopia Polo Club of Boston. WNDA Studios has also embedded their video cameras with the USA Warriors paraplegic hockey team from Washington, D.C., for their fundraising tour of New England. Melinda (McKemie) Pierce is
retired from teaching hearing impaired children. Pierce is married and has three children and two grandchildren. One of her fondest Trinity memories is being a member of the Sigma Theta Tau sorority.
Michael W. Wilkens has worked in the geophysical world for 28 years and is a grandfather to two girls.
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CLASS NOTES
IN MEMORIAM Polk Cash ‘57
Eldagene “Genie”
Carveth
Melissa Noles ‘79
Sept. 4, 2016
Hametner ‘64
Osterhaus ‘72
May 21, 2016
March 3, 2015
May 15, 2013
Layman ‘58
Morris
Matty Renfro ‘72
Oct. 30, 2015
Sept. 11, 2016
Thompson ‘65
Aug. 10, 2016
Edward
Margaret Brann ‘60
Virginia Greer
Pendleton ‘50
May 7, 2016
Wilkinson ‘38
July 29, 2016
Estelle Merritt
Jeanette Long
Thomason ‘29
Brown ‘50
March 22, 2004
Aug. 19, 2016
Mary McNeill Van
Edgar Fulton ‘50
Kirk ‘33
Martha Walton
April 17, 2007
April 29, 2016
July 24, 2016 Carmel Mixon ‘60
Dec. 5, 2015 Albert Jessen ‘52 Willard Michaels ‘40
Dan Japhet Fern Cone ‘67
Flannery ‘73
Sept. 29, 2015
May 22, 2016
Richard “Dick”
Audrey Zane ‘73
Bernard Greene ‘68
Feb. 1, 2016 Kevin O’Keeffe ‘74
Patricia Martin Rachel
Pike ‘68
Patsy Stuart
Pfannstiel ‘60
April 29, 2016
Mary Dulany
Coleman ‘53
Jan. 24, 2013
Nicholas ‘41
Aug. 30, 2016
Aug. 10, 2012
Colby Glass ‘53 John Igo ‘48
Charles E. Dan Carmichael ‘49
Brown ‘54
Dec. 7, 2015
Oct. 13, 2016
Julius Harry Frey ‘49
Marvin Grunzke ‘54
Aug. 22, 2016
Sept. 27, 2016
Traci Cruse ‘86 David Purifoy ‘74
May 7, 2016
Nov. 24, 2012 Col. Sam Earl
Herbert “Herb” V.
Hatton ‘69
Cooke Jr. ‘61
May 16, 2016
April 28, 2016
Spencer Boyd Street Nancy Bowen
III ‘90
Creamer ‘76
July 29, 2016
June 3, 2016 Mark Wells Francis Rodgers ‘76
Bennett ‘93
July 31, 2016
May 10, 2016
Carole Rushing Taliaferro Trent
Lay ‘70
Henry Willard “Bill”
Edward Mehollin ‘93
July 8, 2016
Lende Jr. ‘77
July 18, 2016
Ann Young
Dan Gilbert
Sanders ‘49
Adams ‘56
Aug. 20, 2016
July 2, 2016
Aug. 1, 2016
Sept. 9, 2016 Richard Connors ‘71
Jane Groves Patsy Ann Battaglia
Mary Lopez
Craig ‘62
Ziegler ‘49
Waldorf ‘56
May 2, 2016
June 2, 2016
July 21, 2016
July 21, 2016
Stephen William George Lira ‘78
Hall Jr. ‘94
May 3, 2016
Sept. 18, 2016
James William (Jim) Transue Sr. ‘71
Colleen Thompson
Nov. 27, 2015
Elliott ‘79 July 28, 2016
TRINITY Winter 2017
May 10, 2016
Sept. 16, 2016
Aug. 16, 2016
“Tod” Copper ‘62
66
Aug. 9, 2016 Gerry Still ‘87
Shirley S. Stampes ‘75
Stanley Schmidt ‘68 Jane Keel Adams ‘61
April 3, 2016
Oct. 8, 2016
June 15, 2016
March 3, 2000
Aug. 9, 2016
Oct. 6, 2016
Aug. 30, 2016
Gloria Robles ‘68 Lawrence Stewart ‘60
March 26, 2014
Rivian Harris
Ryburn Taylor ‘84
Sept. 13, 2016
June 13, 2003
July 2, 2014
Sept. 10, 2016
Markey ‘82
Donald Child ‘60 William Welch ‘51
June 17, 2016 Bryan Bullard ‘82
Aug. 29, 2012
Aug. 11, 2016 William Boehle ‘40
Julia Pratt Bjork ‘82
1972
1975
Peter Hofmann received ap-
Richard Hatcher retired from
proval for his second trademark, Smile Dentist. Hofmann’s first trademark was Dental Rescue, a material that saves teeth. He used this material in the mission field to save many teeth of the various indigenous Indian groups to whom he was invited to minister.
his position as director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Hatcher served the department for 37 years with 10 as assistant director and the last seven as director.
Trinity Honors Two Outstanding Alumnae Two Trinity University alumnae were honored for their outstanding contributions to the campus and beyond at a luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Susan Todd ’05, executive director for 504 HealthNet, received the 2016-2017 Outstanding Young Alumna Award, and Amy Turlington Chambers ’89 received the Greek Alumni Adviser of the Year Award.
Colette Pieper was appointed
chief financial officer for Command Center Inc.
Susan Todd ’05
1973 Michael Drudge is the newly elected president of the San Antonio chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Beck Whitehead, after 30 years of service, has retired from The Southwest School of Art from her position as paper and books arts chair.
1974 Stephen Cherry is now serving as medical director of cardiology at Mary Black Hospital in Spartanburg, S.C. Jake Henry Jr. was inducted into the University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business Hall of Fame.
Outstanding Young Alumna Sheri Wolf Rosen, author of Give
Voice To What Unites Us, had her book published by the International Association of Business Communicators, of which she is a Fellow. Rosen’s book is available on Amazon, and it “presents a new role for employee communication in companies, particularly in our time of economic challenges and social media amplification.” David Weekley, chairman of
David Weekley Homes, has been awarded The 2016 McLane Leadership in Business Award by the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy.
