Inside RecSports: Spring/Summer 2014

YOUR CONNECTION TO UT INTRAMURALS Vol. 13, No. 2 Spring/Summer 2014

ALUMNI REFLECT ON

LIFE LESSONS THROUGH SPORT CLUBS

Page 6

LOOKING INTO THE

FUTURE

The Whitaker Fields Complex Page 10 OVERCOMING ALL

OBSTACLES

Delta Upsilon Fraternity Page 4

EDUCATION THROUGH RECREATION FE ATUR E A RTICLE

LIFE LESSONS THROUGH SPORT CLUBS

From the

WELCOME Director Dear Friends: As the days of the spring semester fly by and we prepare for another graduating class from the University, I’m reminded of all the ways the Division of Recreational Sports engages students. Obviously, the facilities provide a place for fitness, competition and community building. But beyond the facilities, the interactions on the fields and courts continue to make a difference in the lives of students, just as they have for many decades.

“With our focus on quality and excellence, RecSports is always looking for ways to meet the needs of each generation and provide the best facilities, services and programs.”

Throughout this issue, you will learn how participation in Recreational Sports has impacted the lives of former students. Whether it is the friendships and bonds that were formed through participation, the memories of victories on the fields or the lessons that Sport Club members learned in leadership roles, RecSports makes an impact on shaping student lives during their college years and throughout their lifetimes. No doubt these stories will remind you of your experiences with our programs and facilities.

As one class prepares to leave the University, we eagerly anticipate the next class to join us on the Forty Acres. With our focus on quality and excellence, RecSports is always looking for ways to meet the needs of each generation and provide the best facilities, services and programs.

COVER IMAGE: 2005 Ultimate at Whitaker Fields.

We’re very excited to share information about our most recent facility project–the renovation of Whitaker Fields (highlighted on page 10). Many of you may remember playing on the fields located on the site now occupied by Jester Center. Others will recall the fields at 51st and Guadalupe, where they have been since 1967. Still others will recollect that the fields were updated in 1980. Now after 34 years of heavy usage, the facility is in need of another major renovation. We hope you will consider being a part of the campaign to renovate the facility and once again make it THE premiere outdoor sports facility in the nation. Our goal is to open the renovated Whitaker Fields as part of Recreational Sports’ Centennial Celebration in 2016–17. As we get closer to our milestone, we will share details with you about our celebration plans so you can be sure to join us in the festivities.

DESIGN: Jennifer Boss Rodriguez

Thank you for your continued support.

Best Wishes,

Inside RecSports is published twice a year by The University of Texas at Austin, Division of Recreational Sports. For more information, log on to friends.utrecsports.org.

Thomas W. Dison Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Director of Recreational Sports

Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

SPOTLIGHT RECOGNIZING

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI ELLEN WYOMING, CREATING A LIFE OF AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES

Ellen Wyoming, ’03 (Geography), may be young yet compared to most she’s already led a lifetime of incredible adventure and achievement. She credits her work experiences as an Outdoor Recreation Program equipment manager, backpacking guide and climbing wall supervisor with her current love of working with people in the great outdoors. These experiences have helped her create amazing opportunities for her life. So far she’s studied environmental sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon, worked as a Grand Canyon river guide, taught environmental science in Colorado, earned two master’s degrees (one in education, the other in urban and regional planning) and helped raise over $1 million in local and federal funds for low-income business entrepreneurs. Now based in the Portland, Ore., area, Ellen currently serves on three boards of directors focused on community economic development, affordable housing and healthy food access. After delivering her first child this spring, she will embark on a new career in public affairs for the regional government to ensure the viability of parks and other natural areas.

ELLEN WYOMING

G. ADAM SAVOIE, FROM REFEREE TO ATTORNEY

G. Adam Savoie, ’04 (Government), received his Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University and currently practices law in Shreveport, La. During his days on the Forty Acres, he worked as an intramural official/ referee, acquiring many of the skills he needed to become a successful attorney. “Both have a set of rules and certain philosophies associated with those rules. Your job is to…enforce and interpret those rules….”

Adam also played intramurals, most notably flag football with the coed team Fouracious, which won a football championship. He says his favorite memories of RecSports are the people he met, none more special than his wife Erin Bannister (’05), another intramural official. He has continued to officiate football for high school and college games. This past summer he worked as head linesman in Arena Bowl XXVI (Arizona v. Philadelphia) and has worked games broadcasted on CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports and the NFL Network.

