UH
ALUMNI QUARTERLY
WINTER 2008
THE MAGAZINE OF THE HOUSTON ALUMNI ORGANIZATION
Head in the Clouds: UH Alumnus Organizes Around-the-World Skyship Race
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Alumline by Barry Adams 3 Campus News 6 Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman: The Man Who Modernized the University of Houston 8 Head in the Clouds: UH Alumnus Organizes Around-The-World Skyship Race
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12 Seeing Double: Brother Optometrists Celebrate 50 Years of Practice 14 Tier One and Texas 16 The Investiture of Chancellor and President Renu Khator 19 Leaving Their Print 20 The Dish on Desmond Wade: 5’9 Point Guard Stands Tall on the Court 22 Helping Cougars Survive Tough Economic Times 23 CougarCorner with Beth Madison (’72) 24 55th annual University of Houston Alumni Association Awards Dinner
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25 Class Notes 31 Calendar 32 Paws and Remember
Cover art is a nineteenth-century lithograph of Gaston and Albert Tissandier, brothers and French aviators who were the first to affix an electric motor to a skyship. Digitally colored by Seleste Bautista.
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UH Alumni Quarterly is published for alumni, friends, donors, and members of the Houston Alumni Organization. Editorial offices located in the Athletics/Alumni Center, 3100 Cullen Blvd., University of Houston. EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Barry Adams MANAGING EDITOR Joy Wagman Krohn EDITOR David Raffetto (’05) GRAPHICS/ART Seleste Bautista CONTRIBUTING WRITER Samantha Perkins HOUSTON ALUMNI ORGANIZATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS Mike Baker (’68, J.D. ’71), Chair Cheryl Creuzot (’81, J.D. ’92, LL.M. ’99), Immediate Past Chair Judie Lilie (’95), Chair-Elect Ron Page (’80), Treasurer Reece Rondon (’92, J.D. ’95), Secretary Rick Bowen (’88, M.B.A. ’91) Stephanie Foy (M.S.W. ’94) Cathy Frank (’80) Jason Fuller (’94) Joe Heard (’80) James Holmes (’86) Lance Livingston (’66) Gerald McElvy (’75) Laura Murillo (’89, M.Ed. ’98, Ed.D. ’03) Larry Parker (’75) Ricky Raven (’83, J.D. ’86) Steve Simmons (’81) Thaddeus “Bo” Smith (’67) John Whitmire (’75, J.D. ’76)
ALUMLINE
In Our Time Patrick J. Nicholson’s 1977 book In Time is a wonderfully rich exploration of the University of Houston’s first fifty years. The book reveals a character, as well as characters, that guided UH past an obstacle-filled founding and along a dynamic progression. It is a wonderful study about an emerging city, hungry (and deserving) of national recognition, thirsty for a public university of wide acclaim, and home to a cadre of administrators and faculty who devoted time to achieving that dream. Though UH is well on its way toward completing a second 50 years, the book rings loudly in today’s vernacular. The time and the opportunity for UH is certainly now. Many of us believe the fulfillment of those early visions will be, indeed, over the next few years. It is about “Tier One” status. But it’s broader than those two words. It’s about a major public university that emerges as a world energy leader, a renowned center for the arts, a hub for business leaders and entrepreneurs, a respected and admired intellectual generator for many disciplines. “Houston is a great city,” said Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1958, as he noted it needed a great public university. “...And this will be it.” It is with those sentiments that the Houston Alumni Organization has reclaimed an earlier name, one we used from 1957-1964. As of January 1, 2009, we will officially be The University of Houston Alumni Association.
EX-OFFICIO President Renu Khator UH Alumni Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 3 (USPS 018-676) (SSN 1089-9154) is published four times a year (April, July, October, December) by the Houston Alumni Organization, located at 3100 Cullen Blvd., Suite 201, Houston, Texas 77204-6000. Annual memberships start at $45, $4.50 of which is allocated for a subscription to this publication. Periodicals postage paid at Houston, Texas. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Houston Alumni Organization, P.O. Box 230345, Houston, Texas, 77223-0345.
Our new logo features a rendering of the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building (known as E. Cullen to most), unquestionably the most stately reminder of our institution and certainly a “brand” image that still holds the promise of our founders. As this new direction implies, UH, and all of you who are members, are linked to the past but bound as a community to the future. I hope you will welcome our new name, our new look, and the beautiful reminder of how we arrived. With Cougar Spirit and Pride,
Barry Adams, President and CEO Houston Alumni Organization 2 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
CAMPUSnews STUDENTS VOTE TO RENOVATE UNIVERSITY CENTER A plan to renovate the campus’ University Center, a 42-year-old facility, passed a student referendum by a larger-than-expected margin this November. Of the 4,161 students who visited the polls, 77 percent voted in favor of the UC Transformation Project, a proposed $100 million renovation plan that would expand space for student activities, offer new dining and retail options, allow 24-hour access to lounge spaces, and build an outdoor amphitheatre for campus events. If approved by the UH System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the project would target a 2014 completion date. The UC Transformation Project plan involves raising the student University Center fee from $35 per semester to $160 per semester in increments of $25 over a fouryear period (starting in 2010) to cover the renovation costs and accompanying maintenance needs.
Students recently voted to begin a $100 million renovation of the campus’ University Center, adding study space, 24-hour common areas, new dining, new retail, and an outdoor amphitheatre.
University Center officials will present the UC 2010 Initiative to the UH System Board of Regents for approval on February. 10.
UH TO O F F E R M I N OR IN G L BT S TUDIES Beginning in 2009, the University of Houston Women’s Studies Program will offer a minor in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) studies. UH will be the first university in Texas to offer the concentration. The interdisciplinary minor will require fifteen hours of approved courses in the humanities and social sciences, as well as an introductory course required of all minors. Students may choose from courses like Sex and Culture, Queer Theory, History of Private Life, Sexuality and Society, Gay and Lesbian Literature, and Ideologies of Manhood in Ancient Epic, among others. Professor Guillermo de los Reyes of the Hispanic Studies Department will direct the new minor. The new GLBT minor reflects the continued growth of the Women’s Studies Program, founded in 1991. Now offering two minors, Women’s Studies and GLBT Studies, the program is in the process of changing its name to reflect expanding curriculum. “The Women’s Studies Program is happy to offer this new minor in an expanding field of research and understanding,” said program director Professor Elizabeth Gregory. “Women’s Studies has long included courses that analyze the role of gender and sexuality in the experience of people of both sexes.”
EARLY D E C E M B E R S N OW D U S TS UH C A M PU S This wouldn’t qualify as “campus news” at many universities, but the University of Houston campus went from ‘red and white’ to just ‘white’ as snow baffled students and staff in the evening hours of December 10. The weather anomaly was exactly that, setting a record for the earliest snow in Houston’s history. For the many alumni who spent four years on campus without a single flake, enjoy these photos:
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1. With his bronze coat to keep him warm, the male cougar, sculpted by Alaskan artist Skip Wallen, guards the entrance of the Ezekiel Cullen Building with a posture that suggests he’s unphased by the cold weather. 2. Only a single flower outside of the new Science and Engineering Classroom Complex managed to hold its bloom through the icy onslaught. 3. Saint Albertus Magnus, no doubt, wondering if his buddy Saint Nicholas is up to some early tricks. 4. Pelted by the wind with snowballs, a cougar bares its teeth on a banner outside Robertson Stadium.
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CAMPUSnews UH DO C TO R AL S T U D E N T D E B UNKS EVIDENC E OF LIF E O N MA RT I A N M E T E OR I T E ALH 84001, a famous Martian meteorite found in Antarctica more than two decades ago, made international headlines in 1996 when scientists argued it contained evidence of life on Mars. But Mary Sue Bell, a doctoral student in geology at the University of Houston, has published research that deals a devastating blow to that theory. NASA scientists claimed that magnetite crystals on ALH 84001 were fossilized remains of tiny bacteria. It was believed to be the first real evidence of extraterrestrial life accepted by a contingent of scientists. However, Bell, also a planetary scientist at NASA, managed to recreate the same magnetite crystals under artificial conditions. Using a powerful canon-like instrument at the Johnson Space Center to simulate meteorite impacts, she fired a small projectile into a target of siderite—an iron carbonate rock—at a speed of 1.5 kilometers per second. The shockwaves passing through the siderite caused instantaneous chemical reactions that formed magnetite crystals identical to those found on the Martian meteorite. “There’s only one thing we know for sure about this meteorite—that it was shocked by impact,” Bell said. “Using the one process we know occurred, we’ve created magnetite crystals indistinguishable from the crystals in the ’96 meteorite. The shock from the impact is a more likely explanation for the magnetite crystals on the meteorite than any biogenic process.” Bell recently learned that she will receive the Nininger Meteorite Award, an honor given by the Arizona State University Center for Meteorite Studies for most outstanding meteorite research by a young scientist. It was a NASA team that discovered the ALH 84001 meteorite, and Bell was sent on a similar meteoritehunting expedition in 2005. For six weeks she and her team camped out on the Antarctic ice, traveling by snowmobile and recovering more than 100 meteorites ranging in size from a dust flake to a softball. Meteorites are easier to spot in the white snow and ice of Antarctica, Bell said. She plans to continue her meteorite research at NASA, where she has worked since 1994, curating meteorite samples collected by NASA teams.
