Chieftain Fall 2010

FALL 2010

Creative Genius Alumni show how out-of-the-box thinking cultivates success

THE McMurry University m a g a z i n e f o r a lu m n i & f r i e n d s

T H E A lu m n i M a g a z i n e o f McMurry University

From the President

FALL 2010

Dear McMurry Alumni and Friends: Creative thinking is the foundation for countless inventions and innovations that have shaped the world in which we live. A university campus, by its very nature, provides a fertile environment to spawn and nurture creativity. In classrooms and labs at McMurry, college professors pose questions that require students to translate theoretical postulates into practical applications. Students work together to creatively solve problems to achieve a variety of goals—from the development of new activities that engage students in campus life to finding new ways to impact larger social issues outside the confines of these forty acres.

As a university, we are successfully completing the Shaping the Future capital campaign, an exercise in creativity requiring countless hours of planning and brainstorming. Campaign leadership helped shape a vision for McMurry’s future growth that is now being reflected in new building projects on campus designed to improve and enhance the living and learning environment for our students.

The translation of their vision into the final product has been achieved through the tireless efforts of numerous McMurry administrators, board members, alumni, faculty and students. The process of creating a McMurry to shape the future has involved the birth of new ideas, the raising of countless “what if ” questions, the proving of those ideas through research and testing, and then

finally the creative “unveiling of the masterpiece”.

Yes, creative genius abounds throughout the McMurry community, and our achievements over the years are due to contributions of gifted students, staff, and alumni. In this issue of the Chieftain, you will read about several featured alumni whose extraordinary accomplishments have resulted in innovations that will positively impact their industries and the purveyors of their “art”. Of utmost importance to their alma mater is the role they play in inspiring future graduates and setting an example of excellence for those following in their footsteps. These gifted individuals are representative of many alumni whose accomplishments we proudly extol.

We know many of you have likewise achieved excellence in your careers, and we want to hear your stories. McMurry’s success as a university is best measured by the success that you attain. We want to celebrate your achievements with you and invite you, as an integral member of our McMurry family to help us shape the future for a generation of students following in your footsteps.

Kind Regards,

Publisher McMurry University Relations Office Box 938 McM Station Abilene, Texas 79697 Editor-in-Chief Nancy Smith ’79

Alumni Editor Greeley Myers ’93 Art Director Sheila Kitts ’01 Photographers Sally Aristei Gary Ellison Andrew Goldstein Sheila Kitts Contributing Writers David Bacon Steve Crisman Mallory Edens Gary Ellison Greeley Myers Josh Poorman ‘09 Kyle Robarts John Russell Nancy Smith ©2010

McMurry PRESIDENT and OFFICERS Dr. John H. Russell PRESIDENT

Dr. Paul Fabrizio

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Lisa Williams

VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Steve Crisman

John H. Russell, President

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Editors Gary Ellison Lori Thornton

VICE PRESIdenT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

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14 Features

4 Cynthia Bach ’82 10 Liz Banks ’05

12 Susan Tucker Thompson ’94 14 Lon Outland ’93

16 The Texas Semester 18 Danny ’76 and Vicki Reynolds ’79

20 23 24

Development Corner Special Edition Chieftain Comments Athletics Update

Friends & Family 28 From the Alumni Director 29 Distinguished Alumnus 32 Class Notes 35 Friends We’ll Miss/Obits

Brad Poorman

VICE PRESIDENT FOR INFORMATION & Support SERVICES

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creative

-adj [kree-ey-tiv]

2

genius

-noun [jeen-yuhs]

creative

-adj [kree-ey-tiv]

genius

creative

-noun [jeen-yuhs]

-adj [kree-ey-tiv]

genius

-noun [jeen-yuhs]

1. having the power to bring into existence from nothing

1. a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude

2. producing through imaginative skill

2. a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority

3. to bring about a course of action

3. one of an elite group possessing high intelligence and inventive ability

In the pages of this issue of the Chieftain, you will read about several alumni who have the distinction of having taken an idea, fine-tuned it and then developed it into something tangible for others’ enjoyment and benefit. And as you will read, you will see that creativity is not limited to the arts. Creative thought abounds in all occupations and can be practiced and cultivated.

From creating children’s furniture to beautiful jewelry, our alumni have excelled in bringing into being the beautiful and the practical, the functional and the awe-inspiring.

Though each one of us may develop and express creative thought, not all new ideas result in unique creations that no one else has thought of or perfected. Each of our featured alumni possessed a passion and a pre-disposition for their craft that set them apart; they recognized a giftedness to be developed and an idea took shape that was previously unexplored. From early childhood to the McMurry campus to their chosen careers, several of our featured alumni were singleminded in the development of their distinct talents despite the passage of time. One such alumna identified her giftedness as a child, and her dream and her drive took her all the way to the glamorous world of Hollywood.

In describing the function of artistic creation, D. H. Lawrence, noted author, playwright and essayist, stated the following: “A picture lives with the life you put into it.

If you put no life into it—no thrill, no concentration of delight or exaltation of visual discovery—then the picture is dead, like so many canvases, no matter how much thorough and scientific work is put into it.” Many people are capable of innovation and new and different ways of looking at possibilities.

Many possess inborn talents which are honed through learned processes and practicing their craft.

The value of the resulting product, whether it be a work of art, a medical discovery, or an innovation in business or technology, is determined by the creator’s ability to imagine innovations that attract and engage the beholder. Featured alumnus and children’s book writer, Susan Tucker Thompson, is successful because of the ability of her writing to captivate the imaginations of young readers.

Likewise, Liz Banks’ award-winning creations in theatrical set design awe and inspire audiences, a quality which has set her apart from her peers.

Though our alumni featured in this issue of the Chieftain might not consider themselves as “mentally superior,” there is no doubt they possess the creative capacity to take skill and talent from the level of “good” or even “above-average” to “extraordinary.” Consider the story of Lon Outland, whose ability to translate reality into the virtual, combined with exceptional technical acumen, has produced an innovation in technology that will positively impact the medical profession for years to come.

The conceptualization of imaginative thought and intellectual superiority may be compared to a seed lying dormant in fertile ground. Creativity cannot grow into grand achievement without the nourishment and cultivation that is brought about through passion and hard work. Cynthia Bach’s fascinating success story is one of passion that drives her to persevere through adversity. Creativity charted her course and hard work ensured arrival at her destination.

Creative Genius is not a label reserved only for the alumni featured in this issue of the Chieftain. These individuals are representative of many other gifted McMurry University alumni who have excelled and who are continually creating— creating new and better processes, creating things of beauty and utility, and creating a better world for future generations. We salute your achievements and thank you for your many contributions. Many gifted students following in your footsteps will benefit from your example and receive inspiration in their own creative outlets. Creative genius will continue to flourish as the legacy continues...

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a climb of

PASSION Cy nt hia B ach’s Fairy Tale J ourne y

Our passions don’t belong to us; they come through us.

You don’t choose to like what you like, you happily discover it.”

- G a i l B r e n n e r , P h . D.

If one’s passions in life are to be discovered, developed and shared for the enjoyment of others, Cynthia Bach’s journey is an inspiration for the masses whose own passions for their life’s work remain elusive. A self-proclaimed “military brat,” she learned to adapt well to frequent moves, making friends quickly and then leaving them behind. During her elementary school years, her father, Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel David Bach, was stationed at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Frankfurt, Germany. His job required him to travel often,

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C Y N T H I A B A C H ‘ 8 2 makes Hollywood stars feel like royalty with her one-of-a-kind masterpieces

and on one of his trips, he brought his young daughter a small gold treasure chest. Her impish nature prompted her to fill the chest with stones she removed from several pieces of jewelry belonging to her mother. Despite the resulting punishment, Cynthia recalls the incident as a spark that kindled a fire deep inside her—a passion that continued from childhood to the present and from one continent to another. She dreamed of creating jewelry, but not just any jewelry. She envisioned unique intricate pieces made with exquisite gems and fine metals—

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the experience to that of Coco Chanel, famous fashion designer: “Coco Chanel actually sat down and made clothes, and that’s very rare in this day and time. As artists, we need to get back to that.”

Perhaps the next stage in Cynthia Bach’s life could best be characterized as a modern-day fairy tale in which an ordinary, though contented existence in a small city in West Texas is interrupted by one magical, cosmic occurrence that catapulted their lives and careers into a world of glitz and glamour. A phone conversation to Jim from a mysterious caller who identified himself as a headhunter from New York went something like this: Headhunter: “How would you like to work for a very prestigious jewelry company?”

H A R D AT W O R K Cynthia in her studio in Los Angeles

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precious jewelry befitting royalty.

As a young artist, Cynthia took art classes while in high school in Germany. When her father was transferred to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, she began looking for a college home.

At the time, there were no jewelry classes offered at any of the local universities, but she chose McMurry because she perceived more of a “free spirit” here. Refusing to give up on her dream of creating fine jewelry, Cynthia and several other students approached one of their art instructors, Mr. Bob Howell, about teaching a jewelry design course. He conducted some research on the subject, and he and his small cadre of students learned the art form together. Cynthia recalls sandcasting in the ground behind the Ryan Fine Arts Building, and she places high value on that experience. “The first casting done in primitive days was sandcasting, so I feel that learning the basics helped me to appreciate my art more.”

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She is proud of the early pieces created behind Ryan and still has them in her collection. Mr. Howell bought equipment for more intricate jewelry designs, and students were able to cut their own stones with the lapidary equipment he purchased.

Not one to shy away from an opportunity, Cynthia took her dream and an amethyst necklace she created in her jewelry class to the shop of Jim Matthews, located in the basement of the historic Wooten Hotel in Abilene. Jim, a master jeweler, was impressed with her design and her tenacity, and he hired her as his apprentice. It was there that she learned intricate techniques of jewelry design. After graduating with a bachelor of arts from McMurry University in 1982, she and Jim married and operated Goldesign, Inc., where they partnered in designing and creating custom jewelry. She is proud of the fact that she learned to create jewelry from scratch, equating

Jim: “We’re not really interested, since we own our own business. But out of curiosity, how much would you pay?”

