Spring 2022 Wesleyan Magazine

SPRING 2022

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T E X A S W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

ROOT FOR ROOT FOR THE THE SEE HOW THE KAREN CRAMER STADIUM CAN CREATE NEW COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

HOME TEAM PAGE 1 4

A YOUNG HEART SPARKS FIRE Scholarship boosts student’s mission for bilingual education PAGE

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VISION DOWN THE FIELD Gift builds momentum for TXWES athletics PAGE

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RAMS IN FOCUS

Willie the Ram led the ceremonial ribboncutting on Oct. 29, 2021, for the Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia opening of its new Simulation Center.

The ceremony was attended by university community members, donors, Fort Worth community leaders and GPNA professionals, including retired faculty member Roderick Reinke, Ph.D. Read more in News & Events on page 5.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

A NEW FIELD OF PLAY Our vision for a new stadium connects our community to so much more than athletics

Dear Alumni and Friends, The energy a new stadium can bring to our Polytechnic Heights neighborhood is almost too far-reaching to measure – you can imagine the crowds strolling through campus, grabbing a cup of coffee and reconnecting with Texas Wesleyan University in a way they’ve never been able to before.

This is a major step forward in our story as a university and a powerful reminder of the connections we can make for good in our community.

The Spring 2022 issue of Wesleyan makes that vision easier to see as we move into an exciting new era. It is obvious that we are looking at a revitalized East Rosedale Street. Leaders like Karen Cramer and Moritz Dealerships share their connection to our mission. You, too, play a vital role in this project. You’ll find an in-depth look at the proposed stadium and our vision for community revitalization around Texas Wesleyan’s historic campus.

A new stadium will be a hub for our community and continue the economic revitalization that has already made a clear and measurable impact along the southside of our campus with an art gallery, a coffee shop, a business accelerator, and the new student housing development The Rosedale.

This stadium will encompass our “Smaller. Smarter.” philosophy and will meet the needs of not only our studentathletes, but within the Polytechnic community. It will be a resource that allows young people to grow, to stretch and to push themselves farther than they could ever imagine.

Thank you for your continued support of Texas Wesleyan.

We hope you can visit our expanding campus soon.

May God bless you and may God bless Texas Wesleyan.

SPRING 2022

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T E X A S W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

ON THE COVER A rendering for the Karen Cramer Stadium shows a glimpse of a new era of athletic excellence at Texas Wesleyan.

ROOT FOR ROOT FOR THE THE SEE HOW THE KAREN CRAMER STADIUM CAN CREATE NEW COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

HOME TEAM PAGE 1 4

Read more on page 14.

Frederick G. Slabach President Texas Wesleyan University

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Illustration by Shelly Jackman

A YOUNG HEART SPARKS FIRE Scholarship boosts student’s mission for bilingual education PAGE

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VISION DOWN THE FIELD Gift builds momentum for TXWES athletics PAGE

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SPRING 2022

FEATURES 12

A YOUNG HEART SPARKS FIRE Scholarship boosts student’s mission for bilingual education

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ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM See how a new stadium unites our community

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VISION DOWN THE FIELD Gift builds momentum for TXWES athletics

DEPARTMENTS 4

NEWS & EVENTS Latest news and social media

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MOVERS & SHAKERS Bruce Benz lights up critical thinking pathways in students’ minds

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SPORTS REPORT TXWES athletics made a lasting impact on Rachel Loftin Whaley ’05

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ALUMNI Ronnie McManus has generational impact, class notes, remembrances and more

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LAST WORD Mason Johnson’s impact and legacy on Dallas-Fort Worth theatre

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PRESIDENT Frederick G. Slabach

COPY EDITOR Janna Franzwa Canard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shannon Lamberson

TEXAS WESLEYAN STAFF Jerri Schooley, vice president for advancement

EDITOR Darren White MBA ’16

LANGUAGE SPEAKS Patsy Robles-Goodwin, director for bilingual/ESL programs, is working with students like Dayami Vera and dedicated community members to close the Texas education system’s bilingual educator gap.

DESIGN Shelly Jackman D. White & Company PHOTOGRAPHY Braidon Clemence

OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS 817-531-4404 817-531-7560 FAX txwes.edu/alumni CONTACT US wesleyan@txwes.edu 817-531-5817

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rick Mauch Derek Reeves

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

Elaine Agather honored at 2021 Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame Agather recognized for commitment to next generation of business leaders Chic. Smart. Tough. Energetic. Perfectionist. Unstoppable.

John C. Goff, founder and chairman of Crescent Real Estate, Goff Capital, Canyon Ranch and Contango Oil & Gas said those words are how people would describe Elaine B. Agather, managing director of the Central U.S. for J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Fort Worth’s 2021 Business Executive of the Year. Agather was honored at the 51st Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame reception, held Nov. 16, 2021, at Dickies Arena.

Goff helped introduce Agather who he described as “my friend for many years, my partner and my banker.”

“It’s hard to live in North Texas and not know Elaine and her involvement and impact on our broader community,” Goff said. “No one can outwork Elaine. No one. She’s ever-present.”

Agather was also recognized for her commitment to the next generation of business leaders: a commitment that Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick G. Slabach described after she spoke with students during an on-campus visit in October at the Nick and Lou Martin University Center.

“In addition to her genuine and approachable nature, she offered our students wise and real-world advice as to how they should prepare for life after college,” Slabach said.

Part of Agather’s visit included lunch with university friends. Her schedule ran a few minutes behind because she was spending time connecting with each student who wanted to speak with her, a line that stretched all the way to the door of Paul and Judy Andrews Hall.

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“Elaine had her priorities straight, giving intentional, individualized attention to every single student upon whom she had obviously made a memorable impact,” said Slabach.

After being officially honored, Agather took the stage and recognized the Business Hall of Fame’s mission of informing, supporting and educating youth, saying in part that “the importance of education is something that never changes.

It is freedom. It is opportunity. It is empowerment. It gives us choices. It’s a job and it changes lives. It sure changed my life.”

This year’s Business Hall of Fame raised a record $500,000 toward funding the Thomas H. Law Scholarship, ensuring that future outstanding undergraduate business students are recognized for excelling in the classroom.

Agather also described how she thought moving to Fort Worth would be a temporary career move but ended up falling in love with the city and its people. Here, she learned how to be a leader and a great banker.

“They also taught me that to be a great business leader, you have a responsibility to the community. You need to care about it, and you need to give back.”

She ended the night by challenging the audience to train, teach and pass on their knowledge to the business leaders that will follow in their footsteps.

“Let’s all continue to brace the next generation of leaders by passing on what we have learned over the years. Leaders do not grow in isolation. It’s all about educating that next generation and helping open the gates for them. And if we do it right, they will be better than we were.”

GPNA celebrates Simulation Center expansion and renovation

Assistant professor earns award for professional advocacy

Launching CRNA careers from a new space

Dr. Jose Castillo earns Ira P. Gunn Award for Outstanding Professional Advocacy

The Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia celebrated the opening of its new Simulation Center with a ribboncutting ceremony attended by university community members, donors, Fort Worth community leaders and GPNA professionals on Oct. 29, 2021.

After the ribbon-cutting, guests were treated to tours of the new facility, which features three expanded simulated operating rooms, a simulation control room and renovations to both the student lounge area and restroom facilities.

“We’re here to celebrate this wonderful new space and to express our excitement about our ability to continue to provide critically needed nurse anesthetists for the health care profession,” Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick G. Slabach said.

Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees Chairman Glenn Lewis ’81 and GPNA Program Director Terri Kane MHS ’99, DNAP ’15, also spoke at the event.

“From this building each year,” Lewis said, “we launch the careers of 100 certified registered nurse anesthetists, right here from Polytechnic Heights.”

Fundraising for the effort began in May 2019. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, half of the $2 million for the project had been raised, leaving the remainder to be raised during the pandemic. The final dollar came in the door in July 2021, two months after construction started.

“This renovation has had such an incredible impact not only on our current students but also on our future students,” said Kane. “The ability to simulate critical thinking and physical skills in our Simulation Center improves patient care, safety and student confidence in transitioning from the classroom to the OR.” Because classes are scheduled August through May, construction had to be contained to only the summer months. It was a tight deadline, but GPNA faculty and staff were allowed to move back in a week before classes started in August.

“The changes that have occurred here are just awesome,” Roderick Reinke, retired GPNA professor and program director as well as the namesake of the Roderick Reinke Ph.D. GPNA Lecture Hall, said. “Almost to the point that I would like to be back here working and teaching the nurse anesthesia students again. It was the highlight of my professional career and the folks here have done a wonderful job of providing a top-notch facility.”