G. ADAM SAVOIE

TARA BICKNELL, FROM AUSTIN TO ALASKA

Tara Bicknell, ’03 (Public Relations), may call Haines, Alaska, home but she’s no homebody. She’s led the kind of life that many college graduates only dream about. As a new graduate, she moved to New York City to work in public relations. Soon her curious nature led her to Alaska where her real adventures began. She started her own media company and is now the news and public affairs director of KHNS- FM Radio. She coaches the local high school cross country running team, volunteers on the ambulance crew and enjoys many outdoor sports. In retrospect she says, “I can trace most of my best journeys back to RecSports,” referring to the skills she obtained working for RecSports’ Outdoor Recreation Program from freshman to senior year. Those journeys led her to work as a backcountry ranger at Olympic National Park, join National Park Service’s wild land firefighting and search-and-rescue teams and serve as a deckhand on a commercial salmon boat. She’s even volunteered at a Thai orphanage. “Being part of RecSports gave me good examples in leading a fulfilling, unordinary and healthy life,” she says.

TARA BICKNELL

HISTORICAL

OAK GROVE COOPERATIVE (1939–62)

INTRAMURAL EXCELLENCE • Beckoned by the bonds of friendship and excellence in intramurals a group of UT alumni gathered for a reunion in an Austin hotel ballroom during a football weekend in 1995. Members of the Oak Grove Co-op, a room and board residence for UT men that closed in 1962, reunited 33 years after leaving the University. The group still connects biannually in Austin, where their bonds of friendship were first formed.

THE BEGINNING

WILLIAM KENNEDY

A historical account written by Oak Grove alumni William “Bulldog’” Kennedy, ’50, ’51, states that the Grove started in the late 1930s. When Kennedy arrived in 1941, members lived in two houses on the hill where The University’s School of Law is now located. “We had about 70 members and a house mother. It cost us $17 a month for room and board,” Bill recalled. Soon after, Bill went to serve in World War II. After World War II, Bill recalls that Oak Grove moved to 1903 ½ Wichita Street. When that property was sold, a new house at 1916 Speedway–directly across the street from the intramural fields–became home.

In the fall of 1946, the Grove started an 18-year winning streak, which earned them the trophy for most points in the MICA (later Club) Division. In 1947–48, in addition to scoring more points than any other organization on campus, including the fraternities, the Grove had the highest scholastic average of any of the 33 men’s houses on campus and ranked seventh among all campus organizations. During this time the Grove started a legacy of intramural excellence that carried over to the 50s thanks to the talents of so many members including Warren Crain, Frank Evins, Ted Britton, the Lee brothers (Carroll, Rupert and Robert), Lee Carter, Medford McCoy, Bob Dunn, Johnston Marsden, Corky Howard, Sid Kacir, Roger Tolar, Winston Manry and Don Smith.

OAK GROVE IN THE 1950S

KYLE READ

Kyle Read,’58, describes the legacy of Oak Grove as “being the best on and off the playing fields.” He says it was something all Grovers expected and demanded. “Most of the guys were excellent students and superb athletes but it really just comes down to the fact that they were sort of mavericks, in a good way, not joiners of organizations or clubs, but independent types. That made them fiercely loyal to each other and committed to the Grove ... THEIR group,” he notes. Jackie Boston, ’60, a three-time Best Athlete for the Grove, says, “The tradition had been set by our forerunners and we embraced it and wanted to continue that legacy.”

Jim Cole, ’60, notes that continuing the tradition of intramural excellence did not just happen. He says, “Oak Grove actively recruited high school athletes. We also had great leadership– men like Joe Ed Smith and Dave Henderson–and it didn’t hurt that our house was directly across the street from the intramural fields.”

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Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

JACKIE BOSTON

LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS Max Smith adds, “Part of our success on the athletic stage was because we almost always had more people on the sidelines than the other team, cheering us on to victory.” Intramural success in the 50s was the result of everyone’s hard work including such notables as Jim Upchurch, Bill Hudel, Guss Hrncir, Joe Minor, Lynn Halamicek, Jerry Tomsu, Jack Tolar, Max Smith, John Knaggs, Kyle Read, Jackie Boston, Jim Cole, George Petrus , Glenn Appelt, Dick Rodenbeck, Robert Willson, Jon Gibson and Fred Pfieffer.

MAX SMITH

MORE THAN INTRAMURALS

LYNN HALAMICEK

Although intramural sports drew members of the Oak Grove together, their bonds went beyond the playing fields. Max Smith explains, “There was feeling of family at the Grove. If we had a problem, personal or otherwise, someone was available to help.” Lynn Halamicek, says of life in the Grove, “What struck me most was the way the older members guided the new members around. We all had a job in the house. We had prayers before our meals, house meetings with everyone present to iron out any problems and study time when the house had to be quiet. We were a good band of brothers that took care of each other.” Even after 30 years, this band of brotherhood remained strong enough to bring them back together.

SUPPORTING RECSPORTS

After that first reunion, the members were determined to do something positive for The University of Texas in memory of the Oak Grove Co-op. To that end, a permanently endowed general scholarship was established from donations by the Oak Grove alumni. To date, over 30 UT students have received Oak Grove endowed scholarships. More recently, in 2009, the Oak Grove alumni stepped up to the plate again with over $11,000 in contributions to help the Division of Recreational Sports establish a permanent endowment for the Intramural Sports Program.

