SHSU Heritage - 2020 Summer

VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2020

The Magazine of Sam Houston State University

INSIDE

SHSU’s Women Trailblazers

A M essage from the P resident

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ver the past 10 years, I have been honored to serve as Sam Houston State University’s thirteenth president. As the first female president at SHSU, this was an exceptional opportunity. One made possible by the many women and allies who have fought for equality and social change throughout our nation’s history.

The impact of these efforts are reflected on our campus. As of the fall 2019, female students represented almost 63 percent of total enrollment and 64 percent of graduates. Since 2010, the number of female faculty have grown 46.5 percent to 331 compared to 373 male faculty.

This edition of Heritage focuses on the women who helped shape SHSU and those women, who in turn, have been shaped by their educational experience.

This issue coincides with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.

While the 19th Amendment was significant and cause for celebration, it was still a single landmark in an ongoing struggle. Women, of all colors and backgrounds, stood for their collective rights. Women, like …

Susan Brownell Anthony, a leader in the women’s suffrage movement. A champion of abolition, labor rights, and equal pay for equal work, she traveled across the country speaking and organizing women into a cohesive and coordinated movement that culminated in the National American Women’s Suffrage Association in 1888. She died 14 years before women won the right to vote.

Mary McCleod Bethune, a champion of racial and gender equality, participated in the suffrage movement and led voter registration drives after women gained the right to vote. It was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that many of the raced-based voting suppression policies were made unconstitutional. Bethune was an important Black educator, founding a college that set many of the educational standards for today’s Black colleges.

Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, a Native American and the first woman of color to earn a law degree from Washington College of Law. She resisted segregation attempts from some suffrage parade organizers and marched with other female attorneys.

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, a Chinese immigrant, who at age 16, helped lead a 1912 suffrage parade in New York on horseback, but was excluded from obtaining U.S. citizenship and the right to vote until 1943. After graduating from Barnard College, Lee was the first Chinese woman to receive a Ph.D. in economics at Columbia University.

As we have seen throughout history and personally witnessed in very recent times, social change can be unsettling and often chaotic. It evolves in fits and starts, yet connects us by sporadic breakthroughs that cumulatively propel us forward. As I end my tenure at Sam Houston State University, it is my most sincere hope this special university community, comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni, continues to work collectively to make this world a better place for all.

Dana G. Hoyt President, Sam Houston State University

CONTENTS

2 Women Who Shaped SHSU

Editor Emily Binetti ejs019@shsu.edu

Hoyt Kirkley Lawrence/Powell DeShazo Kerper Garrett Houstonian Founding Editors Kolkhorst

Writers Wes Hamilton jwh052@shsu.edu Hannah Haney hch008@shsu.edu Art Direction/Design Amy Bass-Wilson abw016@shsu.edu Photography Brian Blalock Image Research and Consulting Barbara Kievit-Mason SHSU Archives Vice President for University Advancement Frank R. Holmes holmes@shsu.edu Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kristina K. Ruiz kruiz@shsu.edu Associate Vice President for Development Thelma Mooney mooney@shsu.edu Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Charles Vienne alumni@shsu.edu Director of Marketing and Communications Stephanie Knific sjk025@shsu.edu The goal of Heritage is to keep you informed about Sam Houston State University.

Heritage is published three times a year by the Office of University Advancement for alumni, donors and friends of SHSU. Office of Communications at 936.294.4406, heritage@shsu.edu or visit shsu.edu/heritage

ON THE COVER VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2020

The Magazine of Sam Houston State University

INSIDE

SHSU’s Women Trailblazers

Cover: As our first female president, Dr. Dana Hoyt represents one of the many Bearkat women who are paving the way for others through their leadership and service.

12 Women Who Shaped Our World Hardwicke Maffett Gibson Colston Sowell Dawson Stephens Clavelle

20 Female Firsts 22 Notable SHSU Alumni 26 When The First Lady Paid a Visit 27 Female by the Numbers 29 Females of the Force 31 WeLEAD 32 Putting Education to Work 33 Class Notes/In Memoriam BOAR D OF R EGENTS THE TEX AS STATE UNIV ERSIT Y SYSTEM William F. Scott, Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . Nederland David Montagne, Vice Chairman . . . . . . . . Beaumont Charlie Amato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio Duke Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston Garry Crain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hills Dr. Veronica Muzquiz Edwards. . . . . . . . San Antonio

Dionicio (Don) Flores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . El Paso Nicki Harle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird Alan L. Tinsley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madisonville Amanda Lee, Student Regent. . . . . . . . . . . . Huntsville Brian McCall, Chancellor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin

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13th and first female president of Sam Houston State University, Dana Hoyt has led the university through 10 years of tremendous grow th, propelling the university to new heights . D ue in part to her str ategic leadership a nd fina nci a l ex pertise , SHSU m ade m ajor advances in academics, research, student success initiatives, campus expansion, and fundraising. Most notable of her many accomplishments was establishing the Texas State University System’s first osteopathic medical school. s the

Job W ell D one!

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Sam Houston State University

In February, Hoyt announced that the current academic year, which ends on August 31, will be her last. While Sam Houston State has taken enormous strides during her tenure, Hoyt hopes that when people reflect on her legacy at Sam Houston they know first and foremost that she cared deeply about the institution.

“I’ve been honored and blessed every day I have been at Sam Houston State,” she said. “We have, such dedicated faculty and staff, incredible students and amazing alumni.”

Little did Hoyt know when she joined the university in April 2009 as vice president of finance and operations, her background and experience would lead her to the position of president in little over a year later. A product of the Texas educational system, she grew up and attended schools in north Texas. She also attended Texas universities, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in businessaccounting and a Master of Business Administration at Texas Woman’s University and a doctorate in business at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Early on, Hoyt didn’t think she wanted to go to college. In high school, she wanted to be a horse trainer. She loved the animals and the training, but her parents were adamant that she obtain a college education. They told her, “You can do whatever you want, whatever you love to do, but you just have to get a college degree because in the long run, you never know where you are going to go in life.” She majored in accounting and found her calling.

A Certified Public Accountant since 1984, Hoyt began her career in private industry. In 1986 she joined academia at Texas Woman’s University as a lecturer in

“Dana has ov erseen a remark able decade of enrollment growth, campus improvements, and the launch of the System’s first medical school. She has been an outstanding ambassador for Sam Houston State University and a strong champion for her students.

Her service to the university will benefit students for generations to come.”

— Brian McCall

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Hoyt will leave the university in a big way. In the decade under her leadership, Sam Houston experienced incredible growth, expanded academic offerings and support, received notable recognitions too numerous to count, and partnered with communities and business in service to the citizens of Texas.

Enrollment increased 25% Graduation rates remain above the state average Added 20 undergraduate, 15 masters and 6 doctoral programs 29.7% increase in faculty headcount; tenure/tenure-track rose 16.2% Grant funding grew 119% $423.2 million in new construction $143.7 million in renovation, repair and infrastructure $23.7 million in property acquisitions A 253% increase in fundraising for a total of $126.2 million Alumni membership grew 102% and life memberships increased 145% University Recognition One of the Top Universities for Placing Graduates in Texas Workforce No. 1 Online College in Texas (Study.com) No. 1 Best Online Colleges in Texas (Online Colleges.com) No. 1 Safest Campus in Texas No. 2 in Texas Social Mobility Index No. 8 “Best Affordable Colleges in Texas for Bachelor’s Degrees (AffordableSchools.com) Top 10 Performing Institutions in U.S. for Latino Students Top 100 “Biggest Movers” in U.S. (Inside Higher Ed) GI Jobs “Military Friendly School”

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accounting and management information systems. She was promoted to assistant professor in 1989, and later received tenure as an associate professor of accounting and management information systems.

In 1996, Hoyt was named TWU’s special assistant to the vice president for finance and administration. She was promoted to associate vice president for finance and administration and university controller and was named vice president for academic and information services in 2000.

She left Texas Woman’s University to become vice president for finance and administration of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver (Colorado). After serving two years, she was named vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Colorado at Denver (and Health Sciences Center) where she oversaw a budget of more than $700 million with funded research of $300 million.

She returned to Texas as the vice president for business and finance at Southern Methodist University. After her service at SMU, she was selected as president of National University, the second largest not-for-profit university in California.

In 2009, she returned to her Texas roots to join Sam Houston State as vice president for finance and operations. Her responsibilities included the administration of many of the business functions of the university including the controller’s office, budget, auxiliary operations, procurement, property, public safety, parking, human resources, facilities management, construction and planning, information resources, and institutional research and assessment.

With enrollment steadily increasing by nearly 2.3 percent annually, capital improvements and campus expansions have also been at the forefront of Hoyt’s leadership. She has overseen numerous construction projects to bring the latest in technology and amenities to the university to facilitate learning including new residence halls—Lone Star Hall and Piney Woods Hall, Steele Golf Facility, Lowman Student Center expansion, parking garages, the Fred Pirkle Engineering Technology Center, Student Health and Counseling Center, Life Sciences Building, General’s Market, Old Main Market and the art complex for the College of Arts and Media.

