UMHB Life | Winter 2013

U N IVE R S ITY

OF

MARY

LIFE

H A R D I N - B AY L O R

WINTER 2013-14

105 Miles. 24 Hours.

1 Destination.

PAGE 14

PLUS: Tribute to Class of 1963 | College of Business has a new name | Old Baylor rededication

B I G P I C T U R E | The campus was transformed with twinkling lights casting a magical glow over the pond during an elegant evening in Millennium Oaks Park during the Dessert Party at Homecoming Oct. 18th.

UMHBLIFE W I N T E R 2 013 -14 | VO L U M E 33, N U M B ER 2

PRESIDENT Randy O’Rear, Ed.D. EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Paula Price Tanner, Ed.D. EDITOR Jennifer Meers Jones ’08 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LaWanda Akin Bailey ’63 Alannah Domangue Jessa Grassi McClure ’08 Brittany Pumphrey PHOTOGR APHERS Jennifer Meers Jones ’08 Randy Yandell ’99

UMHB LIFE IS PUBLISHED THREE TIMES A YEAR

BY THE DIVISION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS. UMHB Box 8431 900 College Street Belton, Texas 76513 1-800-727-UMHB life.umhb.edu

Letters and comments can be sent to: umhblife@umhb.edu

ALUMNI LIFE IS COMPILED BY THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS. Please send any information for publishing or change of personal information to: Alumni Relations UMHB Box 8427 900 College Street Belton, Texas 76513

a2

UMHB LIFE

Or update online: alumni.umhb.edu alumni@umhb.edu

UMHBLIFE W I N T E R 2 0 1 3 - 1 4 | VOLUME 33, NUMBER 2

D E P A R T M E N T S 5 | C A M P US L I F E College of Business renamed, student union building name announced, J.W. Williams Service Center relocated, homecoming recap, and more 12 | AT H L E T I C L I F E Women’s soccer and volleyball teams achieve record-breaking seasons, football alumnus gets Cru-themed tattoo

F E A T U R E S G A M E B A L L R U N |14 Days before the opening game in Crusader Stadium, students tag team to run the first game ball from Independence to the new on-campus stadium. Plus: photos from the historic grand opening, pg. 18 P U R P L E V E I N S, G O L D T E E T H , W H I T E H A I R |20 A humourous and touching tribute to the golden anniversary class of 1963 by LaWanda Akin Bailey ’63

13 | P H I L A N T H R O P Y Golf alumni join forces to honor former coach Mac Hickerson with an endowed scholarship.

24 | A LU M N I L I F E Check out what’s happening in the lives of alumni and their families— plus profiles on Brian ’99 and Christy Caraway Guenther ’99, Deborah Leathery Redman ’93, and Mary Alice Cowley Marshall ’29.

RANDY YANDELL

1014

O N T H E COV E R | University Ambassadors President Esther Gibbs and Student Foundation President Rylee Heckathorne started off the Game Ball Run at the historic columns of Old Baylor in Independence, Texas.

P H O T O BY R A N D Y YA N D E L L ’9 9

20 UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

1

Elizabeth and Drayton McLane, Jr., and their son Drayton McLane III admire new “McLane College of Business” shirts at the public announcement.

“We consider it a great RANDY YANDELL

honor that the McLanes

College of Business renamed McLane College of Business The College of Business has a new name: the McLane College of Business. The change was made to honor Elizabeth and Drayton McLane, Jr., and their family for their generous support of the university. The announcement came during the university’s annual Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Advance publicity had listed Drayton McLane, Jr., as the keynote speaker for the event, but the name change was a well-kept secret until it was announced to the more than 2,700 students, faculty, and staff members gathered for the ceremony. The news brought a standing ovation from the university community.

“The McLane name is associated with business success, but it also signifies Christian leadership, a dedication to family, and a commitment to community service,” said Dr. Steve Oldham, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “These are qualities that are perfectly aligned with values we teach at UMHB. The name ‘McLane College of Business’ sends a clear message that this is a place dedicated to both excellence and ethics, and that we prepare our graduates to employ the highest Christian principles in all aspects of their careers.”

Drayton McLane, Jr., was born in Cameron, Texas. He earned a BBA from Baylor University in 1958 and an MBA from Michigan State University in 1959. Returning to Texas, he went to work at McLane Company, a wholesale grocery company founded by his grandfather in 1894 and developed by his father. His father believed that an effective leader had to earn the respect of all employees, so Drayton’s first job was entry level, loading trucks on the night shift. Over the next two decades, he worked his way up through a series of jobs in the company to become executive vice president in 1965, and in 1978 he was named president and CEO. During those years, Drayton helped his father build a strong grocery distribution network that served convenience stores, supermarkets, fast food stores, and family-owned businesses. They were among the first to use new technology to computerize the distribution system, a move that led to the company’s average yearly sales growth of 30% or more for 32 consecutive years. In 1990, McLane Co. agreed to merge with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Drayton remained president and CEO of McLane Co., Inc., and vice chairman of Wal-Mart. In 1995, he resigned both positions to devote his full time as chairman of the McLane Group holding company.

Today, he spends the majority of his time working with McLane Group and McLane Advanced Technologies in Temple, as well as focusing on charitable concerns.

have agreed to let our business school carry their family name. The McLane family has demonstrated that business practices based on integrity, honesty, and Christian values lead to amazing success. These are the qualities that we want our business students to incorporate in their own lives, and we hope that this new name will inspire our students to become ethical business leaders themselves as they move into their careers.”

— D R . R A N DY O’ R E A R President

CAMPUS L I F E

5

Bawcom Student Union to honor past President and First Lady

A ROU N D CAMPUS Virginia Feaster was named director of in November. Virginia graduated from Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi. She has worked as a grant writer since 1991 and most recently served as director of development at the Family Abuse Center in Waco. Virginia is married with four adult children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She and her husband live in Troy.

Katie Bonner was promoted to director of the Center for Academic Excellence in August.

She graduated from Midwestern State University and recently completed her M.S. in Academic Advising at Kansas State University. Since joining the CAE staff in 2010, Katie has enhanced services to students admitted through the Opportunity Program and focused more strategically on at-risk students from an academic support perspective. In her new role, Katie will direct all operations of the CAE and will focus on advising services for freshmen. Katie and her husband, Kevin, live in Temple.

RACHAEL PARKHURST

foundation relations

When the new student union building opens this spring, it will bear the name of the university’s former president and first lady, Jerry and Vicky Bawcom. Dr. Bawcom served as the 21st president of UMHB from 1991 to 2009.

During those years the university achieved increased academic prominence, financial strength, enrollment growth, enhanced student life programming, and athletic success.

“I cannot think of anything more fitting than for this center to carry the Bawcoms’ name,” said Dr. Randy O’Rear.

“Throughout their 18 years as president and first lady of UMHB, the Bawcoms’ philosophy that students benefit from personal attention and an active campus life permeated the university. That philosophy will be reflected in this new facility, which supports the activities of our student life division and offers a variety of spaces where students can meet and interact.”

The 107,613-square-foot student union was designed as an interlocking component to Crusader Stadium. Its central location on King Street is within easy walking distance from all residence halls and apartments on campus.

The facility will offer students a variety of dining environments, from stations for pasta and stir-fry, to areas with salad bars and homestyle foods such as meatloaf and chicken fried steak. The first floor of the building will include a Chick-fil-A Express and a Starbucks counter. The facility will also house a band hall, offices for the student life division, and a third-floor ballroom for conferences and banquets.

“This facility is designed to better meet the needs of today’s students, encouraging them to stay on campus and get involved in activities here. The Bawcom years set the table for the success our university enjoys today, making this the perfect way to honor Dr. and Mrs. Bawcom,” O’Rear said.

1-3 6 9-10 13 20

Christmas holidays (campus closed) Offices open Spring advising and registration Classes begin (day and evening) Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday (campus closed)

february

january

EVENTS CALENDAR 4 6 5-7 18 21-22 27 28

6

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

Business Job Fair, Lord, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Charter Day Writers’ Festival Nursing Job Fair, NEC 104 (Main Hall), 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Cru Knights, W.W. Walton Chapel, 7 p.m.

Hillman Concert: pianist Maurizio Moretti, Hughes Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

One Voice Concert, Hughes, 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Marta Garrett, director of the graduate counseling program, welcomes guests and explains a little about the services of the Community Life Center during the facility’s open house Aug. 23.

CLC FA ST FAC T S // JENNIFER JONES

Five things you may not know about the Community Life Center:

Community Life Center gets a facelift, hosts open house

During their two and half years of academic training, students are required to complete 700 hours of counseling under the supervision of faculty. Of that time, 600 hours are spent in community-based counseling sites.

The other 100 hours are spent inside the CLC.

9 21 25 31

Teacher Job Fair, Lord, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

Opera Theatre presents Die Fledermaus, Temple CAC, 7:30 p.m.

Opera Theatre presents Die Fledermaus, Temple CAC, 2:30 p.m.

Health Quest, Bawcom Student Union Great Hall, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble Concert, Hughes, 7:30 p.m.

Spring Revival, Quad, 7:00 p.m.

april

march

On Friday, Aug. 23, an open house was held at the Community Life Center (CLC) on the UMHB campus to celebrate the facility’s recent improvements. The CLC, which serves as the training center for master’slevel students in the university’s graduate counseling program, offers free or nearly free counseling services to the community.

This summer the facility underwent renovations that added new counseling spaces and digitized the center’s record-keeping processes.

The CLC has also added a full-time director, Dr. Jason Martin. The changes allow the center to offer larger group sessions and other expanded services beginning this spring.

“Our national accrediting body said the center was one of the best sites they’ve seen in 25 years,” said Dr. Marta Garrett, director of the graduate counseling program. “They really responded to the fact that the center has such a homey feeling. It feels like part of the community instead of a sterile training facility.”

The CLC offers counseling services five days a week to individuals, couples, families, and groups that are referred to the CLC by various agencies and churches. Counseling sessions are led by graduate counseling students and monitored remotely by UMHB faculty members.

6 7

Since it opened in 2005, the CLC has offered free or nearly free counseling services to more than 10,000 clients.

In the summer of 2013, the CLC was upgraded with state-of-the-art observation and electronic record-keeping software.

The CLC offers play therapy for children, supervised by registered play therapy supervisors. The program plans to eventually become only the 4th play therapy training institution in the state of Texas approved by the Association for Play Therapy.

Dr. Jason Martin, the CLC’s new full-time director, came to UMHB in August 2013 from a psychotherapy practice at the Krist Samaritan Center in Houston.

