Amarillo College Faculty/Staff Newsletter

FA C U LT Y & S TA F F N E W S L E T T E R

MUSICAL CHAIRS AHEAD FOR WSC GIFTS ENHANCE HEREFORD CAMPUS PROF. EMERITUS RECEPTION SET COMMON READER NOW AVAILABLE

S P R I N G 2013 VOLUME V

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

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You Will Be Inspired

By Dr. Paul Matney Amarillo College President

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ur favorite event of the year at AC is fast approaching.

On Friday evening May 10, thousands of people will join us in the Cal Farley Coliseum at the Amarillo Civic Center to celebrate the tradition of graduation. We once again have the privilege of honoring our graduates who have successfully earned their certificates and degrees (approximately 850). If you have never attended an AC commencement, I encourage you to join us this year. You will be inspired.

Occasionally I have the opportunity to participate in a truly historic AC event. Such an event occurred on April 29 when a group of AC faculty and administrators hosted four Highland Park seniors and their parents for dinner.

In a pilot program begun four years ago when they were in the ninth grade, these seniors (three 18-year olds and one 17-year old) have all earned an AC associate in general studies degree. They will enroll as juniors at their respective universities in the fall. Future occupations of these bright graduates are dentist, attorney, engineer and veterinarian. I don’t believe I have ever had the privilege of being around a more impressive group of young people.

The 83rd Texas Legislature will adjourn May 27. What a difference two years makes! Last session the Legislature was dealing with a $27 billion state deficit by enacting draconian budget cuts to all state agencies including community colleges. AC was handed a $6.1 million reduction for this biennium.

This session the State has an $8 billion surplus with public school finance, a much-needed state water plan, transportation, and Medicaid leading the way as priorities.

With more money in state coffers this session, legislators have been much more congenial with relatively few partisan clashes.

The budget bills have gone to conference committee for reconciliation. We’re lobbying our legislators to support the Senate budget version which restores more community college funding and a 50/50 split for benefits (health insurance and retirement) between the State and local colleges. We won’t get anywhere near restoration of all reductions from last session, but we would see a funding increase under the current Senate budget. Meanwhile, our own Cabinet continues work on balancing the AC budget for 2013-2014.

What a wonderful gentleman we honored as our 2013 AC Distinguished Alumnus—Allen Durrett. Mr. Durrett addressed our students at Honors Convocation last month with remarks which were engaging, fun, witty, humorous, and pertinent. He especially was impressed with the variety of academic and technical programs represented by our “best and brightest” students.

Finally, much progress is being made on our new Moore County Campus Career & Technical Building in Dumas which will open in August 2013, and our new Hinkson Memorial Campus in Hereford, which will be inaugurated in January 2014. So far, our Campaign for Hereford has yielded about $650,000 including a $315,000 matching grant from the Sybil B. Harrington Fund.

The close of another academic year is fast approaching, but there will be no rest in our quest to live out our No Excuses plan of helping every student to succeed and to complete their programs of study.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to our AC vision: “We aspire for every student at AC to have a success story.”

B E V E R L Y

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B R E T O N N E

Named Professor Emeritus I

t is by strings that Beverly de la Bretonne has been attached to Amarillo College since 1979. It is by action of the Board of Regents that the veteran violinist will be bound to our school in perpetuity.

For her 25 years of excellence as a fulltime member of the music faculty, and for continued part-time service all these years since her retirement in 2004, Beverly, who was instrumental in helping establish the highly prized AC Suzuki Program, has been named Professor Emeritus.

The Faculty Senate submitted her nomination at the March meeting of the Board of Regents and it was unanimously approved.

The Senate will sponsor a reception in her honor from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 8th at the CUB. “I am truly delighted that Beverly is being honored this way,” Dr. Paul Matney said. “She has made enormous contributions to the Music Department, and her devotion to students, to colleagues and to this College has been evident throughout her illustrious career.”

Beverly joined the AC faculty in 1979 to teach violin, viola and flute, and to work with the fledgling Suzuki Program.

She also taught Freshman Theory and Ear-training. Upon her retirement in 2004, she was asked to return on a part-time basis and did just that.

Lecturer Recalls Rocks, Hard Places

Beverly de la Bretonne has her Professor Emeritus photograph made by Art Gray of Gray’s Studio on Sixth Street.