Clearly, it has been a whirlwind of activity at Sam Houston State over the past

Sam Houston State University

decade, but she considers the creation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine her proudest accomplishment.

“It was a long, tough challenge, but it was the right thing to do, not only for SHSU, but for the region. For more than 140 years, SHSU has produced a workforce focused on service, and the COM is no different,” said Hoyt. “More than half of the COM’s inaugural class are from SHSU’s targeted region—rural and underserved counties. I never thought we would have that kind of success in our first year.”

Her energy is boundless and her support of students unwavering. A firstgeneration student herself, Hoyt’s passion for student success goes well-beyond the classroom. She is well-known for creating a student-centric culture on campus and engaging with students both personally and through social media at every opportunity.

As chancellor of Texas State University System, Brian McCall has had the privilege of appointing seven college and university presidents during his administration.

“Dr. Hoyt was the first of these, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision,” he said. “Dana has overseen a remarkable decade of enrollment growth, campus improvements, and the launch of the System’s first medical school. She has been an outstanding ambassador for Sam Houston State University and a strong champion for her students. Her service to the university will benefit students for generations to come.”

So, what does the future hold for Hoyt? Most importantly, she wants to spend time with family (she has five grandchildren) and friends.

“I’ve never really had the opportunity to take time off as the president’s job is really a 24/7 commitment,” she said.

She also plans to brush up on her Spanish and hopefully travel throughout the United States and abroad once it is safer after the pandemic. Could a return to higher education be on the horizon? She may look at returning to teach in the future to remain connected with the students, because, according to Hoyt, “that’s the fun part.”

Despite the weight of the responsibilities at the end of her tenure, it is only fitting that an academic year like no other was led by a president like no other.

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Led the effort to purchase the home and grounds of General Sam Houston for the university and state.

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B ertha K irkley

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housands of Texans, young and old, travel to Huntsville to learn more about Texas’ hero Sam Houston. Several buildings that Houston lived and worked in are preserved to this day at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Much of that history would not have been possible without the passion of Bertha Kirkley.

As a history professor at Sam Houston Normal Institute, Kirkley and her students initiated the effort to preserve the Houston homestead in 1905.

Many of Houston’s original properties were either close to ruin after years of neglect or had several “improvements” made over the years. The famous Woodland Home for example, was being used as a “boarding and valley house for girls” at the time.

Kirkley believed these buildings belonged to the people of Texas and it was SHNI’s duty to purchase, restore and display these historical properties for future generations. Her efforts rallied a community around this idea more than 100 years ago and her dedication to history and preserving General Sam Houston’s legacy through a public space still lives on through the current museum staff.

“Her sense of history and the significance to the university and the community was very much a model of what we do today,” said Mac Woodward, director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. “I don’t think we would have hundreds of thousands of people come to visit a site where Sam Houston’s home used to be if the building itself was not here. The contributions of Kirkley and her students were key. You are walking the grounds and experiencing what the Houston family experienced thanks to her conviction to keep history preserved for the public.”

Still standing today is a plaque on the museum grounds honoring Kirkley and her students’ efforts to save the homestead. It is located on the second floor of the Woodland home.

Sam Houston State University

A ugusta L awrence T

he death of the first president of Sam Houston Normal Institute, Henry Pritchett, struck the Huntsville community deeply in 1908. The university immediately began to seek ways to honor his legacy.

Augusta Lawrence, a geography teacher at SHNI, found a piece from a book titled ‘The Militant’ that she believed summed up Pritchett’s passion for helping others.

“The measure of a life is its service.”

In speaking about Pritchett after his passing, Lawrence explained why that phrase stood out to her in her reading.

“It seemed so natural the he should do the good thing, the kind thing, the helpful thing,” Lawrence said.

Her memorial to Pritchett was inscribed on a piece of stained glass in the Main Building in 1910. More than 110 years after the dedication of the window, the phrase Lawrence chose continues to play a key role in the life of Bearkats.

“I believe the motto has stuck for so long because she found a perfect fit for this university and its students,” said Mac Woodward, director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. “General Sam Houston was dedicated to service and built his life to serve others. I think he would be very proud that this university was established with such great leadership who took up that mantle and served this community and state.”

Coined the phrase ‘The measure of a Life is its Service’ in memory of SHSU President Henry Pritchett. The phrase remains the school motto to this day.

M arion R ather P owell M

arion Rather Powell was raised by a family with deep roots in Huntsville, Texas. The Powells were some of the earliest settlers in the area and she dedicated her life to suffrage and education for women of the region.

After graduating from the University of Texas in 1902, Powell returned to teach at Huntsville High School. In 1909 she joined the staff of Sam Houston Normal Institute and was commissioned a year later by President Harry Estill to compose the school song. The song debuted at the 1910 homecoming. That same year, the school’s marching band formed.

Although her teaching career came to an end in 1913, she remained active in the suffrage and education movement throughout her life. Powell served as chairwoman of the Walker County Women’s Suffrage Association and was involved in the League of Women Voters, the World War Food Conservation and Red Cross Committees.

She was also the first woman to serve as a member of the Huntsville High School board.

The Powells also donated many items to SHSU, including a beautiful stained glass window located in the Main Building that commemorated the school song.

Wrote SHSU’s official school song in 1910.

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Taught Chemistry at SHSU for more than 50 years.

Honored as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in 2007.

M ary L ynn D e S hazo

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Alcalde, 1958

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eginning in 1957, Mary Lynn DeShazo paved her way into a maledominated field of science and started a career of more than 50 years of teaching chemistry and advising and mentoring students at SHSU. In 1984, she became Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and in 1987, DeShazo was named Associate Dean.

DeShazo’s passion for science was apparent and went well beyond the classroom as she served with many organizations regionally and nationally, including the University Faculty Senate and the Texas Association of College Teachers. Some of her many honors include being named recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award in 2007, recipient of the SHSU Excellence in Service Award for 1994, and selected to represent SHSU at the National Recognition Program for Women at the University of Houston in 1985.

DeShazo not only helped sharpen students’ minds, but also shaped the future for Bearkats by leaving a lasting legacy through the establishment of the on-campus freshman honor society, Alpha Lamda Delta, for which she was a founding member.

“Dr. DeShazo contributed so much to the chapter at SHSU,” said Kalyn Cavazos, SHSU’s former Dean of Students’ program coordinator. “She donated money in efforts for chapter fundraising, items for specific events and her time, serving as a resource to the students as a faculty liaison and someone they could turn to if ever needed.”

In 2016, DeShazo was honored with the announcement of a scholarship in her name in recognition of her contributions to both the group and SHSU. This scholarship continues to give $1,000 a year to members of Alpha Lamda Delta.

DeShazo was honored as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in 2007 and continued to serve as a supporter of SHSU until her death in 2019.

Sam Houston State University

H azel M inerva B owman K erper

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azel B. Kerper was the first woman graduate of the University of Wyoming Law School and subsequently became a member of the Wyoming, California and Texas state Bars. She also received degrees from Stanford University Law School (J.D.) and Florida State (M.S.). Kerper joined SHSU in 1966 as a professor where she devoted her career to building a law program within the Institute of Contemporary Corrections and the Behavioral Sciences (known today as the College of Criminal Justice).

With a combined background in criminology and law, Kerper demonstrated great strength in research while teaching the legal aspects of law enforcement and corrections. She also contributed to the field of CJ and law literature with three successful academic books between ’72-’76. Kerper’s “Introduction to the Criminal Justice System,” became the first textbook in the discipline incorporating theory with emerging justice policy and administrative practice and sold more copies than any other publication by West Publishing.

“As you can imagine, I am thinking about and talking about my mother’s advocacy for criminal justice these days,” her daughter, Jill Mora, said. “Dr. Kerper served on a panel for criminal justice reform with Senator Barbara Jordan a few years before her death in 1975. If she were alive today, I’m sure we would be hearing her strong voice in our national debate about criminal justice.”

In 1978, three years after her passing, the university recognized her achievements when the new courtroom and judges’ chambers in the SHSU Beto Criminal Justice Center were officially named in her honor. To mark the occasion in a ceremony, George Killinger, the founding director of the institute, spoke fondly of Kerper and the key role she played in her vision of creating the spaces as teaching labs.

“This room and the judges’ chambers are a monument to her,” Killinger said.

“While she was a great teacher, a great researcher, a great author and a great friend to us all—her greatest love was her field of study—the law—which she so vigorously fought for and so brilliantly added to the curriculum of the Institute and which will now be preserved, promoted and perpetuated in this great Teaching Court Room by the faculty and students who will follow and who will attempt to live up to the standards set by our great lady—Dr. Hazel Bowman Kerper.”

Established first law curriculum within SHSU Criminal Justice studies.

Dev eloped a CJ courtroom learning lab later named in her honor.

Hazel Bowman Kerper judges’ chambers in the SHSU Beto Criminal Justice Center.

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Philanthropist and lifelong supporter of SHSU College of Education.

Founded Garrett Electronics, Inc., a metal detection empire recognized globally.

E leanor G arrett (1954, 1955)

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ith parents who were both teachers, Eleanor Garrett grew up with the expectation that she would carry on the family tradition. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Education degree at what was then Sam Houston State Teachers College.