1-2 10 16 18 25

25 25-26

Spring Revival, Quad, 7 p.m.

Play Day Easter Pageant, Luther Memorial, 12:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m.

Good Friday holiday (campus closed) Robing and Ring Ceremony, W.W. Walton Chapel, 8 p.m.

Midnight March Charter Celebration Weekend

CAMPUS L I F E

7

THE EVOLUTION OF

J.W. Williams Service Center

The university’s original maintenance center, named in memory of longtime maintenance supervisor and college engineer Joseph W. Williams, was demolished this summer. The Physical Plant offices were relocated to a 136,274-square-foot facility on the outer perimeter of the campus. Administrators chose to transfer the J.W. Williams name to the new facility. The brick sign in front of the new facility is constructed out of salvaged brick from the demolished service center.

Old Power Plant, 1930s

1948-2012

2013

Stock market game sweeps campus B Y B R I T TA N Y P U M P H R E Y It is often said that the stock market is a high-stakes game. This fall, the McLane College of Business gave students the opportunity to experience the stock market in a competitive—yet considerably less high-stake—game on campus. The game was a simulation of what it is really like to buy and sell stock, using the real life statistics of companies currently on the stock exchange. Students and faculty paired up into teams to invest in stocks via a stock market trading website. The winners of the game received cash rewards of $500 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third.

“In finance, games are easy. Whoever had the most money at the end of the game in November won. That’s how the finance industry often works,” said Larry Locke, assistant professor in management, marketing and entrepreneurship and one of the game leaders along with Dr. James Moten.

While this is a fun way to get students involved in a little friendly competition, it also has a deeper purpose.

“Even though this is a game, the participants are gaining real-life experience from this. That’s the idea,” Locke said.

The buzz spread across campus quickly as students prepared their team names.

Some included Purple Cru, Diva Dynasty, and Overwhelmed College Students.

Part of the fun of the game were the constant ups and downs. Since the game was based on real-time statistics, team standings could change every day depending on the performance of the companies they chose to invest in.

The game was open not only to business majors but to the university as a whole. Locke wanted the event to allow students across all disciplines to become a part of the business world, even if just for a few weeks.

“We wanted to do something that would be good for the whole university.

Business can be cool. It’s not all pushing papers,” he said.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor held a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new J.W. Williams Service Center on Friday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. Located on the northeast edge of the campus across the railroad tracks at 800 Industrial Park Road, the center is the new home for the university’s Physical Plant department. In 2012, the university purchased the property, which was originally used as a manufacturing plant for office chairs, and renovated the interior to create office spaces for the Physical Plant and Event Services departments. The building includes workspaces, climate-controlled storage areas, and an indoor parking garage which can accommodate more than 60 fleet and service vehicles. J.W. Williams’ two children, Janice Williams Autry and D.W. “Tex” Williams, were in attendance at the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony (pictured with Dr. O’Rear, right).

8

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

RANDY YANDELL

J.W. Williams Service Center dedicated in October

RANDY YANDELL

Alumni and friends of UMHB and Baylor gathered at the historic “Old Baylor” columns in Independence for a rededication ceremony Oct. 6.

“Old Baylor” rededication UMHB President Randy O’Rear and Baylor University President Ken Starr were among the students, alumni, and friends of both universities who took part in a rededication service Sunday, Oct. 6, at the foot of the historic columns of “Old Baylor” in Independence, Texas. The service commemorated the shared history of the two universities and marked a mutual dedication to preserving the historic site in Independence. The occasion marked the first time the presidents of Baylor and UMHB have met at Old Baylor in 60 years.

The four columns from the original campus of Baylor College, which was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845, still stand today in Independence. Last repaired 60 years ago, the columns have been restored with limestone and strengthened with carbon and steel rods. The program included remarks from Lanella Gray of Brenham, a 1954 Baylor graduate who has played an active role in celebrating Baylor’s heritage at Independence; Presidents Starr and O’Rear; UMHB professors Dr. Carol Holcomb and Dr. Leroy Kemp; Dr. David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; and special music by UMHB’s One Voice and Baylor’s Chamber Singers.

Baylor College spent its first 41 years in Independence, which was a thriving cotton plantation center and the home of many of the early leaders of Texas. Almost 20 colleges and universities were founded in Texas during this period, but Baylor proved to be the only one to survive in an unbroken line into the 21st century. At 168 years, Baylor and UMHB share the title of oldest continuously operating universities in Texas.

Opened as a coeducational university, Baylor soon became a more traditional institution with separate facilities for male and female students.

Academy Hill, where the columns stand, housed academic and dormitory structures for the young women of Baylor, while nearby Windmill Hill across Independence Creek was the site of the men’s campus. In 1866, the Female Department obtained a separate charter and its own board of trustees.

In 1886, due to changing transportation and economics in the area, it was deemed necessary to move both schools. The Male Department consolidated with Waco University in Waco, retaining the name Baylor University. The Female Department (Baylor Female College since the 1866 separation) moved to Belton, and later became the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

H E A R D @UMHB // Crusader Stadium’s grand opening generated the biggest social media response that the university has ever experienced. There were literally thousands of photos posted Saturday, Sept. 21, to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Here is a small sample:

@K Y LEDPIERCE Well done @umhb! Great game! Great show! Great way to break in the new #crusader stadium. @umhbalumni #umhb #gocru

@RDHOLMES75 Today is the day. Crusader Stadium opens tonight. #christmasinseptember

@MEL A NIEDLY NN There were more pe ople at Crusader Stadium tonight than live in the town of Graham. #gocru #umhb CAMPUS L I F E

9

DINNER

Carnival TAILGATE

GAME

TAILGATE 10

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

Recap: Homecoming 2013

Class of 1983

Class of 2003

Class of 1993

tennis reunion

Honorary Alumni Award Doug and Carol Rowald were named honorary alumni during halftime at the Homecoming football game Oct. 19. Alumni Association President Trish Stewart Woods ’03 and Director of Alumni Relations Rebecca O’Banion ’93 presented the award. The honor is bestowed on individuals who are not former students of the university but who exhibit love and loyalty to the school in significant ways. Doug and Carol are frequently found at UMHB athletic events, building dedications, and President’s Leadership Circle events.

“Because of their great love for UMHB, their business, Heart of Texas Landscape, played a huge role in the successful opening of Crusader Stadium, with the Rowalds and their team staying until midnight the night before to ensure the stadium grounds were beautiful for opening day. Very few people adopt a school as these two have, and support it and love it as if it were their own alma mater,” O’Banion said.

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER JONES AND RANDY YANDELL

CAMPUS L I F E

11

CINDY HILL

DAVID MORRIS

Above: Freshmen Allison Porter and Sophia Sanchez are part of a young core of soccer players who helped the team earn a record number of victories this year. Top right: The volleyball team had many reasons to celebrate this year, including advancing to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time in school history.

Crusader Ink Cru football alumnus Ike Shaw ’08 has the first known tattoo featuring the new Cru athletic logo, located on his calf.

The sword in the stone represents the Code of the Cru, a creed the team has followed from the beginning.

12

ATHLETIC L I F E

Record-breaking seasons for women’s soccer, volleyball teams

This fall, the women’s soccer and volleyball teams each experienced the best seasons in their programs’ histories.

The volleyball team made history as the first squad to receive votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll and also made their first trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships. The Cru earned an at-large bid to the postseason tournament following a 29-7 season, traveling to Trinity University for the regional tournament Nov. 15. The Cru faced a familiar foe in the first round of the NCAA Regional, falling to Southwestern University 3-2.

Third-year head coach Rob Frost has broken the school single-season record for wins every year he has been at UMHB. “The girls have worked extremely hard, and I’m very happy for them. There is no substitute for the amount of effort they have put in,” Frost said.

The women’s soccer team advanced to the ASC Championship Tournament for just the fifth time in program history. They earned a 1-0 win over Concordia Texas in the opening round of the American Southwest Conference tournament Nov. 7 in Richardson before falling to the University of Texas at Dallas 1-0, ending their season at 14-4.

The women’s soccer team placed five athletes on the American Southwest Conference All-Conference Teams. The Cru also took home two superlative awards with Kathryn Parker’s Offensive Freshman of the Year award and Barry Elkins’ Coach of the Year honor. Kathryn Parker and Alison Bullock were named to the All-ASC First Team, Maizey Cardy was named Second Team All-ASC, Courtney Craig took home Third Team All-ASC honors, and Charis Brantley was named Honorable Mention All-ASC. Head Coach Barry Elkins took home the program’s first Coach of the Year honor. Under Elkins this season, UMHB set school records for wins (14), shutouts (10), and allowed a program-low 18 goals for a 0.99 goals against average. Elkins coached the Cru to a #3 seed in the ASC Championship Tournament and grabbed the school’s second postseason win in its fifth tournament appearance.

RANDY YANDELL

Golf alumni come together to honor former coach with scholarship More than 15 years after longtime golf coach Charles “Mac” Hickerson, HA ’97 retired, nearly 40 of his former golfers gathered—some traveling from as far as Wisconsin—to unveil a plaque recognizing the Charles “Mac” Hickerson Endowed Scholarship.

The scholarship, which was established in Hickerson’s honor in 1999, reached the endowed scholarship level earlier this year thanks to his former golfers rallying together to contribute the remaining funds needed.

Few could generate such a response, but Mac Hickerson is one of those people.

“In the process of being coached by him, he evolved into a wonderful mentor, friend, and someone I could depend on for so many different things,” Scott Skogen ’86 said. “And I am not alone. I think everyone who has played under Coach has similar feelings. His generous donation of time to all of us makes him very special. He was—and still is—always available to us when we need him.”

Throughout his 20 years as golf coach, Hickerson’s teams went to the National Tournament four times. He coached four Athletic All-Americans and ten Academic All-Americans. In 1991, he began the first women’s golf team, and four out of the five women who won the university’s first national championship title in 1994 were recruited

by Hickerson before his retirement.

Hickerson and his wife, Jane Hallaway Hickerson ’56, often opened up their home to out-of-state students over the summer, allowing them to stay in Belton to complete summer coursework.

“They were just like our kids. We took them under our wing,” Hickerson said.

When Hickerson retired, his current and former players organized a golf tournament at Mill Creek Golf Club in Salado in his honor. The event, coupled with a silent auction, raised funds that the golfers used to present the Hickersons with an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii. “They joked that the trip was really for me because I had been a golf widow every weekend, so I deserved it,” Jane remembers with a laugh.