Faculty Senate cordially invites you to a reception honoring

Beverly de la Bretonne Professor Emeritus Wednesday, May 8, 2013 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm College Union Building 2nd Floor Lobby

Today she is in her 34th year playing violin with the Amarillo Symphony, and continues as music director of the Suzuki Program.

“This has been the best of the best places to work, my home away from home,” Beverly said. “This College and so many people in so many departments have been incredibly supportive.

“It’s been such a joy watching so many young people come into this program and then go off and become great people in all walks of life and, in many cases, great artists.”

Perhaps no one has authored a more aptly named book than Aron Ralston, whose Between a Rock and a Hard Place, describes how he was forced to amputate his own arm to get free from a boulder that held him trapped for five full days.

Ralston, subject of the Academy-Award nominated film 127 Hours (2010), was the featured speaker for AC’s 2013 installment of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

The outdoorsman, having added motivational speaking to his repertoire, delivered his lecture March 5 at the GlobeNews Center for the Performing Arts. The event included a book-signing of what became one of the best-selling autobiographies of all time.

The Student Services/Student Activities crew hosted Aron Ralson (center) during his visit to AC on March 5th.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is orchestrated each year by AC’s Student Government Association, and this year about 750 attended the event and approximately $5,000 was raised for student scholarships.

LET THERE BE

LITE Almost 300 generous patrons turned out April 26th for the LITE Luncheon at the Amarillo Civic Center, where some 180 items were quietly sold at the silent auction.

Brenda Rossnagel, director of disAbility Services stands alongside mistress of ceremonies Jackie Kingston, news anchor for KAMR.

That, along with ticket sales, a raffle and other donations, helped raise approximately $17,000 for scholarships so vital to students served by disAbility Services.

Heather Atchley of Student Activities is joined

by Mark White of the AC Foundation Board.

Since 2003, such scholarships have been awarded to 329 students.

Brenda Rossnagel, program director, said more than 50 students have already applied for LITE scholarships for classes next fall.

Tracy Dougherty of the AC Foundation and April Sessler of Student Services share a moment.

Lacy Mueggenborg and Andy Thorne lend support from the Hereford Campus.

Jennifer Ashcraft, Teresa Clemons and Sarah Davis represent the Division of Planning and Advancement.

Spring Dominoes Portend Summer of Musical Chairs

Formerly known as Building L, the Manufacturing Education Center at the East Campus has everything from new windows and restrooms to a new elevator.

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ith the Music Building on the verge of completion, the last of Dutton Hall’s nomadic inhabitants soon will pack up and head for home.

The dominoes will start falling fast after that, and folks on the Washington Street Campus will begin a summer of musical chairs.

Bruce Cotgreave, director of the physical plant, says music faculty and staff will return to the renovated Music Building this summer. Moreover, nobody else will be asked to set up temporary quarters in what has served as the Washington Street way station the past few years.

The next tenants in Dutton Hall will be permanent. Conceptual drawings are already in the works for Dutton, future home of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Education Department.

With a few finishing touches, the Choir and Band Rooms at the Music Building will have fresh, new looks.

be leak-proof. All-new infrastructure and sound-proof practice rooms are among the other highlights.

Renovations to Lynn Library wrap up this summer, too, which means first-floor offices of the Vice President of Academic Affairs will move to the all-new second floor.

Others on the move this summer will be Business Affairs, College Relations, and Purchasing, all moving from the Student Service Center to the newly walled-in spaces at the base of Parcells Hall and/or Byrd Business Building.

Elsewhere, massive changes to Building L (now called the Manufacturing Education Center) at the East Campus will be complete this summer. And the new Technical Training Center for the Moore County Campus is on schedule to open in time for fall classes.

Meanwhile, the Music Department’s revamped quarters will at long last meet Americans with Disabilities standards and

No Mere Walk in the (Highland) Park Jason Norman, right, director of advising, congratulates Myles Smith, one of four Highland Park seniors who earned degrees through AC’s Dual Degree Program. For becoming the first students to successfully complete the rigorous process, each will receive an associate degree in general studies during Spring Commencement at 7 p.m. Friday, May 10 at the Civic Center. Additionally, the quartet was honored at a dinner April 29th at the Amarillo Club, where each received medallions of achievement.