She served as a visiting teacher in Trinity County and taught at schools in Nederland, Vidor, Port Neches and Garland before she and her husband Charles, an engineering graduate of Lamar University, decided to start up the Garrett Metal Detector Company in 1964. After 15 successful years, they expanded into the security industry.

Garrett has played a key role in the development and success of the company.

Today, their family-owned business is one of the world’s largest producers of hobby, security and countermine detectors. Garrett security products are used to protect patrons at airports, schools, government buildings, sporting events, hospitals, national landmarks and corporations. The company has even furnished security equipment for the Olympic games for over 25 years.

While her career has led her far beyond her early years as an educator, Garrett’s teaching roots inspired a generous gift to her alma mater. SHSU’s Teacher Education Center is named in honor of her and her husband, in recognition of her lifelong support of elementary, secondary and higher education. Their gift funded two areas within the College of Education—the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Endowed Chair for Special Education and the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Graduate Fellowships in Special Education.

Her generosity has also resulted in several endowments directly providing support to SHSU students. The Lynn Ray Smith Memorial History Endowed Scholarship was created in memory of her brother and the Mervin Smith Memorial Education Scholarship Endowment in memory of her father.

Garrett is a leader in many organizations, serving in local and state offices for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of American Colonists. She is a national officer of the Magna Charta Dames and Barons and a member of the Mannakin Huguenot Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, United States Daughters of 1812 and the Manx Society. She has been an Eastern Star member for over 60 years.

Her dedication to civic engagement earned her state recognition when she was commissioned a “Yellow Rose of Texas” by Gov. Rick Perry, an award given to honor Texas women for outstanding volunteer and community service.

1954

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Sam Houston State University

S tate R ep. L ois K olkhorst

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round 2007 when rumblings in the state legislature suggested that Sam Houston State University could potentially be renamed—Bearkats did not take it lightly. The topic became an emotional issue for many students and alumni, who rallied with letters, legislator contacts and opinion editorials sent to state newspapers.

“It is dishonorable to Sam Houston. I think he would turn over in his grave if he found that this was going on,” said John McManners, the university’s alumni association president at that time.

Fortunately, the university had a friend in the legislature. A bill that would preserve the name of Sam Houston State University was made possible thanks to the work of State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham.

Kolkhorst co-authored House Bill 1418, which passed in the Texas House without objection in 2007, was signed by Governor Rick Perry and prevented the Texas State University System’s board of regents from ever changing SHSU’s name.

She said it was community support that drove her to get the bill through the House.

“I was honored and surprised by the number of letters, phone calls and e-mails from people all across the nation who were either graduates of the university or admirers of the man and his achievements,” Kolkhorst said.

M aking HER S tory SHSU’s student newspaper, the Houstonian, has a rich history dating back to 1913. More than 1,000 students have passed through the newsroom since then including the first seven Houstonian editors who happen to all be women. Considering the era and the field (still dominated by men), it was likely surprising to find many females in the role. Today, while women outnumber men in journalism programs and in colleges, they represent just 41.8 percent of newsroom employees, according to the 2019 diversity survey by the American Society of News Editors.★

Co-authored a House Bill preventing Changing SHSU’s name.

The Houstonian’s female leaders: Hallie Harris, 1913 Margaret Eastham, 1914 Ethel Eddins, 1915 Sallie Mallory, 1916 Claire Ashford, 1917 May Perry, 1918 Minerva Vickers, 1920

Hallie Harris, Margaret Eastham

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Accomplished suffragette, educator, author and advocate.

President of the American General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Wrote and published what was considered to be the standard textbook for teaching Texas history.

Courtesy of The General Federation of Woman’s Clubs.

A nna H ardwicke P enn ybacker (1880)

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nna Hardwicke Pennybacker attended Sam Houston Normal Institute and graduated in 1880 as part of its first class. She later gifted $5,000 to Sam Houston State Teachers College to establish a scholarship “for the cultivation in the student body of a love for the true and beautiful in life.”

Pennybacker did live a true and beautiful life. Following her time at SHNI, she continued her education in Europe, and taught grammar and high school for 14 years. In 1884, she married her SHNI classmate, Percy V. Pennybacker (who died in 1899); they had three children. In 1888, she wrote and published “A New History of Texas”. This textbook, known as “the Pennybacker text” was the standard for teaching Texas history for the next 40 years.

She began a career in advocacy when she founded one of the first Texas women’s clubs, the Tyler Woman’s Club in 1894. From 1901 to 1903 she led the Texas Federation of Women. She also held many positions with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, serving two terms as president, from 1911-1912 and 1912-1916.

Under her administration, she was also responsible for the creation of many libraries in Texas, and the formation of travelling libraries and art collections which she funded.

From 1919 to 1920, Pennybacker worked as an associate member of the Democratic National Committee where she began a close and influential relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Their fourteen-year friendship was based on mutual interests in the advancement of women, world peace and the Democratic party.

She had such a prolific and diverse record of contributions, from Food Administration of Texas in World War I to acting as a special correspondent to the League of Nations (1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, and 1931). She was a frequent lecturer around the country and became the first woman in history to give the commencement address to the city of Houston’s combined high schools.

Until her death in 1938, Pennybacker actively worked for the causes that she felt passionate about.

Anna Hardwicke Pennybacker was active throughout her entire life working with women’s clubs and lobbying for equal rights for women. She was also active in other Progressive Era causes and was a strong supporter of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Image courtesy of Sam Houston State University Archives.

SHSU collection

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Sam Houston State University

M innie L ee M affet t (1902)

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s one of our nation’s early female doctors, Minnie Lee Maffett helped pave the way for women in medicine. Following her degree from Sam Houston Normal Institute, she served as principal at the State Orphan Home High School in Corsicana before graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1914 as a physician and surgeon.

After an internship at the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, she returned to Texas in 1915 and established a practice as an abdominal surgeon in Dallas. She opened the health center at Southern Methodist University in 1915 and oversaw its growth to recognition by the American Medical Association.

Maffett served as the first president of the Texas Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and later (’39–’44) became president of the national affiliate. She is known for leading the fight against state and federal laws that would have barred married women from the workforce and persuaded the US War Department to offer military commissions to female doctors serving in World War II. At that time, she also served on the National Civilian Advisory Committee to the War Department, chairing the subcommittee that studied health and recreation in the Women’s Army Corps. By 1951, she was appointed to a panel by the State Department to study women’s clubs in West Germany. She served as an advisor for health workshops for the Pan Pacific and Southeast Asian Women’s Association in Japan and for the International Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs in South Africa.

However, her primary international interest was China where she was a member of the Chinese Relief Region and board of directors of the American Bureau for Medical Aid to China. Maffett rallied the National Federation to raise the money to build a training school and residence in Taiwan for Chinese nurses. The school would later become dedicated in her name.

Through her work in the federation, a fellowship named for Maffett was established in the 1950s to award grants to women for studies in medical science.

Started Southern Methodist University health center.

Fought for women’s rights in the workforce.

Dr. Minnie L. Maffett of Dallas, honorary and past national president of National Federation of Business and Professional Women, at Fort Worth’s Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stockshow, 02/05/1951 Photo courtesy Fort Worth Star Telgram Collection

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One of Texas’ leading women writers Dallas Theatre Center

Jewel Henson Gibson (1932, 1950)

SHSU Archives

N (1946) Courtesy of Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. Retrieved from https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery-beta/img/20062383

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estled in the Piney Woods of Sam Houston State Teachers College while working on her degree, Jewel Gibson’s first novel was underway. With two sons in the military during World War II, she turned to writing as a way to ease her anxiety. After 15 years of work, the book, published by Random House as “Joshua Beene and God,” provided a comic portrayal of religious and political struggle in a small East Texas town.

Praised as outstanding satire by critics and declared wicked by more than one Texas community, readers in later years, however, found the book visionary. Gibson became well-known for her remarkable ability to capture the colorful sights, sounds and language of East Texas life. A critic once observed that “Jewel Gibson is a writer with two tongues, one for each cheek.”

Her popular first novel would later be adapted into a play and staged at the Dallas Theater Center and Houston’s Alley Theatre. Gibson even took to the Alley’s stage to play one of the roles.

In 1950, Gibson’s second published novel “Black Gold,” drew on her husband’s professional background in oilfield drilling to construct a story set in an early twentieth century East Texas boomtown. Her play, “Creep Past the Mountain Lion,” dealt with racial issues in East Texas, and was also presented at the Dallas Theater Center in 1966.

While writing for the Houston Chronicle, she taught at the University of Houston (’50-’55) and at SHSU (’60-’70). After retiring from teaching, she moved to Corsicana, where she worked as a feature writer for the Corsicana Daily Sun and remained active writing hundreds of profile and feature stories well into her eighties.

In 1989, the city held a Jewel Gibson Literary Festival in her memory where short scenes from her many works were staged.

Sam Houston State University

Ester Neveille Higgs Colson (1932)

First woman elected to both houses of the Texas Legislature.

Helped create the Texas farmto-market roads system.

