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LUMBERJACK BAND

THE SOUNDTRACK TO SFA’S STORY

HOPE & FOOTBALL ONE PLAYER’S INSPIRATIONAL STORY

90TH ANNIVERSARY

ISSUE CELEBRATIONS TO HONOR

TRADITION & PROGRESS

ii SAWDUST

CAMPUS NEWS

Every picture tells a story,and every SFA student

has a story to tell.Thanks to the generosity of our stakeholders, SFA has enjoyed a

remarkable 90 years. On the historic occasion of SFA’s 90th anniversary, please consider making a donation that will help the university continue to offer students

the opportunity to create their success stories at SFA. Visit www.sfasu.edu/giving to make your gift, or fill out and return the

90th-anniversary donation card located in this issue of Sawdust.

FALL 2013 1

I encourage you to visit

campus during the upcoming

school year, as we honor our

unique history, celebrate current

successes and look forward to a bright future

for SFA.

BOARD OF REGENTSSteve D. McCarty, Alto

chair

Dr. Scott H. Coleman, Houstonvice chair

Brigettee C. Henderson, Lufkinsecretary

David R. Alders, Nacogdoches

John R. “Bob” Garrett, Tyler

Barry E. Nelson, Dallas

Kenton E. Schaefer, Brownsville

Ralph C. Todd, Carthage

Connie M. Ware, Marshall

Matthew L. Logan, Mansfieldstudent regent

UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATIONDr. Baker Pattillo

president

Dr. Richard Berryprovost/vice president for

academic affairs

Dr. Steve Westbrookvice president for university affairs

Danny Gallantvice president for

finance and administration

Jill Stillvice president for

university advancement

UNIVERSITY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Shirley Luna executive director

Amy Roquemore assistant director

Hardy Meredith university photographer

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

REAT EXPECTATION ACCOMPANIES the start of each new aca-demic year at SFA. This year, we look forward to the fall semester with

added excitement as our alma mater pre-pares to celebrate a very significant mile-stone – 90 years of providing exemplary education to our students. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College opened its doors for the first time on Sept. 18, 1923. Our institution has undergone extraordi-nary growth and change since then, but providing the highest-quality education

to our students has remained at the forefront of our mission.I encourage you to visit campus this school year, as we honor

our history, celebrate current successes and look forward to a bright future for SFA. In one of the first planned events, we will pay hom-age to a tradition that dates all the way back to SFA’s opening day. At the end of that first day of classes 90 years ago, the faculty, staff and students enjoyed cake in celebration of the 50th birthday of SFA’s first president, Dr. Alton W. Birdwell. Likewise, members of the SFA and Nacogdoches communities will gather Sept. 18 and kick off our anniversary year in true Lumberjack style – with birthday cake and purple ice cream.

Even as we celebrate our remarkable history and traditions, we are embarking on new initiatives that will help ensure the insti-tution’s continued success. Among these is an important effort in which the university will undergo a comprehensive branding process that will result in a stronger, more unified story for the university. A strong, compelling brand will help build SFA’s reputa-tion and gain the widespread attention and awareness it deserves as we continue to attract the right students and faculty to join our community. I am committed to the success of this process, and I encourage my fellow alumni to support it, as well.

I also would like to share with you that for the next four years, I will be representing SFA and the Southland Conference as a mem-ber of the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors. The board is made

up of 18 presidents and chancellors from institutions across the United States, and I look forward to helping increase SFA’s visibility on a national level through my service on the board.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention another new affiliation I am now enjoying. Recently, I became a member in good standing of the Proud Grandparents Club. Along with his parents, Todd and Paige Pattillo Brown, my wife Janice and I were overjoyed to welcome Jackson Baker Brown into our SFA family in June. Throughout the coming year, as we look back upon SFA’s nine decades of rich history and forward to the strong future of this remarkable institution, rest as-sured that future Lumberjacks like Jackson will remain an important consideration in all that we do. Just as we owe SFA’s founders a debt of gratitude for their forethought, innovation and dedication to excellence, it is up to all of us to secure SFA’s bright future for the next generation.

Axe ’em, Jacks!

Baker Pattillo ’65 & ’66President, Stephen F. Austin State University

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CAMPUS NEWS

Fall 2013 • Volume 40, No. 3

EXECUTIVE EDITORJeff Davis ’02 Executive Director of Alumni Affairs

EDITORAmy Roquemore ’93 & ’12 Assistant Director, University Marketing Communications

ART DIRECTORRhonda Crim

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative work and service. Through the personal attention of our faculty and staff, we engage our students in a learner-centered environment and offer opportunities to prepare for the challenges of living in the global community.

The SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the alumni, friends and current students of Stephen F. Austin State University through programs, scholarships and activities that create an attitude of continued loyalty and support.

SAWDUST is published four times a year by the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association and Stephen F. Austin State University. Full subscriptions are included in Alumni Association memberships. SFA alumni and friends receive complimentary issues twice a year.

CONTACTSawdustP.O. Box 6096, SFA StationNacogdoches, TX 75962(936) 468-3407 • (800) 765-1534alumni@sfasu.edu • sfaalumni.com

SAWDUST ONLINERead past issues, watch video extras, submit Class Notes and preview upcoming features: sfasu.edu/sawdustfacebook.com/sfasawdust

READY, AIM, FIRE! The Lumberjack Battalion’s Cannon Crew fires Ol’ Cotton in the end zone of Homer Bryce Stadium.

Cover Artist Ronnie Price ’12 earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. He has loved creating images since childhood and is working toward a career in the arts.

ON THE COVER: The SFA statue takes in a Lumberjack football game.

LEFT: The SFA statue participates in the Big Dip.

2 SAWDUST

FALL 2013 3

The Boldest SoundLMB PROVIDES SPIRITED SOUNDTRACK TO SFA’S STORY

Rosie’s HopeSTUDENT ATHLETE OVERCOMES SERIOUS CHILDHOOD ILLNESS, INJURY

SFA Through the Decades90-YEAR TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS TRADITION AND PROGRESS

Lifetime AchievementAWARD HONORS ’84 GRAD’S CAREER IN COMMUNITY SERVICE

CONTENTS

ALUMNI NEWS 34 Homecoming

38 Scholarships

39 Alumni Networks

40 Class Notes

43 In Memoriam

48 From the Archives

CAMPUS NEWS 4 SFA Turns 90

5 Faculty Advising

7 Music Recital Hall

8 Freshman Leadership

9 Vista Viewpoint

15 Athletics

10FEATURES

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20

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CAMPUS NEWS

SFA TURNS 90IN THE OPENING years of the 20th century, local citizens set about convinc-ing the Texas Legislature to open a state college in Nacogdoches.

Toward that end, the group created an illus-trated pamphlet titled “Twenty-Three Reasons Why Stephen F. Austin State Normal College Ought to be Located in Nacogdoches.” Among these revelations

were that the city offered a delightfully mild climate, cheap electricity and a good sewage system, rare natural beauty, a progressive business spirit, ample entertainment facilities, a high moral tone, and three two-story hotels. The 23rd reason given was that Na-cogdoches “links old Texas with the new.”

The townspeople prided themselves on the high value they placed on education, and their hard work and ingenuity paid off. In 1917, Nacogdoches was selected as the site of the newly chartered school, but progress was delayed by world War I. On Sept. 18, 1923, SFA welcomed its first students to class, and the rest, as they say, is history.

A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONThe university’s 90th anniversary will be celebrated throughout the coming academic year, and planning is under way for a variety of special events and activities, according to Jill Still, vice president for university ad-vancement and chair of the 90th anniversary planning committee.

“Excitement for the anniversary has been building for months, and there will be many opportunities for students, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends of SFA to join in the celebrations surrounding this important milestone,” she said. “Our 90th anniversary year is an appropriate time to honor SFA’s proud traditions and extraordinary record of achievement while also looking ahead to new and exciting initiatives that will help en-sure the continued success of our institution for many years to come.” COIN TOSSThe first-ever SFA coin toss will be held in September at the Stephen F. Austin statue in Sesquicentennial Plaza. The coin toss will last 19 hours and 23 minutes, in deference to the university’s first year of operation, and will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, and from 8 a.m. to 3:23 p.m. on Sept. 18.

SFA faculty and staff members, students, alumni, and friends will have the opportunity to donate coins to the SFA area or areas of their choice, including academics,

athletics and scholarships. University representatives will be on hand to assist participants who wish to donate to a specific academic area or scholarship fund.

HISTORY PRESERVATIONThe East Texas Research Center is encouraging alumni and others to donate SFA documents and memorabilia to help grow the University Archives in honor of the 90th anniversary. Greg Bailey, records manager and uni-versity archives librarian, says the ETRC welcomes do-nated SFA artifacts of all kinds, including photographs, journals, scrapbooks, school records, certificates and awards, correspondence – even old uniforms, letter jackets and the like.

“These and other unique items enrich our archives and play an important role in the documentation of the history of SFA,” he said. “They also serve as primary resources for student and faculty researchers, as well as the East Texas community as a whole.”

View “Twenty-Three

Reasons” pamphlet and other historic

photos and documents at library.sfasu.

edu/etrc.

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CAMPUS NEWS FACULTY ADVISING

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The ETRC also is collecting former students’ favorite memories of SFA through the ongoing Alumni Memory Project. The goal of this project is to collect, preserve and make available to the SFA community the history of student life at the university. Memories are added to the University Archives digital collection as they are received.

Donations of SFA memorabilia may be made in person at the ETRC, located on the second floor of Steen Library. For more information about contributing to the University Archives or the Alumni Memory Project, call (936) 468-4100 or visit library.sfasu.edu/etrc.

COMMUNITY SERVICEIn honor of the 90th anniversary, SFA students have pledged to complete 90,000 hours of community service during the 2013-14 academic year.

“The celebration of the 90th anniversary is an excellent time to highlight the impact our students make on our community, state, nation and world every year,” said Dr. Adam Peck, dean of student affairs. “I am excited about what can be accomplished when our students meet their goal of 90,000 hours of community service this year.”

–AMY ROQUEMORE

WHO: The enrollment at the end of that first day was about 270, but the school continued to accept new students throughout the fall. By December, there were about 420 SFA students attending classes. Historian Lois Foster Fitzhugh (later Blount) was the first of 24 faculty members hired to lead fall classes. Tuition was $12 per semester.

