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012 STAR GAZING FRESHMAN LIVING FINANCIAL TIPS

HomeSweet

Nacogdoches

Sawdust

“Some of the most memorable performances I have seen in my time at SFA have been those of the university choirs. Whether it’s a Madrigal Dinner, a production of Messiah or just Christmas caroling in the Austin Building, hearing them sing is always a treat. I am very much looking forward to photo-graphing their European concerts this spring.” – University Photographer Hardy Meredith

Dr. Tim King, professor of music and longtime director of SFA choral programs, directs the SFA A Cappella Choir in W.M. Turner Auditorium. The choir will embark on an 11-day tour to Austria and the Czech Republic in May, presenting at least six concerts in Salzburg, Vienna and Prague.

Hardy’s Pic

Spring 2012 • Volume 39, No. 1

EXECUTIVE EDITORJeff Davis ’02, Executive Director of Alumni Affairs

EDITORAmy Roquemore ’93, Editorial Coordinator, SFA Public Affairs

ARTISTIC DIRECTORRhonda Crim-Tumelson, Director of Alumni Publications, SFA Alumni Association

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative work and service. Through the personal attention of our faculty and staff, we engage our students in a learner-centered environment and offer opportunities to prepare for the challenges of living in the global community.

The SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the alumni, friends and current students of Stephen F. Austin State University through programs, scholarships and activities that create an attitude of continued loyalty and support.

SAWDUST is published four times a year by the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association and Stephen F. Austin State University. Full subscriptions are included in Alumni Association memberships. SFA alumni and friends receive com-plimentary issues twice a year.

CONTACTSawdustP.O. Box 6096, SFA StationNacogdoches, TX 75962(936) 468-3407 • (800) 765-1534alumni@sfasu.edu • sfaalumni.com

ON THE COVERSFA ad design major Emily E. Graves provided the cover art for this issue. Read more about the artist on Page 5.

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CAMPUS NEWS 2 SFA Observatory 3 Faculty Advising 4 President’s Message 11 Environmental Science 15 Vista Viewpoint 18 ’Jacks of All Trades

Freshmen FirstFirst-Year Commons program well-received on campus

On the SidelineHead athletics trainer is department MVP

Stage AdviceTheatre professionals share expertise with students

NacogdochesWhat’s new and nostalgic in our favorite college town

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ALUMNI NEWS 28 From the Association30 Burger Business 38 Scholarships 39 Chapters 40 Class Notes 43 In Memoriam 48 All Hail to SFA

FEATURES

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Campus News

In 2000, researchers at the

SFA Observatory discovered a new asteroid orbiting

the sun about midway between Mars and Jupiter.

The asteroid is now officially known as

the minor planet “Nacogdoches.”

Another asteroid discovered at the

observatory is named “Sfasu.”

The SFA Observatory:

Supplies electronic data to the National Weather Service

Offers free star charts downloadable at www.observatory.sfasu.edu Provides seismic data 24/7 to the U.S. Geological Service

Was used by NASA to conduct lunar studies for the Apollo program

Is visited by approximately 1,500 SFA freshmen enrolled in SFA 101 each fall

STELLAR MOVEMENT This recent time-lapse photo shows a 20-minute path of stars visible at the SFA Observatory. Photo by Stephanie Ballard

3Spring 2012

Need to get your financial house in order but not sure where to start? Check out these tips for smart saving and investing from Banker

Phares, estate planning attorney and adjunct lecturer in SFA’s financial planning program.

MAKE A PLAN Fewer than 50 percent of Americans have computed how much they will need for retirement. (The average person spends 20 years in retirement!) Most experts suggest budgeting for at least 70 percent of pre-retirement income.

START SAVING SOONER RATHER THAN LATER Begin small and increase as time goes by. Take advantage of retirement plan options, particularly those provided by your employer. Stay informed about health-care options and changes in Social Security benefits.

CATEGORIZE YOUR SAVINGS Divide savings physically (or mentally) into categories. For example, allocate for retirement, college tuition, medical expenses or a new home. Avoid using the amount allocated for one category for another. Be especially protective of your retirement allocation.

CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Consider altering your investments as time passes. Make a careful study of the advantages and disadvantages of a particular investment. With changes in your age, tax laws and economic conditions, what was a smart investment at one time may no longer be in your best interest.

CHECK YOUR CREDIT Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to obtain a free annual copy of your credit report from three different companies. Check it often to make sure there is no incorrect information, and try to fix any problem areas on your report.

SFA’s financial planning program is registered with the Certified Financial

Planner Board of Standards. For more information, contact the program

director, Dr. Todd Brown, at (936) 468-1783 or

brownta1@sfasu.edu.

WITH THE ADDITION of a new, remotely operated telescope, the SFA Observatory is continuing to provide astronomy students access to stellar technology and out-of-this-world research opportunities.

The second largest in the Cen-tral time zone, the SFA Observa-tory is located 11 miles north of Nacogdoches and employs a num-ber of telescopes that vary in size and strength. The new addition is 16 inches in diameter and eventually will have the capability to be oper-ated from the main campus or other research locations.

“Both undergraduate and graduate students also have the op-portunity to gain experience in ro-botics and computer programming through the use of the new tech-nology,” said Dr. Dan Bruton, as-tronomer and professor in the SFA Department of Physics and As-tronomy. “I want to provide our ad-vanced undergraduates and seniors with state-of-the-art equipment that will allow them to do graduate- and senior-level projects.”

The new remotely operated telescope will be used primarily for asteroid hunting, observing variable stars and imaging deep sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters, gal-axies and supernovae. The obser-vatory’s 41-inch telescope is used for star research, and an 18-inch telescope is used to search for mi-nor planets. (11 asteroids have been discovered at the SFA Observatory.) Additionally, a 10-inch telescope is used mostly for training.

The student observatory, the largest teaching observatory in Tex-as, provides approximately 825 in-troductory astronomy students each year with the opportunity to view and learn about the wonders of the sky. A dozen portable 8-inch tele-scopes and four 6-inch Newtonian

reflectors can be mounted on pedes-tals for student use.

The research observatory is used by students and faculty mem-bers to broaden our understanding of the universe. It is one of the only facilities of its size in the world that permits regular use by advanced un-dergraduate and graduate students.

The SFA Observatory also of-fers free public viewing opportuni-ties – one each spring, summer and fall. Hosted by the SFA chapter of the Society of Physics Students, the public viewing sessions are listed on the observatory website.

“Since many SFA students come from the Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth areas, the views offered through these telescopes in the rela-tively dark skies of East Texas offer an enjoyable and often unforget-table experience,” said Dr. Norm Markworth, observatory director.

SFA graduates who have taken advantage of the research facili-ties available at the observatory are prospering in their field, Bruton said. Among them is Justin Parish ’10, assistant director at The Center for Earth and Space Science Educa-tion at Tyler Junior College, who at-tributes much of his success to time spent at the SFA Observatory as a student researcher. “My experience and knowledge base was made stronger through this plethora of research, which ultimate-ly led to my success in obtaining an assistant director position at a brand new planetarium,” Parish said. For more information about the SFA Observatory and upcoming public viewing sessions, visit www.observatory.sfasu.edu.

– STEPHANIE BALLARD

Reaching for the Stars

BOARD OF REGENTS

John R. “Bob” Garrett, Tylerchair

Steve D. McCarty, Altovice chair

James H. Dickerson, New Braunfelssecretary

Carlos Z. Amaral, Plano

Dr. Scott H. Coleman, Houston

Brigettee C. Henderson, Lufkin

Kenton E. Schaefer, Brownsville

Ralph C. Todd, Carthage

Connie Ware, Marshall

Sarah Feye, The Woodlandsstudent regent

UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

Dr. Baker Pattillopresident

Dr. Richard Berryprovost/vice president for academic affairs

Dr. Steve Westbrookvice president for university affairs

Danny Gallantvice president for finance

and administration

Dr. Sid Walkervice president for development

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Shirley Lunainterim executive director

of marketing and public affairs

Hardy Meredithuniversity photographer

Amy Roquemoreeditorial coordinator

4

I AM HAPPY to report to our alumni on recent developments in accreditation. I spent several days in Orlando, Fla., in December with other

members of the university administration at the an-nual meeting of the Southern Association of Col-leges and Schools Commission on Colleges. I am pleased to share with you that the full accreditation of Stephen F. Austin State University was reaffirmed by the Commission. We are particularly happy that this reaffirmation comes with no requirements for follow-up “monitoring reports,” which are often re-quired. Our next submission to SACS will be the standard fifth-year report.

This is a significant accomplishment for our uni-versity, and I want to recognize those who worked so hard to achieve it. Every department, office and academic unit at SFA played an important role in the reaffirmation. The extra time and effort our fac-ulty and staff devoted was considerable, and it is greatly appreciated. While there are so many who worked long hours in this endeavor, I want to note the particular contributions of Dr. Richard Berry, provost and vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Mary Nelle Brunson, associate provost and dean of graduate studies; Dr. James Standley, dean emeri-tus; Dr. Larry King, university assessment coordi-nator; and Dr. Tara Newman, Quality Enhancement Plan coordinator. Their leadership in preparing the Compliance Certification and in putting together the institutional response to the committee report was invaluable.

As Lumberjacks, we can all feel very proud of the reaffirmation of our SACS accreditation. It is a con-firmation that we do many things at SFA very well. It is also a reminder that continued improvement in all we do is essential for our future success.

Axe ’em, Jacks!

Baker Pattillo ’65 & ’66President, Stephen F. Austin State

University

President’s Message

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5Spring 2012

A SERIES OF panel discussions highlighting changes in global leadership and the ability of the European Union to continue to serve in a primary role was hosted in

Houston by faculty members from SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts.

Since World War II, the alliance between the United States and Europe has been the foundation for policies on both sides of the Atlantic. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the transatlan-tic relationship even became the foundation of global security and the core of the globalization process.

However, major shifts in the balance of power have surfaced, spurred by the rapid emergence of new world-

level players such as China, Brazil and India. A sequence of crises added intensity to the shift, including the

terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, natural disasters, financial meltdowns, and protests and demonstra-

tions in the Middle East and North Africa referred to as Arab Spring. The international landscape has been vastly revised, and in the wake of these disruptions to traditional patterns of global leadership, the transatlantic relationship between the European Union and the United States may not be as relevant as it once was.

“I think some people probably don’t realize how important the European Union is

to Texas,” said Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts. “Texas is the

largest beneficiary of European direct invest-ments. That $58.2 billion translates into 212,000

Texas jobs.”The conference was hosted by SFA and the

University of St. Thomas Center for International Studies. Also hosting was the Laboratoire Europeén

d’Anticipation Politique, a think-tank that strives to foresee global economic developments from a European perspective,

and its director, Franck Biancheri, served as a keynote speaker. Participants included Dr. Daniel Hamilton, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation professor and director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; U.S. Ambas-sador Richard Norland, deputy commandant and international affairs adviser at the National War College; and Dr. Zsolt Nyiri, director of the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Trends, a comprehensive annual survey of American and European public opinion.

Finalized recommendations from the conference will be published in a book by the SFA Press.

