June 2009

'Roo Notes

FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD

“The Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System”

David Baker, associate professor of physics

Explore the most extreme places in our solar system: a massive volcano three times higher than Mt. Everest, a hurricane that lasts for over 340 years, and harsh environments where alien life may exist. This talk will feature remarkable images of NASA’s most recent discoveries, as well as highlight unresolved mysteries. Participants may never look at the solar system the same way again!

“If I’ve Gotten What I Want, How Come I Don’t Want What I’ve Got? Some Paradoxes on Happiness”

Mark Hébert, associate professor of philosophy

Everyone surely knows best what will bring about their own happiness; hence, the more freedom to choose pursuits, the greater the likelihood of happiness, provided people actually get what they want. Sadly, the data doesn’t bear this out. Specifically, having more choices often makes people less happy with the choices made. Is happiness achieved as much by mistake as by design? Are happy people happy because of choices made — or in spite of them?

“Barack Obama and the World”

Shelly Williams, professor emeritus of political science

President Obama campaigned in 2008 to end the war in Iraq, restore the United States image abroad, negotiate with rogue states, and return the U.S. to international leadership. By Homecoming we will approach the one-year anniversary of his election, and will consider how his team has done in meeting these goals and what new challenges face him — and us?

Registration will be available online in August.

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Saturday, July 18

Reunion of Champions
All invited to honor 100 years of Basketball 1909-2009
Austin College, Wright Campus Center
Pouch Club, 7 p.m. (cash bar)

Sunday, July 19

Dinner and Awards Presentation
Austin College, Mason Athletic Complex,
Sid Richardson Center
5 p.m., $50 per person

Athletic Hall of Honor 2009 Inductees:

• Billy Bookout ’56 (posthumously)

• Mark Cunningham ’97

• Aaron Kernek ’01

• Jack Manes ’60

• Amy Meschke Porter ’98

Honorary Inductees:

• Carlisle Littlejohn (posthumously)

• Ann Biggerstaff Mason ’53

• Kate Moore McCord ’50

Coach Joe Spencer Award for Meritorious Service and Lifetime Achievement in Coaching

• Gayno Shelton ’60

Monday, July 20

27th Annual Slats McCord Golf Tournament
The Tribute Golf Club, The Colony, Texas
8:00 a.m. Shotgun Start $125 per golfer
Advance registration with payment is required by July 10.
More details and registration information online.

Sponsors:

• ARAMARK

• Plyler Construction

• Basa Resources, Inc.

• Coca-Cola

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“My study abroad experiences not only were numerous but so diverse! As an English major, I never thought that I would be visiting ancient Materan frescoes, discussing the role of cinema in the decolonization of France, interviewing Spanish people about their life under Franco’s regime, and visiting a Japanese spa as part of my curriculum. I know all my friends had experiences like these, too. I actually can’t think of anyone I knew at Austin College who didn’t study abroad at some point!” — Ciarra Chavarria

These days Manhattan corporate lawyers could easily let the world get them down. The occupation is notorious for receiving unfavorable marks when measuring the public’s perception of trustworthiness (lawyers still ranked as one of the five least trusted occupations in the most recent 2006 Harris Poll). Compound that stereotype with living in an area hammered by deflated real estate prices and trying to recover from steep increases in unemployment, and the morning paper (probably struggling with its own business model) isn’t a delightful read.

Yet, Manhattan corporate lawyer Ciarra Chavarria ’03 still sees the world as her playground, a fact largely unchanged from her days as an English major on the campus of Austin College. Chavarria, who grew up in Irving, Texas, admits her first considerations for college were places like Duke and NYU, but after learning about Austin College from her brother-in-law, an alumnus, her choice became easier. “The biggest factor for me was the fact that 70 percent of students studied abroad at some point during their four years,” she said. “I remember hearing that number and thinking, ‘Wow! I’ve got to go there.’”

Sherman became just the first of many places Ciarra went. She spent her first two years at Austin College like most college students: going to class, studying, and working on projects, but she also was preparing for the study abroad opportunities that enticed her throughout courses in French and Spanish. During her sophomore year, she dipped her toes into international study with a JanTerm Heritage course studying art and architecture in Italy and France.