Headhunter: “Whatever you want.”

To this day, neither Jim nor Cynthia knows why they received the call or how the headhunter got their phone number. When asked, he simply responded that “he couldn’t divulge that information.”

The nature of the call was certainly questionable, and even with the offer of wealth and prestige, a less adventuresome pair would have been hard-pressed to leave familiar surroundings and a successful business for the uncertainties of starting anew in a large city, working for an unidentified mystery company.

However, “playing it safe” was not in Cynthia’s nature. She and Jim flew to New York to meet

with company officials, and only then did they learn that the mystery company was Van Cleef and Arpels. They seized the opportunity, even though their decision to do so would mean selling their business and re-locating to Beverly Hills, California. Cynthia rationalized that “working with a famous jewelry design house like Van Cleef was, for a jewelry designer, like becoming a part of history.” Thus began an exciting era full of promise for Cynthia…an era where her talents and her passion could be reflected in the creation of exotic and original designs envied by those with means and influence.

In response to Van Cleef ’s offer, Cynthia and Jim moved to the West Coast in 1989 to a part of Los Angeles where every home “has a history.”

Such was the case with their Spanish villa built in 1927 by a silent movie star. The house, furnished with antiques and architectural artistry, proved to be the perfect haven for the incubation of her designs. In such an environment, reaching the pinnacle in their profession was certainly a promising prospect. However, an idyllic “happily ever after” storybook ending would prove to be a premature supposition. Three years after their arrival in Beverly Hills, a New Zealand-based company, Richemont, bought Van Cleef and Arpels, as well as Cartier. Company officials

CROWN JEWELS Actress Salma Hayek flaunts Cynthia’s tiara and earring designs

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appeared at Jim’s workshop late one afternoon and informed him and his team that they were to be out by the close of business that day. It appeared that the fairy tale would end in as dramatic fashion as it had begun.

The true substance of the human spirit often lays dormant until faced with adversity, and at such times, one may choose to retreat once again in the security of the familiar and the comfortable. Or one may choose to treat adversity as a stepping stone, mustering courage and strength of will to propel one’s passion to greater heights.

Not surprisingly, Cynthia chose the latter. Ten days after the closure, she packed ten pieces from her original collection and caught a flight to Dallas to meet with Neiman Marcus. She boldly requested a meeting with top executives in the company.

Introducing herself as “The Crown Lady,” she displayed her brooches, all intricately designed to look like miniature crowns.

Neiman’s embraced her vision of becoming the crown jeweler, and her signature “Crown Collection” was launched in 1991.

IN STYLE Cynthia’s designs are commonly featured in today’s most popular style magazines

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In retrospect, the “marriage” to Neiman Marcus proved to be the vehicle that Cynthia needed to unleash her creative genius, and her designs over the years have reflected her personality and the beauty of other works of art around her. In her home are collections of 15th century crowns, as well as relics from the Catholic Church, including chalices, crosses and monstrances. She describes these collections as very “jewelry-like,” and they’ve served as inspiration for some of her jewelry designs.

Cynthia revels in visualizing a new concept for a collection and then developing it. Each piece in a collection becomes an extension of her. She explains, “Every time I create a piece, it’s like giving birth to a child.” She is driven to constantly create and be prolific, and her collections have received notable acclaim. Publications such as People, Vanity Fair, Town and Country and InStyle have showcased Cynthia and her

collections. Her designs are prevalent on the Red Carpet, modeled by celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Salma Hayek, Samuel Jackson and Halle Berry.

In Tinseltown, where tourists clamor for glimpses of the rich and famous, most would indeed be star-struck in the presence of the “movie star types,” who Cynthia counts as friends and clients. She describes most as “down-to-earth people,” but does admit there are some starlets who appear to be “selfabsorbed.” A celebrity in her own right, her fond recollections of her years at McMurry assures us that she still remembers and appreciates her humble beginnings as an artist. She smiles when she mentions names of former teachers and mentors, such as Sherwood Suter, Robert Miller and Bob Howell, and her admiration is evidenced through the personal experiences she shares.

At her alma mater, she was challenged to master her art form, and she is quick to offer advice to young protégés following in

“Every time I create a piece, it’s like giving birth to a child.”

Cynthia Bach will be this year’s featured artist

- CYNTHIA

at the McMurry Homecoming Art Show,

her footsteps: “Find your passion and pursue your dreams. Develop a thick skin, and learn to handle rejection. Take advantage of opportunities and always speak to the top in the chain of command. Tenacity and perseverance are vital to success. And finally, fear should not be in anyone’s vocabulary.” This is sound advice from someone who is living proof that fairy tales do come true, but not because a magic wand was waved. Cynthia Bach has achieved success through hard work and taking her own advice.

She keeps her dreams in sight, ever ahead of her, while climbing steadily onward and upward—a climb of passion from “childhood dreamer” to the “Crown Lady” of Hollywood. 

and her exquisite jewelry designs will be on display October 14-29, 2010. In addition to pieces from her signature “Crown Collection”, a place of prominence will be reserved for the first piece of jewelry that she sandcasted while at McMurry. Make plans to meet Cynthia while on campus, reminisce with her, and marvel at her artistry. 

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Behind the SCENES 10

Life’s journey sometimes takes strange turns, a truth Elizabeth “Liz” Banks has experienced several times during her career in the theatre.

As one of eight finalists from across the nation in the lighting contest, Banks traveled to Washington D.C. where she won the Barbizon Award for Theatrical Design Excellence at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, held April 13-17 of this year.

Reaching that important pinnacle in her young career included several “long and convoluted paths,” McMurry honors graduate Banks shared. After falling in love with the theatre while a student at Sweetwater High School, she began considering her college options.

Like many young adventurers coming out of high school, Banks wanted to attend college somewhere far away from her hometown.

However, her great experiences with McMurry’s theatre department, through participation in one-act play competitions and watching theatre productions on campus, finally tipped the balance toward McMurry. “I had always liked the school and had gone to see productions there all through high school,” Banks said. “I knew a couple of the professors from participating in one-act plays.” After much soul-searching, she decided to attend McMurry instead of Texas State University.

She then committed her considerable talents to succeeding in her college career. Though much closer to home than she originally envisioned, Banks shared that “McMurry turned out to be exactly the place where I needed to be.”

Banks played goalie on the first McMurry women’s soccer team in her freshman year, participated in Campus Activities Board (CAB), and served as a Tribe Guide for three years. But her main passion was the theatre. “I was either in or worked on 90 percent of the productions while I was at McMurry.”

Banks was a member of the university honors program, and she was in the cast of a

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number of memorable McMurry productions including Amadeus, A Piece of My Heart, The Cover of Life and Noises Off. She also acted in three homecoming productions: Guys and Dolls, Leader of the Pack and Anything Goes before graduating summa cum laude in 2005 with a double major in Psychology and Theatre. After graduation, Banks served as Director and Scenic Designer for Red Herring (2005) and You Can’t Take it With You (2007).

She is appreciative of her McMurry theatre professors for helping to hone her talents in the theatre, but she especially credits Charlie Hukill as being the one who “struck a chord in me.”

She was generous in the praise of her mentor and stated, “I am still in contact with him. He has helped me with my teaching, and I just met with him in the last week or two about the class I am teaching this fall. He was always very supportive of everything I did while providing very constructive feedback. He is very good at seeing what is within people and helping to

develop that. He helped us to do the best that we could.”

Banks completed a one-year internship at Theatre Three in Dallas and then decided to pursue a master’s degree. While at Bowling Green University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Theatre in 2007, she made the decision to work toward a more active participation in the theatre rather than the more scholarly route that would have led to a teaching Ph.D. “That’s when I changed paths and decided to specialize in design.”

In her spare time between classes, Banks broadened her horizons with photography, playwriting, carpentry and acquiring her license as a pyrotechnician. In the summer of 2007, she returned to McMurry as Managing Director for the Summer Dinner Theatre season, while using her skills at scenic design and painting.

After looking at a number of graduate school possibilities, Banks decided to attend the University of Kansas. She enrolled at the University of Kansas as a graduate teaching assistant, where she taught classes and last May earned a Master of Fine Arts in scenography.

Banks’ national award was given for her lighting design in the University of Kansas theatre production of Macbeth in October 2009.

Winning the national award “felt amazing and very surreal,” Banks said. She had been working with the other seven nominated designers for almost a week in a workshop, and she had been impressed with their excellent designs. She humbly admitted, “It took me a second to realize I had won. I just sat there for a moment before going up [to accept the award].”

Banks attended the national festival at the Kennedy Center, where her designs were displayed. During the week, she attended master classes conducted by Broadway designers Beverly Emmons, a seven-time Tony Award nominee, and Eric Cornwell, lighting designer and lighting software creator.

In addition to the Barbizon Award, Banks’ lighting design for Macbeth has been selected for the Design Expo 2010 catalogue and will be included in the summer issue of Theatre Design and Technology, a publication associated with the United States Institute of Theatre Technology.

Her Macbeth design, along with her design from Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, will also be included in the Student Exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial.

Banks is currently serving as a visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Austin College, where she will teach two classes and design a show. “It’s a great opportunity. I didn’t expect to get a job immediately and I am really blessed that this worked out because I feel this is where I’m supposed to be.” She expressed her love for teaching and would like to continue at the collegiate level, as well as design professionally in a large city with a lively theatre community, such as Dallas or Chicago.

And in passing on her knowledge and love of the theatre, Liz Banks will no doubt be influencing a new generation of students who are passionate in developing their talents and sharing the artistry of theatre for all to enjoy. 

L I Z B A N K S , winner of a national award for her stage design for Macbeth (top). Design for Eurydice (bottom).

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I N S P I R I N G B I G D R E A M S T H R O U G H G R E AT S T O R I E S :

SUSAN TUCKER T H O M P S O N ‘94 "Wrestle, Tickle, Laugh, Kerplump!

Little Tucker got a bump."

“I love the challenge of choosing just the right word to go in just the right sentence to begin to make a story that is full of rhythm and captivating thoughts.”