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s Neveille Colson completed her teaching certification in 1932, her husband, Nall, was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In Austin, Neveille served as her husband’s secretary and also worked for the secretary of state’s office and the Internal Revenue Service. Nall’s legislative career ended in 1937, and the couple subsequently divorced.

The next year, Colson ran successfully for the House district her former husband had served. In the House of Representatives, Colson promoted legislation to improve juvenile corrections, education and public roads. In 1946, she became the first woman to author a constitutional amendment approved by Texas citizens. The measure ensured that taxes collected from road users were dedicated specifically to road construction. Her reelection in 1946 made her the longest-serving female legislator in Texas history.

In 1948, she was elected to represent Senate District 5 in East Central Texas.

During her 18 years in the Senate, from the 51st through the 59th Legislatures, she was the state’s only female senator and continued her efforts in support of public roads and schools. The Colson-Briscoe Act, co-written by her, allocated funding for a statewide system of farm-to-market roads. With additional federal money, the funding enabled the Texas Highway Department to nearly double the number of paved rural roads in the state. Colson also helped pass the Gilmer-Aiken Laws that consolidated school districts, provided state equalization funding, raised teacher salaries and based state funding on student attendance.

Senator Colson served on more than two dozen Senate committees and the Legislative Budget Board. She chaired six committees and served as vice-chair of the Senate Committees on finance, agricultural affairs and nominations, among others. In 1954, the state’s longest girder bridge, near Washington-on-the-Brazos, was named the Neveille H. Colson Bridge in her honor.

After leaving the legislature, Colson was briefly curator of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum in Huntsville before retiring in 1977.

Courtesy of The State Preservation Board, Austin, Texas.

The Houston Post, 1956

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A key figure in teaching and improving skills for students with disabilities.

Instrumental in acquiring grants and funds for research, with emphasis on the blind.

Virginia Murr ay S owell (1951)

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irginia Murray Sowell made a huge impact on education for students with disabilities across Texas and her journey began with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Sam Houston State University in 1951.

Sowell’s career circled around serving the lone star state and began in education in the San Antonio Independent School District, where she created a new program for the visually impaired in 1955.

She attended summer school at the University of Minnesota and San Francisco State University to pursue studies in visual impairment and orientation and mobility, and after earning her Ph.D. in special education at the University of Texas, she accepted a position at Texas Tech University.

Sowell spent the remainder of her career, from 1976 to retirement, at Texas Tech.

There she served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, while continuing to push for better ways to educate children with special needs. Through her efforts, the university established a program to prepare teachers of special needs students.

The Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Visual Impairment was created in January 1998 as a way to continue her work. To this day, the center continues to promote quality research addressing the academic and social needs of school-age students with sensory disabilities and provides public service to assist local, national and international constituencies.

“The success of our program is attributed in large measure to the innovative thinking, unyielding persistence, and futuristic vision of Dr. Virginia Sowell,” said Texas Tech officials in a statement upon the center opening.

A two-term President of the Board of Governors of the Texas School for the Blind, Sowell secured major funding for research, with a specific focus on helping the blind. Governor Ann Richards recognized Sowell’s efforts as well and appointed her to the Governor’s Continuing Committee for Special Education.

1951 Houstonian

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Served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives.

G lenda Dawson (1963)

Public school teacher for 34 years, Pearland ISD high school named in her honor.

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lenda Dawson earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University in 1963. Following a career that lasted 34 years as a public school teacher, Dawson continued her lifelong passion of helping to raise the standard of Texas education when she was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2002.

During her time in office Dawson was a member of the Public Education, Public Health, Higher Education and House Administration Committees and named “Outstanding Freshman Education Legislator” by the 78th Legislature.

Dawson is also known for her role in streamlining life-saving organ donations as the driving force behind the badges of honor now found on Texas driver licenses marking a voluntary organ donor. The Bearkat alumna helped to establish the DEAR Program, which created a statewide organ donation registry and organ donation education programs.

A kidney transplant recipient herself, Dawson was a passionate advocate for donation. To this day, the statewide donor registry is formally known as “The Glenda Dawson Donate Life Texas Registry.”

Following the passing of Dawson’s legislation in 2005, Texans were able to record legal consent for organ, eye and tissue donation after death. Thanks to cooperation from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles this could conveniently be completed by citizens when applying for or renewing a driver license, ID or vehicle registration.

In 2017 the organization marked its 10 millionth registration, making it the fastest growing donor registry in the country.

In 2006, Dawson died at the age of 65 while in her fourth year representing the 29th District. In a released statement, Texas Governor Rick Perry recognized her impressive career serving the public.

“I am saddened to hear of Glenda’s passing. Her entire professional career was dedicated to public service, whether as a teacher, community organizer or state representative,” Perry said.

Dawson’s legacy also lives on in Pearland. In 2007, Pearland ISD broke ground on a new high school. The Glenda Dawson High School Eagles are now celebrating their tenth graduating class.

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The first woman and person of color to hold the position of communications director and senior advisor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Photo by Hector Emanuel for The New York Times

A shley E tienne (2000)

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creative, strategic, and bold thinker, and self-proclaimed “rebel with too many causes,” alumna Ashley Etienne is blazing a trail for women in government.

Etienne set the foundation for her future during her time at Sam Houston State University where she studied political science. Here, she was given the opportunity to advance her natural leadership abilities and develop her passion for service.

This earned her the respect of the Bearkat community and she was consistently recognized for her efforts and activism. While in school, she received the Sammy Award for outstanding sophomore leader and the McDermett Memorial Award for outstanding female senior. She also was the vice president for the Kappa Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Since graduating in 2000, Etienne has gone on to earn her master’s at Johns Hopkins University, serve as a trusted advisor to former President Barack Obama, consulted Fortune 500 executives, and launched national campaigns that leveraged top entertainers, professional athletes and civil rights icons.

Today, Etienne is the communications director and senior advisor to House Leader Nancy Pelosi and the first woman and person of color to hold the position.

She works as Pelosi’s primary spokesperson and runs Cabinet press operations.

Etienne previously served as Pelosi’s deputy communications director from 2012-14 and returned to work under her after serving in the Obama White House as special assistant to the President, cabinet communications director and communications director from 2014-2017. She also served as communications director for House Democrats on the oversight and government reform committee, led by ranking member Elijah Cummings from 2011-2013.

Etienne has been profiled by all the major national and political newspapers, including the New York Times Magazine. She was named to Politico Playbook New Guard Power list, Essence Magazine’s 29 Powerful Black Women Running Obama’s White House, and Marie Claire’s New Guard List as “Obama’s bad-news fixer.”

WORTH ® Newsletter, February 19, 2020

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S alli C l avelle (2015, 2016)

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At 26 years old, is the NFL’s only female, full-time scout.

alli Clavelle was instilled with a passion for football at a young age. Now, she is changing the game on her own turf.

Clavelle’s career took off at Sam Houston State University as she was working towards her bachelor’s and master’s in kinesiology and playing basketball.

During this time, she was recognized as a campus leader, was nominated to serve on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and interacted daily with faculty that supported her career trajectory.

One person of note was Willie Fritz, the SHSU head football coach while Clavelle was an undergrad. Years later, when Fritz was hired as the head football coach at Tulane University in Clavelle’s hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, she reached out to him for an internship opportunity to complete her master’s program.

He agreed, but only if she took the internship without compensation, and it paid off. After two months, she was promoted to the director of on-campus recruiting at Tulane and excelled in that role as well.

This role would ultimately serve as a prerequisite to her current position as a Pro Personnel Analyst with the San Farnciso 49ers, which she was promoted to in 2019, making her the only female to hold a full-time scouting position in the NFL. Each day, Clavelle and the rest of the pro scouts are all tasked with watching film, writing reports, updating injuries, tagging free agents, and alerting trades. However, in addition to her normal duties, she has the added responsibility of being the face of the franchise for women who are aspiring to join the NFL ranks. So when the 49ers made playoffs and advanced to Super Bowl LIV during her first season, Clavelle made headlines overnight.

Through it all, Clavelle has remained humble. She relies on her mental toughness and high football IQ to make it through the long hours and demanding days. A successful first season solidified her reputation as a trailblazer. By refusing to give up and by fighting for a seat at the table, Clavelle continues to prove that women belong in the sports industry.

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E. Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone ask friends to send petitions for women’s suffrage.

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WOMEN’S RIGHTS TIMELINE

1865

1866

Women march in suffragette parade, Washington, DC.

1913

Petition for Universal Suffrage.

1919

Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed and sent to the states for ratification.

1919

H.J. Res. 1, Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the right of suffrage to women.

F emale F irsts: A Timeline Over our 140-year legacy, there have been a number of female-centric milestones.

Featured below are notable accomplishments by women who were the first to discover, first to achieve, and the first to break down barriers at Sam Houston State University.

1879 —Emma Moore Barrett: the first student to enroll at the Sam Houston Weatherall

Normal Institute.

Barrett is known for her work with deaf and blind students and taught at the Blind Institute in Austin.

1972—Bettye Weatherall: the first African-American female faculty member at

SHSU. Weatherall was hired beginning in the fall semester of 1972 and devoted 26 years at SHSU as an associate professor, program coordinator, acting chair, and finally in the fall of 1989, professor of home economics and chair of the consumer services, fashion, and design.

