ASSOCIATION NEWS

WELCOME, NEW TEAM MEMBERS

THE TEXAS TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION continues to evolve as new employees join our team, bringing new energy and enthusiasm. We welcome these team members and are excited to work with them. EVERETT CORDER, communications coordinator, is in charge of chapter communications, event listings and social media postings for the association. An Amarillo native, he has a BA in journalism from Texas Tech University, 2016, and an MA in communication from Angelo State University, 2018. Everett spent three-and-a-half years as assistant sports information director at Lubbock Christian University. He handled all media aspects for all those teams and most of the streaming for the entire athletic department and also did play-byplay for the Chaparral baseball team.

His parents, Doyle and Christy Corder, are graduates of the Texas Tech School of Music.

Everett is about to celebrate his one-year anniversary with his wife, Haley Stephens Corder, who has a BBA in accounting, 2020. RENEE GONZALES DAVIS, director of chapters, is a proud native of Brownfield, Texas, a lifelong Red Raider and a second-generation graduate of Texas Tech University. She is the daughter of Jose and Teresa Zamora Gonzales ’91,’02. Renee holds a BA in sociology from Texas Tech, 2001. Renee oversees and manages our almost 80 TTAA chapters. She works with them to create a foundation for engagement among alums and future Red Raiders to connect with the university and with one another. Our chapters bear the banner and spread the Red Raider Spirit by serving as chief ambassadors, promoting academic recruitment for the university system.

Her prior work experience includes serving as inventory manager, Alderson Auto Group; director of sales and marketing, 40RE! Golf; and business development consultant, RGD Consulting.

An avid community service volunteer and fundraiser, Renee serves on the Covenant Foundation Board of Directors and is Lubbock Children’s Health Clinic marketing and fundraising chair. She serves on the YWCA of Lubbock Board of Directors and Talkington School for Young Women Leaders Advisory Board. She also is a member of the High Point Village Enterprise Committee and the Hispanic Association of Women.

Renee and her husband, Calvin Davis, the United States Small Business Administration West Texas District Office district director, have two children, Toren and Teklyn. We’re also pleased to share that COURTNEY JORDAN has rejoined the TTAA staff as associate vice president of development. Courtney has a BBA in accounting from Texas Tech University, 1986. She has been a development officer for the Rawls College, where she was a member of the Excellence in Banking campaign, which raised $11 million in about six months to endow a new program to develop banking leaders.

She spent a majority of her career in the banking industry in Abilene, Dallas and Lubbock but also had a successful career in sales with AT&T and Pitney Bowes from 2000-2007.

Courtney has served on local boards raising money and awareness for organizations where her family has been directly involved, including the YWCA, High Point Village and South Plains Council of Boy Scouts of America. Courtney and her husband, Doug, have four boys, two of whom graduated from TTU Rawls COBA in 2019 and 2021. Doug has a BBA in finance from 1978 and a J.D. from 2004. He is an attorney with Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott. ANDREA BROYLES WATSON, director of communications, holds a BA in journalism, 1998, and an MA in interdisciplinary studies, 2015, with an emphasis on mass communication, sports marketing and public administration, both from Texas Tech. The Loveland, Colorado, native worked in the TTU Student Media (now Toreador Media) department for nearly 20 years, most recently as assistant director, sales, marketing & design manager, and media adviser. Her duties included advising students about legal and ethical issues, career opportunities, training and the overall quality of newspaper, website and yearbook. She was responsible for daily critiques of the newspaper, coaching sessions with staff reporters, information technology issues and computer maintenance.

Andrea also served as adjunct instructor in the College of Media & Communication for several years. Prior to those positions, she was a features writer for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for more than three years.

Her husband, George Watson, is associate director for Texas Tech University Communications & Marketing. The newest TTAA employee is APRIL YULE, who works as an accountant at the association. She has lived in Lubbock for a year-and-a-half, after living in Midland, Texas, for 10 years. She is originally from North Carolina. April brings with her experience in data entry and invoicing, which will be part of her new job. Her duties for the association will include creating receipts for gifts and working with balance sheets for Endowment Trust. She looks forward to taking on these and other tasks and wants to help wherever she can.

She has one daughter, Everlea, who is almost two years old and is “her world.” April spends a lot of time with family and friends when not working.

RED RAIDERS WITH A PASSION FOR TRAVEL

BY JIM DOUGLASS

FOR 70 RED RAIDERS, SUMMER 2022 was very memorable thanks to their participation in the TTAA”s Traveling Techsan program. This year’s “Spotlight Trip” was a cruise on the scenic Danube River with a special stop in Oberammergau, Germany, to witness the World Famous Passion Play.

