March 2009

  Noon, Friday,
  October 16, 2009

  Wright Campus  
  Center, Mabee Hall

  Registration begins
  August 2009

To nominate a high school student for the John D. Moseley Alumni Scholarship, please contact the Office of Admission. 

To make a gift to the John D. Moseley Scholarship Fund,  please contact the Office of Development.

For questions regarding the Alumni Scholarship Luncheon, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations.

'Roo Notes

Osler McCarthy ’73, president of the Alumni “L” Association offers the following information on behalf of the Alumni Board.

Five years ago, Austin College’s second annual Law Symposium launched a new definition and purpose for the symposium, to become a campus event not just for students planning to study law but to bring an interdisciplinary approach to understanding legal issues confronting American society. The symposium was the brainchild of Austin attorney Keith Hopson, ’73, then president of the Alumni “L” Association. On a shoestring budget the College has drawn leading judges, lawyers, and writers to discuss topical legal issues.

Austin College, arguably the oldest college in Texas, founded Texas’ first law school. Had the law school survived the money problems that doomed it, today it would be among the oldest dozen law schools in the U.S. This is history that all lawyers in Texas should know and all Austin College law alumni — all Austin College alumni and students — should celebrate.

These sessions have not been prop-your-eyes-open-with-caffeine continuing  legal education presentations. Three years ago, panelists confronted First Amendment issues, discussing for the first time anywhere whether The New York Times could or should face criminal liability for disclosing the NSA domestic-surveillance program, and another panel featured both sides of the intelligent-design litigation, lead counsel for the Pennsylvania school board members and the head of the ACLU’s religious-freedom section.

A year later, the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments on campus, followed by panelists discussing judicial independence issues. Among them was former federal Circuit Judge (and the first U.S. education secretary) Shirley Hufstedler, a lawyer Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once hailed as the most brilliant legal mind of our age and who had just led other former federal judges in arguing before the Supreme Court for procedural protections for prisoners held in Cuba and in military prisons without charges against them.

Last year, legal author and CNN commentator Jeff Toobin was the luncheon speaker and afternoon panelist (his compensation was the promise of my world-famous-in-my-own-neighborhood smoked brisket and College Fund barbecue sauce).

In this effort to stake Austin College’s claim to history and to contemporary legal education, another goal has been to raise the caliber of each succeeding symposium. On  March 27, the sixth annual Law Symposium explores the Warren Court 40 years after   Chief Justice Earl Warren’s retirement, the end of what history may assess as the modern Supreme Court’s greatest era. Leading this discussion is one of the leading Warren scholars, Professor Lucas Powe of the University of Texas law school, and Warren’s most recent biographer, Jim Newton. Other scholars and former law clerks to Warren-era justices join them.

This program and the ones that came before it are intended not just for pre-law majors, but also for all Austin College students — those in the College now as well as those who still yearn for the ideals of a liberal education even though our diplomas long since have been in our hands. This symposium is a celebration of what the College was once, what it is now — and what it promises for the future.

And Toobin liked the brisket, by the way.

2009 Law Symposium
March 27, 2009
www.austincollege.edu/lawsymposium

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At noon on January 20, 2009, Tim Kennedy ’98 lost his job — a fact college magazines don’t often highlight when featuring its graduates. Then again, as Kennedy joined the ranks of the unemployed, so did every other political appointee of the Bush administration when Barack Obama officially became the 44th president of the United States.

Kennedy, formerly the associate director of legislative affairs in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has experienced before the reality that job security is often in the hands of the electorate (he lost his job as special assistant in the Office of Speaker of the House after Republicans lost the House majority in the November 2006 election). Kennedy has worked in government since his graduation from Austin College as a double major in political science and religion.

To him, these jobs have been part of a calling that Austin College helped foster. “I have always wanted to make the world a better place,” Kennedy said. “I visited Washington, D.C., during a family vacation in middle school and fell in love with the ideal and opportunities that Washington provides.” During his senior year, after a JanTerm experience interning at the Grayson County Attorney’s Office, Kennedy realized law was not the avenue through which he would try to better the world.

Kennedy’s decision to “do politics” was not much of a reach for a student who was elected to positions at Austin College such as Student Assembly representative, student body vice president, and student body president, and who was a member of three winning Model United Nations teams. “Austin College provided me with countless opportunities to set strategic goals, develop action plans, and execute to success,” Kennedy said. “I especially appreciated the true hunger for knowledge and the constant encouragement to dig deeper. The quality of an Austin College education is second to none.”

