PRIDE Fall 2013

PRIDE The Alumni Magazine of Texas A&M University-Commerce Fall 2013

UNCOVERING THE HEROES OF

EAST TEXAS

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

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Pride is published two times a year by the Texas A&M University-Commerce Marketing Communications Department in collaboration with Alumni Relations.

Non-profit postage paid at College Station, Texas. Pride is distributed without charge to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Texas A&M University-Commerce.

In this issue 10

Marketing Communications Editor-in-Chief Lisa Martinez Editor Andi Miller Assistant Editor Torie Michelle Anderson

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Art Director Paul Bryan Photographers Paul Bryan Jason Flowers Jared Horn Administrative Christan Hilbrand Writers Sydni Walker Taelor Duckworth

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42 44

CAMPUS NOTES ATHLETICS FEARLESS INVESTIGATION NOTEWORTHY CLASS NOTES

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29

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Contributors and PRIDE Support Alumni Relations

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Director Derryle Peace Assistant Director Jane Martyn PR & Events Coordinator Rachel Evans

Institutional Advancement Vice President Randy VanDeven Assistant to the Vice President Amy Bassham Administrative Assistant Jill Mobley

Advancement Services Director of Advancement Services Brenda Morris Coordinator of Gift Processing Stacey Preas Coordinator of Stewardship Katie McKenna

34 ON THE COVER: is United States Air Force Major General Chris Adams.

While it may be a controversial decision, the portrait is cropped to emphasize that there are thousands of veterans who are still “unknown� to our communities and the world, and the East Texas War and Memory project

Annual Programs

is uncovering them one-by-one, their stories. You can find more

Address changes, inquiries and contributions of information may be made to alumni relations at 903.886.5765, via e-mail to Alumni.Relations@tamuc.edu or to Texas A&M University-Commerce, Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429.

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Featured on the cover of PRIDE

Associate Director of Annual & Special Programs Stephanie Fiorsi Coordinator of Communication Outreach Bethany Yates

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revealing them and capturing images of General Adams in our feature on the East Texas War and Memory Project.

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Dear Lion,

When we think of universities, we

probably think of classrooms–places where, traditionally, knowledge is passed along from teachers to students.

But have you ever wondered where all that knowledge comes from?

In this issue of PRIDE, we introduce you to the people who create knowledge. We’ll take you inside the minds of brilliant researchers whose groundbreaking work is giving us new ways to think about the world. The most exciting discoveries are coming not from within the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines, but rather as the result of fascinating collaborations that are impelled by the collective imaginations of scholars in diverse fields.

At A&M-Commerce, students, including undergraduates, get engaged in research–and not just as lab assistants or office helpers, but as active collaborators. Undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to win competitive grants to support their efforts, an experience which deepens their understanding of the marketplace of ideas within which their efforts will be judged. Many are completing their projects and publishing their results in scholarly journals – all before earning their baccalaureate degrees.

There are far too many research projects underway at A&M-Commerce than could fit within the pages of this issue. We hope you’ll

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consider this PRIDE an invitation to reexperience that sense of curiosity you felt as a student and to recall the feeling of excitement that came with the discoveries your professors shared with you.

Why not give them a call and share some of your “unfettered thoughts”? Nothing would thrill them more.

Given the recent holidays, we will be celebrating life’s many gifts. Surely the gift of discovery–the gift that your university gives to each of its students every day–is one of the greatest.

Campus Notes

THE ART OF GIVING BACK The university recognized artist and alumna Jo Ann Durham with a reception in her honor on Nov. 2 in the President’s Hallway on the second floor of the McDowell Administration Building, where paintings Durham has donated to her alma mater are on display.

One of Durham’s pieces was auctioned in October at the Royal Roar, an annual event that celebrates A&M-Commerce’s most generous donors. Durham’s pieces will remain on display in the Presidential Gallery through next year when she will be inducted into the President’s Club.

L-3 MISSION INTEGRATION DONATES iMACS

PHI KAPPA PHI COMES TO COMMERCE

LEAD STUDENTS HELP HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has

Forty A&M-Commerce Leadership,

allowed the colonization of a chapter on the

Engagement and Development (L.E.A.D)

A&M-Commerce campus. Phi Kappa Phi

students working with Habitat for Humanity,

is the oldest national honor society for all

set to work on two vacant lots in Paris, Texas,

academic disciplines, founded in 1897 at

on Oct. 5. When the group finished their

the University of Maine. PKP is a selective

tasks around 2 p.m., the area had been cleared

organization for individuals with exemplary

of brush, dirt leveled around a new home’s

academic accomplishments. Membership

foundation and walls raised on one of the new

may be obtained through an invitation-only

homes. Judy Martin, executive director of

process in which offers are only given to the

the Paris Habitat for Humanity, praised the

top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students

group for helping do an amount of work that

and just 7.5 percent of juniors.

would have otherwise taken several months

The society’s motto reads, “Let the love of

to complete. To find out how to get involved

L-3 Mission Integration, based in Greenville,

learning rule humanity,” and that is what the

and learn more about L.E.A.D. activities go to

Texas, donated 12 iMac computers to

group hopes to bring to the campus.

leadtamuc.wordpress.com.

the A&M-Commerce Computer Science Department on May 9. The computers, valued at approximately $2,000 each, will be used as part of a Mobile Computing and Applications Lab (MCAL) to develop applications for use on platforms such as iPhones, iPads and other mobile devices. MCAL will support a new “Mobile Computing and Programming Track” in the newly established computational science master’s program. Students concentrating on this track will be able to develop various mobile apps to experiment with iPhone and Android programming. Furthermore, the department plans to use this lab for K-12 summer outreach to recruit students for majors in the STEM fields.

2 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

HANDING OVER THE REINS The new A&M-Commerce Equine Pavilion was dedicated on Sept. 6 at the Equine Center.

ENERGY BOOST

President Dan R. Jones; Dr. Adolfo Benavides,

Stan McKee, senior manager of customer

provost and vice president for academic

relations for Oncor Corporation, and David

affairs; Lindsey Walton, manager of the equine

Collier, area manager of customer operations,

program; Randy Van Deven, vice president

presented A&M-Commerce President, Dan R.

for institutional advancement; and student,

Jones, with a check for $55,000 — a rebate for

Madison Fain, spoke at the dedication.

energy efficiency measures put into place on

The new covered arena has a large riding

campus. The university accepted this donation

area, bleacher seating, men’s and women’s

to help transition into a plan of providing

restrooms, 20 stalls for boarding, two tack

energy efficiency and conservation, including

rooms, two wash racks and two fenced turnout

a recent campus-wide upgrade to LED outdoor

areas for the horses on either side of the

lighting. With this financial endorsement

building. The facility will be used for college

from Oncor, the university plans to maintain

IVORY MOORE PORTRAIT UNVEILING

equine science courses, summer camps, riding

ongoing energy efficiency, which will result

Ivory Moore, Sr., served as the first African-

lessons and for hosting small horse shows and

in annual energy savings of 703,103.8 kWh

American administrator at East Texas State

clinics. This addition was made possible by

per year.

University. On Sept. 28, A&M-Commerce

numerous generous donations.

unveiled a portrait of him, painted by Debora Schubert Lytle, which is now showcased on the second floor of the McDowell Administration Building. In 1972, Moore became the director of minority affairs at ETSU, where he wrote many successful grants establishing programs and supporting disadvantaged minority and first-generation students. Moore was also instrumental in bringing Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated to the ETSU campus. While in Commerce, Moore became an extremely active member within the community, serving as a deacon at Mount Moriah Temple Baptist Church, the first African-American citizen elected to the city council and the city’s first African-American mayor. Moore served on various Texas state boards under governors Bill Clements, Mark White and Ann Richards.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

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Campus Notes BOBADILLA AND O’NEAL: HONORARY DOCTORATES During the spring 2013 commencement, Michelle Bobadilla was awarded the university’s highest honor, an honorary doctorate. During the August 2013 commencement, Bill O’Neal received

A HOME FOR HISTORY: HALL DONATES PAPERS

the honor.

Michelle Bobadilla is a Dallas native with

Congressman Ralph Hall finalized the

Library at A&M-Commerce currently houses

36 years’ experience in higher education and

donation of his personal papers and

nearly 100 boxes of Hall’s papers. His papers

community outreach. She serves on state

memorabilia to A&M-Commerce on July 2

represent over six decades of public service

councils and works with national boards to

in a signing ceremony with President Dan R.

and political history. He is a long-time friend

develop educated students who evoke change.

Jones at the A&M-Commerce at Rockwall

of A&M-Commerce with a family history of

She helped to establish the Society of 100

facility. “I hope the papers in this collection

alumni from the institution, including his

Endowed Scholars’ Fund and raised millions

are valuable to you, and I hope they’re a good

mother, sister and wife. Hall holds the 4th

of dollars as the chair of the Stars on the Rise

resource to the students at A&M-Commerce.

Congressional District seat previously held by

Scholarship Program. She currently works as

They are a reflection of my life in public

the longest-running speaker of the house and

senior associate vice president for outreach

service, and it’s an honor to be a part of the

A&M-Commerce alumnus, Sam Rayburn.

services and community engagement and

future of this university,” said Hall. The Gee

assistant provost for Hispanic Student Success at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Bill O’Neal is an educator, historian and

PARTNERSHIP FOR LITERACY AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

prolific author, having written more than 40

A&M-Commerce and Atmos Energy

on the American West. His interests extend

books and over 300 articles and book reviews

partnered to create the Atmos Energy Literacy

far and wide, with publications and speaking

Center in the West Dallas branch of the Dallas

engagements on Texas country music artists,

Public Library system. In a neighborhood

baseball’s Texas League and children’s books

mostly populated by Latino immigrants, this

pertaining to Texas history. O’Neal is a double

center teaches students English, and across

alumnus of A&M-Commerce, having finished

the hallway, it gives parents and children the

his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1964 and

opportunity to improve their English literacy

1969 respectively.

skills. During the fall, 96 new and returning students learned about gas safety, took library tours and began their first learning units.

Left to right: Pauline Medrano, Dallas Mayor Pro Tem and city council member; Ann Margolin, chairperson of the Dallas city council libraries and arts committee; Dr. Dan R. Jones, president of A&M-Commerce; State Representative Eric Johnson; Atmos Energy President and CEO Kim Cocklin

4 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

Clockwise: Kyle Maynard speaks to a packed audience in Ferguson Auditorium.

Courtesy of Kyle Maynard Kyle Maynard takes time out to talk with campus and community members.

Linda Cohn, Ryan Lochte and Misty May-Treanor answer student questions.

A GREAT RETURN ON AFFORDABLE EDUCATION

ATHLETE SPEAKERS PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY

A&M-Commerce

For the past two semesters, A&M-Commerce

was ranked #45 on a

has provided programming to inspire the

list of low-cost colleges

university community and Commerce to

and universities with

reach beyond their expectations to achieve

high starting salaries

higher goals.

for graduates compiled

During the spring 2013 semester, A&M-

by AffordableCollegesOnline.org.

Commerce played host to Olympic gold

AffordableCollegesOnline.org provides

medalists, Misty May-Treanor and Ryan

prospective college students and their parents

Lochte—as well as ESPN SportsCenter’s

with information and resources to help them

Linda Cohn—as part of the William L. Mayo

College Database’s list of “Top U.S. Colleges

manage the cost of obtaining an education.

Prestigious Speakers Series. Students were

& Universities for Teaching Education.” The

Over 4,000 colleges and universities were

chosen to meet the Olympians personally, and

Online College Database is a free, non-

surveyed. To compile the list, ACO reviewed

they held a question-and-answer program for a

commercial website dedicated to providing

four-year, fully accredited public institutions

packed house at Ferguson Auditorium.

current and future post-secondary students

with in-state tuition of less than $5,000 per

and their families with accurate and valuable

year and with average starting salaries for

Maynard, a 27-year-old ESPY Award-winning

college- and career-related information. A&M-

graduates of more than $40,000 per year.

athlete, New York Times best-seller and

Commerce was the only institution chosen

The website also looked at mid-career salary

quadruple congenital amputee, challenged

from the state of Texas and was ranked #13 in

averages as well as the overall return on

viewers to live an excuse-free lifestyle and

the nation.

investment for the degree obtained.

tackle barriers in their lives to achieve more.

TEACHING EDUCATION IS #1!

A&M-Commerce was ranked in the Online

Fall 2013

During the fall 2013 semester, Kyle

Texas A&M University–Commerce

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Campus Notes

HONORING VETERANS The 22nd annual Veteran’s Vigil was held on Nov. 6 and 7, and this year’s program honored disabled veterans from all branches of the military. The opening ceremony was held at the Rayburn Student Center. Derryle Peace, director of alumni relations, presented the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) Memorial Scholarship to Jill Mobley, graduate student and student chair of the 2013 Veteran’s Vigil Committee. The event’s keynote speaker was retired Chief Petty Officer John Turner,

#GoLions #CantBTamed13 #Homecoming #SchoolSpirit #tamuc

commander of the Disabled American Veterans post in Greenville, who spoke about working with disabled veterans. The cornerstone of the vigil is the lighting of the Vigil Flame. A 24-hour guard is posted with the flame throughout the event.