Transatlantic Conference

Cover ArtistNAME: Emily E. GravesHOMETOWN: Fort WorthMAJOR/MINOR: ad design/digital media

GRAVES’ LONGTIME DREAM of becoming a published illustrator is taking shape even before she graduates from college. Her next big project will be illustrating A Winter Tale, a children’s book based on Alaskan folklore forthcoming from the SFA Press.

“I am extremely excited about the project, and I hope to create something fantastic and magical,” she said. “With the training and experience I’m accumulating at SFA, I feel very confident about my future.” Graves, who uses a computer to create her impressive digital images, describes her artistic style as “painterly and soft – I just use a different sort of paint.” Much of her subject matter is found in nature, “especially little things that often get overlooked.” The towering pine trees are one of Graves’ favorite things about Nacogdoches, and they figure prominently in her cover design. “When asked to create something special for the Sawdust cover, I was flattered and a little terrified. But after meeting with the design team and learning of our goals, I knew this was something I was going to love painting. Living in Nacogdoches has been such a won-derful part of my life. I am so pleased with the finished product and happy to have been a part of this issue.”

5Spring 2012

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FRESHMEN

7Spring 2012

y first year living here has been great! The programs that the CAs and hall council do are fun and educational, and I like getting out of my room and just going to the learning lounge and hearing what they have to say. I enjoy living with other first-year students because we have a lot of the same classes. You know you are not alone in the hall because people there are going through the same things you are.

– Candace Mackie of Houston,vocal music education major”

FIRST“M

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BBBEGINNING WITH THE fall 2011 semester and marked dramatically by the opening of an impres-sive freshmen-only residence hall, the First-Year Commons is providing a nurturing, supportive environment that is helping fledgling students adjust to living and learning in an unfamiliar college environment. Midway through its second semester, the program is already drawing rave reviews from the campus community.

ENGAGING RESOURCESDr. Adam Peck, dean of student affairs, said the Commons was created to give first-year students all the resources they need to succeed. "I am opti-mistic that the First-Year Commons will help our beginning students have a successful university experience and graduate from SFA," Peck said.

"I hear from people all the time that there is excite-ment and energy where there hasn't been before. Freshmen are more engaged than they have ever been."

The newest hall, Lumberjack Landing, anchors the Commons area, which includes approximately 2,200 beds for first-year students in Lumberjack Landing, Steen Hall, Halls 14 and 16, and parts of Kerr Hall.

FRESHMEN-CENTEREDBut residential living with peers is not the only benefit of the Commons. Programs in three areas—academics, life skills and social engagement—help students become familiar with the intricacies of col-lege life and learn how to be successful in their new environment. Large numbers of first-year students have taken advantage of this programming, which is designed to meet their specific needs.

The Residence Life Department also has upped the number of community assistants available in the Commons halls, resulting in opportunities for many more personal connections between students and staff, said Jennifer Waters, assistant director of residence life. "The Commons staff members are specially trained to understand the challenges faced by first-year students and are equipped with techniques and strategies to help them grow and thrive in college."

COLE ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTERBut the most important tool available to students in the First-Year Commons is the Ed & Gwen Cole Academic Success Center, located on the first floor of Lumberjack Landing. Modeled after SFA's award-winning Academic Assistance Resource Center in Steen Library, the Cole Center offers state-of-the-art classrooms, walk-in tables for assistance in core sub-jects and room for an increasing number of Supple-mental Instruction groups. SI groups are available for a variety of courses, including social and physical sciences, history and political science, mathematics, basic languages, and beginning business courses.

M.E. McWilliams, AARC director, described the op-portunity to take successful programs directly to first-year students in the Commons as “awesome.”"Freshmen are critical, because if we don't help them develop good learning strategies during the first year, they won't be back in succeeding years," McWilliams said.

Lumberjack Landing, SFA’s newest all-freshmen residence hall, was designed to meet the unique living and learning needs of first-year students.

9Spring 2012

First-year students seem to enjoy the SI groups and other study opportunities afforded by the Cole Center because they are able to study and learn in a fun, informal atmosphere with their friends, she said. Even the open, glass-fronted design of the Cole Center was created to normalize the process of learning.

GETTING INVOLVEDAlso available to all freshman students is a special "satellite" for SFA's Involvement Center, located in the lobby of Steen Hall. There, first-year students can sit down with a peer adviser or staff member who is trained in involvement advising. The sessions help students locate extracurricular programs and student organizations in which they can participate.

The range of support services available to new students through the First-Year Commons program is expected to positively influence the number of students who persist beyond the first year and eventually graduate with an SFA degree. Peck said he expects that "next fall we'll see more freshmen return ready to start their second year at SFA."

–PAT SPENCE

Freshmen are critical, because if we don't help them develop good learning strategies during the first year, they won't be back in succeeding years.

–M.E. McWilliams, AARC director

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Monique Cossich ’06 describes herself as a “Cajun-jack” – an SFA alumna from Lafayette, the rich cultural mecca of South Louisiana. A born-and-bred Cajun, she embodies the philosophy of “joie de vie” or “joy of life.”  She credits her parents with instilling in her a strong work ethic and a servant-leader philosophy. In 1997, she crossed the Louisiana border to work at Angelo State University. After spending six years in West Texas, she headed east to SFA in 2003, assuming her current position of executive director of enrollment management. She thrives on helping change students’ lives for the better through her department’s various recruitment and retention efforts. Cossich believes her career in higher education is the perfect fit for her personally and professionally, but says if she could choose another job it would be at Disney World – either operating the “It’s a Small World” ride or serving as CEO of “Positively Outrageous Guest Services.” “I take great pride in watching team members grow as professionals and continue to learn from them daily,” she said. “We can all learn from each other and build on the strengths of the collective team.”

1. Lumberjack axe presented to the enrollment management team by the SFA Board of Regents in 2005. 2. Photo of Cossich’s husband, Marc, chief of the SFA University Police Department. 3. A “No Whining” sign. Enough said. 4. A favorite photo of the Cossiches’ 1-year-old son and “the light of our lives.” 5. Old license plate paying homage to her alma mater, the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette.) Cossich earned a bachelor’s degree from USL in 1986 and a master’s degree from SFA in 2006. 6. Inside the Yankees: The Championship Year by Ed Linn, a recap of Cossich’s favorite major-league baseball team’s 1977 World Series championship season. 7. Basket of colorful notepads, sticky notes and cards that she keeps in easy reach for personalizing messages of gratitude and encouragement to students, colleagues and friends. “I am a big believer in hand-written notes to encourage my team members and prospective students.” 8. A New Or-leans Saints football pennant. She’s a huge fan, but her husband is an even bigger one. 9. A hardback version of the children’s storybook The Little Engine that Could, “the best motivational book around.” Cossich frequently gives copies of the book as gifts to those who need a little extra encouragement in their lives. And, occasionally, she re-reads it herself. 10. Can of Diet Dr Pepper, her favorite soda. The office mini-fridge is fully stocked at all times. 11. A memo board bursting with photos of family and friends, cards, invitations, souvenirs, inspirational quotes and other mementos. 12. A Mickey Mouse poster featuring a favorite quote by Walt Disney: “Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive.” Cossich is a big fan of Disney, especially the company’s world-renowned customer-service philosophy. 13. A big plastic jar chock full of mini-swag, take-away publications and other promotional items. Cossich likes to keep all such goodies contained, but still close at hand for when she needs a little inspiration. 14. A collection of books by her favorite author, John Maxwell. Of Maxwell’s many volumes on leadership, Cossich’s favorites are Developing the Leader Within You and Developing the Leaders Around You.

Work Space Whatyou’llfindin...MoniqueCossich’soffice

11Spring 2012

PICK UP ANY newspaper or watch any television newscast, and you’ll find no shortage of environmental

doom and gloom. From oil spills in the oceans to groundwater pollution to ra-dioactive leaks, it seems new concerns about the state of our natural resources arise every day. At SFA, students are learning the skills necessary to not only help address these current concerns but also meet whatever unforeseen en-vironmental issues Earth’s future may hold. “Our guiding philoso-phy is to produce gradu-ates who are problem solv-ers – not handwringers,” said Dr. Kenneth Farrish, director of the university’s Division of Environmen-tal Science in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. The division’s Bachelor of Science program emphasizes practical applica-tion of science to address real-world environmental problems related to

both land and water resources and environmental planning and manage-ment. The Master of Science program is a collaboration of SFA and the Univer-sity of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and offers specialized tracks in both occupational and environmental health and land and water resources. The division also engages in important research concerning water-related resources and air quality. The staff of the Waters of East Texas (WET) Center promotes interdisciplinary re-search among SFA students and faculty regarding East Texas water resources and related ecosystems. The focus of air quality research within the division is to better understand the characteristics of air pollutants in animal buildings used in agriculture and to implement control strategies and technologies to limit their release into the environment. “The program’s rigorous science-based curriculum produces graduates who are in high demand by employers, most of which are in the private sector,”

Farrish said. “The biggest employers of our students are environmental consulting firms, and many of our graduates start out earning $40,000 to $50,000 a year.” Anthony Castilaw ’95 is owner and president of Castilaw Environ-mental Services, a natural resource environmental consulting firm based in Nacogdoches. Currently five other SFA environmental science graduates work with him, and he has hired a dozen alumni since opening the firm in 2005. Many started as part-time employees while still in school. He said SFA environmental science graduates have a competitive edge be-

cause of the hands-on experience they receive in the program and in-depth in-struction in areas such as GIS mapping, dendrology, zoology and environmental hydrology. “I have worked with a lot of other companies that have students from big-ger universities, and you can tell right off the bat that they really haven’t spent a lot of time in the field,” Castilaw said. “With an SFA student, we know we are getting someone who has real-world skills that we can tap into immediately.” SFA senior Jeff Lamb of Henderson will graduate in May and already has a job as an environmental specialist waiting for him at Luminant Energy’s Martin Lake lignite mine near Carthage where he completed an internship last summer. “I have been extremely impressed with the environmental science pro-gram and the professors at SFA,” he said. “They are not just there to teach. They want to make sure you learn what you need to get a job after graduation.”

Employers visit the division regularly to recruit graduates. The division’s faculty actively assists in permanent job placement for graduates by arranging on-campus interview op-portunities with compa-nies that hire environmen-tal science graduates and by maintaining a regularly updated jobs-available listing on the Web. “These people actu-ally come to our school looking for us because they know we can do the jobs they need done,”

Lamb said. “I don’t know very many other programs that can say that.”

– AMY ROQUEMORE

Environmental Science

Photos courtesy of SFA Division of Environmental Science

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13Spring 2012

THE UNIVERSITY’S head athletics train-er, Sandy Miller has been helping SFA

athletes prevent and recover from sports-related injuries for three de-cades, guiding the department from its humble beginnings to a compre-hensive university athletic training and rehabilitation program.

“When I first arrived in 1981 it was me and Nina Partin,” he said. “Nina handled the women’s sports, while I took care of the men. Now we have four full-time staff members, four graduate assistants and 35 stu-dents. In addition, we have two certi-fied athletic trainers who serve as full-time, entry-level graduate athletic trainer program professors.”