Not surprisingly, Kennedy didn’t stay unemployed for long. Six days after the inauguration, he started a new job as a consultant for a small private contracting firm that supports the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Business Continuity and Emergency Preparedness. Though Kennedy has chosen a career related to government, he, like many Austin College students and alumni, believes the power to “make the world a better place” doesn’t rest in the hands of a few political elites. “The true leaders of today,” Kennedy said, “are the citizen soldiers advancing freedom in the streets of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan; the inner city school teacher earning far less than she is worth; the volunteers serving food in soup kitchens across the nation; the healthcare workers serving our increasing numbers of older Americans; the uniformed protectors of our streets, borders, and airports; and the parents or mentors helping a child, supporting a teen, or putting a loved one through school.”

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'Roo Notes

49
Linus Wright was named presiding officer of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees by Governor Rick Perry on January 9. A former U.S. Under Secretary of Education and Dallas Independent School Distinct superintendent, Wright is a senior member of the Austin College Board of Trustees.

61
Glen Kirk, representative of the Denver-based YES! Golf company, was the subject of a December Cybergolf online article that praised his dedication and assistance with the Duramed Futures Golf Tour, for which YES Golf was a sponsor in recent years. The article called Kirk a fixture on the tour and said his work on the practice putting green with the young women at the start of their professional golf tours was often critical to their success. The article described Kirk, “a former Marine who was a professional golfer on the mini-tours back in his younger days, knows what he’s talking about when it comes to putting and golf in general. The Texan is still a near-scratch golfer. With his busy schedule he doesn’t have much time to play, but in a two-day amateur event last summer, Kirk shot a pair of 73s on a course he’d never played. He’s one of those rare senior golfers capable of  ‘shooting his age’ any time he tees it up. Most of the young women pros he worked with probably would never have imagined that he could give them a run for their money in a head-to-head match.” Kirk is a member of Austin College’s Athletic Hall of Honor. “To think, I was just having a good time out there,” he said.

65
Markley Crosswell, a realtor with John Daugherty, Realtors, was named to the firm’s Hall of Fame in January. He is the ninth member inducted to the group in the company’s 42-year history. The company president said a special combination of industry knowledge, experience, and negotiation skills elevates a realtor into the ranks of top producers. Crosswell founded Markley Crosswell Realtors two decades before merging with John Daugherty, Realtors in 1990. A Houston native and resident, he also is a member of the Development Board of Texas Children’s Hospital and is active in numerous other civic organizations, including the Retina Research Foundation.

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67
Lynda Uphouse '67, Texas Woman’s University Cornaro Professor of Biology, was named a 2008 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. The award honors outstanding teaching in Texas colleges and universities, with only 15 professors named each year.

“I truly enjoy teaching, and experience great joy knowing that I may have been a positive influence in a student’s life,” said Dr. Uphouse, who also is program director of the Multi-Ethnic Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program at TWU. “Dr. Uphouse has an outstanding record as a researcher and teacher who conveys her love of research to her students,” TWU Chancellor Dr. Ann Stuart said. “She is the embodiment of the Minnie Stevens Piper Award.”

As a research scientist, Uphouse has been the research adviser for more than 50 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students since 1973.The MBRS program, which she developed at TWU in 1989, supports up to 20 research students and up to 20 freshman/sophomore students in an introduction to scientific research. She has been  an active member of the scientific community, serving on National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation study panels and conducting reviews for multiple research journals.

“I have been blessed to join a profession in which I can pursue interesting research questions and hopefully add knowledge to the community,” Uphouse said. “However, my greatest achievements have been the students whose lives I have touched and who have touched mine in return. I cannot imagine a greater sense of achievement than that which I feel when a student succeeds.”

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73
Chris Goertzen has written a book Southern Fiddlers and Fiddle Contests, released by University Press of Mississippi. The book explores American fiddle contests, their history, and what occurs on and off stage at these contests. Goertzen’s book, the first scholarly monograph about American fiddle contests, describes the change from dances to contests as the main gathering for fiddlers and what the shift means for audiences, musicians, traditions, and the future of southern fiddle music. Goertzen is associate professor of music history and world music at University of Southern Mississippi. He is the author of Fiddling for Norway: Revival and Identity and coeditor of the volume on Europe in the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music.