Ciarra then spent her junior year abroad, one semester in France and one in Spain. By the end of her semester in France, “I could hold my own pretty well in Paris, both in the language and geography,” she said. “I came home for Christmas and was soon off to Salamanca, Spain.” Her year abroad didn’t sate her appetite for travel. During her senior year, Ciarra did an independent JanTerm study in Japan, comparing herbal and Western medicine,  healthcare systems, and cultural views of healthy lifestyles.

Ciarra’s stint as world traveler didn’t end after graduation. She spent a year teaching English in Beijing, China, before entering law school at the University of Chicago in 2005. After taking the bar exam in 2008, Ciarra revisited Beijing for the Olympics and a semester-long immersion in Mandarin. In January 2009, she returned to the U.S. to take a position with the law firm of Dewey and LeBoeuf in Manhattan. “My language study at Austin College encouraged me to pick up Mandarin, a skill I already have used and hope to use more in my career as a corporate lawyer with international clients,” she said.

Ciarra continues to pursue her passion for Chinese language and culture with Chinese-speaking friends and coworkers and myriad activities like rollerblading, reading (a broad range of books from F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories and C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity to the popular Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella), and trying her hand at writing children’s books.

 “My travels abroad at Austin College and after made me a more well-rounded, unique, and interesting person,” Ciarra said. “I really believe that in today’s world you can’t have a true education without knowing what goes on in the world beyond what’s right in front of you.”

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Ask the Alumni

Five alumni returned to campus in April to participate in a panel for the Office of Admission ’Roo Camp. Who better to answer the questions of prospective students and parents than graduates who had very active and well-rounded college experiences and now have begun successful careers? Panelists, as pictured, left to right:

Tom Buttine ’07 a consulting analyst for Accenture, a global management and information technology consulting firm. Assigned to the San Francisco, California, office, Tom lives in Dallas, Texas, and works in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sarah Russell Duff ’04, an attorney with Wolfe, Tidwell, & McCoy in Frisco, Texas

Carrie Tibbals Rios ’06 and MAT ’07, a sixth-grade science teacher at Robinson Middle School in the Plano Independent School District.

Michelle Thomas Shiller ’96 an osteopath and third-year resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Next June, she will begin a two-year fellowship in molecular pathology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Jason Duff ’04, attorney, the Law Office of Jason A. Duff in Greenville, Texas

Tom Garrison ’96 and MAT ’98,assistant principal at Jesuit Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas, has spoken to prospective students and parents at ’Roo Camp for several years. He returned this spring, presenting “What’s Next? Forewarned Is Forearmed.”

Members of the Class of 1959 gathered for 50-year reunion events were, left to right, front row, Pat Myers Polk, Patricia Martin Nichol, Shirlee Dirr Huser, Phoebe Slate Hicks, Nancy Mitchell Scott, and Rowena Taylor Britt; row two, Perry Morris, Dorothy Kelly Green, Amelia Poole Sudderth, Laura Jo Fojtasek, Lucy Nance Croft, Mary Bullock Beck, Marilyn Cowles Sweeten, and Dorothy Rodina Williams; row three, Richard Ortiz, Frank Seaman, Jim McCall, George McCall, Bill Jarvis, Darrell Murff, and Tom Huser; and row four, Chester Story, Wally Reddick, Joe Sudderth, Curtis Singleton, Louis Manz, Fred Minter, Eddie Polk, and Don Kiser. More photos from the reunion are available online.

• Class of 1959 Remembers Austin College

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Musicologist Michael Broyles ’61 was selected as the alumnus inductee to the Iota of Texas Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Austin College in April. He also was the speaker for the evening. The Phi Beta Kappa Society allows chapters to induct alumni who have graduated at least 10 years ago.

A visiting professor of musicology at Florida State University College of Music, Broyles is particularly interested in placing American music in American history and culture, and he previously held an appointment as Distinguished Professor of Music and professor of American history at Penn State University.