1976 Wayne Ogburn is retired from
the health care industry and is currently selling property in the Hot Springs, Ark., area. Mike Shoup spoke at the 5th an-
nual Fall Landscape Symposium in San Angelo, Texas. Shoup’s speech, “Lessons from a Texas Rose Rustler,” was about the search and rescue of forgotten and rare roses.
Meet Susan in a video online at gotu.us/todd.
As executive director for 504HealthNet, Todd brings expertise in primary care access and strengthening health systems. Previously, she served as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and participated as a member of the White House Initiative Strong Cities, Strong Communities. She also has worked for NASA as a scuba diver assisting in spacewalk training for astronauts and taught English in Argentina. She earned a bachelor’s in international studies from Trinity and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas. She is originally from Baton Rouge, La.
Amy Turlington Chambers ’89 Greek Alumni Adviser of the Year
William “Bill” Johnson retired
in 2015 and has enjoyed traveling and writing. Johnson’s granddaughter was born in 2015.
Mark Olsen is teaching in the drama division of the Juilliard School and is the chair of the musical theatre program of the New York Film Academy. James “Phil” Young was named CEO of The Hospitals of Providence East Campus hospital in El Paso, Texas.
Turlington Chambers pledged Zeta Chi sorority in the spring of 1986. In 2005, as Zeta Chi celebrated its 25th anniversary, she volunteered to help actives get the word out to the alumnae. Since then she has served as their alumna adviser—first, in an unofficial capacity, and more recently, officially, as the Trinity Blueprint has been implemented. Turlington Chambers, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is the academic program manager at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC).
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CLASS NOTES 1977
1980
William “Bill” Kilgore currently resides in Dallas. Bill and his wife, Susan, have one son living in Austin and one who is a freshman architecture major at The University of Texas at Arlington; their daughter is in her senior year of high school.
Robert Bowling has been
Eleazar Ovalle was appointed
vice president of geology and geophysics and executive vice president at Foothills Petroleum Inc.
1978 Rev. Mark Hinds was promoted
to publisher of the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Congregational Ministries Publishing.
Peter Koelling served as editor
and author for the eighth edition of The Improvement of the Administration of Justice published by the ABA Judicial Division in September 2016.
1979 Karyn (Swenson) Bradley retired from her position as Reverend of Unity Palo Alto Community Church in Palo Alto, Calif. James “David” Cantwell celebrated his 15th anniversary with Bennion Homes, a real estate brokerage firm in Palm Springs, Calif. Cantwell serves on the Board of Directors for the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors and Boys and Girls Club of Coachella Valley.
selected to serve as the assistant regional chief judge for Region 7 (Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia) for the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review for the Social Security Administration. Bowling also serves as the hearing office chief judge for Huntington, W.V., and as the acting hearing office chief judge for Charleston, W.V., and Morgantown, W.V.
John Exline was recently appointed to the FASB’s Small Business Advisory Committee.
1981 Kirby Oliver Grantz is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter at the Courier Journal/USA Today Network. Linda Roberts-Baca has served
in ministry for 30 years. For the past 12 years, she has served at Rio Grande Presbyterian Church, home of the Rio Grande D-Food Project, which delivers seven tons of food weekly, making it the largest nonprofit church food pantry in New Mexico.
Volker Schnabel signed for a
third term as general manager with the Dresdner Eislöwen, a professional hockey team in Dresden, Germany.
Sheryl Smith-Rodgers was the
speaker at the Texas Master Naturalist Hill Country Chapter’s monthly meeting in July.
Ricardo Solis began his tenure as the seventh president of the Laredo Community College District.
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TRINITY Winter 2017
Show your #TigerPride Submit your updates online at gotu.us/ alumniupdates
1982 George Brown retired from his
position at The University of Alabama and is assistant vice provost and director of recreation and wellness at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Suzy Gray is the director of op-
erations and sport facilities with the San Antonio Spurs.
1983 David Alexander has joined
Baylor University as assistant general counsel.
Douglas Ashby was a part-time consultant and exam developer through Certification Management Services and for Western Governors University’s undergraduate and graduate health care administration program and undergraduate emergency management program. Ashby retired from the U.S. Army as a medical service corps officer and also from Federal Civil Service as a health system specialist. He currently works part time as a medical courier and sings in a barbershop harmony chorus, “Friends in Harmony.”
Karen Heath became a family medicine physician in 1985. Heath worked in South Carolina in a private office and in Arizona with the Indian Health Service (IHS) for 10 years. She is now retired, doing volunteer work at an immigrant clinic, and teaching at St. Louis University.
Denise Barkis Richter has
Thomas “Tommy” O. Matthews
Russell Guerrero is the public
II was reappointed to the Gua-
dalupe-Blanco River Authority Board of Directors by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
written 100 Things To Do in San Antonio Before You Die and is a professor of journalism and mass communication at Palo Alto College in San Antonio.
relations officer for San Antonio College. Guerrero and his wife, Yvette Sanchez ’82, celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary in June 2016.
Grant Scheiner was appoint-
1985 Joseph “Jed” E. Crowe rep-
resented Trinity University at the inauguration of Eric Bruntmyer, the 16th president of Hardin-Simmons University, in September 2016.
Esther Siller visited Fairbanks, Alaska, in June of 2016. While there, Siller partook in the 10K Midnight Sun Run, which begins at 10:30 p.m. while the sun is still out.
Charles Eskridge was awarded the Light of Justice Award for his work with the Texas Defender Service on exonerating Anthony Graves. Eskridge’s work resulted in the first disbarment of a Texas prosecutor for a death penalty case.
Blake Smith, owner and director
Jerry Moran has been appointed
of Camp La Junta, was re-elected secretary-treasurer by the Board of Directors of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. Smith is also currently the board president of Our Lady of Hills High School and a member of the American Camping Association.