75
Don Lefeber retired as a social worker from the University of Texas Medical Branch in July to begin work as a contractor with Healthnet. He has completed two rotations in Germany with the company. Traveling in Salzburg, Austria, in November, he came across a “No Kangaroos in Austria” shirt, finding it ironic that indeed an Austin College Kangaroo was right there. Don said he wanted to proclaim, “Kangaroos are everywhere!” He wrote that he had no desire to travel outside the United States while a student, considering January Term trips to Midland, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana, “abroad” enough, so he has been surprised to find himself living abroad so much at this stage in life.

79
Pat Rogers ’79, Ginny Keeling Thomas ’79, Judy Donachie Watson ’79, and Sydney Sharp ’82, left to right in the photo, gathered in May at the kickoff party in Dallas for the Predisan’s 3rd Annual Walk for Honduras. Janie Grinnan McNaughton ’79 also attended the kickoff and all were present for the walk at the Katy Trail, which raised $100,000.00 for medical clinics, water supplies, and classrooms in the poorest areas of Honduras. Thomas organized a team of walkers from North Texas High School where she teaches French and English. For more information, visit the Predisan website.

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83
Larry Robins has been named executive director of PediPlace, a non-profit pediatric medical practice in Lewisville, Texas, serving uninsured and underinsured children.

84
Tammy Wilson Cangelose received a master’s degree in dispute resolution from Southern Methodist University in December 2008.

Jim ‘82 and Cherie Spears Walker recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They live in Coppell, Texas, with their daughters, Mary Beth and Margaret.

85
Beth Anne Meriwether and Roger Watson were married August 17, 2008, in Anchorage, Alaska. They live in Wylie, Texas.

Susan Spearman VanMeakins graduated from Lesley University in October 2008 with a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction: Integrated Teaching through the Arts. She continues to teach English language acquisition to elementary students in Loveland, Colorado.

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92
Celeste Lunceford and Dwayne Havis were married September 20, 2008. She is a Texas licensed professional counselor clinical supervisor, director of Offender Education Programs for the State of Texas through the Department of State Health Services, and a consultant for the Austin Institute of Bariatrics and Laparoscopy. Dwayne is a lieutenant game warden pilot for Texas Parks and Wildlife, flying helicopters and airplanes on law enforcement, wildlife, and environmental missions, as well as a licensed flight instructor through the FAA. The couple lives in Austin, Texas.

94 Twin boys, Logan Charles and Xavier Michael, were born December 17, 2008, to Paul and Beth Cobb Matlock. 97 Erik Johanson, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, has been activated for duty with Alpha Company 636th BSB (brigade support battalion). He is serving in Talill, Iraq, where he works in the maintenance and vehicle recovery section supporting convoy security operations. He is scheduled to return home August 2009.

A son, Wyoming Michael, was born November 7, 2008, to Meredith and Michael Sturlin.

98
Eric Venegas, who has worked at Banowetz + Company for the past eight years, was named creative director at the Dallas-based advertising agency in January. He began with the firm as a junior designer and was promoted to designer in 2003 and to senior designer in 2007. Before joining the Banowetz team, Eric worked as a graphic designer/product designer at Fossil. He has received several awards for his work.

99
Austin Amos was named a Rising Star for 2008 in Mid-South Super Lawyers annual publication. He is an associate in the business and real estate section of the Little Rock offices of Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow. Rising Stars must be no older than 40 and practicing law for 10 years or less. The award is based on a survey of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee attorneys, together with research by the publisher, to determine the top 2.5 percent of the region’s up-and-coming lawyers.

A son, Preston Grant, was born November 20, 2007, to Kenneth and Allison McKnight Travis. The family lives in Big Sandy, Texas, near Longview where Allison is a licensed professional counselor in private practice and Kenneth is a managing partner of Integrity Mortgage.

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00
A son, Dean Rizk, was born October 21, 2008, to David and Giselle Finne Gafford. The family lives in Dallas, Texas.

A daughter, Sarah Kate, was born October 9, 2008, to Scott and Jaclyn Bouche Mispagel.

Amanda Jester and Kenneth Vera were married November 8, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. Allison McKnight Travis ’99 was a member of the bridal party and Brooke Dorsey McMillan ’00 attended. Amanda’s beloved pug, Jasper, who she met her senior year at Austin College, also was in the bridal party. Amanda and Ken live with Jasper and his brother, Mason, in Miami Beach, where Amanda is in her fifth year as a healthcare attorney with McDermott Will & Emery and Ken is a physical therapist.