Guerrant

Lindsey

1976—Audrey Guerrant: the first woman to be named an SHSU distinguished

alumni.

Guerrant, one of Huntsville’s best loved and most respected businesswomen, managed to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in 1940 and complete her Master of Education degree while devoting countless hours to community services of every description. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor that SHSU can bestow upon its alumni. It recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary personal and professional achievements and who have made significant contributions to Sam Houston State or to society, thus reflecting honor and distinction on the university.

1977—Karen Lindsey: the first female commissioned through the SHSU ROTC

program.

Lindsey received a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education, Teacher Education.

During her service, she was a Counterguerrilla and earned her Parachutist Badge, SCBC, SCAC, and Electronic Warfare. She was on the All-Army basketball team.

After her military service, she has been in pharmaceutical sales and currently resides in Terry, MS. Lopez

1980—Annabel Lopez: the first African American Homecoming Queen at SHSU. As a Radio, Television and Film Broadcasting major she worked on CATV-7 news as a reporter, producer and director. She was also president of Alpha Epsilon Rho and active in Delta Sigma Theta.

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Sam Houston State University H.J. Res.75, Proposing an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution (It failed, as did the next 1,100 attempts).

1920

1919

Tennessee’s ratification of the 19th Amendment clinches passage.

1932

Frances Perkins becomes the first female cabinet member, appointed Secretary of Labor by FDR.

1933

Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas becomes the first woman elected to the U.S Senate.

1963

TITLE IX signed.

1972

1981

The Equal Pay Sandra Day O’Connor Act passed becomes the first woman to

by Congress. serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

2001—Laura Thresher Johnston: At 85, she became the oldest graduate in the

school’s history.

Johnson, always interested in learning a new language, decided to pursue a degree in Spanish at SHSU in 1990. Over the course of 12 years, she was not only a student, but an advisor and mother figure to many.

2002—Genevieve Brown: the school’s first female academic dean when she took

Johnston

over the College of Education and Applied Science.

Brown joined SHSU as a professor in 1984 and became dean of the College of Education in 2002. Throughout her career, she was the recipient of numerous awards and served on several local, state and national boards, organizations and committees. Brown retired in 2012 after 48 years in education, with 28 of those years at Sam Houston State.

2010—Dana Gibson Hoyt: the university’s 13th and first female president.

Hoyt assumed the presidency of Sam Houston State University on September 1, 2010, after serving as the university’s vice president for finance and operations since April 2009. Under Hoyt’s leadership, the university made major advances in new construction, endowments and spearheaded the Texas State University System’s first osteopathic medical school.

Brown

2017—Lindsay Glicksberg: the first in the nation to graduate with a PhD in

forensic science.

Glicksberg received her inaugural doctoral degree during the Dec. 2017 commencement ceremony. While at SHSU, she was recognized as an Emerging Forensic Scientist by the Forensic Science Foundation for her research. She now serves as Toxicologist at Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Glicksberg

2018—Jill Sharp Vaughan: the first woman named to the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame.

Upon receiving her Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, Vaughan began her banking career in 1983. She currently serves as Executive Vice President and Southwest Regional Credit Executive for Zions Bancorporation. The Texas Bankers Hall of Fame was established to recognize outstanding bankers for their contribution to their communities, the banking industry, and the State of Texas.★

Vaughan

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Notable Women from SHSU As indicated from those featured in this issue, we have a long and proud history of women who have created a great name for themselves and a great name for Sam Houston State.

Here are even more notable female Bearkats.

Mary Emma Chambers, courtesy of UTSA Special Collections

Jan Adams (1975), in 1993, was appointed commanding officer of Naval Station Pascagoula, becoming the Navy’s youngest female ever to command a naval station and the only in the U.S. Navy in command of an operational naval station. Her military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two awards of the Navy Meritorious Service Medal, three awards of the Navy Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Ribbon and the Sharpshooter Pistol Qualification.

Mary Emma Chambers (1890), along with her husband, Caleb, served as missionary-teachers among the Alabama-Coushatta Indians from 1899 until their retirement in 1936. The work of the husband-wife team went far beyond the usual responsibilities of a pastor or teacher. They worked with government and socialwelfare groups in improving conditions on the reservation. During their tenure, a new school and a hospital were built, and federal and state funds were appropriated to purchase more land.

Katie Rose Clarke

Katie Rose Clarke (2005), currently holds the record for the longest-running actress to play the role of Glinda in “Wicked” on Broadway. She has also appeared in “Miss Saigon,” “The Light in the Piazza” and “Allegiance.” Her TV work includes roles on “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Relevant,” “The Good Wife” and “Submissions Only.”

Melinda L. Estes, MD (1974), has served as president and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System (based in Kansas City) since 2011. Estes previously served as president and CEO of Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont.

Before that, chief medical officer and CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida. Prior to her administrative leadership roles, she was as a practicing neurologist and neuropathologist. Modern Healthcare recognized Estes as one of its 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders.

Melinda L. Estes

Carolyn Faulk

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Carolyn Faulk (1970), was recognized in ’08 and ’10 when Forbes Magazine called her one of the strongest businesswomen in Houston. In ’95, Ernst & Young named her “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Faulk is the founder/owner of Houston-based A&C Plastics, one of the largest single plastics distributor in the U.S., with annual sales exceeding $21 million. She was named one of the Houston Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business.” During the COVID health crisis, Faulk and her company were featured in the media for their tremendous work in quickly creating and providing protective gear to a variety of industries.

Sam Houston State University

LaTonya Goffney (1999, 2003, 2011), serves as superintendent of Aldine ISD, dedicating herself to more than 67,000 students and more than 9,000 employees of the district. She was named “Superintendent of the Year” by the Texas Association of School Boards. She was also selected as the Texas nominee for the “National Superintendent of the Year” award. Under her leadership, in 2020, Aldine ISD made the College Board’s AP® Honor Roll for the first time. In 2019, she was named a SHSU Distinguished Alumni.

Mia Gradney (1998), is a KHOU 11 evening news anchor in Houston. She started her television career as a writer and production assistant for abc13 KTRK in 1998.

In 2012, she joined KHOU. For over two decades, the Emmy award-winning journalist/producer has covered major events including: Tropical Storm Allison, Andrea Yates, Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil Spill, Tax Day Floods, Josue Flores murder investigation, the Santa Fe school shooting, ITC chemical plant explosion and Hurricane Harvey. Viewers across America watched Gradney when was chosen to guest anchor nationally for CBS Weekend News on Easter weekend, 2020.

Mary Kate Hunter (1887), served as a delegate to the first annual meeting of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1898 and organized a local chapter of the Women’s National Foundation in 1921 for the preservation and study of local history. She also founded and led the Fort Houston Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. A supporter of voting rights for women, Hunter organized and was the first President of the Palestine, TX Equal Suffrage Association, and held statewide office in the Texas Equal Suffrage Association in 1915-16. In addition to her civic duties, she also was a published poet, editor of a local society journal, and board member of the Texas State Library.

LaTonya Goffney

Mia Gradney

Lynne Liberato (1974), served as director and chairwoman of the State Bar of Texas and was the first woman president of the Houston Bar Association (’93-’94). She has argued before the United States Supreme Court and lobbied Congress. In 2017, she represented the NFL during the Houston Super Bowl. In 2019, Liberato was named a commissioner on the Texas Legislature’s Judicial Selection Commission.

In addition to her legal work, she was chair of the United Way Hurricane Harvey Recovery Taskforce.

Mary Kate Hunter

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Charlie Mary Noble (1887), dedicated 46 years to teaching high school mathematics before building a reputation for her work in astronomy education.

During WWII, Noble taught a celestial navigation class for U.S. Navy officer trainees. In 1947, she began teaching an astronomy course at Texas Christian University and organized a Junior Astronomy Club at the Fort Worth Children’s Museum. In 1954, she received the Altrusa Civic Award as the “First Lady of Fort Worth” for stimulating interest of astronomy in young people. She also became the first woman to receive the Astronomical League’s annual award for her advancement of astronomical knowledge. In 1955, the museum’s planetarium was dedicated to her.

Dedication of Charlie M. Noble Planetarium, Fort Worth Children’s Museum; Charlie M. Noble explains projector to J. Lee Johnson Jr., museum president, and Mrs. Edwin T. Phillips, president of Fort Worth Junior League, 12/19/1949. (1949). Courtesy of Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. Retrieved from https://library.uta.edu/ digitalgallery-beta/img/10010485

Mary Francis Park (1944, BA, MS), After earning two degrees from SHSU and a Doctor of Education from the University of Houston, Mary Parks returned to her hometown; dedicating 25 years as a SHSU professor of Education and a lifelong commitment to her community. While at Sam Houston, Park was the first woman to serve as chairperson of a university athletic conference when she headed the Lone Star Conference. Her commitment to service earned her numerous acclaims. In 1982, she was named “Mother of the Year” for the state of Texas. The Huntsville Chamber of Commerce honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Community Builder Award in recognition of distinguished service and personal contributions. Upon retirement, she received the prestigious Minnie Stevens Piper Teaching Award, which she used to establish a youth scholarship endowment at SHSU and the Mance Park Athletic Scholarship at Huntsville High School.