WHEN: Sept. 18, 1923, also happened to be the 50th birthday of SFA’s first president, Dr. A.W. Birdwell. At the end of the day, the faculty and staff celebrated by surprising Birdwell with a cake.

WHERE: Classes opened in the buildings of the Nacogdoches High School campus on Washington Square, including the Old University Building. Nacogdoches citizens built a temporary building known as “The Shack” to allow the college some personal space. It housed Birdwell’s office, the administration, library, registrar’s office and even the sports equipment. Construction of the main college campus on North Street, on a portion of Thomas J. Rusk’s homestead, wasn’t completed until May of 1924 when the college moved into the Austin Building.

WHY: In 1907, as Nacogdoches began its search for a new university, local poet and future SFA faculty member Karle Wilson Baker penned: “There is one form of immortality which nobody disputes; the immortality of influence and good works. And there is one form of ambition to which no man is dead; an ambition for his children.”

> How much do you know about the first day of school at Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College 90 years ago? Here are some quick facts provided by the university historian, Dr. Jere Jackson.

THEN & NOW Historic photo from SFA archives; rephotographed by Christopher Talbot, SFA School of Art Director

6 SAWDUST

CAMPUS NEWS

THE FAMILY AND friends of Sarah Elizabeth Hopkins have endowed an SFA scholarship in memory of the SFA senior who passed away last spring.

The 21-year-old photography major from Crandall, Texas, died as a result of an automobile accident on March 13. The university awarded her a degree posthumously during May commence-ment exercises.

It had been Hopkins’ wish to pursue a career as a professional photographer after graduation. Her family describes her as someone extremely dedicated to her studies and future career while never taking herself too seriously.

“She was a collector of friends, humor and beautiful images, and, hence, collected beautiful and humorous im-ages of her friends,” according to her family. “She spread encouragement, charm and sunshine everywhere she went in her budding life that was far too short.”

The Sarah Hopkins Photography Fund will provide financial assistance to students studying photography in the SFA School of Art for the purchase of photography equipment and supplies. The scholarship also may provide stu-dents with travel funds for experiential learning opportunities or to support the mission and objectives of the photogra-phy program.

“It was a privilege to work with the family and friends of Sarah Hopkins toward the creation of the Sarah Hopkins Photography Fund,” said Trey Turner, ma-jor gift officer with the SFA Office of Development.

“Immediately following Sarah’s passing, her mother was committed to transforming this tragedy into something positive and impactful. This endowment is a fitting tribute to Sarah and will help keep her memory and spirit alive for generations to come at SFA.”

SARAH ELIZABETH HOPKINS

FRIENDS OF RESPECTED civic leader and accomplished busi-nessman Thomas W. Wright have honored his memory by establish-ing a scholarship to benefit military science students at SFA.

“The scholarship honors the late Tom Wright, who was a gentle-man of high moral character with a distinguished military career,” said Dr. Baker Pattillo, SFA president. “It is a very fitting tribute to Mr. Wright who, along with his wife, Peggy, has made East Texas, Nacogdoches and Stephen F. Austin State Univer-sity a better place for all.”

Recipients of the scholarship must be in good academic stand-ing and members of the Lum-berjack Battalion. Preference is given to students who are planning to pursue a military career and who exhibit high moral character and strong leadership skills. The

scholarships will be awarded to two students annually.

The first two recipients of the scholarship, 2nd Lt. Charles Maraggia of Carthage and 2nd Lt. Christopher King of The Woodlands, were recognized during the May 10 commissioning ceremony for graduating members of SFA’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. Wright’s widow, Peggy Wright, presented the certificates to the scholarship recipients at the ceremony, during which a total of 12 U.S. Army officers were commis-sioned.

Maraggia was commissioned as a signal corps officer and worked at SFA as a recruiter last summer before heading to Fort Gordon, Ga., in August. King was commissioned as an armor officer and will be leav-ing for training at Fort Benning, Ga., in September.

SCHOLARSHIP HONORS WORLD WAR II HERO

Give to SFAContributions to these scholarships may be sent to: SFASU Foundation, P.O. Box 6092, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962. Please specify which fund you would like to support.

HONORING SERVICE Pictured, from left, are Lt. Col. David Miller, chair of the Department of Military Science; 2nd Lt. Charles Maraggia of Carthage, scholarship recipient; Peggy Wright; 2nd Lt. Christopher King of The Woodlands, scholarship recipient; and Dr. Baker Pattillo, SFA president.

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CAMPUS NEWS

THE MUSIC RECITAL Hall in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building has a new look, thanks to the generosity of SFA alumni and friends.

The Music Recital Hall serves as a performance venue for fac-ulty members, visiting performers, master classes and SFA music students. Although there had been upgrades in the past to the Wright Music Building, which was constructed in the late 1960s, the Music Recital Hall had never been renovated and was in need of a facelift.

Both performers and patrons appreciate the new, updated look, according to Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost, vice president for academ-ic affairs and professor of voice pedagogy in the School of Music.

“Having used the Music Recital Hall as an undergraduate student, a graduate student and a faculty member, from the very early years of its existence to the present day, I can say without hesitation that this renovation is an incredibly impor-tant achievement and development for the School of Music,” Berry said. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we now have a small performance facility of a quality that

matches the quality of our faculty, our programs and our students.”

Between January and March of 2013, all woodwork, including the stage floor, was replaced and/or updated, house lighting was replaced, sound was upgraded and the back entrance was remodeled.

The approximately $160,000 project, awarded to Nacogdoches contractor J.E. Kingham Construc-tion, was funded through private donations, The Higher Education Fund and designated funds.

Peggy Wright and her late hus-band, Tom, have been dedicated supporters of the university’s arts programs and the music program, in particular, for decades. She said she was eager to support the reno-vation project after learning of the needed upgrades.

“The recital hall is an important SFA venue, but it was in need of updating in order to better meet the needs of our music students and patrons,” Wright said, adding that the couple was honored when the university named the School of Music building for them in 1999. “I am very impressed with the remod-eling, and I look forward to enjoying many future musical performances in the updated recital hall.”

The renovation project included new walnut and maple paneling for all wall surfaces; reconfiguration of entrance vestibules at the rear of the hall; new side doors, panel-ing and floor at the performance platform; new carpet for the side aisles and crossover at the front of the hall; new lighting for the hall, platform and aisles; new sound system, and minor refurbishing of seating installed in 2006.

“The newly renovated recital hall would not have been possible without the generous support of alumni and friends of the university who have a genuine passion for music,” said Jill Still, SFA’s vice president for university advancement. “It is rewarding to see an SFA capital project driven by private funding from beginning to end, especially when it results in such a source of pride for the university.”

The Gift of Music Performers, patrons benefiting from renovated recital hall

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we now have a small performance facility of a quality that matches the quality of our faculty, our programs and our students.”

–ROBBIE GOODRICH

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CAMPUS NEWS

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE great leaders are born, not made. But professionals in SFA’s Division of Student Affairs know differently. Through a program called Freshman Leadership Academy, some first-year students are learning about leadership and putting those lessons into practice in ways that benefit both themselves and the community.

The program began last year with two specialized sections of SFA 101, the freshman seminar course designed to help new students thrive at college. These sections focus on time-management skills, individual leadership styles, group dynamics, apprecia-tion for diversity and service to others. Students in each class also plan and imple-ment a project addressing a need students have identi-fied in their community.

Purple Santa, a campus wide program that provides holiday toys for needy chil-dren, was created by the first FLA group and continues to help area kids who don’t re-ceive toys at Christmas. Dr. Adam Peck, dean of student affairs, taught that class and said many students who

implemented the toy drive continue to help with the project each holiday season.

Last year’s FLA sections took on a more complex project after researching the growing problem of childhood obesity. To help combat the problem lo-cally, students implemented the first “Zombie Run” to increase awareness of the health crisis and raise funds to help build a children’s Frisbee golf course at Banita Creek Park near downtown. More than 100 runners and about 70 volunteer “zom-bies” participated in the 5K event.

A local business, NIBCO, helped purchase compo-nents of the Frisbee course. The business also helped students throw a course “grand opening” event, complete with Frisbees, free T-shirts and giveaways. The SFA leaders-in-training instructed youngsters at Nacogdoches elementary schools in the fundamentals of Frisbee golf.

Plans call for the original freshman leadership cur-riculum to be joined by two additional sections, Leaders for a Better World, which will focus on improving intercul-

tural communication. Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for student engagement programs – leadership and service, will teach one of the sections. “I’ve worked with older students in a variety of leadership programs at SFA, but I’m really excited about the chance to teach FLA this year,” she said. “These students are preparing to be-come the future leaders of our campus, and the oppor-tunity to play a role in their development is exciting.”

Peck continues to oversee the program and will serve on the faculty of all four sections as a re-source and project leader. “Our Freshman Leadership Academy has the primary responsibility of training SFA students to become leaders, both in their college commu-nity and in their lives beyond college,” he said. “The suc-cess and popularity of the academy has proven that people do not have to be born with the innate quali-ties of a leader. Effective leaders can be cultivated through experiences that help them develop the skills necessary to lead others.”

–PAT SPENCE

FRESHMAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Photos courtesy of SFA Student Affairs

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CAMPUS NEWS

S I REFLECT on the first 90 years of SFA’s remarkable history, I feel a sense of pride and wonder at what

has been accomplished here at our beloved univer-sity in the pines. My own life story runs along-

side that of SFA, with the two intersecting in extraordinary ways at times and diverging at others, although never for long. I consider the special relationships I share with alumni and friends of this outstanding institution to be among my life’s greatest blessings.

Like the tall pines that beautify our campus, my SFA roots run very deep. My father earned a degree from SFA with the second graduating class. His brother was in the first class. I was too young to remember those accomplishments, but I do recall running across the campus to meet my mother, who also attended SFA, when she was coming away from a class.

I enrolled in the SFA Demonstration School in the fifth grade and continued my schooling there until graduation in 1940. The commencement exercise was held in the small SFA auditorium, which was located in the space in the Austin Building now occupied by the president’s office. The obvious next step for me was to enter college at SFA, where I felt quite at home, having attended classes on the campus for seven years. I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in music and embarked on a lifetime of appreciation, enjoyment and sup-port of the university’s exceptional music programs.