- S U SAN

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Look a little closer into this fun, silly rhyme, and you will find a deeper story than what meets the eye. For McMurry alumna Susan Tucker Thompson ’94, this expression is a celebration of great personal success: the publication of her first children’s book, Tucker’s Chocolate Covered Bump!

Officially released on December 15, 2009 by Tate Publishing, this story is Thompson’s true tale of the time her little boy bumped his head at his grandpa’s house.

Susan has been writing books for three years, but her journey to her first published book began when she was just a little girl, as her passion for storytelling stemmed from a childhood love of writing about her daydreams. “I wrote because I enjoyed it and because it was something that came naturally for me. As an adult, I came to a point in my life when I began to search for a way to make a difference in the lives of others,” she said. “During this time of reflection on my life, I realized that writing was a gift God had given me. Once I was confident in knowing my talent, I began searching for ways to use that talent.”

She came to discover her passion for writing children’s books through her own children’s love for them. She enjoys bringing stories to life that allow children to “get lost in their imaginations,” and she is inspired by the

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path from idea to creation and beyond. “I love the challenge of choosing just the right word to go in just the right sentence to begin to make a story that is full of rhythm and captivating thoughts,” she said. “It has been a joy to witness my story become a book. What began as an idea was then put into words, sentences and paragraphs. Characters were sketched, illustrations drawn, and eventually that initial idea became a book.”

Susan credits her education as the foundation of her success. She graduated from McMurry in 1994 with a degree in communications/ public relations, which she said gave her the skills she has needed to pursue her dreams. “Every part of my education helped me,” she said. “Because of my communications degree, I am perfectly prepared to develop presentations for public speaking events. In addition, I use the marketing and public relations skills… to introduce myself and my book to the public. I could not have chosen a better major to prepare me for this endeavor.”

She remembers other aspects about McMurry that have helped shape the person she is today. “I truly cherish my entire McMurry experience,” she said. “A great advantage of McMurry for me was its small Christian atmosphere. I always felt welcome and confident in everything I became involved in as a student.

I can't imagine anything better. McMurry has been an influence on my entire life…[and] a wonderful tradition for my family. Many of my

family members have attended and graduated from McMurry. I am proud to be part of a great legacy.”

Susan writes under the name Susan K. Tucker. Her second book, Ridiculously Ridiculous, has no release date yet but is in the final review stages with the editors. In this rhyming book, children will find themselves in outer space riding a bumper car, eating spaghetti and meatballs with a mermaid on the sea, or sitting with a white tiger eating ice cream 21 scoops tall.

She currently lives in Keller, Texas with her three kids, Trevor (11), Kyla (7), and Jenna (3). She attends Northridge Church in Keller and plans to complete a masters program in

reading to become a certified teacher/ reading specialist in the future.

As she moves forward, she is pursuing a mission to encourage children and parents to read and identify their talents. With Tucker’s Chocolate Covered Bump! in hand, she has been able to reach out to children and parents through book signings, school visits, literacy nights and other public speaking events. “I believe we are never too young or too old to find our passion and pursue our God-given dreams,” Susan says.

“May we all dare to dream big and begin to make those dreams reality.” 

SUSAN SIGNS a copy of her book, Tucker’s Chocolate Covered Bump!, for one of her many young fans.

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V I R T U A L C R E AT I V I T Y:

“I was in a room full of Harvard and MIT graduates, but I wasn’t scared at all,” Outland said. “I

LON OUTLAND ’93 Whenever a virtual lab assignment is given to a microbiology class in the nursing program at the University College in Dublin, Ireland, the students will be doing their homework on software designed and developed by Lon Outland, a McMurry University graduate and attorney from Dallas. The same software is in use at other nursing schools in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Orlando and Denver.

How did Outland get involved in such an undertaking? In partnership with fellow McMurry graduate John Parker and McMurry professor Dr. Gary Wilson, they teamed up to form Intuitive Systems, Inc. and create VirtualUnknownTM Microbiology software. “My expertise was in writing the software,” Outland explained. “We started out trying to simulate on a computer something that had never been done before, and we just did it.” Wilson, who labeled his role in the project as “content manager,” described the other partners in this way: “Lon was the muscle in this project, and John was the brains.”

The three worked together to develop a software program which, according to Wilson, is used by countless microbiology instructors in nursing schools all over the world. “We find our software serving as the centerpiece for teaching online microbiology labs,” Wilson said.

The collaboration between Outland, Parker and Wilson began in the mid-1990s.

Parker was one of Wilson’s students in microbiology at McMurry, while Parker and Outland were close friends and club brothers in Makona Social Club. “They decided they wanted to form a company, but didn’t have a product to develop,” Wilson explained. “I had a product I wanted developed, but didn’t have the expertise to do the programming.”

Wilson says the three discussed the

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could figure out how to solve problems, thanks to the skills I learned at McMurry.” - LO N concept of simulation for teaching microbiology lab. He wanted it to be game-like, engaging, and as true-to-life as possible. Once agreed, Wilson said Intuitive Systems was incorporated and software development began.

One of the goals was to involve the student beyond reading a problem and then answering questions. “The student has to do something,” Outland explains. “You take the same steps that you would in a real lab; you’re just doing it in a virtual environment.”

Outland says the program details all the steps necessary for a lab process, including turning on Bunson Burners in the virtual lab and checking to make sure everything is sterilized.

“Students make mistakes in a real lab, so we also had to allow for that in the virtual lab,” Outland said. “Our program requires the user to take all the steps, and then it monitors what the user is doing and logs any mistakes.” The final product turned in by the student is an actual lab report.

The big break for the three came in 2000 at two different conferences. One was the Slice of LifeComputers in Healthcare Education Society meeting in Salt Lake City. The software was demonstrated, and Outland received one of three awards given for outstanding medical education software development. Entrants came from five continents, but Wilson is proud of the fact that “ours was the only winner not developed at a medical school.”

The next conference was an Undergraduate Education Meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Wilson says a publishing representative from Benjamin-Cummings was so enamored with the true simulation of lab work that she passed the information on to her superiors. Shortly, the software was included in the top-selling microbiology textbooks in the world.

Outland’s success, first in computer programming, and then law school, comes as no surprise to his former McMurry professors. “Lon is one of the brightest students I’ve ever taught,” said Dr. Beverly Lenoir, who taught Outland in several classes.

“He immediately grasped every concept that was presented.”

Outland graduated summa cum laude in 1993 from McMurry with his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science.

He expresses appreciation to his faculty for his problem-solving skills.

“That’s where McMurry really stands out,” he said.

Lenoir shared that Outland returned with a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas to teach for a year at McMurry. “The students knew that an excellent instructor was leaving, and they were apprehensive about his replacement. When Lon entered the classroom on the first day of school, he announced, ‘I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that I have all of Mr. Miller’s notes for this class.

The bad news is that I think he was WAY too easy!’” Lenoir finished her story by sharing that most of the students went into panic mode, at least temporarily, but they stuck it out and found that Outland was also an excellent teacher.

Prior to attending law school, Outland worked as a software engineer for 12 years with Rockwell Collins, Nortel and Crescent Systems.

He designed, developed and maintained software for use primarily in embedded radio-frequency digital communications systems. “I was in a room full of Harvard and MIT graduates, but I wasn’t scared at all,” Outland said. “I could figure out how to solve problems, thanks to the skills I learned at McMurry.” Outland believes the virtual lab software program that he helped develop with Wilson and Parker is a perfect example of that. “We all three felt we could solve the problem.”

Outland’s creative ability was recognized and applauded by his teachers and mentors at McMurry. According to former McMurry professor, Dr. Todd Miller, “Students like Lon who are raised in small towns in West Texas, and who possess good moral character and strong verbal and mathematical backgrounds, are models for the type of student McMurry should recruit.” Lon Outland excelled as a student and through skill and creative genius, he continues to excel in impacting the way education is delivered to future students. 

LON OUTLAND, co-creator of microbiology software used by nursing students aroung the world

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The TEXAS Semester

provides participants with enrichment opportunities available nowhere else.

C R E AT I V E C U R R I C U L U M

T he Texas Semester Imagine students from Dallas, Washington, San Antonio, New England, Germany, Japan, and France coming to McMurry University to learn all about what it means to be…Texan, including learning the art of “two-stepping” and chuck wagon cooking, while experiencing the history of the Lone Star State.

This is the vision behind “The Texas Semester: A History and Culture Program at McMurry University.” The Texas Semester is centered on answering one question: What is it that makes Texas, and Texans, different? To answer this question, the program includes three elements in which students: 1) enter into an immersive living and learning community in historic renovated homes at the Buffalo Gap Historic Village; 2) enroll in one semester of coursework (up to fifteen hours) focused on the history and culture of Texas; and 3) participate in a three-week “Grand Tour of Texas,” which includes stops at the state’s natural wonders, archival repositories, historic sites, museums, and restaurants. In addition to providing participants the opportunity to “experience” Texas, the “Grand Tour” also awards another three academic hours of course credit.

When Dr. Paul Fabrizio, Vice President for Academic Affairs, pondered the potential of establishing a “marquee” program at McMurry University, one that would offer a unique academic

program highlighting the strengths of the school, he turned to the highly-innovative history faculty for suggestions. The Texas Semester was their recommendation. Why? “Because nobody else is doing it, and we believe it is relevant,” responded Dr. Steve Hardin, and Dr. Don Frazier weighed in: “The time is right—we have the right people in place to back it and the right faculty to support it.” McMurry’s current history faculty is nationally known for their expertise in Texas History.

The Texas Semester isn’t for lightweights— it’s an adventure that guarantees participants will glean extensive knowledge about the state, its people, history, and culture. Dr. Frazier states, “It’s all about depth; our subject may be focused, but it’s a mile deep.” Dr. Hardin adds, “We believe this program will have an international appeal.” It isn’t hard to see why, since Texas is the tenth largest economy in the world; in addition, it is the second largest state in the Union, and it exerts profound influence upon national and international affairs.

Hardin commented, “It’s not that we think Texas is better than any place else—we are just different.”

Remarkably, there isn’t a similar program anywhere in Texas. “Sociologists argue that societies that constantly look beyond their own borders for cultural legitimacy are, by definition, parochial,” Frazier pointed out. “It seems to me that most universities in Texas are ashamed of the state, its history, and its culture. We aren’t. We embrace it as a vital part of the American story.”