Homecoming kickoff! Watch the video!

It’s Hot Dog Spirit Rally time! Thank you Commerce Alumni Chapter for your help!

We love Lions Football! #KappaDelta #homecoming #CantBTamed13

Pride Alliance are the Spirit Organization champs! #cantbtamed13

HOMECOMING SPIRIT CANNOT BE TAMED! This year’s Homecoming celebration was a rousing success. The theme was “Our Pride Cannot Be Tamed,” and a variety of circusthemed activities were held throughout the week leading up to Homecoming day. Over 7,000 people attended the game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 2. While Angelo State edged out the Lions in the game’s final minutes, the sense of spirit and pride on campus was shared by students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends alike. Homecoming events took place throughout the week, including the Homecoming Kickoff event, Get on Board for student organizations, the Hot Dog Spirit Rally, the bonfire and finally, the game’s opening tailgate.

It’s a great day to be a lion! #tamuc #wearelions #tailgating #cantbtamed13

Homecoming King, Vincent Phillips, and Queen, Latrice Owens.

Feb. 20 Andrew Davis named Capital One Academic All-American (Men’s Basketball)

March 14 Sara Diaz named LSC Academic Player of the Year (Women’s Golf) March 6 Women’s basketball wins 1st round of LSC tournament.

May 4 Dakota Fountain wins LSC long jump title

May 3 Alex Kimp - LSC Academic Runner of the Year (Men’s Track and Field)

Jan. 9

March 1

Sam Walker wins 202nd Game Sam Walker secured his place as the winningest coach in A&MCommerce Men’s Basketball history.

Jan. 17

Ryan Ivey: Athletic Director Ivey was hired as A&M-Commerce Athletic Director.

Jan. 22

Joshua Jorgensen: Asst.

Athletic Director for External Affairs

• Handles marketing, promotional and game management, social media Carthel comes to • Previously worked Commerce with strong with Stephen F. Austin ties to the Lone Star Athletic Operations Conference, spending the last seven seasons as the defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M and playing a key role in establishing the Buffs as one of the top teams in the region.

Colby Carthel: Head Football Coach

May 20

Softball Announced at A&M-Commerce For the first time in Lion history, womNicole Anderson: en’s softball joins the LSC Coach of the other NCAA Division Year II programs available Anderson, women’s at A&M-Commerce. basketball head coach, Softball student-athpicked up Lone Star letes began enrolling Conference Coach of in fall 2013 and will the Year honors. be given a redshirt season as skill and conditioning exercises will commence during the 2013-14 season.The Lion softball program will then begin competing in fall exhibitions in 2014, leading up to the inaugural season in the spring of 2015.

March 5

July 17

Richie Bruister: First Softball Coach • Five seasons as head coach of women’s softball at TWU • 183-97 record • Four straight LSC Championship appearances

July 1

Established the Lions Athletic Club Increased overall private and annual giving.

Season Highlights A chronological look into the A&M-Commerce Athletic department’s success

Lion Nation, As the 2013 year comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what we have been able to accomplish and achieve. Beginning in February, we undertook town hall meetings to meet our great supporters and find the best solutions to turn our athletic department in a positive direction. We took your suggestions and ideas, responded to them, and devised the We Are Lions Departmental Strategic Plan to move forward.

While we have been able to accomplish much in a short period of time, we still have a long way to go. Our immediate plans will be focused on facility enhancements, rebuilding our “T Association”— the exclusive club for our letter winners—and increasing the participation of Lion Nation in our many opportunities, whether it is by becoming a member of the LAC, purchasing season tickets, becoming a corporate sponsor or just attending our many athletic events. Without you, we will not be able to achieve our highest level of success!

- Ryan Ivey, Athletic Director 8 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

WE ARE LIONS! Fall 2013

The Lions finish off 2013 with 30 LSC players of the week.

Visit lionathletics.com for full stories on these athletes and their achievements.

Nov. 7 Savannah Henderson - LSC Freshman of the Year; Brionna Minde - Academic Player of the Year (Women’s Soccer)

Nov. 16 Vernon Johnson sets four school receiving records – catches (69), yards (1,345), yards per game (134.5) and touchdowns (13).

Nov. 20 Amy Davault- LSC Newcomer of the Year; Jordan Neal - LSC Setter of the Year (Volleyball)

Oct. 26

Aug. 1

President’s Trophy win against 23rdranked Tarleton State (Football), 22-20

“Texas-Sized” Logo on Football Field A&M-Commerce unveiled new football turf over the summer, including a giant gold Lion head mid-field logo. It measures 50 yards by 50 yards, stretching from sideline to sideline and the 25-yard lines.

The new home turf also features blue end zones with gold lettering, featuring “A&M-Commerce” in the north end zone and “Lions” in the south. Designed by Astroturf, the field is part of a larger Memorial Stadium reconstruction project.

The track around the field has been resurfaced and repainted, along with other cosmetic upgrades to the stadium.

The new lion and typeface, featured on the field and throughout Athletics branding and apparel, was designed by Brad Bishop (B.S. ‘95), owner of Torch Creative.

Aug. 16

Jenna DeLong: Asst. Softball Coach • Two seasons as an assistant coach at UT-Dallas • Led the Comets to a pair of winning seasons • In 2012, the UTD squad finished 24-14 with a 0.85 earned run average • Recorded 20 wins for the first time since 2006 • Highest winning percentage in program history

Sep. 3

Tom Dibbern: Track & Cross Country Head Coach • A top track and field coach in the country • 10 seasons at Angelo State • Five straight Lone Star Conference titles since 2009 • Two-time National Assistant Coach of the Year • Coached US Olympic trial qualifier • Coached 40 All-Americans

Sep. 13

Football wins against 25thranked Delta State at AT&T Stadium, 45-37

Oct. 12 Aug. 8

Sarah Carthel: Asst. Volleyball Coach • Seven seasons at West Texas A&M • Nationally-recognized assistant coach and recruiter • 237-38 record with six 30-win seasons • LSC Championship each season • Five NCAA regional titles • National runner-up in 2009

Fall 2013

Nov. 21 Charles Tuaau - LSC Defensive Player of the Year; Vernon Johnson Receiver of the Year (Football)

Aug. 13

Paul Burns: Asst.

Soccer Coach • Seventeen seasons as Head Coach at Austin College • 173-117-26 record • Three NCAA tournament berths • 2000 American Southwest Conference Championship winners • Four straight east division titles • 100 All-Conference and Academic AllConference honors

Chennault Cup win at A&MKingsville (Football), 41-28

Oct. 14

Ross Smithey: Asst. Track & Field Coach

Oct. 31

New Athletics Website Lion Athletics teamed up with Sidearm Sports to launch a redesigned LionAthletics.com. The new site offers a handful of upgraded features for Lion fans, including enhanced player and coach bios, team schedules, a new look for team statistics and upgraded live stats and video components. As the site moves forward, it will offer Lion fans an interactive experience with their favorite Lion programs, upgraded photo galleries, social media platforms and the ability to purchase tickets and Lion apparel online.

Nov. 16

First winning football season since 2001; Volleyball – 20+ win season Football season ticket sales up 2,900%; Football attendance up 150% the ability to purchase tickets and Lion apparel online.

Nov. 7

Cross Country Regional NCAA tournament

Nov. 15

Women’s Soccer NCAA tournamentat-large berth

• Comes from Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa • Coached a national runner-up in the women’s shot put • Coached national qualifiers in the women’s discus, pole vault and men’s long jump Texas A&M University–Commerce

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Fearless Investigation

by Andi Miller

W

hen you think of research, you may have a mental picture of a cloistered library, a pile of musty books and the card catalog. But the truth is that even library research is a digital wonderland these days, and research takes place across campus, across disciplines, across student/faculty lines and sometimes even across the country. This issue of PRIDE is dedicated to research, and what we found when we started poking around was a bevy of professors and students breaking out of their silos to perform research that will benefit our campus, community, region, state and the globe.

10 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

o sit down and talk with Dr. Adolfo Benavides—the new provost and vice president of academic affairs—is to be inspired by the state of academics at A&M-Commerce. Driven by our university mission statement, Benavides’ job is to promote and reward research as well as scholarly and creative endeavors within this institution as well as fostering engagement between the university and the region.

“Our role is to create knowledge, but also to disseminate it to our students and peers of scholars within our fields. But we must also, according to our mission statement, engage in the cultural, social and economic vitality of the region,” said Benavides.

“To enhance the economic vitality of the region, we have to engage in the economic development of the region through partnerships with a multitude of constituents like local school districts, peer organizations, service organizations and businesses.”

It is a big job for certain, but our community of scholars—from junior and senior faculty members, administrators, staff

Collaboration and outreach is another

and students—at A&M-Commerce is actively

area in which the Office of Research and

living its mission statement, as the articles

Sponsored programs can provide aid. In

within this issue of PRIDE can attest.

keeping with Benavides’ passion for regional

Another person of vital importance to

engagement, as well as the A&M-Commerce

research at A&M-Commerce is Dr. Arlene

mission statement, Horne said, “We have some

Horne, vice provost for research and dean of

outstanding, cutting-edge research going on

graduate studies. The Office of Research and

at this campus. If alumni business owners

Sponsored Programs at A&M-Commerce

want to partner with our faculty researchers,

actively aids faculty in finding opportunities

they can reach out to us or we can reach out to

to fund their projects and grow them beyond

them. Research collaborations are welcomed

what they may initially believe possible.

and encouraged. We also help faculty

“The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has personnel who help our faculty with every facet of applying for an external

collaborate between departments and colleges and other universities.”

As this issue demonstrates, the

grant. We help faculty develop proposals,

collaborations between faculty and their

we help them find opportunities and submit

students, as well as collaborations among

proposals, and if they receive funding, we help

different colleges can produce powerful and

the faculty manage the project according to

far-reaching results. Computer science and

the guidelines of the grant,” said Horne.

psychology go hand-in-hand. Education

It’s a big job, and the office provides an

and human services live in harmony with

impeccable level of service and aid to faculty

humanities, social sciences, and arts. By

with a staff of five: a director and individuals

combining their knowledge and innovation,

working in pre-award, post-award and

seemingly disparate subjects can do great

compliance areas.

things together.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

11

HERE ON EARTH

by Andi Miller

Dr.

William G. Newton—

your name out there and learn some valuable

of neutron stars in nature’s laboratory.

assistant professor

tools you can use in the future,” Hooker said.

Because the conditions inside neutron stars

of physics—spends

Scientist and student worked together to

his time researching

produce a paper entitled, “Efficacy of Crustal

can expand the field’s overall knowledge of

nuclear physics, astrophysics and the

Superfluid Neutrons in Pulsar Glitch Models.”

pulsars as well as filling in knowledge gaps

connections between the two. He is also a

In short, Newton and Hooker study pulsars,

within nuclear physics.

great example of faculty extending a hand to

which are very rapidly rotating neutron stars.

students and inviting them to join the research

They are particularly interested in pulsar

that governs how they behave is nuclear

process. For students at A&M-Commerce, the

glitches, a phenomenon in which the star’s

physics. Our theories of how neutrons and

hands-on experiences they receive throughout

rotation will increase, eventually settle down

protons interact with each other are actually

their studies, as well as mentoring from

and speed back up in the future. No one knows

still fairly poorly known, especially in systems

experts in their field, is a winning combination

exactly why this happens, but Newton and

like neutron stars,” said Newton.

for those who enter the job market upon

Hooker are trying to find out.

graduation and for those who pursue graduate education and an academic career.

“The paper was essentially my thesis. Under

cannot be replicated on Earth, studying them

“Because the stars are so dense, the physics

Contributing to a basic knowledge of nuclear and astrophysics is an endeavor

the direction and decision of Dr. Newton, I

with potentially far-reaching implications.

wrote the first draft of the paper and made

This type of study can aid those of us down

graduate from the master’s program, Joshua

almost all of the graphs that were included

here on the blue planet in coping with

Hooker, is one of those students with an eye

within the paper,” Hooker said. “My biggest

practical problems such as the care of nuclear

toward a career in the academy. He recently

part was in running the code for the various

stockpiles—weapons currently unused that

began his Ph.D. studies in physics.

parameters we wanted to study as well as

have to be cared for.

One of Newton’s mentees and a new

“A&M-Commerce is a good place to study

graphing these finds. With the help of Dr.

physics and astronomy because of the small

Newton, I was able to analyze the results to

but impactful size of the department. With

decide on what we need to discuss and show

the small student/faculty ratio, there is always

for the paper.”

“We want to understand nature better,” said Newton.

What better reason is there for research? To understand more and reach further is the drive

a chance for a student to get involved with

By studying pulsar glitches, Newton and

that allows professors and students to work

research and plenty of opportunities to get

Hooker can test their theories of the structure

seamlessly together to reach a common goal.

12 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

With the small student/faculty ratio, there is always a chance for a student to get involved with research and plenty of opportunities to get your name out there and learn some valuable tools you can use in the future.

- Joshua Hooker (seated)

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

13

General Chris Adams shares his story with Hayley Hasik, student coordinator for the ETWMP.