I interrupted my college education to marry Tom Wright, also an SFA alumnus and a dashing second lieutenant preparing for deployment to the European theater to fight the German army. When he went overseas, I resumed my college career, graduating in 1944. Tom was overseas for 29 months. He was in the heat of battle for two years, fighting in Oran, North Africa; Sicily; Italy; the Anzio Beachhead; to the invasion of southern France; and, finally, marching through France to Germany and victory on May 8, 1945.

The war years at SFA were some of the most challenging in the school’s history. Most of the men were gone, and the enrollment dropped to fewer than 300. The college’s presi-dent, Dr. Paul Boynton, is credited with keeping SFA afloat during those dreadful years, largely through the acquisi-tion of the Women’s Army Corps to train on the campus.

Dr. Boynton’s stewardship is something for which so many alumni from that era will be eternally grateful.

I was recently asked to name my proudest SFA moment, and I found the request next to impossible to fulfill – there are so many. At the top of the list would have to be when the Board of Regents named the music building after my late husband, Tom, and me in 1999. The honor was as unexpected as it was humbling and further cemented strong bonds with our cherished alma mater. As a young girl attending the SFA Demonstration School, I could never have imagined receiv-ing such an honor. One of my husband’s and my greatest joys has come with being a part of SFA’s mission to provide the highest quality academic programs to our students.

My fondest hope for SFA’s next 90 years is for it to contin-uously raise the bar of excellence in all areas and then meet and exceed that goal time and time again. As an SFA alumna, I am privileged to share a bond with this very fine university and with other alumni who take pride in their share of SFA’s history. All of our stories have intertwined to make SFA great for the better part of a century. I look forward to the coming anniversary celebrations with excitement and to the future with confidence that the institution’s stellar faculty, adminis-tration, staff, students and alumni will not be content to rest on their laurels or to rely on past achievements to bolster our school’s future reputation. Without a doubt, they are already hard at work ensuring that the next chapter in SFA’s history will shine brighter than any that has come before.

By Peggy WrightVISTA VIEWPOINT

FALL 2013 9

PEGGY WRIGHTformer Board of

Regents chair,SFA honorary doctorate

of humane letters recipient,

1985 Distinguished Alumna

Peggy Wright, seated second from left (upper row), is pictured with other members of the Amities Social Club at SFA, circa 1944.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Old�tfrom the Town

By Robbie Goodrich

IN THE FALL of 1925, The Pine Log published an article that told of the college purchasing new brass and per-cussion instruments for students who qualified for musical organizations, meaning a band and an orchestra. Some rehearsals had begun, and other students were encouraged to try out. The college band made its debut later that fall, and a search began to find a director.

J.T. Cox became the first director of the Lumberjack Band in the summer of 1926. With Cox accompanying the 14 members of the group, the band played at watermelon parties and for chapel exercises. When the fall semester began, the now 19-member band played at football games and area public school events.

The first Lumberjack Band uni-form came together in February 1928 and consisted of a white sweater with a purple lyre on the front worn with white trousers and purple caps. That same semester, Cox allowed girls to join the group, and the members were no longer referred to as “the band boys.” The following summer, Cox began a tradition of performing weekly outdoor concerts on campus where ice cream and cold drinks were served.

In the decade that followed, the band grew in numbers and contin-ued touring East Texas cities. But the effects of World War II took a toll on the college, with enrollment declining along with band membership. During this time, Cox used what resources he had to form a small jazz band. By

fall 1946, the band had grown to 60 members and began performing more difficult routines on the football field.

In 1952, Robert G. Smith, who had served as Cox’s assistant, became the second Lumberjack Band director. Others who would follow included Jimmie M. Hudgins, Kenneth Green, Mel Montgomery, John L. Whitwell and Fred Allen, who took over as director in 1994 and continues to lead the program today.

Each director brought his own contributions to the program. During Hudgins’ tenure, band camps, the Twirl-O-Jacks and the Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma service orga-nizations were added. Montgomery also changed the marching style of the band, eventually switching to a corps

When Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College opened its doors in 1923, the emphasis was in

establishing an instructional program that would produce qualified teachers.

In addition to the academic and elective courses offered at the new college, athletics also was

immediately incorporated into campus life with students choosing the Lumberjack as the

Stephen F. Austin mascot.

But something was missing in those early years. It was music. SFA needed a band.

LMB tradition turns school spirit into music

FALL 2013 11

CAMPUS NEWS

style, and started the “Concert in the Park,” a tradition that continues today.

As SFA’s director of bands for the past 19 years, Allen considers himself “the caretaker of something important to the university and its alumni.”

“The experience of being in the Lumberjack Band has meant a lot to people throughout the years, and it is my responsibility to see that our cur-rent students get that same Lumberjack Band experience,” Allen said.

“A former colleague once said, ‘the band is the sound track to the game,’” he said. “Our presence at athletic events allows us to turn spirit into mu-sic. Dr. David Campo does an incred-ible job of this during football season in his role as director of the Lumber-jack Marching Band, and Dr. Tamey Anglley (assistant director) does this as well with the basketball band. In addi-tion, our concert bands, jazz bands and smaller student groups bring music to Nacogdoches and the surrounding area on a number of occasions throughout the year.”

The SFA School of Music has doubled its student enrollment since Allen took over the band program in 1994, and today, under the leadership of Campo and Anglley, the LMB consistently marches at least 250 students.

Over the years, students have told the band directors how much fun it is to be a part of something that “has such a place of honor” on the campus, Allen said, noting that games feel “interac-tive,” and band students feel like they can help fire up the team when needed.

“As ambassadors, the band students had a unique experience leading the 2013 London New Year’s Day Parade,” Allen said. “That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but our students give the same effort here in Nacogdo-ches – just one of many ways being in the Lumberjack Marching Band is a special thing.”

The historical perspective for this article is based on a thesis written by Christopher M. Atkins in May 1998 for a Master of Arts in music education.

IN ADDITION TO the Lumberjack Marching Band, students perform in the Roarin' Buzzsaws Basketball Band, four concert bands and two jazz ensembles. The Wind Ensemble, the premier concert band in the depart-ment, has been invited to make its 10th appearance for the Texas Music Educators Association in February 2014. The band performed at TMEA conventions in 1973, 1976, 1980 and 1986 under the direction of Melvin Montgomery, the Director of Bands Emeritus, and under the baton of John Whitwell in 1990. The SFA band has also performed at conventions of the College Band Director Association, under Montgomery in 1984 and for the

50th anniversary of CBDNA in 1991 under Whitwell. Under the direction of Fred J. Allen, they have performed twice for CBDNA in 2002 and 2006.For years, the Lumberjack Band split into two concert bands after the marching season ended. As both the School of Music and the band pro-gram exploded in size from 1994 to the present, a third concert band was added in the early 1990s and a fourth one in 2006. The popular Swingin' Axes Jazz Ensemble also added a second group to its lineup, the Swingin' Aces.

“The experience of being in the Lumberjack Band has meant a lot to people throughout the years, and it is my responsibility to see that our current students get that same Lumberjack Band experience.” –Fred Allen, director of SFA bands

12 SAWDUST

CAMPUS NEWSATHLETICS

WEARING MY SFA SHIRT IN SAN DIEGO THIS WEEKEND.

SPREADING THE WORD.BRADY ADAMS

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FACEBOOK

A SQUARE DANCE WAS ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES AT MY FRESHMAN ORIENTATION (’79).

BET THEY DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE!

LORI JEFFERSON FOSTERSFA FACEBOOK

I LOVE DRIVING BY FELLOW LUMBERJACKS WHILE I’M BACK HOME AND THROWING UP OUR AXES!

@LAURENCHELLEETWITTER

HOLY SMOKES! #SFA’S HUNTER DOZIER GOES NO. 8 OVERALL TO THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS, THE HIGHEST PICK IN SCHOOL HISTORY. #AXEEM #MLBDRAFT

@SFA_ATHLETICSTWITTER

SFA, ONE OF THE MOST

B E A U T I F U L CAMPUSES IN TEXAS!! I LOVED IT THERE. . .1970.

PERRY PIERCESFA FACEBOOK

’JACK TALK

12 SAWDUST

NEW FOOTBALL TURF Homer Bryce Stadium will have a new look for the start of the 2013 season with the addition of a new playing surface. During the summer, SFA installed the new Hellas’ Matrix Turf to replace the previous surface, which had been used for the past nine seasons. The Matrix turf was selected from the Texas-based Hellas Sports Construction, which has installed more than 80 fields in the state, including turf for the Dallas Cowboys, Baylor, University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Tech and Lamar, as well as the surface in the Alamo Dome.

Construction began on June 6 and was completed in mid-July. The new surface includes more color than the previous turf and features purple end zones with white lettering. The north end zone reads “Stephen F. Austin,” and the south end zone says “Lumberjacks” with the SFA logo located at the 50-yard line. The re-surfacing also extends beyond the south end zone, giving the football team more practice area. In addition to the new surface, Hellas also has installed new goalposts.

SFA switched from a natural to an artificial surface in 1990. The Matrix Turf is the fourth artificial surface in Homer Bryce Stadium history.

FALL 2013 13

1. Oversized cutouts of the university seal that were traditionally adhered to podiums used at graduation and recently donated to the archives by the registrar’s office.

2. Game balls adorning Bailey’s desk, including signed Lumberjack basketballs and a signed SFA football from the 1990s and a Chicago Cubs batting practice ball hit by Bailey’s all-time favorite player, Andre Dawson.

3. A condensed pictorial history of the world, a gift from Bailey’s aunt, stretching across one entire wall of the office.

4. An “SFA Lumberjacks” scrapbook from the 1948-49 school year that an alumna recently happened upon while antique shopping. Concerned for its welfare, the woman purchased the scrapbook and donated it to the East Texas Research Center where it will become part of the permanent university collection.

5. A felt Lumberjack patch that could have been worn on a sweater or letter jacket that recently was donated to the ETRC by an SFA alumnus.

6. Spiral-bound General Bulletins docu-menting SFA course offerings throughout the decades.

7. A short stack of reel-to-reel SFA football films. There are more than 900 reels of football film in the university archives, along with about 120 reels of musical performances by SFA bands and choirs.