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

WINNER’S CIRCLE

DELTA UPSILON FRATERNITY

THREE-TIME ALL-UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL CH In 98 years of intramural flag football competition on the UT campus, only three teams have won the All-University football championship three consecutive years: Oak Grove in the 50s, Phi Gamma Delta in the 70s and Delta Upsilon (The Bases) in the 80s. (See full article online at friends.utexas.edu.org/newsletter). Delta Upsilon Fraternity (DU) accomplished this rare feat in 1979, 1980 and 1982. (No football games were held in 1981 due to renovations at the intramural fields.) The DU flag football team owed its success to many factors, most notably to a core group of student athletes consisting of Les Bynum, Rod Gaudin and Mike Tomsu, who led all three teams to victory. In addition, the team was armed with talented players at all positions, including quarterbacks Mark Williams and Mike Livermore. This group overcame all obstacles and defeated all comers. Meet members of these outstanding teams and read online what they say about winning three consecutive championships.

LES BYNUM, ’83, is one of three DUs who played on all three championship teams. He currently teaches and coaches in Katy, Texas. Les and his wife, Lori, ’83, have three daughters. Of the DU’s success, he says, “We always played smart, had QBs that could find the open receivers and defensively had the Deion Sanders of intramurals in Rod Gaudin, who could shut down the other team’s best receiver.”

MIKE TOMSU, ’82, ’86, holds the record for winning six football championships in a row – two with DU, one with the Bases and three with the Legal Eagles. Mike and his wife, Elizabeth, ’82, have a daughter who attends Texas State University and a son who is a freshman quarterback at Rice University. Today, Mike is a partner with Vinson & Elkins LLP in Austin.

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RODNEY GAUDIN,’82, played for all three championship teams and was the designated lock-down corner assigned to the opponent’s best receiver. He remembers, “In the fall of 1979 we defeated the #1 ranked Fijis and went from unknowns to being ranked #2 by the Daily Texan.” Rodney lives in Austin, has two sons, ages 19 and 20, and works in wealth management.

MARK WILLIAMS, ’81, quarterbacked the DUs for three years winning the first two championships in 1979 and 1980. Mark worked for Arthur Andersen before moving to Dell. He has since retired and has become very active in the Austin community. His wife, Linda (McCalla) Williams, was featured in the Bombers article in the Fall 2012 Inside RecSports newsletter. They have three children.

Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

RICK CAMPBELL, ’82, played on two championship teams as a wide receiver. “I caught a pass in the end zone during our next to last game and separated my shoulder,” he recalls.

Following surgery he underwent rehabilitation with UT football player Johnny “Jam” Jones. He and his wife, Rachel, have five children and seven grandchildren. Rick is a county judge in Center, Texas.

MIKE LIVERMORE, ’82, a four-year UT baseball player, followed Mark Williams as the quarterback leading the Bases to the All-University title and to the nationals in New Orleans, La. Mike works for Hospira and is married to his high school sweetheart, Janne.

Their son, Jeffrey, is a senior at Texas Tech University.

HAMPIONS

1982–83 Delta Upsilon Fraternity as The Bases Front (L–R): Rudy Carlin, Danny King, Mike Livermore, Kevin McCalla, Chris Schultz.

Back (L–R): Garry Durante, David Jackson, Rodney Gaudin, Les Bynum, Mike Tomsu, William Dye.

1979–80 Delta Upsilon Fraternity Front (L–R): Kent Thompson, John Pearce, Mike Tomsu, Kevin Ford, Dale Griffin, Rodney Gaudin. Back (L-R): Les Bynum, Mark Williams, Mark Dutcher, Keith Keithlinski, Tony Williams, Mike Watson.

GARRY DURANTE, ’83, played on the Bases championship team of 1982–83.

He is now the safety and risk manager for Austin Energy in Austin, where he lives with his wife, Stephanie. He recalls winning the regional competition in Arlington, Texas, under extremely cold and wet weather conditions.

KEMP KASLING, ’82, ’88, was a member of the 1980 DU championship team. Kemp played for the Legal Eagles while in law school. He has practiced commercial litigation since 1988. Kemp, an Austin resident, is married with four children. Oldest daughter Alex graduated with honors from UT in 2012.

MARK DUTCHER, ’80, member of the 1979 and 1980 championship teams, serves as the chief financial officer and vice president of Riverbend Exploration & Production, L.L.C. Married for 32 years, he has three children and four grandchildren.

1980–81 Delta Upsilon Fraternity Front (L–R): Vernon VanBrunt, Rick Alvarez, Jay Valesquez, Mike Tomsu, Rodney Gaudin, Les Bynum. (Back L-R): Mark Joest, Brian Haymon, Mark Williams, Kemp Kasling, Mark Dutcher, Mike Livermore.