ALH 84001, a meteorite found by a NASA recovery team in 1996, once made international headlines for the fossilized bacteria it housed. But a University of Houston doctoral student has made her own headlines by illegitimizing that theory.
BY T H E N UM B E R S
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C.T. Bauer College of Business’ undergraduate entrepreneurship program was recently rated The
#1 in the country by the Princeton Review among fellow entrepreneurship programs.
4 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
9
101
The number of living University of Houston
alumni over the age of 100.
In Coach Sumlin’s first year as head football coach, his team placed nine
players on all-conference teams
: Sebastian Vollmer (First Team), Phillip Hunt (First Team), Case Keenum (Second Team), Tyron Carrier (Second Team), Kenneth Fontenette (Second Team), Bryce Beall (Honorable Mention), Michael Bloesch (Honorable Mention), Cody Lubojasky (Honorable Mention), and Chase Turner (Honorable Mention).
CAMPUSnews FAT C E L L S A S HE A RT AT TAC K THER APY? YES, ACCORDING TO UH RESEARCHERS Associate professor Stanley Kleis and his research team at the Cullen College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering are using fat cells to improve heart muscles damaged by heart attacks. You read it correctly. The research team is using adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs), which are found in fatty tissue, as a therapy for heart attack patients. After heart attacks, heart cells do not receive enough oxygen-rich blood and some of them die, leaving behind damaged tissue. Similar to stem cells, ADSCs have the potential to develop into different types of cells, and as such, can produce chemicals that may protect or rejuvenate heart muscles. “If we can show this conclusively, then we can develop a procedure that doctors can use to inject the cells into a heart attack patient’s heart and can either protect or even help regrow the heart muscles,” Kleis said. One tool the research team is using is a tiny, state-of-the-art “bioreactor” that Kleis developed over the past few years with Sandra Geffert-Moore (’01, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’07) during her doctoral studies at UH. The palm-size bioreactor was originally envisioned as a long-term cell culture system for use on NASA’s unmanned spaceflights, but its application to this project was intuitive for Kleis. The repurposing of the bioreactor earned Kleis’ research team a Patent Application Award from NASA and puts them in the running for the NASA Space Act Board Award and accompanying $100,000 prize.
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difference in height (inches) between starting point guard Desmond Wade and starting center Marcus Cousin. The
Check your antiquated heart treatments at the emergency room door. A team of University of Houston researchers is using a type of fat cell to rebuild heart muscles in heart attack victims.
The
3,420
Placing us at 25th in the
number of current international students that call the nation, the
University of Houston home.
basketball players are 5’9 and 6’11, respectively. Check out page 20 to read about Wade and his hopes for this season.
548
number of acres that currently comprise the University of Houston campus, a number that will grow once development begins
The
on 43 acres that previously were part of MacGregor Park.
DR. PHILIP GUTHRIE HOFFMAN: BY SAMANTHA PERKINS
THE MAN WHO MODERNIZED THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
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Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman offers his trademark stare that convinced Texas legislators to include the University of Houston in the Texas State Public University System.
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n 1961, the largest city in the state of Texas was home to a sleepy, segregated, private university. Today, it is Houston’s premier public university, making strides to attain Tier One status as one of the nation’s most diverse research institutions. And the pioneer of that transformation, undoubtedly one of the most prominent and decorated presidents in the university’s history, has left a legacy that stirs proud memories from those who witnessed his tenure and serves as a sound example for subsequent leaders. Sadly, Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman, the University of Houston’s fifth president, whose tenure spanned 15 years, died Wednesday, October 29, 2008. He was 93 years old. Dr. Hoffman’s service is still commended by UH students, faculty, staff, and alumni. So much, in fact, that current Chancellor and President Renu Khator named November 3, 2008 as Philip G. Hoffman Day. In his honor, all flags on campus were flown at half-staff. When Dr. Hoffman was inaugurated as President of Regents in 1961, the university was simply an afterthought within the context of Texas higher education. Enrollment totaled 12,000 with a student population that hardly qualified as diverse, and the university struggled to achieve the accreditation and serviceable reputation that other institutions took for granted. At his inaugural address in 1962, Dr. Hoffman prophetically said that “realistically, [the University of Houston] will become a large university. This dictates a high priority for new buildings, for a more selective admissions process, for other reasonable controls on size. But we do not prize size itself, other than as a possible index of public service. We do, however, prize quality.” A mere two years later, Dr. Hoffman led legislative efforts for the University of Houston’s acceptance into the Texas State Public University System, moving UH from a private university to a public one. The change would prove to be a transformative catalyst. Enrollment soared to over 30,000 students by the time Dr. Hoffman retired 14 years later. The number of academic programs doubled in that same period. Library holdings tripled. Physical plant development exploded, including the construction, addition, or remodeling of 31 university structures. The university also credits Dr. Hoffman for introducing the system model, which, in 1969, began with the opening of a second campus—now the University of Houston-Clear Lake. In 1974, the system’s downtown campus opened. For a man who did so much to shape the physi-
On April 27, 1962, representatives of the Student Government present Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman, newly president, with his inaugural robe.
cality of the University of Houston and University of Houston System, it’s only fitting that a building in the middle of campus, one that thousands of students walk through everyday, bears his name. Built in 1974 and dedicated in 1980, Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall is a mostly classroom facility that currently houses the mathematics, computer science, political science, and sociology departments, as well as the Social Science Data Lab and Technology Support Services.
INTEGRATING THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON At a time when America’s south was waging war against segregation, Dr. Hoffman stood affirmed that integrating the university not only “made good sense politically,” but was, above all, “the right thing to do.” In 1961, three days before he would mandate university-wide integration, Dr. Hoffman invited prominent news and television editors to join him at the Houston Club. “I told them that we were going to integrate the University of Houston,” he remembered, “and we could either do it quietly, or we could have something that resembled Mississippi or Alabama. My choice was that students would look around one day and say, ‘Hey, we’re integrated.’ Everyone there agreed that it was best to integrate the university peacefully. So, the university integrated quietly, and that is all there was to it.” In the summer of 1961, the University of Houston enrolled its first African American student, a graduate student in the Music Department. By March 1963, there were 20 African American students attending UH.
Today, the university is cited as the most diverse research university in the entire country.
A LEGACY BEFORE AND BEYOND UH Outside of making history at the University of Houston, Dr. Hoffman lived a remarkable life punctuated with achievements throughout the world. Born August 6, 1915, in Kobe, Japan, Dr. Hoffman began his academic career by earning a bachelor’s in business administration in 1938 from Pacific Union College in Anwin, California. From 1940-1945, he served in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence communications specialist. He continued his education at the University of Southern California and The Ohio State University, receiving master’s and doctoral degrees in history, respectively. While studying at The Ohio State University, and for many years after his graduation, Dr. Hoffman served as a history instructor. Before joining the University of Houston as vice president and dean of faculties, Dr. Hoffman worked as both assistant and associate professor at the University of Alabama, and later as the Oregon State System of Education’s dean of the General Extension Division. Dr. Hoffman held honorary degrees from nine major universities in the United States, Mexico, and Korea. He was a Life Member of the alumni organization and received both the University of Houston’s President Emeritus award and the Houston Alumni Organization’s President’s Award. Many people have made laudable comments about Dr. Hoffman, but perhaps it was Dana Rooks, current dean of libraries and a former colleague of Dr. Hoffman,
who said it best: “As president, Dr. Hoffman made the original vision of the Cullen family a reality. His leadership and tireless efforts to recruit top faculty, build state-of-the-art facilities, expand degree programs, and create a true research library moved the University of Houston from a local private college to a nationally recognized public university. To many, Dr. Philip G. Hoffman is the University of Houston.” “His legacy to the citizens of Houston and the former and future students of the University of Houston,” Rooks continued, “is beyond measure. He is one of the great figures in Houston history whose contributions made this city what it is today.”
Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman, the fifth University of Houston president, passed away Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at the age of 93. Photo by Thomas Shea.