8. A large, purple binder containing the university’s official records retention schedule that is overseen by Bailey.

9. A small collection of leaflets called “Pictorial Presentations of SFA,” which were produced annually by the university for many years.

10. Files of notes from an ongoing oral history project through which Bailey is documenting the experiences of students who attended the SFA Demonstration School that opened concurrently with SFA in 1923. He has interviewed about 50 Demonstration School students so far.

11. Stacks of cardboard boxes contain-ing records such as past students’ class

schedules passed on from the registrar’s office for archiving.

12. SFA sports memorabilia, including a Lumberjack football helmet and Ladyjack softball and basketball jerseys.

13. The oldest and newest Stone Fort yearbooks, dated 1924 and 2013, respectively.

WORK SPACE

What you’ll find in . . . university archivist Greg Bailey’s office:

Hailing from the Midwest, Greg Bailey has served for two and a half years as the records manager and university ar-chives librarian for SFA’s East Texas Re-search Center. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in li-brary sciences from Indiana University Bloomington. An avid sports fan, Bai-ley said his SFA position is a perfect fit for his other special interests, including history, research and the management and preservation of historic documents and memorabilia.

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14 SAWDUST

IF YOU’VE BEEN within earshot of Homer Bryce Stadi-um on a Saturday afternoon in the fall, you’ve probably heard it – the kaboom of cannon fire punctuating the spirited strains of the SFA Fight Song. The source of the blasts is Ol’ Cotton, a World War II-era 75-mm mountain howitzer that is positioned in the south end zone for each home game and fired every time SFA scores. With each blank charge that explodes, a burst of orange flame is visible an instant before a discharge of light grey smoke unfurls into the end zone and dissipates over the cheering crowd.

Garbed in red T-shirts and camouflage pants, the Lumberjack Battalion’s Cannon Crew is responsible for loading and firing Ol’ Cotton with every SFA touchdown, extra point and field goal. But a lot of sweat and elbow grease is needed to get Ol’ Cotton ready for action each summer, and those duties fall to Ret. Lt. Col. John D. “Mad Dog” Mosele ’74. The retired U.S. Army officer and Austin Raider emeritus has a soft spot for the historic piece of artillery, which was acquired by the ROTC pro-gram during his time at SFA.

“I started working on it several years ago because, after many years of being stored outdoors, the ele-ments had taken a toll, and it was getting to the point that it wouldn’t be operational much longer unless it was restored,” said Mosele, who is a member of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. With the help of some retired military friends, a sledgehammer, a logging chain and “about $200 worth of degreaser,” Mosele was able to separate the cannon’s barrel from the breach block where it had been immobilized by a combination of rust and pine sap.

“Up until that point, I really thought we might not be able to salvage it, but we were able to get it apart to clean and repair and paint it that summer,” he said. Since then, Mosele has taken Ol’ Cotton back home to his family farm near Garrison for cleaning and repair before the start of each football season. “It has taken a few years, but she is now in really good shape for her age and should be operational for many years to come.”

Ol’ Cotton is named for Ret. Lt. Gen. Orren R. “Cot-ton” Whiddon of Lufkin ’55, the most senior military officer ever to have graduated from SFA and a longtime supporter of the university’s military science program. At the time of his retirement in 1989, Whiddon was commanding general of the Second U.S. Army. His numerous awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service, Defense Superior Service and Army Commendation medals. Whiddon was inducted into the SFA Alumni Hall of Fame in 1988.

“Very few other universities in the country are fortunate enough to have a working howitzer on their campus,” said Lt. Col. David Miller, chair of the Depart-ment of Military Science. “The camaraderie and esprit de corps that surrounds the Ol’ Cotton tradition – not just for our cadets but for all SFA students, as well as alumni – is a unique part of our history that we are privileged to enjoy.”

–AMY ROQUEMORE

Ol’ Cotton SFA’s historic cannon part of football tradition

“It has taken a few years, but she is now in really good shape for her age and should be operational for many years to come.”

Watch: Visit sfasu.edu/sawdust to view video story extras.

MOSELE

FALL 2013 15

ATHLETICS

FOOTBALL PREVIEW SFA ENTERS 2013 looking to get back to the top of the Southland Conference. The ’Jacks have the benefit of returning a senior quarterback, Brady Attaway (3,671 yds/29 TDs). One of the SLC’s all-time leading passers, Attaway returns three of his top five targets, including D.J. Ward (62-762 yds) and Mike Brooks (51-492 yds), who finished second in the nation in pass-ing offense last year. The ’Jacks also return one of the nation’s most exciting running backs in Gus Johnson, the conference’s second-leading rusher in 2012. The addition of redshirt Fred Ford adds another weapon to the back-field. Defensively, there is plenty of returning talent that should more than make up for the loss of two All-Americans. Senior Malcolm Mattox returns to his normal defensive end spot and, along with Darren Robinson, will give SFA two All-SLC athletes at the bookends. Transfers Shayvion Hatten and Donald Bryant should provide SFA two powerful run stoppers in the middle. Junior Collin Garrett is the lone returning starter in a young linebacking corps. SFA’s secondary lost two starters, but returns Caleb Nelson and Trey Vallier. The ’Jacks open the season with two games on the road at Weber State and Texas Tech before returning home to face McMurry Sept. 14. SFA will play Nicholls State in the Oct. 19 Homecoming game, and the Battle of the Piney Woods against Sam Houston is set for Nov. 2 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

SFA MEN TOPS IN SLC FOR A FOURTH consecutive season, SFA athletics claimed at least one of the three potential Southland Confer-ence all-sports trophies by securing the top spot in the men’s all-sports standings. The ’Jacks edged out Sam Houston State by three points to win their third-ever men’s all-sports trophy and were just six points shy of claiming their second consecutive Commissioner’s Cup and the

third in the last four years. The overall SFA ath-letics program was impressive in 2012-13, as the men’s and women’s teams combined to win seven conference championships including titles in basketball and track and field.

DOZIER UPDATE CURRENTLY WITH THE Idaho Falls Chukars in the rookie-level Pioneer League, former SFA shortstop Hunter Dozier is hitting .284 with 17 doubles, 4 home runs, 27 RBI and 25 runs scored through his first 36 games. After making his minor league debut with two singles and a run scored on June 19, Dozier has been a steady presence in the middle of the lineup for the Chukars, while see-ing time at third base, shortstop and as the designated hitter. On Aug. 12, Dozier was promoted to the Class A Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League.

NEW TENNIS COACHROBERTO ASPILLAGA WAS hired as the fourth head coach of the SFA Ladyjack tennis program in June. The former associate head coach at Colorado comes to SFA

after stints at Purdue and Kentucky.“We are very happy to have Roberto

as our new head tennis coach,” said SFA Director of Athletics Robert Hill. “He brings a wealth of experience and has coached and recruited on the highest Division I levels. Most importantly, he wants to be at SFA and is committed to building our women’s tennis program to be the best in the Southland.”

In only one season with the Buffs, he helped guide Colorado to a season-best No. 75 ITA National Ranking, a jump of 93 spots from 2012. While at Colorado, As-pillaga helped recruit Dhanielly Quevedo, the ITA Regional Rookie of the Year, and Nuria Ormeno, the fourth-ranked player in Spain.

Aspillaga also helped Purdue bring in its highest nationally ranked recruiting class (No. 8) in history. For his efforts, Aspillaga was named 2012 Wilson/ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, cap-ping off a season in which the Boilermak-ers won their first Big 10 championship in program history.

Highlights

16 SAWDUST

CAMPUS NEWS

WHOEVER SAID THAT in sports, getting to the top is easier than staying on top never met SFA head track and field coach Phil Olson ’85. The veteran coach has had the SFA men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams in the thick of the Southland Conference chase almost since the day he stepped on campus 14 years ago.

During Olson’s tenure, the SFA men and women have rattled off 26 Southland Conference team titles across the three disciplines. The 2013 season watched the Ladyjacks maintain their stranglehold on the conference by winning their confer-ence-record 10th consecutive title (five indoor, five outdoor). In addition to their 10 straight track and field titles, the Ladyjacks won the conference’s track and field Triple Crown – cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field – last season for the second time in the past three years.

“When the administration decided to move both programs under one office, it

allowed us to do what we needed to be successful,” said Olson. “Athletic Director Robert Hill has continued to allow us to be successful by providing us with the things that we need to maintain our success. I’ve also been allowed to hire good coaches who go out and find high-character indi-viduals who are also good athletes, strong in the classroom and willing to work hard.

“Finally, we have been very blessed here at SFA. We are all very thankful for the blessings that God has given us. We’ve faced a lot of ups and downs, but we have been tremendously blessed,” added Olson.

Olson’s success does not rest with just the women’s athletics program. The Lum-berjacks also swept the 2013 track and field titles this past season. In addition to their accomplishments on a conference level, the ’Jacks also received quite a bit of national attention. SFA was ranked as high as No. 41 prior to the NCAA West Pre-liminary meet in May. The ’Jacks sent two individuals and a relay team to the NCAA

Outdoor Championships, walking away with three All-America honors. All told, SFA produced four All-American athletes, and an All-America relay squad between men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and sent two runners to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Olson said, for him, one of the best parts about the successful run SFA has enjoyed has been being able to coach at his alma mater.

“It is huge for me to be able to add to SFA’s success as a department,” he said. “This university has always meant a lot to me – first as a student, and now as a coach. SFA provided me with the opportu-nity to be the best that I could be.”

No other track and field coach in con-ference history has been named coach of the year more times than Olson. He enters his 15th season in the Piney Woods with 17 SLC Coach of the Year honors.

– JAMES DIXON

Up and Running Accolades rack up for SFA cross country and track and field teams

FALL 2013 17

Student athlete

overcomes serious childhood

illness and injury

ROSIE DIDN’T GET mad when she was three months pregnant and doctors diagnosed her husband, Ted, with leukemia. Six months later, when their son, Joseph, was born, Rosie brought him home from the hospital and began to care for him and his older sister, while at the same time helping her husband deal with the effects of chemotherapy. She changed her baby’s diapers and her husband’s IV bags and did not question her faith in God.