DALE GRIFFIN, ’80, a member of the 1979–80 DU team, worked for Arthur Andersen after graduation then earned a master’s of business administration degree from Louisiana State University.

After 18 years in banking, he retired in 2002 and pursued an interest in aviation. He owns an aircraft charter business and is a partner in Blackhawk Modifications.

MIKE WATSON, ’81, played for the 1979–80 champions. Mike was a stockbroker for seven years before earning a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1994. For the last 15 years, Mike has practiced as a trial lawyer in Decatur, Ga. He married a South Carolina graduate, Pam, and they have a daughter, Madison, a Longhorn fan.

TONY WILLIAMS left UT in spring 1980 after helping to win the DU’s first championship. He says, “The one play that stands out for me was in the championship game against 20th Bong. We were on defense on our end of the field and Mark Dutcher had intercepted a pass. I was trailing him to the left and he lateraled the ball to me and I in turn lateraled the ball to Mark Williams who ran in for a touchdown.”

Tony is single, a graphic artist and lives in Houston.

RUDY CARLIN, ’83, joined the Bases for the 1982–83 season having met fellow physical education majors Les Bynum and Garry Durante in several athletic classes. Rudy worked for the Alvin Independent School District as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, operations manager and director of human resources. He currently works for Johnson Supply as a human resources manager. He and his wife, Peggy, have two daughters and a son.

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

SPORT CLUBS

EDUCATING STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM Sport Club Alumni Share Their Life Lessons Several alumni looked back at their time spent participating in a sport club and shared their experiences for this publication.

You can read the unedited expanded version online at friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

Men’s Rugby

Chris Cronn, ‘02

CHRIS CRONN, ’02, who found his niche with Men’s Rugby as a sophomore, says, “The decision to play rugby would wind up changing the rest of my college career and my life.” For starters, he was named team captain his senior year. He says, “Rugby taught me invaluable life lessons including discipline, work ethic and perseverance.” Today, as a lobbyist and government affairs executive he says he utilizes numerous life and business skills he learned as a rugby player including leadership, humility, equality, adaptability, a sense of purpose and, most importantly, the value of teamwork. Chris still plays rugby and is involved with alumni who live all over the world.

UT Dance

Brooke Carpin, ‘07

BROOKE CARPIN, ’07, considers herself a RecSports aficionado because of the variety of ways she was involved with the Division. She was a member of the UT Dance Team, worked part-time in the RecSports Programs Office, taught fitness classes and served on several committees. As captain of the Dance Team Brooke says, “The number one thing I learned was peer leadership and how to separate your personal and professional sides. I’m thankful that I was able to develop that ability in college so that I was prepared for the workplace.” Today, Brooke works at a Chicago department store chain as a retail design consultant.

Women’s Volleyball

Kristin DeAngelo, ‘09

KRISTIN (DURANT) DEANGELO, ’09, was a member of the women’s Volleyball Club team that won three consecutive national championships from 2005–07. She says, “Being a team member required cooperation, collaboration and compromise. As club president, it was all that and more.” Being responsible for 40 women on two teams taught her to think outside of just herself. “I learned that resolving conflict involved a lot of listening and little talking,” she says. Kristin earned her master’s of education degree in sports administration at the University of Arkansas in 2011 and is employed there as the assistant director for fitness center operations.

For an institution that purports to be molding the future leaders of our state, I think the Sport Club Program is absolutely crucial to that mission. Anonymous survey respondent PAGE 6

Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

The Sport Club Program provides opportunities for students to participate in recreational and competitive non-varsity sports with an emphasis on student development. During the 2012–13 academic year, over 2,300 students participated in 45 different clubs sponsored by the Division of Recreational Sports. Many of these students held leadership positions, requiring them to be directly responsible for the formation, development, government and administration of each club, including the management of all club finances. Time management, peer communication, travel planning and logistics, and developing budgets, are all skills they learned as a result of this experience.

Men’s Rugby

Sammy Abdullah, ‘05

SAMMY ABDULLAH, ’05, says, “Being president of the (Men’s) Rugby club was a tremendous experience and a lot more that I expected. Probably the single most important thing I learned was how to prioritize things.” Sammy was responsible for club finances including insurance, registration fees and travel expenses. He also worked with RecSports administrators, players, coaches and the USA governing body. “I learned how to work with people. Being flexible and accommodating were the keys (to success),” he says. Today Sammy co-manages a small venture capital fund and still plays rugby in Dallas.

Men’s Lacrosse

ERNST LEISS, ’08, who served as president of Men’s Lacrosse, says, “Managing the club’s $100,000 budget helped prepare me for my first project in the oil and gas industry where I was responsible for a million dollar budget.” He added, “Similarly, the challenges of time management and working with various people such as teammates, coaches and UT RecSports advisors, shed light on working in industry where stakeholders vary from your colleagues and supervisor to business partners and government regulatory agencies.” Ernst works for Chevron as a repair supervisor in Bakersfield, Calif.