In August, assistant professor of Texas Wesleyan’s Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia Dr. Jose Castillo was awarded the Ira P. Gunn Award by the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

The award demonstrates outstanding professional advocacy and is usually given to an individual who exemplifies the values and perseverance of the past president of AANA, whom the award is named after.

Castillo sees the accomplishment as inspirational, not only for the lasting impact that it leaves on GPNA, but also for the students who are enrolled and invested in the program.

As a certified registered nurse anesthetist himself, Castillo understands the importance of helping students achieve their goal to become certified in nurse anesthesia.

“We are helping all our students realize their dream and at the same time, we are providing this capable, competent, proficient certified registered nurse anesthetist or nurse anesthesiologist to the communities that really need them,” he said.

Castillo is also the president of the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and said that a lot of the work that got him to win the award was thanks to his team in Florida and their push for legislation as an independent practice.

Associate program director and assistant professor Dr. Tito Tubog recounted some of the highlights of Castillo’s efforts that made him noteworthy of being nominated for the award.

“Dr. Castillo worked with the Florida Department of Health to identify a lead CRNA in each Florida county to determine the needs of the community,” Tubog said. “When there were issues with the need for ventilators for people with severe COVID who were struggling to breathe, he coordinated a lot of that stuff.”

Tubog said the Texas Wesleyan GPNA is very honored that Castillo got the award, because it is a national award, and anesthesia providers look at previous awardees in the U.S. “I just want the community to know that we have somebody who is on our campus that has obtained a national award that talks about legal battles with the practice that we have and the rights to practice,” Tubog said.

Program director and associate professor Dr. Terri Kane said the award reinforces Castillo’s students and colleagues in their charge to use their skills for the greater good. “This award is about advocacy and reaching out. It’s about helping the public.

That’s one of the things we should be called to as nurses and nurse anesthetists, but it’s also something that we should be called to just as human beings, that we try to help other people,” Kane said.

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

Lou Martin makes gift to renovate Martin Hall sound and lighting Gift upgrades event experience for TXWES Trustee and longtime benefactor Lou Martin HON ’03 has committed $265,000 to upgrade the lighting and sound systems in Nicholas Martin Hall, the university’s performance hall named after Lou’s husband of 43 years, Nicholas Martin HON ’03, who died in 2021.

Martin Hall is the university’s main event space, hosting concerts, convocations, guest lectures and other university-wide presentations.

Originally built in 1909 as part of Polytechnic United Methodist Church, Martin Hall was renamed in 20012002 after the Martins provided the lead gift in the Fine Arts Building Restoration project.

“Musicians from all over the world are often fascinated by the acoustic capacity of Martin Hall,” Ilka Araujo, associate professor of music and chair of the music department, said. “Lou Martin’s generous gift will allow our music program to continue offering first-rate performances and to better connect with the community, including attracting future Rams.”

Nick and Lou Martin have one of the most generous legacies in the history of Texas Wesleyan. Their leadership and philanthropy have made possible the Baker-Martin House, Martin Field, Nicholas Martin Hall, Lou’s Place and the Martin University Center, among other projects.

“Lou Martin is the epitome of university leadership,” President Frederick G. Slabach said. “She attends every campus event she can, gives of her time and her resources, and has poured a significant part of her life into this institution. Without Lou, this university would not be what it is today.”

Lou’s service on the Board of Trustees follows a family legacy. Her grandfather, James B. Baker, served on the board from 1895 to 1912, and her father, Edward L. Baker, served from 1945 to 1969. Thanks to Lou, both of their portraits hang in the Martin University Center.

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Opal Lee receives honorary degree at Goostree Symposium Grandmother of Juneteenth speaks at Martin University Center On Thursday, Oct. 28, Texas Wesleyan hosted the Goostree Symposium’s speaker for 2021, Ms. Opal Lee, at the Martin University Center Ballroom.

Lee is famous for having walked from her home, at the age of 90, in Fort Worth to the White House in Washington, D.C. to ask President Barack Obama to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

The grandmother of Juneteenth, Black rights activist leader and board member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation will soon earn yet another achievement with the installment of the National Juneteenth Museum in her hometown of Fort Worth. However, Ms. Opal Lee said her biggest achievement was having four beautiful children.

In June 2021, Lee stood alongside President Joe Biden as he signed the law and was given the pen he used to sign it with.

“Have you ever heard of the Holy Grail?” she said. “I was just delighted. I was humble. But I don’t really know how to express it, I was just really awed.”

At the end of her speech, Lee participated in a questionand-answer session with Stacia Campbell, associate professor of English. Then Lee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. ‘Dr. Lee’ was shocked. “Oh wow! I don’t know what to say! And I know you don’t want me dancing up here,” Lee joked.

Julian Schlesinger, field representative for Congressman Marc Veasey ’95, said the event was wonderful, and it was the first time he had ever heard her life story in real life.

“I do think a lot of people need to know who Ms. Opal Lee is and what she is standing for and what she has done over the past several decades,” Schlesinger said. “She has done a lot. I’m just ready to see where all of this will go in the future.”

Angela Dampeer wins first Diversity and Inclusion Award

TXWES brings home four golds for “Smaller. Smarter.”

New award aligns with 2025 strategic plan

Marketing department brings home more gold

As we launch our new Engage 2025 Strategic Plan, which highlights the importance of enhancing diversity, inclusion and civic responsibility, we also begin the annual Diversity and Inclusion Award. This award symbolizes our appreciation for a faculty or staff member who shows a commitment to underrepresented communities through service, programming, scholarship or research.

“Angela has been integral to creating and supporting a campus with a focus on fairness, celebrating diversity, supporting inclusion and encouraging others to do the same along the way,” Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick G. Slabach said. “Not only has she completed her doctoral dissertation titled ‘African American Male Undergraduate Students’ Perception of Campus Racial Climate at a Predominately White Private Religiously Affiliated Higher Education Institution,’ but Angela was also a champion of the creation of the Texas Wesleyan Diversity and Inclusion Council and, through the council, has been able to facilitate critical conversations on our campus around race, power and privilege.”

Dampeer accepted the award with a challenge.

“I challenge myself and each of us standing in this room today to be the light,” Dampeer, associate vice president of human resources, said. “Shine bright in your specific area and in collective collaboration for the world to see that Texas Wesleyan University is committed, in work and deed, to enriching all of our students, with their myriad diverse backgrounds, to impact the world for the greater good.”

Texas Wesleyan is keeping up with its (blue and) gold standard of marketing excellence.

TXWES earned six awards — four gold and two silver — in the ninth annual Education Digital Marketing Awards.

GOLD AWARD WINNERS • Rams Return COVID Response Campaign • MBA Commercial — “Jessica” • Leadership Academy Network Teacher Residency Social Ads • “Smaller. Smarter.” Giving Days Social Video

The MBA Commercial — “Darnel,” along with the redesign of the Student Life and Campus Living webpages earned silver awards.

“Texas Wesleyan’s Smaller. Smarter. campus is unlike any other. Our marketing campaign tells the story of big scholarships, intentionally small classes and oneon-one attention that continues to resonate with more students year after year, as evidenced by this fall’s first-year class, our largest since 1997,” Alan Liebrecht, vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications, said. “Our talented team has created memorable ads that make TXWES stand out in the minds of not just the award selection committee, but of our most important judges — the students who choose us as the home for their education.”

View the full list of winners at txwes.edu/mbawinners

Faculty members honored for service to education The statewide award is for exemplary faculty practices Two Texas Wesleyan School of Education faculty members have gained statewide praise for their service to education.

Professor of education Patsy Robles-Goodwin and associate professor of education Elizabeth Ward were recognized at the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education Fall Teacher Education Conference awards dinner on Oct. 10 in San Marcos.

Robles-Goodwin was nominated for the Exemplary Faculty Practices Award for her work with teachers of English language learners. Ward was presented with the Ben E. Coody

Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Association of Teacher Educators for her service to the association and her impact on state educational policy.

“Both Robles-Goodwin and Ward are not only key leaders at the university, but critical leaders in their fields and in Texas,” Carlos Martinez, dean of the School of Education, said. “They have made, and continue to make, major contributions to policy that impact public school students all over the state. They are excellent instructors who are dedicated to the development of effective and committed teachers.”

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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NEWS & EVE NTS

Former student fights COVID-19 misinformation in internship Graduate on mission to increase COVID-19 vaccine rates in new internship

A Texas Wesleyan alumna is in the middle of the fight against COVID-19 misinformation and will be getting some help thanks to a prestigious honor.