Trisha Pollard (1974), was appointed to the Texas State University System in 2007, serving six years. Gov. Rick Perry appointed her to a three-year term as a public member of the Texas One-Call Board in 2003. She also served as a director of the SHSU Alumni Association, as foreman of the Harris County Grand Jury for three terms and as chairman, Building and Standards Commission, for the City of Bellaire. Pollard’s professional career also includes almost 30 years in the oil and gas industry during which she served a term as the chair of the Houston Bar Association Oil and Gas Section.

Marilyn McAdams Silbey served as the President of the Texas State Historiacl Association from 1981 to 1982. Courtesy of tshaonline.org

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Marilyn McAdams Sibley (1942), served as president of the Texas State Historical Association and authored articles in the Journal of Southern History and Southwestern Historical Quarterly. She authored eight books including “Travelers In Texas” (1967) and “Lone Stars and State Gazettes” (1983). Sibley received the Summerfield G. Roberts Award from the Sons of the Republic of Texas for the best book about Texas and the Piper Award for excellence in teaching.

Sam Houston State University

Lala Fay Watts (1899), was an American suffragette, temperance advocate, and labor activist. Watts was well known for leading multiple organized reform efforts in Texas. In 1918, she was named the state’s first child welfare inspector and first chief of the women’s division in the Texas Department of Labor. To investigate conditions of factory workers, Watts secured a job sewing overalls, joined the garment workers union and worked in the factory until her boss discovered she was an activist and fired her. Watts reported her findings back to the Texas Legislature and recommended a series of reforms for working women and children. Her work led to the passage of 22 laws and amendments.

Mattie Lloyd Irvin Wooten (1914), is known as an early scholar of Texas women culture. In 1929, her thesis “The Roles of Pioneer Women in the Texas Frontier Community” was one of the first sociological studies of women on the Texas frontier. Her research explored the effects of frontier life on their roles in such realms as family, religion, education, business, and writing. She served as an instructor in sociology at Texas State College for Women (now Texas Woman’s University). She remained at the institution for 24 years, serving as associate professor, professor, director of the sociology department, dean of women, and dean of students.

Mattie Lloyd Irvin Wooten

Adina Emilia De Zavala (1881), was a prolific writer of Texas history and a preservationist. When she came to San Antonio in 1887, she formed the “De Zavala Daughters” organization dedicated to preserving Texas history. In 1893, the organization became a chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. De Zavala became known as the “savior of the Alamo” when she was propelled into the national spotlight by preventing part of the Alamo from being razed in the “Second Battle of the Alamo” during a lock-in protest. She was also instrumental in the conservancy of the Spanish Governor’s Palace, one of San Antonio’s earliest city preservation projects.★

Adina Emilia De Zavala earned a degree in education from the Sam Houston Normal Institute in Huntsville and in 1884 began teaching school. She is one of first Tejanas to earn a degree from a Texas college. Courtesy of The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Archives and the University of the Incarnate Word.

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Anna Pennybacker (left) with Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Harry Estill during a visit to Sam Houston State University in 1937. Image courtesy of Sam Houston State University Archives.

K.K. Black and Captain Van B. Houston of CCC Company 1823 and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt on the front porch of Sam McKinney’s Huntsville home March 7, 1937. During her visit, Roosevelt toured the CCC camp of Company 889 in New Waverly, the Sam Houston Memorial and its newly opened museum, and delivered an address to a crowd of 2,000 people packed into the Sam Houston State Teachers College g ymnasium. Image: courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

When The First L ady Paid a Visit

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efore a crowd of 2000 thrilled and awed spectators, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Lady of the Land, spoke Sunday afternoon at the gym of Sam Houston State Teachers College.” So began the lead article that appeared in the Huntsville Item the day after the notable visit of Eleanor Roosevelt on March 10, 1937. The occasion was a first for any traditional normal school, and one that lifted the mood of the staff and student body as well as many depressionweary townspeople. Roosevelt made the trip from Baton Rouge to the Bayou City on the Union Pacific, where Charles O. Stewart of Sam Houston State Teacher’s College met her. After breakfast at the Rice Hotel, the first lady and her personal secretary climbed into the English professor’s car and made the trip to Huntsville behind a police escort.

From when she arrived in the morning, until she delivered her speech on “The problems of youth” shortly after three in the afternoon, Roosevelt’s schedule was packed. She took a tour of the local civilian Conservation Corps camp, where she marveled at the towering pines, and then visited the Sam Houston Museum that left her even more impressed.

On her way to the gym, where the audience had already assembled, Roosevelt, stopped at the Estill Library to greet the Pennybacker Girls, the Home Economics Club named after her dear friend, Anna Pennybacker. When the first lady at last entered the gym, the crowd leaped to its feet and gave her a long, tumultuous applause. Speaking of the New Deal programs as mere stopgaps for the larger problems of finding permanent measures to ensure the futures of youths, “her marvelous voice and her thrilling words enthralled every hearer.”

For the first lady of our nation, it had been a quite typical day, yet for the people of Huntsville and the staff and students a top College Hill, the visit would be a special event long remembered and often recalled.★ Edited from “Sam Houston State University: An Intuitional Memory” (2004) Ty Cashion.

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F emale by the Numbers Sam Houston Normal Institute Inaugural (1879) Class Enrollment 60

50

40

30

20

According to a 2019 report by Pew Research, women, ages 25 and older, account for more than half of the college-educated workforce (50.2 percent) — an 11 percent increase since 2000.

The 1981-82 academic school year was the first time that women received more bachelor’s degrees than men. Since 2000, the college enrollment rate for female students has outnumbered males.

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Enrollment Today at SHSU 15,000

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9,000

6,000

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2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

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The pandemic’s dramatic impact on our world underscores the need for more healthcare professionals. Women account for three-quarters of fulltime, year-round healthcare workers today according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Need is expected to continue, as many healthcare occupations are projected to grow even faster than average.

2020-21 Enrollment for College of Osteopathic Medicine 37

38

51%

49%

2019-20 Enrollment for College of He a lth Sciences 2,381

716

23.12% 76.88%

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Meet the First-Responder Alumnae Serving SHSU Policing has historically been a male-dominated field, but not anymore. We see women earning their place in leadership and our alumnae are among them. Here are the stories of three alumnae who choose to serve the SHSU community as they influence the next generation of females to join them in the ranks of law enforcement and first-responding.

Meet Patrol Sergeant Candice Sherbenou Sherbenou earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2009 and master’s degree in Criminal Justice Leadership Management in 2015. Before joining the University Police Department, Sergeant Sherbenou worked at the Walker County Sheriff ’s Department Jail Division for eight years. She worked in various roles throughout that time, from commissary officer, where she ran the store for the inmates, to promotion to Sergeant and shift supervisor. Sherbenou celebrates 15 years with UPD this year.

What is one of your favorite parts about your job?

My absolute favorite part of my career is the people that I meet along the way. I think working at SHSU gives me that opportunity to have the biggest impact on people. Most of the students that I encounter are typically between the ages of 18-24, the age group that is out on their own, maybe for the first time, and trying to navigate the kind of person they want to be.

What advice and encouragement would you give to our female students considering a career in law enforcement?

Do it! Law enforcement needs good women. Women add a perspective sometimes that men can’t.

Meet Detective Chanda Brown Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2007 through the Bowers Honor Program (before it was called the Honors College). She began working for University Police Department as a student assistant in 2005 during her second semester of college and became a certified officer in 2007. She’s worked at UPD for 13 years as an officer and 15 years altogether.

What is one of your favorite parts about your job?

Every day is different, and as police officers, we are problem solvers. We are challenged to find solutions to issues we do not witness. I may respond to the same type of call, like a theft report, but the details and the people are always different. As a detective, I have to take information, at times very little, and try to determine what if anything can be done. I have met many different people, and you never know how an interaction with someone will change your life. It has become my mission.

What advice and encouragement would you give to our female students considering a career in law enforcement?

Never let someone tell you, you cannot do a job. I have learned that the people who say there is not a place in law enforcement for women are not in law enforcement themselves. I have never been told by a male colleague that I could

Patrol Sergeant Candice Sherbenou

Detective Chanda Brown

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not do this job or did not belong here. Embrace the differences of others and be confident in your own skills.

Dispatcher Amber Castro-Beltran

Meet Dispatcher Amber Castro-Beltran Castro-Beltran began her studies at SHSU in 2015 and earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2019. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Homeland Security Studies with a certification in Emergency Management. Before working for UPD, Castro-Beltran worked in Police Telecommunication for the Houston Police Department, taking 911 and non-emergency calls for the City of Houston.

What is one of your favorite parts about your job?

I like helping people and that’s one thing I can do with my job. Most people call the police because they are at their most vulnerable moments. I like being the person that can help them, whether it’s trying to calm them down or get the assistance they need. A good ending is always a good shift.

What advice and encouragement would you give to our female students considering a career in law enforcement?

As cliché as this is going to sound, you can do anything you set your mind to.