1984 Michael McCaul, chairman of
the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, has written a book, Failures of Imagination.
Jennifer Ritchie Payette co-authored The Change book series produced by Jim Britt, an early mentor to Tony Robbins. She also co-authored Modular Career Design, which teaches how to build horizontal income and lead a balanced life. Payette is currently associated with The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and is an MBA professor with the University of Phoenix. She resides in the D.C. metro area with her husband and two children.
senior vice president of human resources at Del Lago Resort & Casino.
Suzanne Wilt Petrusch joined
Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., as vice president for enrollment and marketing. Petrusch would love to be contacted by any Tiger in the Carolinas.
Marcy Rothman is the managing
director of the Houston office of Kane Russell Coleman & Logan P.C. and is a member of the firm’s executive committee. During the summer of 2015, Rothman rode an adventure bike to Montana and back, stopping along the way at national parks on the route. During the summer of 2016, Rothman spent two weeks on a motorbike in the Alps.
Sally Trufant and Mary Trufant
run a large independent pet store, B&B Pet Stop, with their brother. In 2016, they were awarded Small Business of the Year by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce in Mobile, Ala.
ed to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS). Scheiner will assist other board members in overseeing the organization’s finances, raising awareness of TBLS, and increasing the value of board certification. TBLS works to ensure every citizen of Texas receives the highest quality of legal service by authorizing attorneys to work in legal specialty areas.
James “Jim” Vasquez was
appointed as CIO at Yeshiva University in New York City.
1987 Mike Mullins was appointed to
1986 Edward Bass was hired as instructor of advanced manufacturing systems by Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Md.
lead the Kansas operations for St. Louis-based Ascension.
Patrick Pringle was appointed to
Jenny Engels Madsen is a full-
a director position in the Trade Compliance group of the Fluor Corporation. Pringle recently returned from a 18-month assessment in London where he was working on a study to construct an iron ore mine in Guinea.
James “Jim” McDonough has
David Wagner was appointed CEO of Pearland Medical Center in Pearland, Texas.
time consultant for Solliance Inc. in operations, finance, and project management in San Diego.
become licensed to practice law in Colorado and is a partner in the personal injury firm Downs, McDonough & Cowan, LLC. He will also maintain his law practice in San Antonio.
CLASS NOTES SUBMISSIONS Send your class notes to alumni@trinity.edu or fill out the alumni update form at gotu.us/alumniupdates. Photo Submissions Bigger is better! Digital photos should be saved at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi with dimensions at least 1800 x 1200 pixels. Save photos in .jpg format and email as attachments to alumni@trinity.edu. Prints can be mailed to the Office of Alumni Relations, One Trinity Place, San Antonio, Texas 78212-7200.
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CLASS NOTES 1988
1989
Judge Rodney Adams is the Presiding Municipal Judge of the Irving Municipal Court. Adams was named Best Jurist of 2016 by the Texas Municipal Courts Association in June 2016. He has been married to Eunice O’Neil for 30 years and has one son, Rodney II, who is an aspiring entrepreneur.
Amy Stephenson Patterson is a professor of political science at Sewanee, the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tenn.
Roopangi Kadakia has been
named chief information security officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rohan Pal is the chief infor-
mation officer and chief digital officer at The Brink’s Company.
Kathy Schnare was part of the U.S. contingent to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for the election mission for the Russian Duma. Schnare served as an international observer, based in the Vologda Oblast. James “Jim” VanderSteeg was
promoted to president and CEO of Covenant Health in Knoxville, Tenn.
1991
Jennifer (Akers) Cutone is the
Patricia Beneze and Heidi
Lorch-Silva enjoyed a Mother’s
Day weekend trip to New York City. They ate at the famous Burger Joint, went to see “Les Misérables” on Broadway, and took a lunch boat cruise out to the Statue of Liberty.
1990 Carole Stewart Anhalt is
currently working on her fifth degree: a Ph.D. in Medical Humanities with a Specialization in Bioethics from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Leslie Hollingsworth, Leslie Heinberg, Ann Foerschler Summers, Jill Hubbard, and
Ulka Amtey Wilson ’89 (left to
right) celebrated memorable birthdays in Charleston, S.C., in October 2016.
Heather Brunner, CEO of WP Engine, was a regional finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year program sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP. Hugh Coleman was re-elected
for a third time to serve a fouryear term as Denton County Commissioner for Precinct One. Coleman continues to practice law as owner/principal of Coleman Law Firm in Denton, Texas.
Russell Lloyd was appointed to the position of director of the Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs’ Medical Center.
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TRINITY Winter 2017
1992
Harvard Muhm has joined
Capes Sokol and will lead a new trusts and estates practice group.
Lynn Pumfrey Falcone, CEO at
Cuero Community Hospital in Cuero, Texas, has implemented a new communication strategy among departments in the hospital that creates a safer environment for both staff and patients.
Jennifer Hall Vanderhart joined Analytics Research Group LLC as principal economist and managing director.
senior manager of proposal and budget development, medical devices, and diagnostics for Chiltern International Inc. Cutone’s husband and two children vacationed in Italy, Croatia, and France in the summer of 2016 and she thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends from when her family lived in Croatia in 2000-01.
Gary Jepson was named administrative director of operations at the St. Anthony Physicians Group in Oklahoma City. Dr. Katie Spong Lozano was
inducted as president of the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) at the organization’s annual meeting in September 2016 after having been elected to the position the prior year. CMS is the largest physician organization in the state of Colorado, representing over 7,500 physicians, physicians in training, and medical students. Lozano and her husband, John Lozano ’93, a former National Alumni Board member, live and work in Denver.
1993 Brad LaMorgese was named in
the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers List for the 13th time and in the Top 100 attorneys in Texas and the Top 100 attorneys in Dallas-Fort Worth lists for the fourth time. He has also been selected to appear in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
1995
1996
1997
1998
Frank Birchak was appointed
James “Hunter” Bass was
Katie Lawrence Breitschopf is
Trinity Trustee Rev. Dr. Rich
Moira McMahon Leeper wrote the screenplay for A Light Beneath Their Feet. The movie has won a number of awards from various movie festivals.