Head in the Clouds: UH Alumnus Organizes Around-The-World Skyship Race BY DAVID RAFFETTO (’05)
D
on Hartsell (J.D. ’85) is not a pilot. He’s not a professor of aviation history. He’s not an aeronautical engineer. Don Hartsell is an idea man. He’s a lofty thinker. He’s a head-in-the-clouds kind of guy. As founder and commissioner of the World Air League, Hartsell has spent the past few years of his life organizing the World Sky Race. Set for 2010, the race will feature 16 back-to-back stages where lighter-than-air skyships will compete for prizes and pride. The “champion” designation will be awarded to the team whose ship completes the 30,000 mile course in the fastest time. It will be the largest competition ever seen by live spectators in the history of the human race. We told you he thought big. The race is expected to last 150 days and will begin and end in London London, starting at the Greenwich Prime Meridian in front of the Atomic Clock, the spot where all longitudinal distance is measured from and where all time on Earth is synchronized. From there, the course moves through Berlin, Rome, Cairo, the Arabian Gulf Coast, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Beijing, Japan, Honolulu, San Francisco, Mexico City, Houston, New York City, and Shannon before returning to London. If it sounds like a long way, that’s because it is. The race will mark the first unassisted trans-Atlantic skyship crossing since 1937, and moreover, will result in the first circumnavigation by a lighterthan-air ship in history. Not to mention setting a number of other international aviation records for duration and participant feats. These records won’t just fall. They’ll fall en masse, with dozens of skyships breaking them simultaneously. Perhaps the biggest number of all is the targeted $10,000,000 in prize money. Similar to the Tour de France, the World Sky Race will have prize money and recognition for the winner of each of the 16 stages, and of course a grand champion designation (and appropriate prize) to the winner of the entire race. And although Hartsell has been around the world and back organizing the race, the idea and early support started right here in Texas.
Grounded in Texas “The idea for the World Sky Race is 30 years in the making,” Hartsell said. “But ideas only get you so far. I held it close to my chest until I had the experience to present this without getting laughed out of a room.” After earning his law degree from UH, Hartsell jumped from one technical innovation project to another, eventually partnering with the UH Law Center’s O’Quinn Law Library to begin digitizing Texas Supreme Court records. But while his face was in the books, his head was in the clouds. “I knew that one man with a grand idea is rarely taken seriously,” Hartsell remembered. “I needed endorsements from people who mattered. Celebrities, politicians, world leaders. It started with thenCounty Commissioner Robert Eckels (’80). He provided a written endorsement on behalf of the City of Houston; he even provided office space for the World Air League.” From there, Hartsell took Eckels’ letter to an international conference where various ministries of tourism were represented. An around-the-world race was going to require around-the-world support. Interest was immediately reciprocated on a global level, but securing commitments would require an endorsement larger than a single city. That’s where the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO to most, came in. Seeing as how the proposed race route would cross some of the world’s most majestic topographical and architectural locations, from the Roman Coliseum and the pyramids of Giza to Mount Fujiyama and the Statue of Liberty, UNESCO agreed to lend its name as a partner. In exchange, the World Air League will auction rides on the skyships at selected milestone sites with the proceeds going to selected UNESCO causes. Things had taken off. (Continued on next page)
Among the mist and fog, a skyship floats past San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, on one of the cultural beacons along the World Sky Race’s route.
Skyship, Zeppelin, Blimp—What’s What?
Skyships through the Centuries
We’ll start with rigid skyships, or zeppelins. As their name implies, rigid skyships have an internal frame, traditionally made of aluminum alloy (though experiments with composite materials are changing that practice), which supports the pressurized envelope. Rigid skyships are often much larger than their counterparts because a balanced weight-to-volume ratio demands a large envelope to compensate for the heavy frame—almost always longer than 360 feet. Semi-rigid skyships, an earlier twentieth-century fad, usually feature a rigid lower keel that supports the pressurized envelope above it. The Hindenburg was an example of a rigid skyship, and though its rigidity had nothing to do with its disastrous crash, rigid skyships haven’t managed to rescue their reputation since the 1930s. Non-rigid skyships, or blimps, rely on internal overpressure to maintain their shape. The only solid components are the passenger carriage and navigation fins. The Goodyear, Metlife, and Fuji blimps are all examples of non-rigid skyships. Hot air skyships, or thermal skyships, technically qualify as non-rigid skyships, but they are categorized separately within the aeronautical industry. The design philosophy is similar to hot air balloons. Newer hot air airships maintain their shape with internal overpressure in the whole envelope. Individuals at the World Air League hope that the race will encourage a resurgence in skyship technology that rivals the productivity from the early twentieth century. The expected dimensions of skyships entering the World Sky Race are 197 feet long and 51 feet in diameter, with a cabin of only 22 feet by 8 feet by 6 feet (the headroom). Of course, these numbers are based on current industry standards, and competitions can bring out engineering’s best. Hartsell wouldn’t be surprised to see something completely revolutionary. “Buoyant flight is an inherently efficient form of transportation, and that’s why skyships were merited such promising exploration in an earlier age,” Hartsell said. “People forget how successful skyship transportation once was.” And he’s right. We do forget. By 1937 (pre-Hindenburg), commercial passenger skyships of the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederie had flown half a million hours for a total of 52 million miles. Everything from regional voyages to transoceanic and transcontinental voyages—even arctic voyages. And this was all accomplished using technology that today belongs in a museum. We’re talking cells made from cow intestine membranes filled with flammable hydrogen. We’re talking cotton canvas hull coverings and manual control systems. Imagine what could be done from a commercial passenger perspective with today’s technology. Hartsell is hoping the World Sky Race will inspire the entire world to imagine just that.
1709 – Bartholomeau Lourenco de Gusmao, a Portuguese Jesuit priest, used hot air to propel a ball to the roof of the Casa da India. Members of the court dubbed the contraption “Passarola.” 1785 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard crossed the English Channel in a balloon equipped with flapping wings for propulsion and a bird-like tail for steerage. 1852 – Henri Giffard flew from Paris to Trappes (17 miles) in a steam-powered skyship, the first engine-powered flight in history. 1872 – Paul Haenlein, a German engineer, flew the first skyship with an internal combustion engine, running on coal gas to float over Vienna. 1901 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, in his skyship Number 6, won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize of 100,000 francs for flying from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in under thirty minutes. 1912 – Conducting a reconnaissance mission west of Tripoli and behind Turkish lines, Italian forces became the first to use skyships for a military purpose. 1923 – The USS Shenandoah, the first American-built rigid skyship, flew at Lakehurst, New Jersey. It was the first ship to be inflated with helium, a gas still so rare at the time that most of the world’s reserves were contained within the ship’s envelope. 1937 – The Hindenburg exploded at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crew members. 1941 – After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the entire American fleet of 10 nonrigid skyships is put into service, using the K and TC classes as anti-submarine vessels.
His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar Minister of State for Energy & Industry Affairs, and World Air League Commissioner Don Hartsell (J.D. ‘85) discuss partnership and participation opportunities between Qatar and the World Sky Race. 10 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
2004 – Lindstrand Technologies supplied the world’s first fully functional unmanned skyship to Spain’s Ministry of Defense. This skyship carried a 42 kg classified payload and its surveillance missions are still classified.
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Walk with the Pride of a Cougar Show your pride and support of the Houston Alumni Organization by inscribing your name on a terrace tile on the Walk of Honor at the Alumni Center. For $250, your tax-deductible gift will purchase a tile in your name or the name of your designate. These funds support the endowment for alumni programs. Tiles make excellent gifts to mark special occasions such as graduation, an anniversary, a birthday, or a holiday. Order your tile today by completing and mailing the attached form, or call HAO at 713.743.9550.
THE ALUMNI ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN GIFT & PLEDGE INFORMATION Name __________________________________________________________________________Class Year ________________ Address ____________________________________________ City ____________________State ______ ZIP Code _________ Home Telephone Number ____________________________ Business Telephone Number _____________________________ Email Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Enclosed is a check in the amount of $_______________________. Please charge $ _____________ to the credit card number.
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Brother Optometrists Celebrate 50 Years of Practice
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t all started in their father’s cluttered optical shop in downtown Houston. Not many kids in the 1940s spent their free afternoons grinding lenses, but Albert (O.D. ’58) and Gerald (O.D. ’58) Romano had the pedigree and the instinct. “We watched our father work with lenses almost every day, so of course, curious kids are going to tinker,” Gerald said. “After school or on days off, we’d head to his shop downtown just to hang out. When you hang out long enough, you’re bound to learn a thing or two.” Learn they did. Fifty years, four offices, and thousands of patients later, Albert and Gerald Romano are still helping Houston residents see a little clearer at Westheimer Vision Associates.
Albert also taught at UH for nearly 20 years as an adjunct professor, working with pre-optometry and first-year optometry students. The class focused on data collection—simply taking the information that the eye (and the person) yields without getting into more complex testing and diagnosis.
Focused from the Start Though the Romano brothers are three-and-a-half years apart (Albert is the older of the two), military service allowed them to enter the University of Houston’s College of Optometry at the same time. “At the time, there weren’t many optometry schools throughout the country,” Gerald remembered. “UH had just started theirs, it was close, and it seemed to have a good reputation in the community. Our dad had made a success of helping people see, and since we knew a little about the business, it seemed like a logical career choice.” Both Romano brothers applied to the program and were accepted. Taking most of their classes together, the two graduated in 1958 and opened their first practice together that fall. “We started with an office at West Gray and Waugh, and then we were at the site where the Galleria is today. Saying that will sure make you feel old,” Gerald laughed. “Then I guess it was the office on Fondren and Westheimer before moving to our current building off the Beltway. Some patients have been loyal enough to bounce around town with us for all those years. Other than simply enjoying my job, it’s people like that who encourage you to get up and put on the white coat every morning.” But a busy practice and graduation fifty years ago hasn’t kept the Romanos away from campus. Prior to 1992, optometrists were very limited in their use and ability to prescribe medicine. When the medicinal regulations became more inclusive, Albert and Gerald had to go back to school for addition pharmacology classes. Where else but UH? “Many of the older optometrists were nervous about going back to school and retaking our board exams,” Albert said. “But doing it at UH was like going home.” 12 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
Brothers Gerald (O.D. ’58) and Albert (O.D. ’58) Romano have been practicing optometry in Houston for 50 years.