The remaining money raised through the tournament was given to start the Charles “Mac” Hickerson Endowed Scholarship. The Hickersons began giving annually toward the scholarship, along with special gifts from former players. When Skogen realized the scholarship was still not fully funded a few years ago, he decided it was time to rally the troups. As Skogen put it, “We started it, so we should finish it.”

He sent out a letter to all alumni golfers encouraging them to contribute toward the scholarship’s completion. They responded in a big way, raising all the funds necessary to allow the scholarship to be awarded to a College of Education student each semester.

“This was our way of expressing our appreciation to Coach for the influence he has had in our lives,” Skogen said. “It is very important to us that his influence continues to be felt through future generations of UMHB students.”

Inset: Mac and Jane Hallaway Hickerson ’56, Below: The golf-inspired cake at the Charles “Mac” Hickerson Endowed Scholarship unveiling and dedication ceremony, held Oct. 11 in the Musick Alumni Center.

“Golf is a great social sport. The team traveled to five tournaments each semester, giving us the opportunity to really get to know each other as we traveled around the country playing golf. I still see many of our former players frequently.

I am fortunate to have developed many lifelong relationships through my experience as golf coach.”

— C H A R L ES “ M AC ” H I C K E R S O N , H A ’ 97

13

game bal

The sound of a police car rounding the bend onto 10th Street in Belton was enough to get the soggy crowd standing outside of the Mayborn Campus Center cheering and running toward Crusader Way. The blaring siren signaled the approaching pack of runners who had trekked more than 100 miles to bring the season’s first game ball to its home in the newly completed Crusader Stadium.

The excitement was palpable as student body president Collin Davies

14

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

held the ball over his head and ran toward the entrance of the stadium.

Dozens of students, soaked from the falling rain, ran into the street, joining hands to form a human tunnel.

Davies and a host of other runners triumphantly ran through their peers’ outstretched arms to the sound of the crowd’s celebratory chants of “Go Cru!” As the ball entered the stadium, students who had waited patiently for their chance to see the stadium, rushed through the streets of campus

toward the open stadium gate.

“That was the real opening of Crusader Stadium,” said Vice President of Student Life Dr. Byron Weathersbee. “Students got to run through the tunnel of smoke and hear the fight song just like the football team does when they enter the stadium before every game.”

This one-of-a-kind experience, called the Crusader Stadium Student Kick-Off, was the celebratory end to a long 24 hours. More than 100

ll run

BY J ESS A G R A SS I M c C LU R E ’0 8 P H O T OS B Y R A N DY YA N D E LL ’99

students, faculty, and alumni took part in a 105-mile journey that began in Independence, Texas, and ended on the field inside Crusader Stadium.

Game Ball Run’s purpose was to commemorate the past and celebrate how far the university has come in 168 years. It began with a ceremony in Independence, where the university was chartered in 1845. Students, faculty and staff gathered at the famous pillars that mark the university’s original location to pray for safety

for the runners who would be carrying the game ball from the historic location to the new stadium.

“I reminded everyone that we were connecting our past to our future,” Weathersbee said. “We talked about the long, winding road from Independence to Belton, both literally and figuratively.”

After concluding the kick-off ceremony, two female students, University Ambassadors President Esther Gibbs and Student Foundation President

Days before the opening game in Crusader Stadium, students tag team to run the first game ball from Independence to the new on-campus stadium

Rylee Heckathorne, ran the ball through the iconic pillars and began the trek toward the stadium.

Gibbs found that the physical act of running drove home the true significance of the event in which she was taking part.

“Throughout the run, the symbolism of constantly moving forward along the road wasn’t lost on us,” Gibbs said.

“It made me realize that even though I’m only here for four years, I’m a part of something bigger than myself.”

F E A T U R E S

15

The relay started in Independence at 4:30 in the afternoon on Sept. 19, with runners carrying the ball through the night and all the next day. Two vans alternated taking students from campus to the site of the run and two others acted as pace cars and safety nets for those who were already running. Weathersbee said that social media played a big role in helping students find their way to the run.

“Most of the communications about the run were on Twitter,” he said. “They would tweet that the shuttle bus would arrive at the marquee in front of Mabee in 30 minutes. Then they’d say, “We’re ten minutes out.”

It worked beautifully. I’d sit here and read the tweet and in a few minutes the students would be gathering near the marquee.”

Assistant Director of Campus Activities Jeff Sutton attributes the event’s

success, in large part, to the utilization of social media.

“Orchestrating 100 runners and 20 drivers during the night and throughout the day is no easy task,” Sutton said. “By utilizing social media, we were able to give students information at their fingertips. And if you look at the stuff that happened at the stadium that night, there were pictures, videos, tweets and instagrams. You saw a completely different perspective of the event.”

Throughout the run, students paused to post their experiences on various social media sites.

Rylee Heckathorne posted, “Got to start the #UMHBgameballrun with @EstherRuthGibbs today,” along with a picture of her and Gibbs standing in the archway of the four-pillared structure in UMHB’s birthplace.

Another student named Nathan

Gilmore posted, “Heading out to be part of that #UMHBgameballrun.

Pumped to help run the ball from where it all started to our new palace. #crusaderstadium.”

And student Jonathan Kendall posted a Vine video of Director of the Baptist Student Ministries Dr. Shawn Shannon, running the ball through the parking lot of a gas station chanting, “I keep moving.”

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni all took part in the run. The terrain wasn’t always smooth, and the weather alternated from sweltering to rainy. But still the runners trudged on, making their way through the farmland and small towns that stood between them and the stadium.

Assistant Director of Relationship Management Lindsay Fredenburg, who happens to be the wife of Assistant Football Coach Cody Fredenburg

K AT PA SI C H N YK , JUNIOR

EST H E R G I B B S , S EN IOR U N I V ER S I T Y A

M I S S M H B 20 13

M BA S SA D O RS PR ES I D EN T

K R ISTEN C AI N & K AYL A U PS H AW, J U N I O RS

16

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

and daughter-in-law to Head Football Coach Pete Fredenburg, experienced the rough route in person. Fredenburg, along with friends and fellow coaches’ wives Courtney Branscom and Beth Shinn, participated in the run, pushing their young children in strollers.

“We only ran a mile each, but we all three decided that we had the most uphill portion of the entire process,” Fredenburg laughed. “But it didn’t matter. It was a fun and unique way to participate in the opening of the stadium. We were so thankful to be a tiny part of all the festivities.”

Fredenburg said the event was especially poignant for her family and others who have poured their hearts into the football program.

“Our husbands played football for UMHB and are best friends, and now we’re raising our kids together as best friends,” she said. “It doesn’t mean

anything to our kids now, but 15 or 20 years from now they’ll be able to see what an amazing thing they’ve gotten to be a part of.”

After more than a day of running the ball with “no fumbles,” as Weathersbee put it, the ball made it to the stadium just in time for the Student Kick-Off. “Mike McCarthy (Director of Campus Activities) and Ray Martin (Dean of Students) worked on logistics for months, and it could not have worked better,” Weathersbee said. “The game ball was supposed to arrive on campus at 9:45 on Thursday evening. The students handed it off at 10th and Main to the O’Rear family at exactly 9:45. It could not have been more precise.”

More than 1,200 students crowded into the stadium to experience the conclusion of the Game Ball Run event.

Sutton, dressed in a sparkling purple blazer, got the celebration started by

prompting the students to begin the Cru Spirit Dance.

“Some of our students came up with the dance and taught it to the freshmen during Welcome Week,” Weathersbee said. “We told them that our ultimate goal is to perfect it every week so that we can do it at the 50-yard line when we win a national championship.”

And although the students were treated to free T-shirts and Crusader Stadium-specific purple vanilla ice cream, the event’s significance went beyond that.

“As alumni we have those things that we remember as our key moments from when we were students at UMHB,” Sutton said. “I think the Game Ball Run event is going to be one of those big moments that represents this generation’s time at UMHB.”

CO U RTN EY & AI D EN B R A NSC O M W I F E & S O N O F A S S I STA N T F O OT BA LL COA C H DAV I D B R A N SCO M

CH A R LI E S H I N N

(DAU G H T ER O F A S S I STA N T F O OT BA LL COA C H J EFF S H I N N)

H A N DS BA LL TO TH E N EXT PA RTI CI PA NT

D R . STE V E TTH H EO D DO ORE FHEAA U RBA E SLL O17 NTDS FF TO PR ESI D ENT O’ R E A R

18

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

game time. ing up to th e op en ing , ad le n io at ip tic an of s ek we r te Af ad ium as Th e Cr u St er ad us Cr d le fil ns fa 4 53 9, so me 35 -7. de fe at ed th e Wes le y Wol ve rin es

F E A T U R E S

19

Purple Veins, White H 1963

We set o out to conquer the world, the Class of 1963. Down the aisle of Alma Reeves Chapel we walked, singing “Up with the purple, the gold, and the white.” white With one hand, we moved the tassels tass on our graduation caps; with the other, o we clasped our Mary Hardin-Bay Hardin-Baylor College diplomas.

We marched “for “forth from her portals,” polished cornerstones cornersto embarking on the rest of our lives. lives Since then, we, tthe “kangaroo class,” have hopped back to our alma mater every five years to renew ties and pay homage to th the noble institution where we lived an and learned.

1970s

I the 1970s we packed our suitIn cases with peasant blouses, bell bottoms, chain belts, Noxzema, Heaven Sent perfume, and the new suntan lotion that transformed pale legs into fluorescent orange traffic cones. We left our $35,000 homes, our young children, and our harvest gold appliances. After filling our cars with gas for 39 cents a gallon, we popped in an eight-track of Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman (hear me roar in numbers too large to ignore),”

20

and headed back to “old Baylor, dear Baylor,” our hearts clinging.

As we approached campus, we immediately missed the presence of Alma Reeves Chapel, which had burned to the ground, along with our records. Our class of ‘63 was the last to graduate there.

Balanced on platform shoes, we arrived in a fashion explosion of trapeze dresses above our shapely knees or granny skirts brushing our ankles, maternity tops, and lots of glorious, double-knit polyester. Hairstyles ranged from the shag to the Dorothy Hamill bob to Farrah Fawcett big hair with “wings.” We were decked out in mood rings, spoon rings, velvet chokers, and macramé necklaces.

As we saw each other, we squealed in delight—“her loving daughters, her women true.” Memories poured forth, evoking laughter and tears. A conservative women’s college located near an Army base had provided plenty of entertainment for us, as well as distress for our supervisors. The requirement to fill out a date card sent many a brave soldier into an aboutface. Some of us remembered the fire drill that sent us down rusty chutes in our pajamas and hairnets, only to see

s, Gold Teeth, Hair A TRIBUTE TO THE “KANGAROO CLASS” OF 1963 B Y L A W A N D A A K I N

carloads of Ft. Hood men cruising the campus, hooting and whistling.