More than the size of the staff has grown during Miller’s tenure at SFA. The original training space was 900 square feet and utilized part of what is now the football locker room. The athletic training facility has since increased to nearly 5,000 square feet and features X-ray capabilities and an in-house physician’s office.

“Looking back, there are times when I wonder how we made it,” Miller said. “But we received a lot of cooperation from the coaches and the student-athletes. I always felt confident that we would see growth. As an athletics department, we knew we needed to continue providing

quality care for our student-athletes while continuing to get better.”

During the course of the past couple of seasons, Lumberjack and Ladyjack athletes have received nu-merous individual honors on the national level. SFA has received All-America honors in football, men’s basketball, baseball, and track and field, including former quarterback Jeremy Moses who received the Walter Payton Award following the 2010 season. Not to be outdone by the athletes, Miller has been named to the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association and the National Ath-letic Trainers Association Halls of Fame.

In addition to his national recog-nition, Miller was invited to serve as the athletic trainer for United States Track and Field at several internation-al competitions, including the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1995 World Championships.

“A huge part of my career has been a simple case of being in the right place at the right time,” he said. “It is a huge honor to be recognized by your peers. Having the opportu-nity to work with USA Track and Field was also a great honor, and the uni-versity was kind enough to let me off to do that. If not for athletic training and SFA, there would have not been the opportunity to travel and work with these athletes.”

While Miller has a very humble opinion of his success, SFA Director of Athletics Robert Hill understands how fortunate the university has been to have someone of Miller’s caliber on the sidelines.

“Sandy is one of the most self-less individuals I have ever known, and he has an unbelievable passion for what he does,” Hill said. “It is be-cause of those two things that he has endeared himself to his trainers and the student-athletes. He obviously has great knowledge, but it is how he uses that knowledge that makes oth-ers stop and take notice.”

Miller has had a very distin-guished career in his 30 years of ser-vice to SFA. When the time comes for him to step down, he says he doesn’t want to be remembered for what he did, but for what his past students are doing and what his current students will go on to do.

“When my time here is complete, I would hope that I’ve done a good job in helping place our students out in the field with jobs,” he said. “I would love to be able to visit all of them down the road and observe them on the job to see what they learned while they were at SFA and how they have applied that knowledge.”

–JAMES DIXON

Head trainer reflects on three decades of working with SFA athletes

With SFA athletics enjoying so much recent growth and success, it may be easy to overlook the department’s own MVP – someone all the coaches hope they never need but whose value cannot be overstated.

13Spring 2012

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Brundrett

A RECENTLY ENDOWED profes-sorship honors Dr. Jim Towns, longtime SFA communication

studies professor.The Jim Towns Mentoring Pro-

fessorship was created to recognize and reward SFA faculty members who are excellent teachers and also serve as mentors for students outside the classroom. Faculty mentoring and reverse mentoring are among Towns’ research interests, and he has success-fully mentored countless students throughout his distinguished 46-year

career at SFA.“The Jim

Towns Mentor-ing Professorship is an endowment that provides a salary supple-ment for a profes-sor who instills, fosters and pro-motes a men-toring culture at SFA,” said Trey Turner ’98 & ’02, SFA major gift of-ficer and a former student of Towns’. “The funding was largely raised by Dr. Towns with

additional support from alumni and friends.”

The first professorship award will be given in the fall 2012 semester.

Towns taught at SFA as an instruc-tor for two years in the 1960s, rejoining the faculty as a full-time professor in 1970. He was named SFA Regents Pro-fessor for the 1994-95 academic year and received the 1996 Distinguished Professor Award from the SFA Alumni Association. He also earned the SFA Applied Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award in 2002.

“Looking back on my career at SFA, I think in many cases the time I have spent with students outside the classroom has been just as important, if not more so, than the time I spent teaching them in class,” Towns said. “I really wanted to endow a profes-sorship that would encourage those kinds of relationships, which I think have benefitted me as much as my students over the years.”

Brian Sullivan ’09 is among the many SFA students who have been mentored by Towns, who continues to teach at SFA. Now in law school at Texas Tech University, Sullivan has maintained close contact with his favorite professor and credits Towns for instilling in him the confidence needed to achieve his goals in college and beyond.

“Dr. Towns helped me trust my-self when I had doubts about my direction in life or my ability to be a leader,” Sullivan said. “He always had a way of giving me what I needed to go succeed. A lot of times, it was just the right words at the right time. But, more than anything, it was just how much I always knew he cared.”

As a nontraditional student who had suffered long-term abuse, Connie Taylor Duren ’99 said having Towns as her professor and mentor at SFA liter-ally changed her life.

“I think he was the first person who ever validated me,” she said. “It was beautiful and completely transforming.”

Duren now teaches interpersonal communication – the very course she took with Towns – at the community college level, where she uses the same holistic approach to student success as her mentor.

“The mentoring process is key for those students who want to succeed,” Duren said. “When you are facing dif-ficulties in school or any aspect of life, find yourself a good mentor, and you’ll make it to the end. I know that from experience.”

– AMY ROQUEMORE

A NEWLY ENDOWED scholarship named in honor of the late Kermet E. Clayton ’40, a former SFA basket-ball player, will benefit a member of the Lumberjack

or Ladyjack basketball team each year.Clayton was a member of the Cushing High School

state championship basketball team in 1936 and went on to play for the Lumberjacks from 1936 to 1940. He coached high school basketball in Spurger and Fannett school dis-tricts, leading the Fannett girls team to a state champion-ship game appearance. He also refereed basketball for many years. Clayton moved to Conroe ISD in 1954 and taught at Anderson Elementary and Conroe High before becoming principal of Ben Milam Elementary. He retired in 1983.

“My father was a special man, and we are pleased to es-tablish this scholarship in his memory,” Clayton’s daughter, Dr. Kermeta “Kay” Clayton, said. “Basketball was such an impor-tant part of my dad’s life, and he enjoyed his years at SFA very much. He worked his way through college, and he would be so proud that the proceeds from this endowment will be

used to help student-athletes pay for some of their college expenses.”

SFA Athletic Director Robert Hill said his staff’s first consideration when recruiting a student for an intercolle-giate sport is whether he or she has the ability to graduate from SFA.

“We are very serious about aca-demics, and the Clayton scholarship provides us with needed funds to help deserving student-athletes complete their degrees,” Hill said. “Our success would not be possible without such scholarships.”

The first recipient of the Kermet E. Clayton Scholarship will be named this spring.

Model Mentor

Kermet E. Clayton Scholarship

Dr. Jim Towns is pictured in his campus office, which is chock- full of Dr Pepper memorabilia. His latest book, Reverse Mentoring, is now available from the SFA Press.

15Spring 2012

IT WAS MAY 1988, and I could scarcely hear the ap-plause of my parents, my husband and our three chil-dren as I walked across the stage in the packed Johnson Coliseum. I had completed a master’s degree and, in the words of my young son, “Mom, it was worth it all!” – countless hours of study, long weeks and short week-ends, lots of mathematics to learn, papers to grade, children to care for, and soccer games to coach. I was a non-traditional student, married with children and a full-time job; however, I had been mentored by the most caring faculty I had ever known in the SFA De-partment of Mathematics and Statistics. They pushed me beyond what I thought I could do and directed me to places I never expected to go. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to stand on their shoulders for a little while in order to see farther down the road and discover paths I had not anticipated.

Before I completed my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to join the faculty of Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. My tenure there was exciting and ful-filling, but I continued to wonder if there was some-thing else I should do. Watching my children grow and learn, I realized the importance of their conceptual de-velopment in mathematics and how that development was key to the study of mathematics and science. In thinking deeply about how to broaden the scope of my own work to address such issues, I turned to my SFA mentors for advice and soon found myself in a Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University. The road was long and tedious, but we tackled the task as a family, and I graduated prepared to move forward along a new path.

I eventually found my professional home back in the SFA Department of Mathematics and Statistics. I have now been a proud member of the faculty for al-

most 16 years, and I currently have the privilege and responsibility of serving in the College of Sciences and Mathematics as interim dean and director of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Research and Learning Center. I work with highly tal-ented and dedicated mathematicians and scientists who care deeply about teaching and learning. Although we know that science and mathematics hold the key to our security and prosperity as a nation, we also know that we have yet to capture the attention of our students in those disciplines. The data is convincing, and the mis-sion is clear. We must recruit and retain STEM majors who are academically prepared to enter STEM careers.

The College of Sciences and Mathematics is po-sitioned to have an explosive impact across Texas as SFA takes ownership in the national call for reform in STEM education. As faculty members across the college continue to contribute to the knowledge and research base within the STEM disci-plines, they simultaneously engage in outreach and re-cruitment efforts designed to encourage and prepare stu-dents to enter STEM careers. We are committed to excel-lence and understand the magnitude of our mission. We have great days ahead as we stamp the SFA footprint across Texas and widen the STEM pipeline.

Dr. Kimberly M. ChildsInterim Dean, College of Sciences and MathematicsDirector, STEM Research and Learning CenterProfessor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

By Dr. Kimberly M. ChildsVista Viewpoint

Sawdust16

FOR THE STUDENT actors auditioning for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there were no “do-overs,” no interjections from a director

who is familiar with their capabilities and previous work. Instead, guest director Chuck Hudson heard each SFA student’s audition and moved on, much like he runs open calls in New York.

The rehearsals, too, were more intense (and “a bit of a shock for some” according to Hudson), but that level of professionalism is just what Scott Shat-tuck, director of the SFA School of Theatre, was seeking when he asked the internationally acclaimed artist to guest direct the Shakespearean comedy.

To best prepare SFA theatre students for their

entry into the “real world of theatre” where they’ll be working with numerous directors, actors and de-signers, Shattuck is committed to bringing the pro-fessional world to campus.

“Already each of our Bachelor of Fine Arts stu-dents completes a nine-month internship either with a professional theatre company or in European con-servatories. But it’s important for all of our students to work with professionals throughout their under-graduate careers,” Shattuck explained.

League City senior Rebecca Mersinger is thankful for Shattuck’s vision. When Robert J. Mar-tin, the assistant costume designer of Mamma Mia and 12 other Broadway shows, agreed to design the

School of Theatre brings professional world to campus

Sawdust16

17Spring 2012

costumes for SFA’s fall production of Rabbit Hole, Mersinger worked as his assistant designer.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn that there is more than one way to do something and to realize that even New York professionals are human,” Mersinger said. “I’ll be able to use that knowledge as I seek employment as a wardrobe master.”

The three newest faces on the theatre faculty are also helping Shattuck meet his goal of exposing students to professionals.

Newly appointed assistant professor Jason Da-vids Scott brings to campus more than a decade of experience working on both publicity and script de-velopment in New York and Los Angeles, where his employers included Castle Rock Entertainment and Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt.

Members of The (New) Original Cast, a varia-tion of the musical comedy troupe founded in 1990 by recently retired Professor Alan Nielsen, are bene-fitting from Scott’s training in improvisational com-edy. The ensemble’s recent Christmas show was “a completely collaborative effort,” explained Scott, the group’s director.