When Ted died the day before their son’s first birthday, she did not lose heart. The next day, with relatives gathered near to assist with fu-

neral arrangements, they served Joe’s birthday cake, opened his presents and were thankful

for the gift of family.  

But there was anger three months later, when a doctor told Rosie that Joe had

a tumor, that it was an aggressive form of cancer related to the leuke-

mia that had taken her husband. There was fury when the doctor

said she should prepare herself because, in all likelihood, her

baby would die.  

“I stood up and said to him, ‘How dare you

say that? You are not God, and you can’t

know that for sure. Don’t you dare

take my hope.’”

>>

BY SHIRLEY LUNA

Rosie’s HOPE

18 SAWDUST

ATHLETICS

umberjack football player Joe Minden knows his mother faced two of the worst nightmares of every wife and mother.

“It had to be tough,” the Coppell native said. “It’s amazing how strong and courageous my mom is – just to go through that and still be the

loving and happy person she is. It’s pretty cool that she faced adversity

and it’s like she just stomped all over it. She kept going and found the brighter things in life. She got through it, and I look up to her for that.”

Rosie had help from her teaching colleagues. One wanted to introduce her brother to Rosie, but the brother, Michael Speanburg, had different ideas. “The whole group of teachers at the school was trying to fix me up with Rosie. I knew she had lost her husband, but I didn’t know the details,” he said. “I was young and traveling a lot, so I told my sister, ‘I like being single; I don’t want a girlfriend.’”

Everything changed when Michael met Rosie in person. “One of the things that I really loved about Rosie was

how strong she is. She is very determined and just has a very big heart; and I was thinking, ‘If she can go through all these hurdles in life, then she can put up with me.’”

So the guy who wanted to be single became a husband and father of two. He helped Rosie deal with Joe’s cancer

treatment, driving him to Houston for doctor’s appoint-ments.

“Michael was right there through the whole thing,” Rosie said. “Somebody else would have turned around

and run, but he helped me get through it, along with my mom and dad. My brothers and sisters

helped me with my daughter, Elaine. We all stuck together.”

Michael has no regrets about ending his bachelor days sooner than planned.

“As the relationship got stronger, some of my friends were looking at me like I’d been

hit in the head with a 2-by-4,” Michael said. “At the end of the day, I’m the

luckiest one of all; I’m the one who’s blessed because they came into my

life.”Joe is equally grateful that

Michael was willing to be a dad. “He’s one of my best

friends. He is always there to support me, and he’s

the person I get my competitive spirit

from. We are always playing games, always

competing with each other. He taught

me to throw the football. He’s

been a huge influence.”

A DEVASTATING INJURY Joe’s brush with cancer, conquered with surgery and chemo-therapy, is not the only medical battle he has faced. During a junior high football game, he suffered a knee injury that could have been career-ending.

“I was playing receiver in seventh grade and blocking the corner in front of me,” Joe recalled. “I knew the running back was coming behind me, but I didn’t know how close he was. The pile to tackle was going on behind me and my leg got rolled on. I couldn’t feel it, but I knew something was wrong with my knee. They got me to the bench, and I was sitting there trying to figure out how much longer it would be until I could get back in that game.”

It would be more than a year before Joe got back in the game. His kneecap was broken, and the tendon that connects the kneecap to the tibia was torn. “The doctor told me that, unless I had surgery, I would not be able to play sports again, at least not the same way I did beforehand,” Joe explained. “He said that my knee might not ever be the same.”

After surgery, Joe used an ice machine for two weeks, then for six weeks, a machine bent his leg continuously – 18 hours daily – gradually and painfully increasing the range of motion. “I would just sit there and watch my leg go back and forth, back and forth,” Joe said. “I would constantly tell myself, no matter how badly it hurt, that I wanted to get back to where I was. I didn’t want my story to be that an injury kept me from playing. I didn’t want to quit.”

Joe was on crutches for two months and missed 34 days of school. “It was like taking care of a 150-pound infant,” Rosie said. “He couldn’t get up or down, and the doctors pretty much told him he wasn’t going to be able to play sports again. Try telling that to a 13-year-old boy.”

 Nine months after the accident, Joe was released to run again, but not for contact sports. When he finally was allowed to return to the field, Joe wore a brace to protect his knee. “I wasn’t as fast as I had been, and I wasn’t strong,” he admit-ted. “The biggest obstacle I had to face was keeping a positive mindset, looking on the bright side and knowing that eventu-ally I was going to get back to where I wanted to be. It took a few years, but eventually I got to the point that I was confi-dent in my ability and what I was able to do on my knee.”

Joe led his Coppell High School football team to the state playoffs his senior year, receiving first-team all-district honors and setting the single-season record for passing yards and touchdown passes. The quarterback was named the 2010 ESPN Rise Most Improved Player.

“He couldn’t get up or down,

and the doctors pretty much told

him he wasn’t going to be able to play sports again. Try telling that to a

13-year-old boy.”Right Joe and his family at their home in Coppell

Opposite page Joe is pictured in the end zone of the Coppell High School football field where he performed as a standout quarterback.

FALL 2013 19

THE NEXT LEVELAs a Lumberjack, Joe played in five games during the 2012 season, completing 61 of 108 passes for 569 yards and two touchdowns.

“We load up in the car all decked out in purple,” Rosie said of the family’s SFA game-day routine. “We are probably the first ones to get out to the field because I don’t even want to miss warm ups. They call me ‘stalker’ because I just watch Joseph, and I’m going to stare him down until he waves at me. Whether he’s on the field or on the sideline, I’m just excited to see him.”

The Speanburgs said what attracted them to SFA was honesty during the recruiting process and the emphasis placed on academics.

“The coaches were very honest, and that won my wife’s heart over,” Mike explained. “Coach (Chris) Truax said Joe probably wouldn’t play his freshman year; he would prob-ably be redshirted. He was honest, and we knew we couldn’t say that about recruiters from other schools. When we left Nacogdoches, my wife had peace.”

According to Rosie, that sense of peace remains. “I have had nothing but a sense of safety with him being

at SFA. If I have a question and call up, they are going to put me through to someone to answer my questions. If Joseph is sick, I know he can go to the trainer, and they will take care of him. I miss him, but I don’t worry because I know they are looking out for him.”

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOMWith a 3.9 grade-point average, Joe, who recently was named the SFA finance department’s outstanding student, said he approaches classroom assignments with the same attitude he has on the football field. “I do the best I can, even if it’s just a minimal assignment,” he said. “In football you have to do the little things right, whether you’re working out or on the field. Those little things can make a difference between winning and losing – between doing well and not doing well.”

Most people who meet Joe don’t know about his medical history. But even the casual observer may discern that there is something different about Joe, something that compels him to set goals and meet them.

“I don’t tell people about any of this because I don’t want anyone to expect less from me,” Joe said. “It’s not that I don’t want people to know – I just want them to know me for who I am now. I feel accomplished, but I am not done yet. There’s a lot more I want to do.”

The same spirit is evident in the Speanburg household. Where there could be anger, self-pity or a lack of confidence, there is joy, hope and resilience. Personal fortitude and ac-countability are unspoken expectations.

“I think the experience my family and I have gone through is in our hearts; it’s in our core,” Joe said. “When I face a challenge, I don’t sit back and have a pity party for my-self and think that I’ve already been through so much. How can you not be happy about life? It is a precious thing.”

Joe is not the only standout athlete in his family. His older sister, Elaine, played volleyball at Southwestern Univer-sity, and his younger sisters, Maddie and Morgan, are athletes at Coppell High School.

“Rosie’s strong educational background has a lot to do with this,” Michael said. “They know that if their academics aren’t taken care of, they are not going to go out and play, and they are sure not going to play sports. They have a great bal-ance because of Rosie; she really is the anchor of this team.”

Although Rosie’s hope dates back to before the birth of her son, she credits Joe with her spirit and positive attitude.

“Joseph has been my hero. If I ever feel like I’m a failure, I look back and think of all the things he’s overcome, and he’s done it with a smile on his face and determination. And I just think, ‘You know what? I’m going to be like that, too.’ So he’s my hero, my role model; he’s my miracle baby. And I thank God for all the blessings that I’ve had. When there’s adversity that we have to get through, something good always comes of it. Sometimes it’s difficult, and I don’t understand why, but I know that when I look back, there will be a reason. This just helps us all to grow and see something that’s part of our plan.”

“I would constantly tell myself, no matter how

badly it hurt, that I wanted to get back to where I was. I didn’t want my story to be that an injury kept me from playing. I didn’t want to quit.”

Watch: Visit sfajacks.com/allaccess to view a video story extra.

20 SAWDUST

When the college opened there were no dormitories, so students lived in approved boarding homes, which cost between $25 and $30 a month.

1917 - STEPHEN F. AUSTIN NORMAL COLLEGE established by Texas Legislature - DR. ALTON W. BIRDWELL NAMED FIRST SFA PRESIDENT

1917 - 1939

1923 - FIRST DAY OF CLASSES Classes opened at NHS on Washington Square Sept. 18; “ “The Shack” housed administrative offices. - DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL

1924 - SFA MOVED Classes began in the Austin Building.

1925 - RUSK BUILDING

1935 - WISELY HALL first on-campus dormitory - FIRST HOMECOMING

1936 - STONE FORT MUSEUM

1928 - ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FORMED

The Early Years Chapter 191 of the regular session of the 35th Legislature (1917) created two new Normal Colleges, the Stephen F. Austin and the South Texas, and prescribed the method of locating the new institutions. In pursuance of this act, Nacogdoches was chosen for the location of Stephen F. Austin Normal College. Dr. Alton W. Birdwell was named president of SFA. With the outbreak of World War I and the call to conserve all resources, the third called session of the 35th Legislature repealed the appropriations for the new schools. The repealing act, however, expressly provided that one of the new colleges should be opened in September 1922 and the other in September 1923, and gave the State Normal Board of Regents the authority to determine which of the colleges should be opened first. On May 26, 1921, the board passed a resolution to fund Stephen F. Austin Normal College and reinstated Birdwell as its president. SFA also was to be opened by the September 1922 deadline. This deadline soon changed, as the Board of Regents postponed all building contracts until Aug. 31, 1922.