14 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

in search of

HEROES Taking notes in history class and reading a textbook are not enough for the six original student interns of the East Texas War and Memory Project (ETWMP). They are passionate about learning history through the first-hand perspectives of military veterans from World War II through the Vietnam War. “These are ordinary people who did

Languages Dr. Gerald Duchovnay’s honor’s

extraordinary things,” said Hayley Hasik,

film course in fall 2011. Gruver’s students

student coordinator of the ETWMP. “All the

started summarizing some of the 200 oral

things we’ve read about in books are events

histories which had sat untouched in the

that real people lived through. And we get

university’s digital collection for almost 40

to meet the men and women who made it

years. In fall 2012, Gruver and Dr. Susan

happen.”

Stewart, associate professor of literature &

Along with Hasik, Courtney Crumpton, Jackson Dailey, Kyle Hackney, Jacob Ham and Travis Ueckert comprised the founding generation of the ETWMP interns.

languages, created two subsequent courses on honors history.

“The most significant challenge a history professor has is finding a way to keep students

The idea to start collecting and preserving

interested in studying history,” Gruver said.

oral histories came in the fall of 2011, when

“I learned that listening to veterans tell their

Dr. Eric Gruver, director of the ETWMP

stories is a different and exciting way to engage

and assistant dean of the Honors College at

students with history.”

A&M-Commerce, realized that 2011 marked

These students wanted to do follow-up

the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on

interviews of the veterans in the university

Pearl Harbor.

archives. They met with Andrea Weddle,

Gruver created an honors course in

head of Special Collections and Archives at

conjunction with Professor of Literature &

Gee Library, and Adam Northam, digital

by Sydni Walker

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

15

collections librarian, and created an internship

World War II to the Vietnam War. Eventually

in spring 2013.

they want to expand this. A few wives have

The students began going through obituaries and discovered that over half of the

New interns Nick Sprenger and Austin Baxley visit Jerry Lamb at his home in Brashear, Texas.

also been interviewed on their experiences at home while their husbands were at war.

veterans the university had interviewed had

Hasik, Crumpton, Dailey and Ueckert are

passed away. The interns could not afford to

mentors to the rest of the fall 2013 intern class,

suffer this tragic loss again, so they carried on

giving them tips on how to conduct interviews.

with the project with a sense of real purpose.

The intern class has evolved and now has 16

The interns started calling the veterans and

students, including Bailie Avrit, Victoria Bass,

their families who were still alive. The last

Austin Baxley, Brittney Bowen, Alexandra

week of February 2013, they began conducting

Burks, Brianna Crews, Margo McCutcheon,

interviews with people who were involved in

Josephine Just, Austin King, Sarah Miller,

World War II. With that, the East Texas War

Meredith Shaw and Nick Sprenger.

and Memory Project was born.

“In high school, we were confined to

Some of the 16 interns are doing veteran interviews like the original six; however, other

textbooks,” said Ueckert. “We were taught who

interns are doing different projects related

won the war and what battles were fought,

to war and memory. For example, Avrit

but we never really understand how many

is documenting the growth of the project

sacrifices were made by each soldier. Working

for her honor’s thesis by attending veteran

with oral histories, we come across these

interviews with her own video camera and

individual stories and experiences. With each

questioning the veterans on why they think

person we come in contact with, we unlock a

the ETWMP is important. Just is working in

new page in the history of each war.”

the university archives to process World War

The interns’ goal is to treat each interview as

I and World War II letters that Marty Marsh

a conversation, not a strict interrogation. They

Jacobs donated to the ETWMP to make them

film every interview to later be uploaded and

available for scholars to use in research.

processed in the library archives.

With 75 interviews under their belts to

“I think the War and Memory Project is wonderful,” said Jacobs. “I’m really excited

date, Hasik is planning to start scheduling

about it, and I think it’s already accomplished

seven veteran interviews a week for the fall

miracles in finding out about the wars and

2013 intern class. Right now, they are only

finding out about the people involved in the

interviewing veterans who have served from

wars, which is what these letters are all about.

Marty Marsh Jacobs donates family letters to the ETWMP.

16 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

The letters from my father and grandfather

mail just like you do. Recognizing that and

contain a lot of personal information, and the

preserving the stories of veterans like these

students will get to know the people who took

two men acknowledges their service to this

part in the wars, and I think that’s important.”

country. And that’s what the ETWMP is all

One of the veterans the interns interviewed was Corporal William Pelley. An Oklahoma

about.”

After getting involved with the War and

native, Pelley’s older brother, John, joined

Memory Project, several students found out

the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl

about a family member who fought in a war

Harbor and served with the 391st Squadron

that they never knew about before.

as a bombardier, flying 35 missions over

“We’ve brought together families,” said

Germany during World War II. Because of

Gruver. “Students and their families have

his brother’s influence, Pelley decided to join

come together and started talking about their

the U.S. Army in 1946. After completing basic

own family histories, and the veterans and

training at Camp Lee, Pelley was shipped to

their families have come together because

Yokahama, Japan, as part of the occupation

many of the veterans never told the stories to

force. Pelley began his college career in the

their wives or kids because no one ever asked,

fall of 1948 at the University of Oklahoma.

or the stories were too painful to tell.”

During his time at OU, he joined the U.S. Air

Already, people are starting to see the

COURTNEY

A 19-year-old sophomore from Cumby,

Force ROTC program, earning the rank of

importance of the War and Memory Project.

Texas, Courtney Crumpton is a sociology

first lieutenant. He graduated from OU in 1952

Rick and Sharon Foster donated $5,000 to the

and history double major with a minor

with a B.B.A. and remained in the Air Force

ETWMP on June 21, 2013.

in psychology. However, she did not

Reserves until 1958. After visiting with Pelley,

“We saw the energy that Dr. Gruver and

realize she liked history until she began

the ETWMP discovered the next day was his

the students had about the project, and it

interviewing veterans. “It’s been a whole

86th birthday. The interns decided to surprise

was contagious,” said Rick Foster. “We

new experience for me to interview

him by bringing him birthday cupcakes and

decided to donate to the project because

veterans firsthand,” Crumpton said. “It has

celebrating with him.

we realized this was a good opportunity for

changed my whole perspective on history.

the students and a good opportunity for

I think it is important to focus on the

their stories, whether it’s in person or on a

the veterans to have their stories heard.

veterans’ actual views of the war, rather

DVD, makes it all real,” said Hasik. “You listen

Each passing day closes a window of

than how the public thinks they perceived

to some of the things they did, and it is the

opportunity to talk to the veterans and

the war.”

stuff you read about or watch in movies, but

see the impact the wars had on them and

this man lives down the street and gets his

their families.”

“Working with veterans and listening to

Rick and Sharon Foster donate to the ETWMP.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

17

Lonnie Beadles served from 1942-1945 in World War II.

Hayley Hasik, a senior history and English double major with a minor in astronomy, is the coordinator of the ETWMP. She was a teaching assistant in the fall 2012 freshmen history and English courses and now helps mentor the other student interns and schedule veteran interviews.

“This whole process has changed me,” Hasik said. “I now understand the sacrifices that were made for me and for this country by people I don’t even know. That has really opened my eyes and made me more of a patriotic person.

We don’t do this project just to capture a ton of stories. This is for the veterans, to show them that someone does care about history.”

18 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

JACOB Growing up in a military family, Jacob Ham has always had an appreciation for military services. His pilot father flies attack helicopters, the same thing George Olsen, a veteran Ham interviewed, did in Vietnam. A sophomore marketing major, Ham was shocked to find out many veterans never got recognized for their services. “The veterans haven’t told a lot of these stories, and in a lot of cases, their families never asked,” said Ham. “We want to be able to preserve these stories, not just for researchers, but also for the families to Jacob Ham delves into the archives in Gee Library, the home base of the ETWMP.

Another significant aspect of the East Texas

“History is not one of the more popular

War and Memory project is building a bridge

subjects in education,” said Gruver. “I have

between the generation gap of college students

seen students go from being disinterested in

and war veterans.

history and government to wanting to know

“It is very important that young people

more. Completing that transformation and

acknowledge and appreciate the experiences

gaining an appreciation that the world is

of people who have come before them,” said

bigger than they are is truly the purpose of

Gruver. “We are creating a multi-generational

a university education. These students have

project. We have 19 to 21-year-old students

made it their goal to speak to veterans they

talking to 75 to 95-year-old people as if they’ve

run into at public events and thank them. Just

known each other for decades. It’s that sort

a smile and twinkle of the eye from the veteran

of project where we are making a personal

has changed these students’ perspectives.

connection; we are building relationships.”

That’s what has made history more relevant to

Gruver and the interns have two goals for the future of the ETWMP. First, they want to

have.”

college students.”

The ETWMP has grown by leaps and

JACKSON With his brother in the military, Jackson

create a series of publications, manuscripts and

bounds since its birth, and it continues to

Dailey knows firsthand what war can

articles that demonstrate that undergraduate

expand. One of the most noteworthy additions

do to a family. As a sophomore history

students can do history. The first manuscript

is the East Texas War and Memory Lecture

major from Sulphur Springs, Texas, Dailey

is already in its editing phase, about to be

Series.

enjoys creating personal relationships with

sent out to a publisher. Second, they hope that

The goal of the ETWMP Lecture Series is

veterans. “Almost every family has been

A&M-Commerce will become a repository

to bring the A&M-Commerce campus and

affected in some way by war,” said Dailey.

for oral histories and artifacts of veterans and

surrounding community together to honor

“My brother is serving in Afghanistan

their families available for the scholarly study

veterans and to learn by listening to their

currently. I connect with these families

of war and memory.

stories. Each lecture series event features a

because I can relate to a lot of the same things they felt.”

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

19

Progr am Developments The ETWMP has begun a mentor program with the Bland High School Historical Society Upcoming presentations with the Northeast Texas Air Force Association First publication of ETWMP in press with The Sound Historian due January 2014 Presentation at Southwest Popular Culture Conference in February 2014 in Albuquerque Presentation at National Popular Culture Conference in April 2014 in Chicago

different veteran speaker from World War II,

Butler. Butler was a member of the Military

the Korean War, the Cold War or the Vietnam

Police Platoon, 23rd Infantry Division during

War. Presentations range from a traditional

World War II. He fought on the beaches of

lecture to a moderated interview, and those in

Normandy and liberated prisoner-of-war

attendance will have the opportunity to ask

camps in Europe.

questions of each veteran.

The first event featured retired Two-Star

The ETWMP interns have already begun scheduling series events for spring 2014.

Maj. Gen. Christopher Adams, Jr., to celebrate

Presentations will take place on Feb. 5, March

the 66th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force.

19 and April 9. All events are scheduled

Adams talked about his 31-year career,

for 3:15 p.m. in Conference Room C of the

starting in the A&M-Commerce ROTC

Rayburn Student Center.

program. During his time in the Air Force,

To stay updated on the latest developments

he was in the Strategic Air Command, flying

from the East Texas War and Memory Project,

B52s in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The second

follow and message the team on Facebook at

lecture series featured retired Army Pfc. Arlen

fb.com/WarandMemory.

Hayley Hasik with Sergeant James McIlroy who was the guest speaker at “An Evening with the Battle Babies.�

He spoke about joining the Army Specialized Training Program at East Texas State Teachers College during World War II, being sent to Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas where he became part of the 99th Infantry Division known as the Battle Babies, and his war experience on the frontlines during the Battle of the Bulge.

Get Involved The ETWMP intern course counts as a history credit and will be offered every semester. Any student at A&M-Commerce is welcome to go through an interview process with Dr. Gruver to be admitted into the course.

You can donate to the ETWMP through the War and Memory Excellence Fund through the Advancement Office at tamuc.edu/give. You can donate photos or documents by contacting Dr. Gruver or Andrea Weddle at ETWMP@tamuc.edu.

Read more veteran bios on the ETWMP Facebook page at fb.com/ WarandMemory.

20 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

Go to pride.tamuc.edu to see the ETWMP team in action!

KYLE

A junior health and human performance major from Greenville, Texas, Kyle Hackney has interviewed both his father and grandfather to preserve their oral histories and family stories. During his time as an intern, Hackney assumed the duties of creating respectful but colorful nicknames for veterans to describe the courage and valor they demonstrated. “The first and most emotionally charged thought that drew me into war and memory was, ‘How can I use this project to recognize the ordinary heroes who are already in my life?’” said Hackney. “For me, the foundation of my involvement was my ability to properly recognize the men who shaped my life.”

TR AVIS

Travis Ueckert grew up in Crandall, Texas, where he first found his love for history. He is now a senior double major in history and English. “I decided to be a part of this project because after working with oral histories, I realized the veterans’ stories needed to be told,” said Ueckert.

“People ought to know about the heroes

Travis Ueckert and Noah Nelson, director of community engagement, honor veterans by planting American flags at their graves in Rosemound Cemetery in Commerce, Texas on Memorial Day. Fall 2013

living among them who receive little to no attention.”

Texas A&M University–Commerce

21

22 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

ccording to the Texas Education Agency, more than two-thirds of the instruction English LanguageLearners (ELL) in Texas receive is delivered by individuals not certified to teach bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum.