Similar programs exist in California, the South, and

✯ Enjoy an exclusive, after-hours tour of the Alamo conducted by Dr. Richard Bruce Winders, award-winning author of Sacrificed at the Alamo: Tragedy and Triumph in the Texas Revolution and curator of the Alamo.

Students accepted into the Texas Semester will be housed among the facilities of the Texas Frontier Heritage and Cultural Center at either the Parsonage Guest House or the Boone House (pictured). Both homes are conveniently located right across the street from the Buffalo Gap Historic Village, the headquarters for the program.

New England. “People wouldn’t hesitate to spend a semester abroad studying Italy or China. We think folks may find a similar experience in Texas attractive. Think of them as temporary transfers, whose tuition dollars go right to the bottom line.”

Like many of the other creative individuals included in this edition of the Chieftain, McMurry University is adept at embracing its strengths, thinking outside of the box, and then crafting something unique—like The Texas Semester. With the creative faculty and staff that make this one-ofa-kind program a reality, it is not hard to see how our students turn into creative alumni who continue to make names for themselves in their chosen professions.

The Texas Semester is not limited to currently enrolled students. The public is invited to participate in the three-week “Grand Tour of Texas.” And participants are sure to develop an appreciation of the Lone Star State that only comes from experiencing it—learning about and living its uniqueness in history and in the world.   More information about the Texas Semester and how to register is available at www.mcm.edu/texas/.

✯ Explore Civil War Galveston with Dr. Donald S. Frazier, award-winning author of Cottonclads! The Battle of Galveston and the Defense of the Texas Coast. ✯ Uncover the hidden world of the state’s vexillology (the study of flags) under the tutelage of Dr. Robert T. Maberry, Jr., award-winning author of Texas Flags. ✯ Walk the battlefield at San Jacinto with Dr. Stephen L. Hardin, award-winning author of Texian Iliad: The Military History of the Texas Revolution and historical advisor for the 2004 feature film, “The Alamo.” ✯ Learn the art of Texas cooking from Tom Perini, the award-winning author of Texas Cowboy Cooking and owneroperator of the famed Perini Ranch Steakhouse. ✯ Throw down in a barbecue cook-off with fellow students paired against local talent at Buffalo Gap Historic Village. ✯ Load and fire a Sharps buffalo rifle at Fort Chadbourne. ✯ Scoot your boots across sawdust floors as you take country and western dance lessons. ✯ Enjoy the outdoors as you explore the diversity of Texas wildlife. ✯ Revel as we explore the richness of Texas music in Austin clubs and country “honkytonks.” ✯ Marvel at the array of color on our Texas wildflower tour.

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✯ Ponder the future as you visit oil fields and wind farms.

BUILDING SUCCESS FROM THE GROUND UP:

DANN Y ’76 AND VIC K I R E YN O L D S ’79

“My physics professors...taught me that we can solve almost any problem that arises, whatever it is.”

- DANN Y

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One graduated from McMurry with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, and the other graduated from McMurry with two degrees—one degree in physics with a teaching certificate and one degree in business with a concentration in accounting. With their educational credentials, it seemed unlikely that they would one day own a company specializing in early childhood furniture, equipment and supplies. Danny (’76 and ’81) and Vicki Reynolds (’79) are the owners of Reynolds Manufacturing Corporation of Abilene.

The Reynolds wanted to challenge their talents and skills and felt that the best way to do that was to either expand an existing Abilene business or to start their own business. Danny considered starting his own CPA firm, but he wanted to have a business that could expand beyond Abilene and not be hindered by the cyclical ups and downs of the local economy.

After seeking to purchase an existing business for several months, the Reynolds decided to start a business from the ground up.

The vision began to take shape in the fall of 1987 with the idea of creating wooden furnishings for preschool classrooms, and Reynolds Manufacturing has now expanded into a full-line educational dealer. What made the two decide to start with an early childhood woodworking business? During the early 1980s, early childhood programs were expanding in Texas public schools, Head Starts were growing, and more and more women were entering the workforce with new daycares rapidly opening to fill the need for childcare centers for working mothers.

After seeing some furniture in preschool Sunday School classrooms at their church, they were convinced they could develop a high

McMurry University

quality wooden product for early childhood classrooms. According to Vicki, “My father had been in construction and I grew up around woodworking. Dad had been teaching Danny some basic woodworking from his shop in the back of my parents’ house.” The furniture prototypes were built in her father’s shop and were used for photos for their first catalog.

The primary markets for products offered by Reynolds Manufacturing include kindergartens, pre-K classrooms, churches, daycare centers and Head Start programs around the state of Texas. Head Starts and churches in other surrounding states are marketed to as well.

"Our goal is to provide the best quality early childhood furniture, equipment and supplies," said Vicki. "We also want to provide excellent customer service.” Vicki was named Abilene's Small Business Person of the Year in 1996.

Reynolds Manufacturing has also earned a Small Business Salute from the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.

In the beginning, the company faced its share of difficulties. Their biggest challenge came during the company’s first three years of existence.

Trying to develop a statewide reputation and establishing a customer base was a more difficult challenge than in Abilene; marketing in population centers like the Metroplex, Austin, San Antonio and Houston was more difficult than Danny and Vicki realized. The big break that truly helped establish Reynolds Manufacturing came when the Houston Independent School District chose the Abilene firm to outfit its new kindergarten classes. "We got in with Houston ISD after a big bond election," Danny said.

"They were building a lot of new schools, and we installed our products in more than 600 classrooms over the next seven years."

The relationship with Houston ISD gave Reynolds Manufacturing time to stabilize and expand its customer base. Soon afterwards, orders came in from other school districts in Mesquite, Plano, Lewisville, Keller, CypressFairbanks, Round Rock, Leander, Spring Branch and many others for their kindergarten classes.

Danny is quick to point out that the education they received at McMurry has been critical in helping them create and operate their company. “My physics professors, Dr. Virgil Bottom, Dr. A.C. Sharp and Dr. Leroy Humphries, taught me that we can solve almost any problem that arises, whatever it is," Danny said. "For example, if one of our machines goes down, I know we can get it up and running.

There is no such word as 'can’t' in our business."

Danny originally graduated from McMurry with a physics degree and a teacher's certificate in 1976. He taught for three years in the Abilene Independent School District before returning to McMurry in 1980 to earn a business degree so he could become a CPA. "I got through in one year with the guidance of John Valentine, the other wonderful business professors, and McMurry’s administrators like Dr. Paul Jungmeyer," Danny said. "They really worked with me. It was just unbelievable how helpful they were.” Danny became a CPA after his second degree from McMurry. He worked at Condley and Company for ten years in both their audit department and estate tax department.

Similarly, Vicki credits McMurry for the skills she uses everyday at the company.

"I received a great education and had some great professors. They instilled in me a love of education, and I learned how to deal with young people and help them.” She also believes that working two and a half years in the McMurry registrar's office was as beneficial as what she was taught in the classroom. "I learned efficient record-keeping, thanks to Mr. Jerome Vannoy and Mrs. Gwen Vincent in the registrar's office.

I also learned how to deal with people because of all the different situations we faced on a daily basis."

The Reynolds share warm memories of their time at McMurry and the benefits they received from their educational experience. They credit their alma mater as being instrumental in helping them create their early childhood business. And the Reynolds connection with McMurry isn’t finished. Both are very proud that their youngest son, Jared, now teaches economics and marketing classes at the University, in addition to working at Reynolds Manufacturing. Their oldest son, Jacob, works full time in the family business.

Both Vicki and Danny enjoy reminiscing about their time at McMurry. They fondly remember Dr. Joe Humphrey and the excitement that Dr. Joe had for his students when they were in his classes. He even gave them some of his trademark irises for the flower beds at their first home. And just as Dr. Humphrey gave the irises to bloom in the Reynolds' flower beds, McMurry gave the Reynolds the education that helped their business grow and bloom. 

“I received a great education and had some great professors. They instilled in me a love of education, and I learned how to deal with young people and help them.”

- V IC K I

McMurry University

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I’m asked to write columns from time to time describing our plans for securing the financial support to maintain McMurry University’s mission of providing a high quality and affordable education for the students of today and tomorrow. This column is different. It is about the results and the successful recordsetting conclusion of our Shaping the Future capital campaign.

Countless gifts were contributed in order for our campaign to reach its goal: Gifts of Time 43 alumni and friends gave countless hours in planning and implementing strategies that would inform, inspire, involve and solicit investment in the projects of the campaign. These same people helped make 1,425 personal contacts with alumni and friends for the campaign.

Gifts of Talents Campaign Co-Chairs, Dian Stai and Bynum Miers ’59, provided not only their leadership for five years, but their personal philanthropic contributions that inspired 1,703 gifts to the campaign.

Gifts of Treasures Generous financial support for the campaign

from individuals, foundations and businesses made it possible to create 36 new scholarships, renovate six buildings and construct one new building.

The resulting impact of these gifts is a record-setting campaign!

You are personally invited to join us as we celebrate! On Saturday, October 16 at 11:45 am, we will host a complimentary luncheon (sponsored by ARAMARK) in Kimbrell Arena.

Come as you are—the atmosphere is casual, and bring the family! The event will be “kid-friendly,” and we look forward to seeing you there. As our theme for the luncheon suggests, we’ll have a “Fanfare: Celebrating McMurry’s Past, Present & Future.”

If you cannot be there in person, then join other alumni across the nation LIVE on the internet at www.mcm.edu for the announcement of the final campaign total!

We promise the Fanfare will be a memorable end to our campaign, and we want you to be part of the excitement. On behalf of the thousands of McMurry students on campus today and for years to come, thank you for shaping their future!

S teve C risman Vice President for Institutional Advancement

please join us as we celebrate the successful conclusion of the shaping the future capital campaign

fanfare:

celebrating mcmurry’s past, present & future

saturday, october 16, 2010 kimbrell arena 11:45 a.m.

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McMurry University

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CHIEFTAIN COMMENTS

Help us honor the men & women of Dyess Air Force Base!