A widely published expert on American music and music of the Classic era, particularly Beethoven, Broyles is writing a book, Beethoven in America, on how the legendary composer and pianist is viewed, interpreted, and used in American culture, both in the scholarly world and in popular culture. He writes for many journals and professional publications and is the author of six books, including Mavericks and Other Traditions in American Music, 2004, and Music of the Highest Class: Elitism and Populism in Antebellum Boston, 1992. Broyles and his wife and colleague, Denise Von Glahn, wrote the biography Leo Ornstein: Modernist Dilemmas, Personal Choices, 2007, which received the Society for American Music 2009 Irving Lowens Memorial Book Award.

Broyles earned a master’s degree in music theory and a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Texas at Austin. He has received numerous awards, including two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships. He is a member of the American Musicological Society, the Organization of American Historians, and the Society for American Music, which he serves as past-president.

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’Roo Notes

59

Members of the Class of 1959 celebrated their 50-year reunion on campus during Commencement ceremonies.
    (See the photo)

62

Emory Glover is serving his community this year as president of the Willow Meadows Civic Club in southwest Houston. A broker associate of Keller Williams Houston Metropolitan Realty, he also teaches English in the Berlitz Language Center and is frequent pulpit supply for the Thai Fellowship at First Presbyterian Church.

63

Richard Hull is finishing his fourth year as executive director of the Text and Academic Authors Association, a nationwide organization of academic and textbook authors. Membership has increased from 642 to more than 1,900. The organization offers grants to authors, teleconferences on a variety of topics, campus-based workshops on academic and grant writing, mentoring of faculty engaged in writing projects, and campus-based chapters of individuals interested in group support of academic writing.

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82

Charla Aldous earned a spot on D Magazine’s listing of the “Best Personal Lawyers in Dallas 2009.” Founder of the Aldous Law Firm in Dallas, she was selected by her peers as one of the best personal injury attorneys in the city. To compile the list, the magazine editors solicited nominations from attorneys across the city, then a panel of attorneys and magazine staff determined the final list, which honors 94 of Dallas’ top lawyers who devote most of their practice to representing individuals. The complete list was featured in the May edition of D Magazine. “Dallas is home to many of the finest attorneys in the country, and I am honored that others view me among the best in the city,” Aldous said. She earned the 2008 “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award from the Texas chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates. In 2007, Texas Lawyer newspaper featured her as one of the top five personal injury attorneys in Texas, and The National Law Journal profiled her in 2005 as one of 10 “winning” lawyers in the nation.

Lauren Brand Jordan is a certified sex therapist through the America Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists and is licensed in Texas for independent practice. She has written the book No Room For Sex: How To Boost Your Low Libido. A licensed clinical social worker, she has been a psychotherapist in private practice in Dallas since 1986.

87

Jennifer McFarlane Ware has been named CEO of YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas. She has spent the past 20 years in Dallas non-profit organizations, most recently as the chief development officer with the Girl Scouts.

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91

A son, Beckett Hollis, was born February 15 to Matthew and Julie Ell Lugar. He joins his big brother, Ellis Mattheson, 3. The family lives in Redwood City, California.

92

Jarrod Foerster was appointed in April as a senior vice president of Flagship Properties Corporation in Houston, Texas. His responsibilities include development and execution of the company’s investment strategy as well as service as a member of the investment committee. Foerster previously served as vice president for investments with the company from 2003 to 2007 and re-joins the firm in this new position.

Chris Thompson was named one of Texas Monthly magazine’s “Rising Stars.” The publication was released in April.

95

John Spencer Finnell has been awarded a prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, funded by the National Institute of Health Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. During the award period, he will complete a Master of Public Health Genetics degree at the University of Washington and conduct a clinical trial that will elucidate the effects of Vitamin D supplementation on the expression of Klotho, a novel protein shown to exhibit anti-aging effects. In 2008, Finnell graduated with a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree and a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree from Bastyr University in North Seattle, Washington. He maintains a clinical practice in Seattle and focuses on environmental medicine, endocrinology, mental health, pain management, and clinical research. After graduating from Austin College, he completed a master’s degree in environmental engineering and sustainable infrastructure at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

96

A daughter, Savannah Elizabeth, was born on December 8, 2008, to Dave and Erin Summerlin Bauer.