While demand for certified bilingual ESL teachers continues to surge all over the nation, the number of those teachers within the

by Torie M

ichelle An

derson

U.S. has not increased enough to match the need, leaving school districts to search far and wide for those who are qualified to deliver instruction in two languages.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

23

However, Drs. Laura Chris Green, María Fernández Lamarque and David Hervás have taken up the task to multiply the quantity—and quality—of bilingual educators right here at A&M-Commerce.

In 2012, the trio developed the research project “¡Enriquecemos!/ We Enrich: A Spanish Intervention for Pre-Service Early Childhood – 6th Grade Bilingual Teachers” as a part of a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. While the grant will provide scholarships and fellowships to prospective and current bilingual teachers, the ¡Enriquecemos!

Laura Chris Green, Ph.D.

component will compare customary instructional methods and newer enrichment techniques in order to determine the best methods to

Bilingual/ESL Education Director | Associate Professor

train undergraduates to teach elementary school students in bilingual

College of Education and Human Services

classrooms. This investigation, according to Lamarque, is an atypical

Academic Department: Curriculum and Instruction 37 years bilingual education and public school administration experience Awarded approximately $2,850,000 in grants

research endeavor.

“When you read the literature in the journals about heritage language and bilingualism in the States, many of the studies deal with social context and the approach of the speaker to society—not so much so far on instructional techniques,” said Lamarque, associate professor and director of Spanish graduate studies. “We are pioneers in addressing how bilingual students really learn.”

To evaluate the teaching techniques within their experiment, the investigators have divided Spanish for Heritage Speakers and Bilingual Education undergraduates into two groups: students who will receive a traditional manner of instruction consisting of memorization, error-finding and weekly quizzes and students who will participate in innovative enrichment workshops. Undergraduates in the traditional workshops will have direct exposure to composition rules while

María Fernández Lamarque, Ph.D. Spanish Graduate Studies Director | Associate Professor College of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts

enrichment workshop students will discover those rules through literature. All of the participants will be trained in instructional approaches to Spanish spelling, grammar and accentuation so that they will be prepared to teach younger students. However, the workshops

Academic Department: Literature and Languages

will also play a crucial role in improving the language skills of the

Hispanic Outreach Faculty of the Year, Spring 2013

undergraduates themselves, many of whom experience difficulties in

More than 20 current or forthcoming publications

producing formal, written Spanish, an impediment that would hinder their ability to teach despite their facility in speaking the language.

“They have very good oral skills, but what we call their ‘academic Spanish,’ especially their written Spanish, is weak. The usual approach that I have seen is that when students have academic difficulties, we remediate,” said Green, associate professor and director of bilingual/ ESL education. “But I’m from a school that believes in the opposite— that students who are struggling need enrichment, not to slow things down. I think this is especially true with regards to language development.”

Green’s enrichment approach to bilingual education presents

Ruddy Mendoza Spanish Master’s Degree Candidate | Spanish Tutor

students with literary texts, such as poems, and asks them to pattern their writing after those pieces that are linguistically rich but short, as not to be overwhelming. The subject matter of the students’ writing,

Academic Department: Literature and Languages

however, is personal—rather than lifted from a textbook—allowing the

Former Secretary of the Hispanic Student Association

undergraduates to find a certain level of confidence earlier on in their

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico; moved to Dallas at age 3

coursework.

“The students can write one or two of these simple poems, and then

24 PRIDEThe 24PRIDE TheAlumni AlumniMagazineFall Magazine 2013

Fall 2013

Fall 2013Texas 2013 A&M University–Commerce25

Texas A&M University–Commerce

25

they share them. When they hear their own words spoken aloud, they realize that they have skills and talent and that they can be decent writers. There’s an attitude shift in their approach to writing,” Green said. “We put a lot of emphasis on learning how to read in elementary school, but learning to write is just as important. It will serve them in elementary school, and then it serves them when we have them in college. ” Green says that Spanish-speaking children first entering school in the U.S. are shortchanged at the onset, as educators often ignore the average of 7,000 words those children know when beginning kindergarten instead of seeing their Spanish proficiency as an opportunity to create individuals who are fully bilingual. These children, according to Green, have fewer opportunities as adults because they lack a high degree of expertise in all areas of their native language. ¡Enriquecemos! addresses this obstacle that is shared by many undergraduates and the younger

J

Top: Traditional dance performance at the Commerce Plaza Comunitaria graduation in September 2013

students they will go on to teach. ust last spring, Ruddy Mendoza

will allow students to impact the Hispanic

was one of those undergraduates.

community outside of A&M-Commerce before

Mendoza has now moved into the

they receive the degrees and certifications

Spanish master’s program, and

necessary for elementary classrooms. The

under the supervision of Drs. Lamarque

Plaza is a joint effort of the university,

and Green, she is the graduate assistant in

the Mexican Consulate in Dallas and the

the ¡Enriquecemos! project. While working

Commerce Independent School District.

toward her teaching certification, Mendoza

It serves as a learning center for Hispanic

will play several roles in the project. With

adults seeking ESL instruction, assistance

Lamarque, Mendoza will use more traditional

in improving literacy, tutoring for the GED

methods to teach language rules that the

in Spanish and information on attaining

students must apply in their assignments.

citizenship. While parents who attend the

She will also help Green conduct enrichment

Plaza are learning, the undergraduates taking

workshops for Bilingual Education students

part in ¡Enriquecemos! provide the children

in Commerce and at the Mesquite Metroplex

with instruction based on the enrichment

location. As a researcher, Mendoza will collect

techniques from their workshops, such as

the students’ writing as data and use a rubric

performing reader’s theater, which asks

to measure the dimensions of academic

students to create and read scripts based on

Spanish that the investigators are hoping to

the dialogue in Spanish children’s books.

improve: vocabulary, voice, flow, accentuation, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

Bottom: ¡Enriquecemos! in action as

“As a bilingual speaker, I can relate to the

elementary students learn through

At the close of the 2013-2014 academic year—after two semesters of thorough training through rigorous but fun workshops

struggles many native speakers have in reading

and engaging work in the community—

enrichment techniques with Elsa Carter, at

and writing in their own native language,”

the ¡Enriquecemos! team expects that the

the LP Waters Early Childhood Center.

Mendoza said. “This investigation can help

project will produce a body of instructional

us gain a new insight into teaching by using

techniques for teachers in elementary

literature and interaction, and our study can

bilingual classrooms. The workshop

help bilingual teachers utilize a more effective

participants’ success will be measured

approach to teaching so that the Hispanic

according to their performances on final

community can enrich its own language

achievement assessments. Ultimately, a new

instead of losing it.”

class of teachers with enhanced language skills

In fact, through practice at the Commerce

26 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

will emerge from A&M-Commerce, ready to

Plaza Comunitaria (Community Plaza), which

educate those who require classes that will

opened at A.C. Williams Elementary School

equally develop their Spanish and English,

in January 2012, the ¡Enriquecemos! project

rather than rejecting one for the other.

Fall 2013

Enrich your understanding of ¡Enriquecemos! by listening to Drs. Green and Lamarque and Ruddy discuss the project at pride.tamuc.edu

“Being a bilingual teacher is difficult because you’re like any other elementary teacher; you’re teaching all subjects... except you’re doing it in two languages.”

Though ¡Enriquecemos! is just moving into

¡PROFES! Preparing Teachers & Administrators to Better Serve English Learners in Bilingual, ESL & STEM Classrooms

¡Enriquecemos! is a part of the ¡Profes! grant, a five-year collaboration between the Departments of Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction at A&M-Commerce. The grant seeks to assist in increasing the number of bilingual/ESL educators and administrators in North/Northeast Texas.

The grant funds one undergraduate scholarship for up to $3,000 per year and two graduate scholarships offering a maximum of $4,000 each for an academic year. For more

its second year, it sets the standard for creating

information about ¡Profes!, visit sites.tamuc.edu/profes.

a succession of more effective bilingual

educators. After witnessing how Mendoza has thrived, Lamarque has marveled at the possibilities.

“We have students who come directly to the graduate program, but Ruddy started with us as an undergraduate. She went through all of these approaches with us, and now she’s

Maria Ruelas at LP Waters Early Childhood Center

teaching the different groups for our study. I think that is very remarkable that Ruddy has reached this level of proficiency. For me, it’s a great achievement,” said Lamarque. “Why not, in the future, have more students like her enroll?”

To that end, the team is gearing up for a heavy-duty recruitment push to encourage more students to head down this challenging but worthwhile path.

“Being a bilingual teacher is difficult because you’re like any other elementary teacher; you’re teaching all subjects. You’re responsible for all of that, except you’re doing it in two languages. It’s harder than the average teaching assignment,” said Green.

But the instructional methods that will surface as the return of these researchers’ investment in the ¡Enriquecemos! project will make the assignment easier and more beneficial to the young bilingual students who may one day arrive at A&M-Commerce to continue this cycle.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

27

PLASMA ON THE RISE

by Andi Miller

“Plasma is not new, catalysts are not new, but combining them is quite new.”

Dr. Ben Jang holds the distinguished honor of being the first person in A&M-Commerce’s history to receive a U.S. patent for his work with RF non-thermal plasma techniques to modify catalyst materials for industrial processes. After five years of determination and perseverance through the application process, Jang is confident in his work but keeps an eye to the future.

“It’s an accomplishment and it brings recognition, but we also want to take this to the next level. With the right resources, personnel, and time, we strive to attract investors to further market this technology to benefit chemistry students, faculty and the community.”

The patent is for RF non-thermal plasma techniques for catalyst development to improve process efficiencies. It is a mouthful, but at its core, it’s a process most people can probably recognize or appreciate.

“Plasma technology is being used in the semiconductor industry to do etching. It can also be used to put a coating on a car bumper and other items,” said Jang. “Plasma is not new, catalysts are not new, but combining them is quite new, and we are leading technology advancement in this area.”

The plasma can be generated using a gas or vapor of hydrogen, argon, oxygen or any vapor, and the goal is to demonstrate the unique capability of the RF plasma technique to improve the efficiency of various catalytic processes by controlling the surface properties of catalysts and inducing unique interaction between metals and supports.

“Catalysts are widely used in the chemical industry and energy or fuel processes,” said Jang. “There is definitely great potential, but it takes time and personnel and additional resources to market the patent to industry.”

Going forward, Jang hopes to develop the technology to greater maturity. Companies take risks when they adopt new processes, so it will require additional investigation to solidify the existing data, streamline and mature the process further and hopefully entice companies to adopt Jang’s technology in their own production. It is a bright future ahead, not only for Jang, but for investors and industry alike.

Dr. Ben Jang demonstrates the plasma tests to a graduate student.

28 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

D

MIRACLES OF THE HEART

by Torie Michelle Anderson r. Larry Lemanski’s interest in

who have had heart attacks or have cardiac

embryonic cardiac development

disease be able to repair their own hearts by

initiated his study of the Mexican

taking their own skin, treating it with this

axolotl, an aquatic salamander with a cardiac

RNA, causing it to form into cardiac tissue

lethal mutation that can cause its heart

and putting it on their hearts to repair them,”

to fail to beat. Through experimentation,

said Lemanski. “Such an approach would

Lemanski, Distinguished Research Professor

change the way heart failure is being treated in

and head of the department of biological and

that new muscle would replace the scar tissue,

environmental sciences, and his research team

and these patients could then return to pre-

found that adding the cardiac tissue of normal

heart attack activities.”

axolotl embryos to the mutant hearts would

While funding from the National Institutes

cause them to beat. Further investigation

of Health (NIH) and the American Heart

“Such an approach would change the way heart failure is being treated”

revealed that the chemical that made this possible was ribonucleic acid (RNA).

After identifying the active portion of the axolotl’s RNA that causes the rescue of the mutant hearts—a substance the

group has termed MyofibrilInducing RNA (MIR)—the

researchers explored other species

the initial research possible, Lemanski has applied for additional grant funding from the NIH to support the research to repair heart attack damage in mice, a step in learning the prospects for humans.

“If you can take a skin cell and make it form

options. Tests with the cardiac MIR of sheep

into a heart cell, maybe you can take a skin

and later on, that of adult humans, have shown

cell and make it form into a nerve cell or any

that the MIR of other animals would also

other cell,” said Lemanski.

rescue those mutant axolotl hearts. However,

The possibilities have led Lemanski to

the group’s most interesting finding may be

submit proposals for patents on the MIR.

that when the MIR of humans is added to

The Texas A&M University System is

skin or stem cells—rather than cells from the

currently reviewing them and final plans

heart—they also transform into functioning

for the submission of a provisional patent

cardiac muscle cells.

are in the works—as is consideration for

“If we can understand this totally and apply it to clinical medicine, we could have people Fall 2013

Association (AHA) has made

future pharmaceutical production and commercialization.