Men’s Lacrosse

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer

JIM HANNESSCHLAGER, ’03, as team captain and club president for Men’s Soccer, says, “I learned many skills such as time management, budget management, relationship management and people management while overseeing the daily operations of two club soccer teams.”

He adds, “This classic trial by fire experience would be crucial in my first job and would also carry me through today.” Jim currently works for the U.S. Soccer Foundation in Washington, DC where he interacts with grantees and adds value to corporate partnerships. He says, “Had I not had the opportunity to mix my passion with the need to learn these skills which were less emphasized in much of academia, I can quite confidently say that it would be difficult for me to be competitive in today’s job market. But perhaps more importantly, were it not for the opportunity the RecSports club soccer provided, I would not have made many of the life long friendships and connections that I enjoy today.”

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

DEVELOPMENT

DEWAR SCHOLARSHIP Dewar Scholarship 2013–14

THE ROBERT L. DEWAR ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP A Message from

Joe Bill Watkins ’65, ‘68, Chair, RecSports Leadership Team Dear Friends: The 100th anniversary of the Division of Recreational Sports is fast approaching. The year 2016–17 marks the centennial anniversary of the third oldest intramural program in the United States. Plans are underway for what will be a yearlong celebration of this historic occasion.

In view of this milestone celebration, the single most important goal for the 2016–17 year is to open a renovated Whitaker Field Complex. As you can read on page 10 in this publication, the need to upgrade this facility is essential. With $10 million from student fees being brought to the table by RecSports, an additional $10 million is needed from private and corporate donations. Contributions by organizations, groups or individuals are critically needed to complete this vital project.

For additional information, please contact Bob Childress at bobc@austin. utexas.edu or me at jwatkins@velaw. com. Help us “Continue the Tradition” that has been part of this great University for nearly 100 years.

Thank you for your continued support.

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Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

From the time Robert “Bobby” Dewar, ’55, entered The University of Texas at Austin in 1951 as a Plan II major, he played intramural golf, winning the golf team championship for his fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and finishing as a runner-up in doubles in 1951–52.

In great health at age 81, Bobby still enjoys a good game of golf and is helping to ensure that today’s young Longhorns with a love of the game gain some financial reward to continue their studies on the Forty Acres. In December 2012, he established The Robert L. Dewar Endowed Scholarship with the Division of Recreational Sports. Funds distributed from the endowment are used to award scholarships to undergraduates who participate in intramural golf events. Preference is given to students with demonstrated financial need and a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Bobby was born in San Antonio, Texas. Upon graduation in 1955 with a commission in the Navy, he headed to Pensacola, Fla., for Naval Flight School. He flew for the Navy with a squadron based in California and had several carrier deployments. After discharge in 1959 he stayed in the reserves and flew on weekends. While still flying for the Navy reserves, Bobby worked on Wall Street to learn the investment business. In 1961 he moved to Dallas to open an office for his father’s investment firm and worked as a stockbroker. After the death of his father in 1975, Bobby moved home to San Antonio to run the family’s investment business, primarily in oil and gas. He now lives in New Braunfels, Texas, with his wife, but they spend much of their time in Rockport, Texas.

LEGAL EAGLES WIN CHARLES ALLEN WRIGHT TROPHY

For the first time since the introduction of the Charles Allen Wright trophy in 2002, the Legal Eagles claimed it this past fall by winning the All-University flag football championship. To read more and view additional photos, please visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter

FRIENDS OF RECSPORTS

The Division of Recreational Sports is pleased to acknowledge the following individuals and groups for their generous contributions received between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2013. Gifts to RecSports support student professional development initiatives, contribute to student leadership opportunities and help ensure our commitment to excellence. Please be advised that this list does not include donations to the Sport Club Program.

LESLIE ACKER LEXA M. ACKER ADOBE SYSTEMS, INC. BRIAN ALEXANDER AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES BETTY BAKER ANDERSON JOHN ANGELL GORDON APPLEMAN DAVID A. ARMOUR KAREN ASTON AUSTIN SCREEN PRINTING DAVID BALDERACH, III MARK BALETKA BARNES GROMATZKY KOSAREK ARCHITECTS ELIZABETH L. BERGMAN NELSON BLANCHARD NICHOLAS BODMER ANN S. BOULDIN WILLIAM M. BRENNER THOMAS W. BURKE JOHN R. BUSH WILSON CALHOUN JOHN G. CAMPBELL ERIC C. CAPPEL T. COLE CAPPEL W. MARK CARTER MR. AND MRS. H. SCOTT CAVEN, JR. H. SCOTT CAVEN, III, MEMORIAL FOUNDATION CHLOE CHAN WILLIAM CHILDS MARCY WORD CLEMENTS BRADY COLEMAN ALBERT S. CONLY CHARLES L. COX BRIAN E. CREIGHTON CLAYTON MICHELLE CRUM SYLVIE P. CRUM ISABELLA C. M. CUNNINGHAM, PH.D. DONNA D. DEALEY ELIZABETH M. DEWAR HENRY H. DEWAR II DEWBERRY NORMAN J. DIERSCHKE PEGGY DISON THOMAS W. DISON