Stone Fort Museum

Birdwell

FALL 2013 21

Memorial StadiumIn February 1946, the citizens of Nacogdoches voted in favor of the issuance of $60,000 in bonds to build a stadium and field house as the first part of a community recreation center. At the same time, there was a petition to name it Memorial Stadium in honor of the men and women of Nacogdoches County and SFA students who lost their lives in World War II. Grading of the ground and construction of Memorial Stadium began in April 1946. The new steel and concrete football stadium was used for the first time at the 1946 Homecoming.

The Student Union Building was under the management of Henrietta Baker and contained a recreation room, ballroom, lunch room, student offices, student conference room, book store and post office.

1940 - 1949

1935 - WISELY HALL first on-campus dormitory - FIRST HOMECOMING

1936 - STONE FORT MUSEUM1942 - DR. PAUL BOYNTON NAMED SECOND SFA PRESIDENT

1943 - WOMEN’S ARMY AUXILIARY CORPS training school established to enlist women for auxiliary noncombat duty in World War II

1946 - MEMORIAL STADIUM

1948 - STUDENT UNION BUILDING

Homecoming 1971

22 SAWDUST

1950 - 1959

L. E. Griffith Jr. Fine Arts Building Construction began in July 1958 after Temple Associates of Diboll was awarded the construction contract for the $1.5 million auditorium and fine arts building. The Board of Regents accepted the building from the contractor Dec. 12, 1959. The building features a carillon tower with 15 brass bells made in Holland, a large auditorium with a pipe organ, small auditorium, radio studio, practice and rehearsal rooms, art laboratories, and exhibit areas. The building originally housed the departments of Art, Music and Speech.

The Men’s Gymnasium, now known as Shelton Gymnasium, is still used today. The gym has a capacity for more than 3,000 people and contains athletic offices, dressing rooms, equipment storage and physical education classrooms.

1951 - SHELTON GYM

1955 - THE UNITS I, II and III These residence halls were located at the corner of East College and Raguet streets.

1958 - DR. RALPH W. STEEN NAMED THIRD SFA PRESIDENT

1959 - COLLEGE CENTER included the college cafeteria with seating for 478 people, book store, luncheonette, post office and recreational facilities

The Units President Steen

President Ralph W. Steen On Nov. 1, 1958, Dr. Ralph W. Steen became the third president of Stephen F. Austin State College. Steen stayed in the position until his retirement in 1976 when he was given the appointment of president emeritus. During his tenure, SFA grew from a college of fewer than 2,000 students to a university with more than 11,000 students enrolled.

FALL 2013 23

1960 - 1969

Original plans for North and South halls called for one to house men and the other to be used as a women’s dorm. Reservations were submitted overwhelmingly by female students, so both new dorms were designated as women’s residences.

Steen Hall The “twin towers” of Steen Hall (Hall 17) are named for President Ralph W. Steen’s wife, Gladys E. Steen. The hall originally was built to house 764 women and today is used as a co-ed facility.

Kennedy AuditoriumThe auditorium was the first part of a $4 million building project begun in September 1966, that also included the Science Building. The auditorium, with a seating capacity of 500 and an array of audio-visual aids, opened in February 1968. In 1975 the Board of Regents named it Kennedy Auditorium in honor of Joseph W. Kennedy, an SFA alumnus with extraordinary achievements in the field of chemistry.

1961 - FACULTY APARTMENTS located on the corner of Starr Avenue and Clark Boulevard

1966 - STEEN HALL - EAST COLLEGE CAFETERIA built with a seating capacity of 1,000

1968 - GARNER HALL named in honor of the first head of the History and Political Science Department, W. F. Garner

1969 - BOARD OF REGENTS SFA moved from state college to university status with its own Board of Regents.

1964 - SFA INTEGRATED The Rev. Ulysses L. Sanders was the first African-American student to enroll at SFA.

Faculty Apartments

1960 - NORTH AND SOUTH HALLS

24 SAWDUST

With the approval of President Steen, students were allowed to streak on campus for one night, March 6, 1974, without the fear of repercussions.

1973 - MEMORIAL STADIUM and the original Todd Hall were torn down to make way for the construction of Ralph W. Steen Library.

1972 - ART STUDIO The building contains offices and facilities for the fine arts.

1974 - STREAKING

1976 - DR. WILLIAM R. JOHNSON NAMED FOURTH SFA PRESIDENT

1970 - 1979

Vietnam War ProtestsNational Moratorium Day, Oct. 15, 1969, drew crowds of students concerned over U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Students gathered under the pine trees on SFA’s campus and listened to a different speaker every hour who talked about the war. Those attending were united in their stance that the war must stop. Again on Nov. 15, students gathered in protest of the war. A bell was rung once for every Texan who died up to that point during the war. Later, students lighted candles beginning a silent march for peace. Moratoriums were observed monthly on campus, each one offering a different program, all demanding U.S. troop withdrawal.

1969 - VIETNAM WAR PROTESTS

FALL 2013 25

During the 1990s, a doctoral program in educational leadership was added, along with new master’s degree programs and the School of Social Work.

1990 - DR. DONALD E. BOWEN NAMED FIFTH SFA PRESIDENT

1992 - DR. DAN ANGEL NAMED SIXTH SFA PRESIDENT

1980 - 1999

1997 - SHARE THE LEGACY CAMPAIGN gives the university its first permanent endowment

National Champions Dianne Baker coached softball at SFA for 15 years and led the Ladyjacks to an NCAA Division II championship in 1986. Baker shows the national championship trophy to fans who had waited for hours for the team bus to arrive from the airport.

Lumberjack Football Quarterback Todd Hamel led the Lumberjacks to the Southland Conference Championship in 1989, the first outright conference championship in football in school history. The Lumberjacks lost in the national championship game against Georgia Southern University. Here, Hamel celebrates the completion of a touchdown pass in a playoff game against Grambling State University.

1986 - SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

1989 - FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

26 SAWDUST

2000 - 2009

President Baker PattilloDr. Baker Pattillo has been a part of SFA for more than 40 years, first as a student, and later as an administrator and president. He was elected interim president of SFA by the Board of Regents on July 13, 2006. Prior to being named interim president, Pattillo served as vice president of university affairs. He had held that role since 1982. Pattillo was named the eighth president of SFA on Jan. 30, 2007.

Student Recreation CenterA new Student Recreation Center opened at SFA on Sept. 22, 2007. The $24-million facility features two multi-purpose courts, a 39-foot freestanding climbing wall, a 12,000-square-foot weight and fitness center, and an outdoor center. It also houses a wellness center, which includes areas for nutrition and fitness assessment and massage therapy. An indoor track winds around the inside perimeter of the building on the upper level, which also includes racquetball courts, additional cardio and fitness areas, and an outdoor patio for relaxation and entertainment. The pool area includes a 270-foot-long lazy river, 12-foot-deep diving pool, 30-person spa, three lap lanes, zero-depth pool entry and a pool play area for water sports.

2006 - DR. BAKER PATTILLO NAMED EIGHTH SFA PRESIDENT

2001 - DR. TITO GUERRERO NAMED SEVENTH SFA PRESIDENT

SFA’s entrance standards were increased and $200 million in bonds were approved for new construction projects, including residence halls, parking garages, recreational facilities and an extensive addition to the Student Center.

2007 - BAKER PATTILLO STUDENT CENTER - STUDENT RECREATION CENTER - 100,000TH DIPLOMA AWARDED

2009 - JANICE A. PATTILLO EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH CENTER

FALL 2013 27

2010 - 2013

New Entrance A new main SFA entrance with limestone signage was completed in 2010. An improved entrance plaza roadway was constructed, along with a large monument sign with the university’s name, decorative pillars on Vista Drive and extensive landscaping. The limestone pillars placed at the entrance to Vista Drive from the new plaza roadway are a historical nod to pillars that framed the original Vista Drive entrance beginning in the early 1920s. The old entrance sign, which was constructed in the mid-1960s, was removed from the site in pieces and reconstructed at the northern end of Homer Bryce Stadium near the field house.

1992 - PRESIDENT DAN ANGEL

Lumberjack Landing was designed to meet the unique living and learning needs of first-year Lumberjacks and features the Ed and Gwen Cole Student Success Center where students access free tutoring and other academic support services.

2013 - LARGEST GRADUATING CLASS 1,285 diplomas awarded in May.

2010 - NEW MAIN ENTRANCE - ARCHIE MCDONALD SPEAKER SERIES - BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS first game held at Reliant Stadium in Houston

2011 - LUMBERJACK LANDING

View expanded SFA timeline library.sfasu.edu/etrc

28 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

TICKETSFans can purchase tickets through the SFA Ticket Office by calling (936) 468-JACK or toll free (800) 775-3358 or at sfajacks.com. Ticket prices range from $15 to $40.

HOTEL SFA Headquarters: Westin Oaks at the Galleria5011 Westheimer at Post Oak, Booking: (713) 960-81005011 Westheimer at Post OakHouston, Texas 77056SFA Fan Rate: $109 per night, Specify “SFA Fan Block”

TAILGATING AT RELIANT STADIUMOn Saturday, Nov. 2, SFA will host a tailgate party at the southeast corner of Reliant Stadium adjacent to the Astrodome from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Food will be available for the first 1,000 fans, and cash bars will be open throughout the event. Stadium gates open at 1:30 p.m. and kick-off is slated for 3 p.m. Individual tailgating for SFA fans is located in the Blue Lot.

RECEPTION SFA will host a reception at the

Westin on Friday, Nov. 1, for fans, friends and alumni from 6 to 8 p.m. Everyone is invited.

SUITES AT RELIANT STADIUMPrivate luxury suites will be available for $75 per ticket. Each suite seats between 16 and 22 guests. Parking, food and beverages are not included in the price.

For more information, fans can contact Shari Rainey with the Houston Texans Suite Sales Office at (832) 667-2135 or shari.rainey@houstontexans.com.

Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas

3 p.m. Saturday,Nov. 2

BOTPW LUNCHEON The Touchdown Club of Houston will host a Battle of the Piney Woods luncheon featuring SFA head football coach J.C. Harper and Sam Houston head football coach Willie Fritz. Noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 J.W. Marriott, 5150 Westheimer near the Galleria. Tickets are $45 each and $450 for a table of 10. For tickets, contact Neal Farmer at (713) 849-9860 or email houtdclub@att.net.