Texas A&M University–Commerce

29

DETECTING

DANGER Nikolay M. Sirakov, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science College of Science, Engineering & Agriculture Academic Departments: Mathematics; Computer Science and Information Systems Researched automatic skin cancer recognition in 2010 30 PRIDEThe 30PRIDE TheAlumni AlumniMagazineFall Magazine 2013

Fall 2013

F

by Torie Michelle Anderson or many people, conversations over coffee are for small

to the 2013 paper “From Shape to Threat: Exploiting the Convergence

talk—the weather, dinner plans, the humdrum details of

Between Visual and Conceptual Organization for Weapon Identification

daily life. For Drs. Nikolay Sirakov and Salvatore Attardo,

and Threat Assessment,” Dr. Attardo teamed with Dr. Christian

oftentimes conversations over coffee are for exploring how

Hempelmann and graduate student Carlo Di Ferrante to develop an

computers can recognize weapons and assess threats to

ontology of weapons—that is, a repository of information that specifies

security in schools, banks and local favorite locations for lattes.

each kind of weapon and its characteristics similar to the way the

“It actually started out with Dr. Sirakov and I having coffee at the

human brain stores data. Meanwhile, students working in tandem with

Cowhill. He and I would go there and always have coffee and talk about

Dr. Sirakov, joined by Dr. Abdullah Arslan, have begun to develop the

ideas,” Attardo said. “He is a mathematician, and I am a linguist. But we

program that moves an object from simple pixels to potential peril.

had this idea that we could do something that brought together our two fields.”

That idea was to have video monitoring that operates in conjunction with a computer program that can recognize whether a weapon is in a scene. If a weapon were detected, the system would automatically

“The ontology tells us how many rounds are in a magazine, how long a barrel is, how far one can shoot with it,” said Hempelmann. “And it groups them by the way they look, by the contours. Based on this, you can identify the gun and ask, ‘How dangerous is this guy?’”

The computer code responds to that question through a process

notify the police. But how does one give a computer the sophisticated,

Attardo describes as a target shrinking until it zeroes in on an area.

humanlike capacity to determine if what it has spotted is a deadly

Then, like an individual using an Etch-a-Sketch, with the right

weapon?

instructions, the computer can outline a particular object. By pulling

A possible answer lies in the combination of mathematics and

from a series of numbers that represent the shapes of each of the 73

computational linguistics—a field that has given society closed

weapons currently listed in the team’s ontology, the computer

captioning, digital spellcheckers and voice recognition. In the research

could then identify which weapon has been captured on video

that began four years ago as a conversational topic at Cowhill and led

and alert the appropriate authorities for the level of threat,

Fall 2013Texas 2013 A&M University–Commerce31

Texas A&M University–Commerce

31

Abdullah Arslan, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Computer Science College of Science, Engineering & Agriculture Academic Department: Computer Science and Information Systems Winner of 2010-2011 The Texas A&M University System Teaching Excellence Award

which would be a revolutionary innovation for active shooter situations.

“I joked with Abdullah, ‘Maybe we will get

me as a professional. I learned from them

this.’ But when we did not hear from them for

by observing how they approached the work

two or three weeks after the symposium, we

and following their advice. The confidence in

identification and smart threat assessment can

decided this is not us,” Sirakov said. “We were

myself that they inspired allowed me to trust

be done using visual analysis. We hope that in

very happy to hear at the beginning of July

my instincts and work hard on them.”

the future, our ontology and software system

that we won the best paper award.”

“Our current system shows that weapon

will be fully implemented, integrated with

The award, sponsored by the Lockheed

Newfound confidence in tow, Di Ferrante says that at A&M-Commerce he has also

different surveillance platforms and deployed

Martin Corporation, came with a $2,000

found the experience and knowledge he had

in places where security is very important,”

prize and a certain sense of accomplishment.

been seeking. After completing his first round

said Arslan. “We hope that lives will be saved

Researchers from universities such as

of higher education in his native country of

by early detection of weapons in such places.”

Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins

As the team refines the computer code, extends the ontology and applies for additional

were among their competitors.

Carlo Di Ferrante can feel

Italy, Di Ferrante discovered few work opportunities at home. However, coming to A&M-Commerce

grants in their continued work to make this

especially proud. He built the

to pursue his master’s degree

concept an actuality, national organizations

computational structure and

in computer science paved

in the fields of defense and security have

folder hierarchy for the weapons

the way for his current

predictably taken notice.

ontology and is the only student

opportunity: a six-month

to appear as an author on the

engineering internship

In 2011, Sirakov submitted a report to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

award-winning “From Shape to

(DARPA), which funds research that assists

Threat” publication.

in maintaining the “technological superiority

“I always felt like a part of the

of the U.S. military.” The submission led to

research team, and they also made me

an invitation to the Society of Photographic

feel like my opinion was as valuable

Instrumentation Engineers’ (SPIE) 2013

as theirs,” Di Ferrante said of his

Defense, Security and Sensing Symposium

co-authors. “The work with

in Baltimore. There, in the Automatic Target

professors has been

Recognition conference, Sirakov and Arslan

the thing that I

presented the “From Shape to Threat” paper

think has most

and found it in the running for the best paper

contributed

of the conference.

to preparing

32 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

with Google London. He is working on “text-to-speech” systems, and he credits the

Christian Hempelmann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Computational Linguistics Director of the Ontological Semantic Technology Laboratory College of Humanities, Social Sciences & Arts Academic Department: Literature and Languages Preparing The Linguistics of the Pun for publication in 2014

university and his professor

Fall 2013

colleagues for giving him the skills to succeed

computer science are about how to make

as a Googler.

computers process and resolve problems like

“Abdullah Arslan taught me about data

the human brain does. It requires the science

structure and algorithm design. He is one

of computers to be contaminated with the

of the people I respect the most because he

science of humanity,” Di Ferrante said. “I

inspired me. I saw in him someone that really

think A&M-Commerce’s progress in this

loves what he teaches,” Di Ferrante said. “I also

direction is beyond most of the universities

enjoyed the work breakfasts with Christian

in the world. We wrote a paper on weapon

Hempelmann and the humor of Nikolay

recognition, but the techniques we used could

Sirakov. All these things together with the

be applied in a number of ways that are limited

wise guidance of Dr. Attardo and the warmth

only by our imagination.”

of all the people I met made me love both working and studying at A&M-Commerce.

A&M-Commerce gave to me, during one year, more than I could have ever imagined to get from studying at a university.”

It is no surprise that Di Ferrante says that he looks forward to returning to the university to “continue enjoying the greatness of this challenging and warm place.” After all, he recognizes that the team is just at the genesis of cutting edge research with added implications for airport security scanning and image processing in the healthcare field.

“Research shows that new trends in Fall 2013

Salvatore Attardo, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences & Arts Academic Department: Literature and Languages Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Humor Studies (SAGE, 2014)

Texas A&M University–Commerce

33

Don’t let the details of this research go undetected. View our conversation with Drs. Attardo, Sirakov, Hempelmann and Arslan online at pride.tamuc.edu

by Taelor Duckwor th

34 PRIDEThe 34PRIDE TheAlumni AlumniMagazineFall Magazine 2013

Dr. Shulan Lu, Associate Professor

Fall 2013

at h W

i

rm a e f on

tw s wa

lo s a e ic

st a ng

o he

t

r? e h

place comprised of the perfect mesh of the “real world” and a virtual reality created by computer programmers is currently under construction.

Dr. Shulan Lu, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Derek

Kotha, and Manoj Indupuru; and undergraduate students, Sarah

Harter, associate professor of computer science and information

Wang, Rachel Bailey and Heather Graham have all had the unique

systems, have been working diligently with several student researchers

experience of learning from and working intently with Drs. Lu

with the hopes of creating a space where people are not sure whether

and Harter.

or not they are in real life or a virtual reality. They’ve entitled their work “Perceiving and Enacting Actions in Virtual Environments.”

Going into its fifth year, the project has outlived one grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is now funded by its second

Former Ph.D. students, Dr. Terry Rawlinson and Dr. Paweena

one. With some $570,000 in grant money and a little support from the

Kosito; graduate students, Pratyush Kotturu, Gang Wu, Sandeep

U.S. Department of Energy, the team shows no signs of slowing down.

Fall 2013Texas 2013 A&M University–Commerce35

Texas A&M University–Commerce

35

The goal of this research is to discover whether gesture alone is

arm. This helps understand a person’s mindset and decision-making

enough to create a real action and effect as well as triggering the risk

when taken out of the real world. Robotic arms can also be useful to

avoidance contingency. In layman’s terms, they would like to know

deep-sea oil drilling. By using robots to do the major part of the job, it

whether a person participating in a virtual reality situation would

can take people out of high-risk situations. They are also working with

think, act and react as if it were real life. If a motion is made to cut

the University of Memphis, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

your arm, would you think it’s real? Would you pull away or let it “cut”

and Stanford University on possible crisis training for terrorist attacks

you? For anyone who has seen the movie Avatar, it sounds just like

for law enforcement and civilians. One can never be too prepared, and

Pandora. If people spent enough time living as an avatar in a different

the ability to react to stressful, high-intensity situations could result

world, it would seem as though it would be hard to tell the difference

in lives being saved and tragedies avoided. The results from these tests

between what is real and what is not after a period of time.

will help to build more programs and situations that benefit larger

While it all sounds kind of magical, the

audiences like training surgeons, piloting aircrafts

mechanics of it are entirely plausible. Most

and even psychotherapy.

“Today, many professionals are being trained ...it helps us to through virtual environments to do everything understand how our from flying airplanes to performing the medical brains work and procedure of intubation,” said Rawlinson. “The community needs to ensure that humans what last minute scientific are engaging such systems in meaningful ways decisions people will that result in competency, just as in the real life.

Ensuring that we get it right is what intrigued make when they me the most about being able to help with are put in do or die this research.”

A large portion of the work investigates how taking situations. on an avatar’s body might change the perception of our

people working on the project are electronic engineers and computer scientists who work on the hardware and building of the “other world” with Harter. The other students work with Lu on the cognitive psychology of it all. They’re constantly looking for ways to get a person to be more immersed in a virtual world.

The project may seem trivial at first, but the goals of the research are to make a better world. The findings from these virtual tests will work to revolutionize a

multitude of professional fields. Doctors can

own bodies. It’s a collaborative work with Dr. Roberta

embody humanoid robots to make surgical

Klatsky from Carnegie Mellon University who serves as a

tasks much more precise and accurate. One

professor of psychology and human

experiment gives the participant an

computer interaction as well

especially long arm to see how he

as a faculty member of their

or she adjusts to understanding

Center for Neural Basis

the reach he or she would

of Cognition.

normally have with a regular arm versus the long

36 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Graduate Student Gang Wu

Fall 2013

How do Drs. Lu and Harter and Pratyush create virtual worlds? Find out at pride.tamuc.edu

This cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional effort helps students

academic as well as my professional career. They have been advisors,

and faculty alike to network within their field.

professors and personal friends.”

“The working environment that Dr. Lu and Dr. Harter provided was

By facilitating this kind of opportunity, our university is better

challenging and interesting,” said Wang. “Even though psychology

equipping its students for their professional lives because they are

is not my major, and I am just an undergraduate student, they took

given a chance to take the knowledge they’ve learned from books and

my suggestions and opinions seriously. What I have gained from this

lectures and apply it outside their classrooms.

student worker position helped my personal growth, and I learned to take my responsibilities seriously.”

Student employees are given access to software they will use in their respective industries as well as learning and experiencing other

Harter says he started in artificial intelligence, but he was not

fields of research. They can learn about the newest technologies and

satisfied because early and traditional artificial intelligence was

get paid at the same time. The faculty offers a high-level of expertise,

not as concerned with cognition, or how humans and animals are

and because of the size of this university, students are given closer

actually intelligent. This principle is important because it helps us

attention and more interaction.

to understand how our brains work and what last minute decisions people will make when they are put in do or die situations.

The most recent evidence of testing showed that a person making a

Through team building activities and the way they are cultivating lives these professors show that they really care about their students and do not view them as worker bees. When a person feels appreciated

gesture alone without the physical object for performing the actions

for the work they do and for the person they are, it really makes for

was not sufficient enough to illicit a response. For example, you’re in

productive, creative and innovative professionals. Promoting these

the virtual space. Dr. Lu has told you that you’re playing a baseball

types of relationships creates a strong bond within the research team,

game. It’s the bottom of the ninth, two outs, runners in scoring

and thus furthers the project immeasurably.

position, and you’re up to bat with a full count. If you don’t have a bat in your hand and there’s no evidence of the scenario, your brain

When asked why it is important for this research to take place here at this university, Lu answered, “The honest answer is because we’re here. Dallas is a technology corridor that is quickly growing, and that affords students the opportunity for feedback from the community and companies as well as possible collaborations with these entities.”

Their work with virtual environments still has some run time left.

The NSF grant will end in August 2014, and after that, the professors and student researchers are looking to the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security for options. While we can never have a 100% virtual world, this research works to dig deeper and push harder into the vast unknown. There must be some overlap and abstractness, but if the reality they are creating can ultimately change the way we think, feel and behave it’s impossible to tell where that will take us. Projects such as these will lead our university and our world into the future with open arms and minds to take us to places we most certainly have

Dr. Derek Harter, Professor

never been before.

understands that it’s not real. Nothing will happen if you strike out.

