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September 2008
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'Roo Notes
From the Alumni Board
Fellow alumni:
This epitaph of
George Washington Carver resonates with me as a new
school year begins. A lot has changed since my first
days at Austin College — my wild oats have surely turned
to bran cereal, and I hear my favorite songs only on
office elevators — but the lasting values we gained at
Austin College remain the same.
Your Alumni Board
carries on that “helping” tradition by connecting alumni
to Austin College and to each other. Recent activities
of the board include:
Beverly Benthul
Barry ’67 greeted 325 new members to the Alumni
Association at Commencement for the Class of 2008 in
May. I met future alumni of the Class of 2012 and
presented their class flag on behalf of the Alumni Board
at the Opening of School Convocation.
Sarah Gunderson
’81 and Craig Florence
’84 were elected to the board’s new positions of first
and second vice president, respectively.
The Alumni College
Committee = organized programs with outstanding
professors for September 21 in Denver; October 2,
Houston; October 5, San Antonio; October 7, Dallas; and
October 12, Washington, D.C. Will we see you there? See
acalumni.org
for details.
The
Homecoming Committee planned another outstanding
Homecoming October 24–26, with all reunion groups
meeting Saturday evening in one location. The gathering
should be even better than last year’s great event!
 The
Annual Fund Committee raised a concern that only 29.42
percent of our nearly 14,000 alumni made a gift of any
size to the Annual Fund campaign that ended June 30.
Thank you to those who gave, and I hope you will
continue to give. This is one measure of the alumni’s
confidence in their alma mater and its future. Let’s
work to raise that percentage this year.
Forget Facebook and
MySpace, have you signed up for Austin College’s new
online community? It’s a great way to network and
connect with your classmates. Go to
acalumni.org and
use the code on your magazine mailing label to sign in.
Starting with this
issue, I want to expand on some key components of the
Alumni Board. I asked Giselle Finne Gafford ’00,
president of the Greek Alumni Council, to tell
you about this group’s purpose, goals, and recent
accomplishments. I hope to see many of you on campus
during Homecoming.
Happy Trails,
Mike Nurre
Alumni Board President
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Greek Alumni Council Supports
Austin College Greek Organizations
The Austin College Greek
Alumni Council (GAC) was formed in 2004 to provide a connection
between current students and alumni members of Greek
organizations and ensure cooperation and communication between
and among the College and the Greek community.
The GAC offers counsel and
assistance to Greek organizations, with goals of strengthening
and promoting each group; providing a historical reference;
improving the overall Greek program; assisting in effective
governance, including conflict resolution; and serving as
outreach and connection points between Greek alumni, their
organizations, and the College.
The GAC recently
participated in the charter review process for three Greek
organizations with charters up for renewal. In addition, the
council established a “listserve” that facilitates communication
among Council members and created a Web site. Additionally, the
GAC has expanded its role with a voting seat (represented by the
council president) on the Austin College Alumni Board.
How can you represent your
Greek organization? Each chartered Greek organization may be
represented on the GAC by up to three alumni members. The GAC
seeks diversity and inclusion of alumni from various decades.
There is room for all organizations to expand their alumni
representation. The GAC holds two meetings a year — one during
Homecoming weekend and the other in the spring or summer.
Interested alumni may write Gafford at
gisellegafford@sbcglobal.net or Alumni and Parent
Relations staff at
alumni@austincollege.edu.
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Class of 2012 Includes Several Continuing a
Family Tradition
The 319 members of the Austin College freshman class
include 64 students with some previous family tie to the College.
Freshman Thomas Clayton has the most legacy connections, with six
family alumni, including his grandparents Alfred Clayton ’44
and Bettye (Green) Clayton ’48; his parents Mark Clayton
’77 and Cathy Bryant Clayton ’76; his sister Catherine
“Cate” Clayton ’03; and his brother Stephen Clayton ’06.