We also recalled the historic Cuban Crisis when our nation balanced on the edge of nuclear war. Our fear accelerated as Ft. Hood military trains clattered and whistled along the tracks near campus day and night, some carrying men we knew. When our world looked destruction in the face, we leaned on each other.

But most of the stories were happy ones. The cedar tree caper lived on.

When a cedar near a dorm provoked allergies in an anonymous student (we know who you are), she and her friends slipped out in the dark, cut it down, and convinced the campus boys to drag it away.

The reunion was joyous. But we were also sizing each other up. Who had really made it? We scanned hands for expensive diamonds. Who had married? Divorced? Gained weight?

1960s

Earned graduate degrees? Won awards? We loved each other, but youthful competitiveness hung around und in the background. These trivial issues mattered when we were in our thirties.

BAILE Y ’63

Sh e Wor k s H a rd For Th e M on e y

1980s

When we returned in the 1980s, our suitcases contained stonewashed jeans, leggings, parachute pants, and Keds. We left our $75,000 homes with wood paneling, wallpaper, and sunken dens filled with teenagers and young adult children. We filled our cars for $1.25 a gallon, donned our Ray-Bans, and pushed in a cassette of Donna Summers singing “She Works Hard for the Money (so hard for it, honey).”

And like the woman in the song, we did work hard, though not in an exotic dancer way, unless there are some untold stories. We were solidly planted

1970s

in our careers, whether in the workk place or at home—“daughters great in power.”

When we arrived on campus, we approached some middle-aged women to ask where the Class of ’63 was meeting. As we got closer, we were stunned that they were a troop of aging kangaroos, our wrinkling sisters. “Do I look that old?,” we wondered as we hugged everyone and said how great they looked. Some among us were grandmothers, heaven help us.

1980s

21 21

1990s Our hair may have had gray highlights, but we were still stylish.

Aqua Net permeated the room as stand-up bangs rose like stiff meringue from mounds of teased hair. A few wore modified mullets, and some still had the feathered wings from the ‘70s.

We sported preppy blazers, thick belts, crop tops, Liz Claiborne, and stand-up collars. Shoulder pads froze us into permanent shrugs, but all in all, we looked pretty darn good.

In no time, the age factor faded.

Comparisons of success and physical appearance hovered in occasional flashes, but we mostly looked straight through our life mistakes, shifting waistlines, and early signs of sagging chins.

We reminisced about bribing friends to sit in our chapel seats for roll check, and about getting ready for church: seamed hose, hooked to girdles or garter belts, and

Do nna fun) a W All Ie some av (is h

22

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

required hats. We talked of instructors who changed our lives, meetings at the snack bar, running across campus in the rain with umbrellas inside-out, dressing up for Tuesday night meals in Hardy, toweling and booking doors, slime lines, and clanking radiators that shut off at 10 p.m.

For a weekend, we women in our forties were young girls again.

“Proudly each one hailed the memory of Baylor College.”

1990s

In the 1990s, we made sure to get our hormone prescriptions refilled.

We packed our pink Capri pants and comfortable shoes, and we tossed in an Oprah Book Club selection.

We left our $130,000 homes with walls painted in bold colors, charged our cell phones, e-mailed our grandchildren goodbye, and set the VCR to record Seinfeld.

After filling our cars for $1.17 a gallon, we donned our prescription sunglasses and slid in a CD of Sheryl Crow singing “All I Wanna Do (is have some fun. I got a feeling I’m not the only one),” and headed to “Baylor College in dear

old Belton.”

We arrived in classic blazers and easy, loose slacks. Perms and diamond ear studs drew attention away from drooping bust lines. Cleavage made a comeback in the ‘90s, just as ours retreated. The room temperature fluctuated with our collective hot flashes, and we passed a hand fan around the room as needed.

As we moved with newfound ease among our MH-B classmates and sponsors, some spoke of retirement plans. Wild laughter erupted as we relived our campus days. We talked of having no cars and only two phones per dorm, of yelling information up and down halls and stairs (such as, “Man on floor,” which some heard as a warning and others as an opportunity). And we recalled that we couldn’t wear pedal pushers or hair rollers in dorm parlors. No late studying for us; the proctors prowled, issuing demerits if they saw light under our doors. So we devised stealthy ways to study into the night.

Society alums from Royal Academia and Historical Phila looked at the grass in front of Hardy, wondering if evidence of Mentholatum and crackers or Colgate toothpaste from their initiations remained beneath.

We were in pretty good shape to be

2013

half a century old, and any lingering judgment of others was a vapor. Age had informed our definition of beauty and success. Yes, we had changed; we had scars from life, but we were magnificent. The kangaroos were still hopping. We had used our education well and still had more to do. We lingered over our goodbyes when we were in our fifties.

2000s

We survived Y2K and returned in the 2000s. We packed our mom jeans, Bare Minerals makeup, medicines divided into daily plastic compartments, Mylanta, and Preparation H. And wait! A few bladder pads for uncontrolled laughter. After setting the DVR for Desperate Housewives, we text-messaged our loved ones goodbye and left our $200,000 homes, which were on the market so we could downsize. We slipped orthotics into our Crocs and headed for the gas station, praying for anything under $3 a gallon. We clicked our MP3 players to Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up (when I can’t get up by myself)” and laid our BlackBerrys on the car seat.

Wow, we were already tired, and we weren’t even on campus yet. At long last, the lyrics “We’ll lie down to rest

on Old Baylor’s dear soil” sounded inviting.

We arrived and could find each other easily, thanks to either Lasik eye surgery or trifocals. We were dressed for the occasion, sort of casually formal, and most of us wore “sensible” shoes. We agreed that those friends still in heels lived under the extreme favor of the Lord. But mostly, it wasn’t about fashion. We were just glad to be there laughing, hugging, and hoping we could remember everyone’s name.

Campus changes were ongoing.

Some buildings were gone; new ones stood in their places, and our former campus perimeters stretched in every direction. At one reunion event, we sang school songs with current students. They had changed some words in our songs, and they formed ‘C’ hand symbols for Crusaders.

Crusaders? What had we been? Bluebonnets? Cornerstones? Anything? We reminded each other of our youthful promises not to become old graduates who complained about changes and prowled the halls saying, “Oh, I used to live here. Can I just peek into your room?”

Competition among us had flown the coop. No more this dorm/ that dorm, rich/poor, wild/prudish, gorgeous/average, this major/that

major. All the walls were down. We met in groups without boundaries and became close to some we had only known casually. Some stayed up most of the night sharing life stories. Leaving our friends tugged hard at our hearts when we were in our sixties.

2010s

This decade ushered in our fiftieth anniversary year, 2013. We packed incrementally to conserve energy: a wide assortment of meds, snacks to stabilize blood sugar, sleep apnea devices, eye drops, pictures of grandchildren and great grands, a wrap to guard against the chill, and a folding fan to ward off the heat. Had we forgotten anything? We couldn’t remember.

For around $3 a gallon, we filled our crossovers and sedans and left downsized homes located near our children. From iTunes, we selected Alicia Keys’ “This Girl Is on Fire (she’s walking on fire).” Wait—that’s not fire—just neuropathy kicking in.

We arrived on campus, slower of (continued on page 36) F E A T U R E S

23

Miss University Singers Linny Mitchell was crowned Miss Mary Hardin-Baylor 2014, Saturday, Nov. 9, in the annual Miss MHB Pageant.

A LUM N I LIFE Adela Sanchez Watts and her husband, Jim, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 5 with a family dinner at Horatios in San Leandro, Calif.

’60

’76 ’77

Wayne Parsons is the Presiding Judge for the city of De Leon.

Rexanne Bower Thomas was elected to represent Region 7 school districts on the board of directors for the Texas Council of Administrator of Special Education (TCASE) at the July convention. She currently serves as Van ISD’s Deputy Director of Special Programs. Rexanne and her husband, Wade Thomas ’77, may be reached at P.O. Box 1129, Van, Texas 75790.

24

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

Pamela Stakes teaches orchestra at Moody High School and South Park Middle School for Corpus Christi ISD. She also works part-time for South Texas Public Broadcasting as a weekend announcer and classical music producer.

’79

Donna Hoelscher Staten was one of five teachers from across the country invited to New York City for a meeting with Melinda Gates and other team members from the Gates Foundation. She was invited to share how she uses Pinterest in her classroom daily. She has spoken about Pinterest in the classroom at several conferences and will present at the 2014 National Art Education Association in San Diego. She currently teaches K-5 art in Round Rock ISD.

’80

Terry Davenport works for The Reynolds Company in electrical supply at the Panda Temple Power Project.

’85

Carol Marion Deisering received a MSN in psychiatric/mental health nursing from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., in 1996. She traveled to Ecuador with her husband, Retired Army Lt. Col. Lee Deisering, and a group of other medical professionals for a two-week medical mission trip in 1999. Carol retired in 2010 after 25 years in obstetrics/psych nursing. Both Carol and Lee, a retired CRNA, recently started working at Cochise College in the School of Nursing.

’85

Rev. Kenneth Kemble spent the month of July preaching to interested audiences at various points throughout the south of England, including London,

’85

Got news?

Alumni Life reports news received June 15, 2013, through Oct. 15, 2013. If you have news to share, submit online at life.umhb.edu or send it to: Alumni Relations, UMHB Box 8427, 900 College Street, Belton, Texas 76513 or alumni@umhb.edu.

To make a memorial gift, please contact: Development, UMHB Box 8433, 900 College Street, Belton, Texas 76513.

John Eyth and his daughter, Rebecca, teamed up to write The Civil War—A Biblical Perspective. The book outlines the cause and effects of the Civil War from a Biblical worldview. It is available online at amazon. com or barnesandnoble.com.

’90

Devera Shipp is the Texas State Technical College Professional Development Officer for the Waco, Marshall, and West Texas campuses. She had been the assistant principal at Lakewood Elementary School in Belton ISD for nine years.

JENNIFER JONES

’92

Kent, Plymouth, Somerset, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and as far north as Lutterworth in Leicestershire, where noted translator John Wycliffe ministered from 1374-1384. This was his fourth speaking tour to the British Isles. Rev. Kemble has been in the ministry for 31 years.

’86

Bill Ledger is a new car sales manager at John McClaren Chevrolet.