You know it’s all pretend. However, if you are given a bat and a pitcher is placed in front of you with a stadium full of screaming fans, you begin to believe it’s real. The environment will trigger the feelings associated with a high pressure situation, and you’ll perform the way you would in reality.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the entire project taking place on the A&M-Commerce campus is the student interaction. A few college kids who came to Commerce hoping to get their degrees and move on have found that working on this project has been life-changing.

“I feel so lucky to have met Dr. Lu and Dr. Harter and to have been given the opportunity to work with them,” said Wu, a Computer Science student who worked on the project and graduated in May. “Through their depth of knowledge, enthusiasm and life experiences, their advice and guidance have been a positive influence in both my Fall 2013

Texas Pratyush A&M University–Commerce Graduate Student Kotturu

37

Kyleah Murphy, a student in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program–under the advisement of Dr. William Newton, assistant professor of physics and astronomy–wrote a paper on the cooling of the neutron star in Cassiopeia. They submitted

More Fearless Investigators As a part of The National Science Foundation’s

the paper to Astrophysical Journal Letters,

Preparing Students for an Interconnected World

one of the most highly regarded journals

A team of university administrators, faculty

in the field. The paper has just received a

and students is leading the development of

very favorable review and will hopefully be

the A&M-Commerce Quality Enhancement

published. Murphy was nominated to the

Plan (QEP)—Preparing Students for an

National REU Conference in Arlington, Va.,

Interconnected World—which is part of

where she presented the results of her research

the process to reaffirm accreditation with

in October.

the Southern Association of Colleges and

Research Experience for Undergraduates

Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

(REU) program, the Department of Physics

In the paper “Ben Jonson on Shakespeare’s

Dr. Shonda Gibson, executive director of

& Astronomy hosts a unique REU program

Chaucer,” professor and graduate student

global learning, is the author of the QEP.

to provide community and junior college

team, Dr. Kathryn Jacobs and D’Andra

Dr. Chip Fox chairs the committee and is

students exposure to ongoing research in the

White, argue that Ben Jonson’s criticism of

also a contributor. Contributors also include

sciences. Over the past three years, Drs. Bao-

William Shakespeare was partially driven

graduate research assistants Natalia Assis,

An Li, Charles Rogers, Anil Chourasia,

by Jonson’s disapproval of Shakespeare’s

Andrea Slobodnikova, Hadeer Shelash,

Matt Wood, Kent Montgomery, William

borrowings from Geoffrey Chaucer—a

Patcha Charoensukmongkol, Pratyush

Newton and Kurtis Williams have

motive Jacobs says has not been previously

Kotturu, Ashley Kimble and Adeyinka

engaged students in a variety of projects,

documented. The paper has garnered

Akeju. Over 400 undergraduates have

including the professors’ current research

significant recognition, including acceptance

contributed directly to the creation of the

on nuclear reactions, asteroid rotation and

to The Chaucer Review, the preeminent

QEP by participating in in-depth personal

white dwarf stars, with a goal of encouraging

journal of Chaucerian research.

interviews and focus group sessions.

engineering or mathematics degrees at

Assistant professor of computational

As more academic programs move to online

four-year universities.

linguistics and director of the Ontological

formats, the need for analysis of the delivery of

these students to pursue science, technology,

Semantic Technology Lab,

courses increases. Dr. R.N.

Dr. Matt A. Wood, department head and

Dr. Christian

Singh, head of the A&M-

professor of physics and astronomy, presented

Hempelmann, and

Commerce Department of

“Lessons Learned from the Cataclysmic

graduate student co-authors

Sociology and Criminal

Variables in the NASA Kepler Field” at the

Elisa Gironzetti, Hilal

Justice, has worked to

Kepler Astroseismic Science Consortium

Ergül, Shigehito Menjo

evaluate the current online

Conference held in Sydney, Australia, in

and Adel Aldawsari are investigating overlap

Master of Science in Applied Criminology

June 2013. The Kepler satellite has provided

and disjunction in the concepts that the

program. Singh also interviewed faculty

four years of continuous monitoring at a

English language denotes with the words

members and other professionals involved

cadence as short as

laugh, smile and grin. Their study, “Laughing

with online teaching at seven universities in

one minute of over

and Smiling: An Interlingual Lexical Field

northeast Texas to pinpoint challenges the

a dozen of the close,

Study,” focuses on the use of those words in

online applied criminology program may

interacting binary stars

Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the

face as it advances.

known as cataclysmic

Cuckoo’s Nest.” The team has compared the

variables. These

English version to translations in Japanese,

systems have orbital

Spanish, Italian, Saudi Arabic, German,

sociology, is researching the

periods as short as 90

Turkish and French, finding that most

unprecedented level of

minutes and display

languages have a distinction between two or

globalization that has

outbursts and transient

all three of the words. In the next stage of the

occurred in China over the

periodicities that give

project, the researchers will expand the study

last three decades in the

a window into the

to all of the other languages Kesey’s novel has

nature of viscosity of

been translated into by recruiting native

of Globalization: From Isolated to

astrophysical fluids.

speakers from A&M-Commerce and beyond.

Globally Connected.”

38 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Dr. Jiaming Sun, associate professor of

paper “Social Consequences

Fall 2013

Dr. Scott Lancaster, research and instruction librarian, presented “Using Google Books for Academic Research” at the Digital Frontiers Conference at the University of North Texas in September 2013.

Adam Northam, digital collections librarian, and Sean Anderson, technology librarian, presented “Digital Popcorn: Making Media Better” at the Internet Librarian 2013 Conference in Monterrey, Calif.

Susan Andrews, serials librarian, and Sandy Hayes, monographs, acquisitions,

Benjamin May, assistant professor of

and cataloging librarian, presented “Imagine

social work, had the paper

More Space in your Library! Weeding

“Teaching Multi-Cultural

Bound Periodicals” at the Charleston

Knowledge and Attitudes

Conference 2013.

within Social Work Programs with Inclusion of

Gail Johnston, associate director of

Individuals with Learning

libraries, along with Marilyn Powers,

Disability” accepted to the International

district librarian of Como-Pickton ISD,

Journal of Arts and Commerce in July 2013.

presented “Information Literacy: Navigate, Then Evaluate” at the Region 8 Education

Dr. Brandon Randolph-Seng, assistant

Service Center LITE Conference.

professor of management, has published three

Drs. Lon Johnston and

papers and completed three presentations this

Chris Stewart,

Rick Gavos, a recent graduate of the Master

year. His work can be found in Leadership

associate professors of

of Fine Arts program, received an AIGA (Re)

Quarterly, Business Communications

social work, published a

design Award at the 2013 AIGA National

Quarterly and the Journal of Leadership and

journal article, “Still

Design Conference in Minneapolis. This

Organizational Studies.

international competition honors graphic designers and visual communicators for

Among the Missing? A Content Analysis of LGBT Articles in

Dr. Robin Anne Reid, professor of

Social Work Journals, 1998-2009,” in the

their commitment to design that strives to

English, and Dr. Christian

most recent edition of the Journal of Gay

improve people’s lives and positively impacts

Hempelmann are creating

and Lesbian Social Services.

our planet. Gavos’ winning work was from

the first corpus (annotated

his MFA thesis, “The Sustainable Design

database) on the works of J.

Dr. Carlos Bertulani,

Office: LEED-type Certification for Graphic

R. R. Tolkien. In the fall

professor of physics and

Design.” It defines parameters for green

semester, students in Reid’s

astronomy, was recently

graphic design practices, including employing

Style and Stylistics course have learned how to

elected a Fellow of the

current graphic-arts-industry environmental

create a corpus by applying linguistic theories

American Physical

practices, overlaying select architectural LEED

to literature as Hempelmann’s students have

certification criteria

explored the cutting edge field of

member of the Committee of Education of

and creating

computational linguistics, which allows for the

the APS. He was chair of the NSF

a holistic

analysis of literary texts via computer

Graduate Research Fellowship Program

approach to

programs. As these courses come to a close,

Panel for Physics and

best practices

students may continue work on the Tolkien

Astronomy and published a

in the

Corpus Project, which will be available online

new book, “Nuclei in the

graphic design

to fill a critical gap in Tolkien studies for

Cosmos,” for physics

profession.

scholars in the field.

graduate students.

Fall 2013

Society (APS) and a

Texas A&M University–Commerce

39

SAVING CITRUS In the study “An Analysis of the Potential

Economic Impact of Huanglongbing on the

THE LINE UP

California Citrus Industry,” assistant professor of agribusiness, Dr. Jose A. Lopez, and

At nearly 50, Texas leads the nation in the

graduate student Samantha

number of convictions overturned as a result

Durborow conducted an

of DNA evidence, where 80 percent of those

economic analysis of the

wrongful convictions were, in part, the

impact of the disease citrus

result of eyewitness misidentification. In the

greening, or Huanlongbing, on the California

research project “The Influence of Perpetrator

citrus industry in 2011

Distinctiveness on the Weapon-focus Effect

and 2012. In a span

and Simultaneous Versus Sequential Lineup

of 20 years,

Performance: An ROC Analysis,” Drs. Curt

Huanlongbing-

and Maria Carlson, assistant professors of

infected citrus trees

psychology, have investigated the variables

could cause a $2.7

assistant professor

that affect the accuracy of eyewitness lineups,

billion loss in

of psychology, was

working to pinpoint ways lineups can be

production value if

recently awarded

improved to increase the selection of guilty

nothing is done versus $2.2 billion under an

the university’s

suspects over those who are innocent. In an

aggressive action approach in California,

experiment with more than 2,500 participants,

which contributes 80 percent of the fresh

the Carlsons have uniquely studied the

oranges in the U.S.

Dr. Curt Carlson,

2013 Junior Faculty Research Award.

Carlson is the

intersection of the effects of the presence of a

coordinator of

weapon, the distinctiveness of the perpetrator

Project Participants

the Educational

and how the lineups are presented. Thus far,

1 Dr. Curt Carlson

Psychology Doctoral

the pair has found that the sequential lineup

2 Dr. Maria Carlson

Program, and his

that shows each person one at a time and has

3 Jane Bednarz, Doctoral student

been implemented in several states, including

4 Alex Wooten, Doctoral

research revolves

Texas, may not be more effective than the

5 Dave Young, Masters student

around cognitive

traditional simultaneous lineup that allows

6 Natalie Saladino, Masters

witnesses to view all members at once.

7 Amanda Tucker, Masters

award-winning

psychology.

8 Jessica Mayberry, Doctoral

40 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

TOUCH TO TALK In a dialogue-driven world, Dr. Lucy

COMING TOGETHER

Pickering, director of the Applied Linguistics

Next year, in addition to celebrating the

with speech impairments to partake in

125 years since its establishment in 1889,

conversations. In the study, “Linguistic

A&M-Commerce will mark its 50th year as

Characteristics of AAC Discourse in the

a desegregated campus. In conjunction with

Workplace,” Pickering, her team of students

this event, Dr. Shannon Carter, associate

and researchers from Georgia State University

professor of English and director of the

and the Georgia Institute of Technology,

Converging Literacies Center, will recount

collected and transcribed recordings of

the stories of local racial justice efforts in

workplace discourse from AAC and non-AAC

Commerce in her book, “Coming Together:

users. Those recordings were used to identify

A History of Civic Engagement, Civil Rights,

speech patterns and strategies of AAC users

and Racial Justice in a Rural University Town.”

and compare them to those of individuals

Starting with founder William Leonidas Mayo,

who do not require the devices. The study

Carter moves through history and geography,

amounted to more than 220 hours of speech,

from segregated neighborhoods near the

offering a corpus of language larger than any

campus to the impact of African-American

other including AAC users. Results indicate

students upon their arrival at the university in

that AAC users produce more informational,

1964. Over the course of four years, Carter and

non-narrative speech than their non-AAC

her team of students have worked to recover,

counterparts. This information moves the

share and preserve stories about race and civic

researchers one step closer to providing the

engagement in Commerce, contributing to the

foundation for programming that will bring

renewal of many of the social justice efforts

AAC users’ speech closer to the expectations of

they represent.

work environments.

Fall 2013

Laboratory, is working to improve the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that allow individuals

Be part of something great.

To get involved with any of these projects, learn

more about a former professor or department, or to simply have a discussion about how you can impact a deserving student, contact: Wayne Davenport Senior Director of Development College of Science, Engineering, & Agriculture Wayne.Davenport@tamuc.edu (903) 468-8182 Wyman Williams Director of Development College of Business & Entrepreneurship Wyman.Williams@tamuc.edu (903) 468-8187 Devon Herrman Associate Director of Development College of Education & Human Services Devon.Herrman@tamuc.edu (903) 468-8198 John McCarty Associate Director of Development College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts John.McCarty@tamuc.edu (903) 468-8167 Taylor Fore Associate Director of Development Athletics Taylor.Fore@tamuc.edu (817) 683-4485 These individuals are available to assist you in determining how best you can help transform people’s lives through education.