Other students and alumni
gathering for the photo are listed here, in an attempt at left to
right identification by row. Front, Bianca Banek, sister of
Jeremiah Banek ’00; Caitlin Tabor, daughter of Nancy Lazarine
Tabor ’83, and sister of Cayce Tabor ’10; Anne Deming,
sister of Katie Deming ’04; Erin Slade sister of Leslie
Slade ’09; Kaitlin McCoy, daughter of Michelle McCoy ’87;
Thomas Clayton and family listed above; Mackenzie Mayer, cousin of
Stacy Austin ’85; Margaret Edwards, daughter of David
’83 and Sara Mullin ’85 Edwards; Hillary
Gregory-Allen, daughter of Victoria Reeder ’84 and Roger
Gregory-Allen ’84, and niece of Richard Gregory-Allen
’78; Wajiha Khan, cousin of Haroon Samar ’02; Second row,
Devanie Emms, daughter of Thomas Emms’82; Kallison and Kellan
Pope, sisters of Krisandra Pope ’08; Bridgette Deem,
granddaughter of Don and Marion Bean ’64; Umair Karim,
brother of Mariya Karim ’08; Suzanne Beltran, great niece of
William and Nancy Sizer Oelfke, both ’66, and cousins of
William and Melanie Brown Oelfke, both ’84; Alyssa Rangel,
sister of Javier Rangel Jr. ’05; Tyler Brannen, brother
of Thomas “Bucky” Brannen ’08; Madeleine Levin, daughter of
Jeffrey ’79 and Ginny Harleston Levin ’79; Neema Dad,
sister of Jeema Dad ’10; back row, Chelsea Freeland, daughter
of Charles ’90 and Lisa New ’89 Freeland; Kevin
Kurian, brother of Joseph Kurian ’08; Will Navey, son of
Allen Navey ’73, brother of Nate Navey ’09, and nephew of
Cornelius Nau, Jr. ’73; Frank McStay, brother of Kira
McStay ’10; Hannah Alexander, daughter of Gerald Alexander
’76; Graham Schneider, brother of Jordan Schneider ’08;
George Foote Clark IV, son of George F. Clark III ’77; Kayla
Cook, niece of Byron Cook ’71; Katelin McKee, sister of
Zach McKee ’07; and Ellen Wehner, sister of Brooks Wehner
’01.
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Nona Sansom
in the Temple
Learning Center at
Thompson House |
Campus Room Bears Name of Master Teacher
 Nona Bishop Wood Sansom
’66 was surprised during a visit to campus
in April by a gift from her husband, Andy Sansom ’68, whose
funding named the Nona Sansom Room in the Temple Learning Center at
Thompson House in her honor. Nona taught many years before
retiring from the Austin Independent School District.
“Honoring my wife in this way was a great privilege for me and I am
grateful to Austin College for allowing me to do so,” Andy said.
“More than anything else, she is a fine example to students
studying to be educators because she is a consummate
professional. She is recognized as a Master Teacher who will be an
inspiration to all who use the Nona Sansom Room.”
Andy, a conservationist and
former executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife, has
written four books, including Water in Texas, published this
summer by UT Press. He also is the author of Scout, The
Christmas Dog. Although not written or marketed as a
children’s book, it often is found in children’s book sections and
has been used as a text in children’s literature classes at
the University of Texas.
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54
The work of Carroll Pickett as Death House chaplain at
the Huntsville prison is the subject of the documentary
At the Death House Door.
60
Dan Page received a Manhattan Association of Cabarets
(MAC) Award in the category of Special Musical Material as a
writer of the song “One Stop Shopping,” co-written and performed
by New York jazz and blues artist Sue Matsuki. Dan is a
songwriter and playwright living in Harvard, Massachusetts.
65
Dr. John C. Landolt retired in August from the
teaching faculty of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West
Virginia, after a tenure of 38 years. Landolt joined the
Shepherd faculty after receiving a doctorate in zoology from the
University of Oklahoma. While at Shepherd, Landolt taught
classes in general biology, general zoology, developmental
biology, and comparative anatomy, as well as serving a rotation
as chair of the Biology Department. Landolt has been engaged in
research on the natural history of cellular slime molds for a
number of years. He has authored or coauthored over 30 refereed
journal articles; made presentations at many regional, national,
and international meetings; and is listed as an authority for
the formal description of more than 20 new species of cellular
slime molds. Landolt will continue a relationship with Shepherd
University as research professor of biology emeritus and
will remain in Shepherdstown with Melinda, his wife of 28 years.
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74
Rock Stanley successfully defended his doctoral
dissertation “Current Mathematical Concepts Critical To Student
Success in College Algebra” in May at Texas A&M-Commerce. The
graduation ceremony was in August.