DPR CONSTRUCTION GEORGE R. DUFF JACK R. DUGAN VANCE C. DUNCAN VIRGINIA AND BOB DUPUY CHARLES EDINGTON JOHN W. FAINTER, JR. FIELDTURF FRED FREY WILLIAM P. FRISBIE II RENÉ A. GARZA JULIE GILLESPIE MARION AND BENNETT GLAZER SAM M. GOLDFARB, JR. SAM M GOLDFARB, JR., AND EIGHT FELLOW CHOPPERS H. E. BERT GRAHAM CHRISTOPHER M. GUNTER ART HARDING ’76 LUKE HARPER JOHN HAYES MICHAEL E. HAYES GARY HEITMANN H. MONROE HELM III ROGER C. HENDERSON KEVIN HOLCOMB KATHERINE HOLLOWAY HOW DO YOU ROLL? ANNA HYATT JOHN C. JACKSON IV ROBERT JOHNSON RUSSELL T. KEENE MARK B. KELLNER CHILDREN OF MICHAEL T. KENNEY DORIS & FLOYD KIMBLE FOUNDATION STEPHEN K. KRIER WEIR LABATT III ABBE A. LEDBETTER, JR., M.D. THOR E. LUND MARATHON FITNESS MARMILLION FAMILY TOM AND HOLLY MASON MATRIX FITNESS NICK MAUER W. J. MCANELLY, JR. DAVE MCCORMICK WILLIAM V. MCMEANS

MICHAEL B. MCSHANE JOEL MELROSE WILLIAM A. MELTON, SR. MIKE AND JULIE MORIN CHARLES AND CYNTHIA MURRAY PAUL A. NAVRATIL, PH.D. PETER D. NELSON NIKE, INC. NOBLE CORPORATION PATRICK O’CONNELL CHARLES R. PARKER JAMES L. PERSKY DR. MARC D. POLANKA DAN PROCTOR RUSSELL P. QUIGLEY SHIRLEY H. QUINCY MARIO RIOS DANIELLE RIZZO ALASDAIR ROBERTS RUBBER FLOORING SYSTEMS, INC. ZACH RUSSELL JOE E. RUSSO DAVID I. SAPERSTEIN STEVEN R. SAWYER LEE SCHUMACHER JEFFREY R. SHIPPER GREG SHRADER CHERYL S. SIEBS STEPHEN B. SIMMONS SCOTT SMITH GRANT R. STANIS DAVID AND LYDIA STEINMAN ROBERT C. STURDIVANT BEVERLY E. TADLOCK JIM TALBOT H. DON TEAGUE JOANNA TURNER JAMES W. VICK J. A. WADE CRAIG H. WAX DR. TIMOTHY J. WELLIK, D.D.S. LINDA AND MARK WILLIAMS RONNIE WILLIAMS SHIELA B. WINCHESTER LYLE G. WORTHINGTON DAVID A. YOUNG

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

WHITAKER RENOVATION

THE RENOVATION OF THE

WHITAKER FIELDS COMPLEX HONORING THE LEGACY

The Whitaker Fields Complex at The University of Texas has been an essential part of student life for decades. Nearly 60,000 participation hours are recorded in everything from intramurals to club sports each year. And UT Recreational Sports is committed to ensuring that this legacy continues for years to come.

Made up of 18 football/soccer fields, up to 12 softball diamonds and an archery range, these fields have witnessed both victories and defeats. And they have instilled pride and honor in those who have stepped onto the field for every game and every practice. Yet despite its popularity, the last renovation of this space was more than 30 years ago.

BUILDING ON TRADITION

GROWING TOGETHER

Today, the Whitaker Fields Complex is in need of a major renovation. And UT Recreational Sports has a proposed plan that will allow new generations of students, faculty and staff to enjoy an updated facility with modern amenities. With an estimated total cost of $20 million, UT students, through RecSports, have already committed $10 million toward this project. The remaining $10 million needed to complete the project will be funded through private gifts by donors like you.

The $10 million already funded will include such basics and infrastructure improvements as: ► Grading and drainage work ► Irrigation repairs ► Updated lighting ► Sod replacement ► Repairs to existing support and maintenance buildings ► Repairs to existing systems (Public address, fencing, etc.)

FALL 2013 FUNDRAISING

BEGINS

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Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

1

SPRING 2014 DESIGN

BEGINS

2

SPRING 2015 CONSTRUCTION

BEGINS

3

FALL 2016 CONSTRUCTION

ENDS

RECSPORTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

4

HOW YOU CAN HELP

UT students, through RecSports, have already funded $10 million towards the renovation of the Whitaker Fields Complex infrastructure. It’s only through the generous donations of alumni, staff and faculty like you that the proposed enhancements of the Whitaker Fields Complex will be completed.