Jonathan Fink was honored at the University of West Florida (UWF) Rite of Passage lecture series. The Rite of Passage lecture series highlights faculty who were recently promoted to full professor. At UWF, Fink is a professor of English and the director of the creative writing program. Fink is also an award-winning author and poet.
to a judgeship in the San Diego Superior Court.
Kannwischer and Jackie Sliker
’00 represented Trinity Uni-
versity at the inauguration of Daniele C. Struppa, the 13th president of Chapman University in September 2016 in Orange, Calif.
appointed to senior manager of assurance services by ABIP.
Read more about Leeper’s screenplay at gotu.us/leeper. Lisa Wilson has joined the Dallas office of Wilson Elser, a national law firm.
Andrea Mastroianni directed
the musical production Hairspray. Currently, Mastroianni works for Leominster Public Schools.
Sara Boone McAndrew was the keynote speaker for the seventh Historic Preservation Dinner in Hillsboro, Texas. Jenny Airington Richard was inducted into the Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society.
Lee Thweatt attended Houston’s
West University Little League closing ceremonies. Pictured from left to right are John Tobola ’94, Lee Thweatt ’95, and Hector Caram ’84.
Tanya Zwick Reinberger, Michelle “Shelly” Setzer Burwell, and Sarah Newland
Pearce ’99, former Tiger women’s soccer players, joined men’s soccer head coach, Paul McGinlay, in Colorado Springs, Colo., in October 2016 to watch the Trinity Tigers take on Colorado College.
Anna Ulrich was selected to
serve as county court judge in Saguache County in Colorado.
the director of sales and marketing for Active Power in Austin, Texas.
Adam Cozad wrote the screenplay for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016). Cozad was planning to enter into a firefighter academy when he sold the screenplay for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. John Cruz was appointed to se-
nior vice president of Broadway Bank’s Commercial Banking Division.
Amber Puga recently started a
new program in Dallas for the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
1999 Rachel Martin Harlow received The University of Texas System Board of Regents Outstanding Teaching Award for tenure-track faculty.
Did you know? The National Alumni Board is now the Trinity University Alumni Association Board. In an effort to better reflect the depth and diversity of alumni in our Trinity University Alumni Association, especially our international Tiger alumni, the National Alumni Board (NAB) is now the Trinity University Alumni Association Board (TUAAB). The name change was approved by unanimous vote at the Fall 2016 Alumni Association Board meeting.
magazine.trinity.edu TRINITY
71
CLASS NOTES 2000
2002
2005
2009
Traci (Dodderer) Bentley ran into fellow alum Cliff Gallagher ’00, ’02 in the TSA line at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The health care industry has remained exciting for both alumni.
Tracy Almanzan became managing partner of Almanzan & Dawson Law Office in El Paso, Texas.
Emily Davis will graduate from
CUNY Law School in 2017 and will pursue work as a public defender.
Bryan Braegger was appointed CEO of Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center in Yakima, Wash.
Rich Coffey was a finalist for the Austin Business Journal’s Best CFO in Austin Award and for the Austin Under 40 Award. Coffey has also launched his own business, Coffey Advisory Group.
Mike Kelly was appointed to vice president of surgical strategy with Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Kendalynn Morris lives in Jena, Germany, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in biogeochemistry from the Max Plank Institute.
2006
Garrett Martin, CEO of Mile-
Jennifer Kresta completed her
Natalie Wilkins was appointed chief of staff at Cook Children’s Health Care System.
Ashley O’Hara has moved to Oakwood, Ohio, and thoroughly enjoys the neighborhood and activities the community has to offer. Andrew “Andy” Peoples was
appointed chief financial officer at eRelevance Corporation.
stone Community Builders, was a regional finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year program sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP.
2001 Portia Hoeg represented Trinity
at the inauguration of Kathy Brittain Richardson, the 15th president of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., in October 2016.
Alicia Mein-Johnson moved to
Houston and works at St. John’s School and Energy Institute High School.
Lori Johnson was welcomed
Jarret Raim is the owner of
Rackspace’s customer-facing security portfolio, the director of managed security at Rackspace, and is also a consultant for the Denim Group, founded by Sheridan Chambers ’97 and Dan Cornell ’98.
2007
2003
Jennifer (Taylor) Baker was promoted to director of operational excellence for Providence Health & Services in Alaska.
Court Le Maistre ’03, ’04 was
appointed COO of Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette, La.
back to The Dwyer Group Inc. as vice president of brand management.
2004
Kristan Siegel, after 15 years working in IT, now teaches geometry at Incarnate Word Academy in Houston, joining Hilary Marks Stannard ’01.
Andrew Woellner was awarded as on of the 2016 American Institute of Legal Counsel’s 10 Best Labor & Employment Attorneys in Texas for client satisfaction.
Laura Paquin was welcomed by Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a partner at their Tampa, Fla., office. Whitmore joined the firm’s global product liability group.
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TRINITY Winter 2017
general surgery residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Kresta will be joining Southeast Texas Surgical in Beaumont, Texas.
Brianna Brown was promoted to
net sales manager in the Central Gulf Region at Frito-Lay.
2008
Michelle Bartonico earned her
project management professional (PMP) global certification.
Jill Reddish received her master’s degree in communication from the University of Washington in June of 2016.
2010 Stephanie Allen started a
new job as the collections and exhibits manager at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
Yvonne Freckmann, a composer, was awarded a Fulbright grant to study in the Netherlands two years ago. Her project, “Zvov Sensory,” is now on tour in Israel, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Viewers are blindfolded and surrounded by music, sounds, smells, and touch. Lindsey Handley, co-founder of
ThoughtSTEM, took part in the release of LearnToMod Minecraft Modding Software, which is open to educators at no cost. Read more about ThoughtSTEM on page 62.
Randy Jobe was appointed vice president of physician practices and network services at Stillwater Medical Center. Jeff Jones joined CBS North
Carolina as a sports reporter.