78
Thomas Luck received a Master of Liberal Arts in
Religion degree from Harvard University. His thesis, “Breaking
Bread: the Gospels and the End of Poverty,” makes the case for a
biblical mandate to end poverty. Luck continues to serve as dean
of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Syracuse, New York, and as
a chaplain to the Clergy Leadership Project, a program of
Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel in New York.
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80
Marlene Llopiz has been named regional director for Latin
America for Venn Life Sciences Clinical Research in Mexico City.
She is in charge of opening offices throughout Latin America.
She made a presentation at the Drug Information Association
forum in July, representing the entire Latin American region.
She has two children.
 Alicia Van Borssum ’82 has
taught Montessori and English as a Second Language (ESL)
for the past 25 years. This fall, for the first time
since the 1970s when she assisted Cynthia Manley of
Austin College’s faculty, she is teaching French as well
as ESL at a middle school near Rochester, New York. She
also is beginning doctoral studies at the Warner School
of the University of Rochester, with interest in
literacy. She is a volunteer with Ethiopia Reads and
last summer spent a month in Ethiopia doing teacher
training and volunteering in the first free public
library for children in Addis Ababa. She returned to
Ethiopia in December 2007 and plans to travel there
again in summer 2009 to help set up a training center
for teachers. |
83
Leah Clemmons Lane and her family — husband John and
their son and daughter — moved to New Zealand in 2005. Their
son, Joseph, already plans to be in Austin College’s Class of
2016. Leah wrote in belatedly to identify participants in the
photo included in the Every Picture Tells a Story feature in the
December 2007 Austin College Magazine. Of the photo, she
recalled that during the trip to China led by Jim Ware,
now professor emeritus of philosophy and religion, the
Austin College men took on a Chinese basketball team and the
locals were surprised that Dr. Ware spoke Shanghai Chinese (he
was born there to missionary parents). She also recalled that
her suitcase broke and Trev Teel ’78 gave her $40 to get
a new one. Ah, memories …
85
Rachel McCollough Matthews graduated from
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago with a
Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling and
psychotherapy. Her doctoral paper was “Using Ritual and
Spiritual Practices in Pastoral Counseling and Psychotherapy:
The Role of Pastoral Counselor as Ritual Leader.”
Denyse Seaman was married May 31 to David Rodgers. She
continues to work at Baylor University in the Electronic Library
as head of Library Information Systems.
86
Israel Suster has been elected president of the Plano Bar
Association. His law firm is engaged in the practice of
commercial and property litigation throughout north Texas. He
lives in Plano with his wife and their two children.
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92
A son, Ryan Sterling, was born August 7, 2007, to Anna and
Michael Clark (11). Ryan joins big sister Jordan, 3. The
family lives in Dallas.
Mary Kelly-Swafford and Judson Crowder met up
with one another in Reno, Nevada, at the
National Association of
Professional Organizers conference in April. Both are
professional organizers; Mary in New Orleans and Judson in
Houston.
Christopher Thompson, a partner in the litigation
and bankruptcy sections of the Dallas offices of the Jackson
Walker law firm, was named a Rising Star for 2008. Rising Stars
must be no older than 40 and practicing law for 10 years or
less. The award is based on a survey of Texas attorneys to
determine the top 2.5 percent of the state’s up-and-coming
lawyers. Texas Monthly staff members then conduct
independent research of the nominees’ credentials and publish
those selected in the April 2008 magazine.
93
A son, Daniel Murray Lee II, was born June 22, 2007, to
Sydney and Erica (Jebs Holder) Lee. The family lives in
the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
95
A son, Samuel Michael, was born May 25 to Mike and Jill
Harter Teagarden. Big brother Max, 2, welcomed Sam
home. Jill is a senior director of research and development for VHA, Inc., in Irving, Texas, and Mike manages analytics for
McAfee in Frisco, Texas. The family lives in Dallas.
Kim Terry and Benjamin Winbery were married February
16 in San Antonio, Texas. They live in Georgia where Kim works
as a private practitioner outpatient counselor in Warner Robins.
