Inside RecSports: Spring/Summer 2004

InsideRECSPORTS Published for friends and supporters of UT Recreational Sports Vol. 3, No. 2 Spring 2004

LEADERSHIP

BY E X A M P L E Albert A. “Sonny” Rooker 19 2 4 - 2 0 0 0

Letter

From

the Director

Cover Photos: Sonny Rooker, Advisor (far right), with his 1955 Extramural Fast Pitch Softball Team Original Whitaker Fields across from Gregory Gym stretching from 21st Street along Speedway to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Dear Friends: Now in its third year, the Friends of RecSports initiative is reaching past participants spanning seven decades. Amazingly, several alumni whose parents were at the university with either Berry Whitaker or Anna Hiss have shared their memories with us. Pat (Cox) Shaw, a 1953 graduate, found her dad’s picture on the Wall of Fame as a member of the rst group of intramural champions in 1919. Tom Barrow, a 1948 graduate and Wall of Fame champion, remembers his father playing football at Austin High with Berry Whitaker and his mother excelling in women’s club sports in the 1920s under Anna Hiss. We cherish memories such as these and hope you will share your thoughts and experiences with us as you look back at your own participation in men’s and women’s intramurals and other programs of the Division of Recreational Sports.

With this sixth edition of Inside RecSports newsletter, the historical review of RecSports leaders continues. Albert A. “Sonny” Rooker succeeded Berry Whitaker in 1959 as Amazingly, several alumni director of men’s intramurals and was instrumental in leading the program to new heights with additional facilities and whose parents were expanded opportunities. We hope you enjoy reading about Sonny and the thousands of lives he touched during his tenure. at the university ... shared Once again, thank you for continuing to show an interest in RecSports and for sharing your memories. In a future their memories with us. edition, we will complete our journey of visiting past leaders with a prole of Betty A. Thompson, the rst director of the We cherish memories such as Division of Recreational Sports. I’m sure that you have already recognized the common philosophy shared by RecSports’ past these and hope you will share leaders in providing students with opportunities to gain an “education through recreation.” We look forward to including your thoughts and experiences our Friends of RecSports in our continued efforts to transform the lives of students of The University of Texas. with us as you look back With Warmest Regards, at your own participation.

Thomas W. Dison Associate Vice President and Director

Visit our Web site and let us know “where you are” or drop by Gregory Gym the next time you’re in Austin.

Spotlight

(1) Water Ski Winners Members of the UT Water Ski Team show off their trophy for 2nd Place in Division 2 earned last October at the National Collegiate Water Ski Association’s (NCWSA) national tournament. The three-day event, which UT hosted, was held at the Aquaplex Ski Lake near Creedmoor, Texas, and included a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NCWSA’s National Collegiate Championships.

How many football teams played (3) Horse Packing Trip Outdoor guides lead a group of UT and Texas A&M students on a horse packing trip through at UT last fall?

Big Bend country during Thanksgiving break. The horse 1 in DKR–TX Memorial packers started out in Lajitas and hit the trails to an old ghost town called Buena Suerte to camp for a couple of nights. It was Stadium, 430 at the third cooperative trip arranged between the two schools.

Whitaker Fields

(2) Personal Training Trainer Matt Driscoll supervises the workout of a student client. RecSports participants are increasingly turning to certified trainers for personalized instruction and a customized workout. Fitness assessments and individual consultations are other options offered to those seeking enhanced fitness services.

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(4) Whitaker Fields In 1967 the Intramural Fields relocated to a 34-acre site on 51st and Guadalupe streets. The current Whitaker Fields complex is made up of 18 football/soccer fields or 12 softball fields, a maintenance facility, a central control building and 40 lighted tennis courts.

Last year, 136 coed softball teams – a very popular division – competed in the intramural slow pitch softball tournament, along with several hundred traditional men’s and women’s teams.

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Past Leaders

Albert A. “Sonny” Rooker

Leadership by Example 1924-2000

Prior to the formation of the Division of Recreational Sports in 1972, four individuals shaped the history of today’s RecSports program: Berry M. Whitaker, Anna Hiss, Albert A. “Sonny” Rooker and Betty A. Thompson. These individuals directed the Men’s

Albert A. “Sonny” Rooker became just the second director of the Men’s Intramural Sports Program at The University of Texas at Austin when he succeeded Berry Whitaker in 1959. As the director, he set his own course and became widely known for running one of the best intramural sports programs Sonny Rooker in 1959 in the nation. For the thousands of former UT students who played intramurals – win or lose, champion or participant – Mr. Rooker’s dedication and commitment to the job provided opportunities for lasting memories. Throughout his tenure, Sonny’s belief that “society’s future leaders should be skilled and knowledgeable of leisure time use and should be capable of exerting leadership by example” acted as his guiding principle.