Award-winning actress and visiting assistant professor Toni Smith, who earned degrees from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and the University of California-Los Angeles, has worked extensively on stage and screen and as a

voice-over artist. She uses her vast training in voice and dialects to teach and coach SFA actors.

“Her lessons on articulation, clarity and voice preservation were immensely helpful for my por-trayal of Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” said Weslaco senior Jonathan Garcia.

David Studwell, another visiting assistant pro-fessor, has more than 27 years of experience on stage, television and film and has taught at Cornell University and the Pacific Conservatory of the Per-forming Arts. His professional parts have ranged from Hamlet to the title role in the musical Sweeney Todd.

The award-winning actor said the academic theatre setting allows him to work alongside the students, as he did while portraying Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Dr. Chebutykin in Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters. “The collaboration reminds me of the European master, journeyman, apprentice model—a tried and true system in which (the trainees) learn by doing.”

“Working with artists that really know the worlds of Broadway, Hollywood, Chicago and Eu-rope prepares our students to launch professional careers,” Shattuck said. “Our alumni are confident that they can succeed in the most demanding venues because they’ve been trained by pros who have been there.”

–SYLVIA BIERSCHENK

opposite New York-based guest director Chuck Hudson offers blocking suggestions to SFA theatre students during a rehearsal for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

below Toni Smith, award-winning actress and visiting assistant professor of theatre, coaches an SFA theatre student during an in-class breathing exercise.

Spring 2012

Sawdust18

SHE GREW UP in the fast lane, literally. At just 6 weeks old, Sydney Davis of Cypress attended her first car race. Today, she is the director of public relations and marketing at MSR Houston, a motor- sports country club for auto and racing enthusiasts.

Having studied journalism and photography at SFA, Davis decided if she couldn’t race profes-sionally, she would write and take photos of those who did. At MSR Houston, she’s able to do just that, along with maintaining the website and Facebook page, designing advertisements, and representing the track at local functions.

When she isn’t working, Davis can usually be found behind the wheel of her cherry red Mazda Miata embla-zoned with the number 46. Each fall, she competes at the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. In addition to racing in the SCCA, she also serves as the race chairman for the Houston region.

“From the beginning, it’s something that I’ve loved,” Davis said. “Whether I’m racing or just watching, I truly enjoy just being at the track.”

Davis was born into a racing family. Her dad and uncle be-gan their racing careers in the late 1970s. Along with her cousin, Davis took up the family hobby about eight years ago.

“We chose the number 46 because my cousin and I are second-generation racers, and our dads’ numbers were 36,” Da-vis said.

The year 2004 proved to be a turning point in Davis’ life. Not only did she launch her racing career, but she also lost her older brother, who was involved in racing as a timing official.

“Brian was my best friend and the strongest person I ever knew. Whenever I don’t think I can do something, I always think of him and realize that anything is possible,” she said.

Davis accelerated her racing career in honor of her brother in the months and years after his death. On the driver’s side of her Mazda, the letter “B” is displayed in Brian’s memory.

Before each race, she tries to spend at least 10 minutes away from everyone and everything, just listening to her iPod.

“I’ll visualize the track and basically focus on what I’m about to do. This isn’t always easy, especially if you are busy working on the car, but I try and take the time so I can calm myself and my thoughts,” Davis said.

During the race, she says her attention darts be-tween watching the other drivers and making sure her car is running well.

“There have been times when I came off the track that I just sat in my car for a while because I was so exhausted and didn’t have the energy to get out,” Davis said.

Although Davis says 2011 was a disappointing year because of mechanical issues, her team is look-ing forward to next season. “We’ve got some plans for the off season to make some serious changes to the car, which will make us even more competitive.”

–ROBIN JOHNSON

Sydney Davis ’07, motor-sports marketing director

Photo courtesy of Sydney Davis

Photo courtesy of J.R. McLeland

Sawdust18

19Spring 2012

HomeSweet

T H E O L D E S T T O W N I N T E X A S

b y K A Y L I H E A D

What's New& Nostalgic

in Our FavoriteCollege Town

Gracie the golden retriever greets visitors with a friendly wag of the tail at The Heart of Texas downtown. Owner Gerry Larabee runs the town’s oldest gift shop, featuring gourmet dips, rustic Texas décor and Nacogdoches souvenirs. >>>

Sawdust20

Feast on tried-and-true classics or try something new at one of Nacogdoches’ unique,

locally owned establishments.

FOOD

Recently nominated as one of the friendliest

towns in America by USA Today and Rand McNally,

the East Texas town affectionately known as

“Nac” has been home away from home to SFA

students for nearly a century.

Flashback Café—a favorite of sports fanatics and budget-minded college students, Flashback serves up tasty eats like 25-cent hot wings and a cheesy $5 pizza.

Shelley’s Bakery Café—one part quaint bistro and one part decadent dessert haven, Shelley’s is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. Open for lunch only, Monday through Saturday.

Olde Towne General Store—tucked inside this down-town locale, comfort food and deli-style fare tempt the taste buds, and friendly service beckons visitors to stay a while.

Pepper Jack’s—from Greek gyros to giant burritos, this popular lunch spot offers serious flavor.

Casa Tomas—a Nacogdoches staple for 25 years, “Casa” is known for its tasty Mexican menu that includes mouth-watering brisket tacos and petite margaritas.

BBQ House—Nacogdoches’ oldest remaining restau-rant, the BBQ House, has been serving up saucy po-boys and slow-cooked barbecue since 1959.

Butcher Boy’s (below)—known for their juicy burgers that are arguably the best in town, Butcher Boy’s is a lunchtime favorite.

The beautiful backdrop of towering pines and a charming small-town vibe make Nacogdoches an idyllic college setting. Strolling down its brick streets evokes pleasant memories of a time gone by, when local merchants knew you by name and neighbors became lifelong friends. The town also celebrates its significant history while embracing modern amenities.

Though some things have changed, Nacogdoches will forever hold a nostalgic place in the hearts of all Lumberjacks. Take a trip down memory lane to discover what’s new around town, remember old favorites and reminisce about your college days in the “Oldest Town in Texas.”

20

21Spring 2012

Millard’s Crossing Historic Village—This charming re-constructed historic village enables visitors to imagine East Texas as it was in the 19th century. Reservations for weddings, receptions, reunions and other events are welcome in this unique and enchanting setting. Heritage tours are available for large and small groups of all ages, with fun, interactive activities for children and students and special options for adult group tours. For tour information, call (936) 563-6631.

Nacogdoches Railroad Depot—This newly restored century-old train depot now houses a museum featuring artifacts relating to the history of railroads in Nacogdoches County. For tour information, call (936) 468-4443.

Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens—This 1830s home stands on its original site and offers interac-tive activities that harken back to that time period, including a blacksmith shop, smokehouse and historic gardens. Call (936) 560-4443 for tour information.

The Old University Building—The birthplace of higher education in Nacogdoches, this 1858 landmark fea-tures Victorian Era furnishings and details the history of Nacogdoches University, which was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845. The building also was used as a hospital during the Civil War. For tour infor-mation, call (936) 569-7292.

Java Jack’s (above)—since 1996, Java Jack’s has been serving more than 20 gourmet coffees roasted fresh daily, and service with a smile keeps residents coming back morning after morn-ing. The coffee shop also hosts Second Saturday brunches with sweet potato pancakes and free mimosas.

Auntie Pastas (above)—the rustic exposed-brick walls and ro-mantic low-lit atmosphere make this train depot turned Italian eatery perfect for a date night. Visit its sister restaurant Clear Springs next door to enjoy a mile-high stack of crispy onion rings and fresh, flavorful seafood.

Step back in time to discover the historic landmarks and events that make Nacogdoches

so significant to Texas history.

history

Sterne Hoya House (above)—Nicholas Adolphus Sterne built the house in 1830, and it remains the oldest structure still standing on its original site in Nacogdo-ches. The building houses objects from the Victorian Age and the Empire period when the Sternes owned the home. A small reference library is also part of the collection and is still used by visitors looking for infor-mation on local and Texas history and genealogy. For group tour information, call (936) 560-5426.

21

Sawdust22

Zip-line Tours at Zip Nac (opposite page)—Nacogdo-ches’ newest attraction, Zip Nac, offers a high-flying adrenaline rush for the whole family. The course consists of a 60-foot sky bridge and five zip lines ranging from 225 feet to a 900-foot side-by-side race to the finish. Knowledgeable guides lead guests on an exhilarating yet safe thrill ride through the Piney Woods. After the first visit, guests can come back for a Full Moon Excursion, where the moon provides the only light on the course. $40 per person. Reservations required. (936) 645-5094.

Jazz on the Patio and Nine Flags Bar at Hotel Fredonia—A Friday-night hot spot for professionals with live jazz musicians and gourmet food. The hotel also hosts live, local musicians on Thursdays and Saturdays, along with the occasional wine dinner, comedy night and savory brunch.

Camp Tonkawa Springs—The cool blue waters of this natural spring-fed pond 15 miles north of Nacogdo-ches are a favorite place to cool off on a sunny day. Along with the springs, the compound provides camping and RV spaces, a sand volleyball court and horseshoe pits.

For those who adore the outdoors or love the nightlife, this small town offers big fun around every corner. From a breezy, poolside patio to a

boot-scootin’ dance hall, these are Nacogdoches’ top places to visit for a good time.

FUN

Plan a day of strolling the brick streets of Nacog-doches and exploring quaint shops. Unique boutiques with everything from chic women’s wear to vintage

treasures dot the city. Some of the most popular include alumni-owned Macy May (right), Grace Bou-

tique, House of Traditions and Brick Street Antiques.

shopping

Banita Creek Hall (above)—National-touring country music artists play to sold-out crowds at Nacogdoches’ only dance hall. Pictured at a recent show is Johnny Lee of Urban Cowboy fame.

22

23Spring 2012 23

Sawdust24

Kinnie Douglas ’99

Explore the natural beauty of Nacogdoches by playing a round of disc golf at Pecan Acres Park or hiking and biking the tree-lined 5.4-mile Lanana Creek Trail.

“The numerous trails and parks in Nacogdoches are a valuable asset to the community,” said Kinnie Douglas ’99, who, along with the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition, was instrumental in securing funding to improve and expand the Lanana Creek Trail. “These spaces allow residents and visitors to be active and have fun while enjoying the beautiful scenery.”

The trail expansion is a continuation of the work of SFA’s resident folklorist, Dr. Francis “Ab” Abernethy, who originated the trails in 1976 and whose work continues on the nearby Banita Creek Trail.

Douglas says future projects include creating a 1.6-mile trail expansion from the Pineywoods Native Plant Center to Loop 224, a dog park and a community garden.

24

25Spring 2012

Freedom Fest—The family friendly July Fourth celebra-tion features live entertainment, a burger cook-off and spectacular fireworks.

Scare on the Square—This annual downtown Hal-loween bash features costume contests, interactive games and sweet treats.

Nine Flags Festival—The annual Christmas festival fea-tures the Tour de Nac bike ride, Jingle Bell 5K Run, Tour of Homes and lighted downtown Christmas parade.