A son, Robert Thomas Riggs, III, was born October 15, 2008, to Rob and Noelle Monier Riggs. Big sister Sarah helped welcome Robert home.

01
Shawnia Elder continues to contract her services as a speech language pathologist in the Houston area. Since August 2008, her 3-year-old daughter, Zaria, has kept her busy winning pageant titles and more recently, as a fashion model for a children’s boutique.

Amy Lindsey graduated December 20, 2008, from Sam Houston State University with a Master of Library Science degree. She has been a reading and media specialist with the Sabine Pass Independent School District for the past three years.

A daughter, Lillian Anna, was born October 21, 2008, in Ithaca, New York, to Beth and Josh Reynolds.  Josh is completing his MBA at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and then will begin a position with Morgan Stanley in sales and trading in New York City.

02
Lauren A. Cook has accepted a position with the Kaufman County District Attorney’s office as an assistant district attorney. 

Alison MacManus graduated from Harvard Law School in June 2008. She is working for the Supreme Court of Alaska as clerk to Justice Walter Carpeneti. Alison is the daughter of Laura Schleier Burgess ’78 and Bill MacManus ’77.

03
A son, Joel Thomas, was born July 30, 2008, to Jim and Kristi Baughman Marriott. The family lives in Rochester, Michigan, where Jim is the director of sanctuary worship and Kristi teaches preschool part-time at St. John Lutheran Church and School. 

Kim Freeman and Joe Newton ’99 were married on the beach in Playa del Carmen May 9, 2008. Groomsmen included Carlos Soto ’99 and DJ Tillery ’99, with bridesmaids Kelsey House Decker and Diana Garcia Pecorino. Also attending were Danny Decker ’01, Jason Hulen ’99, Han Pham Hulen ’98, Frank Vasquez ’97, Juan Garay ’01, Jason Haddock ’01, Brandon Mays ’00, Chris Grizzaffi ’97, Jeff Tapp ’96, Mark Cunningham ’97, and Mareda Goodman ’99.

04
A son, Patrick Anthony, was born January 23, 2009, to Ashley and E.A. Hoppe.

Sarah Beatty and David Snyder ’02 were married on August 18, 2007. The wedding party included Amy Snyder, Kenna Williams, Sarah Walker Kinard ’02, Sarah Demarest Allen ’03, and Matt Kinard ‘02. Many other alumni attended.

05
Lydia Albury and Steffan Jones were married November 16, 2008, at the Church of St. David of Wales in Denton, Texas. Kimberly Aragon ’05 was a bridesmaid and Barry Ray ’02 attended.

A daughter, Heidi Elise, was born August 18, 2008, to Mark ’02 and Lorissa Haning Eichenberger. The family lives in The Woodlands, Texas. Heidi’s pediatrician happens to be Joan Saunders Purcell ’86 (who is married to Paul Purcell ’88). Heidi has been born to quite a ’Roo family legacy — grandfather Dale Eichenberger ’68 and uncle David Eichenberger ’72 as well as uncle Reed Eicheberger ’10, now attending Austin College.

A daughter, McKynzi Reese, was born June 25, 2008, to Corey and Lacey Stewart Hailey.

Emily Richardson Owen was ordained to the office of minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) October 19, 2008, at her home congregation of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. She was ordained by the presbytery of mission on behalf of the Presbytery of Charlotte, where she has been called as associate pastor of Matthews P Psbyterian Church in Matthews, North Carolina. Emily and her husband, Henry Owen, moved to Matthews following Emily’s graduation from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a summer position at Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in Allenspark, Colorado. The Commission to ordain Emily included several Kangaroos, including John Evans ’64, Laura Shelton Mendenhall ’69, and Bill Clark ’83.

07
Sarah Vaal and Shane Webb were married July 20, 2008, in Pasadena, Texas. The wedding party included maid of honor Sara Lifson, bridesmaids Kristin Austin, and Polly Hyde, and groomsman Jason Lo ’08. John Williams ’84, Austin College chaplain, officiated.

08
Geoffrey Mecoy participated in an Allen (Texas) Public Library symposium examining the life of abolitionist John Brown in February. Mecoy is a direct descendant of Brown. The symposium, part of the library’s Black History Month recognition, included a presentation by Alice Mecoy, Geoffrey’s mother, on the impact of Brown’s legacy on his descendants. She has researched John Brown and his family history for more than 30 years. The symposium also included a survey of Brown’s life by University of Texas professor Evan Carton, author of Patriotic Treason.