96
Cullen and Amy Aubrey Chandler, along with their
daughter Cate, 5, traveled to the Midwest in June to combine
business with pleasure. Amy attended various events at Purdue
University where she continues to telecommute as writer/editor
of alumni publications for the School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences while Cullen conducted research at the
library on campus. Cullen, assistant professor of history at
Lycoming College, was awarded a $6,000 summer stipend from the
National Endowment for the Humanities in support
of his research project
“Carolingian Catalonia: politics and culture in the Spanish
March.” After the stop at Purdue and visiting friends in
Michigan and Chicago, the family returned home to Williamsport,
Pennsylvania — home of the Little League World Series. A visit
to the Card Wildlife Education Museum at Ferris State University
in Michigan gave Cate a chance to learn more about kangaroos —
and pose for a photo.
Max Hawsey was named head football coach for Grinnell
College in Iowa in January. Offensive coordinator and line coach
at Colorado College since 2003, Max helped the team break 15
offensive school records while averaging over 400 yards and 30
points per game. He recently finished production for American
Football Monthly, where he writes and creates football
videos and articles for coaches nationwide. He and his wife,
Sara Townsend-Hawsey, have three children, Marion, 5;
Hunter, 3; and Natalie, 1.
A daughter, Natalia Elyse, was born May 29, 2007, to Sean and
Isabel Lerma Hedger.
They are happy to be back in Texas after nine years in New
Mexico.
Greg Koch is adjunct professor at the California School of
Professional Psychology at Alliant International University,
where he teaches a doctoral course on lesbian and gay couples,
families, and children. He contracts with the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to assess and treat
inmates at Centinela State Prison in El Centro and maintains a
part-time private practice in San Diego. He is the current chair
of the San Diego Psychological Association’s Committee on Gay
and Lesbian Concerns. In October 2007, Greg was a part of the
volunteer Disaster Mental Health Team at Qualcomm Stadium, where
11,000 evacuees were housed during the San Diego wildfires.
97
Melinda Massie has begun an events planning business,
Melinda Massie Events and Consulting.
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00
A son, Mason William, was born November 30, 2007, to Brad and
Stephanie Palmer Bierman. The family lives in Frisco,
Texas. Stephanie is a director of admission, working regionally
in Dallas, for Austin College, where she has worked for six
years. Brad is a benefits and risk consultant for Homes Murphy
Associates in Dallas.
A daughter, Lainey Cathryn, was born April 24 to Ben and Abby
Hagan Harris. The family lives in Plano, Texas.
Tricia Holland and John Williams were married
September 2, 2007, at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in
Austin, Texas. The wedding party included Andi Taylor
’01, Leigh Wisner ’01 and Aron Bautista ’01.
Tricia and John live in Houston, Texas, where Tricia is a
special agent with the U.S. Secret Service and John is a
superintendent for Brighton Homes.
Gary Howell has completed a doctorate in clinical
psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in
Chicago, Illinois, and received a certificate in clinical
hypnosis and assessment. His dissertation was on assessing the
need for adjustments in scoring on the Rorschach Inkblot Test
with gay men. He is clinical director of a private,
psychologist-run psychiatric practice.
A son, Daniel Patrick, was born February 28, 2007, to Daniel
and Kelly Klotz Diaz. The family lives in Carrollton,
Texas.
A daughter, Hazel Jennie, was born March 8 to Stephen and
Allison Davis Stamatis. Big sister Lillian welcomed
Hazel home. The family lives in Weatherford, Texas. Allison
completed her doctorate in environmental science in December
2007.
01
A son, Rhett Blake, was born February 19 to Trey and Amanda
Smith Traweek.
02
Chaney Leigh Brown and Michael Scott Curran were
married April 26 at Wynne Chapel with Chet Haney of Parkside
Baptist Church in Denison officiating. The couple, who
honeymooned in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, lives in Sherman. Chaney
is employed by Sherman Independent School District and began
doctoral studies in supervision, curriculum, and instruction in
August. Scott is head boys basketball coach at Denison High
School.
Naomi “Omi” Kathryn Boggus and Robert L. Ford were
married January 19 at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in
Dallas. Officiating pastors were Steve Jester ’79 of St.
Philip Presbyterian
Church and Blair Monie,
senior pastor at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. The wedding
party included Britton Travis Varn ’03 and Stephanie
Allaire Flores ’02. Attendees included Paula Jonse
’02, Heather Graham ’02, Susan Brantley ’02,
Jennifer Frye ’02, Brandie Gould Means ’02, Jason
Means ’02, Stacy Smith ’02, Sarah Walker Kinard
’02, Matt Kinard ’02, Sarah Beatty Snyder ’04,
David Snyder ’02, Melinda Veatch ’85, John
Williams ’84, and Courtney Mullins ’10. The new
couple lives in Houston, Texas, where Omi teaches third grade in
the Spring Branch Independent School District and Robert works
as a recruiter for TEK Systems.