McMurry-Dyess 50th Anniversary

Join us in celebrating the 50-year partnership of the McMurry-Dyess AFB Program!

Operation Maroon Pride McMurry has enjoyed a close relationship with Dyess Air Force Base for many years. We proudly support our military families and invite you to do the same. Through Operation Maroon Pride, you may purchase season tickets for active military personnel and their dependents. Your tax deductible gift benefits both McMurry football and the men and women who proudly serve our country. Cost per ticket is $30 for admission to all six home games. (Children under age 12 accompanied by an adult will be admitted to home games free of charge.) Tickets may be purchased online at www.mcmurrysports.com

OCTOBER 2, 2010

Military Appreciation Day

McMURRY UNIVERSITY, WILFORD MOORE STADIUM 4:30 p.m. FREE TAILGATE PARTY (in the grassy area just east of the stadium) 6:00 p.m. FOOTBALL GAME: McMURRY v. HOWARD PAYNE UNIVERSITY Free admission for military members or dependents with a DoD ID card.

Commemorative flyby & military recognition before the game!

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

Chapel Celebration

McMURRY UNIVERSITY, MABEE ROOM | 11:00 a.m. - Noon Chapel service featuring music by the Chanters Ensemble.

Speakers: Capt. David Black, Base Chaplain, and Rev. Bill Libby, COL, US Army (Ret) Reception to follow.

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

Dyess Celebration

DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, HERITAGE CLUB | 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Featuring a proclamation by Mayor Norm Archibald and comments

by Col. David Béen. Reception to follow.

These three comments were selected from comments made online in regards to the summer Special Issue of the Chieftain. Read more at www.mcm.edu/quest.

Thank you, McMurry community, for mustering the courage for real self-examination and for sharing the journey with as many people as possible through the symposium and the Chieftain issue that followed. As an alum, I shared many of the initial reactions that Dr. Parris described in the Chieftain when the NCAA made its decision regarding mascots and imagery in 2005. I was angered as if something had been stolen from me.

After reading the comments of Dr. Fassett, Dr. King, Bishop Solomon, and the others, I understand that “the Indian” was not mine to begin with, and nothing has been taken at all. I encourage other alumni who were unable to attend the symposium to read this issue of the Chieftain carefully and search your motives.

For me, honoring a real people and culture for whom I feel a deep respect far outweighs memories that seem a bit misplaced from this new perspective. I’m proud of the way that McMurry has embraced this challenge to its identity and traditions, and I look forward to seeing (and participating in) how we will continue to follow our “spirit of honor, truth, and right” in honoring all people.

-James Bernsen ’00

I appreciate the difficulty of the situation in which the leadership of McMurry was placed by the NCAA. In reading the summer 2010 Chieftain, many emotions were stirred and this comment was crafted multiple times. Simply put, no compliment could be greater for me than to be called a “good Indian.”

With all respect, my feelings toward being a McMurry Indian have and will always be guided by “honor, truth, and right.” I continue to “cherish tradition” while respecting the perspective of others. However, I disagree that “our country is made of two distinct groups-Native Americans and immigrants.” My great grandmother was Cherokee, so my blood blends native and immigrant. My perspective, and that of my own Native American blood, as well as that of my family, is that McMurry always brought honor to that part of my heritage.

In essence, from the time I listened to the night time drum beat of homecoming from my backyard at age ten until the time I last walked the court in what is now Kimbrell Arena, I never “played Indian.”

So, as McMurry moves forward, I choose to keep my heritage and remember the honor brought to it by those on that cherished ground which placed the fire in me to be called a “good Indian.” I pray those that follow will have the chance to be inspired in the same manner.

- Terry Crocker ’78

I have previously expressed my opinion about dropping the Indian name as a mascot for McMurry in a missive that I sent a couple of years ago to the Board of Directors at McMurry. I am absolutely against what the NCAA has mandated! Over the years, McMurry has done everything in a positive way to honor our Native American Heritage!

I was a member of KIVA Social Club, and we went to great lengths to make sure that we were accurate in our presentation at Tipi Village, and other activities that dealt with Native American Culture. My question is this....why do we have to be a member of the NCAA? Why not move to the NAIA? Who gave them (NCAA) the right to change our McMurry culture because someone with authority there felt that they needed to make a statement, thus affecting not only McMurry’s traditions, but other institutions as well? I think it is absolutely wrong for McMurry to accept this!

Let’s move forward with the tradition that made McMurry what it is...a wonderful place to get a college degree, and to feel being a part of the Indian, a.k.a. Native American experience. The “Quest” was good to have, but I think what you get when you have a group of scholarly types get together to analyze a situation like this is “analysis paralysis.” They all had their opinions, and one of the great things that makes this country great is the fact that you can express your opinions...even if they are wrong! I understand being politically correct and all of that, but it baffles me as to why this was not a problem since 1923 when McMurry was founded, and now it is? Keep the Indian as a mascot for McMurry. This is a “no brainer” in my humble opinion!

- Jim McCurdy ’69 McMurry University

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ATHLETICS UPDATE

ATHLETICS UPDATE

2009-2010 Season in Review Briefs McMurry's women's cross country team was named academic all-America by the USTFCCCA for the 2009 season with a cumulative GPA of 3.35. In addition, Carla Lewis was named an individual academic allAmerican while Ken Wheeler garnered the same honor for the men's team.

Spring Season Review

The McMurry baseball team made its seventh consecutive appearance in the ASC Baseball Postseason Tournament and boasted the ASC West Division Player of the Year in Jake Mullin.

Ken Wheeler became the third athlete in McMurry history to earn the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, joining Tarra Richardson (women's basketball) and Bramer Owens (baseball).

Jake Mullin became the first non-track athlete to win ASC Athlete of the Year and the fourth male in school history to earn the highest honor given by the conference office. Mullin, the two-sport standout in football and baseball, joined Brad Parris, Cody Brotherton and Hann Ollison.

Carla Lewis became the first woman in school history to earn a trip to the NCAA Division III national cross country meet.

The McMurry men's track and field team won its 12th consecutive ASC Track title and went on to place eighth in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Meet.

The McMurry football team snapped a 17-game losing skid in 2010 and then posted the longest win streak in 10 years when the team won fourstraight under first-year coach Hal Mumme.

Danielle Kelton became the second player in ASC history and first in school history to have at least 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills. McMurry's volleyball team made its third-straight trip to the ASC Volleyball Tournament.

The McMurry men's tennis team won its second consecutive American Southwest Conference West Division title and reached the championship match.

The McMurry women's basketball team made an improbable run in the ASC Basketball Tournament as the No. 3 seed from the West Division, and reached the title game before falling in overtime to nationallyranked Louisiana College.

Monica Harris was named NGCA allSouth Region for the women's golf team.

Erin Johnson, Alex Altstaetter and Amber Perkins all picked up individual titles at the NCAA Division III Independents annual meet.

Jazmyn Colon became the first McMurry women's soccer player to earn all-conference honors since the 2006 season.

65 athletes earned academic all-conference honors by the American Southwest Conference.

Track & Field

With a couple of strong meets early, the men earned a No. 1 national ranking by the USTFCCCA that carried for eight straight weeks into May’s national meet in Berea, Ohio. McMurry had to settle for an eighthplace finish, but that marks four straight years that, by ranking, McMurry has finished as a top-10 team in NCAA Division III. Kevin Cunningham, Terry Smith, Trevon Odom, Marcus Thompson, Kolby Barnhill, Josh Zu-Bolton, Gavan Bass, Thomas Dimitri and Stephen Toler all earned all-America status at the meet. Bass, Cunningham and Cory Altenberg also received allAmerica placing and helped the men place sixth at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships in March. On the women’s side, Breana Anderson-Burton earned the fourth all-America award of her career in the long jump with a sixth-place finish, jumping nine spots from her No. 15 seeding. In conference action, the men won their 12th consecutive ASC Championship while the women finished second. The coaching staff was honored throughout the year as well as assistant coach Brad Parris, who was named the USTFCCA Indoor Male Assistant Coach of the Year for the South/Southeast Region, and head coach Barbara Crousen, who was named the USTFCCCA Outdoor Male Head Coach of the Year for the South/Southeast Region.

Tennis

The McMurry men’s and women’s tennis teams had solid springs, with each team making the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament. The men won their second consecutive ASC West Division Title, defeating Hardin-Simmons in the standings for the second consecutive year. The women’s team finished third in the west division and were ousted in the quarterfinals round by Mississippi College. The men advanced to the championship match for the secondstraight year, but nationally-ranked UT-Tyler went on to earn an automatic bid to the national tournament

with a win over McMurry. Nearly every player on both the men’s and women’s rosters earned all-conference honors through singles and doubles selections. On the women’s side, Lindsay Bloomer was named ASC West Newcomer of the Year, while Whitney Zugai was named West Division Freshman of the Year. On the men’s side, Bryan Rainwater was named to the all-division allconference team while Mark Hathorn was named ASC West Division Coach of the Year. Will Davis earned West Division Player of the Year while Levi Cockrill was the West Division Freshman of the Year.

Baseball

The 2010 McMurry Baseball team made its seventh consecutive appearance in the American Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament, but for the secondstraight year, its heart was broken by nationally-ranked UT-Tyler who sent McMurry home after a best-of-three series to open the tournament. Individually, it was a solid year for the team as Jake Mullin was voted by the head coaches in the conference as the ASC West Division Player of the Year. Even more impressive was Mullin’s selection to the D3baseball.com all-America team, making the junior outfielder the sixth all-American in school history. He led the ASC with a .462 batting average and a .570 slugging percentage. McMurry also landed Derek Saltzgaber and Dakota Smith on the firstteam all-ASC West squad along with Mullin, while Dylan De Leon, Jeff Jackson and Cory Davis were named to the second team. Matt Thompson was an honorable mention selection.