A C P D

E S T A B L I S H E S

Emergency Operations Center

Corporal Darryl Moore says the new Emergency Operations Center in Durrett Hall is ready in the event of a crisis situation.

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anaging an institutional crisis efficiently is particularly challenging because the really big emergencies seldom actually arise; we rarely have an opportunity to practice the real thing—not that anyone’s complaining.

But this puts the onus squarely on preparation, and fortunately the AC Police Department has its fingerprints all over that essentiality.

The ACPD has been especially active in that regard during a semester marked by notable upgrades in technology, acrossthe-board departmental training, and establishment of an Emergency Operations Center.

With welcome assistance from Information Technology, ACPD acquired new video equipment for tracking news and weather events. And a new monitor lets ACPD personnel observe real-

time activity within locations less-frequently patrolled — the Downtown Campus and Community Link.

Also this semester, all ACPD officers completed the National Incident Management System training program, which is advocated by the Department of Homeland Security. And ACPD in March put the finishing touches on an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in what had been the office of the former chief. It’s a secure communications hub from which the Threat Response Team, led by the president, can assess and administer an actual crisis situation.

“We’ve made great strides in the Department and we’re continually moving ahead,” said Corporal Darryl Moore, crime prevention coordinator. “We’re putting a lot of effort into preventing emergencies from occurring, and preparing to manage them to the best of our ability should they occur.”

FOP Eyes Issues of Social Security AC police officer Robert Taylor is 2nd vice president with the Texas State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). He says a top priority of FOP is support of the Social Security Fairness Act, a meaningful issue for the publically employed.

“The FOP is working in conjunction with other public employee groups such as firefighters and educators to ensure we all get a fair shake come retirement,” said Taylor, who many times has traveled far to broach this and other topics with congressional leaders.

The FOP contends reform is necessary because inequities in the current system penalize those public employees who have previously worked or will later work in jobs that deduct for social security.

“This affects a lot of us who work at AC,” he said.

FACULTY & STAFF

Accolades Shelton Tabbed for Professional Advisory Role

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Vickie Shelton

ickie Shelton, director of purchasing, has been selected to serve on an advisory committee to work with the new director of cooperative purchasing with the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

She was selected from a statewide group of nominees based on her expertise and experience.

Dr. Jeanette Embrey, assistant professor of ADN, and Dr. Richard Pullen, professor of ADN, collaborated on a manuscript that has been accepted for publication in the May/June journal Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. It is titled “Weathering the Storm: Caring for a Patient in Thyroid Storm.” Dr. Pullen also had a manuscript accepted for the July/August issue of the same journal titled “Caring for a Patient with Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH).”

Unique prints created by René West, assistant professor of photography, were on display throughout April and until May 7th at Process Art House in Amarillo. The display, called “City Walls,” features close-up photos of the fragmental remnants of abandoned political and concert posters from 25 cities in 15 states.

The Board of Regents in April approved promotions for several members of the faculty. Promoted to assistant professor: Theresa Jiwa, English; Tamara Rhodes, vocational nursing; and Terry Tucker, instrumentation technology. Promoted to assistant professor: Michael Barnett, biological sciences; Ann Fry, interior design; and Dr. Deborah Harding, psychology. Promoted to associate professor: Dr. Claudie Biggers, biological sciences.

AC Holds Line on Tuition, Approves Modest Fee Increases

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C Regents agreed March 26th to hold the line on tuition while approving two modest fee increases beginning next fall—one of which will affect only about 30 percent of the student body.

Regents approved increases of $3 per credit hour in the General Fee, and $2 per credit hour in the Out-of-District Fee. All of AC’s more than 10,000 students are subject to the General Fee, which will rise from $23 to $26, per semester credit hour, beginning next fall.

Approximately 70 percent of AC students reside within the Amarillo Junior College District, and they take an average of nine credit hours per semester, so most AC students will see a cost increase of no more than $27 next fall.

The Out-of-District Fee applies to only 30 percent of AC students—those who reside outside the College District. That fee, which presently is $39 per semester credit hour, will be $41 for non-district residents who attend AC next fall.

Combined, the fee increases are projected to produce about $700,000 in additional revenue, funds which will be used to support College operations aimed at student-success initiatives.