Geanna Day and Ryan Tubbs were married October 20,
2007, in Lubbock Texas. Alumni Leslie McCrary Siebenhausen,
Kayla Smiley ’05, Chris Siebenhausen, and
Amanda Smith Traweek ’01 attended and are pictured with the
bride.
03
Courtney Paige O’Neal is a public services librarian at
the School of Public Health Library at the University of Texas
Health Sciences Center at Houston.
Sarah Steward-Lindsey graduated with honors from the
University of Texas School of Law in May. Following completion
of the Texas Bar Examination, Sarah will join the Houston office
of Liskow & Lewis as a litigation associate. She and her
husband, Colin Lindsey ’01, celebrated their first wedding
anniversary May 26.
Beth Marie Terpolilli and Conor M. Teegarden were
married June 9, 2007, at the United States Air Force Academy in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. Beth is a third-year medical student
at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Conor is a captain in the United States Air Force. He is
stationed in Lakenheath, United Kingdom, where he is a weapons
system officer in a F-15E Strike Eagle. The couple lives in
Brandon, England.
04
Megan Desalee Brentzel and Leonard Mitchell Joyner II
were married May 24 in a garden ceremony at the ranch home of
the bride’s parents. Zach Heath served as a groomsman. Following
a honeymoon to Hawaii, the bride and groom make their home in
DuPont, Washington. Meg earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from the
University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, in May 2008.
Leo is a first lieutenant in the United States Army,
stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington.
Kathryn Kincaid and James Paul “JP” Goldsmith were
married September 22, 2007 in Fort Worth. Kathryn is the
daughter of Robert Kincaid ’74 and JP is the son of
Glen Goldsmith ’74. The wedding party included Emily
Kincaid Youngblood ’97, Kristin Orsak ’03, and
David Meacham ’04. The new couple lives in Fort Worth. JP is
an architecture student at University of Texas at Arlington and
a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing designer for Class One
Solutions, Inc. Kathryn is the membership and communications
coordinator for the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of
CPAs.
Cory McDowell graduated with honors May 12 from Texas
Tech School of Law with a doctorate of jurisprudence and a
Master’s in Financial Planning degree. Cory and his wife,
Jennifer (Whetsel), live in Midland, Texas, where Cory is an
attorney with Cotton Bledsoe Tighe & Dawson and Jennifer teaches
first grade at Burnett Elementary.
Sean D. Sweat graduated from MIT in April and began work
for Intel Corporation in Phoenix, Arizona, as a capital supply
chain engineer.
Happy Rahman is a first year associate at Austin law firm
Scanlan, Buckle & Young, where she is a general civil litigator.
She enrolled at Tulane University Law School and was very active
there, then transferred to the University of Texas Law School,
where she earned her J.D. in 2007. She was published in and
served as editor-in-chief of the Texas Environmental Law
Journal, the official publication of the State Bar of Texas,
Environmental and Natural Resources Section. Happy did bilingual
work as a student attorney in both the Children’s Rights Law
Clinic and the Community Development Law Clinic.
Sarah Russell and Jason Duff were married August 18,
2007, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas,
and were honored with a dinner dance at Old Red Courthouse.
Sarah is the daughter of Gary and Catherine Theall Russell
’77. The wedding party included Meghan Cardwell-Wilson,
Lindsay Arnott ’03, Josh George, and Travis
Redman. Many other Austin College alumni attended. The
couple honeymooned in Hawaii and now lives in McKinney, Texas.
Sarah graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in May
2007 and is an associate attorney with Wolfe, Tidwell, & McCoy
of Frisco, Texas. Jason graduated in May 2007 from Oklahoma City
University School of Law and practices law in the Dallas area.
Outstanding Medical Student in
Psychiatry
 Tanishia Choice
’04 was a co-recipient of the 2008 North Texas
Society of Psychiatric Physicians Award for the
Outstanding Medical Student in Psychiatry at University
of Texas Southwestern Medical School. The award is given
to a graduating medical student for “stellar clinical
work, strong leadership on campus regarding psychiatry
education, and commitment to community involvement in
the service of the mentally ill.”