Ana Aleksandric ’20, a TXWES computer science graduate and current doctoral student and researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington, is just one of two recipients of the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) Scholars Informatics Internship. The one-year position will help enhance her knowledge of health informatics and related skills.

“Health informatics is becoming even more important now because of the pandemic,” Aleksandric said in UTA’s announcement of the achievement. “Collecting data only from hospitals is not enough to understand what is happening at the community level.”

In her research, Aleksandric has been examining where COVID-19 vaccination misinformation and disinformation are likely to occur. As a TIGER intern, she hopes to build on that research by providing information that will increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S. and help people find accurate healthrelated resources.

“When we put this data together, it allows public health advocates to gain the knowledge needed to intervene against misinformation and assist the public in making fully informed health care decisions,” Aleksandric said.

“As her former professor at Texas Wesleyan, I am so proud of Ana’s achievements at UTA as a doctoral student. Ana was one of the best students in our computer science program. She always exceeded expectations with her quality work,” Yukong Zhang, professor of computer science, said.

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Texas Wesleyan welcomes largest first-year class since 1997 Smaller. Smarter. promise resonates with undergraduate students In fall 2021, the university had its largest first-year enrollment since 1997 as it welcomed 382 first-year students, an increase of 53% from 2020.

This increase was in stark contrast to the reported 4.9% drop in the nation’s undergraduate enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities reported by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center in June 2021. While nationwide trends generally show college enrollment declining, Texas Wesleyan’s small community approach and individual attention from professors may be exactly what this new generation of college students wants, and even expects, from their institution of higher learning.

“While Texas Wesleyan’s campus may have seen significant changes in the past 10 years, with more than $50 million in capital improvements to the campus and surrounding neighborhood, its focus on individual attention has stayed steadfast,” President Frederick G. Slabach said. “It has always been this intentionally small school’s philosophy that one-onone attention develops the critical thinking, analytical reasoning and creative problem-solving skills needed to create successful leaders. Leaders that can navigate the difficult problems of our future.”

In 2019, Texas Wesleyan adjusted its scholarship program to a simple structure with big rewards.

A designated Hispanic-serving institution with predominantly first-generation college students, Texas Wesleyan increased its merit awards to bring more opportunities for underrepresented students to afford a private school education with personal attention.

“University enrollment is determined by a multitude of factors,” Alan Liebrecht, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications, said.

“After joining Texas Wesleyan in December 2020, I could see that this small school was doing so many things right, starting with giving a quality education to a high-need population. The Texas Wesleyan community works every day to deliver a “Smaller.

Smarter.” experience, and l think prospective students see the value of being a name, not a number, and the effect that can have on their future.”

Brick Dedication Ceremony and Memorial Honor Roll brings TXWES community together and honors lives lost

S O C I A L C H AT T E R

Texas Wesleyan University celebrates the installment of the newest bricks in the Donor Brick Walkway and commemorates lost lives of the TXWES community.

President Frederick G. Slabach welcomed the attendees of the 2021 Brick Dedication Ceremony and Memorial Honor Roll to the donor brick walkway in front of the Eunice and James L. West Library on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.

The event, hosted by the Texas Wesleyan Office of Advancement, represented current student reflections by Kennedy Cedillo, which was followed by alumni reflections from current Alumni Association Board President Eric Montoya ’07 M.Ed. ’15.

The event continued with the 2021 memorial honor roll, a new element beginning in 2019. The names of all recently deceased Texas Wesleyan students, faculty, staff, alumni, leadership and friends were read by Quentin McGown ’79 JD ’00 and Cedillo, followed by a moment of silence and the ringing of the memorial golden bell, provided by Meadowbrook-Poly United Methodist Church. As each name was read, family and friends stood in their memory until the memorial bell had been rung. Dr. Gladys Childs, university chaplain, dean of Freshman Success and associate professor of religion, concluded the event with a memorial prayer, and President Slabach closed the event with a short speech.

Douglas Spellman, supervisor of the mailroom and copier center, started at Wesleyan in 1983 and retired January 2022. “It’s the family and the people here that make this university what it is,” Spellman said.

Spellman lost his mother, Dorothy Spelmon, in July 2021. He said that a few TXWES colleagues had purchased a memorial brick to be placed at the ceremony in her name. His only request was that his own brick be placed next to hers. Donor bricks are a part of the university’s annual giving program and are offered to donors with total giving to the university within a year that reaches a certain threshold.

“To be a permanent part of the university is indeed a great honor. My grandkids and my great grandkids and relatives – they can come and find both of our names right there together and that is an honor and a privilege,” Spellman said.

Jorge Vivar ’76 is now a donor, but his past with Texas Wesleyan makes him want to give back. When he finally moved to Dallas-Fort Worth from Peru, his plans changed from going to study at the University of Lima for medicine to coming to Texas Wesleyan and looking into opportunities with business and travel.

“I came here and had to learn English and the courses were difficult,” he said. “But I like business, traveling and languages. So, I pursued a career in international trade. I got a degree in management and business administration in 1976. Texas Wesleyan has been very important.”

Since graduating, Vivar has worked in international commerce and trade, working with distributors, flying overseas, and developing the program so that international countries can be successful. He had been president of the Alumni Association for the past two years.

“So, [having previously been president] has given me the opportunity to not only come back, but also to give back to this magnificent institution that we love so much,” Vivar said. “That’s why I continue to participate and help as much as I can as a member of the Alumni Association.”

@marcveasey So glad to see @potus at this year’s #congressionalbaseballgame.

I’m counting on my awesome new #goodluckcharm for the next many years to come! Let’s gooooo!

@txwessga Look at some of our Reps. at the Destress before the Test event, getting ready for finals! Good luck on exams Rams!

@txwesalumni Thanks for an amazing Homecoming Weekend, RAMily! #txwes

FOLLOW US @TEXASWESLEYAN TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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M OV E R S & S H A K E R S

Justin De Leon ’21 (left) and Robert McManus ’21 (right) discuss the biology research they are continuing to pursue as medical students.

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The Climate Crisis Under A Microscope BRUCE BENZ LIGHTS UP CRITICAL THINKING PATHWAYS IN HIS STUDENTS’ MINDS – AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCES THAT OPEN DOORS

It’s a Texas winter morning, but Bruce Benz – professor of biology and one of Texas Wesleyan’s longest-serving professors – is already fired up. He’s talking about conservation, climate change, and the future his students are surveying as they graduate.

He cites the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s estimate that 2,800 acres of Texas prairie is gobbled up every year for development – habitat killers like strip malls and poorly planned housing developments. “It can’t get any more important than right now,” Benz said, “I am challenging my students to think about the reality ahead.”

The hard numbers can be staggering: The World Wildlife Fund reported in 2020 that wildlife populations had declined by 68% since 1970. “No one is paying for the cost of these lost organisms,” Benz said.

“With extinction comes a loss of diversity.”

With research experience like his – he’s an Indiana Jones-like traveling researcher who has hopped across the Western Hemisphere and is often cited in conservation biology research – it’s impossible to ignore the interconnectedness of humans and the physical world. Those connections drive his work growing strong, diverse intellectual communities.

He and Chitra Chandrasekaran, associate professor of biology, started at Texas Wesleyan about a year apart more than 25 years ago.

Since then, they have pushed students to connect their academic pursuits with their personal passions. Many Texas Wesleyan biology students plan to attend medical school after graduating; but going deeper into graduate or professional school means navigating the complex world of academic research and publishing. Benz and Chandrasekaran created a vital head start into their program with

undergraduate research that has students studying urgent topics, attending professional conferences, and even sharing bylines with their professors.

The students understand the value of their dedication – and remember it.

Robert McManus ’21 now works as a research assistant in a lab that studies Parkinson’s disease at UNT Health Science Center. He’s still collaborating with Benz on many conservation biology projects he worked on as a student at Texas Wesleyan.

White rosinweed (Silphium albiflorum), an endemic flora found mostly in Central Texas, has been a major focus for Benz’s research.

McManus and Benz are working together to register white rosinweed on The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, the most comprehensive inventory of its kind. They’ve also presented at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Beta Beta Beta (the biology honor society), and they are preparing to publish more research analysis soon. The research is data-driven and granular, but McManus said it reaffirms the scientific concept that “more diversity, in general, is a good thing for biological systems – and all systems – for resilience.”

McManus, like Benz, carries an ambitious research load, but he loves how often he finds himself lost in the work. “It’s fun for me,” McManus said. “Granted, [research can be stressful], but I find myself more stressed when I’m not doing something, because I think of what I could be doing. The cool thing about science is that science makes you think more deeply about philosophy.”