His Student Years In 1942 Sonny entered the university as a freshman football player in the same class as Tom Landry, future coach of the Dallas Cowboys. After serving in the Air Force during World War II, he returned to the university where he excelled as an intramural athlete, winning awards in several sports for the PEM Club. In 1948 he received his degree and was named assistant director for the Men’s Intramural Sports Program. He continued his education, receiving his master’s in 1950 while assisting Mr. Whitaker.

Intramural Program, the Women’s Intramural Program and the Division of Recreational Sports for 72 years before Thomas W. Dison assumed the leadership role in 1988.

In 1970-71, coed use of Gregory Gym was approved.

Leading the Intramural Program The intramural program was a daily staple in the lives of UT students. Rarely could you pass Gregory Gym or the Intramural Fields, then located across the street from the gym, without seeing competition, practices or just casual participation. Under Mr. Rooker’s leadership, the intramural program ourished. In 1963 the Gregory Gym Annex was added, providing world-class facilities to the growing program. In 1967 the elds were relocated to the current site on 51st St., nearly doubling the size of the complex. Mr. Rooker was instrumental in both the development of the GRE Annex and the relocation effort after the university’s own expansion needs took priority over the original site.

National Recognition As a leader nationally, Mr. Rooker was very active in the National Intramural Association (later the National 1945-46, Intramural Softball Champions Sonny led his PEM (Physical Education Majors) Club teammates to victory.

Sonny Remembered Bill Melton, Dallas County treasurer from 1977–2002 and noted voice of the Texas Relays and Dallas Cowboys, assisted Sonny from 1964-66. He notes, “My time with Sonny was significant as I learned the basics of business management, time management, and most importantly, people management. Not by direction, but by personal action, he taught me the simple skills of dedication to job and task.”

Wayne Jennings (1964-70) recalls Sonny as “a tough and demanding boss, but as fine a human being as I ever met.”

Professor Jennings, now living in New Braunfels, Texas, retired after 30 years as director of the intramural program at Eastern Kentucky University.

1963, The Gregory Gym Annex added 13 handball courts, 2 squash courts, a gymnastics area, a multipurpose gym and offices.

Intramural-Recreation Sports Association or NIRSA), always seeking improvement for his own intramural program. His national reputation was enhanced when UT Austin hosted the NIA’s annual conference in 1965. In 1967 he served as president of NIA and in 1976 received the Honor Award, the association’s highest honor. He continued to be a supporter of NIRSA after leaving the university and in retirement.

A Life Dedicated to Sports and Play Mr. Rooker was a quiet, unassuming man who loved sports and the outdoors. His entire life was devoted to this love, from his days as an athlete to his time as assistant director and director of men’s intramurals to his nearly 50 years as a sideline credentials coordinator at UT football games.

He ofciated in the football chapter, played handball like a champion and preached physical tness to everyone. In 1972, with the merging of men’s and women’s intramurals, he was appointed executive director of the Governor’s Commission on Physical Fitness where he continued to inuence school kids across the state with a goal of “raising the level of physical tness throughout the state.”

Two men – Berry Whitaker and A.A. “Sonny” Rooker – shaped the Men’s Intramural Program for 56 years.

Today’s Intramural Sports Program continues to ourish within the university’s expanded recreational sports program.

Without the leadership of Sonny Rooker, the vision created by Berry Whitaker would not have continued to develop into the program as it’s known today. A. A. “Sonny” Rooker truly was instrumental in shaping men’s intramurals into a program that has transformed the lives of thousands of students.

Dennis Corrington (1969-73), beginning his 31st year as director of RecSports at Texas A&M University, describes Sonny as his mentor who “made sure all of his contacts in our national organization knew who I was. In fact, Sonny’s reputation in the field was why I got the job at A&M.” Kirk Bohls, former IM champion and Austin American Statesman columnist, was the first recipient of the A. A. Rooker Special Merit Award as a senior in 1973. He remembers Sonny as “one of those unsung heroes of college life that got very little recognition for the huge and lasting impact he had on young men like myself.”

1964-65, Seated at a typical staff meeting, from left: Albert A. Rooker, director; Bill Melton, assistant director. Standing, from left: Robert Henderson, assistant director; Wayne Jennings, assistant director.

Darrell Royal, housed next to the intramural staff in Gregory Gym before moving to Bellmont Hall in 1972, remembers “Sonny always had a pleasant smile on his face. He was interested in all kinds of amateur athletics, was a great promoter of intramural sports, and still was a backer and supporter of athletics. And, boy, did he love to play handball!”

Fast Forward Where Are

YOU Now?

Lost touch with former intramural teammates or fellow RecSports employees? Want to find out what happened to your old workout buddies?