This spring, Dr.
Choice undertook a research project in genetics,
studying causes of lung, breast, and colon cancer while
waiting for the July start of her residency in
psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical School. The intern
year of the four-year residency includes six months of
general medicine and six months of psychiatry so the
months ahead will include rotations in adult medicine,
pediatrics, neurology, and emergency room medicine as
well as psychiatry. Following completion of the
psychiatry residency, Dr. Choice plans to seek a
fellowship to
complete the additional two
years necessary for work in child psychiatry.
With training
completed, Dr. Choice wants to establish her own
practice in the Dallas area and/or participate in
academic medicine with UT Southwestern. She chose the
field of child psychiatry because during her rotation
through adult psychiatry, she found that many of the
adults’ illnesses and problems were rooted in childhood.
“I see child psychiatry as preventive medicine to stop
these illnesses from compounding,” Dr. Choice said.
A passion of Dr.
Choice is continuing efforts toward establishment of a
residency outreach program at UT Southwestern. She hopes
that when residents can volunteer in the community to
educate people about mental illness and reduce the
stigma associated, people will not be opposed to seeking
care. “We need to reduce the morbidity of mental illness
— which comes from a lack of adequate care,” she said.
“Dr. Choice has a
very rare combination of gifts — excelling in the
practice of science and remaining passionately rooted in
the problems of the communities she was raised within,”
said Dr. Adam Brenner, assistant professor of psychiatry
and director of medical student education. “I look
forward to watching Tanishia continue to pursue both
these missions — for research and for activism — with
great success during her residency.” |
05
Ana Guzman
received her Master of Business Administration degree from Texas
Woman’s University in May 2008.
Kimberly Lang and Elizabeth Sanberg were
married June 7 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Vancouver,
British Columbia. They honeymooned in Lake Louise and Banff,
Canada. Kimberly and Elizabeth live in Washington, D.C., where
Kimberly develops online communications and marketing strategies
for a nonprofit environmental organization, and Elizabeth does
research on policing issues.
Emily Richardson Owen graduated from Austin Presbyterian
Theological Seminary in May and received the Donald Capps Award
for pastoral care.
Megan Wald presented at the 2008 National Student
Research Forum in Galveston, Texas. Her research also received
third place honors at the University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Medical Student Research Day in
August 2007. Megan examined the effects of peripheral thermal
injury on brain architecture under the auspice of the UTHSCSA
Department of Neurosurgery. She is a medical student at UTHSCSA.
06
Alicia Heller
and Charles “Ahren” Simmons were
married March 1 in Houston, Texas. Colleen Walsh 07,
Christin Stinson ‘07, Melissa Levine ‘07, Lisa
Hoffman Loftice, and Jenni Pilsbury Johnson, former
Austin College residence life area coordinator, attended. The
couple lives in Manvel, Texas.
Sara C. Mitchell received a master’s degree in computer
science June 15 from the College of Engineering at The Leland
Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, California. She works
with Adobe, a software engineering firm in San Jose, and lives
in Santa Clara.
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Brandon Willard Honored in Business Study
 Brandon Willard ’05, a
2005 graduate of the MBA in Entrepreneurship program at the Acton
School of Business in Austin, Texas, was named Acton Alumnus of the
Year in May. The Brandon Willard Fellowship awarded this fall allows
an Acton student to attend tuition-free.
Brandon said the one-year,
100-hour-per-week program at Acton has three learning goals for
participants: how to learn, how to make money, and how to live a
life of meaning. “Austin College sent me to Acton with an
outstanding head start,” Brandon said.
After completing his MBA at
Acton, Brandon worked in marketing in the high-end network security
industry. After a year, he and three partners launched DisplayPoints,
an interactive advertising media product that delivers content at
casual restaurants. He has other plans that lean more toward social
entrepreneurship — starting for-profit companies with the specific
mission of serving an area of society in need on a long-term basis.
Brandon arrived at Austin
College planning a career in law, though he had an early start in
business — selling his drawings and lemonade in his yard at age 5,
among other ventures.