Benz is ever the realist – his research is sounding alarm bells about the future – but he’s far from a pessimist. Like McManus, he sees the philosophical link between resilient, diverse communities in nature and education.

“Silphium is endemic, or found in a certain area,” Benz said. “I look back at my career at Texas Wesleyan and see I have some endemic qualities, too.”

TXWES.EDU | Wesleyan

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M OV E R S & S H A K E R S

Dayami Vera (left) and Patsy Robles-Goodwin, director for bilingual/ESL programs

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A Young A g n u o Y ra t e H Heart Sparks Sp s k ra e r i F Fire THE SUPPORT OF DEDICATED FACULTY – AND A SCHOLARSHIP – LETS DAYAMI VERA PURSUE PURPOSE IN HER PROFESSION

Dayami Vera, junior bilingual education major, was sitting in class with her professor and mentor Patsy Robles-Goodwin, professor of education and director for bilingual/ ESL programs, when she was struck by lightning.

Well, not real lightning, but metaphorical lightning – that “aha” moment Texas Wesleyan is so good at creating.

“She showed us a movie called Walkout, and it was about the [1968] East Los Angeles walkouts – when Chicano students weren’t allowed to speak Spanish in the school [and advocated for reforms],” Vera said.

“Ever since I learned about it, I’ve talked about diversity and inclusion more and more.”

The movie hit home because Vera is from California and is a first-generation college student. California Proposition 227 effectively ended bilingual classes in many cases. “I was giving my mom a tough time before that,” said Vera, who was struggling without access to bilingual classes. “I didn’t know she didn’t have the option.”

Opportunities like the Rebecca and Jon Brumley Scholarship are vital to providing bilingual education to people like Vera at Texas Wesleyan. Since the Brumleys started offering bilingual scholarships in 2016, 39 bilingual education majors have received their support, including Vera.

In addition to her schoolwork, Vera works at Corner Bakery and then a night shift at Amazon.

“These summer classes are 16 weeks compacted into a month, so it gets pretty complex,” Vera said. “Because of the scholarship, I was able to not worry about picking up extra shifts.”

The scholarship covers the gap in financial aid for bilingual education students who, like Vera, often take summer session courses to reach their degree plan and deepen their language skills. The recipients receive not only scholarship support, but mentorship from Rebecca Brumley, who meets the recipients each year and encourages continuous communication.

Bilingual education is a focus of the School of Education. In addition to the Brumleys’ support, Robles-Goodwin is running a $2 million five-year

grant from the U.S. Department of Education to recruit, train and place bilingual students in urban settings.

That’s not easy work, and RoblesGoodwin devotes enormous amounts of time outside of the classroom helping students make connections that will allow them to clear the many hurdles that come with becoming a bilingual teacher – certifications, job interview training and connections can be just as important as the schoolwork. Not to mention getting up to speed in an education environment that both desperately needs these instructors – yet makes getting the skills needed to thrive so difficult.

Vera finds the support of Brumley, Robles-Goodwin, School of Education Dean Carlos Martinez and her classmates motivating – she channels positive energy into personal growth and inspiration. She was inspired by her sister, a Texas Wesleyan graduate, who encouraged her to do the same. Her sister is completing her master’s from another institution soon, and the two hope to graduate at the same time. “[Brumley] takes a direct interest in the students, and the students recognize that,” Martinez said. “That’s the difference between funding a gift and making a commitment. She is committed to these students – and who they are becoming.”

Her experiences have motivated Vera to become the bilingual teacher she never had growing up – and she says she’s taking it all in like a sponge.

“Dayami in class is like a kid in a candy shop,” Robles-Goodwin said. “She’s smart and unique – she’s a hard worker and has this positive energy that brings so much to class.”

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ROOT FOR FOR THE ROOT THE Texas Wesleyan’s student-athletes have made a name for the university across Texas and beyond. Now the university wants to give them a homecoming like no other — a new athletics stadium.

HOME TEAM

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Texas Wesleyan is getting pretty good at connecting big plays — all the way down the field.

The university – which brought football back in 2017 – has been in forward motion for more than a decade with a revitalized Rosedale Street, new clock tower, business accelerator, art gallery, community counseling center, the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Martin University Center, and The Rosedale student housing development.

Those are just a few of the major plays the university made in the last few years that transformed its Polytechnic Heights home into a hub for critical thinking and inquiry in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Now the university is planning to build a home to support its long tradition of sports excellence. An athletics stadium, yes, but like the

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university it serves, one that is smaller and smarter – a hub for teamwork and cooperation that rubs shoulders with its neighbors in inclusion, and access. A common ground for community excellence.

Ricky Dotson, athletic director, says leveraging the university’s collective athletics power will echo far beyond the bleachers – this is an activation project.

“When we build an athletics facility on campus,” Dotson said, “it allows alums to return to campus for games. It aids economic development as games draw more people to this area. And all those things aid in retention as well. There’s a lot of benefit to this vision.”

Here’s a look at a new vision coming into sharp focus.

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ACTIVATING THE ZONE

Practice field and lighting enliven a city scene What makes Texas Wesleyan’s athletic tradition even more impressive is knowing that Texas Wesleyan student-athletes built it without the comprehensive facilities that other peer institutions have. Now the tradition they created will finally have a home as big as their legacy. The site – at the west end of campus, between Binkley Street and Nashville Avenue – will create enough space not only for the $2.5 million practice field, but a future stadium.

This north-south facing dirt field currently on the site will be properly graded and drained, replaced with a synthetic turf, and its sidewalks will be repaved. Lighting will be installed for early and late practices and for the future stadium. A 10% maintenance endowment will also be secured to ensure it continues to serve student-athletes and their love of the game.

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PICKING UP SPEED

Track-and-field facilities that keep the community running Both track and field and cross country saw their reputations grow in the last decade – and these student-athletes have been a familiar sight across the Southeast Fort Worth neighborhood and beyond as they ran and trained with limited specialized training spaces on campus.

This new facility will provide a new home – and it will include stateof-the-art track-and-field training equipment. The track will also be accessible to the community through leasing for track meets, Fort Worth ISD events and others, which is expected to generate income to sustain the athletics program.

Much like the Martin University Center created a hub for students, visitors and educators, the new facility will do the same. It will bring the Texas Wesleyan community together to support our studentathletes and celebrate their achievements.

CLEARING THE GOAL POSTS

Creating a homecoming experience that lives up to the name These initial two phases will lay the foundation for the third phase – an outdoor athletics facility that has been much needed on campus. It’s important that the details serve the needs of the Texas Wesleyan community, so plans are still in development, but initial drafts suggest a 3,000- to 5,000-seat stadium with field house, press box, restrooms and concessions.

The completed stadium will give shape to an important city block located just off bustling East Rosedale Street – it will also cap a remarkable time in Texas Wesleyan’s growth as an important institution in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The idea of cheering on the Rams in their own home stadium is enough to make a Texas Wesleyan graduate’s eyes well up with tears.

Read on to learn more about the economic impact a new stadium brings to our community.

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THE ECONOMICS OF ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE Texas Wesleyan made a commitment to revitalize its Polytechnic Heights neighborhood. More than a decade later, only one piece in the puzzle remains … a home for Texas Wesleyan’s storied athletics programs.

Just 10 years ago, East Rosedale Street was a different place.

Signs dotted the strip across from campus, but the restaurants had been closed for decades. Cars barreled down the ’70s-style infrastructure with their windows rolled up and their doors locked. Every blighted building whispered of better days in Polytechnic Heights.

Ten years later and a renaissance is in full swing – and visible to all.

The Rosedale Renaissance, which began in 2013, was the first major effort in 40 years to address the declining infrastructure in Polytechnic Heights along Rosedale Street. Texas Wesleyan raised $6.75 million to create a new entryway to the campus on Rosedale Street, which included a clock tower, reflecting pool and promenade-style sidewalks; a new home for the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church across the street from campus; the Jack Morton Business Accelerator; the Texas Wesleyan University Community

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Counseling Center; and renovating the old Polytechnic Firehouse into the university’s new Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio. An additional $32 million in street improvements has been provided by city and state funds to dramatically renovate the streetscape from Interstate 35 to Texas Highway 820, through the heart of 76105.

More than $78 million has been invested in the area in street improvements, the Rosedale Renaissance, the Martin University Center, and storefront renovations.

There is a new student housing development in the 3200 block, the area that already boasts an art studio, a performance hall, a ballroom, and a coffee shop. Through a $572,299 forgivable loan from the City of Fort Worth, three storefronts along the 3000 block of East Rosedale Street have been renovated for lease by area businesses.