Golf

The McMurry University golf team participated in another spring season in 2010, and the women placed fourth at the ASC Championship Tournament while the men placed eighth. The women’s season was highlighted all year by the individual play of Monica Harris. Harris, the junior golfer from Merkel, had a solid season for head coach Russ Evans in her third year on the team. She had several key individual performances throughout the McMurry University

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ATHLETICS UPDATE spring, including a second-place finish at the LeTourneau Spring Classic to help McMurry win the tournament, and she placed first at the UC-Santa Cruz Invitational in which McMurry also went on to win first place. Harris was named ASC Female Golfer of the week twice as a junior and was an academic all-conference honoree. The highlight of the men’s season came in March when the team placed second at the Mississippi/Louisiana College Invitational, and Nick Mehigan and Matt Ragovin each took top-five finishes individually.

Fall Preview

Football

Head Coach Hal Mumme is back for a second year with his exciting brand of football and the Air Raid Offense.

Back are all-conference honorees Jake Mullin, Marcus Franklin and Delfonte Diamond. Defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, the inventor of the 3-3-5 defensive formation, also welcomes back all-conference honorees Will Morris, Gene Hudson and Josh McKinnis. John Kowalski also returns as an all-conference punter.

McMurry is finally beginning to turn heads after years of mediocrity; Mumme’s crew snapped a 17-game losing skid in his first season and went on to win fourstraight and finish fifth in the nine-team American Southwest Conference. With its first full off-season and recruiting year, Mumme and the McMurry football team look to climb even higher in 2010.

Volleyball

Cammie Petree enters her 15th season as head coach of the McMurry volleyball team and is looking to take the program to its fourth-consecutive ASC Tournament appearance. Senior Terah Brown, one of their most highlydecorated players, returns for her final season along with seniors Sarah Anding and Mandie Moore. Also coming back are all-conference honorees and middle blockers M.J. Vickers and Bailey Marcum.

Petree also added a former foe to the staff as Suzanne “Wingrove” Truitt was added as an assistant. Truitt led 26

McMurry University

ATHLETICS UPDATE East Texas Baptist as head coach to three consecutive ASC Titles and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2002 to 2004.

Men’s Soccer

Another changing of the guard in the coaching ranks for McMurry’s men’s soccer is taking place in the 2010 season; this time it will be to former three-time allconference goal keeper and alumnus Paul Tate, who looks to return McMurry’s men to a traditional program.

Former head coach Steve Allan led McMurry’s men to three consecutive ASC Tournament appearances from 2002 to 2004, the latter two seasons of which Tate was a part.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer program also undergoes a coaching change with Tim Grove’s departure. Alan Riches becomes the fifth women’s head coach since 2005, but has realistic expectations for the team in 2010. Riches, a Lubbock native, spent the previous three seasons prior to his McMurry gig as the Lubbock Coronado High School Boys Coach where he led the Mustangs to two district playoff appearances. Riches will return seven players from the 2009 season and begin the season with 18 players. McMurry’s women went three seasons without a victory from 2007 to 2009, and Riches’ number one goal is to get that proverbial monkey off the program’s back.

Cross Country

David Chandler lost key athletes after a highly successful 2009 season. It will be nearly a complete overhaul of the men’s roster after losing four seniors, including four-time all-region honoree and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winner Ken Wheeler. On the women’s side, McMurry will move on without two-time ASC Individual Champion Carla Lewis.

The men’s team will return Colby Freehauf and Robert Jaramillo to the squad, while the women have a veteran group with returnees Karlie Dieterich, Kurstin Draper, Alaisha Guerra, Brittney McGuire and Tara McMullen. 

Mullin becomes first non-track athlete to win ASC Athlete of the Year Jake Mullin, the two-sport standout in football and baseball, became the fourth male and first non-track athlete in McMurry school history to earn American Southwest Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

After helping turn around a football program this fall that went winless in 2007 and 2008 with 2,749 passing yards and 25 touchdowns under center, Mullin went on to earn honorable mention D3baseball.com allAmerica honors on the baseball diamond.

The dual-sport athlete has already become a diminishing trade in college sports, but both McMurry head coaches who coached Mullin this season said they weren't surprised to see him excel in both.

“I wasn't surprised when he did so well with football, and then he didn't miss a beat really when he came over to us,” said McMurry head baseball coach John Byington.

“Maybe it took him a week or two to get back in the groove and then he was right on top of his game here.

He's just one of those unique athletes that we're very blessed and fortunate to have here at McMurry.”

McMurry head football coach Hal Mumme echoed Byington's sentiments.

“I wasn't surprised either; he's such a terrific player. He's made such a tremendous impact on our football program and, of course, for two years a great player in baseball,” said Mumme. “You'd be hard pressed in the conference to find somebody who has had more impact on his school than Jake has.”

Mullin had not taken a football snap since the

2006 season at Burleson High School where he led a run-heavy Wing-T offense. However, with McMurry's announcement that it would bring former NCAA Division I head coach and “Air Raid” offense originator Hal Mumme to lead the football program, he joined the team and helped McMurry to a 4-6 season.

He completed 65.1 percent of his passes and threw just nine interceptions as a sophomore on the field in only nine games.

He set school records for completions, attempts and yards passing at the quarterback position in his first year with the team. The Burleson native completed 256 of 393 passes for 2,749 yards, passing former McMurry all-American Braxton Shaver in all three categories. He also set the single-game school record for completions (35) and passing yards (479) in the season-opener against Trinity University.

On the baseball diamond, Mullin competed as a junior and followed up an award-filled sophomore season by earning ASC West Division Player of the Year honors, first team all-ABCA West Region honors, and was named the fifth all-America award winner in the program's history by D3baseball.com.

He helped McMurry to its seventh-straight ASC Tournament appearance and set school records for batting average (.462) and on-base percentage (.570).

Mullin led the ASC in both categories along with walks (33) and slugging percentage. The right fielder also had 11 home runs, 19 doubles and 44 RBIs, along with four outfield assists in 38 games.  McMurry University

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FRIENDS & FAMILY

FRIENDS & FAMILY

Dear Alumni and Friends: It’s Time!

This summer my family and I have had fun watching the Texas Rangers and the successful season they have been enjoying. If you’re a Rangers fan, you know their motto for this season has been “It’s Time!” The meaning of this is clear—after a couple of good seasons and much potential, it’s time for the Rangers to break through, win their division, advance through playoffs and hopefully go to the World Series!

As I have thought about that motto, I believe it can be applied to our opportunity as McMurry alumni—It’s Time! It’s time for McMurry as a family to come together with our time, talents and resources to move our alma mater forward. There are many opportunities and possibilities for all of us to be involved and to invest in the future of McMurry.

This effort is ongoing, and during the past several years we have made tremendous strides. Campus renovations and success in all areas of our campus have energized our student body, alumni and donor base. In the past several years, many alumni have reconnected with McMurry because they have seen that the McMurry they experienced during their time as a student is alive and well in the lives of our students today.

As we celebrate the success of the past several years and the conclusion of the Shaping the Future campaign, there are still limitless possibilities and opportunities for our alumni to be involved and to make a difference.

The McMurry Alumni Association Board of Directors is continually looking for new members to serve, and many

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people have stepped forward to become involved with this board. Recent efforts by administration and volunteers have examined ways that volunteer involvement can increase and be more effective in improving all aspects of our campus.

Stay tuned for more developments in this area—you will be informed of ways that you can volunteer your time and talents to help further the progress of McMurry.

McMurry has been sustained over the years by the generous support of our alumni and friends. We thank all of you who consistently support McMurry and provide the opportunities for our students to reach their maximum potential. As we move forward, the Advancement and Alumni Offices will increase our efforts to reach out to you, our alumni—informing, inviting and thanking you for making a difference. In addition, we will be engaging those of you who are interested in finding out where you can invest your time, talents and resources to help McMurry maintain our momentum. Like the Texas Rangers, there is much potential, but the opportunity is now to take McMurry to new heights. Will you join me? It’s Time!

Greeley Myers, ’93 Director of Alumni Relations

Chuck Fallon ’85 to be honored at Homecoming as the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Chuck Fallon, president of Burger King North America, credits much of his success in the corporate world to lessons learned during his time at McMurry. In response, Fallon has given back to McMurry in many ways.

Fallon has been a consistent long-time supporter of McMurry and serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. He previously served on the Steering Advisory Committee for Athletics and has been a member of the President’s Council for 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2001, he was inducted into the McMurry Athletic Hall of Honor.

A 1985 McMurry honors graduate, Fallon recalls his most memorable moment as being named the winner of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics A.O. Duer Award honoring the association’s top student-athlete.

He also was active in many campus organizations and encourages current students to participate in the many opportunities McMurry offers.

Fallon acknowledges his McMurry professors in the business department—Dr. Bob Brown, Ann Spence and John Valentine— as some of his greatest influences at McMurry.

“Some of the biggest decisions of my life were the result of honest dialogues with my professors.”

Fallon currently serves as president of Burger King Corporation (BKC), North America. In this position, he reports directly to CEO John Chidsey and serves as a key member of the company’s global executive leadership team. Fallon oversees Burger King Corporation’s U.S. and Canadian franchise and company

restaurant operations, as well as franchisee and real estate development, IT and diversity matters.

Before joining Burger King Corporation, Fallon oversaw sales and marketing as the executive vice president of revenue generation for Cendant Corporation’s Car Rental Group (Avis & Budget). Before joining the Car Rental Group, Fallon was the COO at Cendant Membership Services, the largest U.S. direct marketer, and the senior vice president of business development for Cendant’s Preferred Alliance Group, which focused exclusively on rolling out programs for Cendant’s franchisees. Prior to this position, Fallon filled several roles of increasing responsibility with Cendant Corporation.

Before joining Cendant, Fallon was a director in the investment banking division of Salomon Smith Barney, where he served in posts in London and New York. He also worked in finance and banking positions for Hoare Govett and Prudential-Bache Capital Funding.

Fallon holds a degree in accounting and finance from McMurry and an MBA from Columbia University. McMurry University is proud to honor Chuck Fallon as our 2010 Distinguished Alumnus. 

THE BURGER KING Chuck Fallon, the 2010 McMurry Distinguished Alumnus, serves as the president of Burger King, North America

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R E G I S T E R O N L I N E AT n a t i o n . m c m . e d u

Travel down memory lane at Homecoming 2010!