The adventure began with a flight to Prague and then boarding the luxurious Scenic Amber Riverboat. The excursions included stops in Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk and Vienna, finishing up in Budapest. The Order of the Day included great weather, wonderful scenery, delicious meals, informative tour guides and terrific memories.

For many, the highlight was the historic Passion Play, an amazing event that is performed in the summer every 10 years. The Play originated in 1634 when the Black Plague was rampant throughout Europe. The villagers prayed to be spared and their prayers were answered. The play is an act of gratitude that has continued for almost 400 years.

The Traveling Techsan program offers a variety of vacations throughout the year. They are open to all Red Raider alumni, fans and friends. The Spotlight Trip for 2023 will be a July cruise to Sweden and the Baltic States. Visit the TTAA website for the details.

Lunch on the Vltava River in the Czech Republic.

Traveling Techsans group photo at Palais Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria, prior to a private concert featuring the best of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II. Excursion to St. Vitus Cathedral within Prague Castle.

The group at Prague Castle.

texastechalumni.org

Cool Pines, Warm Friends, Hot Races

BY JIM DOUGLASS | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRAVELING TECHSANS

TTAA

IN JULY, 130 TEXAS TECH alumni and friends gathered in the cool pines of New Mexico for the annual Red Raider Weekend at Ruidoso Downs. The festivities began on a Friday with golf at Rainmakers Resort & Club. Under the leadership of volunteer Chair David Deason, close to 50 golfers enjoyed the cool weather, the challenging course and great fellowship with other Red Raiders.

The next day, we filled up a large portion of the Turf Club at Ruidoso Downs. After a buffet lunch, the races began while everyone placed their bets and cheered on their selections.

The evening continued with a concert outside of the track featuring Texas Tech alumnus Josh Abbott and his band, with more than 1,200 in attendance. The weekend of fun and games was very successful with many participants already making plans for next summer’s event.

To learn more about Texas Tech Alumni Association activities and opportunities, please visit our website at texastechalumni. org or download our TTAA app and follow us on social media.

Legacy U

BY JEAN ANN CANTORE

FOR THE SECOND YEAR, RED RAIDER grandparents had an opportunity to teach their grandchildren, ages seven to 13, about Texas Tech University. The grandparents and kids spent two nights in a residence hall on campus, which includes dining there. In addition to touring campus and being introduced to traditions such as “The Matador Song,” they also met special guests such as university President Lawrence Schovanec, Raider Red, the Pom Squad and Red Raider football players.

Participants attend classes based on their choice of 10 “majors.” Offerings include All Things Agriculture, Mission: Engineer It!, Multimedia Story Telling: Once Upon a Time in the Land of the Red Raider, Raiderland in Bloom, Soaring with STEM and Wreck ’Em Games and Gaming Design.

This year’s group was even larger than last year’s, the inaugural year, with 170 guests. At the end of the event, the newly-minted Red Raiders took part in a graduation ceremony celebrating their completion of Legacy U. President Schovanec and Provost Ronald Hendrick presented each with a certificate. This year, the Texas Tech Alumni Association received the Clarion Award for the Best Special Event — In Person — from the Association of Women in Communications for the inaugural 2021 Legacy U.

TTAA

TTAA

Wishing Our Former Team Members Well

THE TEXAS TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION has a long history of having talented team members. Just as we welcome our newest talent, we wish the best to the following team members who have moved on in their careers. The TTAA team is part of a tradition dating back to the association’s beginnings in 1927.

DANIEL GROVER ’07, accountant, 13.5 years

HOPE HUNEKE ’19, communications coordinator, three years

BRITTA TYE ’99, ’05, director of special events and engagement; adviser, Student Alumni Board, six years

DAYME WALTHER ’04, director of chapters, 17 years

BRETT WINEGARNER ’13, communications coordinator and then director of communications, seven years

We were recently saddened to learn of the passing of Vicki Rutledge Helton ’02, who served as TTAA’s receptionist for 11 years (1990-2001).

-CURT LANGFORD

Built on Rawls.

Advance your career through a flexible, affordable education Built on Rawls.

Attend hybrid classes nine weekends/year combined with online assignments Four Texas locations: Rockwall, Marble Falls, Lubbock and Houston

Concentrations: General Business, Big Data Strategy, Energy Business, Healthcare Organization Management

APPLY NOW FOR SPRING 2023

PRIORITY DEADLINE: January 1

(for scholarship consideration)

GMAT waived based on work experience Merit scholarships are available