Never settle and strive to be the best possible version of you. Hard work will get you so many places.

Together WE ACHIEVE for Sam Houston State University.

From funding student scholarships and equipping classrooms with the latest technology to supporting faculty and improving academic programs, your support is an investment in student success.

Gifts of all sizes are important and when you join with others, you help dreams take shape.

Give online today at shsu.edu/giving.

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Office of University Advancement Box 2537 | Huntsville, TX 77341-2537 936.294.3625

/shsugiving

@shsugiving

Sam Houston State University

M entorship P rogr am S upports Women in H igher E ducation

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t Sam Houston State University, there is no shortage of strong women professionals, including Tessy Rappé, Kyley Houck and Heather Varela, the three founders of SHSU Women: Leadership, Engagement, and Development (We LEAD), an employee resource group that allows faculty and staff to establish a support network around a common identity or interest.

The mission of We LEAD is to examine issues relevant to women in higher education, while also furthering the university strategy of promoting lifelong learning, providing a stimulating environment, anticipating employee needs and enhancing community outreach.

Rappé, associate vice president, Houck, budget analyst II, and Varela, human resources diversity coordinator, all for the Finance and Operations division, recognized that, while the women and allies of SHSU are unique individuals from various backgrounds, they all share a common desire to succeed and develop professionally. To meet this need, We LEAD was launched in fall 2018 and continues to grow in size and impact.

“By participating in We LEAD, our members can connect with others who share similar struggles, goals and achievements. The feeling of connection and being a part of something can bring so much more value to your career,” Rappé said. “We LEAD events give members something to look forward to, because we enjoy learning from one another.”

In addition, it is their hope to connect women who have achieved success, with those who are trying to cultivate their own paths, by fostering sponsorships and mentoring.

“The opportunities to connect with other people at work who understand and cheer for us, is crucial. Those networks can make it easier to develop and work toward our goals,” Brittni MacLeod, program specialist for Leadership Initiatives said. “The more people we can connect with in a meaningful way, the better.”

Their initiatives and projects throughout the year aim to promote a constant message of inclusion and empowerment, while also examining issues like tenure, compensation, paternal leave and representation in senior leadership positions.

All faculty/staff are encouraged to apply. We LEAD membership is open to all SHSU faculty/staff, women and allies.

Top Row (L-R) Jaime Anderson, Dana Bible, Brittni MacLeod, Tiffany Driver Bottom Row (L-R) Montse Feu, Heather Varela, Michele Mitchell, Tessy Rappé, Kyley Houck

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“There have been many days of lack of sleep and hard work, but I wouldn’t have wanted anyone in my spot.”—Burke

Victoria Pineda

Cassidy Burke

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B eark ats B oldly P ut ting Their E ducation T o Work

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ictoria Pineda, a 2018 graduate of the Sam Houston State University Athletic Training Program, was working as a high school athletic trainer for the Houston Methodist system before the COVID-19 health emergency shuttered operations around the world. Now, Pineda is putting her athletic training background to work on the frontlines of the pandemic by serving alongside the doctors and nurses who are treating patients in the ICU at Houston Methodist Sugarland Campus.

“It was an interesting transition going from athletic training injuries to the ICU,” Pineda said. “I don’t think people give credit to athletic trainers. They do more than wrap ankles and hand out water. They are first on the scene for potentially serious and life-threatening injuries.”

She is joined by alumna, Cassidy Burke (’19) and faculty member, Hope Parker, as more and more athletic trainers put their education and unique skill set into action.

Experience, both in simulations and in clinical settings, allows students to work with a variety of patients and medical issues. All athletic training programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education require students to complete clinical rotations in non-orthopedic settings.

“We spend a great deal of time focused on the delivery of patient-centered care and healthcare delivery,” Mary Williams, SHSU Athletic Training program director said. “This training allows students to develop the skills that are necessary to work in interdisciplinary teams and how to practice collaboratively while also maintaining a mutual respect for the varied scopes of practice across healthcare professions.”

This pandemic has given many professionals, such as athletic trainers, an opportunity to serve their community in new ways.

“There have been many days of lack of sleep and hard work, but I wouldn’t have wanted anyone in my spot,” Burke said. “I stand by patients when their family can’t and although they can’t see, they can hear, so we try and encourage the patient as much as we can. Being able to see patients turn around for the best is so exciting and so encouraging.”★

Sam Houston State University

Cl a ss No t e s Byron Grandy ’85, was promoted to vice president and general manager of Nexstar Broadcasting Inc. operations in Denver, CO. The accomplished media industry executive brings 35 years of station and news management experience to lead KDVR-TV, KWGN-TV and related websites and mobile applications.

Randall Langston ’94, has been selected to lead the University of Central Missouri’s student recruitment efforts in his new role as executive vice provost for enrollment management. Langston previously served at Texas Woman’s University as vice president for enrollment management.

Tomeka Moses Herod ’94, was appointed

by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas Medical Board.

Residing in Allen, Herod is president of The Wilkins Group, Inc. She is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Dallas/ Fort Worth Minority Business Council.

Jerry McGinty ’94, has been named director of the Legislative Budget Board, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick

and Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen confirmed. McGinty has been at TDCJ for 28 years holding several positions before becoming CFO, including Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Budget Director and Senior Budget Analyst.

Donald Bowers ’10, was recognized

by Mayor Turner at the 3rd Annual Mayor’s History Makers Awards for his commitment to making a difference in the Houston community. He was nominated for the honor by the Houston East End Chamber.

Ann Lalime ’12, PhD, was named the new

Commit in 2020 with a membership in the SHSU Alumni Association.

There is no better way to stay connected to Sam Houston. Keep campus history and tradition alive, support student scholarship and enjoy the many exclusive benefits of membership.

SU M M ER 2020 k alumni.shsu.edu E /SHSUAlumniAssociation D @ SHSUAlumniAssoc Q SHSUAlumniAssoc

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principal of Stockdick Junior High in Katy, TX. Lalime has worked in education for 30 years. In 2009, she joined Katy ISD to serve as the principal of Golbow Elementary.

Jordan Bontke ’12, has served as a KEYE TV reporter for CBS Austin since 2016. During his time as a journalist, he traveled to Afghanistan for three weeks to cover our nation’s armed services. Bontke is a Lone Star Emmy Awards finalist for breaking news coverage.

Braden King ’16, is now assistant vice president and commercial lender at Texas Bank and Trust’s Longview location.

He is a member of the Longview Greggton Rotary Club and a board member for the Longview Child Development Center.

Christina Perez ’18, has accepted a position on the Public Affairs Team with Entergy. She previously served as Legislative Director for Rep. Jim Murphy in the TX Legislature.

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eventh-grade science teacher, Rebecca Hiatt, has been recognized by Houston Independent School District leaders with the distinguished title of “HISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.”

Hiatt has spent seven years as an educator and served the past three years at Baylor College of Medicine Biotech Academy at Rusk—a comprehensive health science magnet middle school located in Houston’s East End.

STAY CONNECTED The SHSU Alumni Association app brings new meaning to alumni engagement.

• Join or renew alumni membership • Exclusive membership perks • Discover nearby alumni events • Global travel with Bearkats Search SHSU Alumni Kat App in iTunes or Google Play store to download.

For more information, visit shsu.edu/KatApp or call 936-294-1841.

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T e ach e r of t h e Y e a r Hiatt earned her bachelor’s (’10) and master’s (’12) in chemistry from SHSU. She joined the education field after her former principal offered her a job as a high school chemistry teacher. She credits her time at SHSU and the professors she met along the way for playing a valuable role in her passion for teaching.

“I had an absolute blast learning from my professors. I think having such a great college experience prepared me for my career in that it made me want my students to have a positive learning experience too,” Hiatt said. “I learned so much in my time at SHSU and fell in love with learning and today I encourage my students to want the same.”

2020 SHSU Alumni Association Tailgate 2020 Bearkat Football Schedule (Orange denotes Home game)

Sat., Sept. 5

6 p.m.

Tarleton State*

Sat., Sept. 12

6 p.m.

Mississippi Valley State*

Sat., Sept. 19

TBA

Nicholls (Thibodaux, LA)

Sat., Sept. 26

TBA

Incarnet Word (San Antonio, TX)

Sat., Oct. 3

TBA

@SFA - Battle of the Piney Woods (NRG Stadium)*

Sat., Oct. 10

2 p.m.

Abilene Christian - Kick for a Cause & Bearkat Family Weekend*

Sat., Oct. 17

6 p.m.

Northwestern State

Sat., Oct. 24

2 p.m.

McNeese - Homecoming*

Sat., Nov. 7

Noon

Central Arkansas*

The Alumni Association is proud to be a part of this time-honored tradition. Join us in Bearkat Alley 2 hours prior to kick-off.

Sat., Nov. 14

TBA

Lamar

Members—Free, non-members—$10

Sat., Nov. 21

TBA

Houston Baptist

Visit us online at alumni.shsu.edu.

*Indicates Alumni Association pre-game tailgates

GO BEARKATS!