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G A M E

SOFTBALL DIAMONDS O V E R L A I D

DONORS LIKE YOU

► The Gateway Building, a new, relocated support facility with lockers, vending, meeting and training space

WHY GIVE?

In a word, tradition. By helping match the students’ contribution, your donation means that the Whitaker Fields Complex will be around for future generations to enjoy. Donors who contribute to a naming opportunity will receive prominent recognition specific to that gift, as well as find their name on our general recognition plaques.

All gifts will be counted toward The Campaign for Texas, the University’s effort to raise $3 billion by the end of 2014.

Generous gifts from donors like you will help UT RecSports raise the remaining $10 million needed for a state-of-the-art facility. Some possibilities: ► A Championship Corner with stadium-like amenities for intramural championships, club tournaments and special events

COURTS

FIELDS

at 51st and Guadalupe Streets

8

18 40

STANDARD

TENNIS

OVERVIEW OF

WHITAKER FIELDS

OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE THE REMAINING $10 MILLION IN PRIVATE FUNDS.

WAYS TO GIVE

Play a part in continuing the legacy of the Whitaker Fields Complex by giving back to your alma mater today. Making a gift is easy and is tax deductible!

GIVE ONLINE:

friends.utrecsports.org

GIVE DIRECT:

► Synthetic fields to allow for year-round usage

Bob Childress 512.475.7180 or bobc@austin.utexas.edu

► New energy-efficient lighting and irrigation systems to reduce carbon footprint

GIVE BY MAIL:

► Shade structures, seating areas and landscape plantings to create more comfortable spaces in which to gather

The University of Texas at Austin Division of Recreational Sports 2101 Speedway Stop D7500 Austin, TX 78712 WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS LEGACY? Contact Bob Childress at 512.475.7180 or at bobc@austin.utexas.edu.

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

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.

1940s / 1950s »

BILL BRENNER, ’58, ’60, appears on the Wall of Fame for championships in softball and basketball with the PEM Club. He was also named Best Athlete 1959–60 in the club division. In a varied career, he spent three years in New Mexico as the director of elementary physical education. He then taught in the physical education department at Emory University.

After retiring from teaching, Bill bought and sold foreclosed houses while also teaching tennis as a U.S. Professional Tennis Association instructor. Bill lives half the year in Montana where he owns 40 acres and the other part of the year in Atlanta, Ga. You may contact him via email at williambrenner7@msn.com.

1970s »

1960s »

CLYDE TOMLINSON, ’63, ’65, began honing his golf skills in ninth grade. By the time he entered UT, he played exceptionally well and was doubles match play champion with partner David Lee Duncan in 1962–63, 1963–64 and 1964–65. After earning his undergraduate degree in engineering followed by a master’s degree in business, Clyde returned to Longview, Texas, where he dominated East Texas amateur golf. Today, his two sons help run the family business, Tomlinson Properties, in Longview.

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Inside RecSports Spring/Summer 2014

DALE LITTWIN, ’75, was a member of the handball team and played in two NCAA tournaments, winning one national championship. “I still play handball but it looks like a slo-mo version of how I played while at UT,” he says. After graduating with an electrical engineering degree he started a career in integrated circuit design and now works at Qualcomm creating circuit designs for Snapdragon processors (found in most smart phones). Dale is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

RAUL GARZA, ’72, of Campus Guild Co-op was runner-up to PEM Club in softball in 1969–70. For Raul, a third-place finish in the 100-yard dash as a freshman was a personal highlight. Career-wise, Raul spent 20 years with the Department of Human Services as a caseworker then as an analyst.

Later he managed a family-owned motel for nine years. For the past decade, he has taught middle school history and recently began teaching physical education. Now at Veterans Middle School in Rio Grande City, Texas, he coaches cross-country and assists with the Rio Grande City High School junior varsity baseball team.

TOMMY CLARK, ’74, played for Hill Hall in 1971–72 making the Wall of Fame in football and softball. He also was an Outstanding Intramural Official.

After working in banking for over 37 years he says he wanted to do something of service.

Tommy is now a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Batibo, Cameroon, where he works with a local cooperative credit union, assisting members in elementary bookkeeping and accounting.

He says, “I also work on other projects, such as assisting another volunteer in setting up a town cultural festival or organizing a HIV-AIDS awareness and testing program.” His service commitment ends in August 2015. Tommy, who makes his home in Austin, has two daughters, Kristin and Rachel.

Kristin works for a high tech firm in Austin and Rachel is a junior at Baylor University, majoring in international studies and Arabic.

NOLAN NEATHERY, ’74, intramural athlete for Stag Co-op, earned his senior manager’s letter sweater in 1971–72. Nolan earned a master’s electrical license as well as an engineer’s license. He owns an electrical company, Nolan and Associates, and is a member of the Houston Electrical Board. He married his high school sweetheart and has two adult sons.