Bart Taylor was promoted to director of scouting for the Utah Jazz and vice president of basketball operations for the Salt Lake City Stars.
2011 Maggie Lipperini has been
granted a fellowship in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
2012 Alex Carruth and wife, Stacey,
recently welcomed their fourth child, Liam. Carruth also took on a new role as regional operations manager for Trumpet Behavioral Health in Denver.
2013 Aimee Arzoumanian has been named assistant chief executive officer for Sparks Health System, overseeing operations at Sparks Medical Center in Van Buren, Ark., and Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith, Ark.
2014 Christopher Loumeau is now
an ACO manager at Leavitt Partners in Salt Lake City.
Trinity alumni are bold, innovative, and engaged with the world. And we want to hear about it.
MARRIAGES Heather Hine ’05 and Chris Caldwell ’05
Submit your updates online at gotu.us/ alumniupdates
Jan. 1, 2016 Heather and Chris were married in Cozumel, Mexico, and Chris is pictured with Cowboy McCool ’05 and Jeremy
2016
McDonald ’05.
Carter McEachern was signed by the Goldeyes, a professional baseball team in Canada.
Jennifer Heard ’99
Alex Miller ’08 and
and Clark Baack
Davis Bass ’10
April 2, 2016
July 3, 2016
Jose R. Santos was accepted
Pamela Neumann
Katy Poettcker ’11
into the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
’00 and Carlos Bolivar
and J. C. Buswold ’10
March 26, 2016
Oct. 1, 2016
Lindsey Ulin worked on research during her time at Trinity studying the effect exercise has on the progression of multiple sclerosis. Ulin will spend a year on clinical research before attending medical school.
Chelsea Chapman
Mary West Stratton
Cantrelle ’01 and
’11 and Taylor
Nelson J. Cantrelle III
Stratton ’13
June 4, 2016
June 10, 2016
Sally Jackson Ryan
Shelby Frank ’15 and
’05 and Patrick
David Harris ’15
Francis Ryan
June 21, 2016
2015
Sept. 3, 2016
Arielle Cotting-
Diana Cavazos
ham has released
Navarro ’06 and
her debut book, The Tarantist’s Soapbox.
Migel Angel Navarro Feb. 27, 2016
Stephen Culberson qualified for
the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50-meter event.
Matt Tindall signed with the
Los Angeles Angels and was then traded to the Washington Nationals.
BIRTHS Jeremy Wolf, an alumnus of the Trinity baseball program, was awarded Rookie of the Year by the Kingsport Mets.
Caleb James to Allison Humphrey Davidson ’99 and
Nathaniel Owen to
Brian Davidson ’99
Kristine Pursell ’12
March 7, 2014
and Tim Pursell ’11 Sept. 13, 2016
Adam Wells is in his second year
working as a financial analyst at Viasat in Carlsbad, Calif.
William Nathan to Rachel Lee ’01 and
Zachary Diem to
Nathan Roach ’98
Jennifer Powell
June 22, 2016
Le ’02 and Long Le June 14, 2016
magazine.trinity.edu TRINITY
73
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni and Advancement Offices Welcome New Leadership Alumni Relations and Development at Trinity University is excited to introduce two new Tigers to its leadership team. Kay Casey joined Trinity in August 2016 as the assistant vice president for Alumni Relations and Development. “We are lucky to have Kay’s expertise and professionalism on our team in Alumni Relations and Development,” says Mike Bacon ’89, vice president for Alumni Relations and Development. “She has worked in higher education for much of her career, and she is a critical part of the leadership team.” Hugh Daschbach ’95 will join Trinity in late February 2017 as the senior director of alumni relations. “I know alumni will be happy to see alumnus Hugh Daschbach heading up our Alumni Relations programs. Hugh has a strong reputation as an advocate for San Antonio,” Bacon says. “His previous experience working at Trinity and his service on the Alumni Association Board make him uniquely qualified to be a key leader for us. Expect new, different, and fun from Hugh.”
Kay Casey
Hugh Daschbach ’95
Assistant Vice President
Senior Director for
for Alumni Relations and
Alumni Relations
Development
As assistant vice president for Alumni Relations and Development, Kay Casey collaborates with, supports, and manages all areas of the division. With extensive knowledge of fundraising, nonprofit and foundation management, alumni and leadership development, and special events, Casey facilitates the division’s mission, goals, and vice presidential initiatives. Casey has served extensively as an executive director of charitable organizations and on the senior team of large institutions in Texas and Louisiana. She has worked in arts and museum management, health and human services, agriculture and natural resources, and higher education. Prior to joining Trinity University, she served as executive director of two college foundations. A native Houstonian, she attended the High School for the Performing Arts and on the weekends, either barrel raced or worked beside her father in the oil patch. Casey obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University. She enjoys cultural activities, exploring parks, history, cooking, xeriscape and herb gardening, and any equestrian or stock show event. Her daughter, Camille, works at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
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TRINITY Winter 2017
Hugh Daschbach has been named Trinity University’s senior director of Alumni Relations. A business administration and religion double major, Daschbach speaks first-hand to the true value of a liberal arts degree. He shows a deep appreciation and proven commitment to the University and is passionate about building teams and achieving quantifiable results. Daschbach’s roots with the Trinity community run deep. He has more than 10 years of experience serving Tiger alumni, first as a director on the San Antonio Chapter board, and more recently as a director on the Trinity University Alumni Association Board (TUAAB). In addition, he has seven combined years of experience working at the University in the Office of Conferences and Special Programs. Daschbach comes back to Trinity from San Antonio’s renowned Hotel Emma, where he served as culinary concierge. Twenty-five years after arriving at Trinity as a student, Daschbach is passionate about returning to campus to lead the talented team of professionals in the Office of Alumni Relations. A native of southern Louisiana, he is proud to call San Antonio home. He looks forward to meeting even more Trinity alumni in the coming months.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
Austin Chapter alumni and parents attended a tailgate with Tiger fans before the Trinity football team took on the Southwestern Pirates.