Today, Albert is considered one of optometry’s most skilled diagnosticians. He is a specialist with contact lenses and a Certified Glaucoma Specialist. Gerald is also certified in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases and has been a clinical investigator for several contact lens manufacturers. Both are members of the American and Texas Optometric Associations, and Gerald is a past president of the Harris County Optometric Society.
Westheimer Vision Associates Today Currently, Westheimer Vision Associates employs five optometrists, a four-person optical shop, and six support staff. “We both only work three days a week, now,” Gerald said. “Part of the reason is that we can’t get up and go like we used to. Part of the reason is that we both value our time with family and our charity
causes. Part of the reason is that we’re in the process of transferring the business to the younger doctors here.” Anyone could see why family keeps the two men very busy. Albert and his wife have five children, 18 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Gerald and his wife have four sons and three grandchildren. Regarding charity work, Albert provides exams at no charge for patients in programs like the Eye Care for Kids Foundation, Prevent Blindness - Partners in Prevention, and Vision USA. Gerald takes his skill set overseas; this April will mark the sixth trip he’s made to Guatemala. Partnering with ophthalmologists in the country, Gerald and his co-volunteers bring glasses and cataract services to Mayan ancestors living in remote mountain areas. “There’s going to come a time when we can’t do all this anymore. We’ve both been blessed with health, and neither of us could have done this without the other,” Albert said. “People always ask how anyone could work with their brother day-after-day for 50 years…” “He’s my mentor; he’s my best friend,” Gerald jumped in. “That’s how. I’m more the PR end of things. Albert is better at the business. And we’re both good enough at actual optometry to have given this thing quite a run.” When asked what’s next, both brothers smile. “I’m excited to see the practice live on after us,” Gerald said. “That’s what legacies are about. With the young ones, they’ve taught us a lot, and we’ve taught them a lot. Our patients will be in good hands.” “I marvel at how far optometric technology has come since we were at UH,” Albert said. “Ask us then about today’s every-day equipment and we’d call it science fiction. What are things going to be like in another 50 years? I’m anxious to see the start of that direction.”
Overdue for your vision check-up? Visit westheimervision.com or call 713-7813517 to make your appointment. It’s safe to say you’d be in experienced hands.
Anthony Romano Sr., Albert and Gerald’s father, ran an optical shop in downtown Houston through the 1930s and 1940s.
TIER ONE TTEXAS EXAS and
“T
ier One.” We’ve heard what it means for the University of Houston: more funding, more respect. But what does it mean to the legislators who actually provide the funding to make it happen? It means a whole lot of money from a notoriously frugal state legislature. Here’s how it works. For state universities, most funding is based on a formula that uses enrollment and operational needs as its largest consideration. Accordingly, in 2008, the University of Houston received 7.7% of that formula pie, compared to 13.9% and 11.9% for the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. This makes sense. Respectively, those universities have 14,000 and 10,000 more students than UH. But here’s the catch. Proponents of formula funding forget/ignore/don’t know that formula funding is only part of the entire funding equation. The Permanent University Fund (PUF) awarded $755.3 million in 2007 to all institutions within the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems. The Texas Constitution (1876) promised that proceeds from leases and royalties on state land would be deposited into the PUF fund. When early-twentieth century oil discoveries caused state land values to soar, the PUF grew well beyond anything the original writers of the constitution could have imagined. Prior to 1984, that money was reserved only for the two flagship institutions. The Higher Education Fund (HEF) awarded $175 million in 2007 to all state institutions other than the University of Texas and Texas A&M. Other universities within those systems are eligible for both PUF and HEF money. The University of Houston gets the majority of its non-formula funding from HEF money. That’s $755.3 million divided between two systems, compared to $175 million divided between 33 universities. Formula funding may be fair, but formula funding is only half the story. If it was a matter of just throwing money at the problem, UH would have received Tier One funding long ago. But there’s simply no money in current education funding to throw. The responsibility is on UH administrators and UH supporters to convince legislators that UH deserves a larger percentage of the funding than it is currently receiving, or that the higher education funding pool in general deserves larger appropriations. A good starting point for that task is to look at the number of Tier One universities around the country as they relate to state populations. California has nine Tier One institutions, New York has seven, and Texas has three: the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and Rice University, the last of which only enrolls just north of 5,000 total students. Relative to population, it’s obvious that Texas is well below the higher education curve. The nation’s fourth largest city needs a Tier One university that can serve the higher education needs of the city and surrounding area. Houston does not currently have that.
HOW CAN ALUMNI HELP? Only university faculty and administrators can work toward increasing research funding, employing more national academy members, and attracting top-notch students. But alumni have the power of numbers; numbers perk the ears of legislators; and legislators make the decisions about higher education funding. “The Texas Legislature has always been supportive of the University of Hous14 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
ton,” said Welcome Wilson, Sr. (’49), chairman of the UH System Board of Regents. “This is not simply a matter of getting Tier One funding for UH. It’s a matter of providing an appropriate number of Tier One enrollment spots for the citizens of this great state.” “People keep couching this as a competition,” added Nelda Blair (J.D. ’82), a UH System regent. “It’s not about taking money away from one school and giving it to another. It’s not about dethroning any one university and promoting another. We’re simply asking that the legislature provide a path for aspiring universities to reach Tier One status, with benchmarks that reflect the same criteria that national Tier One lists consider: research dollars, breadth of academic programming, number of national academy members on faculty, etcetera. I’m confident that UH is farther along that path than other universities in Texas.” Per Chairman Wilson and Regent Blair, the message to legislators shouldn’t be that the University of Houston ought to be top priority when the new session begins. That’s unrealistic. Simply, ask them to move Tier One funding from number twelve on their list of priorities to number two or three. For alumni who are unsure who their state senators and representatives are, visit http://www.fyi.legis. state.tx.us/. Simply type in your home address for the names, contact information, and office addresses of your federal and state elected officials. “Emails get deleted; phone messages get deleted; letters get thrown away,” Wilson noted. “We’re asking that alumni schedule appointments with their legislators, keep things short, and just speak honestly about why having more Tier One universities in Texas means something to you. Express your support for the University of Houston as a leading candidate for Tier One status. Legislators work for you—they’ll listen.” With 141,157 alumni living in Texas, that’s a lot of appointments. Get busy.
COUGARS IN THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATURES U.S. CONGRESS Gene Green (’71, J.D. ’77) Ted Poe (J.D. ’73) TEXAS SENATE Mario Gallegos (’01) Leticia Van de Putte Royce West (J.D. ’79) John Whitmire (’75, J.D. ’76) Judith Zaffirini TEXAS HOUSE Alma Allen (Ed.D. ’92) Carol Alvarado (‘92) Bill Callegari (M.S. ’72) John Davis (’87) Yvonne Davis Jessica Farrar (’95) Ana Hernandez (’99) Chuck Hopson (’65) Dora Olivo (M.Ed.’75, J.D. ’81) Larry Phillips (J.D. ’90) Senfronia Thompson (LL.M. ’96) Sylvester Turner (’77) Hubert Vo (’83) Armando Walle (‘04) Randy Weber (‘03) Beverly Wooley (’93) John Zerwas (’76)
Welcome Wilson, Sr. (’49), chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, and Nelda Blair (J.D. ’82), regent, are leading the legislative advocacy effort to secure Tier One funding for UH. For alumni who are connected to the Austin political scene and interested in joining their efforts, email your information to alumni@uh.edu.
The Investiture of Chancellor and President
RENU KHATOR NOVEMBER 7, 2008
T
heir names mark so many of our campus buildings: Oberholtzer, Bruce, Hoffman. The initiatives they lobbied for have blossomed into nationally-recognized programs. The students educated under their watch have gone on to find success in every imaginable field. But for every University of Houston president, those legacies had a beginning. A starting point. A first chapter. For Dr. Renu Khator, the eighth chancellor of the university system and thirteenth president of the university, she’s officially turned the first page of what promises to be a real page-turner. On Friday, November 7, 2008, the university celebrated the investiture of President Khator in a crowded and jovial Cullen Performance Hall. Faculty, staff, members of the other system campuses, politicians, and industry leaders all expressed supportive stances and optimistic hopes regarding the direction UH will head under her leadership. The words “Tier One” from legislators who spoke drew particularly thunderous applause and vigorous nods from the President. For those who missed the occasion, please enjoy these photos.
16 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
In academic regalia, university faculty lead a procession from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management to Cullen Performance Hall.
President Khator shares her vision for the university, including the announcement of energy, health, and arts initiatives.
A student from the Republic of Guinea carries his country’s flag in the processional. Over 127 international students represented their countries in the ceremony.