The vice president for academic affairs announced April 9th that Jill Gibson, assistant professor of mass communications, will join Judy Carter, retired professor of speech, as co-coordinators of the expanding Honors Program.

Tuition next fall will remain unchanged — $42 per credit hour for all Texas residents.

The Texas Association of Community Colleges reports that the average cost of a credit hour for in-state students at Texas’ 50 public community colleges is $48.

Police Chief Steve Chance has been asked to contribute to an advisory board for the Texas School Safety Center to help develop standards and procedures for safety in higher education. The invitation is a reflection of Chance’s efforts to put AC in compliance with TxSSC standards and gives the College a voice in the direction these standards will take.

Regents also added $10 to the cost of a credit hour for high school students pursuing dual credits at AC. Dual credit hours will increase from $40 to $50, beginning next fall.

Terry Tucker

Success Swift for Hereford Campus Capital Campaign

“The community of Hereford’s overwhelming support has been nothing short of heroic.” – Paul Matney

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three-pronged capital campaign to optimize the functionality of the new campus in Hereford has swiftly achieved its initial milestone.

Taking full advantage of the EDA’s timely gift meant expanding the footprint of the new Hereford Campus right away, yet the grant contained no funds for additional bricks and mortar.

In only five months, Hereford-area residents have taken advantage of naming opportunities in various portions of the new facility through contributions totaling more than $350,000.

“To make this work it fell to the community,” AC President Paul Matney said. “I could not be more pleased by the generous response from Hereford and from the Sybil B. Harrington Fund.

It is inspiring how their combined efforts have ensured our ability to expedite technical training while providing the kind of campus the Hereford community needs and deserves.”

The fundraising effort was launched in association with a grant from the Sybil B. Harrington Fund, which pledged to match up to $315,000 in total gifts.

Thus, Phase I of the campaign—to raise $630,000 for adding two technical-training classrooms to the fledgling campus—is now complete.

“It happened very rapidly, much faster than I expected,” said Hereford Mayor Bob Josserand, who is spearheading the grassroots effort in conjunction with the AC Foundation.

Phase I of the capital campaign was necessitated by a fortuitous opportunity that came Hereford’s way courtesy of the federal government.

That new campus is well under way in northwest Hereford.

When it opens in 2014, its interior spaces will be christened in recognition of the beneficiaries whose generous contributions made Phase I a success.

Twelve donors so far will have their names attached to portions of the campus’s interior—from the community room to various labs and even the new technical-training classrooms.

Meanwhile, Phases II and III of the Campaign for Hereford are well under way. Both were devised when it became clear that costs would exceed available funds.

The U.S. Department of Commerce notified AC last September that it had authorized a $1 million grant through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) solely for the purchase of technical-training equipment for the new Hereford campus.

The goal of Phase II is to raise $380,000 to complete the interiors and furnish six additional classrooms and labs—more naming opportunities. Phase III is a naming opportunity for architectural enhancement of the building’s front entrance.

That project is valued at $180,000.

Unfortunately the original blueprint allowed for expansion to include technical-training facilities only when they were deemed affordable, perhaps a few years down the road.

“I am optimistic of the campaign’s ultimate success,” Dr. Matney said, “not only because it has gained traction so quickly, but because of the people in the community of Hereford.”

Durrett, Class of ’75, GIVEN ALUMNI AWARD

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llen Durrett and his lab partner in Vertebrate Anatomy were so offended by the relentless reek of formaldehyde that they surreptitiously doctored their allotment of the stuff with vanilla extract and Old Spice.

Their covert enterprise was indelibly revealed just as the liquids conjoined; the proverbial cat bolted out of the bag as if mice were the dissection du jour.

“Those three smells combined to immediately nauseate everyone in the whole lab,” said Durrett, a 1975 graduate of AC. “Professor Steve Dutton was not at all pleased by our little stunt, and I made my lowest grade at AC. “I realized that if the best I could make in that class was a C, medical school was probably out of the question. I think Professor Dutton is the reason I became a lawyer.”

Durrett made A’s in every other class he took at AC and a lawyer he indeed became—at the University of Texas—but he also ascended to successful farmer and rancher, civic leader, and true-blue advocate of AC.

A special event in honor of Durrett will be held next fall.