Nacogdoches’ many downtown festivals attract visitors from around the state to

celebrate its unique history on the iconic brick streets and admire its distinct natural beauty.

EVENTS

Azalea Trail—A month-long springtime celebration featuring tours of SFA’s Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden–the largest in Texas. Events include driving tours, floral design exhibits and the Little Princess Garden Party. 888-OLDEST-TOWN

Texas Blueberry Festival—Held the second weekend in June, “The sweetest festival in Texas” honors all things blueberry with events like baking contests, fresh blueberry picking, a classic car show and live entertainment. texasblueberryfestival.com

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Sawdust2626

THE HONORABLE JAMES A. Baker, III, America’s 61st secretary of state, will be the featured guest at the 2012 install-ment of the Archie McDonald Speaker Series at SFA.

Baker served as secretary of state and chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush, chief of staff and secretary of the treasury to President Ronald Reagan, and undersecretary of commerce to President Gerald Ford. He also led their combined five presidential elections and in 2006 co-chaired the Iraq Study Group.

Baker, a resident of Houston, is the author of “The Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War & Peace, 1989-1992” and “Work Hard, Study. . .and Keep Out of Pol-itics!” and is a 1991 recipient of the Presi-dential Medal of Freedom. He is a senior partner in the law firm of Baker Botts and honorary chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and he serves on the board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The speaker series event is sched-uled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.

“Secretary Baker is one of the most influential policy makers of the 20th cen-tury, and, as such, has strongly impacted American politics and foreign affairs for

decades,” Dr. Archie McDonald said. “We are honored he has accepted our invita-tion to participate in the speaker series.”

SFA’s speaker series, which debuted in spring 2010, was created to honor and preserve McDonald’s legacy as a distin-guished scholar, educator and commu-nity commentator. In the tradition of McDonald’s writings and oral presen-tations, a prominent national figure is hosted annually at SFA to discuss con-temporary cultural issues.

Past participants in the speaker se-ries have included former heavyweight champion boxer and iconic business-man George Foreman and Apollo 12 astronaut and professional artist Alan Bean. The event is sponsored by SFA’s Student Government Association.

McDonald has taught history at SFA for 48 years and served as director of the East Texas Historical Association and editor of the association’s journal for 37 years. He is a past president of the Texas State Historical Association, past vice chair of the Texas Historical Com-mission and author/editor of more than 20 books on historical topics. Along with teaching, McDonald currently serves as the SFA university/community liaison and is a weekly commentator on Red River Radio in Shreveport.

61st U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III to speak at SFA

“AXES UP to the 21 newly signed football players at SFA!”

The Pine Log (Chopping Block)

“Proud of SFA doing the “Nonfire” – nice picture in the Sawdust, and

glad to hear about the Burn Shirts. Way to go, SFA!”

Jann Jeter ’73 (Sawdust Facebook)

“I was back two years ago for a fraternity reunion. Wow, the

campus is great! I attended way back from 65-71 (Little time out

for military.) Outstanding school.”Ben F. Caperton ’71 (SFA Facebook)

“Best-ever SFA ring inscription: “I did it, Mama!”

(Alumni Association Facebook)

“I graduated in 2008 and absolutely loved my time at SFA. I still

make it back every year to tailgate for football, and I love seeing how the campus

keeps growing and changing.”Dustin Helton ’08 (LinkedIn)

“We went to the men’s basketball game in Corpus Christi. . .great

game!!! Yay ’Jacks!!!”Stacie Morrow ’92

Alumni Association Facebook)

James A. Baker, III (left) with President Ronald Reagan on Air Force One

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27Spring 2012

Alumni News

A CENTER NATIVE, Samantha Mora ’08 knew in eighth grade that she would one day be an SFA Lumberjack. Visiting campus for a Science Day Fair, Mora and her friends made plans to come to SFA when they graduated from high school. While many went their sepa-rate ways after graduation day, she stayed true to her promise of attend-ing SFA and made her home in Na-cogdoches in the fall of 2004.

Mora majored in hospitality administration and joined the SFA Alumni Association’s student group, the Student Foundation Association.

“The association has always held a special place in my heart from the very beginning because it first showed interest in my journey as a Lumberjack,” Mora said.

After graduating from SFA, Mora became a lifetime member of the SFA Alumni Association and began working for American Cruise Lines. She returned to Nacogdoches and worked as the club manager for Hotel Fredonia and was most recently employed at the Nacogdo-ches Convention and Visitors Bu-reau as the media and community relations coordinator. Mora became a part of the SFA Alumni Associa-tion team Feb. 1 as the director of alumni events and engagement.

“I am honored to be a part of something as important as the asso-ciation because we connect alumni back to their alma mater. I made lifelong friends at SFA, and my connection to the school is strong

because of the relationships I have built,” Mora said.

Mora is a board member for Millard’s Crossing Historic Village, serves as a member of Nacogdo-ches Junior Forum and the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition, and is a committee member for Relay For Life of Nacogdoches County, the Nacogdoches Film Festival, and Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman’s Circle and SFA-Chamber Connection.

“If I could give one piece of advice to all students and alumni, it would be to be proud of where you started your journey and to stay a part of it…be 100% Lumberjack!”

Mora is seeking input from SFA alumni and friends. Call (800) 865-1534 or e-mail alumni@sfasu.edu with suggestions concerning pro-gramming and events.

Director of alumni events and engagement seeks input from SFA alumni

MORA

THE SFA ALUMNI Association has renewed its part-nership through 2016 with the Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group, which sells full lines of coverage for au-tomobile, home, valuable possessions, personal liability and individual life. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering auto and home insur-ance to employees and members of more than 13,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

“Since 2005, Liberty Mutual has been one of the trusted partners of the SFA Alumni Association. We are

thrilled to extend our relationship with them into the fu-ture,” SFA Alumni Association Executive Director Jeff Davis said. “The direct benefits of this program for SFA alumni are tremendous, and the result for our organiza-tion has been an increase in funding for scholarships and programming. Working with a company like Liberty Mutual, a company that has made integrity and respect a priority, really speaks to the values of the association.”

More information about Liberty Mutual benefits to SFA alumni can be found at www.sfaalumni.com.

Association extends partnershipLiberty Mutual offers benefits to alumni

Sawdust28

I HOPE YOUR new year has gotten off to a great start. It is an honor to be presiding over your alumni association for the next two years.

I have had the privilege of being involved with your alumni association for many years now, and I am excited about our accomplishments and the challenges that are in front of us. You will notice this issue takes a look at Nacogdoches. For those of you who have visited in the past year or so, you have noticed Nacogdoches remains the same vibrant college town it always has been. Sure, there are new businesses and restaurants, but the overall spirit and charm of the town remains the same. We may not have realized it while we were students, but Nacogdoches truly is a wonderful college town. While the city of Nacogdoches remains the same, your university and its campus have undergone tremendous change – new buildings, residence halls, parking garages, student center and recreation center. These changes have updated the campus and are, quite frankly, awesome. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit our campus, I encourage you to do so. You won’t be disappointed. Your alumni association is like both the city and the university. Like the city, our mission remains the same – committed to engaging our alumni by providing scholarships, activities, events and services. And like the university, we continue to evolve and look for opportunities to strengthen and improve what it means to be SFA alumni. Thank you for your past support, and I hope we can count on your continued support in the future. I hope the next time you’re in town you will take time to see for yourself what has remained the same and what has changed. And while you’re on campus, please take a minute to stop by the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center and show your support. We look forward to your visit!

From the Association

Curtis Sparks ’85President, SFA Alumni Association

SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONOFFICERS

Curtis Sparks ’85 - presidentRoger Robinson ’92 - president-elect

Chuck Tomberlain ’84 - past president

ASSOCIATION BOARD

Wendy Buchanan ’85Don Cox ’71 & ’76Robin Dawley ’77Karen Gantt ’95

Mike Harbordt ’63Doris Havard

James Hawkins ’83Kent Hutchison ’92David Madrid ’02Justin McFaul ’04Susan Roberds ’75Phillip Scherrer ’99

Erika Tolar ’02Steve Whitbeck ’75Chris Woelfel ’95

Student Foundation AssociationJosh Perry ’12

SFA ALUMNI FOUNDATION GOVERNORS

Chuck Tomberlain ’84 - chairmanBrad Bays ’91

Lewie Byers ’68Ford Cartwright ’69

Shirley Crawford ’58 & ’70Stephen Greak ’92

James Hamilton ’77Bill Roberds ’75Curtis Sparks ’85

SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONSTAFF

Jeff Davis ’02executive director of alumni affairs

Katy Crawfordassistant to the executive director

of alumni affairs

Rhonda Crim-Tumelsondirector of alumni publications

Dale Green ’99director of marketing & membership

Samantha Mora ’08director of alumni events

& engagement

Alicia Roland Chatmangifts & records specialist

Emily Payne ’99 & ’01chapter coordinator

Beverly Smith ’96accountant

Mo Davis Williams ’09scholarship coordinator

Join the SFA Alumni Association at these

exciting events:

Alumni Tailgate in DallasSFA @ SMU

Sept. 8

Battle of the Piney WoodsOct. 6

HomecomingOct. 19-20

29Spring 2012

Class year Totally rad: 1/3 of our members graduated in the ’80s,and only 1/10 (213 people) are from class years ’29 - ’49.

{More members majored in business than any other subject.}

GenderLadies first:

Women accountfor 51% of

membership,and men, 49%

88.25%11.75%TEXASOUT OF STATE

LocationBigger in Texas: Less than 12% ofmembers live in the other 49 states.

Member typesLumberjacksfor life: Mostmembers join

for life.

86%LIFE

14%ANNUAL

TOTALALUMNI94,530

MEMBERSHIPSFA Alumni Association

100% Lumberjack!

Who are the 7,632Association members?

Sawdust30 Sawdust30

BOOMINGburger business

Business grad takes twisted route to restaurant success

by Daniel P. Smith

Jason Boso ’96

31Spring 2012 31 Fall 2011

WHILE FILMING A segment for the Food Network’s popular Diners, Drive-ins and Dives program at

the Twisted Root Burger Company in Dallas, host Guy Fieri leaned into owner Jason Boso ’96 and whispered an apology. “Sorry about the show, man,” Fieri said. Fieri knew “Triple D’s” loyal follow-ing was about to unleash a new reality upon Boso and his upstart burger joint. Fortunately, Boso’s wise enough and “sprinkled with just enough crazy” to handle life’s surprises. In the three years since Diners, Drive-ins and Dives featured the Twist-

ed Root in April 2009, Boso’s eatery has grown from a pair of Dallas-based outlets crafting homemade burgers to a surging collection of seven stores. For the 39-year-old Boso, life’s un-foreseen turns have led him to this un-expected reality. A Plano native, Boso landed at SFA for one sound reason – a well-respected business school – and another guided by youthful naiveté – a girl. At SFA, Boso not only learned the business fundamentals that would pro-pel the Twisted Root, but also received a slice of inspiration for his future eatery in the form of Butcher Boy’s, a long-standing Nacogdoches favorite Boso enjoyed frequenting as a student.