COACHES LUNCHEON

SFA ALUMNI COACHES were honored at the 35th annual Coaches Awards Luncheon sponsored by the SFA Alumni Association.

Pictured, from left, are Jeff Davis, Alumni Association executive director; John Leonard; Dennis Eby, accepting the award for his son, Jimmy Eby; Farshid Niroumand; Wesley Colley; Jeff Traylor; and Bob Sitton, executive director emeritus of the Alumni Association.

DEREK SNYDER’S LOVE for SFA started at birth. With his father, James Snyder, who was an art pro-fessor at SFA for 37

years; his mother, Sandy Snyder, who was involved with SFA women’s basketball; his sister, Sasha Snyder Kubacak, who graduated from the SFA athletic training program; and three aunts who played dur-ing the early years of the SFA women’s basketball under Coach Sue Gunter, the choice to attend SFA was easy.

Snyder is a 2001 graduate of SFA, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was part of the Lumberjack Football team from 1996 to 1999. As a student, he was included on the Dean’s List, was named in Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities and a finalist for Mr. SFA.

As communications and marketing coordinator for the Alumni Association, Snyder will design graphics for marketing publications and promotions.

“I have always felt at home with this alumni organization,” he said. “I look forward to continuing the excellence set forth by the past and current staff to bind SFA students, alumni, faculty, and staff, and the Nacogdoches community together with Lumberjack pride!”

SNYDER ’01 JOINS STAFF

FALL 2013 29

Probably the one constant

in the past 90 years

has been the pride our

alumni have in our alma

mater.

NINETY YEARS – WHAT a long, rich history for SFA. We are all proud of this tremendous achievement. To reflect on what has transpired during the past nine decades is overwhelming. To consider the changes to

our campus, especially in the recent past, is astonishing. Probably the one constant in the past 90 years has been the pride our alumni have in our alma mater. No matter when they attended or graduated from SFA, Lumberjacks always have a sense of pride in our university.

In 1928, a few years after the founding of SFA, your Alumni Association was formed. Throughout the next 85 years, our mission has been constant – to serve alumni, friends, and current students through programs, scholarships, and activities that create an attitude of continued loyalty and support. We have a deep desire to stay true to our mission and strengthen our Lumberjack bonds. We carry out our work in all sorts of ways, including: alumni chapters; freshman send-offs; memberships; scholarships; network events; class ring sales and Big Dip ring ceremonies; affinity programs; Sawdust; football tailgates; Student Foundation events; Alumni Corner; Homecoming events; and student, faculty, alumni and coaches awards and recognition programs.

Although our alumni base is nearly 99,000 strong and diverse in many ways, we do have one common bond – our alma mater. During the past few years, we have tried new things, and we will continue to look for ways to spark your interest in the Alumni Association and foster your support of our mission. You see, we simply cannot continue doing this without connecting with you through our programs, activities and events, and ultimately earning your loyalty and support. You have been good to the association throughout the past 85 years, and we hope you feel the association has been good to you. Only together can we accomplish our mission.

It has been a great 90 years at SFA, and I trust there will be many more! I invite you to join us for Homecoming on Oct. 18-20 as we celebrate this important milestone.

Axe ’em, Jacks!

Curtis Sparks ’85President, SFA Alumni Association

SFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Curtis Sparks ’85 - presidentRoger Robinson ’92 - president-electChuck Tomberlain ’84 - past president

ASSOCIATION BOARDWendy Buchanan ’85

Don Cox ’71 & ’76Robin Dawley ’77Karen Gantt ’95

Mike Harbordt ’63Doris Havard

James Hawkins ’83David Madrid ’02Justin McFaul ’04Susan Roberds ’75Phillip Scherrer ’99

Erika Tolar ’02Steve Whitbeck ’75Chris Woelfel ’95

SFA ALUMNI FOUNDATION GOVERNORSChuck Tomberlain ’84 - chairman

Lewie Byers ’68Ford Cartwright ’69Rick Couvillon ’85

Shirley Crawford ’58 & ’70Stephen Greak ’92James Hamilton ’77

Bill Roberds ’75Curtis Sparks ’85

ASSOCIATION STAFFJeff Davis ’02

executive director of alumni affairs

Katy Crawfordassistant to the executive director

of alumni affairs

Dale Green ’99director of marketing & membership

Samantha Mora ’08director of alumni events & engagement

Alicia Roland Chatmangifts & records specialist

Beverly Smith ’96accountant

Emily Martinscholarship coordinator

Derek Snyder ’01communications & marketing coordinator

FROM THE ASSOCIATION

BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS 2012

30 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

2012

Kylie Louw

2012 London Olympian, South Africa

Women’s Soccer

1935

Joseph W. Kennedy

Co-Discoverer of Plutonium

1972

Nancy Dickey

Former President, Texas A&M

Health Science Center

1948

CHARLES RUNNELS

Chancellor Emeritus, Pepperdine University

1929

OTIS FLOYD

Longtime Public School Teacher and Principal

1989

Larry Centers

Former NFL Fullback; All Pro and Superbowl

Champion

1991

Steve Stagner

Chief Executive Officer, Mattress Firm

1955

O.R. “Cotton” Whiddon

Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.)

1967

Will Jennings

Oscar and Grammy Award Winning

Songwriter

1966 &

2001

NEAL slaten

Owner, Tipton Ford Lincoln, Inc.

FALL 2013 31

IN WHAT HE considers the most difficult decision of his profession-al life, Jason Wright ’97 resigned

as a councilman for the City of Tyler recently to work for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Since January, Wright has served as the new senator’s East

Texas regional director.“Assisting Sen. Cruz is a great job,” Wright said. “I get to

work for someone I truly respect and admire while playing a small supporting role in his very big work to serve East Texans. I’m a very blessed guy.”

Wright describes his new role as unpredictable. On a given day, he may be found in any East Texas city or town discussing with constituents issues ranging from immigra-tion to business regulations, from jobs and the economy to veterans’ issues and more.

“Sen. Cruz goes about his role with such humility and in-tegrity, and I truly admire him,” Wright said. “It was difficult to put the brakes on my own political and business career, but the senator confirms my decision every day.”

Wright said one of the best parts of his job is being based year-round in Tyler, where he lives with his wife and fellow SFA graduate Carrie Wright ’97. The couple has two daugh-ters, 13-year-old Rylan and 12-year-old Abby.

“Since Sen. Cruz spends so much time in D.C., he wants to make sure there are boots on the ground in the state tak-ing care of the Texans he represents,” he said.

Wright said he first became interested in a political career while still a student at SFA.

“I’ve always thought I would be involved in service at some level. I just believe if God has given one the ability to serve and make a difference, then that’s what one should do.”

Wright is a past president of both the Tyler Sunrise Ro-tary Club and the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors and currently serves on advisory boards for BancorpSouth and the SFA Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies. He also is a founding member and past board mem-ber of Grassroots America: We The People, one of the largest grassroots conservative activist groups in East Texas.

He said all of these roles have given him the opportunity not only to serve his community, but also to learn how to best motivate others to move together toward common goals. The network of relationships he has established extends to all corners of the state and country.

“I have learned to be a better communicator, which in-cludes being a very good listener,” Wright said. “Being able to listen and understand the needs of East Texans is the single most critical part of my new position.”

Wright credits his alma mater for preparing him for his current career. His service as president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity also allowed him to hone interpersonal communication skills, he said. “I can’t imagine ever having a better college experience anywhere else.”

The fifth-generation East Texan hopes to remain in government service for the long haul, and he thinks the Texas governorship is the best job in politics.

“I love this state with all my heart,” he said. “I believe Texas is the model for the rest of the country, and to be able to steward the affairs of the Lone Star State would be incredible.”

–RACHEL CLARK

’JACKS OF ALL TRADES

Jason Wright ’97 East Texas regional director for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz

“I get to work for someone I truly respect and admire while playing a small supporting role in his very big work to serve East Texans. I’m a very blessed guy.”

32 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

32 SAWDUST

FALL 2013 33

ALUMNI NEWS

ROWING UP, BONNIE Denmon always wanted to be a nurse. She

was raised in Pollok, Texas, one of Theo and Quely Johnson’s five

children. Her father worked as a forester, and her mother was a home-

maker. Together, her parents instilled in their son and four daughters a love of learn-

ing that Denmon continues to pay forward. The Denmon children lived in the Central ISD but were

bussed to Lufkin due to segregation. Denmon attended Dun-bar High School until the rural schools began desegregation in the mid-1960s.

She later transferred to Central High School, where she was the only African American in her class. With the high expectations and support of her parents, Denmon excelled in academics. In 1966, she became the first African American to graduate from Central High School.

Denmon earned her Licensed Vocational Nurse certifica-tion through Lufkin Memorial Hospital’s nursing program. When Angelina College established a program, Denmon enrolled and received her associate degree. After passing the national licensing exam and becoming a registered nurse, she transitioned into SFA’s nursing program and earned a bachelor’s degree.

Throughout her nursing career, Denmon served in several administrative positions while balancing her role as a wife and mother. She was director of emergency services at Lufkin’s Woodland Heights Medical Center for more than 10 years and served as director of education at Memorial Hospital in Lufkin until she retired in 2004.

“Nursing is my heart,” Denmon said. “Working in the hospital’s emergency department, you are challenged to learn all the time. You have to think on your feet. My love of learn-ing has always supported my nursing career.”

Today, Denmon teaches medical terminology at AC. She also volunteers, serving as a patient advocate. “I assist both patients and their families in understanding the often complex world of medical care, discussing medications, help-ing interpret test results and even accompanying patients to doctor’s appointments.”

Denmon served for many years on the Central ISD school board. She is a past member and president of the AC Board of Trustees and also served on the boards of the Deep

East Texas Workforce, Stubblefield Learning Center, Lotus Lane Foundation, Goodwill and United Way.

She continues to be involved with the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce, having served as chairman of its Education Council. Trey Henderson, president of Angelina Hardwood, served alongside Denmon on the Angelina College Board of Trustees. “During the 10 years we worked together, her dedication to serving students was second to none,” he said. “With a nursing background, she ensured that the college maintained excellence in every field, especially in health careers.”