Chapter activities listed between May 1 - Nov. 30, 2016
ALBUQUERQUE
AUSTIN
BAY AREA
The Albuquerque Chapter held a “Welcome to Albuquerque” happy hour on June 23 at the Canteen Brewhouse to honor 2016 graduates and welcome them to Albuquerque. It was also an opportunity for area alumni to catch up with old friends. On Oct. 12, alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at Farina Alto in Albuquerque.
On Oct. 27, the Austin Chapter hosted a reception and discussion at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce on the 2016 presidential race. David Crockett, professor and chair of the Trinity University Department of Political Science, gave a talk on “It’s the End of the Republic as We Know It, and I Feel Fine: Surviving the 2016 Election Cycle.” Austin-area ‘politico’ alumni also gave comments during the discussion. On Nov. 5, Austin-area alumni and parents attended a tailgate with Tiger fans before Trinity Football took on the Southwestern University Pirates. Attendees enjoyed conversation with Head Coach Jerheme Urban ’03 after the game. The same night, alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at the Roaring Fork. On Nov. 15, alumni enjoyed the fall weather as they gathered at Hops and Grain East Austin Microbrewery for the Chapter’s fall happy hour.
On July 7, the Bay Area Chapter held a “Welcome to the Bay Area” happy hour at Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and Bar in San Francisco. The Chapter also held a happy hour on Oct. 20 at Tribune Tavern in Oakland.
ARIZONA On June 30, Arizona Chapter alumni welcomed 2016 graduates to Arizona at a happy hour at Hula’s Modern Tiki in Phoenix. On Oct. 27, alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at Citizen Public House in Scottsdale.
ATLANTA Atlanta Chapter members gathered together for an evening of networking on May 17 at Park Tavern.
CHICAGO On Sept. 11, Tiger alumni and parents in the Chicago Chapter attended an admissions dinner at Ballaro in Highwood. Alumni ranging from the Class of 1964 to the Class of 2014 cheered the Chicago Cubs to a victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 20. It was a beautiful night to get to know Chicago-area alumni and root for the home team.
DENVER On June 7, Denver Chapter alumni met for an afternoon of baseball as the Colorado Rockies played the Miami Marlins. On Sept. 28, Denver-area alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at the home of Bryan and Sue Ann Cormack,
parents of Andrew Cormack ’18, in Golden, Colo. On Oct. 19, alumni from a range of class years enjoyed food, brews, and behind-the-scene views at the Blue Moon Brewing Company in RiNo, the River North Arts District. On Nov. 17, alumni and guests gathered at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to attend “Science Lounge: Space Society” where they tested their limits for space travel, visited space exhibits, heard guest speakers, and enjoyed a “cosmic cocktail.”
DALLAS On May 22, Dallas alumni and their families enjoyed an afternoon cheering for the Frisco RoughRiders. On June 18, more than 70 alumni and their guests attended a “Welcome to the Trinity University Alumni Association” brewery tour led by alumnus and head brewer Jamie Fulton ’03. On Tuesday, Sept. 27, the Dallas Chapter co-hosted a panel with the University of Texas at Dallas on population health.
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CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
clockwise from above The Dallas Chapter hosted a “Welcome to Dallas” Brewery Tour and Tasting at Community Beer Co. National Capital Area Chapter Co-President Alison Whitten ’13 and Distinguished Alumnus Michael McCaul ’84 attended a reception honoring McCaul’s award. Minnesota-area alumni gathered at Mounds Park in St. Paul. The Houston Chapter held a special yoga class at Power Yoga, co-owned by Trinity alumna Laura Rust ’08. Arizona Chapter alumni welcomed graduates at the “Welcome to Arizona” happy hour at Hula Modern Tiki in Phoenix. Greater Los Angeles Chapter and San Diego Chapter members attended a Football Tailgate at Chapman University before the Trinity Tigers took on the Chapman Panthers. Fort Worth Chapter alumni Ce Ce Cordes ’88 and Natalie Wilkins ’09 show their #TigerPride at the Fort Worth Spanish Wine Tour.
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clockwise from above Alumni from the San Antonio Chapter enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio of President and Mrs. Anderson’s home. New York Chapter alumni were entertained with a private book reading and signing by Jamie Brickhouse ’90. The Oklahoma City Chapter welcomed history professor Jason Johnson, for a special lecture on the “Matisse: In His Time” exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Karim Kaissi ’07, a Trinity HCAD alumnus, senior director of accountable care operation for Texas Health Resources, was one of the panelists.
FORT WORTH On Sept. 10, Fort Worth-area alumni ranging from the Classes of 1964 to 2016 enjoyed an informative and fun evening while tasting Spanish wines. Brian ’97 and Kristie Gibson ’98 organized the event. Alumni relived their college days at Barcadia on Oct. 20 by playing Frogger, Ms. PacMan, air hockey, and Jenga while having a beer and catching up with each other.
class at Power Yoga, co-owned by Laura Rust ’08. For many alumni in attendance, it was their first Houston Chapter alumni event. On Sept. 25, alumni and guests gathered at the Houston Polo Club to watch a polo match while mingling with fellow alumni and enjoying the entrance parade of players and horses.
GREATER LOS ANGELES On Aug. 6, Los Angeles-area alumni enjoyed a tasting and tour at the Angel City Brewery. On Sept. 24, alumni and parents attended a football tailgate at Chapman University before the Trinity Tigers took on the Chapman Panthers.
HOUSTON On June 23, the Houston Chapter held a “Welcome to Houston” happy hour at La Grange to honor the Class of 2016. On Aug. 4, the Chapter held a special yoga
NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA On July 30, current students, parents, and alumni showed their Tiger Pride for incoming first-year students and parents
at the home of Genevieve Moreland ’97. On Sept. 28, alumni attended a reception at the University Club of Washington, D.C., honoring Michael McCaul ’84, the 2015-16 Distinguished Alumnus, and enjoyed visiting with President Danny Anderson. On Oct. 5, alumni enjoyed a thoughtful discussion with Peter O’Brien, Trinity professor of political science. On Oct. 15, alumni and parents attended an admissions brunch at Woodward Table in Washington, D.C.
interning in New York City were able to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. On Sept. 14, alumni were challenged by Kate Davies ’08 in a hot pilates class at her studio, YO BK. Alumni enjoyed a taste of Texas at the Strand Smokehouse on Sept. 22. On Oct. 16, alumni attended an admissions brunch at Osteria Cotta in New York City. On Oct. 18, New York-area alumni reminisced about Trinity and late night runs to Taco Cabana over margaritas, cold beer, and guacamole at Añejo Tribeca.