The potential impact of adding a stadium in the 2900 block of East Rosedale Street is huge to the neighborhood. This project is a game-

THE ROSEDALE RENAISSANCE EFFECT › Street improvements ($32 million) › Campus entrance and clock tower › Art studio › Business accelerator › Community counseling center › Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church ($6.75 million) › Urban Development Action Grant ($572,299), 3000 block of East Rosedale Street › Nick and Lou Martin University Center ($20 million) › The Rosedale student housing development ($10.5 million)

changer that unites the community and connects them to the vision of the Rosedale Renaissance. Combined with the new student housing development, The Rosedale, the result will be a revitalized community for Polytechnic Heights.

There is no real success without overcoming challenges, and the challenges in Southeast Fort Worth are real. Texas Wesleyan University is in 76105, the eighth poorest zip code in Texas according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The average adjusted gross income for 76105 is $24,250 and unemployment is 13.5%, which is higher than the current county unemployment level of 4.2%, higher than the current state unemployment of 13.0%, and higher than the current national unemployment rate of 13.3%.

All the public schools within 76105 have Title I status and 87.3% of students are eligible to participate in free or reduced lunch programs.

FALL 2021 2,603 total enrollment 1,844 undergraduates 84% Texas residents 55% Tarrant County residents 34% Hispanic Opening summer 2022, The Rosedale is an apartment-style residence hall that houses 101 students.

Texas Wesleyan home games frequently generate crowds of 1,000 to 2,000 people and are some of the largest events the university hosts all year – but they don’t even bring people to campus. A new stadium would change that. The stadium creates a bridge between Fort Worth ISD and Texas Wesleyan. There is not a certified regulation track within Fort Worth ISD, so if the new stadium contains a certified track, that will not only benefit the school district but could potentially bring many high school track meets to campus.

Beyond providing a new home for Texas Wesleyan football, men’s and women’s soccer, and track and field, it also opens opportunities for expansion of athletics programs at Texas Wesleyan and provides a space for intramural programs on campus. The current intramural program uses a grassy area near the dormitories to host outdoor programs, but the space is not large enough for sports like soccer, flag football or ultimate frisbee. “We’ve had to redefine what intramurals are since we don’t have a facility,” says Dennis Hall, vice president of student affairs, which is why the current intramural program includes things like video game tournaments.

The next development on the Rosedale side of campus is a partnership with Texas Wesleyan, Panteras Development Partners, and owner-operator Miyama USA Texas, which will result in a new on-campus student housing community called The Rosedale, which will serve more than 100 students starting in the fall of 2022. The Rosedale will feature one- and twobedroom apartments on the south side of Rosedale, less than a minute from the heart of campus.

A new vision of Southeast Fort Worth is plain to see – East Rosedale Street is an entertainment destination that includes the ballroom at the Martin University Center, the Templeton Art Studio, Theatre Wesleyan, and performances at Martin Hall in the evenings and thousands of stadiumgoing visitors on weekends. That commitment to the neighborhood creates an integrated network of projects that spurs further economic development.

45% first generation 45% Pell-eligible

2020-2021 SEASON

BY THE NUMBERS 450 student-athletes 3 SAC champions 4 nationally ranked teams 10 NAIA Scholar-Teams 12 NAIA All-Americans 155 SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll Athletes 62 NAIA & SAC Scholar-Athletes

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VISION DOWN THE FIELD

Leading the charge for a Texas Wesleyan stadium honors a proud tradition for Karen Cramer and Moritz Dealerships

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In November 2021, Karen Cramer pledged $5 million in support of construction of a new stadium on Texas Wesleyan’s historic campus.

Cramer’s generous commitment is the first leadership-level gift received for the stadium, which will be named in her honor.

Board of Trustees in 1972, was named Alumnus of the Year in 1975, and became board chairman in 1976.

Karen Cramer’s grandmother, Quilla Viola Umstead Shawver, graduated in 1917, when the university was known as Texas Woman’s College (you can read more about that era in the Fall 2021 issue of Wesleyan). Karen’s mother, Elizabeth Shawver, was 15 years old when she started at Texas Wesleyan. She studied home economics before the program was closed during World War II, when she transferred to Southern Methodist University.

In addition to Cramer’s gift, Moritz Dealerships pledged “Karen’s generosity exemplifies the kind of philanthropy a gift of $2.5 million in December 2021 in support of the that allows institutions like Texas Wesleyan University to stadium project. Moritz Dealerships’ contribution brings continue to provide the environment of excellence that we the total raised to $7.5 million. In honor of this significant strive for,” said Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees Chairman contribution, the field house at the new stadium will be Glenn Lewis ’81. “Mere words are not sufficient to express named for Moritz Dealerships. our gratitude.”

“The impact of previous philanthropy from Moritz A campus-based stadium has been in discussion Dealerships and the Moritz family has already been lifesince 2017, when football returned to the university changing for many of our students,” said President Slabach. after a 76-year hiatus. Now in its fifth “Moritz Partners has been season, Texas Wesleyan football has a faithful sponsor for our brought heightened media attention to annual Wesleyan 5K race since campus, increased school spirit, and the inaugural event in 2016. bolstered both recruitment and diversity.

Additionally, John David and But the stadium project will benefit Leslie Moritz have a deeply more than football. held passion for helping “The new stadium will positively young people, and they have affect all aspects of our Engage 2025 demonstrated this each year by Strategic Plan by enhancing student, providing scholarship support alumni and community engagement and to Texas Wesleyan students. spurring further economic development – President Frederick G. Slabach It is my honor to witness their along Rosedale Street by bringing more generosity firsthand. We have people to our neighborhood,” said Texas so much to be thankful for because of donors like the Moritz Wesleyan President Frederick G. Slabach. “It also will family and Moritz Dealerships.” generate a revenue stream to sustain our athletics programs In addition to sponsoring the annual Wesleyan 5K and through usage fees from outside organizations. We are providing scholarship support, the Moritz family also made a excited about this development for our Polytechnic Heights leadership-level gift to the Nick and Lou Martin University community and are incredibly thankful for Karen and her Center campaign in 2017. outstanding support.”

“Moritz Dealerships and the Moritz family are appreciated When Cramer joined the Texas Wesleyan Board of and known in Tarrant County and the greater metroplex Trustees in 2016, she continued her family legacy of for their generosity and community leadership,” said Vice commitment to education in Southeast Fort Worth and President for Advancement Jerri Schooley. “Having the at Texas Wesleyan University. Karen’s father, Judson A. Moritz name associated with Texas Wesleyan is a privilege Cramer HON ’79, graduated from Polytechnic High School and honor. It’s a partnership we are immensely grateful for and enrolled at Texas Wesleyan as part of the Civil Pilot Training Program. He later joined the Texas Wesleyan and highly value.”

“The impact of previous philanthropy from Moritz Dealerships and the Moritz family has already been life-changing for many of our students.”

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SPORTS REPORT

WHO WE ARE Rachel Loftin Whaley ’05 is a TXWES athletics legend that keeps moving as a chiropractor

Long before she became one of the best volleyball players ever to play for Texas Wesleyan University, Rachel Loftin Whaley knew what she wanted her future to be. And, like volleyball, it involves exact maneuvering and adjustments.

Whaley is now a chiropractor and owner of the Chiropractic Wellness Cafe in Crowley. She holds the program record for career kills with 1,781 in her four seasons, including third and fourth all-time in a single season (536 in 2004 and 533 in 2003).

After graduating from Texas Wesleyan with an exercise science degree she went to Parker College of Chiropractic (now Parker University) and got another bachelor’s degree in anatomy and physiology, a bachelor’s in health science, a minor in chemistry and a doctorate of chiropractic license.

Her husband, Aaron Whaley ’03, runs the Morton Fitness Center at Texas Wesleyan. He played basketball for the Rams from 2000 to 2003 and is a former 24

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junior varsity and assistant coach for the school. “It makes for some friendly competitive moments at home,” she said with a chuckle.

She and Aaron have three children, son Addox,10, and daughters Everly, 7, and Oakley, 5.

“Addox enjoys playing flag football, guitar, Fortnite and Minecraft, and is definitely the jokester and silly one in the family. Everly is our uber competitive one and is a natural athlete who is pretty much good at anything you throw at her. Right now she loves basketball and piano, but is also playing soccer and wants to learn tennis. Oakley is our sweetie pie and people pleaser and is super cuddly and definitely the peacemaker between the three kids. She is just now getting into sports and has started playing soccer the past couple of weeks.

“Two of my kids want to grow up and work in my office alongside me, enjoying the chiropractic profession, while Everly wants to be an artist. I really hope that they continue to have a desire to be chiropractors and we can work alongside each other one of these days – that would be so cool and fulfilling to me.”