Bill and his wife, Lisa Graham Ledger ’84-’86, live in Temple with their children, Courtney and Barrett.

’90

Todd and Crista Lennon Blackhurst ’94 are missionaries in Taichung, Taiwan.

They may be reached at todd.blackhurst@ gmail.com, cristablackhurst@gmail.com, or http://missiontaiwan.org.

Teresa Almond Knepp is teaching kindergarten at Robert Cashion Elementary School in Greenville, S.C. Her husband, Robert, a former UMHB adjunct professor, is teaching A&P at North Greenville University. Teresa, Robert and their children, Zachary, Jennifer, and Jessica, live in Greer, S.C.

’93

Stacy Bishop attended Baylor University from 20022003 and completed her Master of Science in Education degree, specializing in Exercise Physiology. In 2012, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama and is currently an assistant professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

’01

Anthony Marelli is a system analyst and contract manager for the Texas Department of Transportation in Human Resources. He earned his master’s in international business management and human resources from American Intercontinental University in Illinois in 2003. He and his wife, Cheryl, have been foster parents for the State of Texas since 1995.

’01

Cameron Gage is a state park police officer at Cedar Hill State Park. He has served with the Texas Parks and Wildlife since 2007.

’02

Malachi Boyuls is a conservative Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner. He grew up in Fredericksburg and was the first person in his family to graduate from college. He earned his B.A. in religion at UMHB, where he also played defense on the football team and was voted team captain and earned Academic All-Conference honors.

Malachi earned his Juris Doctor from NYU School of Law, where he was editor-inchief of the Annual Survey of American Law. During law school, Malachi worked for current Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. In 2010, Governor Perry appointed Malachi to the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board where he helped set policy for the state agency charged with protecting consumers of real estate services. He is currently a partner with St. Augustine Capital Partners, LLC, and he and his wife, Shelby, are the parents of two young children.

’02

Luisa Lopez graduated with her master’s degree from Texas A&M. She is a healthcare recruiter at Scott & White.

’05

ALUMNI L I F E

25

Amy Ashcraft is serving a year with the international mission organization SIM in South Sudan, Africa. She is working as a nurse in a community clinic as well as in a children’s nutrition clinic.

’06

Angie Dandy Tyson and Chung Lee ’85 have been serving in the same unit in Alaska; both were recently assigned to a new duty station in Japan. Chung was pinned as Lt. Col. just prior to leaving for Japan.

’08

Amanda Gigante and Luke Donahue ’13 accompanied Temple Bible Church’s missions pastor Chase Bowers and his missions team to serve in Base, Rwanda, which is near Kigali. The team worked for one week hosting a pastors’ conference for village church leaders to be trained in teaching, preaching, and ministry management, as well as Bible camps for young adults and children. Pictured with them is native Baptist pastor and church planter Salathiel.

’11

’13

Danielle Conner teaches 8th grade U.S. history at South Belton Middle School.

W ED DI NG S April Michelle Cone ’05 to Jeffrey Jared Chupik, July 20, in Temple. April is a counselor at Hay Branch Elementary School, and Jeffrey is vice president at Chupik Counseling and Consulting.

Julie Tiemann ’06 and Greg Crawford ’10, June 16, 2012. Julie works at McLane Children’s Hospital, and Greg works contract at a natural gas plant in Freer.

They live in Belton.

Ashley Jean Stephens ’07 to Dr. Andrew Lloyd Morrow, Aug. 3, in The Grove.

Ashley teaches school for Moody ISD, and Andrew is a pharmacist with Walgreens.

26

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

Glynis Akins ’08 to Daniel Clark, Aug. 3, in Salado. Glynis is a music teacher with Salado ISD, and Daniel is an adjunct professor.

Rachel LeAnn Baca ’11 to Matthew Fulton Calhoun, June 29, in Temple. Rachel is employed by Temple ISD at Travis Middle School, and Matthew is employed by Extraco Banks.

Raeven Baize ’11 to Jordan Moody, July 6, in Gatesville. Raeven is a registered nurse, and Jordan is a correctional officer.

BIRTHS Janna Davis Fisk ’98 and her husband, Darrik, announce the birth of their daughter, Morgan Caroline, March 1, 2012.

She joins five-year-old big sister Julia. They currently live in the Dallas area.

Jonathon Blundell ’03 and his wife, Laurie, announce the birth of their daughter, Harper Elizabeth, July 24. She joins big brothers Hayden and Ian. Jonathan is a Senior Rich Media Developer for the Dallas County Community College District. They currently live in Forney.

Erin Parker Dugan ’04 and her husband, Matt, announce the birth of their daughter, Emerson Bree, Aug. 1. She joins four-year-old big brother Parker.

Cody Fredenburg ’04 and his wife, Lindsay, announce the birth of their son, Gus, April 5. He joins big brother Abbott.

Cody is UMHB’s assistant football coach, and Lindsay is the assistant director of relationship management in the UMHB Development office. Gus is the grandson of head football coach Pete Fredenburg.

Crystal Carpenter Seiford ’05 and her husband, Kevin, announce the birth of their son, Reed Christopher, June 12. He joins big brother Jack. They live in San Antonio, and Crystal is a stay-at-home mom.

Austin Daniel ’06 and his wife, Natalie, announce the birth of their son, Timothy Lawrence, Aug. 6. Proud grandparents are Joe and Debbie Stapp Daniel ’77.

Brent ’04, M.Ed. ’06 and Kristin Pearson Burks ’07 announce the birth of their son, Pearson Ray, Sept. 25. He joins big sister Perry.

Traci Hogan Altman ’07 and her husband, Matt, announce the birth of their daughter, Greta Joy, July 9.

Hunter ’07 and Morgan Levy Hamrick ’10 announce the birth of their son Hutch Randall, March 3. He joins big brother Hayze Levy.

Hunter and Morgan both work for Rockdale ISD, where Hunter is an offensive coordinator and Morgan teaches first grade.

Aleigha Perez-Campos ’08 announces the birth of her son Cameron Luke, Aug. 9.

Kristin Roberts Miller ’08 and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of their son, Cooper David, May 29.

Jonathon ’07 and Emilie Bruton Rhoades ’07 announce the birth of their son, Levi Elliott, July 30.

Michael Kojetin ’08 and his wife, Nicole, announce the birth of their daughter, Delaney, Jan. 12. She joins three-year-old big brother Alexander.

(continued on page 28)

C

One heart, two worlds Brian ’99 and Christy Caraway Guenther ’99 trusted God as they waited to bring their little boy home from Haiti

BY JESSA GR ASSI McCLURE ’08

COURTESY PHOTO

As the car pulls away from the orphanage in the oppressive Haitian sun, tears are falling from the eyes of a little boy waiting for his chance to go home, and from the eyes of his adoptive mother who has to leave her son behind yet again.

For Christy ’99 and Brian Guenther ’99 of San Marcos, the process of adopting their fourth child from Haiti has been a long and arduous journey that has tested their faith. And their quest to bring 10-year-old Wilson home to Texas began in an unlikely way.

“Brian and I were in a place in our lives where we wanted to invest in a people group,” Christy Guenther said. “We wanted our kids to grow up being mission-minded.”

As they began to pray about where to invest their time and energy, the word Haiti seemed to be coming up again and again.

The couple talked to some friends who had adopted from Haiti, and they spoke about an organization called For His Glory Outreach that worked with an orphanage in the povertystricken country. There just happened

to be a local board meeting for the organization that week, and the Guenthers decided to attend.

After meeting the orphanage director and the board members, the Guenthers packed their bags and made their first trip to Port au Prince, Haiti, in 2010. They fell in love with the local people and the children of the orphanage.

Although adoption wasn’t on the couple’s radar, one little boy caught their attention while they were serving at the orphanage. After leaving Haiti and returning to their everyday lives, they couldn’t stop thinking about the little boy who had touched their hearts.

“When we went back to Haiti in 2010, we felt led to begin the process of adopting him,” she said. “We asked him first if that was something he wanted—to be a part of our family— and he said yes.”

But although the Guenthers were anxious to bring their new son home, a chaotic Haitian government and obstacles in the U.S. adoption system made the adoption seem impossible.

Their struggle was recently chronicled

in a documentary called Children Left Behind, produced by KVUE in Austin.

While the couple and their three biological children, Caleb, 12, and 8-year-old twins Grace and Faith, waited, the Guenthers prayed and trusted that God would move mountains. “It’s like one heart, two worlds,” Guenther said. “I have one heart, but it was in two different places.”

After three years of waiting and wondering, the Guenthers finally got the okay from the American Embassy that their son could come home this December. After Christmas, the couple traveled to Haiti, and on Dec. 31, the new family boarded a flight toward their Austin home.

As the Guenthers made their journey home, they enjoyed watching their new son discover the world around him. And although the novelty of his new home is exciting, there’s something more important the ten-year-old boy gained when he became a part of the Guenther’s family.

“We sat on the couch last night and Wilson said, ‘Mama, I’m safe,’ and he smiled,” Guenther said. “It was really sweet to hear that he knew that he was finally safe at home.”

ALUMNI L I F E

27

College friendship comes full circle

COURTESY PHOTO

President Randy O’Rear dubs freshman Allison Smajstrla a “Crusader For Life” during the Welcome Week Dubbing Ceremony this past August. Allison’s father, Scott Smajstrla ’89, was Dr. O’Rear’s college roommate, and her mother, Jill Wiederhold Smajstrla ’89, was the roommate to First Lady Julie Wheeler O’Rear.

Ryan ’08 and Courtney Owens Ohendalski ’08 announce the birth of their son, Rhett Samuel. He joins two-year-old big brother Remington.

Eric ’08 and Katie Haven Schoenert ’08 announce the birth of their son, Cooper Bryson, Aug. 13.

Jon ’08 and Suzie Dodd Wible ’08 announce the birth of their son, Micah Seth, Aug. 16.

Stuart ’09 and Angela Hokanson Platt ’08 announce the birth of their son, Miles David, March 15.

Kristin Bauer Housley ’09 and her husband, Randy, announce the birth of their daughter, Emma Olivia, Sept. 2. She joins big brother Nathan. Kristin teaches fifth grade in Schertz, and Randy is a store manager.

Alison Chandler Richardson ’09 and her husband, Brett, announce the birth of their daughter, Abigail, June 4. She joins big brother Kash, who was born June 20, 2012.

Brittany Elkins Wentz ’09 and her husband, Brad, announce the birth of their son, Brady Harrison, April 14.

28

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

D E AT H S Doris Watters Wood ’31, May 25, in Waco. She was an active volunteer for the Republican Party for many years and a contributor to numerous charities.