NEW YORK On June 7, alumni in New York were entertained with a private book reading and signing by Jamie Brickhouse ’90 at Bars and Books – Lexington. The New York Chapter kicked off summer with a happy hour at Habana Outpost on June 16, where alumni and two current students
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma City Chapter took part in Trinity’s Reading TUgether in the fall. The Chapter met on Sept. 7 at the home of Chris and Kathryn Kirt ’93, and after a potluck with healthy dishes, the group discussed Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants
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CHAPTER ACTIVITIES left Alumni and guests from the St. Louis Chapter cheered on the Cardinals from the reserved suite of Trinity Trustee Michael Neidorff ’65. below Alumni in the Seattle Chapter gathered at Jack’s Texas BBQ to welcome new graduates.
On Oct. 23, Portland Chapter alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at 23 Hoyt in Portland. On Nov. 13, alumni and guests enjoyed Trinity Night Out at the Moda Center for the Portland Blazers versus the Denver Nuggets.
networking mixer on Sept. 8, where Cole Wollak ’11 presented information on the technology companies and the “Tech Corridor” being built in San Antonio. A special thank you to Matt West ’97 for hosting the event in the FASTSIGNS showroom. Alumni and their families said “Adios!” to summer by enjoying the slides and lazy river at Schlitterbahn on Sept. 17. Alumni ranging from the Class of 1970 to the Class of 2016 enjoyed golf, barbecue, and conversation on Sept. 27 at Topgolf. On Oct. 18, alumni enjoyed an evening on the patio of President and Mrs. Anderson’s home. Alumni enjoyed the welcomed fall weather with conversation and delicious pizza at Fralo’s on Oct. 22.
SAN ANTONIO
SAN DIEGO
On Aug. 25, the San Antonio Chapter held its annual Fall Kick-off Happy Hour at Tycoon Flats, where alumni from a wide range of class years heard an update from the new head coach of the Tiger women’s soccer team, Dylan Harrison ’02. Alumni and students in San Antonio enjoyed a business and entrepreneur
On June 15, the Chapter held a “Welcome to San Diego” happy hour and “Tiger Tonic” discussion on “Shooting for the Moon: Emerging Trends in Cancer Therapy” led by Alex Campos ’03 at La Jolla Brewing Company. On Sept. 24, alumni and parents took a bus ride to attend the football tailgate with the Greater
Hooked Us by Michael Moss. On Sept. 9, alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at Whiskey Cake in Oklahoma City. On Sept. 15, the Oklahoma City Chapter welcomed Trinity history professor Jason Johnson for a special lecture on “Matisse: In His Time,” an exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Attendees enjoyed the insightful lecture before a guided tour.
PORTLAND
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Los Angeles Chapter before the Trinity Tigers took on the Chapman Panthers at Chapman University.
SEATTLE On June 30, Chapter alumni gathered at Jack’s Texas BBQ in SoDo and raised a glass to honor 2016 graduates and welcome them to the Seattle Chapter. Alumni also took the opportunity to catch up with other Tigers in the area.
ST. LOUIS On Aug. 3, St. Louis-area alumni received an update on faculty research currently being conducted at Trinity University from Peggy Sundermeyer, director of sponsored research, during lunch at Pastaria. On Aug. 24, alumni and guests from the St. Louis Chapter cheered on the St. Louis Cardinals as they beat the New York Mets at Busch Stadium from the reserved suite of Trinity Trustee Michael Neidorff ’65. On Oct. 16, alumni and parents attended an admissions dinner at Cardwell’s in St. Louis.
Your Trinity Alumni Chapters There’s a chapter near you! If you would like to be involved in chapter activities or to serve on the Board, contact these respective chapter presidents or check out chapter pages at gotu.us/alumnichapters.
Albuquerque
*Columbus, Ohio
National Capital Area
San Diego
Sal Perdomo ’13
Duane Weaver ’79
Avantika Krishna ’15
Megan McClurg ’98
salvatorperdomo@gmail.com
dweav1265@gmail.com
avakrish@gmail.com
meganalysa@gmail.com
Alison Whitten ’13
sandiego@alum.trinity.edu
albuquerque@alum.trinity.edu Dallas
whitten.alison@gmail.com
Arizona
Rob Sender ’09
nationalcapitalarea@alum.
Seattle
Tara Zoellner ’01
robsender@gmail.com
trinity.edu
Erin Perry ’06
tzoellner@gmail.com
dallas@alum.trinity.edu
erincrosbyperry@gmail.com New England (includes New
arizona@alum.trinity.edu
seattle@alum.trinity.edu
Denver
Hampshire, Vermont, Maine,
Atlanta
Jeff Miller ’94
Massachusetts, Rhode Island
St. Louis
Jeff Winland ’97
mjeffrey27@msn.com
and Connecticut)
Aisha Sultan ’96
jeff.winland@hawcpa.com
colorado@alum.trinity.edu
Laura Smeaton ’92
asultan@post-dispatch.com
laurasmeaton@mac.com
stlouis@alum.trinity.edu
atlanta@alum.trinity.edu *Central Florida Austin
Matt Giles ‘07
Carolyn Roark ’95
mggiles@gmail.com
*Tulsa New York
Jaclyn Metcalf ’08
Helen Harris ‘92
jaclyn.metcalf@gmail.com
Fort Worth
hharris10@nyc.rr.com
Alexa Harrison Maloney ’12
Lindsay Hess ’11
newyork@alum.trinity.edu
alexanharrison@gmail.com
roarkcd@gmail.com austin@alum.trinity.edu
newengland@alum.trinity.edu
The Bay Area
lindsaylhess@gmail.com
Brittney Elko ’08
ftworth@alum.trinity.edu
Jason Maloney ’11 Oklahoma City
jason-maloney@utulsa.edu
Emily Bowlby ’05
brittney.elko@gmail.com Houston
emily.bowlby@gmail.com
*West Texas – Abilene
Karyn Hall ’11
Jenny Richard ’97
Jed Crowe ’85
*Charlottesville, Va.