Involved with Young Life since
high school, his work with the group while at Austin College started
him toward an MBA program because of a need he saw in the group’s
business model. During a January Term course on Global Offshoring,
taught by Rebecca
Treuhaft Judis ’92, he met
Zach Lynde ’90 at an alumni reception. Lynde, an Acton alumnus suggested
Brandon look into the school’s entrepreneurial program, taught by
real entrepreneurs in a case study setting, as a means to pursue his
concerns for Young Life. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the new business takes
much of his time, but Brandon makes time to mentor a student at
Acton and still seeks ways to help Young Life, “an enormous passion
in my life.” He and his fiancé plan to marry in October 2009 and are
considering ways they will work together in support of their
community. “My family and close friends are the biggest influence on
my life,” Brandon said. “I have grown up with several business
owners in my family, and I have watched them run their businesses
while making their faith, family, and friends their highest
priority.”
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I N M E M O R I A
M
Austin College
has received word of the deaths of the following alumni.
’35 John L.
Faulkinberry
June 9, 2008
’41 Lawrence E.
Gilbert
August 8, 2008
’42 LeNoir Moore
May 30, 2008
’44 Betty Bernice
Lee Culy
May 31, 2008
’45 Carol Ivy
Dawson
April 14, 2008
’45 Hayden
Pittman
July 25, 2008
’47 Anna Elsie
Scott
April 20, 2008
’47 Joy Devault
Sory
August 20, 2008
’49 Robert H.
Lang
July 14, 2008
’50 James L.
Jackson
July 12, 2008
’53 William A.
Hodges
May 10, 2008
’54 Jorge Lara-Braud
June 22, 2008
’54 Joan McDonald
Haile
June 20, 2008
’57 Joseph
Halstead Dwinnell
June 16, 2008
’57 John Jacob
Egbert
July 12, 2008
’57 Carol Dozier
Sprinkel Fritze
July 5, 2008
’61 Virginia Rene
Perdue Hinkley
June 30, 2008
’61 Carl E.
Snider
July 27, 2008
’66 Phoebe Anne
Lester Corry
June 14, 2008
’69 Jo Ann Evans
June 7, 2008
’72 Pamela Elley
Colley
August 14, 2008
’83 Dylan Paul
Thomas
April 8, 2008 |
Austin College Mourns Loss of Senior Trustees
 Philip Coldwell
of Dallas, Texas, died May 26. A graduate of the
University of Illinois, he earned a Ph.D. in economics and finance
at the University of Wisconsin. His education was interrupted by
service during World War II as a U.S. Navy F65 Hellcat pilot in the
Pacific. Coldwell taught at universities in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Montana, and Louisiana before beginning a career with the Federal
Reserve System. He held several positions before becoming president
of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank in 1968. He was nominated in 1974
by President Gerald Ford to serve on the seven-member Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Confirmed by the U.S.
Senate, Coldwell spent the next 18 years in Washington, D.C. Upon
retiring from the Board, he formed an international consulting firm,
Coldwell Financial Consultants, and was a frequent speaker within
the banking industry. Coldwell and his wife, Norma Abels Coldwell,
returned to Dallas in 1992. He was an active member of Park Cities
Presbyterian Church. He and his wife celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary in June 2007. Coldwell joined the Austin College
Board of Trustees in June 1977. He served as a member of the Senior
Board until his death.
 William Wheat Collins Jr.,
95, of Fort Worth, Texas, died June 29. A graduate of the University
of North Texas, he later studied at Johns Hopkins University and
earned degrees at the Maxwell School of Public Administration at
Syracuse University and the Southwest School of Banking at SMU. His
career included public school teaching and band direction, military
service, and government service, culminating in his appointment as
regional administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. After retiring from federal service, Collins pursued
interests in banking, oil and gas, real estate, and ranching. He was
a member of University Christian Church. Collins served on the Board
of Trustees at Austin College from 1981 to 1993 and on the Senior
Board until his death. His involvement with Austin College began
through his wife, Margaret Binkley Collins ’36, and ranged
from board service to philanthropy to Dixie Land band performances
for Homecoming. He and Margaret, married 55 years before her death
in 2002, were awarded Austin College’s Toddie Lee Wynne Award in
1996 for significant contributions to advancement of the College.
Longtime Austin College
supporter Charlotte Russell Spears of Sherman died June 20,
2008.
A scholarship has been
established in the name of Eric Sorenson ’11 who died in
April. The Eric Sorenson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded each
spring to a student at Austin College or an area high school.