Ernestine Orrick Van Buren ’37, July 1, in Dallas. After a brief teaching career, she moved to Dallas in 1941, working as a bilingual secretary for the Esteve Bros. cotton merchants from Barcelona, Spain.

During World War II, Ernestine was a secretary to the chief of the personnel department of North American Aviation.

At war’s end, North American Aviation closed abruptly, but as a result of a contact made there, she soon became executive secretary to noted Texas oilman Clint W. Murchison, Sr. She was active in Dallas Geological and Geophysical Auxiliary, Geoflorette Garden Club, the Helen Poe Study Club, and El Circulo Espanol.

She was a devoted member of Highland Park Presbyterian Church since 1946. She was actively engaged in Presbyterian Latin American Auxiliary, taught conversational Spanish for Friday Fellowship, served as Moderator of the Women of HPPC, was board member for the Presbyterian Historical Association of the Southwest, and served as an Elder in the HHPC Session.

Robert Curtis, Aug. 16, in Douglass. He was the husband of Rosalee Morris Curtis ’38, who preceded him in death in 2007.

Josephine McNeil Wittens ’39-’41, Sept.

19, in, Scottsdale, Ariz. She taught school while her country was entering WWI, then enlisted in the Navy WAVES and went to officer’s training school. She served as an ensign stationed in New York City until 1946, where she met Warren “Bud” Henry Wittens, whom she married in 1948. They

lived on a quasi “farm” north of New York City. In 1970, Jo became a representative for the American Baptist Women of New York, and started traveling the world. She was politically active in her community and helped Bud start Westchester Packaging Company (Tite Tie Corporation) and then went on to own her own company, Ardsley Travel. Tragedy struck and within 12 years she lost two of her children to accidents and her husband to illness. She threw herself into international travel until 2002. In 2009, she moved to Scottsdale, where she became involved with the Cactus WAVES, First Baptist Church of Scottsdale, and Jazz in Arizona, supporting the performance of Jazz In the Valley.

Dorothy Baugh Bandy ’41, Oct. 8, in Temple.

Mary Kaye Northrup Wilson ’42, July 2, in Bedford. She taught school in Harlingen prior to her marriage in 1943. In 1948 she opened a pre-school, Jack and Jill School, which was in continuous operation for 29 years with more than 1,600 students, 13 of those second-generation students, attending. In 1977, she gave the school to First Baptist Church of Wharton; it became the Child Development Center and is still operating to full capacity. In addition to supervising the Jack and Jill School, she set up the pre-school program for the Wharton ISD and taught at the junior high school for 21 years. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Wharton and was active in Sunday School and committees.

She was a member of TSTA and a member of AAUW. She served on the executive board of Share and as a member of the board of directors.

Katherine Anthon Collins ’44, Sept. 20, in Uvalde. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Uvalde, where she sang in the choir and played the piano for the children’s choir for many years.

Jane Zimmermann Stangl ’44-’45, Aug. 14, in Boulder, Colo. She was an avid reader and loved gardening, going to the movies, and being in nature.

Julie Anding Bayless ’45, Aug. 7, in Salado. She began her teaching career in the Rio Grande Valley. Fluent in Spanish, she attended graduate school at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in Latin American Studies. She continued her teaching career in Big Lake, and met her husband, Wayne Bayless, Jr., there. A company assignment took them to Venezuela, the first of a lifetime of postings abroad that included Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Algeria, Australia,

(continued on page 30)

Healing experience Deborah Leathery Redman ’93 awarded prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal for her service as military nurse

BY JENNIFER MEERS JONES ’08 COURTESY PHOTO

With her 30th birthday on the horizon, Deborah Leathery Redman ’93 found herself in an unexpected place.

Newly divorced and a single mom to three young children, Redman enrolled in the UMHB nursing program with hope for a better future.

“I needed a job to take care of my family, and I decided on nursing because there were a lot of jobs available. I figured I might not get rich, but I could support a family,” she said. “UMHB gave me the skills I needed to do the most important job in the world—to be a parent who could support her family, to be a productive American.”

Two decades later, that nursing degree has allowed her to serve as a member of the Army National Guard, Air Force, and Navy Reserve, working as a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner in places as remote as Iraq, Korea, and Afghanistan.

In 2009, Redman traveled to Guyana, South America, on a two-week military humanitarian mission. With her team, she was able to provide medical care to over 2,000 locals. She also worked with sick and injured military personnel in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. While there, she sought opportunities to provide care to the local population

after realizing the need for female providers who could oversee health services for local Afghan women.

She obtained permission to go outside the protection of the Forward Operating Base in order to provide care to the underserved population, often traveling to remote areas where medical care to females was virtually non-existent.

In February 2011, Redman and her team traveled to Woch Now Village.

Afghan females traveled from miles around to the house where Redman was stationed in order to receive medical care from the area’s lone female provider. Approximately 100 women and children were treated that day.

Redman continued seeking opportunities to connect with the local Afghan population throughout her stay in Afghanistan, despite the great personal risk presented due to the area’s volatility.

This past May, Redman was awarded the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international Red Cross distinction that can be awarded to a nurse. Redman is one of just five American nurses—and the only American military nurse — to receive this prestigious award.

When Redman heard that she was

one of the 32 award recipients from 16 countries, she said she was “absolutely amazed. It is an honor and very unexpected. You know how nurses are. We just do our job, not expecting kudos. So when my Officer-in-Charge put me in for the award, I never thought anything would come of it. It goes to show that a leader should be aware of what their people are doing and make sure they recognize them for their efforts. My OIC is the epitome of a great leader.”

Redman works full time as an FNP in the cardiology department of San Antonio Military Medical Center, the largest American military treatment facility in the world. Two of her children now serve as active-duty Army soldiers, and she and her husband Paul, who is retired from the U.S. Army, continuously support military endeavors, often opening their home to wounded warriors in need.

Redman hopes her story can help encourage others.

“I like to tell people, ‘If your life is not going as planned, do something about it. Make smart choices, especially when it comes to an education.

Look and see if what you are studying will get you where you want or need to be in life. Work hard. It just takes time and perseverance.’”

ALUMNI L I F E

29

In memory: LaVerne Gallman LaVerne Gallman, HA ’02 passed away July 19 in Temple. During her 46 years as a nursing educator, she helped guide and shape two generations of nurses while dealing firsthand with the extraordinary advancements in nursing after World War II. In 1952, Gallman was named educational coordinator and associate director of the Scott & White Nursing Program. To better guide student nurses to meet the stricter demands of their profession, Gallman earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, all while teaching at Scott & White. Gallman oversaw much of Scott & White’s nursing curriculum for two decades, enforcing exacting standards. Under her watch, the total number of required hours in the Scott & White curriculum remained well above the amount recommended by the National League for Nursing Education, and each year nearly 100 percent of students passed the licensing exams with high scores. By 1970, the Scott & White diploma program moved to UMHB and became a baccalaureate program. As the first faculty member and program director, Gallman set up the curriculum and was responsible for the school’s rigorous standards. Leaving UMHB in 1975, she joined the University of Texas at Austin as a professor and graduate adviser until her retirement in 1992. She also attended North Texas State University, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Southern California, focusing on post-doctoral studies in gerontology. Even after her retirement from UT, she continued to work as a consultant to university nursing programs and administrators.

Mallorca, Egypt, Malta, and England. They resided for many years in Bath, England, before retiring to Salado in 1992.

Jenna Robertson Franklin ’45, Sept. 29, in Waco. She was a teacher and counselor for 38 years at University High School in Waco, retiring in 1994. She continued to work several days a week as a counselor with Region 12 Service Center for four years. She worked as a volunteer with her husband as an AARP Tax-Aide counselor.

She served on the East Terrace Museum Board, worked with Meals on Wheels at Waco First United Methodist Church, and was a member of several duplicate bridge clubs. Jenna was a member of the First Baptist Church from 1945, working in the primary departments as teacher, pianist and secretary, until she left to join her

30

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

husband, Keen, as a member of the Odell Dudley Sunday School class.

Meta Peveto Ukena ’45, July 19, in Lenox, Mass.

Loda Nelson Gibson ’47, June 16, in Anahuac. She taught for 35 years in Pine Island, Crocket, Pt. Acres, Hamshire, Sour Lake, Pecos, and finally Anahuac.

Jeanne Bruce Drake ’48, July 31, in Houston. As a student at UMHB, she was instrumental in composing one of the school songs, and in 1993 she was inducted into the Walter Gilewicz Hall of Fame for her musical contributions to UMHB. A gifted musician and songwriter, she was studying to be a concert pianist at Southwestern Baptist Theological Semi-

nary in Fort Worth when she met the love of her life, Gene Drake. For over 40 years she supported her husband in his roles as minister of music and education, then as pastor to various churches. As a pastor’s wife, Jeanne was most often the church pianist and accompanist for Gene. She was a wonderful Sunday School teacher and also taught piano lessons for many years.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Jeanne Bruce Drake Presidential Endowed Scholarship at UMHB. Barbara Jones Hicks ex ’50, Sept. 8, in Temple. She worked for many years at the Temple VA Center. Over time she wrote several short stories and one unfinished novel. She was a lifetime member of American Legion Post #55 in Belton.

Maxine Lockhart ’50, Sept. 16, in San Antonio. She was appointed by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and served from 1955 to 1994. She was 27 years old when she went to Nigeria, West Africa, where she served as a teacher in various schools.

In 1973 she was sent to Liberia to teach biology in 10th grade and junior college.

In 1990, she was transferred to the Gambia. Maxine was a member of Castle Hills Baptist Church and Churchill Baptist Church.

Meriworth McMillan Mabry ’50, July 8, in Texas City. She was an educator and was named Texas’ Outstanding Teacher in 1965 and honored at the White House, and was named Texas City’s Outstanding Citizen In 1972. Noted for her historical expertise about Texas City, she was instrumental as General Chair and writer of We Were There; Personal Accounts of the Texas City Disaster on the event’s 50th Anniversary. She also authored the centennial history book of her alma mater, in addition to her leadership role with a number of major community events and projects.

Minnie Lane Murphy ’50, June 3, in Amarillo. She was a legal secretary to criminal lawyers in Fort Worth, secretary to the vice president of J.E. Foster and Son, and on staff at First Baptist Church of Amarillo.