And no matter where life takes her from here, she will always take her memories from TXWES with her, she said.

“When I look back on my college years, what I remember loving the best was playing with my T-dub girls.

Most of my favorite memories revolve

around volleyball and inside jokes or things that happened on the court,” she said of her teams that reached the NAIA tournament and finished fifth in the nation two straight years.

“We were not the tallest team, therefore we had to use our speed to advance as far as we did. Our slogan that year was ‘speed kills’ and ‘git r done’ – and under the coaching of Rick Johansen we did just that.”

She said playing for the Lady Rams continues to help her with her career success today. They played a stringent schedule, would practice three hours a day, worked with a personal trainer two or three days each week, and had a stringent weightlifting regimen – oh, and they had a normal class load of 12 to 15 hours.

“This developed a very strong work ethic that definitely stayed with me in chiropractic school and helped me prioritize and focus on what needed to be done,” she said. “I’ve always had a desire to do the best and be the best I can, regardless of whether that’s in school or on the court or in my chiropractic practice, so it definitely helped me stay focused being able to balance the heavy load we had.”

The team was, in fact, so close that for a few years after they graduated the majority of the team joined a competitive women’s league and would play a couple of times a week, or in random tournaments.

“Then more of us started having babies and growing our families so that became more and more difficult,” she said.

In a case of like mother, like son, Whaley was taken back in her memory recently.

“What is even funnier is that last year when my son was 9 … after popping his fingers and toes he looked at me and seriously asked ‘Mom, why is that so satisfying?’ I simply told him, ‘It’s in your DNA, bud.’”

Written by Rick Mauch

Tennis teams first to reach 100% vaccination rate The men’s and women’s tennis teams are the first Ram athletics program to achieve a 100% COVID-19 vaccination rate. All 20 athletes that make up the men’s and women’s tennis teams voluntarily received the vaccine. Additionally, the coaching staff is also fully vaccinated.

“We have great leadership among the tennis programs at Texas Wesleyan,” head coach Angel Martinez said. “Most of the athletes went together to get the vaccine.

As a result, our team is 100% vaccinated.

After a season with many challenges, I’m extremely proud of my athletes and how they continue to be leaders on the court and in the classroom.”

Men’s basketball standout breaks school record Junior men’s basketball player Peyton Sallee has joined the 1,000-point club this season and has a chance to be on the top five all-time scoring list. He also broke the career 3-pointers made record this season and owns the single game 3-pointers made record with 11 (set in 2005 by Ben Hunt).

Dalzell named head coach of cross country, track and field Texas Wesleyan University Athletic Director Ricky Dotson has announced the hiring of Randy Dalzell as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs. Dalzell is a highly decorated coach, winning multiple national championships and numerous coach of the year awards prior to Texas Wesleyan. Dalzell has coached over 190 AllAmericans, 40 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, and 27 national champions.

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ALUMNI

TXWES professor makes generational impact Ronnie McManus helps one family achieve educational accomplishments

Texas Wesleyan stands out from other universities in the area largely because of its commitment to continually make a positive impact in the community, its “Smaller. Smarter.” classroom sizes, and the incredible faculty and staff. When students attend TXWES, their lives are positively impacted for generations to come. This is clearly illustrated in the experience of the Cedillo family with retired TXWES professor of religion, Dr. Ronnie McManus.

Kennedy Cedillo, senior psychology major, reached out to the alumni office to share a photograph of McManus and her family at the recent Brick Dedication Ceremony. This moment was so significant for the Cedillos as “Dr. McManus has been a part of each of [their] lives during [their] time at TXWES.” Kennedy’s mother, Alice Cedillo ’96 ’08, attended Texas Wesleyan because the idea of being known only as a ‘number’ and not a student in a classroom at a larger school scared her. At TXWES, all of her professors knew her name and were caring and considerate, but none more so than Dr. McManus. Alice married Jerry Cedillo ’00 and had their 26

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first daughter, Andrea, while attending Texas Wesleyan. With the full support of university faculty and staff, she took a semester off before returning to campus as a full-time mom and student.

“Balancing the two was challenging,” Alice said.

In one instance, Alice was unable to secure child care for her daughter so that she could take her Old Testament final exam. “I called Dr. McManus to explain the situation,” and he immediately responded by suggesting that Alice should bring baby Andrea with her to class and take the exam in the hallway. “[Andrea] wound up staying asleep for most of the exam, so I stayed in the classroom. She woke up before I was finished and Dr. McManus gently carried her to the hallway and held her until I was done.”

When Alice graduated in the spring of 1996, she selected Dr. McManus for the robing ceremony. “It was my honor to choose him,” says Alice. “He had the most impact and was most influential on the person I would become.”

Twenty years later, Andrea would return to Texas Wesleyan as a student to take McManus’ class, describing

him as being “the sweetest man alive.”

He had not changed, and Andrea felt the same respect and admiration for her professor as her mother before her.

Andrea graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in 2016.

When it was Kennedy’s time to attend TXWES, she took an ethics class with none other than Dr. McManus. She enjoyed every second of her time learning from the professor that also taught her mother and sister before her. “I thought it would be nice to share this photo and our story behind McManus’ impact on multiple generations, just like ours,” says Kennedy, who will graduate in the spring of 2022.

Ronnie McManus, who recently retired in 2021, is thankful for the role he has been able to play in helping students like the Cedillos achieve their educational goals. When asked about his experience with instructing different generations at TXWES, McManus said that it was a joy to connect with students across generations and learn their similarities and differences.

Alice has found joy in knowing that her hero, McManus, was as much a part of her daughters’ lives as he was hers.

She was so happy to attend the Brick Dedication Ceremony, where the picture of her family and beloved TXWES professor was taken as they honored his retirement after nearly 50 years.

The friends, faculty and staff at Texas Wesleyan are “life changers,” according to Alice. She does not believe her family’s story is one of a kind, but that there are “hundreds, if not thousands, of stories like this to be told about the heart and soul of Texas Wesleyan University.”

To those who are considering this university, Alice encourages to “Do it!

Move forward. Make it happen. Write a story of your own that you can share with future generations about how being part of the RAMily was one of the greatest experiences of your life.”

Alumni office works with students to cultivate future alumni Understanding what “Ram for life” really means Being a student at Texas Wesleyan is a special experience, one that will hopefully have an impact that lasts a lifetime. The purpose of the Office of Alumni Relations at Texas Wesleyan is to foster relationships with former students and keep them engaged with the university long after they’ve graduated. But for many alumni, staying connected with their alma mater isn’t something they’d given much thought to during their college career.

That’s why the alumni relations team works to connect with current students before they leave campus, to help them understand what being a “Ram for life” really means.

“Current students are focused on getting their degree, and don’t often think about what their relationship with the university will look like once they’ve graduated,” says Christian Garcia Wommack ’12, director of alumni relations. “The more we can get in front of them while they’re still here, the better chance we have of connecting with them as alumni.”

The programs and opportunities for alumni to connect with their alma mater are often pretty well known, but how do you foster that feeling of connectivity with current students? It starts with getting out of the office and going where the students are! There are many opportunities throughout the year to meet the students and let them know what the Alumni Association is all about. Forming partnerships with other departments on campus, such as Student Affairs and the Student Government Association, helps provide those opportunities.

Here are a few ways in which alumni relations connects with current students: The alumni office partners with SGA to host “Grad Toast,” which is a special reception for graduating seniors, held before graduation. It’s a great time to welcome students to the Alumni Association and celebrate their accomplishments. On graduation day, the alumni office takes pictures of grads and posts them to the Alumni Association Facebook page, encouraging new grads to connect on social media. During the ceremony, members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors give the graduates their official alumni pin and welcome them as the newest alumni.

The first day of classes is a great time to be present on campus and greet students. Last fall, the alumni office helped staff at an “Ask me anything” tent to help students find their classes and get the information they need. Early in the year, the Student Affairs team also hosts the “Ramboree,” which highlights campus organizations and involvement opportunities. Alumni relations took fun photos at this year’s event and had the opportunity to talk to students about the Alumni Association. The alumni board also sponsors “Crunch Time Munchies,” which provides snacks and drinks on the day before finals begin. What better way to connect with students than with free food?

With close to one-third of students involved in athletics, supporting Ram sports is an important – and fun – way to connect with students. Getting to know these students, who are very involved and active on campus, helps promote the alumni office to the campus community. The alumni office has a regular presence at home football games and sends notes of encouragement to teams heading to playoffs or tournaments. This fall, the alumni office co-sponsored an all-sports pep rally that included food, games and lots of TXWES spirit right here on campus.