karynhall814@gmail.com
jennyarichard@yahoo.com
jed@crowegroup.biz
Allison Wright ’01
houston@alum.trinity.edu
oklahomacity@alum.trinity.edu
thebayarea@alum.trinity.edu
*West Texas – Lubbock
allisonwright27@gmail.com *Kansas City
Portland
Caroline Kopp ’79
Chicago
Bill Keith ’08
Leslie Wilkins ’06
caroline.kopp@att.net
David O’Gara ’83
bill.r.keith@gmail.com
namroxx@gmail.com
Lindsay Bean ’09, ’11
dogara@plexusgroupe.com
Charles Joseph ’84
portland@alum.trinity.edu
lindsay.b.bean@gmail.com
chicago@alum.trinity.edu
charlesejoseph@icloud.com *Rio Grande Valley
*West Texas – Midland-Odessa
*Cleveland, Ohio
Greater Los Angeles
Josh Yost ’96
Sara Burleson ’81
Tim Gibbons ’85
Karen Fisher ’10
jyost1@rgv.rr.com
saraburleson4@gmail.com
tfgibbons@gmail.com
karenfisher17@gmail.com losangeles@alum.trinity.edu
Shelby Landgraf ’07 San Antonio
*Colorado Springs, Colo.
Trey Evans ’06
Kim Newberry ’93
devans@alum.trinity.edu
kdnwbrry@yahoo.com
sanantonio@alum.trinity.edu
shelbyllandgraf@gmail.com * denotes a network city
Brianna Tammaro ’13 brianna.tammaro@gmail.com
For more information on Alumni Chapters and Network Cities, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 210-999-8404.
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TRINITY TRAVELS
Trinity Tigers are world travelers, and Trinity magazine wants to see your photos! Use #TrinityTravels to share your photos on social media or submit them to the magazine. (Photo submission guidelines are on page 69.) Want a copy of your own cut-out LeeRoy? Download and print at gotu.us/CutOutLeeRoy
Photos submitted by the Trinity University men’s basketball team in Madrid; Jeanna ’08 and Cabral Balreira from Funchal, Madeira, Portugal; Sarah Farrell ’17, who spent the summer interning with the United States Tennis Association in New York; wellness coordinator Katherine Hewitt in her hometown of Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Erika Hochstein ’17, who spent the summer studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark; Betsey Menzel P’19 from the Deadfall Meadow Trailhead at Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California; Thayer (Lazarin) Riley ’11 with husband, Sam, on a trip to Rome; Tito Sandigo ’16 on Leroy Street in New York City; Esther Siller ’83 on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska; Brianna Tammaro ’13, who worked with the U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; Julia Weis ’19 from the Swiss Alps; and geosciences graduate Ann Zuk ’7980 at the site ofTRINITY Trinity Granite in2017 the Grand Canyon. Winter
DÉJÀ VIEW
by R. Douglas Brackenridge Two Fayette County farm boys, Robert Sylvester
left Stephen Munger right Robert Munger Photos from the collections of the Dallas History and Archives Division, Dallas Public Library
above Original article heading from the Presbyterian Historical Society Archives, PC(USA)
Munger and Stephen Ingram Munger, entered Trinity in the early 1870s, having had few opportunities for formal education. Undeterred, they enrolled in remedial courses and looked forward to years of study and a university degree. Their Trinity experiences ended abruptly, however, when their father became incapacitated and was unable to take care of the family farm and small cotton gin operation. They dropped out of school and never returned. Yet out of this impoverished background, the two young men went on to receive national acclaim as entrepreneurial businessmen: Robert for his inventive genius and Stephen for his skill as a business manager. According to a Trinity alumnus who knew them well, they “started out in a very small way and practically without encouragement, except that which came from their own clear vision and strong wills.” When Robert assumed responsibility for his father’s cotton gin plant, he became convinced that the machinery was antiquated, inefficient, and dangerous to the health and safety of workers. He envisioned creating an automated process of cotton ginning that would eliminate these problems and revolutionize the industry. He conceived the idea of a pneumatic elevator and spent all his spare time studying the principles involved in perfecting such a machine. Although neighbors ridiculed him for what they considered an impractical dream, Robert continued to refine his invention. He later patented improvements that produced a
machine that took cotton picked from the field and turned it into bales ready for the market without human intervention. After unsuccessful attempts to get companies to invest in his new invention, Robert started a small manufacturing plant of his own in 1885. Three years later, he organized the Munger Improved Cotton Machine Manufacturing Company in Dallas. A year later, Stephen took charge of the Dallas plant and Robert formed a corporation in Birmingham, Ala. These two concerns were merged in 1900 to form the Continental Gin Company, which eventually became the largest cotton gin manufacturing operation in the United States. Retiring early in life, Robert invested in Dallas real estate and created the exclusive Munger Place development described as “a fashionable and up-to-date suburb of Dallas.” Homes had to be two full stories, cost at least $2,000, and could not face a side street. The Munger presence in Dallas is also retained by restoration of the Continental Gin Company Building into a residence for professional artists who pursue their diverse talents in the historic setting. The Munger brothers shared the wealth they attained from their start-up venture through a variety of philanthropic interests that included civic and educational institutions, in particular Trinity and Southern Methodist University. Robert gave part of his Dallas land holdings and money to help found Southern Methodist University, and periodically he and Stephen made contributions to Trinity. The two brothers established the Munger Benefit Fund to aid company employees and to encourage young men and women to attain educational benefits they lacked as youths. Despite their elevated social standing and well publicized business success, the Munger brothers had a reputation of being “plain and unassuming men.”
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