She also was secretary to district agents for Texas A&M Extension Service and secretary at First Officers Student Battery in Fort Sill, Okla. Minnie had been involved with many Baptist organizations at the associate and state levels. She was well known for conducting Bible study conferences using her own extensive outlines of the entire Bible. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher for more than 60

(continued on page 32)

Crusader for life Remembering Mary Alice Cowley Marshall ’29 who held the title of the oldest alumna 1929

BY ALANNAH DOMANGUE

REBECCA O’BANION

Students know UMHB’s slogan: “Education for life, experience of a lifetime.” But 1929 graduate Mary Alice Cowley Marshall was determined to let her lessons run further into a lifetime than most.

Prior to her death this December at the age of 104, Marshall was the oldest known Crusader. The Temple resident fondly remembered her time at Baylor Female College.

“I had some very happy years there,” Marshall said in an interview this past fall. “I was president of the student body my senior year.”

Upon her election as class president, she and the former student body president attended a national conference for leadership where she spent her evenings talking up Baylor College, persuading a mass crowd to visit the campus with the permission of then president Dr. J.C. Hardy.

“That was the year Luther Hall burned down,” she said. “So we didn’t get to entertain our guests.”

Although her days on campus included one of the campus’ most devastating events, there were still many moments of joy.

“My roommate Martha and I would go to Luther an hour before dinner; I

would play l the piano, piano and she would wo sing.”

Born and raised in New Boston, Texas, Marshall began her studies at Baylor Female College in 1925, earning a Bachelor of Arts in music education.

Following graduation, she began working as the music supervisor in Kingsville’s public schools. She married the district’s superintendent, Robert Marshall, and had two children.

Together they moved around Texas, settling in Temple in 1944, where Mary Alice served as head of the music department at Temple College for 18 years.

Marshall went on to earn her master’s at Baylor University.

“I’m indebted to the old Methodists, but it’s interesting that I’ve gone to two Baptist schools,” Marshall said.

“Everyone on campus knew I was Methodist.”

Even President Hardy referred to her as “the little Methodist girl.”

Her time spent as class president offered many opportunities for Marshall to develop her ability to lead.

“I really believe that the leadership skills I’ve carried with me my entire life were developed at Baylor Female College,” Marshall said.

After nearly eight decades of post-graduation living, Marshall’s involvement in the university’s traditions and enthusiasm for the everchanging campus never faded. She was inducted into the Gilewicz Hall of Fame in 1987, served as president of the Heritage Club in its early days of organization, spoke in Charter Day Chapel when the new Luther historic marker was unveiled in 2006, and was named Distinguished Alumna in 2008.

“I think that’s what has kept me going all these years,” she said.

Her lasting love toward the university never went unnoticed. The Alumni Relations department was able to get to know Marshall on a personal level through her years of involvement with campus events.

“Her strong love for UMHB and her ability to celebrate the changes and successes were a couple of the reasons Marshall had such a great relationship with the university,” Director of Alumni Relations Rebecca O’Banion said.

Museum Curator Betty Sue Beebe, who served as UMHB alumni director for many years, adds, “I always told her, ‘When I grow up, I want to be just like you.’ It is difficult to believe that she is no longer with us. I will miss her dearly!”

ALUMNI L I F E

31

ALUMNI SUBMISSIONS WANTED!

THE 2014 BAYLORIAN The Baylorian invites you to be a part of a literary tradition

spanning over 100 years! Alumni are encouraged to submit works of poetry, short prose, art and photography. Please submit to baylorian@umhb.edu by Jan. 30 for consideration for the 2014 edition.

BAYLOR FEMALE COLLEGE ARTIFACTS Are you an alumna with a

long history at UMHB? Dr. Toby Coley, assistant professor of English, is conducting ongoing research into the history of Baylor Female College. If you have access to any materials (transcripts, brochures, student writing, teacher assignments, photographs, playbills, correspondence, anything) that might refer to or be from the years 1883-1930 and are willing for Dr. Coley to examine these items, please contact him at tcoley@umhb.edu or 254-295-4561.

years. She was in the Sanctuary Choir and Heritage Singers at First Baptist Church.

Connie Brannon Butler ’51, Aug. 1, in Fort Worth. For much of her career she was a counselor for the State of Arkansas, first in spinal cord rehabilitation, then in drug rehabilitation.

Mary Leamer Godsey ’51, Oct. 15, in Ankeny, Iowa. She was the home economics teacher and FHA adviser at Sioux Center High School. She was a member of the Women’s American Legion and First Reformed Church in Sioux Center.

Sybil Owers McNeill ex ’52, June 22, in Kingwood. In recent years she focused her creative energies on making colorful and beautiful quilts for family and friends. She was an avid gardener and created a backyard haven for birds.

Sylvera Cole Barton ’54, Sept. 28, in Temple. She taught school in Aransas Pass and Temple, and she retired from Belton ISD as a counselor for Special Education. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, Retired Teachers Association, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and East Bell County Genealogical Society. She was a member of Memorial Baptist Church and was active in most of the church ministries. She taught the Truth Seekers Class for more than 50 years. Sylvera was a member of the Church Women of Temple, and helped in Churches Touching Lives for Christ. She was the mother of Sue Barton Lykes ’60-’61.

Bill Fisher, Aug. 10, in Longview. He was the husband of Johnette Shaffer Fisher ’58.

Bernice Jones Evans ’64, July 21, in Little 32

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

River-Academy. She worked as a teacher and school counselor in Academy ISD for 36 years, and as a teacher in Rogers ISD for two years, retiring in 2002. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Little River and served as Sunday School teacher.

She was a past member of American Counseling Association, lifetime member of Texas State Teachers Association, Bell County Youth Fair Co-Superintendent for Foods Division, Bell County Cowboy/ Cowgirl Ring of Honor Inductee, Bell County Youth Fair Plaza of Honor Inductee, Bell County Youth Fair Board member for two terms, Bell County 4-H Ambassador Leader, Academy 4-H club manager and leader, Bell County Rodeo secretary, East Bell County Texas A & M Mother’s Club member, and a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association member. She received the Texas 4-H Salute to Excellence Award and was recognized as the 1960 State All Around High School Champion Cowgirl.

Community College. She joined the Department of Veterans Affairs in Marlin in 1978 and remained there until her transfer to the Fort Lyon, Colo., VAMC in 1985, where she was chief of nursing.

During this period, she was also a member of the adjunct faculty at Otero Junior College. She retired from the VA in 1990 and traveled around the world as a research assistant. From 1997 to 2003 Julie volunteered as a sexual assault nurse examiner for the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims. She was a member of Central Christian Church, Hamilton House, and Daughters of the Nile. She was a past president of University High School PTA, president of the United Methodist Women, Past Queen of Marek Temple, and member of the Hillbilly Clan of Karem Shrine and the Kokopelli Club.

Janie Butler Strader ’65, Sept. 15, in Houston.

Margaret Bauerle DiMuccio ’80, July 25, in Temple. She was a longtime nurse in the Temple area. She was the mother of Linda DiMuccio Joyner ’90, Lisa DiMuccio Hoelscher ’90, and Amy DiMuccio Robertson ’89.

Herb Brubaker ’76, Aug. 2, in Memphis.

Herb worked over 35 years in student financial aid and with student loan programs. For 30 years, he served as association leadership officer for TASFAA, AASFAA, SWASFAA, and NASFAA. He also received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the field of student loans and financial aid. Before he passed, he served as the Campus Director of ITT Technical Institute in Little Rock.

Julie Young Lawson ’76, Sept. 17, in Waco. She was listed in the premier edition of Who’s Who in American Nursing. She was employed by Scott & White Neonatal ICXU Nursery, the Hillcrest Emergency Room, and McLennan

Grace Reddick Speer ’77, Sept. 11, in Killeen.

Earline Clayton Taylor ’83, Sept. 27, in Temple. She worked at the Blue Bonnet Café. She was a member of Victory Missionary Baptist Church, where she served as an adult Sunday School teacher as well as a choir member.

Michael Stary ’90, Sept. 28, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served in the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of staff sergeant and serving as a security policeman. He had a long career in the field of social work, including working as a juvenile probation officer in Mount Pleasant; a caseworker/

dormitory director at the Brownwood State School; a house parent at the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock; an adult probation officer for Williamson County; a case manager for the Round Rock Mental Health Center and the Kerr County Mental Health Center; and a family program counselor at the Starlite Recovery Center in Center Point. He was a social service worker for the Central Counties MHMR in Temple prior to his retirement.

Michael was a former pastor of Kerrville Church of the Nazarene and volunteered in the prison ministries in Gatesville. He was a member of Agape Christian Center in Belton.

Dorothy Davis Birkner ex, Sept. 12, in Victoria. She and her husband, Joe, owned and operated Joe Birkner, Jr., Lumber in Bay City for over 50 years. She served as a Bay City ISD school board member in the late 70s and early 80s; a member of Junior Service League; a member of Beta Sigma Phi; and a member of Matagorda County Fair and Livestock Association.

Berneice Houston Garrett ex, in July, in Killeen. Her teaching career spanned 29 years, including three years with Trinity ISD, one year as a substitute teacher in Europe, and 25 years with Killeen ISD until her retirement in 1996. After her retirement, she served as an active volunteer in Metroplex Health System.

Tura Stephens Hobbs ex, July 25, in Austin. She was a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Merrilltown. She gave of herself to many who were needy through her work at Iglesia Bautista in East Austin at a time when few of Austin’s citizens paid attention to the poor on the east side of town. Tura and her husband, Carl, were married 58 years and were members of First Baptist Church.

Anna “Betsy” Kemper ex, May 15, in Marble Falls. After one year of teaching, she started her career as a mother and Air Force wife. She was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church and was the great-granddaughter of John Wesley DeVilbiss, a Methodist circuit-riding preacher who helped establish the Methodist church in the Republic of Texas. She was also a member of the Highland Lakes Porcelain Arts Guild. She volunteered and helped feed those in need for more than 25 years through the Mission Outreach Ministry program at St. Frederick Baptist Church in Marble Falls. Betsy and her husband received the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce in 1991.

Carolyn Martinec ex, April 18, in Webster.

Lillian Mikulec ex, Aug. 22, in Marak.

She was employed as a school teacher until her marriage to Frank Mikulec. They owned and operated The Country Bar and Grocery in Marak from 1950 to 1980 and were also engaged in farming and ranching. She was a member of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in Marak and taught religion classes for many years.

From 1954 to 2004, she was the presiding judge of the Marak Election Box while also serving as the Precinct Democratic Chair from 1954 to 1989. She organized and held a charter member position of CSA Fraternal Life #460 in Cameron, where she also served as lodge secretary.