1980s »

CHERYL (ROSEN) HALPERN, ’82, ’85, played competitive tennis growing up in Lubbock, Texas, but chose not to play in college. Instead she played intramural tennis, winning multiple singles, doubles and coed titles.

In all she appears on the Wall of Fame 10 times. After earning a master’s degree in business, she spent the bulk of her career (12 years) with Mary Kay Cosmetics as vice president of global product marketing. She married Andy Halpern in 1987 and retired to raise their two children. One is now a sophomore at UT and the other will enter Duke University next fall. She took up competitive tennis again in 1998, winning the Senior 8.0 Mixed Doubles Championship in 2011.

Cheryl is now a vice president with The Dallas Marketing Group.

LYNDA LANKFORD, ’82, ’88, is a two-time tennis champion, once with the before-mentioned Cheryl (Rosen) Halpern. She was also a member of the runners-up coed softball team, Nice Guys & All, and served on the Intramural Council in 1981–82. Lynda earned a master of public affairs (MPAff) degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and a juris doctorate from the UT law school in 1988.

She gained extensive experience as a bankruptcy practitioner in private practice and also served as an auditor with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. Today, she is an associate with Forshey Prostok L.L.P. in Fort Worth, Texas.

2000s » DAVID WEISER, ’83, and KENNY KAIHLANEN, ’84, were the Class A racquetball doubles champions in 1981–82. David still plays racquetball and competes in high-level tournaments including the Longhorn Open.

David is married to former Lady Longhorn basketball player, Melanee Kaplan, ’90, and they have a daughter, 17 and a son, 14. David is president of his own insurance company, Concierge Insurance Agency of Texas. Kenny lives in San Antonio with his wife, Zena, and a daughter, 15. Their son is a freshman at UT. CHRIS MADDEN, ’87, played soccer, football and softball. He notes that during his last year “we won the men’s soccer championship (Arsenal) with...guys from Clear Lake High School and Strake Jesuit (High School) in Dallas.” Chris and his wife, Connie, have a son, Logan, who is a high school senior, and a daughter, Jesse, a sophomore at UT who works for RecSports. Chris has worked for NASA since his freshman year and continues to play football, softball and rugby at the NASA rec center. He says, “Knees, age and time availability caught up to me in the last five years so most of my time has been spent coaching my kids.”

AMBER JAMES, ’01, ’02, graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2008 and is a shareholder with Atkins, Hollmann, Jones, Peacock, Lewis & Lyon where she practices commercial litigation. She serves on the board of directors for the Texas Young Lawyers and also serves as vice president of the Ector County Young Lawyers. At UT she was an intramural official, supervisor and program assistant, and an active intramural participant who appears on the Wall of Fame five times for softball, football and track.

Regarding her job experiences, she says, “Much of what I know about managing groups, executing events and working as a team comes from all those nights at Whitaker and Gregory.” Amber just started officiating sub-varsity basketball with the Permian Basin Basketball Officials Association. She also is on the U.S. Girls Junior Championship Committee of the USGA and serves as a golfing rules official for the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur Qualifiers. She says, “Honestly, it’s hard to think of my time at UT and not think about RecSports.”

To read more and view additional photos visit friends.utrecsports.org/newsletter.

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LONE STAR SHOWDOWN The Texas v. Texas A&M rivalry is alive. UT took home the inaugural Lone Star Showdown Trophy in November by winning two of three flag football games against Texas A&M. The women defeated the A&M women 19–0 while the UT coed champions won their matchup 26–6. The men dropped a close game that was decided late in the second half 14–12. The Longhorn Network filmed the action. (You can find a link to the video online at friends. utrecsports.org/newsletter.) The rivalry will continue this spring when Texas A&M will host the Longhorns at College Station for the Lone Star Intramural Basketball Showdown.

SAVE THE DATES TWO GREAT EVENTS / ONE GREAT WEEKEND! 2014

FRIDAY, OCT. 3, 2014

Avery Ranch Golf Club, Austin • 1pm Shotgun Start Four-person scramble to benefit Do NOT outline the “Year” on this file. RecSports’ Excellence Fund.

When outlinging the year print production, please resave a new fil CAN’T PLAY? BE for A SPONSOR! into that jobs folder.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FROM PLATINUM, GOLD, SILVER, LUNCH, HAPPY HOUR OR HOLE. FRIENDS.UTRECSPORTS.ORG/GOLF

SATURDAY, OCT. 4, 2014 Tailgate by the Pool

GREGORY GYM AQUATIC COMPLEX 3 HOURS PRIOR TO KICKOFF, UT VS. BAYLOR Get fueled for the game before the newly invigorated Horns take on the Bears. RecSports will provide the food, drink and live music, you bring the spirit.