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IN MEMORIAM

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

’30 Charles Edward
Roi Cameron
November 17, 2008

’34 Martha Jane Clayton
January 12, 2009

’41 John F. Anderson
January 31, 2009

’41 Joseph E. Lawrence
February 21, 2009

’44 Kenneth Maxwell Thomas
June 19, 2007

’45 S.M. Dunnam, Jr.
January 6, 2009

’46 Columbus Boyd
“C.B.” Burchfield
January 28, 2009

’50 Clyde E. Hale
March 2, 2009

’50 Dan Wilbur Holloway
December 22, 2007

’51 Billy Byers Sharp
February 13, 2009

’52 Joseph Malone Joiner
November 16, 2008

’52 D. Annette Kirk
January 23, 2009

’53 Jerome Robert Blazek
March 21, 2008

’56 Judith Ann Powell Hunter
September 7, 2008

’57 George Richard
“Bud” Avary, Jr.
January 25, 2009

’57 Loyd Tildon Gilmore
November 2, 2008

’61 James W. Coffey
June 23, 2008

’61 Carolyn Ann Huey
January 27, 2009

’63 Sharon D. Graves
November 22, 2008

’67 James Edwin Davis
December 17, 2007

’68 Rose Marie Mayes
December 31, 2008

’75 Melanie Kneese
October 29, 2007

’77 Sue Bagwell Glenn
February 10, 2009

’79 Wanda Joan Farmer
January 20, 2009

’81 Kirk Edward Chapin
December 14, 2008

’86 Ann Feild Spillman
December 12, 2008

’94 Jon Michael Jordan
November 29, 2008

’11 Zachary Richard Swirczynski
February 9, 2009

Austin College is grateful to all its donors. Because we value the generous support of our alumni, parents, and friends, we always are looking for ways to honor them for the gifts they make.

So in 2009, we are pleased to introduce the Austin College Loyalty Society. This special  designation will recognize contributors who support the College for five or more consecutive years, regardless of the size of their gifts. Membership in the Loyalty Society is sustained by making a gift every year (July 1–June 30) to Austin College. Donors will be recognized in five-year increments, and those giving 25 consecutive years or more will receive lifetime membership in the Loyalty Society. We look forward to honoring these dedicated donors, beginning in the 2009 Honor Roll of Donors, who give annually to support the College.

The Austin College Loyalty Society. Every gift matters, every year.

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Several Austin College alumni who live and work in the Washington, D.C., area played host, chauffeur, chef, travel agent, and political commentators for classmates and friends during Inauguration Week. They were represented at the Sunday concert on the mall; dinner at Nam Viet; brunch at the home of Tom ’65 and Beth Wheatcroft Schmid ’67; gallery visits and ‘hanging out’ on the mall; dancing at the Black Tie and Boots Ball; and attending the actual

swearing-in or watching it on television together and maintaining the buffet, at the home of Ruth Whiteside ’64 and her husband, Jim Shelhamer, for those coming in from the cold. Ruth hosted overnight guests as did Kathy Seddon ’69. “When we raised our champagne glasses at high noon on January 20 for a celebratory toast in honor of the new president, we also were celebrating friendships that reach back over 40 years, to a small liberal arts college in Sherman, Texas,” said Gretchen Weicker Bullock ’67.

	Around the table, from left, are: Beth Schmid, Kathy Seddon, Dianne Hardie Thompson ’68, Tom Schmid, Larry Sykes ’66 of Dallas who came to town for the big event, Richard “Scooter” Merritt ’66, and Gretchen Bullock.
Abbas Ravjani ’04, Dennis Gonier ’83, Jacqueline Cooper ’73, and Michael Bardgett ’03 gathered for an Austin College photo at the Black Tie and Boots Ball. Back to the Top

 
These Class of 2008 graduates, left to right, Cesar Ortega, Omar Saenz, and Steven Zaborowski joined the Austin College staff after graduation, Cesar and Steven as assistant directors of admission, Omar as assistant director of Annual Giving.