These and other efforts have strengthened the relationship between the alumni office and current students. This helps achieve the goal to help alumni – both past and future – feel connected to and loved by the TXWES community for the rest of their lives.

Alumni and friends honored at annual Alumni Medal Dinner Seven honored for service and commitment to TXWES More than 130 Texas Wesleyan alumni, friends and community members gathered at the Martin University Center on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, for the annual Alumni Medal Dinner to honor seven individuals whose admirable contributions are excellent reflections of the university.

Geno Borchardt ’86, also known as the “Voice of the Rams,” served as master of ceremonies for the evening.

During the program, the honorees were announced and invited onto the stage to receive their award and share a few words with the audience. President Frederick G. Slabach presented the awards with the assistance of the Alumni Association Board of Directors President Eric Montoya ’07 M.Ed. ’15.

The following honorees represent the goals and values of TXWES in unique ways, inspiring others along the way. Their service and commitment to Texas Wesleyan University has made a positive, lasting difference.

Tompie Hall ’74 Alumnus of the Year Kim Persley ’89 Distinguished Alumna Tim Carter Honorary Alumnus Michael Clements ’10 Young Alumnus Achievement Award Sandy Caffee ’84 Wesleyan Service Award Bobby Cornett ’72 Wesleyan Flame Award Gary Balch ’74 O.D. Bounds Award Read more about the individual winners at txwes.edu/alumnimedals

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CL ASS NOTES

1960s Bill Leonard ’68 is founding dean and the James and Marilyn Dunn chair of Baptist studies and church history emeritus at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author or editor of 25 books.

1970s LeAnne Howell Stribley ’72 is currently the chief financial officer and associate lab director for Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. She is responsible for all business services including HR, IT and finance.

Mike Williams ’77, Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees member, was named the new chancellor of the University of North Texas System Board of Regents.

1990s Bobby Mills ’95 was elected to the Biddeford, Maine, City Council to serve Ward 4. He had previously served Ward 5 for 10 years.

Sharon Roberson-Jones ’96 was named one of Panola County ‘Citizens of the Year’ for her work in the community helping teens through her organization, Excellent Teen Choice.

2000s Courtney Kimberling Radcliffe ’01 is now the executive director of the Mary I. Gourley Scholarship Foundation.

Hank Sinatra ’04 has published his second book, The Wedding Specter, which is available on Amazon.

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LaNette Kincaide ’09 is a writing coach at her own writing academy and is in the process of releasing her fifth book, Letters to Mom. Ben Phillips ’09 starred in a one-man show, One Christmas Carol, at Onstage in Bedford.

2010s Matthew Trammell ’10, a teacher at Shackelford Junior High in Arlington ISD, was named the Kiwanis Woodrow Counts Junior High Teacher of the Year.

Marlynn Tatum ’11, from Roark Elementary in Arlington ISD, was selected as a 2021 recipient of the Special Recognition Teacher of the Year.

Justin Padron ’12 was named one of D Magazine’s Best Mortgage Professionals and Top Mortgage Producers.

Catherine Phillip ’12 and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Ainsley Cate, in July.

2020s Donovan Isom ’20, former quarterback for the TXWES Rams, signed a pro contract with the Berlin Rebels and plays in one of the highest premier American football leagues in Europe.

Nicole Gleason ’20 became the first Lady Ram basketball player to play professionally. She signed with the Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats of New Zealand.

Lauren Garza ’21 is the technical theatre director of Mansfield Timberview High School.

Joseph Laws ’21 joined staff at North Richland Middle School as the theatre director.

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Jovan Rodriguez ’12 had his original play, Freedom is Free, performed as part of a short play festival in Los Angeles.

Deja Chase-Zakaria ’16 welcomed a baby boy, Denis, in August.

Hayden Muns ’17 is teaching elementary PE and coaching football, baseball and track for Wortham ISD. Clayton Dean Phillips II ’17 is the new business manager for Theatre Wesleyan.

Jeremy Crane ’18 was recently promoted to director of communications for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Kim Lanfranca DNAP ’18 welcomed a baby girl, Brooklyn Louise, in October.

Mariah Kuhn ’19 and Trey Cardona got engaged in August.

S TAY U P T O DAT E WITH ALUMNI H ave you up date d your info rmatio n w i th our of f ic e?

C all 817- 5 31- 6 5 4 8 o r email us at alumni@ t x w e s.e du to s t ay up to date on all alumni new s and event s.

Fo l l ow u s o n I n s t a g ra m @ t x we s a l u m n i

REMEMBRANCES

Gerald Baum ’54 Gerald Horace Baum, 89, of Austin, passed away on Sept. 17, 2021. In 1949, Gerald Baum was a high school senior “headed nowhere.”

Thankfully, his high school basketball coach knew Johnnie Edwards ’39, Texas Wesleyan’s basketball coach at the time, and made a phone call.

With that, Baum was on his way to become a Ram. In addition to playing basketball, Baum was a Guardian of the Golden Shears, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and a member of the President’s Council. He graduated from Texas Wesleyan in 1954 with a degree in education. In 1988, Baum established the Johnnie Edwards ’39, Dan Hart ’47, Jim Bridges ’54, Ray Jefferson ’54 Endowed Men’s Basketball Scholarship to recognize the mentoring and guidance that Coach Edwards and Coach Hart provided the men’s basketball program, and to recognize the support and loyalty Bridges and Jefferson shared with the basketball program as student players and alumni.

Daphne Brookins ’01 The Fort Worth ISD Board of Education Second Vice-President and District 4 Trustee Daphne Brookins, 54, passed away Nov. 5, 2021.

Brookins, who was first elected to the school board in 2019, was a young adult motivational speaker and writer and had most recently served as an adjunct instructor at Texas Wesleyan University.

She also was a member of multiple local and state boards, including the One Star Foundation, to which she was appointed by both Gov. Greg Abbott and Gov. Rick Perry. Brookins had previously served as a council member and, later, mayor pro tem for the City of Forest Hill. As a FWISD board member, Brookins’ particular focus was to advance opportunities for young women. She particularly championed early childhood issues, and the care and nurturing of the youngest children, birth to 3 years of age. Brookins’ many affiliations and leadership roles included YMCA Metropolitan board, Director’s Circle with Girls Inc., Tarrant County Challenge Inc. board member, advisory board member for Expanding Your Horizon, Tarrant County CHIP Coalition co-chairperson for the Marketing Task Force, and the Ladder Alliance board member.

As a collegiate athlete, she earned All-American status in shot put and discus and held many records that stood the test of time and have only recently been broken.

Brookins served her community in many capacities, such as the Young Women’s Leadership Academy vice chairman (2013-2017) and board member (2019-2021), president/CEO of Tarrant County Youth Summit (2007-2021) and president of the Texas Wesleyan University Alumni Board of Directors (2006-2008), vice-chair of the Fort Worth Sister Cities Young Professional Advisory Council (20082010), appointed to the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities (2007-2013), and appointed coordinator for the Forest Hill Youth Advisory Commission (2007-2009).

Her many awards included the “40 Under 40” award by the Fort Worth Business Press as an up-and-coming Rising Star in the area, the 2006 “Young Alumni of the Year” by Texas

Wesleyan, the “Greatest Woman in Texas Award” by Fort Worth Business Press, and the Mayor Mike Moncrief Believing in Youth Award. She was featured in Womensbiz magazine in 2005 as a “Woman to Watch.”

Joyce Capper HON ’80 Joyce Capper, 89, passed away on Jan. 4, 2022. She was born at home in Italy, Texas, the daughter of Ray and Jewel Peugh, in 1932.

She graduated from Polytechnic High School and attended Texas Christian University. In 1963 she met and married A.M. "Aggie" Pate who owned Texas Refinery Corp.

She and Aggie enjoyed 25 years together until his death in 1988.

They traveled the world and enjoyed entertaining, especially at the Pate Museum. On Oct. 31, 1991, she married Dr. Robert Capper. They enjoyed 30 years together, continuing her civic activities and travels.

Joyce received many honors and she gave herself to volunteer work and philanthropy. She joined the Junior League and served as president of the Fort Worth Garden Club and the Jewel Charity Ball. In 1974, she received the Fort Worth Woman of the Year Award. She was on the board of the Texas Girls’ Choir and the Fort Worth Historical Society. She served as a docent for the Kimbell Art Museum for 25 years.

She served in various positions with the Fort Worth Police Association.

It was her honor to be appointed honorary consul to Luxembourg.

She also served at the Fort Worth Heart Association, was a member of the TCU Library Association, and received an honorary doctorate degree from Texas Wesleyan University.