Texas A&M University–Commerce

41

Noteworthy Lee A. Whitmarsh, director of visual

Dr. Joyce Miller, associate professor in

Dr. Carmen F. Salazar,

communications, recently received a Golden

the A&M-Commerce Department of

professor of counseling,

Orchard Award for teaching given by the

Curriculum and Instruction, was elected

has been appointed to a

Dallas Society of Visual Communications.

as one of three delegates to represent the

three-year term as senior

Jackie Wahrmund, animal

United States at the biennial conference of

associate editor of

science assistant professor,

the World Council for Gifted and Talented

raised a home-bred filly

Children (WCGTC), Inc. The role of the

named Blue Excellence who

Council delegates is to promote the activities

Paige Bussell, university

was crowned World

of the World Council and encourage

registrar, recently received

Champion Two-Year-Old

the Journal of Counseling and Development.

research and support of issues addressing

the 2013 Barton/Nelson

Three-Gaited Horse at the Kentucky State

the needs of the gifted and talented student.

Leadership Award at the

Fair World’s Championship Horse Show on

Miller was seated as a voting delegate at

2013 Salt Lake City, Utah

Aug. 23 with trainer Peter Mace riding.

the 2013 WCGTC conference in Louisville,

CoHEsion Conference in

Wahrmund has been breeding American

Ky., and will conclude her term at the 2015

recognition of outstanding service,

Saddlebreds for nine years and this is her

conference, which will be held in Denmark.

leadership and vision. CoHEsion is a

Dr. Sandy Kimbrough,

membership organization of the community

Dr. Brent Donham,

associate professor of health

of users from all the global education

department head and

and human performance,

solutions of Ellucian Library.

associate professor of

and some of her students

John Kaulfus, assistant

engineering and technology,

are providing family fitness

vice president and dean of

was named a finalist for the

classes twice a week for

campus life and student

first World Champion.

Community Seeds in Lone Oak, Texas.

development, was named

Business Council’s Tech Titan of the Future

Metroplex Technology

SEEDS’ programs address the multiple

president of the Texas

Award for his Pre-Service STEM Teacher

factors affecting low-income, working poor

Summer Camp. The award recognizes

and underserved families that tend to keep

University Student Personnel Administrators

educators and education programs that

them in poverty and place them at risk of

(TACUSPA) on Oct. 13 at the association’s

encourage and support students to choose

becoming homeless and/or in need of crisis

annual conference in Houston, Tx.

engineering and technology career fields.

intervention services.

Drs. Venu Cheriyath and Jeffery

Association of College and

Rick Miller served

Deepti Vanguri, assistant

A&M-Commerce for over 21

Kopachena have been named National

director for student

years in multiple capacities

Academies Education Fellows in the Life

activities and special events,

including director of the

Sciences for the 2013-2014 academic year.

was recently awarded the

Rayburn Student Center,

The honor recognizes their selection to

Shirley Plakidas New

director for applied

and participation in the 2013 National

Professional Award for

leadership and instructor for training and

Academies Gulf Coast Summer Institute on

outstanding service to the Association of

development. Miller’s contribution was

Undergraduate Science Education, which was

College Unions International (ACUI) within

pivotal in the conception and construction of

held at Louisiana State University (LSU).

her first five years as a professional.

the Rayburn Student Center that opened in

Dr. Gwen Weatherford,

Jessica Johnson, a senior athletic training

2009. Additionally, Miller established the

assistant professor of health

major in the A&M-Commerce Department

foundation for quality leadership skills and

and human performance,

of Health and Human Performance, was

leadership services available for the campus

was honored to receive the

awarded the Becky Marshal Undergraduate

community. His talent for fusing leadership

Nell Humfeld Distinguished

Scholarship through the Southwest

teaching concepts into any learning

Faculty Award for Service

Athletic Trainers’ Association. Johnson

environment enhanced the impact for

and the Sophomore Experience Leadership

received this award based on her academic

students, faculty and staff members. The

Award in recognition of excellence in service

accomplishments, leadership activities and

university appreciates Miller’s passion

for students and the university.

community service involvement.

and dedication. We wish him well.

42 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Fall 2013

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks,

New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel

professor in the A&M-

Choir took the stage in Birmingham,

Commerce Department of

Ala., on the Day of Commemoration—the

Psychology, Counseling and

culmination of the city’s Empowerment

Special Education, has been

Week on Sept. 15, in Railroad Park. The week

selected as a fellow with the

was one of Birmingham’s several special

Texas Association of Black Personnel in

events in a year-long observance of the 50th

Higher Education.

anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement.

Sarah Northam, head of

Earlier this year, New Beginnings visited

research and instruction

Birmingham on a tour that also took them to

services at James G. Gee

Selma and Montgomery to view landmarks

Library has been selected to

of the Civil Rights Movement. The choir sang

attend the Assessment

in all three cities, including at the 16th Street

Immersion Track of

Baptist Church, which was bombed by the

Association of College & Research Libraries

Ku Klux Klan on Sept. 15, 1963, resulting

Immersion 2013.

in the deaths of four black girls. The Day

Christina Wan, A&M-

of Commemoration marks this event. This

Commerce hall director at

trip was made possible by a donation from

Pride Rock, recently received

alumni Frank and Rosalie Turner. They

the Fellows Award from the

have also pledged to continue funding trips

Texas Association of College

like this one on a yearly basis.

New Beginnings Multicultural Choir takes the stage in Birmingham for the Day of Commemoration.

and University Student Personnel Administrators. She is one of four young professionals in the state of Texas to receive this award.

Rebecca Malmberg, Velnesha Rabon, Sam Olvera, Oscar Goana, Bri Stowers, Katia Gonzalez, Brittany Anderson— resident assistants, and their advisor, Michelle McGhee, went to the Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers RA conference held in San Antonio, Texas in October 2013. At the conference, the A&M Commerce resident assistants won the Best Banner for a Large Delegation award. The theme of this year’s conference was Color Me Radical.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

43

Class Notes

1970s

1940s Dr. Grady (BS ‘47) and Adena Tice (BS ’40, MED ‘47)

1960s L. Dwight Chaney (B.A. ’65, M.A. ’67) has

Dale Irby (BS ’73 and MEd ’79) has recently

recently retired as vice president of academic

become famous as the man who wore the

donated their estate to A&M-Commerce,

Studies at Paris Junior College after 46 years

same polyester shirt and wool sweater vest

creating the Grady Tice Endowment. Because

of service.

for 40 years of school photos. The retired

they did not have children, the Tices cooked,

Peggy Smith and her

Richardson ISD elementary school teacher

boarded and financially supported many

husband Jim donated a

has gone viral with his vintage get-up. Irby, a

A&M-Commerce students. Grady graduated

portion of her sister Mari

former PE teacher, has been featured on the

from A&M-Commerce with his Bachelor of

Ann Cook’s (BM ’57, MED

“Today” show, CBS, CNN, People magazine’s

Science degree in 1947 before earning his

‘62) estate to A&M-

website and internationally in England and

master’s from Sam Houston State University

Commerce creating the Mari

Germany. Now, when Irby isn’t fielding

and his doctorate from Louisiana State

Ann Cook Music Endowment. Cook

University. He was Chairman of the

graduated from A&M-Commerce with her

Department of Education at A&M-

Bachelor of Music Education in 1957. From

Commerce and President of the Northeast

1957 to 1965, she taught music in Cooper and

one of 50 world-renowned photographers

Texas Education Club. Adena graduated

Big Sandy, Texas. She then moved to New

in a Chinese sponsored photographic

from A&M-Commerce with her Bachelor of

Mexico to teach in Grants and Los Lunas

project called “World Photographers

Science degree in 1940 and her master’s

until 1972. After her time as a teacher, Cook

Focus on Beijing 2013” He is one of three

degree in 1947. She taught for 34 years in

went on to work for the State of Texas as a

photographers from the United States.

Malakoff, Cayuga, Ranger, Greenville

social worker. She retired as a supervisor in

Bobby C. Burns (B.S. ’79, M.Ed. ’87) has

and Commerce.

1993. Cook enjoyed crafting, traveling and

been named as a finalist for the annual

being active until her passing in 2011.

Superintendent of the Year Award sponsored

1950s Richard A. Ellison (B.B.A. ’51) published the first of a planned trilogy, a family adventure story titled “Monmouth in the Morning.”

Barbara Lynn (B.A. ’63, M.Ed. ’73) recently

David Dunn (B.S. ’68) writes that he is married to Kimberly Tripp, a former ETSU cheerleader. They have three children and he is currently the senior pastor at 7th Street Baptist Church in Ballinger.

Sara Ellen (Ridge) Fallis (B.S. ’66) has

calls from interviewers, he spends time babysitting his two-year-old grandson.

Jay Brousseau (B.S. ’79) has been selected as

by the Texas Association of School Boards.

Bobby is superintendent for CarrolltonFarmers Branch ISD. Rosalie Dennis (B.B.A. ’76) is the new Bel Air Elementary principal in the Athens ISD. Sherry E. Phillips (B.A. ’71) was recognized

retired as assistant mathematics professor at

by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle

retired from 50 years of teaching at Quitman

Tarrant County College. Westbow Press has

Professional as a result of 35 years of

Elementary School.

recently published her book “The Drama of

excellence as an educator. Sherry is the

Redemption: Walking with Jesus Christ from

owner, director and instructor of Miss

Douglas “Doug” Clarence Meadows (B.S. ’51) received the James Bowie Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award in June.

Creation to Canaan.”

Charles W. Williams (M.Ed. ’62) and his wife Margaret of Longview recently celebrated

elected state secretary of the Texas Council

their 50 wedding anniversary.

for Exceptional Children.

th

44 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Sherry’s Studies and Enrichment in Allen.

Dr. Suzanne Thomas (B.S. ’70) was recently

Fall 2013

Dixie Turman (B.S. ’79, M.Ed. ’82) was named 2012 Citizen of the Year by the Commerce Chamber of Commerce.

Tommy VanDeaver (B.B.A. ’78) was recently promoted to chief auditor at Guaranty Bond

1990s

Bank in Mount Pleasant.

Revis Z. Wortham (B.S. ’76, M.Ed. ’84) announces the release of his new novel “The Right Side of Wrong.”

1980s Melissa A. Cavender (B.B.A. ’89) took over as Lamar County auditor.

Dr. James B. Cowley (B.S. ’87, M.Ed. ’90, Ed.D. ’03) was named Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Rural Educators

Katherine Taylor (BFA ‘98) was recently

Association.

published in the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of

Sandra K. Wallace Gorman (B.S. ’80, M.Ed.

The Studio Potter with her article “Being

’83, M.S. ’95) is listed as a contributor

Here” about her work in ceramics. In

with pictures in John C. Maxwell’s book,

addition to the article, Taylor was an artist

two books available on Amazon: “Diet and

“Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.”

in residence for three months this fall at

Cancer: Is There a Connection?” and “Coco’s

David L. Knight (B.S. ’76, M.S. ’82) retired

Melinda Coker (M.S. ’94) is the author of

Tainan National University of the Arts in

Healthy Cooking: A Collection of Delicious

after 28 years of service as a teacher, coach

Tainan City, Taiwan. She worked to create a

Plant-Based Recipes to Renew Your Health

and principal, most recently from Aledo ISD.

body of work in ceramics alongside her

Tina R. Phillips (B.B.A. ’85, M.B.A. ’87) was appointed auditor in Franklin County.

interactions with students and faculty. This

and Vitality.”

Curtis R. French (M.S. ’94) has recently

is a very prestigious international residency

authored a new edition of “Winning Words,

whose past residents include some of the

Devotions for Athletes.” Another publication,

retired after 28 years of service with the

most recognized ceramicists in the world.

“Fourth Down, One To Go” will be released

Mount Vernon ISD.

You can see more of her work at

in early 2014.

Lynne Overstreet (B.B.A. ’81, M.Ed. ’85) has

Gina Hooten Popp (B.S. ’84) has recently released the novel “The Storm After,” a historical fiction novel about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.

Diedra L. Rast (B.S. ’85) was named Secondary Teacher of the Year by Lamar ISD. Dr. Kia Jane Richmond (B.S. ’89, M.S. ’97) recently was promoted to professor of English at Northern Michigan University.

Dr. Donnya E. Stephens (Ed.D. ’81) was the first black faculty member and tenured professor in the department of secondary education and leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University. She has been

frontroomclay.com.

Chris Brannan (B.S. ’94) is the new band director at Mineola High School.

Shelly R. Bullock (B.S. ’90) was named Woman of the Year by the Winnsboro Area Chamber of Commerce for 2013.

Renee Campbell (M.Ed. ’96) has been installed as the district coordinator for elementary curriculum in the Athens ISD. Tommy Chalaire (B.S. ’93, M.Ed. ’05) was named superintendent of Chisum ISD. Dr. James Derek Citty (Ed.D. ’99) began fall classes as superintendent of Aledo ISD. Army Pfc. Corrie M. Byrd (B.B.A. ’08)

Paula James Hartfield (M.S. ’96) recently became licensed as an attorney. She will be opening her own law practice.

Yolanda Jackson (B.B. A. ’95, M.Ed. ‘03) is the new principal for Apollo Junior High in Richardson ISD. Dr. Thomas W. Newsom (M.S. ’98) is the new president of Mesalands Community College in Tumcumcari, N.M., effective August 2013.

Heather E. Pierce (B.S.I.S. ’97) is the new Grand Saline Middle School counselor.