Austin College’s Career Services staff needs to hear from other 2008 graduates to compile data for its annual Graduate Tracking Report. Members of the Class of 2008 are asked to report whether they are working, looking for work, attending (or preparing for) graduate or professional school, performing volunteer work, or simply taking time off. The information is used for statistical reporting purposes only so that the staff may have a clear picture of what students do after graduation. Specific information is kept confidential and will not be shared outside the College.

Margie Briscoe Norman ’83, director of Career Services, thanks graduates in advance for their help and reminds them to contact Career Services staff members if they can help with future career or educational goals. Reach her at (903) 813-2247 or by email at career@austincollege.edu.

Complete the online Graduate Survey!

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College Mourns Loss of Senior Trustees

John F. Anderson

The Reverend John F. Anderson ’41, pastor emeritus of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas since 1984, former Presbyterian General Assembly moderator, and senior trustee at Austin College, died January 31 in Dallas. He and his wife, Nancy (Lee) ’42, have been dedicated supporters of Austin College.

Anderson was a Navy chaplain in the Pacific during World War II. In 1952, he was named senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, the church in which he grew up under the pastoral guidance of his grandfather and uncle. He left the church in 1958 to serve as pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, Florida, and in 1965, moved to Atlanta to serve as executive secretary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. Board of National Ministries. He returned as pastor of First Presbyterian in Dallas in 1973. Two years later, the church began The

Stewpot in response to homelessness in downtown Dallas. In 1982, Anderson served as president of the Greater Dallas Community of Churches. That year, he was moderator for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. The next year, he played a key role in reunification of the southern and northern branches of the Presbyterian Church, resulting in the current-day Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Harriett Faudree Dublin

The College was saddened to learn belatedly of the death in February 2008 of Austin College senior trustee Harriett Faudree Dublin of Midland, Texas. She moved to Midland in 1946 and the city became the center of her family, philanthropic, and ranching interests.

A longtime member of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, she was an accomplished artist and a published author. A dedicated philanthropist, she was particularly proud of the work she supported through the Harriett Parks Faudree Dublin Charitable Fund at the Permian Basin Area Foundation. She joined the College’s Board of Trustees in 1980 and had been a member of the Senior Board for many years.

Friends We Will Miss

Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International and Austin College 2000 Chair of Excellence in International Leadership, died February 3, 2009.

Narcadean Buckner died Friday, December 26, 2008. She and her late husband, Andrew, memorialized their son in a 1995 gift to the College of a 117-acre area of land, since known as the Barry Buckner Biological Preserve and Research Area and site of many research projects of students in the sciences.

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March 2009  

Feedback?

Meet the Trustee

It took Stan Woodward, Austin College trustee and CEO of LTF (Laying The Foundation), exactly one visit to the College’s campus to want to get involved. Woodward, an elder and Sunday school teacher at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, met Bob Wright, former Austin College board chair, while working on projects at their church.

Wright introduced Woodward to President Oscar Page, who extended an invitation to Woodward to visit the campus and eventually, to join the Board of Trustees. “My initial impression was similar to what anyone would experience when walking through a historic landmark, and the buzz around campus was great,” Woodward said. “Students were smiling and friendly, and it felt very welcoming everywhere we went.” Later that day, Woodward and his wife, Judy, attended an Evening with Your Scholar event. “The dinner with the scholars was just beyond anything we expected,” he said. “We were fortunate enough to sit with a very interesting group of students. One girl had basically raised herself and her brother in the absence of a dad and working mother and was studying physics at Austin College. I was just blown away by the quality of students we met that night.”

Woodward was sold. He joined the board in 2001, bringing his experience as a former vice president of business and enterprise services at Yahoo! to the College. “I thought I could bring a lot of my experiences dealing with online infrastructure, webcasting, and collaboration to Austin College,” Woodward said. “I also felt that the College needed some fresh perspectives on how to market the College on the Web.”

In 2009, Woodward still is just as excited about the College’s potential. “I believe Austin College needs to move from a ‘best kept secret’ to a ‘well-known fact’ and that effective marketing and branding will get us there,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but we are headed down the right path, and I am happy to be a part of that visioning process.”

Woodward hopes that showing more of the world what he discovered at Austin College in 2001 will help the College become the school of choice for more students. “To be a trustee at Austin College means taking seriously the role of preserving the past 160 years of progress, but also pushing to make sure the College stays relevant as a leading liberal arts school going forward,” he said. “I think our continued focus on turning out graduates who are servant leaders prepared to make a difference in the world is just huge. How many colleges really do that?”

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