Regent Calvin Stephens (’72) presents President Khator with the university’s founding charter.
Regents Carroll Robertson Ray (J.D. ’02) and Lynden Rose (’83, J.D. ’89) present President Khator with her medallion.
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst discusses the need for more Tier One universities in Texas.
Houston Mayor Bill White expresses his appreciation for the impact UH makes on the city’s economy and community.
As part of investiture week, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman lectured on his new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America.
Flagged in Belgium, the Lone Star Barge is one of the newest luxury hotel barges in all of Europe.
Accommodations include: • Four suites, each with its own private bathroom • Spacious salon for relaxing and dining • Sundeck to view passing vistas • Private chef and experienced captain The Lone Star can explore most of Europe’s canals and rivers, from Amsterdam or Paris to the Mediterranean and Black seas. Visit www.lonestarbarge.com to learn more. Receive an astounding 20% discount with this ad!
LONE STAR
U NIVERSITY OF H OUSTON S PECIAL PRESIDENTIAL VOYAGE HOSTED BY
C HANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT R ENU K HATOR Voyage to the Classical Mediterranean Miguel The San Juan (’74) was recently named States Executive Greek Islands, Turkey, SicilyUnited and Italy Director to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The bank June 18 - 27, 2010 lends billions per year to its borrowing shareholders in Latin AmeriAboard the elegant 57-suite Corinthian II can and the Caribbean.
Explore some of the finest sites in the Mediterranean as you sail from Athens to Rome with fellow alumni and friends of University of Houston on this exceptional Presidential Voyage. For complete itinerary and further details, please contact Houston Alumni Organization at 713.743.0764 or UHAOtravel@uh.edu.
18 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
L E AV I N G T H E I R P R I N T The Ambient E
Love Walked In
Please
Michael Swanson (’86)
Maria de los Santos (Ph.D. ’96)
Jericho Brown (Ph.D. ’07)
A mysterious caller is phoning in song requests to a nationally-syndicated radio show, causing unsettling impacts upon society with each song. In England, a singer from a small indie rock group discovers thirteenth-century musical manuscripts secreted in a ruined castle, later recording each song to unexpected fame and fortune. Yet, unknown, behind the scenes, a malevolent presence is plucking the strings.
Philadelphia cafe manager Cornelia Brown drifts effortlessly through her unattached life, unapologetic for idealizing romance and life. Eleven-year-old Clare is a child of divorce whose mother, a successful party planner, is quickly going to pieces. In alternating chapters of Cornelia’s first person and Clare’s free and direct third, de los Santos tells the story of their finding each other.
One of America’s youngest poetic talents, Brown explores the points in our lives when love and violence intersect. Drunk on its own rhythms and full of imaginative and often frightening imagery, Please is the soundtrack of African American male identity and sexuality.
Fire to Fire
Ready: Why Women Are Embracing the New Later Motherhood
The Palace of Illusions
Mark Doty
Chitra Divakaruni
Elizabeth Gregory
(faculty member)
(faculty member)
(faculty member)
The best of Doty’s seven previous poetry books, plus a generous selection of new work. Touching on subjects like morality, beauty, desire, and art’s ability to shape human lives, his signature style encompasses both the plainspoken and the artfully wrought. The volume recently won the 2008 National Book Award for Poetry.
Relevant to today’s war-torn world, Divakaruni takes us back to the time of one of the The Mahabharat, one of two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It’s a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandava brothers, the reader is offered a rare feminist interpretation of one of the world’s most religiously influential stories.
With an upbeat perspective, Gregory looks at the benefits of waiting until later in life to have children, all while debunking some of the statistics surrounding infertility in older women. Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from 113 mothers between the ages of 35 and 55.
(All books are available for purchase on amazon.com.)
He may only be 5’9, but freshman point guard Desmond Wade has quickly earned the respect of his taller teammates and opponents. Photograph by Stephen Pinchback (’07).
The Dish on DESMOND WADE WADE:: 5’9 Point Guard Stands Tall on the Court
BY SAMANTHA PERKINS
M
aybe it was Newton, maybe it’s etched on some courthouse, maybe it’s buried in those Miranda Rights police officers read, but somewhere, someone established the law “basketball players are tall.” Desmond Wade didn’t get the memo. At “5’8 or 5’9” (we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say 5’9), Wade is the starting point guard for the University of Houston basketball team. As a freshman. As a 5’9 freshman. Before beginning his collegiate career at UH, Wade started all four years for Linden High School in New Jersey, playing under Head Coach Phil Colicchio. As a freshman in 2004, Wade helped his team knock off #1 ranked Saint Anthony, a high school that today boasts 24 state championships in its history. That season, Wade led the team in assists and scored 1,500 points for the Tigers. His sophomore season included beating then #1 Bloomfield Tech on the way to a 20 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
state championship. In Wade’s junior year, Linden successfully defended their title by winning a school-record 30 games. As a senior in 2007, he guided the Tigers to the Watchung Conference Title before falling in the state tournament. He would score 35 points in his final high school game. The three-time All-State performer could look back upon his high school career with satisfaction. With his help, Linden enjoyed a 103-20 record his four years, winning four consecutive sectional finals and two Group 4 state titles, the largest 1 division in New Jersey high school athletics. He is the only player in the history of Linden High School to have his jersey retired, and he is the only player in the history of the Watchung Conference to have an award named after him—the Desmond Wade Award, given to that season’s most outstanding basketball player. He was even a two-year starter on the football team, earning All-County honors! But Wade didn’t have time to look back. Colleges were calling.
From the Garden State to the Lone Star State Wade first considered UH after Jerry Hobby, then a coach at Fairfield University in Connecticut, watched him play in an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament. Hobby later took a job on UH Coach Tom Penders’ staff and brought news of Wade’s ability. Other members of the staff soon jetted to Jersey to watch Wade play in person. “In all my years of recruiting, few ever pushed the ball faster than Desmond,” Penders remembered. “He plays smart, is extremely well coached, and is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the country. I knew right away I wanted him on my team.” Other universities had already offered Wade a scholarship—George Mason University, coming off a recent Final Four run, and Iona College—but two things convinced Wade that Houston was the place for him.
Fellow UH players Horace McGloster and Qa’rraan Calhoun also hail from New Jersey. In fact, Wade and McGloster had played against each other for three seasons in the Watchung Conference. Moreover, Penders told Wade that his talent afforded him the opportunity to start as a true freshman. The job was far from promised, but Wade liked having the chance to earn it. Now on campus, Wade is one of the shortest starting guards to ever run the court at Hofheinz Pavilion. But for all the hype about his height, Wade sees it differently. “Sometimes my height actually helps, despite what people say,” said Wade. “I’m quicker than bigger guards. They may be able to post me up, but I’m able to take them off the dribble. It seems a fair fight to me.” “On defense,” he continued, “I love to see guys bring the ball up the court dribbling
high. I get my hands in there, steal the ball, and take it the other way.” Aubrey Coleman, UH junior guard and leading scorer for the team, can attest to that. After a lopsided 110-57 victory over Alcorn State, he commented, “Desmond is shutting people down. That’s the reason we’ve been winning. It all starts with him. He sets the offense in motion; he passes to us for open shots; he sets the tone on defense.” Though picked in the preseason to finish a surprisingly-low 7th in Conference-USA, Wade sees something in this team that’s different from past UH squads. “The team knows it’s better than that,” Wade said about the preseason pick. “But we don’t get wrapped up in those things. I wasn’t around to play with the teams from the last few years, but everyone is saying we’re more balanced this season. Everyone can score, in-
cluding bench players. We can hit the three; we can feed the post; we can do whatever it takes to win. And we will.” The goal? “The NCAA Tournament, of course,” Wade asserts. “But you get there by taking one game at a time—that’s our philosophy. Knock opponents off one-by-one, and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”
A Game of Inches Is it basketball, or maybe football or tennis, that’s a game of inches? No matter. In a sport where bigger is better, Wade’s play is argument enough. In basketball, sometimes “better is better.” So how tall is Desmond Wade? Not 5’8. Not 5’9. Simply, tall enough.
Freshman point guard Desmond Wade leads the fast break in a 73-64 win over Western Kentucky. Photograph by Stephen Pinchback (’07).
2
3
HELPING COUGARS SURVIVE
TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES
The stock market, the housing market. The auto industry, the banking industry. Bluntly, things aren’t looking good for the American economy. This isn’t news to any of our readers, but ways the Houston Alumni Organization and the University of Houston can help during these tough times might be news to some.
UNIVERSITY CAREER SERVICES WWW.CAREER.UH.EDU/ALUMNI
Just because University Career Services is on campus doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of their offerings once you’re off campus. With both free and minimal-fee plans for alumni, you have exclusive access to: • CareerBeam – An online industry and company database with a host of robust and timely tools for those in the career decision-making mode or conducting a professional job search. • Employer Contact List – A binder containing the names and contact information of employers who recruit at UH is available for check out and use in the office. A searchable database of these employers is also available online. • Career Fairs – Attend any career fairs and career symposia sponsored by University Career Services. • Workshops – Attend one (or more) of over 450 annual workshops that cover a variety of topics, including resume writing, interviewing techniques, career assessment, and job search strategies.