A son, Bryce Eriksen, was born in March 2008 to Jonathan and Jennifer Kisler Kenworthy.

99

A daughter, Julianne Hope, was born on February 6 to Dianne and Justin Miller. The family lives in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

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00

A daughter, Jane Ann, was born on April 5, 2008, to Jack ’98 and Amy Scull Skaggs. The baby’s brother, Samuel, 3, welcomed her home.

01

Tanya Eustace was ordained a deacon in full connection in the United Methodist Church in June 2008. She is associate pastor of children’s ministries at Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, where she began in 2004. She will leave the church at the end of July to move to Chicago and in September, will begin doctoral studies in Christian education at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Tanya ran her second Austin marathon in February with Team in Training, an organization that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In addition to training for and completing the event, she also served this year as a mentor, helping others in their training and fundraising. “It’s an amazing experience not only to run, but to know that I’m helping make someone else’s life better through my training is empowering and a blessing,” she wrote. With Tanya in the photo on page 45 are her parents, Tom ’66 and Natalie Bencowitz Eustace ’68 and Tanya’s brother-in-law and sister, Daniel and Natasha Eustace Benkendorf ’97.

A daughter, Ryleigh Nicole, was born on December 18, 2008, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Rick and Gere’ Feltus-Layne. The couple was married on March 15, 2008, in Dallas, Texas. Gere’ graduated from medical school at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and started her residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

02

A daughter, Isabella Renee, was born on March 24 to Robert and Omi Boggus Ford. The family lives in Houston, Texas.

04

Tracy Allison Hale was promoted to chief prosecutor in County Court at Law #2 for Kaufman County, Texas, in January. She became an assistant district attorney for the county in February 2008. A Hatton W. Sumners Scholar at SMU Dedman School of Law, she graduated cum laude in May 2007 and passed the bar exam that July.

A daughter, Jamieson Harlan, was born on December 8, 2008, to Murdock and Katy McCormack Scott.

Chelsea Turner and Ross Sanderson were married December 14, 2008, in Negril, Jamaica. They were joined by family and friends including Holly Ramsey ’05, Patrick Blaydes ’05, Allison McBee ’03, Greg Dawson ’05, and Kellie Wilcox-Moore ’04. Chelsea graduated from Baylor College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program in December 2008 and is employed with RediClinic. Ross works at US Oncology as a valuations and financial planning analyst. The couple soon will move to Austin, Texas, where Ross will attend the University of Texas McCombs MBA Program.

07

Tricia Emmett and Ben Homesley were married January 27 in Houston, Texas, with alumni attending. The couple lives in Houston, Texas.

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In Memoriam

Austin College has received word of the deaths of the following alumni.

’30 Mary Alice Skaggs
March 18, 2009

’33 Gladice Flora Belden
May 11, 2009

’41 Ople (Mills)
Richardson Collard
March 15, 2009

’43 Delbert “Mac”
Keene McCraw
March 12, 2009

’46 James E. Easley
March 18, 2009

’47 Hugh Wilburn Campbell
March 9, 2009

’50 Clyde E. Hale
March 2, 2009

’50 Billy M. Newell
March 10, 2009

’51 Rob Roy
"Tommy" Thompson
March 28, 2009

’52 Quintin Geoffrey Boone
March 12, 2009

’54 Gerald L. Hill
January 10, 2009

’57 James (Jim) John Hart
March 27, 2009

’59 James Clifford Wilson
March 6, 2009

’64 Phyllis Rachel Sweeten
April 8, 2009

’67 Susan Lund Harris
May 8, 2009

’67 Drusilla Jean
Von Schweinitz
July 15, 2008

’68 Rachel R. Eutsler
September 6, 2008

’68 Sharan Fry
April 23, 2009

’78 Pablo Salcido
April 18, 2009

’82 Patricia Fauntleroy Cohen
February 24, 2009

’83 William Alexander
"Bill" Green
March 14, 2009

’91 Mike D. Nason
October 14, 2008

’02 Michael Scott Bean
April 5, 2009

A Family Affair

Rebecca Rawlings ’09, at center, celebrates her graduation with a large family contingent — all alumni or students at Austin College. Left to right, Rebecca’s mother, Kary Wilshusen Rawlings ’77, who offered the Commencement invocation; Rebecca’s brothers, Sam ’13 and Philip ’11; Rebecca; her cousin Katie Wilshusen ’11; and Rebecca’s aunt and uncle (and Katie’s parents), Leslie McFarlane ’79 and Fred Wilshusen ’79.