Here’s what some of you are doing now:

1957-58, Senior Managers The managerial system provided intramurals with the volunteers to organize and run the sports. A three-year commitment by the volunteers ended with a select few earning the coveted Varsity letter sweater. From left: Stewart Gillette, Everett Tucker, Gordon Appleman ‘59 and George Helland.

1940s/1950s Dewey Younger ‘49, ‘50, now living in San Antonio with wife Annette, was an AllIntramural softball pitcher in 1949 and 1950 and won championships with four teams from 1947-50: Ex-Service Men’s Team, AIME, BSU and SPE. As a member of the UT extramural softball team, he beat an A&M team led by Wally Moon. Dewey received his B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering in 1949 and his M.S. degree in engineering mechanics in 1950.

Gordon Appleman ‘59, 2001 Distinguished Alumnus, 1985 president of the Texas Exes, member of Sigma Alpha Mu and the Texas Cowboys and a top student, says his biggest thrill in college was earning a varsity letter after working three consecutive

years as an intramural manager under Berry Whitaker and Sonny Rooker.

1960s Roger Henderson ‘60, former football champion with the Navy ROTC in 1958 and runner-up in 1959, is the Ralph W. Bilby professor of law at the University of Arizona.

Roger and his teammates entered the Navy together following graduation.

J.W. Pieper ‘60, member of the Navy football champion in 1958 and the Oak Grove Memorial Sportsmanship Award winner in 1959, has retired to the Texas Hill Country town of Boerne. He is in his 33rd year of ofciating high school football in the San Antonio chapter and has completed the required courses for designation as a Texas master naturalist.

Louis (L.E.) Spradlin ‘63, former intramural champion for the Navy ROTC, senior manager and winner of the Berry Whitaker Leadership Award in 1963, lives in Columbia, S. C., with his wife Mary Helen, and has retired from BellSouth Corporation and the Naval Reserve. He is active in the community, runs a small business and enjoys his three granddaughters.

Dr. Ken Ford ‘65, former member of the undefeated freshman basketball team in 1961-62 and the Best All-Around Intramural Athlete in 1963-64, graduated from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1969, was a ight surgeon in the Air Force from 1970-72 and has been practicing orthopedic surgery in Houston since the mid-70s. Interestingly, he began lming and hosting “ESPN Outdoors” in 1995, featuring such guests as George Herbert Bush Sr. and George Bush Jr., singer Jerry Jeff Walker and Longhorns football coach Mack Brown.

Dan Burleson ‘64, ‘68, former Delta Tau Delta intramural athlete, tennis champion and winner of the Berry Whitaker Leadership Award in 1966, has spent the last 35 years practicing law in Texas, Washington, D.C. and New York City. He is now semi-retired, living in Texas and Newport Beach, Calif., with his wife and keeping a faithful eye on the Longhorns. “I owe a lot to Sonny Rooker,” he says, “for the respect and guidance he showed me as a young man while I was at The University of Texas.”

Kenneth Steed ‘69, former fast pitch softball champion with Sigma Nu, lives in Austin with wife Diann and still exercises at Bellmont Hall in the early mornings.

1970s Jack Orbin ‘71, an intramural table tennis Wall of Famer, is the owner and president of Stone City Attractions, a San Antonio concert rm which was established in 1972. Past promotions include the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Santana.

Hal Jones ‘72, former champion in bowling as a Delta Upsilon, lives in Raleigh, N. C., with his wife of 28 years, Bonnie, a UT graduate, and three children ages 20, 21 and 24. Hal is president of Saguaro Management & Accounting Services.

Stephen Gunn ‘73, former Fiji intramural athlete and senior manager, lived in Austin for 25 years before moving to Fort Worth where he is currently the CFO for a VOIP telecommunications company in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Since 1992 he has run 10 marathons and one 50K race.

Robby Kallina ‘73, former PEM Club athlete, Best All-Around Athlete in 1973 and intramural ofcial, lives in Colorado with wife Kathy and kids Tiffany (22), Harrison (18) and Emily (14). Robby is director of RecSports at Mesa State College and his interests include outdoor activities with the kids, traveling, reading, playing with the computer and watching TV (especially Texas football). Robby, whose graduate degree is from Washington State University, attended the Holiday Bowl in 2003 with his two youngest kids.

Go to www.utrecsports.org/whereareyou to let us know what you’re up to!

1958, Navy ROTC football champions Roger Henderson and J.W. Pieper were members of the team who defeated the Law champions, Legal Eagles, in a challenge game at Whitaker Fields. This group finished second in 1959. All members went on to serve in the Navy after graduation.