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I nS M emor i a m * SHAPED

HSU

Norma (Rich) Bush ’41 Mary Katheryn (Anderson) Taber ’42 Nola Ruth (Yeager) Hanson ’44 Ella Lucille (Murphy) Cavell ’46 Ila Louise (Cabaniss) McCrury ’48 Richard Marion Traylor III ’48 Joyce Gaynelle (Boone) Burden ’49 Davy Odell (Houser) Green ’49 Janet Edith (Grigsby) Jones ’49 Edward Garrett Bender ’50 Roy Lanier Henry ’50, ’56 Ellis Lee Herron, Sr. ’50, ’51 Tolbert William Nash, Jr. ’50 Ruth Anna (Bell) Zuckero ’50 Billy Alan Sprayberry ’52 Dixie Lee (Martin) Woodell ’52 Patricia Anne (Pyle) Gore ’53, ’78 Stanley Ray Humphrey ’53, ’55 Bruce Posey, Sr. ’53 James Robert Adair ’54, ’58 Frank William Domorad ’54 Virginia (Kerr) Holmes ’54 Dora Elizabeth (Clark) Johnson ’54 Helen Lee Reid ’54, ’65 Billy Earle Cheatham ’55 Floyd Robert Janek ’55 Herbert Charles Muckleroy ’55, ’61 Sunshine Jackson Coffey ’56 Arvalee Dial ’56 Elmer Marvin Faykus ’56, ’62 Thomas Benford Frizzell ’56, ’63 Clint LeRoy Hines ’56 Mary June (Kimes) Byford ’57 James Herbert Downe ’57, ’60 Lawrence Earl Richards ’57, ’68 Richard Phillips Bell, Sr. ’58 Patrick Hardy Dudley ’58, ’59 Nelda Grace (White) Somerford ’58, ’66 Dan Allen Thomas ’58, ’63 Thomas Scott Waldrip ’58 Keith Adams ’59 Duncan Clark Gimpel, Jr. ’59 Billy Jon McConal ’59

Larry Neil Childs ’60 William Clayburn Hamble, Jr. ’60 Margaret Sue (Letts) Hopper ’60, ’73 Leonard Eugene Speaker ’60 Bruce Jackson Caldwell ’61 James David Carey ’61✩ David Samuel Gallant, Jr. ’61, ’67 Jerry Neal Streater ’61 Franklin Darwin Wittneben ’61, ’67 James Fred Hanscom ’62✩ Jon Jeral La Baume ’62 Robert Quin McWhirter ’62 John Clark Roberts ’62 ’70 Errol Wayne Slaton ’62 Frances Marie (Parrish) Church ’63, ’73 Bobbie Eugene Elliott ’63 John Victor Eriksson ’63, ’66✩ Clyde Morrison ’63 Linda Joy (Allbritton) Oldham ’63 Gary Gunselman ’64 Joyce Gaye (Hoke) Cole ’65 Elaine Margaret (Tate) Manning ’65, ’68 Joe Parkhurst ’65 William David Ainsworth ’66 Judith Fay (White) Eitel ’66 LaRue Hopson ’66 Sherry Lee (Handorf) Morse ’66 Barbara Jean Russell ’66 Benjamin Cade Anderson ’67 Homero Cantu ’67, ’70 Donald Judson Cole ’67 James Larry Duke ’67 ’68 Bert Lynn Harrison, Sr. ’67 Sharron (Pou) Leggett ’67 Wilma LeEsther (Leiber) Schulze ’67 Dixie Elaine (Starbuck) Walker ’67, ’74 Horace Michael Alexander ’68 Ruby Elaine (Walling) Hand ’68, ’88 Glenn Kraege Polan ’68 Edith D’Anne (Davis) Rogers ’68 Edgar Robert Taylor III ’68, ’76 Daniel Louis Wasik ’68 Frank Enos Bielec, Jr. ’69, ’74

Almon Loyd Havenstrite ’69 Stone Thomas Murray ’69 Lucille (Anthony) Cox ’70, ’76 Michael David Cromeens ’70 Robert Bennett Fowlkes, Jr. ’70 John Stephen Jacoby ’70 James Wayne Reid ’70, ’90 Ben Lee Sargent ’70 Martin Dennis Smith ’70, ’72 Thomas Lindly Agerton ’71 Curtis Wayne Corley ’71 Joan Elaine Garrett ’71 Billy Ray Moreland ’71 Ray Rodenbeck ’71 Joe Buell Woodland ’71 Robert McCutcheon ’72 Robert Edgar McKinney, Sr. ’72 Ernest Emmet Leboueuf ’73 William Scott Tyson, Jr. ’73 Brenda Kaye (Childers) Barron ’74 Bonnie (Cleaveland) Donaldson ’74 Sandra (Higgins) Dorrell ’74 Bobby Joe Meloy ’74 George Hampton Strawder ’74 Mark Edward Handel ’75 Brenda Joyce (Kalina) Humberson ’75 Tommy Moore ’75 Virginia Lea (Carson) Schooley ’75 Graham Vernon Aker ’76 Jolynn (Schultz) Daugherty ’77 Ronald Stephen Grasse ’78 Keith Daniel Harvey ’78 Gene Eldon Shine ’78 Nancy Ilene (Burns) Thomas ’78 Elton Lewis Blanchard, Jr. ’79 Larry Donald Moore ’79 Margaret (Benedict) Moss ’80✩ Mary Helen (Vela) Novark ’80 Susan Harriett (Bevil) Parker ’80 Steve Douglas Allen ’81 John Morris Geary ’81 Doris Louise (Stern) Schomburg ’81 Judy (Cryer) Webb ’81

Maryann Pahler Costa ’82 Karen Ruth Tackett ’82 Lajean (Roberts) Volanski ’82 Wesley Paul Kidd ’84 Danny Udell Brewer ’85 Olga Maria Heldring ’86 Judy Powers Ainsworth ’87 Kari Lynn (Sanders) Clay ’87 Kenneth Ray Knippel ’87 Anita Ann Arnet ’88 James Lee Stanesic ’90 Jack Alton Strawn ’90 Kathryn Louise Reeves ’91 Barry Nelson Hollis ’92 Mitzi Lynn (Croye) Pate ’92 Melanie (Lawyer) Reeser ’92 Yasuko Shinohara (Shinohara) Wilson ’93 Dwuan Deray Anderson ’94 James Michael Brasher ’94 Amy Elaine Riddle ’94 ’06 Jeffrey Michael Aitken ’95 Jon Hernandez ’95 Molly Janean (Gray) Hoke ’95 Lavera Lestell (Mickan) Oliphant ’95 Sammy Lee Jobe ’96 Catherine Ann Uher ’97 James William Goldston ’98 Mark Edward Helton ’00 Carolee Dawn Taylor ’01 Leon Jay Harvey ’02 Akbar Nurid-Din Shabazz II ’04 Ryan Lee Landrum ’06 Brett Rader Wiggins ’10 Marnie Ann (Hardin) Breazeale ’14 Craig Allen Foster ’14 Kameion Scott Kitchen ’15 John Allan Wyscarver ’15 Christi Rae Keelen ’18 Felicia Ann Aceves ’19 Anitra Lashun Tusie ’20

*12/9/19 through 6/22/20

✩ SHSU Distinguished Alumni

R emembering D r . David Payne T

he Bearkat community is mourning the loss of Dr. David Payne who served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University starting in 1997.

From 2004 to 2011, he served as Provost and VP of Academic Affairs.

During Payne’s administration, the university increased the quality and breadth of offerings in undergraduate and graduate programs. Sam Houston State experienced two major organizational changes creating 36

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the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication (known today as the College of Arts and Media).

Payne’s unwavering stance on the importance of quality instruction resulted in an approximate 44 percent increase in the number of tenure/tenure track faculty at SHSU during his time. ­His dedication made a lasting impact on the university, with his establishment of the Office of Student Success Initiatives, the Office of

International Programs, and the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence.

Under his leadership and commitment to civic duty, SHSU was awarded a Carnegie Community Engaged classification. Payne also played a vital role in establishing SHSU’s involvement in the American Democracy Project, a network of state colleges that equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to be engaged members of their communities.

An important testament to

Payne’s work is the university award bearing his name.

The David Payne Award for Academic Community Engagement is the fourth University Award for Excellence and is presented each year to select SHSU faculty members.★

CLIFFS OF MOHER, IRELAND

EXPLORE WITH US! call out quote

TRAVELING BEARKATS • ALUMNI.SHSU.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR SHADES OF IRELAND MARCH 2021 EXPERIENCE* OR ANY OF OUR OTHER TRIPS PLEASE VISIT ALUMNI.SHSU.EDU OR CALL THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AT 936.294.1841 RESERVATIONS DUE SEPT. 21, 2020

Sam Houston State University Office of University Advancement Box 2537 Huntsville, TX 77341-2537

SAM HOUSTON STATE VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

NON-PROFIT MAIL US POSTAGE PAID BERNE IN 46711 PERMIT #43

THE BATTLE RAGES ON

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 3 P.M. NRG STADIUM HOUSTON, TEXAS

VISIT GOBEARKATS.COM OR CALL THE BEARKAT TICKET OFFICE AT 936.294.1729