She was also the district representative for CSA Fraternal Life #3 for Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and California from 1965 to 1999, and she organized and served as charter president of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 2010 Cameron. From 1969 to 1989 she served as financial secretarytreasurer and sales representative for SPJST Lodge Cameron #72 and was a member of SPJST Lodge Flag Hall Cyclone #24.

She was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans Ladies Auxiliary Post #2. She was Czech chair of the Cameron Folk Fete and participated in the Seaton Choral Group and Czech Beseda Dancers.

She also provided Czech language translation services.

Sue Reese ex, Aug. 22, in Austin. She began her teaching career in Midland ISD in 1973 as the first kindergarten teacher in the district. In 2000, she retired after devoting twenty-seven years to education.

She was an active member of First United Methodist Church of McGregor, where she was a long time member of the Chancel Choir, the Homebuilders Class, and later the Friendship Builders Class, and the Blanche Turner Circle of the United Methodist Women. She also served on various committees within the church.

Col. (Ret.) Otto Scharth, Sept. 9, in Montgomery. He served as the UMHB Registrar’s office Military Liaison from 1979 to 1990.

M E MO R I A L S Marjorie Bailey Marietta Parker Virginia Bancroft Dr. & Mrs. J. A. Reynolds Sylvera Cole Barton Don & Linda Bridges Sandefur Benny Bay Marietta Parker

Susan Beinhauer Mark & Betty O’Hair Anderson Betsy Dabbs Polgue Kenneth & Velva Schrader Riddle Robert & Grace Richardson Whitis Maidel Sorensen Browder Betty Sue Craven Beebe Nadyne Owen Roberts Herb Brubaker Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom Betty Sue Craven Beebe Marietta Parker Charles Buckley Jackie Cortese McLaughlin Lynwood C. “Burk” Burkhalter Mary Roberts Bull Janice Muehlstein Caldwell Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas – K.J.Z.T. Beth Childress Minnie Abrego Sanchez Patsy Derr Amy Bawcom Jeanne Marie Bruce Drake Betty Sue Craven Beebe Mary Roberts Bull Janell Huey Hobbs Deborah L. Linfield Malcolm & Becky Morris Ann Robertson Wanda J. Shadle Nancy Salisbury Sullivan Bill & Martha Thomas Dr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Warren and Family Lou Ann Ysaquirre Bernice Jones Evans Betsy Dabbs Polgue Kenneth & Velva Schrader Riddle Martha White Farris Carolyn & Bill Forney, Jr. Memorial Hermann Health System Will & Mary Williams Tara Coet Felmly Ed & Eve Coet William F. “Bill” Fisher Lawton & Peggy Bass Albin Betty Sue Craven Beebe Dennis & Beverly Easley Carroll A. Fletcher Four Seasons Garden Club Mr. & Mrs. Joe W. Hart, Jr. Ronald & Donna Hinsley Odell & Elaine Jackson Charles W. & Patricia M. Jenkins III Dr. Gene & Kathie Kimes Karen Lee ALUMNI L I F E

33

Doris Mize Gina & Paul Ronhaar Gerald E. Shaffer Fay Weber Helen Stapleton Fletcher Ruth Tucker Hess Nadyne Owen Roberts Mallory Grace Franks Jordan Franks Dr. Ruth LaVerne Gallman Cheryl Anderson Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom Betty Sue Craven Beebe Renny K. Y. Boase Jerry Caldwell Pam Manning Clay Kay Daugherty Lynette Simpson Fischer Margaret Pechal Gibson Carolyn Snapka Harlow Shirley Roberts Holleman Catherine Becker Holub Edith Cornett King Jackie Cortese McLaughlin Nancy Cornett Morgan Darlene Ermis Neiser Bernice Richter Barbara Lyon Thomas Robert & Grace Richardson Whitis Mary H. Winn Bernadette Wohleb Donna Glover-Aucutt Kent Owens & Darius Dr. Kerry & Katherine Owens Riley & Carolyn Allison Owens Ernestine Owens Goldston Florence Goldston Pinkston Ruby Lee Wyche Thomas Katrinna Hayner Rev. Robert & Sandra Sanders Mattson Edward D. Holcombe Carol M. Holcombe Dr. Beatrice Huston Amy Bawcom Monty Labay Pat Lockridge Shannon Michael P. LeFan Joe B. & Janelle Baisden Maxine Lockhart Helen Lockhart Stein Meriworth McMillan Mabry Tess & Jay Arrington Nathan C. Ausley

34

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom Betty Sue Craven Beebe Kathy Brewer Carol & Cody Cockerham Joan Burton Cox Jehnell F. Dupree PDG Norman & Brenda Dykes Epsilon Tau Chapter, The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Mary A. Fields John & Bridget Gates Dr. & Mrs. John W. Hart Jo Ann Herndon & Family Roy & Cindy Hoffman Dena Holmes & Family Scott L. Holmes & Family Joseph A. & Ann Hoover Marilyn Jewell Susie & Steve Moncla Patricia Wellman Nunez Dr. & Mrs. Randy O’Rear Ronald F. Plackemeier Graham J. Powell Pat Lockridge Shannon Margaret Ann Tuma Jean Wellman Whitworth Mary H. Winn Peggy Wright Keith McPherson Penny McPherson Lee Holcomb Means Janell Huey Hobbs T. Edward Mercer Beth Mercer Beck

Charlie Pack Dr. & Mrs. Randy O’Rear Marietta Parker Callie Louis Alcorn Purser Maxine Alcorn Charles Wayne Qualls Riley & Carolyn Allison Owens J. R. Roberts Nadyne Owen Roberts Colonel Otto P. Scharth Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom Dr. Gene & Kathie Kimes Jay Frank Schultz The Andrew Smith Family Pearl Smelley Rev. Robert & Sandra Sanders Mattson Rosemary Carter Sanderfer Stagg Katherine Jacobs Shanks Janie Lee Butler Strader Eula Woodyard McKown Ellen Yates Tanner Mark & Betty O’Hair Anderson Amy Bawcom Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom Betty Sue Craven Beebe Ray, Martha and Kyle Minardi John & Laura Mae Wooddy Ore Dr. & Mrs. Randy O’Rear Riley & Carolyn Allison Owens

Join the UMHB Alumni Travel Cru to explore

departing DECEMBER 4, 2014 Black Forest t Strasbourg t Franconia Region t Wurzburg Neuschwanstein Castle t Oberammergau Diner’s Choice Nuremberg t Munich t Innsbruck t $ISJTUNBT .BSLFUT Early booking rates: $3,129 per person double occupancy (price includes $250 early booking discount) UMHB staff will travel with alumni and guests on this tour if more than ten alumni register.

For more information, visit alumni.umhb.edu/travel-opportunities, or contact the Alumni Office at 254-295-4599 or alumni@umhb.edu

Marietta Parker Dr. & Mrs. J. A. Reynolds Pat Lockridge Shannon Basil & Cheryl Sims UMHB Faculty Assembly Margaret Ellen Wooddy Mrs. Robert Wooddy Arla Ray Tyson Jean Ann Miller Lynch Meta Peveto Ukena Mary Roberts Bull Nancy Salisbury Sullivan Price Wharton Dr. & Mrs. J. A. Reynolds Dr. Bobbie Wilborn Doris Goldston Parker J. W. & Nadine Dismukes Williams Janice Williams Autry Doris Watters Wood Jane Wood Judy Wood

HONORARIA

Dr. Mickey Little Linda C. Owens

Dr. Jerry Bawcom Joan Marlowe Myrah

John Michael Mooneyham Sara Pearson Smith

Debbie Burch Barbara Robertson Knowles

Dr. David Morgan Marilyn Gore Phillips

Class of 1951 Nadyne Owen Roberts

Dr. & Mrs. Randy O’Rear Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Bawcom

Timothy Lawrence Daniel Mr. & Mrs. Bobby Bridges

Ruby Nell Barr Schick Portia Sikes McKown

Ouida Mae Dulany Linda Breaux

Pat Lockridge Shannon Joyce McGehee Moore

Charles “Mac” Hickerson Mike Camp Bryon Ding Sirinat Liemwises Massey Brad Mills Scott Skogen Dr. Mark D. Smith II Troy Tegeler

Jo Ann Reinhard Smith Betty Reinhard Hamilton

Dorothy Jean Reinhard Hogwood Betty Reinhard Hamilton Pam and Keith Wilson

Chris Weathers Westbrook Joan Marlowe Myrah

Kory Jumper Sara Pearson Smith

Nancy Salisbury Sullivan Dodie Williams Beazley Dr. Bill Tanner UMHB Faculty Assembly

Martha Stevens Williams Joan Marlowe Myrah Dr. Larry Woodward Karl McNair, Jr.

Purple veins, gold teeth, white hair (continued from page 23) step, with a scattering of canes, walkers, and wheelchairs—but who cared?

Joy of joys! Fifty years later, most of our friends were still there to celebrate. We were on the other side of most career dreams, yet vibrant and pursuing new goals—lifelong learners and achievers.

We wore classy, comfortable clothes and shoes, and our hairstyles and colors reflected individual personalities.

Makeup? Less was more. Our styles were individual. We had grown into ourselves, easy in our own skin, physically and mentally. Seasoned by happiness and sorrow, we visited with no pretenses, expectations, or judgments.

Sadness hung like fog when we commemorated those no longer with us. A toll of the bell at Luther Memo-

36

UMHB LIFE | W I N T E R

2 0 1 3

rial for each one. Gone from this world—full of life in our memories.

Our beloved MH-B College was now UMHB. The university was different, and so were we. Men were everywhere, a belated answer to many of our prayers. A football team had appeared, for crying out loud! Where was the all-women Easter Pageant, complete with bearded ladies and our campus dog, Tumor, who never missed a rehearsal? What about the Filly Harmonics band with wax-paper combs, pottery jugs, and washboards?

Judge Baylor’s remains now rested at a dignified memorial; students no longer crawled under flowerbed shrubs to lay flowers on his grave. And pray tell, who moved the college entrance gates

without asking us?

Thrilled to see our alma mater thriving, we celebrated the changes.

However, deep inside, we would love to have seen the campus as it was— just one more time.

We embraced the parts we remembered and applauded the advances.

Our college was still here, and so were we—the stars of the show, the golden girls clasping golden diplomas.

Together we could sing, “Up with the purple veins, the gold teeth, and the white hair.” We were sisters, we were in our seventies, and we were fabulous at our 50th reunion.

Special thanks to Kathryn Mitchell Gamble ’63 for providing the photos used in this story.

900 College Street • Belton, Texas 76513

Electronic Service Requested