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David Chappell David Chappell, 78, Fort Worth attorney, civic leader and former city councilman, died Nov. 18, 2021. A 1968 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Chappell practiced law for many years before teaming up with former Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr in BC Collaborations, a consulting firm focusing “not only on supporting established businesses, but also on working with companies that are developing new technologies and new products,” according to the firm’s website.

Chappell was elected to the Fort Worth City Council representing District 9 in 1989, serving until 1993. He was a member of the council’s Economic Development Committee and played an active role in helping to secure the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth after the Defense Department announced the closing of Carswell Air Force Base in 1991.

Chappell was known as a strong advocate for economic sustainability and growth in North Texas, serving as chairman of numerous innovationoriented organizations including the National Advisory Council of the United States Small Business Administration, North Texas Regional Council on Innovation and Commercialization, and Center for Public Policy Priorities.

In 2019, he joined with a group of leaders connected with the UNT Health Science Center to plan and execute the successful inaugural “Investing in Biotech” conference. The conference was targeted at enhancing the role of entrepreneurism and biotech investing in Tarrant County.

Chappell served as chairman of the 30

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Board of Trustees of Medical City Fort Worth Hospital. His experience included service on the prestigious Code Red Study of Access to Care and Insurability in Texas, which culminated in a comprehensive set of recommendations for reform in Texas health care delivery.

He served as chairman of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which focused on policy development with special emphasis on health care in Texas. He was asked to serve on the United Healthcare Texas Advisory Board. During a distinguished legal career, he was recognized as an “Attorney of Excellence” for 35 years

by Martindale Hubbell and received “Super Lawyer” designation six times from Texas Monthly magazine. He served as chair of the board of the State Bar of Texas and served in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association for 11 years. Chappell served on the Texas Wesleyan University President’s Advisory Board starting in 2018 and also served on the President’s Advisory Task Force for Economic Revitalization.

Ed Schollmaier HON ’12 Ed Schollmaier, 87, a longtime philanthropic leader in Fort Worth died on Sept. 16, 2021.

Schollmaier grew up in Cincinnati and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Fort Worth became his home when he moved here with his late wife Rae to take a promotion with Alcon.

Schollmaier was a longtime supporter of Texas Wesleyan University. A dedicated advocate of our "Smaller. Smarter." campus in east Fort Worth, Schollmaier contributed to

the Business Hall of Fame program, a joint project between Texas Wesleyan, the Fort Worth Business Press and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce to honor local, successful business leaders and announce the Thomas H. Law Scholarship recipient. He also made gifts to many of Texas Wesleyan’s capital improvement projects.

In 2005, Schollmaier helped the university build the Schollmaier Science and Technology Center, providing space for new science and technology classes. In 2013, Schollmaier stepped in to support the Rosedale Renaissance project, a $6.75 million project designed to revitalize the campus and Fort Worth’s historic Polytechnic Heights neighborhood. In 2017, Schollmaier once again stood behind the university’s mission to help build the heart of the Texas Wesleyan campus, the new Nick and Lou Martin University Center.

Lowell ‘’Stretch’’ Smith HON ’08 Lowell "Stretch" Smith Jr., 88, longtime banker and avid civic supporter in Johnson County, Texas, passed away Aug. 29, 2021. Many people knew him as "Stretch" – an acquired name from his school days as a first baseman.

Stretch grew up on a family ranch near Rio Vista, Texas. He attended Rio Vista schools and graduated from Cleburne High School. Stretch graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1954 and married Shirley Segars Smith later that same year.

He served in the United States Air Force and held the final rank of captain. Stretch followed his military service with work at the Texas Department of Banking as an assistant bank examiner. He was president of the First State Bank of Rio Vista and

named chairman of the board in 1975. Under his leadership, the bank became well known as "The Cowpasture Bank.” Stretch was active in the banking industry serving as president of the Texas Bankers Association, Board of Directors of the American Bankers Association, and as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. He served through numerous civic capacities in the Cleburne, Rio Vista, and the Johnson County area. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Texas Wesleyan University and granted an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration. Stretch was a long-time member and past president of the Rotary Club of Cleburne. He maintained an active relationship with the Lowell Smith Jr. Middle School named for him in 2008 and was proud of the students there.

Stretch was named to the CISD Ex-Student Association Wall of Fame in 1999 and the same year received the “Service Above Self ” award from the Rotary Club.

In 2005 he was named TimesReview Man of the Year.

In 2010 he was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame by the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. Johnson County Commissioners Court honored him with “Lowell Smith Day” in 2011. In 2016 he was inducted into the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame. Hill College honored him with a Pillar of the Community Award in 2020.

TO HONOR A RAM IN WESLEYAN MAGAZINE

please email alumni@txwes.edu.

Alumni kick off annual Wesleyan Wine Walk APRIL 23, 2022

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jay Beavers ’64 Don Boulware ’64 Patricia Castillo ’97 MBA ’08 Branigan Contreras ’15 Teri Flores ’97 Jennifer Harrison ’20 Julian Hobdy ’18 Jason Jones ’01

Alumni office tours facility improvements at 2022 Wine Walk What better way to give you a peek into what’s happening on campus than to enjoy a relaxed tour with great food and drinks? The Wine Walk offers participants a chance to visit stops all over campus to see new facility improvements and the latest happenings within various program areas, while enjoying food and wine pairings at each location. Each participant receives a Wesleyan wine glass to use on their self-guided tour through the following stops: Art Exhibit – featuring the art of Laura Hunt West Library – TXWES Makers Lab demo and Adkinson-Lynton Comic Collection displays School of Business Administration – online program highlights Sid Richardson Center – meet the coaches and check out the new locker room renovation

Terri Kane ’99 ’15 GPNA Representative Margi Kluck ’79 René Lawson ’81 Veronica Martinez ’81 Secretary Julie McCurley ’06 Eric Montoya ’07 M.Ed. ’15 President Kathryn Narumiya ’04 Karen Surita ’01 Vice President Jen Hilton ’02 Jorge Vivar ’76 Immediate Past President Brandon Weaver ’00 MBA ’00 Dan Whitsell ’73 Ram Club Representative Vernon Wright ’93 Treasurer

School of Education – visit with faculty and view TXWES history display Department of Music – featuring student musicians Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia – view the simulation lab remodel

Register at txwes.edu/winewalk or contact the alumni office at alumni@txwes.edu or 817-531-6548.

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THE SHOW MUST GLOW ON Mason Johnson left an incredible – and stylish – legacy at Texas Wesleyan

Mason Johnson was a professor of theatre arts and speech at Texas Wesleyan from 1958 to 1985. He left substantial contributions to the esteemed university theatre program, as well as the Fort Worth cultural scene at large – as these incredible playbills attest.

Recognized as a prominent pioneer in the local theatre community, Johnson’s first contribution to Fort Worth theatre commenced in 1956 with the production of Brigadoon at Texas Wesleyan. In 1959, Johnson founded the Children’s Theatre at Casa Mañana. In the 1970s he served on the Casa Mañana

board of directors, and he eventually went to serve on the boards of the Fort Worth Ballet and the Fort Worth Opera.

More of the Mason Johnson collection can be found in Texas Wesleyan University’s Special Collections archive online at archives.txwes.edu. Many photographs in the collection feature individuals who have not been identified. If you know the name of someone in a particular photo, please email Caitlin Rookey, digital initiatives librarian, at crookey@txwes.edu.

View the collection at txwes.edu/playbills

Louis Sherwood ’89, university archivist, Caitlin Rookey, digital initiatives librarian, and the university special collections team contributed to this report.

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SUPPORT STUDENTS PREPARING TO CHANGE THE WORLD Raul Caballero Montes is a first-generation biology student who plans to focus his career on medicine – specifically cancer research. His desire to play collegiate-level table tennis initially led him to TXWES. The personal connections and opportunities for involvement and leadership on campus are what keep him here. The smaller TXWES environment and involved professors have helped Raul go beyond the classroom and do more, like starting his own campus medical organization.

Your support of Texas Wesleyan helps students like Raul become leaders and future world-changers.

Wesleyan courses have reinforced my desire to be a doctor and “ Texas carry out cancer research – TXWES donors make it possible. You can earn a degree from any university. What truly lasts for life is the quality of education, memories made, and values taught.”

GIVE TODAY AT TXWES.EDU/GIVE

1201 Wesleyan Street Fort Worth, Texas 76105-1536

STARTING A NEW CHAPTER

Students take one final walk into ‌Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary MacGorman Chapel‌for Fall Commencement hosted by Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 18, 2021.