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These are among the attributes that made the partner in Durrett Cattle Company an easy choice to receive AC’s Distinguished Alumni Award for 2013.

Not only has he served on the boards of Harrington Cancer Center, St. Andrews Episcopal School, Amarillo Symphony and Amarillo Area Foundation, but he spent the bulk of the 1990s on the AC Foundation, including a stint as chairman.

PART NERSHI P

COORDI NATOR

Well-Traveled, Well-Intentioned

By M.J. Coats Marketing Consultant

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eff Wallick, the new Industry Partnership Coordinator at East Campus, is a humble guy. When asked what he did before he came to AC he said, “Professional dishwasher.”

Was there a massive computer error that let his application slip through the system?

Jeff Wallick

Professional dishwasher is Jeff-speak for account executive with the Golden Light Equipment Co. Logging 2,000 miles a week, Jeff sold and serviced Auto-Chlor machines in a 7,000-square-mile territory from La Junta, Colo., to Vernon, Texas. With only two route technicians for his 380 hotel and restaurant clients, he often found himself “swinging a wrench” for repairs or installations.

Here’s some Jeff Trivia: He put 46,000 miles on the company truck in nine months. That’s a lot of driving.

Jeff attended Randall High School (’92) and AC. He obtained a B.S. in Education (Social Studies Composites) from WTAMU in 2001. He taught grades 8-12 for five years in Borger and

Amarillo, and even spent three years teaching at the Universal American School of Kuwait, travelling through the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia and Northern Europe during his vacations. That’s a lot of travelling.

Jeff’s married to Amanda Wallick in the Business Office and they’re raising 7-year-old Hayley when not remodeling the house or going to Lowe’s.

Jeff’s vision for the East Campus is to raise the bar for technical education and help dispel the myth that a person has to have a four-year college degree to be successful, and to incentivize employers to get involved with East Campus programs through internships and advisory panels.

“The key is to have the right technical training with qualified students in a quality, competitive program and to raise the public’s awareness of the opportunities on the East Campus,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my part to make it a better place.”

Apparently it was not a computer error after all.

Weber to Succeed Rauscher as Chair of Music Department Come next fall, the Department of Music will be under new leadership for the first time in 25 years.

Dr. James Rauscher, who has chaired the Department since 1988, has elected to return to full-time teaching.

To fill the considerable void, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, vice president of academic affairs, announced May 6th that Dr. Steve Weber Steven Weber, director of choral activities, will be stepping into the chairmanship. He will transition into the job over the summer and begin his tenure as chair in the fall.

Copies of New Common Reader Pour In

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bartender-turned-activist who swapped myriad last calls for a singular call to action is the author of the book that will be our next Common Reader.

Doc Hendley’s Wine to Water, which he subtitled “A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World,” traces his journey from a biker bar in rural North Carolina to places like Haiti, Uganda and Sudan, where his Wine to Water organization continues to quench the collective thirst of the innumerably impoverished.

“I am excited and extremely humbled,” said Dr. Weber, who joined the AC faculty in 1992. “I’m excited to work with our wonderful faculty to create a vision for our future. I have some enormous shoes to fill, but it to my great advantage that Dr. Rauscher will be right here to show me the ropes.”

Dr. Rauscher said the time was right to relinquish the chair.

“The Music Building renovations are just about done,” he said. “It just seems like the right time for a change, and I think it’s always good to look for new leadership and a new vision.”

Exponential Expansion for ORC

If you would like a copy, it’s already available at the Washington Street and West Campus Assistance Centers, or just ring Courtney Milleson at Ext. 5427.

Courtney, who chairs the Common Reader Team, says Hendley will visit AC November 5th to talk about his efforts to supply clean drinking water to developing countries—efforts that led to his being named one of CNN’s Heroes of the Year in 2009.

“This is a story that compels us to do something,” Courtney said. “Doc Hendley is so passionate. He learned about the global water crisis while putting himself through college as a bartender, and he tried to make an impact.

“His story is proof that ordinary people can and do change the world for good.”

Dr. Kathy Wetzel, Dr. Paul Matney and Tara Meraz, who supervises the Math Outreach Center, slice up pi in commemoration of the new facility.

Leave it to the Math Outreach Center (ORC) to first multiply then divide its own footprint on the Washington Street Campus. The awardingwinning ORC celebrated its relocation and exponential expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 2 at its new location on the first floor of Durrett Hall.