A Young Alumni Connection career seminar at the Downtown Aquarium, held by Career Services.
NETWORKING
WWW.MYCOUGARCONNECTION.COM Even in an increasingly digital and global business world, sometimes first opportunities are still about who you know. With college-based, area-based, and special interest-based networking events all year round, your future boss, employee, or business partner could be a handshake away. For a list of networking events in your area or interest, visit the Houston Alumni Organization calendar at www.myCougarConnection.com (bottom left). Cougars meeting Cougars. Cougars working with Cougars. Even Cougars hiring Cougars. 22 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
Advising Business in a Troubled Economy: A seminar presented by the University of Houston Law Foundation January 15-16, 2009 Hilton University of Houston Hotel January 22-23, 2009 Cityplace Conference Center in Dallas With the focus on running a business in a troubled economy, the course will cover raising capital, valuing businesses, purchasing and selling distressed assets and businesses, negotiating with lenders and lessors, conducting internal investigations, understanding the shareholder oppression doctrine, collecting receivables, avoiding employment law claims, and protecting your client via non-compete agreements, among other topics. To make a reservation, call 713.743.2069 or visit www.uhcle.org.
COUGARCORNER A quarterly profile of Life Members
Pr esented by
Member FDIC
BETH MADISON
(’72), CEBS, CPCU, FLMI, CLU
“A
BENEFITS AND BENEFITTING
t its heart, Houston is an entrepreneurial city. It’s a city that gives back.” Words Beth Madison (’72) used to describe her hometown, but words that apply to her with equal latitude. In 1985, Madison co–founded Houstoun, Woodard, & Madison, Inc., a brokerage services firm. In 1989, she spun off the firm’s benefits practice and created Madison Benefits Group. Madison has since overseen the agency’s growth into one of the region’s largest employee benefit specialty firms, all while enhancing the value of benefit packages with emphasis on client corporate objectives, efficient administrative processes, and effective employee communication. In September, Madison Benefits Group announced plans to merge with Higginbotham & Associates, a leading national insurance brokerage firm. Terms of the agreement have the company continuing to do business under the name “Madison Benefits Group.” The new partnership expands Madison Benefits’ current service offerings by commercial property, casualty coverage lines, and risk management services to its already-extensive portfolio. The alliance forms one of the largest independent brokerage firms in Texas, with a combined staff of more than 310 employees and 11 offices statewide. “We’re excited about the merger,” Madison said. “But it’s important that our clients know we are still committed to the city that helped us grow. Houston is our base, and we’re proud to be here.” Proud, indeed. Madison has spent a lifetime generously giving to arts, education, and urban causes throughout the city. As a Houston Alumni Organization Life Member and a Life Member Circle of Excellence donor, she is underwriting the 55th annual Alumni Awards Dinner and recently pledged $1 million toward the Robertson Stadium end zone facility. Currently, she sits on the board of the Houston Symphony, the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, the World Affairs Council of Houston, the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Clinic, Opera in the Heights, and the University of Houston Moores School of Music Society. Recently, she gave $50,000 to establish the Madison Merit Scholarship that will support an incoming freshman for all four years of his or her undergraduate experience. For more information on this scholarships and others, visit myCougarConnection.com/scholarships. “Recognizing the successes in this community is important,” Madison said, “and UH plays a big role in those successes—providing the graduates who go on to achieve great things, hosting that athletics and arts events that make this city such a vibrant place to live.” As a Certified Benefits Specialist (CEBS), Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI), and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Madison has enough already tied to her name. She gives her time and money simply to give. “It’s not about getting my name out there or the name Madison Benefits,” she said. “It’s about recognizing the value of this city and this university and the responsibility we all have to make whatever impact we can. Business, educational, and cultural circles overlap far more than people realize, especially in Houston. As one circle becomes more vibrant, so do the others. Business benefits from a strong local university producing competitive talent. Education benefits from the outside-the-classroom experiences that business and culture can provide to students. Cultural projects benefit from the businesses that support them and the educational institutions that provide the talent to produce them. All three areas need the support of the other two.” Employee benefits or community benefits. Either way, Beth Madison is there.
University of Houston Alumni Association On April 17, 2009, The University of Houston Alumni Association will hold its 55th annual Awards Dinner at the Omni Houston Hotel. The evening will highlight the achievements and service of University of Houston alumni and others dedicated to the advancement of UH. Distinguished Alumni Award Karen W. Katz (M.B.A. ’82) Chief Executive Officer Neiman Marcus Group
As CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, Karen Katz oversees a company that has positioned itself as one of the world’s premier luxury retailers. With 42 locations and over 4.5 billion in sales last year, Neiman Marcus Group has experienced a steady 7% revenue growth under her leadership, to the envy of their competitors. Katz is the company’s first female CEO since its founding in 1907. Miguel R. San Juan (’74) United States Executive Director Inter-American Development Bank With over 101 billion in ordinary capital, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is owned by 47 sovereign states acting as its shareholders and members. The United States holds 30% of the bank’s shares, more than any other single country, of which Miguel San Juan directs. Prior to his appointment with the IDB, he was senior vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Business Development Division and vice president of government and public relations for CITGO Petroleum Corporation. Alvin L. Zimmerman (’64, J.D. ’67) Chairman Zimmerman, Axelrad, Meyer, Stern, & Wise, P.C. Named a “Super Lawyer” for six consecutive years by Texas Monthly, Alvin Zimmerman has experience in civil trials and appeals involving complex litigation, as well as representation of parties in difficult family law cases. He has presided as a municipal court judge of the City of Houston, a state district judge of the 269th (civil) and 309th (family) District Courts, and served as assistant attorney general for the State of Texas.
Distinguished Service Award
Stanley* (’60, J.D. ’62) and Linda (’64) Binion Though Stanley Binion won an NCAA National Championship as part of the 1957 UH golf team, the highlight of his college experience was meeting his wife, Linda. As a former partner in Binion & Lindley law firm, Stanley served as board chair of the Houston Alumni Organization. He and Linda, in addition to volunteering for countless UH causes and projects, have two children, Parker and Elizabeth, and three grandchildren. Chair’s Award Carey C. Shuart
As a partner in Shuart Farms, one of the state’s largest rice farms, and owner of Bien Trouvé, an art consulting firm, Carey Shuart has her share of professional endeavors to keep her busy. But passions for art and women’s studies have pushed her to give, both philanthropically and of her time, to projects on the UH campus and throughout the Houston community. Outstanding Volunteer Award Perry Pace, III
After a distinguished career in the jewelry business, including supplying UH with its class rings and football bowl rings, Perry Pace was a partner in Pace Funeral Home, LLP before his retirement. For 11 years he served as tournament director of the San Antonio Golf Rally, raising more than $300,000 for scholarships in the process. He has served two terms as president and one term as vice president for the UH San Antonio Area Club.
* Award given posthumously
Those wishing to attend can visit myCougarConnection.com to purchase a ticket or table. One of the city’s most elegant events, the Awards Dinner is sure to fill its seating quickly, so register soon.
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CLASSNOTES
1960s Dr. Chris Harrison (’66), a chiropractor in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, is making a difference in the lives of future practitioners through participation in the Alumni Mentors Network, a service of Southern California University of Health Sciences and the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. Chuck Hopson (’65) won the District 11 race for Texas state representative.
with the Houston Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.
Cary Fu (M.S. ’78) was recently named chairman of Benchmark Electronics, Inc.
1970s
Albert Green (’73) was named president of the Houston Association of Retired Teachers (HART) through 2009.
Peg Birk (’76) was named executive director of the George Family Foundation, a philanthropic entity whose mission is “to foster wholeness in mind, body, spirit, and community in order to enhance the development of human potential.” Lewis Carpenter (’74) was named president and chief operating officer at Winshuttle, a leading provider of data entry and extraction tools for S.A.P. users.
Lynn Houston (’68) recently joined Southwest Securities, Inc. as senior vice president and financial advisor. Carolyn Robinson (’62) was named 2008 Donor of the Year by the College of the Mainland Foundation.
Thomas Deliganis (’78) is now regional vice president of technology solutions for Capstone Publishing.
Mike Weingart (’63) is the recipient of an Award of Excellence given annually by Travel Leaders, which recently changed its name from Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates. He also received a Humanitarian Service Award citation from the Houston Police Department for his volunteer efforts
Robert Dennison (’76, M.Ed. ’79) was awarded the O’Donnell Texas A.P.R. Teacher of the Year Award for his outstanding record in helping students master college-level work in high school.