Be sure to join us for the following events!

A full schedule can be found at nation.mcm.edu.

Thursday, October 14

5:00 p.m. | Wah Wahtaysee Park

McMurry Band Concert, Sunset Ceremony & Tipi Raising Friday, October 15

7:30 p.m. | Radford Auditorium

Homecoming Musical & Coronation

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” Immediately following Coronation | Wah Wahtaysee Park

Bonfire & Pep Rally

SATURday, October 16

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Kimbrell Arena

Capital Campaign Celebration Lunch

fanfare: celebrating mcmurry’s past, present & future COMPLIMENTARY AND OPEN TO EVERYONE! 2:00 p.m. | Wilford Moore Stadium

WE WANT YOU to serve on the Alumni Board!

The Alumni Association Board of Directors is looking for new members. The Board is entering a new era and embarking on exciting initiatives. We want you to be part of it.

If you are interested, please contact one of the following board members or call (325) 793-4603 or email myers.greeley@mcm.edu.

Daniel L. Alexander ’97 Dr. Mark Alexander ’89 Dr. Richard Michael Bennett ’65 Shana M. Norman Bristow ’92 Captain Jack Darnell ’55 Dale Anthony Evers ’82

Alex B. Eyssen ’98 John-Paul Huber ’93 Melody Hunt ’79 David K. Johnson ’02 Dr. Ralph M. McCleskey, Jr. ’65 Christopher Montoya ’00

Jincy Drennan Ross ’96 Erin Samson ’06 Christina Sharpling ’96 Dr. Cyril Stone ’46 Barbara Whorton-Farley ’73 Carolyn Beckham Wiggins ’58

Jack Wilburn ’93 Carla Davis Woolley ’73 Dr. Kay L. Younggren ’02

Homecoming Musical

McM University vs Texas Lutheran University

October 15 &16, 2010 The McMurry University Theatre presents

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart Music by Stephen Sondheim Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Based on the plays of Plautus

“Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!” Broadway’s greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written—the perfect escape from life’s troubles. “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The result is a non-stop laugh-fest in which a crafty slave (Pseudolus) struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan (Philia) for his young master (Hero), in exchange for freedom.

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Did you know? You can update all your information and submit your class notes online at nation.mcm.edu

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FRIENDS & FAMILY 1961

Deana (Thomas) Hazelwood `61 recently retired after 34 years of teaching, 19 in the Artesia Public School System.

Thirteen of those years were teaching second grade and six were in kindergarten. Deana reported that she is enjoying every minute of her free time.

She is thankful to McMurry “College” University for the beginning of many blessings. She is sincerely thankful for her many teaching experiences, blessings, family, friends, and numerous fantastic students she taught throughout her life. After losing her first husband in the early 70’s (who she met at McMurry) she married Bob Hazelwood. In 1999, after sharing 24 1/2 years of marriage, she found herself a widow again. She is putting her house up for sale and will be moving to Frisco, Texas where she hopes to buy a home close to her daughter and family.

1957

1946

Sam Darby ’46 and his wife Carolyn have enjoyed many trips to South Africa. Of the seven trips they have taken, the attached picture shows the only time they have seen a black rhino. Mr. and Mrs. Darby live in Albany, Oregon.

1953

Richard Deats ’53 lives in Nyack, NY where he worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) from 1972 until his retirement on June 30, 2005. A United Methodist minister, Deats taught social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines from 1959 to 1972. Dr. Deats has authored and edited many books including co-editing Active Nonviolence: A Way of Life, A Strategy for Change. His book, Martin Luther King, Jr., Spirit-led Prophet (1999), with a foreword by Coretta Scott King, is now in its third printing and his biography of Gandhi, with a foreword

by Sister Mary Evelyn Jegen, is entitled Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Liberator (2005). Dr. Deats has been named to the Civil Rights Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Boston University.

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McMurry University

Tommy Watkins `57 was recently inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in July.

Tommy coached 44 years and won state championships at Class A Rotan in 1962 and Class 2A Iowa Park in 1969 and 1970. He returned to the Permian Basin after the 1970 season to become the athletic director and football coach at Andrews, which gave him the chance to be closer to home. He stayed for six years, leaving in 1978 to return to Iowa Park, before stops at Uvalde, Garland Lakeview Centennial, and finally Garland Rowlett in 1996 when the program was just beginning. When he retired after the 2001 school year, Watkins had compiled a 301-1538 record to go along with the three state championships, numerous district championships and coaching accolades.

Watkins is ranked among the top 50 coaches of the past 50 years by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, but Watkins attributes his success to the help he received from others.

1958

1968

Dick Countiss ’58 recently agreed to leave semiretirement for another stint in the courtroom as District Attorney. Countiss was selected as the Democratic nominee for Criminal District Attorney of San Jacinto County after the incumbent District Attorney died. He is unopposed in the November General Election and will begin a four-year term on January 1, 2011. Countiss served as District Attorney and later District Judge and Court of Appeals justice in the Amarillo area in the 1970s and 1980s before returning to private practice in Houston.

Countiss presently serves as First Vice-President of the McMurry Board of Trustees. He and his wife Karen (Hopkins, ex ’60) live on Lake Livingston and recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary.

McMurry University

Dr. Jerry Campbell ‘68, president of Claremont School of Theology, was featured in a story in the August 22 issue of Time magazine.

The article describes Dr. Campbell’s leadership in establishing a theological university which opened this fall to train future pastors, imams and rabbis under one roof. The experiment to end isolated clerical training brings together Claremont, the Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) and the Academy for Jewish Religion California. The Time story can be accessed at http://www.time.com/time/nation/ article/0,8599,2010951,00.html.

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1985

Stanley Laing ’85, has been named the Executive Director of Athletics for Northside ISD. He takes over a program that oversees thousands of athletes in 11 high schools and 18 middle schools, as well as a coaching force of hundreds of employees. He has been a 20-year educator, served as a coach and teacher for 16 years and as a high school administrator for eight years. Laing is a graduate of McMurry University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in English. He also earned his master’s degree from Texas A&M University at Kingsville.

Roy Sharp ’85 is the new principal of Fannin Elementary.

He was a teacher in the Abilene School District. He is a 1985 graduate with a BS in geology. His wife Rebecca is a 2004 graduate of McMurry also.

1987

The Willis Independent School District recognized Stormy Cullum ’87 as the 2009-2010 WISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. Cullum teaches technology at Brabham Middle School. She previously was named Teacher of the Year in Sherman ISD and Coach of the Year in Sherman ISD and Pleasant Grove ISD. She is a 1987 graduate of McMurry University, earning a Bachelor of Science in education focused on secondary business courses, 8th-12th grade technology applications and physical education in all levels.

Ken Morton ’87 has returned to Texas from California to serve as the new director of campus recreation at Stephen F. Austin State University. He

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FRIENDS & FAMILY began his career with a six-year stint on the recreation center staff at his church, and for eight years he served as Director of Student Activities and Campus Recreation at McMurry University.

1983

David Osborn ’83 was promoted to Chief Lending Officer at Bank of the West in El Paso, Texas. He joined the locally-owned community bank in 2000 as Senior VicePresident. He holds a BBA in business and marketing at McMurry University and also graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

1993

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS 2003

Carrie (Patrick) Samuels ‘03 and Aaron Samuels ‘03 welcomed Jackson Patrick Samuels on November 16, 2009; he was 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 22 1/2 inches. Carrie is teaching high school English at North Crowley High School and Aaron works for State Farm Insurance in Fort Worth. 

85 Years of Smooth Sailing

The women of T.I.P. celebrated their 85th anniversary with a special cruise this summer.

Greel Myers `93 and his wife Carrie Danko Myers `94 are happy to announce the birth of Emma Grace on March 2, 2010.

Emma weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches. Emma joins big brothers Grant, age 10, and Nolan, age 6, at home.

Bess C. Church McDonald ’38 of Benbrook, Texas, died July 1, 2010.

Barbara Aulseybrook of Abilene, Texas, died May 12, 2010.

Rev. Kenneth T. Metzger ’59 of Lubbock, Texas, died March 9, 2010.

Rayford Baldwin ’54 of Abilene, Texas, died March 5, 2010.

Billie Ruth Hawkins Miller ’66 of Midland, Texas, died March 11, 2010.

Leon Barr of Abilene, Texas, died April 22, 2010.

Marsha Iwana Monroe Miller ’92 of Dallas, Texas, died March 13, 2010.

Pauline Caffey ’37 of Clovis, New Mexico, died October 14, 2009.

Homer C. Parris of Abilene, Texas, died January 13, 2010.

LaVeta Sinclair Campbell ’68 of Upland, California, died April 19, 2010.

Mr. John Plant died 2010.

Beth Shepherd Chapman ’46 of Lubbock, Texas, died March 18, 2010.

Billyjo Stewart Robertson ’64 of Floydada, Texas, died August 1, 2010.

Marilyn Boydstun Clement ’56 of New York City, New York, died August 3, 2009.

Irvin Shields of Abilene, Texas, died June 14, 2010.

Fannie Beth Arnold Craig ’37 of San Antonio, Texas, died June 25, 2010.

Jacquelyn Ann Stephens Skidmore ’46 of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, died July 11, 2010.

Willis W. Deichmann of Abilene, Texas, died March 1, 2010.

Louise Stallings ’50 of Stanton, Texas, died April 5, 2010.

Edithe Easter died June 12, 2010.

Virginia Taylor of Dallas, Texas, died May 5, 2010.

Russell B. Evans of Abilene, Texas, died July 22, 2010.

Larry Alan Teaff ’70 of Tye, Texas, died March 15, 2010.

Eileen Smith Faulks ’30 of Abilene, Texas, died August 1, 2010.

Robert Wayne Tiner ’60 of Abilene, Texas, died June 2, 2010.

Margaret Wall Glasgow of Incline Village, Nevada, died on July 17, 2010.

Lillie Mae Smith Walker of Marble Falls, Texas, died February 9, 2010.

Dr. Thomas H. Greer ’38 of Cedar Park, Texas, died January 15, 2010.

Frances Warren of Abilene, Texas, died March 13, 2010.