Long a cornerstone of AC’s many student-success initiatives, the OCR nearly doubled its space in the move, enabling a long-awaited division of its wealth; its tutoring and testing center today share a total of 4,425 square feet and now occupy opposite sides of the same main hallway.

Tutoring and testing had been jointly confined to a 2,700-square-foot area in the adjacent Engineering Building.

G E A R

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S T U D E N T S

Finally Poised for College G

EAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) set out in 2007 to propel about 1,400 economically disadvantaged seventh-graders, year by year, not only to high school completion but to the precipice of post-secondary inclusion.

The federally funded, six-year program for which AC serves as fiscal agent seems to have met with success.

Throughout its duration, GEAR UP has focused on a singular cohort: those 2007 seventh-graders who eventually would be seniors at Caprock, Palo Duro, Dumas and Hereford high schools—the class of 2013.

Well, they are seniors today, and all who graduate from these four high schools this spring will be the beneficiary of GEAR UP and its field trips, college visits, tutoring, mentoring, school supplies and more. Though data is not final, it seems more than coincidental that the numbers of ACE- eligible students is at an all-time high.

ACE is the community-based scholarship program that guarantees entry to and affordability at AC and/or WT for eligible Caprock and Palo Duro graduates. Students can qualify for ACE only by maintaining solid grades and demonstrating exemplary attendance and appropriate behavior.

“After six years, the GEAR UP students finally are seniors, and based on the large numbers of these students who are eligible for ACE, I think it’s safe to say GEAR UP has moved the needle,” said Bob Austin, vice president of student affairs, who notes that applications to AC are up 33 percent over a year ago, and GEAR UP is probably why.

Transience has wiped many from the roles—just 65 percent of that original seventh-grade group remains—but newcomers

Jodi Lindseth has been director of the GEAR UP program since its inception at AC back in 2007.

joined along the way, too, and almost 2,300 total students have been served at some point by the program, which after 2013 will be gearing down as the grant expires.

“It’s been amazing to watch these young people grow,” said Jodi Lindseth, GEAR UP director. “Through continual exposure to college campuses, our students are no longer scared by the prospect of being there; for a great many, the very notion of going to college is about to become a reality.”

For many of them, right here at AC.

Secret Star Shines at CUB Dr. Daniel Ferguson, chairman of the Department of English and Modern Languages, gets his copy of A Secret Star signed by the author, former AC Honors student Krystyne Aleksandr. The book-signing was conducted May 1st at the CUB. The book, which is hot off the presses at Tate Publishing, details Krystyne’s journey through the darkest tunnels of childhood abuse and abandonment to her discovery of an inner light that helped her understand she was not alone.

Spring

Fiesta No Excuses Style The Classified Employees Development Committee staged a Spring Fiesta that had a No Excuses flavor as guests who attended the March 7th event were asked to sign cards of encouragement for students in the College Success Coaching Program.

Dr. Paul Matney provided updates and shared his insights on AC’s No Excuses initiative. And if that didn’t leave everyone with a warm feeling, an abundance of chips, hot sauce and queso certainly did.

SPRING RECIPE

Peanut Patties Recipe compliments of Lyndy Wilkinson, dean of technical education Ingredients

2 ½ c. sugar

⅔ c. karo syrup 1 c. milk

1 t. red food coloring

3 c. raw Spanish peanuts 2 T. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

Rumor has it the faculty and staff at the East Campus love these!

1 t. vanilla

Directions In a heavy dutch oven or large saucepan, combine sugar, syrup, milk, food coloring and peanuts. Heat over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches soft ball stage (232 degrees).

Remove from heat and immediately add powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir the mixture until the butter is melted and mixture becomes slightly creamy.

Working quickly, (mixture will begin to harden as it drops in temperature) drop from spoonfuls onto waxed paper. The patties will harden as they cool.

My mom made these for us when I was a kid growing up in Wellington. We had them at holidays and family reunions. This was my mom’s signature dessert that everyone loved. My brother and sister and I would argue about who got the “special” peanut patty. It was the very last one in the batch and was big and resulted in my mom scraping the pan—it was a big red patty with no peanuts in it! — Lyndy