Marilyn Hassid (M.Ed. ’79) recently had the Marilyn Hassid Emerging Authors Endowment named in her honor as part of the Jewish Community Center’s Jewish Book & Arts Fair. James Mike Jones (’74) has been appointed to the board of directors for the city of Texarkana, Arkansas. David Hill Keller (’74), formerly the chief executive officer and primary shareholder in David Hill Keller, P.A., in Greenville, South Carolina, will join the labor and employment firm Constangy, Brooks & Smith, L.L.P. as an attorney. John Moores (’70, J.D. ’75), owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team, recently gave $2 million to the Scripps Research Institute, where he has served as chairman of the board since 2006.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR 2008 HOMECOMING SPONSORS AND HOMECOMING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: HOMECOMING SPIRIT SPONSOR Lone Star Barge PRIDE SPONSOR Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES) RED & WHITE SPONSORS Capital One Bank Tommy (’80) & Elaine (’82) Ebner HEART OF A COUGAR SPONSORS Patrick (’69) & Pam (’74) Newman Tolunay-Wong Engineers, Inc. Wealth Development Strategies / Cheryl Creuzot (’81, J.D. ’92, LL.M. ’99) TAILGATE CHALLENGE SPONSOR Bank of Houston / Larry Parker (’75) & Clay Hoster (’73) HOMECOMING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Ken Baxter, Co-Chair Mike Holley (‘90) Gary Ballard (‘68) Lance Livingston (‘66) Don McKusker (‘50) Bob Planck (‘71)
25 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
CLASSNOTES D. Mike Puryear (’72), property manager with U.S.A. Space Ops in Houston, was recently elected to serve a two-year term as central region vice president for the National Property Management Association (N.P.M.A.), Inc. Dr. Richard Rafes (J.D. ’77) will succeed Dr. Olen Jones as president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Ann Ryan Robertson (’72, J.D. ’77) was named one of 30 Extraordinary Women in Texas Law by Texas Lawyer. Louis M. Stoler (J.D. ’79) has joined Winstead P.C. as a shareholder in the 35member finance and banking practice group.
1980s Cheryl Creuzot (’81, J.D. ’92, LL.M. ’99), president and CEO of Wealth Development Strategies L.P. and immediate past chair of the Houston Alumni Organization, has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine. Elizabeth DeLuca (’87) was honored by ABC/Channel 13 as a 2009 Woman of Distinction. John Dosher (M.B.A. ’89), formerly president of Pace Consultants Inc., was named senior vice president of strategic consulting for K.B.C. Advanced Technologies.
Vanessa Gilmore (J.D. ’81), U.S. district judge, has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine. Ross Goolsby (’89) is now chief financial officer of Valence Technology. Jolanda Jones (’89, J.D. ’95), City of Houston Councilwoman, has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine. Lynn Mason (’80) was honored as a Distinguished Alumna at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management’s annual Hospitality on Parade (H.O.P.) awards dinner.
Elizabeth Warren (’70) was chosen to chair the Troubled Asset Relief Program by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Nene Foxhall (J.D. ’88) now leads corporate communications for Continental Airlines.
John Whitmire (’75, J.D. ’76), who represents the 15th Senatorial District in north Houston and serves as a Houston Alumni Organization board member, spoke at the Sam Houston State University fall commencement.
Mary Beth Moehring (’80) was honored as a Founding Dean’s Award Distinguished Alumna at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management’s annual Hospitality on Parade (H.O.P.) awards dinner.
Larry Gawloski (M.Arch. ’80) has joined the architecture firm Perkins+Will as associate principal and senior designer for the science, technology, and healthcare market sectors of the firm.
James J. Moore, Jr. (J.D. ’82) was elected as a new trustee for Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. Dr. Laura Murillo (’89, M.Ed. ’98, Ed.D. ’03), president and chief executive officer of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Houston Alumni Organization board member, has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine. Ricky A. Raven (’83, J.D. ’86), partner in the trial practice group of Thompson & Knight’s Houston office and Houston Alumni Organization board member, was recently appointed to the Houston’s Police Officers’ Civil Service Commission Board. His three-year term began October 1, 2008. Graciela “Gracie” Guzman Saenz (J.D. ’86), a former Houston City Council member and former Mayor Pro Tem, will join Winstead P.C. as a shareholder.
Members and alumni of the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity take a break from all the Homecoming food and festivities to pose. Front row: A.J. Day (Pharm.D. ’07) and Chase Janak; second row: Bao Trinh, Stephanie Weightman, Winston Hsu, Stephanie Ingle, Eddie Valdespino (Pharm.D. ’08), Clay Boyd, and Brian Jonathan; third row: Allison Palmer, Joe Isbell, and Brandon Lee. 26 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
William E. Turcotte (J.D. ’89), previously senior vice president and general counsel of Cornell Companies, Inc., was recently named senior vice president and general counsel at Noble Corporation, a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry.
New Life Members The Houston Alumni Organization would like to thank and congratulate the following new Life Members* on their recent commitment to the advancement of our organization and university.
Bourjois S. Abboud (‘96, M.B.A. ‘02)
Lisa McMillian
Tarek M. Amine (‘92, M.B.A. ‘99)
Stanley L. McMillian (‘03)
John L. Breyette (‘88)
Kenneth M. Mercado (‘85, M.S. ‘91)
Laurie K. Bricker (M.Ed. ‘78)
Thomas G. Michalak (‘05)
Victoria Buensuceso-Cleveland (‘82)
Patricia L. Morrison (‘73)
Pamela J. Burns (‘04)
Katie P. Moyer (‘08)
Charles G. Carter (‘06)
Kitten M. Muckleroy (‘83, M.F.A. ‘97)
Kin S. Chan (‘76)
Tena R. Oates (‘97)
Benjamin L. Chandler (‘83)
Alfonso Ochoa (‘73)
Stephanie A. Clark (‘05)
Vicki Tidwell Palmer (‘93, M.S.W. ‘07)
Roger G. Clayton (‘85)
Rooshir Patel (‘02)
Troy L. Collman (M.B.A. ‘94)
Ruby E. Patel (‘01)
Kevin Crawford (‘02)
Trent Alan Perez (‘05)
Nichala Davidson (‘08)
John L. Petrosino (‘80)
Robert L. Dickson, III (‘05)
David W. Reed
Robert Flores (Pharm.D. ‘05)
Susan M. Reed (‘05)
Bill B. Fortier (M.S. ‘83)
Gary L. Reinsch (‘79)
Frederick Foss, II (M.S. ‘95, Ph.D. ‘06)
Sharon K. Reinsch
Shelia Redmon-Jones (’96) was one of 37 recipients honored as a 2008 Woman of Excellence by the Federation of Houston Professional Women.
Jeffrey S. Greenwood (‘95)
Jim P. Roman (M.B.A. ‘84)
Julia C. Hall (M.M. ‘96)
Art J. Schroeder, Jr. (M.B.A. ‘99)
Stephanie E. Haynes
Jonathan P. Scott (‘99)
Karen R. Hibbitts (‘07)
Evie W. Smith (M.B.A. ‘95)
Jacqueline Kinloch (’95), certified image consultant and executive director/founder of Ready Women, Inc., has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine.
Elbert “Ed” D. Howze (‘79, M.F.A. ‘90)
Bradley N. Smith (‘92)
Dean A. Hrbacek (J.D. ‘86)
Susan L. Smith (‘90)
Balasubramanian Karthikeyan (M.S. ‘92)
Edward C. Taylor (‘58, Ed.D. ‘69)
Michael D. Kersh (‘83)
James H. Thurmond (Ph.D. ‘07)
Joy W. Krohn
Virgil Tiemann (‘64, M.Ed. ‘66, Ed.D. ‘93)
William W. Krueger (‘62)
Alton “Red” Veselka (‘77)
Billy W. Kung (M.B.A. ‘93)
Elaine Veselka
James R. La Vois (‘95)
Alan K. Walling (‘79)
Gilbert L. Landras (‘07)
Brent Westbrook (‘96)
Joyce L. Lindler-Hale
Valerie Marshall Williams (M.B.A. ‘80)
Clifton J. McAdams (M.B.A. ‘86)
Shut-Yee Jessica Yeung (‘00)
Ann M. McFarland (‘92, M.S.W. ‘94)
Chee-Hung Viola Yim (‘78)
David R. McKnight (M.B.A. ‘91)
Ronald B. Yokubaitis (J.D. ‘68)
Making mom Cheyenna Brehm (’97) proud, future Cougar Sarah Brehm dawns her Homecoming finest.
1990s Jacqueline Chaumette (’90), president and CEO of BalyProjects, Inc., has been recognized as one of Houston’s top 25 influential women by Rolling Out magazine. Dr. Jeff Garascia (’92) was named senior vice president for global research and development of Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Thomas Leeper (J.D. ’90) will join the City of Bryan’s Legal Department as assistant city attorney. Jacob Monty (J.D. ’93), a University of Houston System regent, had his company, Monty Partners L.L.P., listed at number 18 on the Houston Business Journal’s “Houston Fast 100 List.” Mark Reed (’91), assistant headmaster at St. John’s School in Houston, will become the 11th head of school at Country Day in Charlotte, N.C. on July 1, 2009.
*Includes Life Memberships beginning September 1 - November 30, 2008
CLASSNOTES
Successfully defending their Homecoming Tailgate Challenge championship, members of the Technology Alumni Association and Fort Bend Club pose with their Grand Champion banner. Pictured are Betsy Major (’77), Jose Lopez (’02), and Patty Godfrey (’89) with Cathy Reno (’92), Ralph Reno (’96), and Lisa Burns (’98) behind.