Tracy Ann Webb (M. Ed ’91) is now assistant principal at WC Schultz Junior High School in the Waller ISD.

honored with a portrait to be hung in the

graduated from basic military training at

department’s newly created Leadership

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San

7 to Julia Chears and is now living in Little

Legacy Hallway.

Antonio.

Rock, Ark.

Fall 2013

James A. Young (B. S. ’91) was married July

Texas A&M University–Commerce

45

Class Notes

Colleen Hoover (BSW ’04) grew up in East

2000s Keith A. Brown (M.S. ’01) has been named

Texas and says she always knew she was born to write a book but never thought she would actually do it. However, in January 2012, she did just that. When family and friends asked to read her first book, she decided to digitally

as a finalist for the annual Superintendent

self-publish it on Amazon, so they could

of the Year award sponsored by the Texas

download it for free for a week. Shortly after

Association of School Boards. Keith is

“Slammed” came out on Amazon, people she

superintendent for Bay City ISD.

didn’t know started downloading the book.

achieved a lot since graduating. He has

Jason Burton (M.B.A. ’09) is the McKinney

Christopher Jones (BSCIS ’07, MS ’10) has

After beginning to charge for the download,

developed a prototype device, applied for a

Boyd High School’s boys’ basketball coach.

its popularity only continued to rise. By

patent on his ideas and concepts for storing

Catherine Jeannette Canzoneri (B.S.I.S.

June 2012, she was on Amazon’s Kindle Top

power in a rechargeable environment, and

’07) and Joshua Garret Miller were married

100 Best-Seller list, and in July, she hit The

most recently, written a book. He released

December 22, 2012, in Greenville.

New York Times best-seller list for e-books.

an autobiography entitled “Insight of

Shortly after, she sold the movie rights to

Perseverance” in December 2012. The book

December 29, 2012, to Mica Renee

her novel. Hoover finished “Hopeless,” her

is about his struggles with albinism. Jones

Lamprechet in Austin.

third book, last December and the very

said he suffered through years of special

Jason D. Choate (B.B. A. ’08) was married

Alex Contreras (B.B.A. ’09) is the new head

next month, it was also a New York Times

education classes, visual impairment, being

Track and Field Coach at Greenville

best-seller. An announcement on her blog

misunderstood by his peers and being told he

High School.

explains that she signed a deal with Atria

wouldn’t make it. Now he would like to use

Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, for

his story to empower others to chase their

two books to be released next year. Hoover

dreams. Jones is now working toward his

Justin D. Cox (B.S. ’07) is the new Assistant Principal at Rockdale Junior High School.

Chad D. Elledge (M.B.A. ’02) was promoted to vice president at First National Bank of Gilmer.

Deborah D. Harman (M.A. ’01) and Julia D. Teague (B.S.I.S. ’95, M.Ed. ’00) started

resides in Sulphur Springs with her husband and their three sons.

Pastor Leah Hidde-Gregory (B.S. ’06) has been appointed to First United Methodist Church in Hillsboro.

Ph.D. and teaching at A&M-Commerce.

Melissa LaVoy (B.S.I.S. ’06) was named Elementary Teacher of the Year by the North Lamar ISD. Katrina Lemons (M.S. ’03) will join Clift

their own business: learningwheels.com,

Cleo House, Jr. (B.S. ’00) has recently

where they work as writers, developers, and

accepted the position of chair of the

presenters. Both Teague and Harman are

department of visual and performing arts

Beverly Jackson Loss (B.S.W. ’05, M.S.N. ’07)

former classroom teachers, hold master’s

at Texas Southern University in Houston.

was recently appointed to the Texas Council

degrees in the field of education, and have

Christopher M. James (B.B.A. ’10) was named

extensive experience writing and developing

the head coordinator for ACE’s local sixth

games and workshop presentation materials.

grade center in the Greenville ISD.

46 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Elementary as its new assistant principal in the Waxahachie ISD.

on Purchasing from People with Disabilities.

David Maass (M.Ed. ’06) has been chosen as the new principal for the Oglesby ISD. Fall 2013

M. Dianna Manuel (M.Ed. ’06) was named the new principal of

2010s

Frisco ISD’s Career and Technical Education Center.

Winston Clay McCowan, Jr. (B.S. ’01, M.Ed. ’08) was promoted to principal at Athens Middle School in the Athens ISD. Molly Nickols Purl (M.S. ’08) was awarded for excellence in teaching during the spring 2013 semester by Mesquite ISD. Steven Patterson (M.Ed. ’08) was hired as an

Michael K. Stevens (B.S. ’00) is the new Vernon High School assistant principal.

Ronnie Allman

(B.F.A. ’11)

Mandy Stewart (B.B.A. ’01, M.S. ’11) married Jimmy El Zorkani on May 24, 2013.

received his degree

Amanda Tabor (B.S.I.S. ’00, M.Ed. ’07) has

in art direction.

been named as the new principal of Story

Now this first-time

Elementary School in the Allen ISD.

filmmaker can add

assistant principal at C.B. Thompson Middle

a new feather to his

School in the Quinlan ISD.

cap as one of five winners of Canon’s Project

Tiffany Mathias Peek (B.B.S. ’07) was

Imaginat10n contest, judged by award-

diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in

winning director, Ron Howard, and his

2010 at the age of 25. She went in for a

daughter, actress and director, Bryce Dallas

routine check-up to find that her kidneys

Howard. His debut short film, “Filter,” was

were functioning at a mere 27 percent and

filmed over just five days this past June

was in stage four kidney failure. When she

and July.

reached stage five and would have to pursue a

Jordan Lance Brooks (B.S. ‘10) currently

transplant or dialysis, her family and friends

works for a Dallas video production

immediately began to get tested. First

company, Frozen Fire, as an assistant

up was her

editor and videographer.

husband,

Jamon Copeland (M.S. ’11) has been named the head coach of The University of Texas at

Jaron Peek (B.S. ’07),

Tyler men’s basketball program.

who is an

Samuel P. Dearinger (B.A.A. S. ’12)

alumnus, and

was married on June 22, 2013, to

as it turns out, also a transplant match. On

Taylor Rae Dockery.

May 1, 2013, Jaron gave his wife one of his

Courtesy of Smeeta Mahanti

kidneys without her having to undergo a

Elizabeth Zandile Tshele (BA ’05) was

Dr. Van Patterson (Ed.D. ’11) has been named director of the University of Texas at Tyler

single dialysis treatment. Six months later,

shortlisted for one of the world’s most

Tiffany says his kidney is working like a

prestigious literary awards under the pen

charm. In the last week of October, Tiffany

name, NoViolet Bulawayo. The Man Booker

released her new CD “Something Will Give.”

went for a check-up and the kidney Jaron

Prize is open only to writers from Britain,

Watch for her performances in the Hunt/

gave her is working at 89 percent by itself.

Ireland and the Commonwealth. Bulawayo

Manuel Perez (B.S. ’05) has been named the new head baseball coach at Lampasas ISD. Paul Richards (B.S. ’00) has been hired as

is the first writer from Zimbabwe to be a

Rains County area.

Judy N. Serranno (B.A. ’10) has released a

Booker finalist and the only debut novelist.

new suspense novel “Linked.” Her website

Her novel “We Need New Names” was among

is judyserrano.com.

the school administrator for Full Armor

the final six books to be considered for the

Christian Academy in Henderson.

50,000-pound ($78,000) award.

Susan Spoonemore (B.S. ’07) has been

Longview University Center.

Amanda Goodman-Pruitt (B.S. ’10) has

Clarence R. Williams, Jr. (M.S. ’03) is the

Josh M. Singleton (B.S. ’11) and wife Avery have begun a community supported agriculture movement in starting their

named the new communications director of

new principal at Wakeland High School in

organic farm, Spring Fed Farms CSA -

the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

Frisco ISD.

springfedfarmscsa.com.

Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

47

his year’s Royal Roar was a great success, and the Office of Advancement wishes to thank everyone for their profound support. This event boomed with 340 tickets sold (a 50 percent increase over last year!), a 200 percent increase in table sponsorships and representation from all four colleges and Lion Athletics.

In addition to ticket sales and sponsorships, the silent auction—along with the sale of Clay Club centerpieces—was a rousing success with more than $16,000 raised. These proceeds will be distributed among scholarship endowments, departmental Excellence Funds and general funds.

Thanks to event sponsorships, two additional scholarships will be awarded during the 2014-2015 academic year. Oncor will award $1,500, and L-3 Mission Integration will award $1,000.

We are thrilled to see the growth of this event and delighted that in its second year, it is already providing scholarships and funds for the betterment of departments, Colleges and the university as a whole.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone involved for their time and generosity. We’ll see you again at next year’s Royal Roar!

Regal Spirit Sponsor

Royal Spirit Sponsor 48 PRIDE The Alumni Magazine

Roaring Spirit Sponsor Fall 2013

The Brick Garden Project

Dear fellow alumni, It is my sincere desire that you enjoyed the contents of this issue of PRIDE. In this issue, you are offered opportunities to get a glimpse of the outstanding research occurring here that has such broad-reaching impact. The university continues to attract brilliant and dynamic faculty who impart their knowledge to students in creative forms that positively affect the quality of their education. The world is a global market, and it is imperative that we continue on the cutting edge of research and scholarly endeavors.

We have expanded our Class Notes section of the magazine and

It’s about legacy.

It’s about paying it forward.

As a way to commemorate 125 years as an institution, and to lend a

appreciate those who forwarded their updates to us. We are always

helping hand to the generations to come, The Alumni Association of

happy to share your stories, so please visit our website and update

A&M-Commerce is proud to introduce the Brick Garden Project. The

your information.

garden will be located behind the Alumni Center and connect to the

Many of you participated in the alumni directory project, and we

existing walking mall. Alumni, students, parents, and friends of the

greatly appreciate your collaboration with us to produce this issue that

university can purchase an engraved brick to serve as a lifelong tribute,

celebrates the upcoming 125 year anniversary of the university. You

and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Legacy Scholarship.

will be hearing more about the yearlong activities that begin in the fall

Custom engraved 4” x 8” bricks are available for purchase for $125 online. Please visit tamuc.edu/BrickProject for more information, a

of 2014.

I am excited about the future of the university and encourage you to

video about the project, and to place your order.

share your ideas and seek opportunities to partner with us. We have so much more to do and need your help.

Lastly, I extend warmest greetings to each of you during the holiday season.

Peace and Blessings,

Derryle G. Peace Fall 2013

Texas A&M University–Commerce

49

A Member of The Texas A&M University System

PO Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Join the Conversation Online!

Follow our social media channels to find out more about innovative research, noteworthy achievements and opportunities to reconnect with the university.

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Jul 8 #TAMUC ranks #1 in Texas and #13 in the nation for #teaching #education!

Spread the word about this amazing honor!

82 384 shares

@tamuc Sep 12 A&MCommerce featured in an article in the Dallas Morning News.

@tamuc_news Aug 2 A new semester is on its way!

What are you looking forward to in Fall 2013?

tamuc Nov 16 Thank you for a great regular football season @lion_ athletics #wearelions Congratulations, Seniors.

47

tamuc Aug 22 The PRIDE Walk - the mark of a new year and one of the most memorable moments of your college career. #tamuc17 @tamucspirit 15 @tamuc_news Aug 12 Congratulations to all of the new A&M-Commerce alumni! #graduation #Summer2013 #AlwaysLions #TAMUC 2 favorites @tamuc Oct 19 Group photo #ManeEvent #tamuc 53 retweets, 53 favorites

“A&M-Commerce Among Affordable Universities with Highest-Paid Grads” Daniel June 16 Great post. Exciting to see TAMUC rank so well – especially for affordability and salaries for grads.

Aug 28 Thanks to sophomore Lion, Sarah Miller, for this awesome campus sunset photo. Share your photos with us here on Facebook or at Instagram with the #BlueandGoldWednesday tag.

218 , 17 shares @tamuc Nov 13 Our library is the first in Texas to offer LaptopsAnytime™!

Celebrate our trailblazing at the launch party @TAMUCLibraries today at 2!

@tamuc Nov 7 Who else can be this charismatic and professional at 8 am in 43-degree weather?

This guy! @ prezdanjones #tamuc 3 retweets, 9 favorites

@tamuc Oct 31 Let’s make Coach Carthel Liberty Mutual’s Coach of the Year! Cast your vote & RT! #WeAreLions 7 retweets, 3 favorites

tamuc Sep 11 #tamuc remembers #911 In honor of those who we lost, their family and friends, and those who fought in their honor. 75

“Atmos and A&M-Commerce Partner for Literacy Learning” Leslie A. Marcoccio October 12 Hello Andi! Thank you for your motivating and encouraging posts! After teaching for a decade, your articles give me the spirit I need to stay motivated. @tamuc Nov 19 Beautiful Thai dance on display by the Thai Students Association.

International Education Week. #tamuc 1 retweet, 1 favorite

@tamuc Aug 23 You can’t get a welcome like this just anywhere! #NewLions #TAMUC17 #PrideWalk #TAMUC 1 favorite tamuc Oct 4 The after party begins! #tamuc 37

tamuc Sep 15 Taylor Hicks with #NewBeginnings in Birmingham #EmpowermentWeek #TAMUC 17