1980s Freeman Wyche ‘81, (right, shown here with A-Bombers teammate L.A. Tanner) former softball and basketball champion, graduated with a pharmacy degree, spent 15 years as a hospital pharmacist and now works in the Houston area with CVS pharmacy chain. Freeman has been married 21 years, has two children, and enjoys golf and basketball.

Linda (McCalla) Williams ‘82, and Mark Williams ‘81, both former intramural champions, live in Austin and enjoy coaching their three children (Michael, Kelsey, and Justin) who are active in youth sports. Mark quarterbacked Delta Upsilon to an IM championship while Linda helped the Bombers win a national ag football championship in New Orleans, La., in 1982.

Jeff Brower ‘88, former IM track champion (Slippery Rock) lives in Austin with his wife and three kids.

When he’s not providing computer support to small businesses, he still runs. He competes in every Capitol 10K Race and is the 2002 Master’s Men 400 Intermediate Hurdles Champion.

William Boyce ‘88, former basketball champion and runnerup for Kappa Sigma, returned to his home town of Amarillo to join the family business – WilliamsBoyce Agency LLP – which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004. William and his wife Suzanne have one son, Will Jr., who is three.

Ed Braeuer ‘89, former intramural champion and ofcial, began his sixth season as head basketball coach at Belton High School (113–67 record). His oldest son Matt is a senior and has signed to play basketball at Wichita State University. Married to Penny, a school nurse (RN), Ed has two other children, Eva and Megan.

Lisa (Joiner) Wesley ‘83, ‘87, former IM champion with the Thumpers and Bombers, visited the RecSports Reunion in Gregory Gym last November 1 with her family and received a complimentary intramural champion T-shirt. Lisa lives in Bellaire, Texas.

1990s Robert Parr ‘91, ‘95, former men’s soccer club player and

Or contact Bob Childress at 512.475.7180 or bobc@mail.utexas.edu

coach, is the head women’s soccer coach at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville and co-creator of SoccerROM.com with his wife Michelle.

Michael Frazier ‘96, former building coordinator and avid intramural participant, attended the Southern Methodist University School of Law and went to work for the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons. He lives in Seattle, Wash., where he is a supervisory attorney for the Bureau of Prisons.

Brian Black ‘97, former intramural supervisor, ofcial and participant, lives in Keller, Texas, and works for State Farm Insurance. He married Kim Wilson last November and continues to work as a high school basketball ofcial.

Paul Emig ‘99, former intramural program assistant, ofcial and player, left his job with Rice University intramurals to work in the Graduate Studies Ofce.

Married to Rachael, Paul continues his “sports” career announcing for the NWBL Houston Stealth and ofciating high school football.

2000s Steve Anderson ‘01, former program assistant in intramurals, All-American ofcial and player, completed his graduate studies at Central Florida University and is now the newly appointed intramural and sport club coordinator at The University of Texas at Dallas. He also actively ofciates high school Did you play football and handball at UT? basketball.

Contact Pete Tyson at wolfpack@mail. utexas.edu

Winners’ Circle

40

Acres Report

Gregory Aquatics Project Set to Begin Construction in May The Gregory Aquatics Project will include leisure pools, lap swimming, spas, a café, and extensive seating and deck areas with wireless Internet capability.

Construction is scheduled to begin this May on a major renovation of the Gregory Gym Natatorium, as well as the addition of a two-acre outdoor aquatics complex and related support services. The long-anticipated Gregory Aquatics Complex project, which received nal approval from the Board of Regents in February, complements the University Master Plan and will complete the 1997 renovation of Gregory Gym. Anticipated opening of the $13.9 million project is August 2005.

“The idea for the complex sprung from the success of Gregory Gym as a place for student community and social activity,” noted Tom Dison, associate vice president and director of RecSports.

Brian Haley, current student government president, led the push to gain board approval.

The University of Texas at Austin Recreational Sports 1 University Station D7500 Austin, TX 78712-0395

The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System in November approved tuition increases for this spring after receiving assurances from university officials that adequate financial aid would be available to help students pay for the new costs. The Tuition Policy Advisory Committee, established at The University of Texas at Austin by President Larry R. Faulkner, conducted public hearings on the proposed undergraduate and graduate tuition. Brian Haley, student government president, was one of three students who served on the advisory committee. The new revenues will help offset cuts in state appropriations that average six percent across the system.

The regents acted for the first time under the tuition deregulation law passed by the Legislature last spring.

The law transfers authority for setting tuition from the Legislature to university governing boards.

Norman Lee, a graduate of the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, was among the eight finalists in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition in New York City with a design entitled “Votives in Suspension.” The eight designs were chosen from 5,201 submitted entries, representing 13,683 people and 63 countries. A final winner, “Reflecting Absence,” was announced in January. Photos of the entries and the winning design can be viewed on the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition Web site at www.wtcsitememorial.org.

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