Gregory Perrin (’92, M.F.A. ’95), Roderick Johnson (’94), and Kenneth Hulsey (’95) smile at the 2008 Big Smoke cigar expo in Las Vegas. The three met 20 years ago while pledging Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at UH and still keep their Cougar bond strong with this annual tradition.
Members of UH Band Alumni prepare to take the field during Homecoming. The reunion event was in honor of Director Robert Mayes after his 25 years of service to the University of Houston and its music programs.
28 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
UH Cougar Athletic Alliance President Audray McMillian (’84) presents a check for $15,000 from the 2008 Golf Challenge to the African American Initiative for Scholarships, represented by Regent Calvin Stephens (’72) and Dorita Hatchett, development director. Funds are distributed through Endowed and Annual Operating Scholarships.
On Thursday, December 11, the CenterPoint Energy UH Alumni Association hosted President Khator for a membership rally, where she explained the nuances of Tier One status and encouraged alumni to get more involved. Pictured with the President are Shelley Daniel (’04, M.B.A. ’07) and Ben Carranza (M.S. ’00, M.B.A. ’02).
Both students and admissions counselors were on hand to speak with prospective students and their families about why UH is the right choice for them. Hosted by the Houston Alumni Organization, these “Discover UH” receptions are held around the city to attract top area scholars. This photo from the October 26th reception in Sugar Land.
CLASSNOTES Glenn A. Reitman (’97), a real estate and banking associate with Thompson & Knight, L.L.P., was included in H Texas Magazine’s list of “Professionals on the Fast Track.” Gregory J. Rizzo (M.B.A. ’92) will assume the role of president and chief executive officer at Spectra Energy Partners. Dr. Charles Stiernberg (M.B.A. ’99) was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Medical Board District Review Committee. M. Katherine Strahan (J.D. ’99) has recently joined Andrews Kurth L.L.P.
2000s Monique R. Alexander (’02) has joined Thompson & Knight L.L.P. in their corporate and securities practice group in Dallas. David Arjona (’01) just received his master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Rebecka Holt (’05) and her husband Jason Holt, along with big brother Tucker,
welcomed a new addition to their family, Taylor Renee Holt, on September 9, 2009. She weighed 7 lbs., 7 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches tall. Matthew Houston (’02) recently joined Southwest Securities, Inc. as vice president and financial advisor.
in memoriam Lewis D. Hindman, Sr. (’47) Lars Bang (’50) Marguerite B. Boothe (M.Ed. ’52)
Vishal H. Patel (J.D. ’08) joined Thompson & Knight L.L.P.’s intellectual property practice group in Dallas.
John David Broussard (’58) Edward Osborne Gaylord (’58) J.D. Kimmel (’52)
Aimee Sanderson (’03) married James L. Edwards on September 20, 2008. Aimee is an engineer with Jones & Carter, Inc. and James is a material handler for Americable, Inc. Ravi K. Sandill (J.D. ’01), an employment lawyer, recently became the first Indian-American district judge ever elected in Texas. David Solis (’01) was honored as a Distinguished Young Alumnus at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management’s annual Hospitality on Parade (H.O.P.) awards dinner.
Pauline J. Oliver (M.Ed. ’59) Boyd Monroe Tingle (’56) Hogan Wharton (’59) David Mayo Cornell (M.B.A. ’68) Leo Strom (’66) Margaret R. Banks (’77, M.S. ’79) Hedda Ward Fransen (’73) Clara Hubert Haney (’76) Charles Franklin Lissman, III (M.A. ’72) Robert Michael McGuire (’74)
David Stacey (M.B.A. ’00) was named senior vice president for national accounts at CIGNA Health Care.
Red denotes Houston Alumni Organization Life Members. Email your own class notes to alumni@uh.edu.
Laurence E. McKinney (M.S.W. ’78) John Ventura (’75, J.D. ’78) Shirley Ann Anderson (’83) Victoria Dee Hamilton (J.D. ’84) Dr. Philip Guthrie Hoffman Dr. Wilbur L. Meier Jr. Ronald D. Simpson (’86) Rene S. Gonzalez (’90) Robert “Rob” Curtis Williams (’98) Paul J. Zimmerman (’91, M.S.W. ’93) John O. Ashford (’05) Dr. Gene Atkinson (professor emeritus) Dr. J.T. “Tom” Elrod (professor emeritus)
On Friday, November 14, masters of ceremony Tom Franklin and Jim Nantz inducted a stellar group of former UH athletes and coaches into the Hall of Honor. Pictured, inductees included Kirk Baptiste, Rita Crockett, Louis Dunbar, Keith Fergus, Phill Hansel, Carlton Hanta (’55), David Klingler (’92), Riley Odoms (’76), Wade Phillips (’70), and the 1967-1968 men’s basketball team. 30 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
Dr. Paul H. Fan Freddy C. Gibson Dr. Harbhajan S. Hayre
HAO/UNIVERSITY EVENTS Bauer Alumni Monthly Networking Breakfast, Houston City Club, One City Club Drive, Houston, TX 77046, 7:00 a.m. 1/19 Campus closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. 1/20 First day of classes for the spring semester. 1/22 Reception honoring Life Member Circle of Excellence donors, Wortham House, 1505 South Blvd, Houston, TX 77006, 6:30 p.m. 1/26 College Bowl Tournament, University Center, 9:00 a.m. 2/12 Spring C.T. Bauer College of Business Career Fair, Hilton University of Houston Hotel, 1:30 p.m. 2/16 Young Alumni Connection February Wine Tour, Texas Hill Country, 8:00 a.m. Contact Sara Florida Blank at sarablank2007@gmail.com for more information. 2/27-3/1 ASAP District IV Conference: Your Passport to the World, University of Houston campus. 1/15
ATHLETICS EVENTS 1/6 1/10 1/16 1/18 1/21 1/25 1/28 2/7 2/7 2/12 2/14 2/20 2/21
UH men’s basketball vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. UAB, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. UAB, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. Memphis, Hofheinz Pavilion, 2:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. East Carolina, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. UCF, Hofheinz Pavilion, 2:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. UTEP, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. Rice, Hofheinz Pavilion, 2:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. Rice, Hofheinz Pavilion, 8:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. Tulane, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. Tulane, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH women’s basketball vs. SMU, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m. UH men’s basketball vs. UCF, Hofheinz Pavilion, 7:00 p.m.
Game times are subject to change. For up-to-date information and a complete listing of athletic events, visit uhcougars.com.
ARTS CALENDAR Blaffer Gallery: 713.743.9530 – www.class.uh.edu/blaffer 1/17-3/28 – Electric Mud. Guest-curated by David Pagel, art critic for the Los Angeles Times, Electric Mud features the work of Brian Calvin, Anna Sew Hoy, Ron Nagle, Michael Reafsnyder, James Richards, and Patrick Wilson. The exhibition question differences between art and craft, painting and ceramics, form and function, leisure and labor, and still life and real life. Moores School of Music: 713.743.3313 – www.music.uh.edu 1/29-2/2 – Florencia en el Amazonas by Daniel Catan. Feel the heat of the jungle as a riverboat travels up the Amazon and take its passengers on a mysterious journey deep into the soul. Audiences continue to clamor for this lush, gorgeously sensual music with echoes of Puccini and Debussy that will leave you spellbound in wonder. Sung in the original Spanish. School of Theatre and Dance: 713.743.2929 – www.theatredance.uh.edu 2/13-2/22 – At Home at the Zoo (formerly titled Peter and Jerry) by Edward Albee, directed by Sidney Berger. Peter and his wife Ann survive a confessional that shakes their 15-year marriage, and Peter’s chance meeting with a stranger named Jerry will change his life in an alarming way.
“Guard II” (2007) by Brian Calvin, as part of Blaffer Gallery’s Electric Mud exhibit.
PAW S
AND REMEMBER To leisurely browse past issues of the Houstonian, the official University of Houston yearbook, is to relive the dreams of students eager to make their mark on the world. “Paws and Remember” will regularly highlight photographs—some funny, some nostalgic—from a single year in Cougar history. Please enjoy these selections from
1958.
1
1. Cougar Watchman Bob McGowen offers Shasta a quick scratch behind the ears. Emphasis on “quick.” 2. Dolores Hobizal, Barbara Slay, Judy Scott, Ann Daigle, Gloria Terry, and head twirler Gloria Hunt pose for the yearbook staff. No batons were dropped in the making of this photograph. 3. The first University of Houston swim team. First row: Bob Yates, Buzzy Black, Bob Kendricks. Second row: Coach Hansel, Pete Goubeaud, Armond Prescott, Horacio Pantuliano. Third row: Jack Becker, Ed Bower,
2
Don Bernett, and Bobby Linder. 4. Bundled and bewildered, students scurry between classes as snow blankets the University of Houston campus. One rather gruff professor complained of an especially spiteful run-by-snowballing, but no injuries were reported. “Clearly those weren’t my students, and this is a case of targeting the wrong person,” he reasoned.
32 UHALUMNIQUARTERLY
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