After earning his business degree in 1996, Boso endured a three-year stint at Merrill Lynch, working in a cubicle and straining to see results. When a close friend met a sudden death, Boso began contemplating his own future. And Merrill Lynch, he determined, wasn’t in it. Boso moved to the Virgin Islands, embracing beach life and working on a restaurant boat called Molly Malone’s, where he attended to guests from all walks of life. “Truck drivers to millionaires and everything in between,” he says of the adventure. Molly Malone’s also provided Boso his first taste of the hospitality industry.

Sawdust32

“There was finally immediate satisfaction that my hands were doing something and that I was pleasing people,” he says. “But I knew I couldn’t be a beach bum forever.” After 18 months, Boso returned to Dallas and sold advertising at the local CBS affiliate. He was back inside a cubicle, feeling lifeless and uninspired. The frustrations led him to snap at a customer, an outburst that led to his immediate termination. “Finally, I was at a point where I had to really reflect on who I was and what I wanted,” Boso says. The restaurant industry beckoned, though Boso first needed to learn how to cook. He spent his next two years in culinary school at the Art Institute of Dallas. “I got to school early and left late,” he says. “I knew this was the world for me.” With his culinary degree in hand, Boso began working at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas near Dallas in mid-2003. There, he gained experi-ence in the kitchen, learned front-of-the-house operations and became a sommelier. Yet, a lingering dream pulled at Boso’s ever-ambitious, idealistic-yearning soul: he wanted his own restaurant. He summoned his SFA business education to write a business plan, interpret the advice of seasoned

restaurateurs and recruit investors, who collectively pledged $150,000 to Boso’s start-up venture. “If you looked at opening a restau-rant purely from the business perspec-tive, you’d never do it, but I thought my SFA background would make the difference,” Boso says. “After all, running a successful restaurant is more about business than spices.” On May 3, 2006, the Twisted Root Burger Company opened its doors in Deep Ellum, the old warehouse district of downtown Dallas. Out of financial necessity more than design philoso-phy, Boso retained the space’s original brick walls and open ceilings. He outfitted the space with a mismatched array of secondhand tables and chairs. “It’s an upscale dive,” Boso says, admitting that he settled on burgers as his staple item because it was one of the few items he could sell behind a rickety screen in an old warehouse. “Gourmet burgers weren’t all over the place six years ago like they are today,” he notes. Boso adopted a simple philoso-phy: underpromise and overdeliver with a menu grounded in gourmet burgers, but rounded out with other protein patties, including elk, boar, bison and even kangaroo, as well as savory treats, such as homemade root beer and deep-fried pop tarts. “I wanted a place all its own,” Boso

says. And though customers filed in, the restaurant trudged along for six months. “I was only a couple of months away from living in a ditch,” Boso admits. Then, the culinary gods smiled upon Boso. In the fall of 2006, the Dallas Morn-ing News printed a 3.5-star review of the Twisted Root. Customers flooded the eatery, many waiting up to 90 minutes for a burger. “We had to close mid-afternoon because we ran out of food,” Boso re-calls. The next day, customers returned in droves. The momentum continued for two years, boosting revenues enough that Boso was able to open a second Twisted Root in March 2009 and fund another concept, Cowboy Chow, which serves Texas-style southern comfort food out of its lively spot in nearby Roanoke. When Fieri and his crew arrived in January 2009, the Twisted Root was already exceeding Boso’s expectations with a robust $60,000 in monthly sales. As Fieri predicted, things would soon change. The first full month after the Twisted Root’s segment aired on Din-ers, Drive-ins and Dives, monthly sales numbers tripled to $180,000. “Guy was most certainly right,” says Boso, who leans on a professional team that includes various SFA friends-turned-business colleagues led by Twisted Root Chief Financial Officer J.J. Pledger ’96. The acclaim continued into 2011 when Nation’s Restaurant News named Twisted Root one of its five “Hot Concepts.” The industry recogni-tion, Boso says, positions the brand to attract key development partners and fuel expansion. This year, Twisted Root’s first fran-chised location will open in California. By Christmas, another outpost will be operating at the Dallas-Fort Worth In-ternational Airport. Boso, meanwhile, is talking development deals in Arkansas, Louisiana, Arizona and elsewhere. “All of this has been a little surreal,” Boso says. “Sitting in Nacogdoches, I could never have imagined this life.”

Phot

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Root

Bur

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33Spring 2012

IF EARNING A high school diploma in Angelina County can be com-pared to walking a tightrope, Sallye

Darmstadter ’83 & ’84 is the safety net stretched out below to make sure no one hits the ground. Darmstadter is the founder and longtime director of the Beth and Horace Stubblefield Learning Center, a cooperative between five Angelina county school districts – Central, Diboll, Hudson, Lufkin and Zavalla – along with the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce and Angelina College. The facility helps students of all ages earn their high school diplomas or catch up on the credits they need to graduate on time with the high school in their home district. In the 16 years since the center opened, 1,156 diplomas have been awarded to students between the ages of 16 and 21 who have dropped out or are in danger of dropping out of high school. In addition to the program for traditional-age students, the Chamber Program, financed by the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce, allows qualifying Angelina County residents, regardless of age, to earn a diploma. Seventy-five “non-traditional” students have received diplomas through the program. “They set the younger students straight if anyone tries to get off task,” Darmstadter said. “The Chamber students are quick to remind them that they are here for a reason, and it’s im-portant. They serve as great role models.” It was one of these Chamber graduates who Darmstadter said stands

out in her mind as a prime example of why she loves her work. “At commencement, each gradu-ate comes to the microphone and tells a little bit about themselves,” she recalled. “We had a 53-year-old black male who said, with tears in his eyes, ’Tonight, my life has changed forever. I am a janitor, and my salary will triple because now I have a high school diploma. I also have been accepted into the police academy at Angelina College, and I will never be the same.’ People say if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. I can honestly say that I am excited to get up every morning and come to work. And that’s a good thing, because we are a year-round school.” The center operates during the summer to allow students who have fallen behind to earn the credits they need to get back on schedule and graduate with their class. Almost 5,000 students have participated in summer courses. “The Texas Education Agency does not pay for summer school,” Darm-stadter explained. “We’ve been very lucky to have the Kurth Foundation finance that program.” Luck isn’t a strong enough word to cover the effort it has taken to fund the operation of the Stubblefield Center. From the $450,000 renovation funded by the T.L.L. Temple Foundation that transformed a former funeral parlor into a school – with facilities includ-ing a library, classrooms and computer lab – to financing a year of college for every student who graduates from the program, donations from non-profit agencies and generous Lufkin philan-thropists have made the center possible. “We’re lucky; we’ve proven ourselves,” Darmstadter said. “These students are all at-risk, and they come to us with a lot of baggage. From home-lessness to pregnancy – you name it, and we have seen it. A lot of days, I sit at this desk and I hear their stories, and I am amazed that they could have the courage to keep trying to finish high school." A social worker on staff coordinates field trips to the community college across the street for students to com-plete the college admission application and the paperwork for financial aid. Ap-proximately 60 percent of Stubblefield graduates take advantage of the oppor-

tunity to pursue additional education. “The bottom line is that any child in Angelina County who wants to can go to college,” Darmstadter said. “This is the most giving county in the nation. I’m sure that any day now, someone is going to come up with the ’Beggar of the Year’ Award, and I’m definitely a candidate.” In addition to procuring donations from the Lion’s Club, Walmart and Sam’s Club, Darmstadter has proven the value of the center to groups outside of the county. The center recently received the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives’ award for the outstand-ing educational program in the state. Darmstadter credits her staff with mak-ing the difference in the success of the Stubblefield Center when compared to similar schools for high-risk students. “When I interview teacher candi-dates, I know within five minutes if they have the heart to be effective here,” she said. “They have to have true compas-sion for these students. I tell the kids every day that they are just as smart as any other student in the county, it’s just that their environment hasn’t been in their favor. These students do not care what we know; they just want to know that we care.”

–SHIRLEY LUNA

Second Chances

DARMSTADTER

33Spring 2012

Sawdust34

RECOGNIZING A LAG in school spirit, the SFA cheerleaders of 1979-80 set out to es-tablish a hand symbol like those of larger

universities in hopes of unifying the student body and creating enthusiasm on campus. And so, “the axe” was born.

The collaborative brainchild of several cheer-leaders, the symbol initially started with two fingers forming an axe. The thumb was added to not only make the symbol more unique, but also to form an “L” and a “J” when held side by side. The symbol also has been interpreted as the shape of Texas with two fingers pointed to Nacogdoches, but most of the originators of the hand symbol say it’s simply an axe.

The “Axe ’em, Jacks” symbol was introduced at the first pep rally of the season in the fall of 1979 and was instantly embraced by the student body. Since then, it has become the definitive symbol of pride to generations of Lumberjacks.

The 1979 squad recently held a reunion on campus to catch up and laugh over old yearbook photos. During their visit, the alumni stood, awestruck, as they looked at the newest publications showing hundreds of SFA stu-dents wielding their symbol of pride. They also met with the current cheer squads, who have continued the legacy of excellence with more than a dozen national championships.

“It was gratifying to see the tradition being continued,” said Marcus Lee, who was a mem-ber of the squad from 1980 to 1981. “To know that we were part of establishing a spirit icon and culture at SFA means so much to us.”

–KAYLI HEAD

AXE’em,Jacks!

What has now become a popular symbol of Lumberjack identity, the “Axe ’em, Jacks”

hand sign originated more than 30 years ago as an attempt by a group of cheerleaders to boost school spirit and increase pride at SFA.

35Spring 2012

1979 -80 SFA Cheerleaders

back row from left Tom Heslep, Marcus Lee,Monty Purdom, Elmer “Ty” Woodfolk and David Vanmeter

front row from left Debbie Reimers Mueller, Wanda McNair Williams, Lynn Forrester Atchinson, Debbie Bullion and Kathy Roe Holt

Sawdust36

Monday, July 30: Seattle

Tuesday, July 31: Seattle - Olympia -

Portland

Wednesday, Aug. 1: Portland - Cascade

Mountains - Portland

Thursday, Aug. 2: Portland - Willamette

Valley - Newport - Coos Bay

Friday, Aug. 3: Coos Bay - Bandon State

Natural Area - Redwood National Park

- Eureka

Saturday, Aug. 4: Eureka - San Francisco

Sunday, Aug. 5: San Francisco

Monday, Aug. 6: San Francisco

SFA alumni tour of Pacific Northwest and California features Washington, Oregon and California: July 30–Aug. 6, 2012Explore the majestic Pacific Northwest and California on this eight-day adven-ture, from the wilds of Mount St. Helens and the Columbia River Gorge to the sophistication of Portland and San Francisco. Travel along Oregon’s beautiful Pacific coast. Enjoy a cruise up the Rogue River. Visit Redwood National Park. Ex-plore Eureka, a historic timber and fishing village. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and discover the “City by the Bay” – San Francisco.

Learn more about this exciting travel opportunity by watching a free webinar on Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. CDT. Go to https://www2.gotomeet-ing.com/register/827695466 to reserve your webinar spot.