Jo Ann Hamil of Abilene, Texas, died January 26, 2010.

Curtis L. Wheat of Abilene, Texas, died December 30, 2009.

Ann Lynn Hill of Amarillo, Texas, died March 3, 2010.

Rev. Jalma Newton Whetstone ’37 of Carlsbad, New Mexico, died July 12, 2010.

Bennie R. Jones ’49 of Abilene, Texas, died February 20, 2010.

Margaret H. Hunt Jones of Abilene, Texas, died April 6, 2010.

Dr. Jere Mack Lawrence ’54 of Sweetwater, Texas, died February 17, 2010.

1995

Rev. Orion Neely Lewis ’53 of Lenexa, Kansas, died April 11, 2010.

Harold Longino ’47 of Arvada, Colorado, died December 25, 2009.

Craig Watson `95 and his wife are proud to announce that their son, Hatcher Landon, was born on April 5 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz., was 19 1/4 inches long and was welcomed home by big sister, Hayes.

Patsy Sue Cox Martin of Abilene, Texas, died August 6, 2010.

Fern White of Clovis, New Mexico, died February 24, 2010.

Howard T. Wilkins ’47 of Abilene, Texas, died December 25, 2009.

Wallace L. Wilson ’57 of Lubbock, Texas, died May 13, 2010.

Frank Barron Wood ’82 of Midlothian, Texas, died July 9, 2010.

Billy G. Yarbrough ’48 of Midland, Texas, died August 2, 2010.

Donald Mawson ’57 of East Moline, Illinois, died March 15, 2010.

Obituaries

2002

Randy Glenn ’02 was recently featured with his wife on the cover of the new Abilene Big, the Abilene Chamber of Commerce business publication. The article mentions that while a student at McMurry (and running track for Coach Barbara Crousen), Randy continued the lawn care business he began as a high school student at Wylie High School. That business has grown into a large landscaping and yard design business that has a significant impact in Abilene.

Pat Appling ’48 of Lubbock, Texas, died July 21, 2010.

Bennie Ray Jones ‘49

Front to back, left to right: Marsha Lewis ’68, Gretchen von Ende ’96, Gabie Hawkins ’42, James ’62 and Jane Ammons Harvey ’61, Sara Hudman Graham ’63, Jonasue Ammons Phillips ex ’66, Clay ’95 and Melissa Phemister Bulls ’94, and Amanda Roberts Breeden ’97

Bennie Ray Jones ’49, age 83, of Abilene, passed away on February 20, 2010, in Abilene.

Bennie was born in McCaulley, Texas, to Cloyce and Delia Jones on December 26, 1926. He attended school at McCaulley. Bennie married Diane Carlton on June 3, 1948, in Hamlin, Texas. He graduated from McMurry College in 1949 and worked for Riley G. Maxwell Company and RGM Core Analysis for 15 years. Bennie began his outstanding

insurance career in 1965 at Southwestern Life Insurance Company, then later founded Bennie R. Jones CLU and Associates, where he further distinguished himself as one of the leading financial services consultants in Texas and the nation. Bennie was a veteran of World War II and served in the Army. He was the first president of Crimestoppers Abilene, a director of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, a trustee at McMurry College and a lifetime member of the NRA. Bennie received numerous honors over his M Mc cM Mu u rr rr yy U Un n ii v v ee rr ss ii tt yy

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FRIENDS WE’LL MISS career including being a Life and Qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table and Texas Leaders Round Table. He was a Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant.

Jere Lawrence ‘54

A former mayor of Sweetwater, business owner and active public servant, Jere Lawrence ’54 died February 17, 2010, at Dallas Methodist Hospital. He was 76.

Until his death, Lawrence was active in his family's business, Lawrence Brothers Management, which had its corporate headquarters in Sweetwater. The company owns and operates more than 20 Lawrence Brothers IGA grocery stores in the area, including one in Abilene, as well as some Save-A-Lot grocery stores, bakeries, check-cashing stores and pharmacies. The business employs about 750 people.

Lawrence grew up in Sweetwater, graduating from Newman High School (now Sweetwater High School). He was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Sweetwater and supporter of McMurry University and Butman Methodist Encampment.

He followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and worked in the family supermarket business since 1956, after serving in the Army. He served as president of the company for many years. His sons, Jay and Kyle, his brother Tere, and son-in-law Neal Hoover, now run the company.

Lawrence also became a community leader like his father, J.M. Lawrence. The elder Lawrence served as mayor in the early 1940s, and then Jere Lawrence served as mayor from 1975 to 1980 after serving as a city commissioner in the early 1970s.

Nolan County Judge Tim Fambrough, who has been Lawrence's neighbor for 27 years, and worked as a public servant alongside him for many years, said he was shocked to hear the news. "He was as nice of a guy that you could ever meet," he said. Fambrough added that Lawrence was active in the community, serving on many boards, including the TSTC Board of Regents.

Sweetwater City Manager Eddie Brown, who served in the Rotary Club with Lawrence, said he is considered 36

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FRIENDS WE’LL MISS one of the "city fathers" because of his service on the city commission and volunteer work in the community.

Colonel R. B. “Russ” Evans

Colonel R.B. "Russ" Evans (U.S. Air Force retired), 87, died Tuesday, July 21, 2010, in Abilene. Col. Evans was born on November 12, 1922, in Rockford, Illinois, the son of Russel Evans and Caroline Johnson Evans. After graduating from high school, he worked a few years with Woodward Governor Company before joining the Army-Air Corp in 1942 where he proudly served his country during WWII flying 51 missions with the P-38 Lightning Aircraft. Russ returned from war in 1944 and served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years, retiring on April 5, 1966, while stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. After retirement from the Air Force, Russ worked 19 years as the Executive Director of Abilene Regional MHMR now known as the Betty Hardwick Center. The impact he made in the field of mental health was later honored when the day services and half-way facilities were named the R.B. Evans Center.

Col. Evans was a longtime member and elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church. He was an avid golfer and a gifted craftsman and skeet shooter, competing with the Air Force National Skeet Shooting Team while in the Air Force.

Marilyn Clement ‘56

Marilyn Clement ’56, age 74, a social activist who helped expand black voting rights under the guidance of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s, and later was a campaigner for a universal healthcare system in the United States, died August 3 in New York. She had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

Mrs. Clement, the daughter of gospel-singing Texas sharecroppers, originally intended to become a missionary.

Instead, she settled in Atlanta in the early 1960s to join the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization led by King. She worked directly for King and contributed toward many of the organization's projects.

Mrs. Clement made her career in social activism. She

served in leading roles for such organizations as the Center for Constitutional Rights, a nonprofit legal and educational group in New York, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Philadelphia.

After founding the New York-based advocacy organization Healthcare-NOW! in 2004, Mrs. Clement became the foremost voice for passing a single-payer healthcare bill now being sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.).

Marilyn Louise Boydstun was born in Tulia, Texas, on June 30, 1935. She graduated in 1956 from what is now McMurry University in Abilene, Texas.

In 1955, she married Gene G. Clement. The marriage ended in divorce. Survivors include their two children, Scott Clement of Lone Oak, Texas, and Pamela Clement of Wirtz, Virginia; a brother, and three granddaughters.

After King's assassination in 1968, Mrs. Clement moved to New York and was associate director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization.

From 1976 to 1989, she was executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and was heavily involved with the Center's efforts to take legal action against the Ku Klux Klan and against the government in domestic spying cases.

Mrs. Clement moved to Philadelphia in 1994 to lead the U.S. headquarters of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The next year, in her role with the league, she helped organize hundreds of supporters on a "peace train" that wound through 42 countries and wrapped up in Beijing.

LaVeta “Veta” Dea Sinclair Campbell ‘68

LaVeta "Veta" Dea Sinclair Campbell ‘68, beloved wife of Claremont School of Theology president, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Campbell, died on April 19, 2010. She was 64.

She died surrounded by her family as she succumbed to acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by sarcoidosis and pneumonia at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, California.

Sandra N. Bane, chair of Claremont's board of

trustees said, "Veta had a ‘can do’ spirit and a quiet strength about her, and a gracious soul. She touched my heart and held me up many times, as I am sure others who have worked with her or got to know her on campus can also attest. I can't imagine the emotions that both Veta and Jerry have endured over the last several weeks."

Veta's genuine interest in people and wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, combined with her gracious and easy manner, made her the ideal friend and confidante.

“She was the perfect partner for a college administrator,” said Jerry, who served in senior administrative positions at Duke University and University of Southern California before becoming Claremont School of Theology's sixth president. "Veta was always genuinely interested in others, and really paid attention to what they said," he continued.

"She would remember everything about people and she always tried to be of help."

A member of First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, California, Veta served the church and congregation in many ways. She was particularly proud of having chaired the committee that oversaw the redesign and retrofitting of the church's historic chapel. She also started and co-taught an adult class with Jerry for several years, and served as a trustee of the Pasadena Methodist Foundation.

College sweethearts, Jerry and Veta met at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and married in 1967. She received her B.S. in education from McMurry, and her M.Ed. from East Texas State University in Commerce, and taught first and third graders for many years. After a move to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a friend needed help with her new store, Purple Puddle Flowers and Gifts, so Veta quit teaching to become store manager. The store prospered under her care, and it is still successful today.

On every campus where the Campbells have served, Jerry shared that Veta always enjoyed getting to know students and doing what she could to make them feel at home and help them succeed. 

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Office of University Relations Box 938 McMurry Station Abilene, Texas 79697

The children at Roosevelt Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas have “adopted” McMurry University in their Pre-K classroom. Inspired by a book by Damen Lopez, No Excuses University, that encourages educators to “whisper” to young students that “after high school comes college,” each of their 40 classrooms has adopted a University. “Research shows

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lubbock, TX Permit No. 49

that the sooner you can plant this thought in their mind, the better chance of them going to college,” said Tim Crane ’82, Assistant Principal. The Pre-K teacher, Ms. Shelly Emery, has no connection to McMurry, but thought it would be a great school to promote. Thank you, Principal Crane, Ms. Emery, support teacher Patricia Soto and the Roosevelt Pre-K class!