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Gone Too Soon

Mary Gwen Chapin Hulsey ’68 had just suggested in March the name of Pablo Salcido ’78 as an excellent candidate for an alumnus profile. Mary Gwen described Salcido as “a truly wonderful, kind, charming man who happens to be an Austin College alumnus who would make us all proud.“ She only recently had met Salcido, who in June 2008 became president and CEO of the business enterprises of the Tigua Indians in El Paso, Texas. “His wonderful smile, his open heart, and his loving spirit emanated from him just in that one-time encounter,” she said.

The name Pablo Salcido was familiar. In 1987, he was awarded an Austin College First Decade Award for outstanding accomplishment in the first decade after graduation. His experiences of the past 20 years surely would have made a great profile.

Sadly, Salcido’s battle with cancer became too overwhelming for an interview. He died April 18 at age 52 after fighting cancer for nearly 10 months. In his obituary, family members wrote of his passion for service. “His high energy style, broad perspectives, and belief that one person could change the world became part of him after he graduated from Austin College with countless friends and his Chi Delta Eta fraternity brothers.”

Salcido had been a Peace Corps volunteer; a member of the staff for San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros; the first economic development director for El Paso; director for international city management associates, responsible for projects in Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua; general manager for a Spanish language Univision station, and many other positions through which he served his communities.

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Friends We Will Miss

Former staff member in Campus Police, Johnnie Lee Clark, Sr., died March 2, 2009.

Former staff member in Business Affairs, Betty (Brackett) Higgins, died March 19, 2009.

James Scott Buchanan died May 8, 2009. During a 15-year tenure at Austin College during the John D. Moseley presidency, Buchanan held several positions, including associate professor and vice president of university  advancement.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIR:
Robert M. Johnson ’53, McLean, Virginia

VICE CHAIR:
Todd A. Williams ’82, Dallas, Texas

Trustees:

June 2009  

Feedback?

Meet The Trustee

Luan Beaty Mendel ’76 has found non-traditional education exciting since spending her senior year of high school  on the road traveling, performing, and completing her high school studies in the U.S. and abroad with the musical group Up With People. “My own unconventional educational experiences taught me what learning could be versus what it was and is in a more traditional setting,” Mendel said.

After spending her freshman year at a women’s college in Colorado, Mendel discovered Austin College and its five-year program in education resulting in a master’s degree. “I was impressed with the outstanding teacher education program and the availability of independent study and interdisciplinary studies,” she said. “Class size also was important. I had benefited tremendously from small student-to-teacher ratios in my year with Up With People.”

Mendel feels that her professional background in education, her work with the Latino community in California, and even living in Palos Verdes, California, bring a different and useful perspective to the board as Austin College   faces changing college demographics and, more recently, the country’s economic challenges. “I am still passionate about education in general, and more specifically, because I believe the College continues to offer a unique educational environment,” she said.

“I think all of us understand that current economic circumstances necessitate sacrifices at every level, but I also believe that the trustees, along with Dr. Page and Dr. Hass, are determined to see that the reputation of the College and the outstanding education we offer is in no way compromised,” Mendel said. “As difficult as this situation is, we are learning how to do more with less — always a good lesson.”

On a personal level, Mendel continues to study and learn as a life philosophy. “Austin College gave me a love of learning that has driven me to undertake all kinds of projects from getting my private pilot’s license to starting a non-profit organization,” she said. “My latest venture involves fiction writing, which has allowed me to pursue the things I love most — reading, researching, and writing.” 

Mendel’s yet-unpublished book is Yard Sale, (a term skiers use to describe a bad fall that leaves gear strewn all over the hill). Set in a small mountain town slated to become a major ski resort, the book is about two middle-aged people struggling to deal with dramatic changes in their lives.

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