Information is also available at www.sfaalumni.com, alumni@sfasu.edu or by calling (800) 765-1534.

Call for nominations: Alumni AwardsThe SFA Alumni Association is accepting entries until June 1, 2012, for the following honors:

Outstanding Young Alumnus • Distinguished Alumnus • Distinguished Professor • Hall of Fame

Criteria and nomination forms are available at www.sfaalumni.com or by calling (800) 765-1534.

37Spring 2012

*Times and dates are subject to change. Visit www.sfaalumni.com for the most recent information.

Upcoming Events

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

1 SFA @ Central Arkansas

7 Dallas Chapter: Texas Rangers vs. White Sox Group Outing

8 Easter

13 Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting

14 Texas National 2012 begins, Cole Art Center, Ledbet-ter Gallery

19 Nacogdoches Chapter: Network-ing lunch, noon, Auntie Pastas

21 Student Foundation Mud Bugs & Mud Balls

25 Alumni Foundation Board Meeting

30 Senior Send-Off

4 Summer I Classes begin

8 Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting

25 Tyler Alumni Golf Tournament

13-17 SFA closed for spring holidays

15 Nacogdoches Chapter: Network-ing lunch, noon, Auntie Pastas

20-21 SFA Ring Sales Event, Tracie Pear-man Alumni Center

26 Scholarship Donor Appreciation Reception

29 Nacogdoches Chapter: Meet & Greet Event, 5 p.m., Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

31 Showcase Saturday

4 Big Dip Ring Ceremony

12 Commencement

18 Yellow House Family retreat

SFA Alumni Night: Astros vs. Rangers, Minute Maid Park, Houston

18-19 Lone Star Native Plant Conference, SFA Gardens

20 Dallas Chapter: Frisco RoughRiders vs. San Antonio Group Outing

28 Memorial Day

For more information, visit www.sfaalumni.com/events.

Sawdust38

Ila Nadine Coble Memorial Scholarship

The Ila Nadine Coble Memorial Scholarship provides funds for SFA early childhood and resource interpretation majors. The scholarship honors a little girl who spent four wonderful years learning, painting and making friends in the Early Childhood Lab. The scholarship also commemorates the many happy times Ila explored our nation’s national parks with her mom’s online students as her trusty guides.

Describing Ila requires adjectives that burst at the seams: spirited, energetic, radiant and fear-less. Ila lived life full-throttle, loving everything within the sweep of her vision with tenderness and devotion. As a young girl, she had an amazing opportunity to live in Taiwan. Her preschool friends in Taiwan, her teachers and classmates at the Lab, her family members near and far—Ila encouraged them all with her eager smile. She never met a stranger. But more than that, she had a knack for bringing strangers together.

Through this scholarship, we honor Ila’s spirit. We pray that everyone who knew Ila, and each student who receives this scholarship, can grow their heart as big as hers.

Make the decision to help secure educational opportunities for generations of future SFA students. Contact us to find out how to start creating your legacy today.

Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association P.O. Box 6096, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6096Phone: 936.468.3407 Toll Free: 800.765.1534 Fax: 936.468.1007E-mail: alumni@sfasu.edu Website: www.sfaalumni.com

Dr. Darlene Renfro Westbrook Scholarship

After graduating with honors from Athens School in 1968, Dr. Darlene Renfro Westbrook became the first recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Award at SFA. She also was a charter member of the first African-American sorority at SFA, Delta Sigma Theta. After graduation from SFA in 1972, Westbrook became the first African-American to teach at Montclair Elementary in Corpus Christi. When she moved to Austin, she was transferred from one campus to another to integrate the faculty at each school. Westbrook served as a teacher for five years and was selected as the first African-Ameri-can principal at Oak Hill Elementary in Austin ISD. She returned to her hometown of Athens in 1985, becoming the first African-American principal and district administrator since integration of the Athens Public Schools in 1965. On returning to Austin in 1990, she was selected as the first African-American principal at Lamar Middle School.

Westbrook worked as an Austin district administrator for the remainder of her career, serving the district as director of curriculum and instruction, area superintendent, deputy superintendent, and chief academic officer. She received many professional recognitions for her work, including the University Council for Education Excellence in Leadership award, the Out-standing Texan award, the YWCA Woman of the Year award and the Texas Congress of PTA Exemplary Principal award.

Westbrook earned a doctorate in education administration from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree from Texas State Uni-versity and a bachelor’s degree in education from SFA.

Westbrook is married to Gilson Howard Westbrook. He graduated from SFA in 1971. They have two sons and a daughter – Nicho-las, Darrell and Deidre. They also have three grandchildren – Tyus, Sydney and Simon.

Westbrook has often stated that the high quality education she received at SFA changed her life and opened doors of opportunity throughout her career in education.

39Spring 2012

HOUSTON ALUMNI NETWORKSExciting changes are coming to SFA alumni chapters! To better serve our alumni, seven networks have been identified in the greater Houston area. Socials, watch parties and other events will be conveniently located in multiple locations. See below for upcoming events in your area! Visit www.sfaalumni.com to find more information and to RSVP online.

NETWORK DATE TIME LOCATION

Houston Thursday, April 19 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saltgrass Steak House

Kingwood Friday, March 30 5:30-7:30 p.m. Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill

Bay Area Thursday, March 29 5:30-7:30 p.m. Lupe Tortilla

Fort Bend Friday, April 27 5:30-7:30 p.m. Flying Saucer

Woodlands Thursday, May 17 6 - 8 p.m. Berryhill Baja Grill - Market Street

Katy Thursday, May 17 5:30-7:30 p.m. Baker Street Pub & Grill

Cy-Fair Friday, April 20 5:30-7:30 p.m. Alicia’s Mexican Grille

Alumni Chapters

Tyler Chapter Freshman Send-Off

Be proud.Be part of it.

100% LUMBERJACK!

Happy Hours

Networking

Tailgating

Freshman Send-Offs

Service Projects

Luncheons

Family Picnics

Golf Tournaments

Visit our website to find alumni networks and special interest chapters.www.sfaalumni.com

39

WOODLANDS

KINGWOOD

FORT BEND BAY AREA

HOUSTONKATY

CY-FAIR

WOODLANDS

Sawdust40

1940Joe ’41 and Patty Cross ’41 of San Antonio cele-brated their 70th wedding anniversary in February.

1970 Thomas D. Hoffman ’74 of Pasadena is a member of the international Board of Governors of United Commercial Travelers.

Dr. John Y. Spies ’78 of Sherman is super-intendent of Van

Alstyne ISD.

1980 Thomas H. Heslep Jr. ’81 of Lewis-ville is se-nior vice president

of commercial lending at SharePlus Federal Bank.

Stephen Waddell ’82 of Flower Mound is superin-tendent of

Lewisville ISD.

Neal Franklin ’84 of Mount Vernon is director of operations

for the East Texas Medical Center EMS service area.

Tim Smith ’86 of George-town was promoted to the rank of colonel

and serves as the chief information officer for the Texas Army National Guard.

Hardy Dotson ’89 of Henderson is principal at Henderson Middle School.

Kim Jones ’89 of Redwater is chief financial officer at Texarkana

College.

Kimberly Miller Panko-nin ’89 is district court judge for the Fourth Ju-dicial District in Omaha, Neb.

1990 John Yonker ’90 of Round Rock is prin-cipal at McNeil High School.

John Mc-Cullough ’91 of Mount Vernon is superin-tendent

of Sulphur Springs ISD.

A.J. Goff ’02 and Ronnie Herrington ’93 of Lufkin recently opened Goff & Herrington P.C., a full- service accounting firm.

Jeff Faust ’93 has been named counselor at Cle-ments High School with Fort Bend ISD.

Daniel Huerta ’93 of Lufkin is a member of the Woodland

Heights Medical Center Board of Trustees.

Jon Moore ’94 of Tyler is senior vice president and senior

credit officer at American State Bank.

Chadwick Gulley ’95 of Tyler is the Smith County extension agent for the AgriLife Extension Service.

Class NotesDeloitte, the largest profes-sional services organization in the United States, has appointed Jason W. Downing ’92 of Flower Mound managing principal of its North Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma practice.

In his new role, Downing will oversee the more than 1,600 professionals who comprise the organization’s audit, tax, consult-ing and financial advisory services

groups across the region. As a principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP’s strategy and operations practice, Downing has led major finance transformation initiatives at some of the country’s largest, most complex companies spanning the technology, telecommunications and manufacturing industries. Downing holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from SFA, and he is a certified public accountant and a certified management consultant.

Kayli Steger ’08 and Derek Head ’09, both of Nacogdoches, were married Oct. 15 in La Grange.

MOORE

HUERTA

MCCULLOUGH

FRANKLIN

WADDELL

HESLEP

SPIES

JONESSMITH

41Spring 2012

Ross Sproul ’96 of Pasa-dena is associate princi-pal at Lake Travis High School.

Jana Brazil ’97 of Lufkin recently became a board certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and has joined Pineywoods Obstetrics and Gynecol-ogy.

Natalie Oswalt ’98 of Tenaha is director of the Shelby Regional Training Center.

2000 April Cox ’02 of Kilgore is principal of Maude Laird Middle School.

Laura McCall ’02 and Leland Lacy of San An-gelo announce the Oct.

13 birth of a son, Lane.

Melvin ’02 & ’05 and Gail McMa-han ’05 of Freder-icksburg,

Va., announce the birth of their son, Melvin III.

Candice Johnson ’05 of Corinth and Cory Riven-burgh of Livingston were married Oct. 15.

Loyd Nations ’05 of Grand Saline is a mem-ber of the Grand Saline ISD Board of Trustees.

Michael Ludlow ’06 of Grand Saline is head football

coach at Grand Saline High School.

Dr. Thomas A. Wallis ’07 of Bryan is superin-tendent of

Bryan ISD.

Kellie Jor-dan ’08 of Garland is band director at White-wright

Middle School.

Travis Beavers ’09 of Sanger is head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs at Lon Morris College.

2010Bethanee Sales ’10 of Mesquite is a science teacher at W.H. Ford High School.

Sarah Sampietro Mor-ton ’11 of Centerville published an article in Edinboro University’s Vi-sions and Revisions: An Undergraduate Interdis-ciplinary Journal.

JORDANWALLIS

LUDLOW

LACY

Romin Jahromi ’10, left, of Plano and Luke Johnson ’10 of Alto recently participated in a white-coat ceremony at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, where they are medical students. While attending SFA, both were active members of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, Gamma Pi Chapter.

Dustin Ellermann ’05 of Zavalla claimed the $100,000 grand prize on The History Channel’s Top Shot, a sharpshooter elimination contest.

MCMAHAN

Photos courtesy of the Lufkin Daily News

Sawdust42

7720. Kandace K. Mullins ’10 of Columbia

7721. Derek D. Migl ’09 of Nacogdoches

7722. Tanya E. Day ’11 of Houston

7723. Dale A. Green ’99 of Nacogdoches

7724. Melissa M. Green ’01 of Nacogdoches

7725. Deanie L. Berry ’67 of Carthage

7726. Lori A. Etlinger ’97 of Bellaire

7727. Jacob A. Garza ’10 of Kingwood

7728. Robert W. Peddy ’75 of Tyler

7729. Sharon Peddy of Tyler

7730. Robert B. Seale ’92 of Houston

7731. Jessica V. Patterson ’11 of Texas City

7732. Lt. Col. David A. Brazier ’80 of

Monument, Col.