Contributions may be made to the fund through American Bank of
Texas.
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Board of Trustees
CHAIR
Robert M. Johnson ’53, McLean, Virginia
VICE CHAIR
Richard J. Agnich, Dallas, Texas
TRUSTEES
John Q. Adams, Jr. ’84, Southlake, Texas
Margaret Allison, San Antonio, Texas
John M. Andersen ’66, Dallas, Texas
Jerry E. Apple ’60, Irving, Texas
Lee Dean Ardell ’74, Houston, Texas
James D. Baskin III ’75, Austin, Texas
Laura Dies Campbell ’73, Austin, Texas
Jacqueline R. Cooper ’73, Oakton, Virginia
Linda Morris Elsey, Fort Worth, Texas
F. R. “Buck” Files ’60, Tyler, Texas
Georgina Fisher ’69, Severna Park, Maryland
Rebecca Moseley Gafford ’72, Dallas, Texas
Donald Gibson ’75, Houston, Texas
Dennis E. Gonier ’83, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Thomas Hall, Jr. ’78, Colleyville, Texas
Mary Ann Stell Harris ’70, Fort Worth, Texas
Charles Hendricks ’61, The Woodlands, Texas
Kelly Hiser, Sherman, Texas
M. Steve Jones, Sherman, Texas
Sharon S. King, Richardson, Texas
Jeffrey Landsberg ’81, Dallas, Texas
Luan Beaty Mendel ’75, Palo Verdes, California
Steven M. Mobley, Austin, Texas
Wes Moffett ’82, Dallas, Texas
Samuel S. Moore ’64, Dallas, Texas
Jo Ann Geurin Pettus, Graham, Texas
Davis B. Price ’67, Lubbock, Texas
Fazlur Rahman, San Angelo, Texas
Annadele H. Ross ’66, Dallas, Texas
John Serhant, Denison, Texas
Caroline Elbert Taylor ’66, Wyalusing, Pennsylvania
Jesse R. Thomas ’74, Sherman, Texas
Linda Plummer Ward ’78, Nashville, Tennessee
William E. Warren ’74, Plano, Texas
Todd A. Williams ’82, Dallas, Texas
Stanley M. Woodward, Dallas, Texas
Michael G. Wright, Dallas, Texas
Robert J. Wright, Dallas, Texas
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September 2008
Feedback? |
 The parallels between
Annadele “Ann” Holm Ross ’66 and one of her ancestors run deeper
than bloodlines. Ann is a sixth generation Texas native descended
from the famous Texas pioneering Austin family. (Emily would be her
great-great-great-great grandmother.) Emily and Ann have walked
ironically similar paths: both facing the challenges of young
widowhood, managing their family’s estates, investing their time and
resources into education and community philanthropy, and being
supportive of Austin College. Ann graduated from Austin College in
1966 and moved to Dallas to work for the Dallas Public Library. She
met and married Daniel Ross in Dallas, but when she was 30, he died.
“I had new duties after my husband died,” said Ross, who decided to
obtain a master’s of business administration degree from Southern
Methodist University to assist her in performing these new tasks.
Her career path included work in the banking industry and helping
establish the Dallas Women’s Foundation — serving as its president
in the ‘90s — until she decided to manage her own property, a timber
operation on her late husband’s East Texas farm and real estate in
Dallas. Ann’s work with the Dallas Women’s Foundation was a special
interest in her life. “The Dallas Women’s Foundation was attempting
to educate women about their money and money management, which I
think is really important for women’s ability to be independent,”
she said. Ann expanded her already active involvement in civic
service when accepting the invitation to join the Austin College
Board of Trustees and maintain formal family ties to the
institution.
“My education concerns are
similar to Emily Margaret’s in the sense that I believe we need
critical thinkers for the challenges in the state and nation,” Ann
said. “I believe Austin College is ideally suited to educate people
with those interdisciplinary critical thinking skills as it has for
generations.” Ann believes the Austin College Board of Trustees may
need a little of Emily’s pioneer spirit to face challenges close to
home like building a new science building and finding a new college
president, not to mention meeting the broader challenges in the
world. “We must continue to move the College to an excellent future
most of us may not fully understand at present,” she said. “We have
to employ everyone’s abilities. We all have to be visionaries like
Emily Margaret Austin was to get Austin College where it needs to
be.”
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