7733. Susan Doré ’83 of Houston

7734. Caleb T. Stacy ’10 of Lufkin

LIFE MEMBERSThe SFA Alumni Association would like to thank the following alumni who recently

became life members.

We appreciate your support.

In August, 53 SFA gradu-ates who are head football coaches throughout Texas started the 2011 football season. At the end of the season, 27 had qualified for the playoffs. When the state finals were completed in mid-December at Cowboys Stadium, two emerged as state champions with 29 combined wins and no losses. Terry Ward ’96 and ’08, along with five assistant coaches who are also

graduates of SFA, coached the Tenaha Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the state all year long, to a 14-0 season and a 52-28 win over Munday for the 1-A Division II state championship. He was as-sisted by Patrick Armstrong ’99, Todd Bodden ’10, Kevin Cates ’10, Scott Tyner ’09 and Ian White ’10. Thomas Sitton ’95, ath-letic director and head foot-ball coach at Tyler Chapel Hill, took home the 3-A Divi-sion I championship after losing in the finals in 2010 to Henderson. Chapel Hill was ranked No. 1 throughout the season and finished 15-0 with a 20-19 win over Alvarado in the finals. SFA alumni assistant coaches at Chapel Hill are Chris Tabor ’01, Jason Holeman ’95, Wes Schminskey ’00, Sam Brandt ’03 and Bill Toon ’90.

WARD

SITTON

Emily A. Parker ’70 of Dallas was recognized as the 2012 Lawyer of the Year in her practice area of tax litigation by The Best Lawyers in America, widely regarded as the most respected peer-review pub-lication in the legal profession.

Previously acting chief counsel and deputy chief counsel for the IRS, Parker represents tax-payers in IRS audits and appeals proceedings, state tax audits and

hearings, and federal and state tax refund and deficiency litigation. She also advises on federal income tax and Texas tax planning, with special expertise in taxation of natural resources and partnership and corporate transactions involving the petroleum industry. She has represented clients in a number of precedent-setting cases that de-cided important industry issues and developed previously unsettled issues of tax law.

PARKER

43Spring 2012

In MemoriamBedford Larry Covin ’46 & ’48 of Kilgore died Feb. 5. He was born Sept. 29, 1919, in Longview to Bedford Forrest Covin and Jesse Lee Lawler Covin. He attended grade school in Mineola and graduated from Mineola High School in 1937. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFA and a doctorate from the George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tenn. While at SFA, he was co-captain of the football team, winning all-conference recognition in 1941. He set the current SFA records for the longest punt return for a touchdown (88 yards) against East Texas State in Commerce and for most interceptions (four) against Sam Houston State University. Lettering in football for four years, he also lettered in track and golf, and he is a member of the SFA Athletic

Hall of Fame. In 1942, he was named Mr. SFA. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army Air Force on July 23, 1942, as a B26 bombardier and was assigned to England, where he flew 50 missions over enemy territory before returning stateside. His military recognitions include the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Presidential Unit Citation for his tour in the European Theater Operation. His professional career included teaching and coaching in Iraan and Nacogdoches public schools. During an 18-year career as a faculty member and administrator at SFA, he held the positions of director of orientation, director of guidance, chief testing officer and intramural director. While living in Nacogdoches, he became a member of the Masons, and, six months later, he became a Shriner, belonging to Milam Lodge No. 2 for 50 years. He then continued his career as a faculty member at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., for 13 years. SFA later awarded Covin the SFA Professor Emeritus Commendation for his service. Outside the classroom, he officiated football games for the Southwest Athletic Conference from 1952 to 1976. During those years, he was an official for the Cotton Bowl (1959), the Gator Bowl (1974), Rice Bowl (1974), Fiesta Bowl (1975) and three Sugar Bowls (1977-79). He also officiated basketball games for the Southwest Conference and the state high school basketball tournament from 1959 to 1963. He was president of the Southwest Basketball Officials Association from 1966 to 1968 and was a life member of the Southwest Football and Basketball Officials associations. After retirement from active officiating, he assumed the role of chief observer and evaluated game officials in both football and basketball for the Southwest Conference. He served as a member of the board of trustees for the Lindale Independent School District and the Hide-A-Way Lake Club board of directors and as commissioner of basketball officials for the Texas Eastern Athletic conference. In 1991, Covin moved to Kilgore and became an active member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. His community service included Kilgore Churchmen, Country Kitchen UMW, Kilgore Chamber of Commerce, Kilgore Habitat for Humanity and Kilgore United Way. He was co-chairman of Derrick Fest and was a charter member of the Roy H. Laird Hospital Foundation Board. He also served as the director of the Kilgore Community Concert for many years. He has been recognized as the Ambassador of the Year for the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce and as Citizen of the Quarter by Citizens Bank. He was co-director of the Mother Teresa After School Program and a Junior Achievement volunteer for the second grade at Chandler School. The Larry Covin Football Scholarship is endowed with the SFA Alumni Association.

Floyd Elton Bailey’56 of Austin, Nov. 18

Anniel M. Ross ’59 of Henderson, Dec. 30

John K. Justice ’42 of Abilene, Dec. 25

Corinne M. Jones ’38 of Nacogdoches, Dec. 26

Linda J. Ray ’61 & ’78 of Longview, Dec. 19

Jerry L. Kilgore ’83 of Arlington, Dec. 18

Mary J. Floyd ’90 of Longview, Dec. 19

Johnie T. Stewart ’66 of Lufkin, Dec. 15

I.W. Melder ’49 of Conroe, Dec. 7

Rita B. George ’66 of Longview, Dec. 15

DeLois Teer ’52 & ’80 of Lufkin, Dec. 4

G.W. Solomon ’65 of Hot Springs Village, Ark., Dec. 8

Donald D. Fry ’75 & ’81 of Victoria, Nov. 22

Sylvia R. Smiley ’75 & ’79 of Corrigan, Nov. 22

James R. Hileman ’61 of Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 21

Leonard L. Smith ’59 & ’61 of Nacogdoches, Nov. 15

Frances Katherine Robertson ’72 of Houston, Nov. 29

Alma N. Mabry ’58 of Deer Park, Nov. 26

Marjorie Jones ’40 of Tyler, Sept. 21

Mildred Kerr Jester ’41 of Houston, Dec. 19

Dr. Joe Ellis Ericson of Nacogdoches, retired SFA professor and chair of the political science department, passed away Nov. 11. He was born June 9, 1925, in Throckmorton County, Texas, to Lester Yelma Ericson and Lena Agnes (Ellis) Ericson and had lived in Nacogdoches since 1957. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church. Ericson authored numerous books and was a co-author of a political science textbook, Practicing Texas Politics. He enjoyed gardening and was active with many groups and organizations, including Sons of the Republic of Texas, Jamestowne Society, Magna Charta Barons, American Political Science Association, Southwestern Political Science Association, Alpha Chi, Knights of San Jacinto and the Order

of Descendants of Ancient Planters. He was married to the former Carolyn Reeves on July 16, 1955, in Lubbock. They were married 56 years and raised three children, daughter Linda Diane Devereaux and sons Joseph Reeves Ericson and John Ellis Ericson.

Sawdust44

We invite you to participate in a project that will forever link the past to the future: the SFA Walk of Recognition. For $100, $250 or $500, you may permanently make your mark on an inscribed brick. The Walk of Recognition is located in the Sesquicentennial Plaza around the Stephen F. Austin fountain.

Your name carved in a brick will symbolize the spirit you felt when you were at SFA. The bricks are available in two sizes. They are hand-etched and laid geometrically in the plaza. Walk of Recognition bricks are ideal graduation and birthday gifts and provide a meaningful way to honor or memorialize a special Lumberjack. Printed certificates are sent upon request for such gifts.

You may purchase bricks securely online or download an order form at www.sfaalumni.com. Contact the SFA Alumni Association at (800) 765-1534 for more information.

1 Make the decision to help.Future SFA alumni need your financial assistance.

Plan your contribution today.

2 Name your scholarship.You may name your scholarship after yourself or in

memory or in honor of someone else.

3 Determine eligibility criteria.You may include college major or GPA or restrict the

scholarship to certain types of recipients.

4 Complete an endowment packet.You may download and submit documents online

at sfaalumni.com or request documents via U.S. mail.

5 Contact us.(936) 468-3407 or (800) 765-1534

crawfordkp@sfasu.edu

How to Starta Scholarship

The SFA Alumni Association awards scholarships through the SFA Scholarship

Fund administered by the SFA Alumni Foundation.

Scholarships are endowed by cash or gifts of stocks, bonds, life insurance,

memorial contributions and wills, as well as corporate matching gifts.

A minimum of $20,000 is required to endow a scholarship. This can be

accomplished over a 10-year period.

45Spring 2012

Investing involves risk. Diversification and rebalancing do not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets. Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation. MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC.Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks. Member FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation. Investment products:

© 2010 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value

These days, having the right financial expertise in your corner is essential. Help from a one-on-one relationship with an advocate who knows you and knows where you want to go. And help from tailor-made advice for this new financial landscape from two of the leading financial companies in the world. A Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor, now with access to the resources of Bank of America, can help you plan, imagine, diversify, rebalance and believe. Learn more at ml.com/help2.

Bank • Insurance Services, Inc.

Sawdust46

SHOP

caps | gifts | drinkware | tote bagsclothing | auto accessories | and more!

GET YOUR SFA GEAR!www.shopsfa.com

A portion of the proceeds from ShopSFA goes to support the SFA Alumni Association

47Spring 2012

Coverage provided by and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance and its a�liates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. In Texas only, coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty County Mutual Insurance Company and it’s a�liates, 2100 Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, TX © 2012 Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Celebrating Lumberjacks past and present!

Liberty Mutual is a proud partner of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association

Sawdust48

“The picture of the girl with the huge bubble on page 48 is Melba Stipe. She was a freshman in 1971 from Halton City near Forth Worth. She married my roommate Jerel Pawley who graduated in 1974.” – Charles McManus ’74, SFA all-american in track.

Sawdust would like to know more about this SFA

photo. If you can help, please contact:

alumni@sfasu.edu800.765.1534

All Hail to SFA

49Spring 2012

James A. Baker, III

61st U.S. Secretary of StateThe Honorable

936.468.5406sfasu.edu/archie

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDStephen F. AustinState University

Stephen F. Austin State UniversityAlumni Association P.O. Box 6096, SFA StationNacogdoches, Texas 75962

CONNECT SERVE HONOR GROW

Be proud. Be part of it. 100% LUMBERJACK!Your membership in the SFA Alumni Association provides scholarships to students, supports campus outreach

and funds alumni events like Homecoming, tailgates and chapter socials. Please join or renew today.

Join or renew by April 30, and receivea chrome SFA auto emblem.

Visit www.SFAmemberchrome.com or call (800) 765-1534 today.