Denmon has received much recognition for her com-munity service, including the Jack O. (Butch) McMullen Silver Spike Award, the Frist Humanitarian Award from the Hospital Corporation of America and the Angelina County Citizen of the Year award. The 2012 ATHENA Leadership Award remains her most treasured accolade.

“I love helping people in any way I can,” Denmon said.

“It’s just humbling that people think I’m worthy of this award.”Jerry Huffman, president and CEO of the Lufkin/Ange-

lina County Chamber of Commerce, said, “Bonnie represents the true model of a woman in leadership – always willing to go the extra mile and stop and help someone along the way. She works at everything she does with a spirit of kindness and concern for people.”

Another area Denmon takes great pride in is her associa-tion with SFA. She has served on SFA’s nursing ethics com-mittee and assisted with nursing students’ clinical rotations, and she was involved in the initial planning of the Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing facility. She serves as president of the Advisory Council for the East Texas GearUp Project headquartered at SFA.

When she’s not teaching or volunteering, Denmon said she enjoys spending time with her family, including her father, who still lives in Pollok; her daughter, Monique Nunn, an SFA staff member and doctoral student who is married to the Lumberjacks’ assistant head football coach, Arlington Nunn; her son, Marque, who resides in Georgia with his wife, Desiree; and her three grandchildren.

She adds that after almost three decades working as a nurse, she is enjoying spending more time with her husband of 46 years, James, to whom, along with her parents, she at-tributes her success. “We were high school sweethearts. He’s been there with me every step.”

In recognition of a lifetime of service, SFA nursing alumna Bonnie Denmon ’84 recently received the 2012 ATHENA Leadership Award from the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of

Commerce. The award recognizes women who epitomize professional and community service excellence, while helping other women reach their professional and leadership goals.

l i f e t i m each i e v ement

Photo by Clay Bostian

By Donna Parish

34 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

30 SAWDUST FALL 2013 31

ALUMNI NEWS

7 - 10 a.m. / Hotel FredoniaHomecoming Flap “Jack” BreakfastHotel Fredonia $11.95 for adults, $9.95 children 12 & under

7:30 – 10 a.m. / Schlief Tennis Complex, corner of Wilson and Starr5th Annual Homecoming 5K RunPrizes awarded to best overall male and female, top male and female in age groups, and largest group registered.

7:30 – 9 a.m. / Hotel FredoniaGolden Jacks BreakfastCelebrating the Class of 1963

9 a.m. / Hotel Fredonia

Enjoy the morning with free coffee and pastriesand visiting with fellow Lumberjacks!

10 a.m. / Downtown NacogdochesHomecoming Parade

enjoy music and pageantry

Noon / Corner of Hayter and RaguetAlumni CornerEnjoy a catered meal with friends beforethe game. Free to Association members.

Opens three hours before kick off / Alumni CornerJunior Jacks Kids Zone Noon, Alumni CornerBounce houses, face painting and games.First 100 kids receive a free “Future Alumni”t-shirt.

Noon / Ag PondDuck DashNoon at the Ag PondWatch rubber ducks race to win cool prizesand raise money for scholarships

3 p.m. / Homer Bryce StadiumFootball GameSFA Lumberjacks vs. Nicholls State

11 a.m. - 4 p.m. / Piney Woods Country ClubSFA Alumni Golf Tournament$150 per person, $600 per team

2 - 5 p.m. / Pecan ParkSFA Frisbee Golf Tournament$20 entry fee, $10 for SFA students

4:30 - 5 p.m. / Hotel FredoniaAlumni Association Annual Membership MeetingOfficers and members elected

5 - 7 p.m. Nine Flags Bar and The Patio, Hotel FredoniaBack in Nac SocialLive music, free appetizers, purple beer, drink specials and a photo booth!

6 - 8:30 p.m. / Hotel FredoniaAlumni Legacy Reception and DinnerHonoring Dr. Francis E. “Ab” Abernethy ’49and the late Hazel Abernethy ’48 & ’71 6 p.m. Reception6:45 – 8 p.m. Dinner8 p.m. Live Auction and

8:15 – 10:30 p.m.Homecoming Jack Track Bus Shuttle

and Hotel Fredonia

8:30 p.m. / SFA Campus and Intramural FieldsTorchlight Parade & Bon Fire8:30 p.m. Torchlight Parade

Tent opens three hours prior to kickoff.SFA Alumni Association members, alumni and fans can gain access to Alumni Corner by purchasing a single-game tailgate pass online at sfaalumni.com

or at the tent.

• SFA Alumni Association members - $10• Non-members - $15• Kids 10 and younger - $5 (with an adult)• Kids 5 and younger - free (with an adult)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

In addition to iced tea and water, beverages from R&K Distributors will be available, and a sheet cake will be served

Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m. - Sunday, Oct. 20, 9 p.m. Homecoming Online Auction

Visit biddingforgood.com/sfahomecoming to bid on your favorite items. Thursday, Oct. 3, 5:30 to 7 p.m. / Hotel Fredonia

FRIDAY, OCT. 18

Class of 1963 Reunion

Celebrate your 50-year reunion with tours,receptions, the Golden Jacks Breakfast,commemorative reunion packet, parade,tailgate and the Homecoming game.

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

TICKETS & INFO:

Tailgate with the SFA Alumni Association at Alumni Corner or on the road! Enjoy a catered meal with friends before the game.

FALL TAILGATE SCHEDULE

Purchase tickets and register for events at sfaalumni.com or call800.765.1534. Kick off the online auction and Homecoming

with free appetizers, drinks and live music.

SPONSORED BY

SFA @ TEXAS TECHSaturday, Sept.7, 6 p.m., Lubbock

SFA vs. McMurry StateSaturday, Sept.14, 6 p.m., Nacogdoches

SFA vs. Montana StateSaturday, Sept.21, 6 p.m., Nacogdoches

SFA vs. Prairie View A&MSaturday, Sept.28, 6 p.m., Nacogdoches

SFA vs. Nicholls StateSaturday, Oct.19, 3 p.m., Nacogdoches

SFA vs. McNeese StateSaturday, Nov. 9, 3 p.m., Nacogdoches

FALL 2013 35

ALUMNI NEWS

30 SAWDUST FALL 2013 31

ALUMNI NEWS

7 - 10 a.m. / Hotel FredoniaHomecoming Flap “Jack” BreakfastHotel Fredonia $11.95 for adults, $9.95 children 12 & under

7:30 – 10 a.m. / Schlief Tennis Complex, corner of Wilson and Starr5th Annual Homecoming 5K RunPrizes awarded to best overall male and female, top male and female in age groups, and largest group registered.

7:30 – 9 a.m. / Hotel FredoniaGolden Jacks BreakfastCelebrating the Class of 1963

9 a.m. / Hotel Fredonia

Enjoy the morning with free coffee and pastriesand visiting with fellow Lumberjacks!

10 a.m. / Downtown NacogdochesHomecoming Parade

enjoy music and pageantry

Noon / Corner of Hayter and RaguetAlumni CornerEnjoy a catered meal with friends beforethe game. Free to Association members.

Opens three hours before kick off / Alumni CornerJunior Jacks Kids Zone Noon, Alumni CornerBounce houses, face painting and games.First 100 kids receive a free “Future Alumni”t-shirt.

Noon / Ag PondDuck DashNoon at the Ag PondWatch rubber ducks race to win cool prizesand raise money for scholarships

3 p.m. / Homer Bryce StadiumFootball GameSFA Lumberjacks vs. Nicholls State

11 a.m. - 4 p.m. / Piney Woods Country ClubSFA Alumni Golf Tournament$150 per person, $600 per team

2 - 5 p.m. / Pecan ParkSFA Frisbee Golf Tournament$20 entry fee, $10 for SFA students

4:30 - 5 p.m. / Hotel FredoniaAlumni Association Annual Membership MeetingOfficers and members elected

5 - 7 p.m. Nine Flags Bar and The Patio, Hotel FredoniaBack in Nac SocialLive music, free appetizers, purple beer, drink specials and a photo booth!

6 - 8:30 p.m. / Hotel FredoniaAlumni Legacy Reception and DinnerHonoring Dr. Francis E. “Ab” Abernethy ’49and the late Hazel Abernethy ’48 & ’71 6 p.m. Reception6:45 – 8 p.m. Dinner8 p.m. Live Auction and

8:15 – 10:30 p.m.Homecoming Jack Track Bus Shuttle

and Hotel Fredonia

8:30 p.m. / SFA Campus and Intramural FieldsTorchlight Parade & Bon Fire8:30 p.m. Torchlight Parade

Tent opens three hours prior to kickoff.SFA Alumni Association members, alumni and fans can gain access to Alumni Corner by purchasing a single-game tailgate pass online at sfaalumni.com

or at the tent.

• SFA Alumni Association members - $10• Non-members - $15• Kids 10 and younger - $5 (with an adult)• Kids 5 and younger - free (with an adult)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

In addition to iced tea and water, beverages from R&K Distributors will be available, and a sheet cake will be served

Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m. - Sunday, Oct. 20, 9 p.m. Homecoming Online Auction

Visit biddingforgood.com/sfahomecoming to bid on your favorite items. Thursday, Oct. 3, 5:30 to 7 p.m. / Hotel Fredonia

FRIDAY, OCT. 18

Class of 1963 Reunion

Celebrate your 50-year reunion with tours,receptions, the Golden Jacks Breakfast,commemorative reunion packet, parade,tailgate and the Homecoming game.

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

TICKETS & INFO:

Tailgate with the SFA Alumni Association at Alumni Corner or on the road! Enjoy a catered meal with friends before the game.

FALL TAILGATE SCHEDULE

Purchase tickets and register for events at sfaalumni.com or call800.765.1534. Kick off the online auction and Homecoming

with free appetizers, drinks and live music.

SPONSORED BY

36 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

The Carving ProcessSitton begins with bass wood decoy blanks and uses a band saw and hatchet to take away extra wood. He shapes feathers and other details with a grinding tool and uses a knife to shape the ducks’ heads. More features are added with a woodburning tool. The final part of the process, painting the decoys, is the most painstaking task. Although he has never timed the entire process of making a duck, he feels his time is well spent. “My hobby keeps me off the streets and out of trouble – most of the time,” Sitton said.

OB SITTON ’60, director emeritus of the SFA Alumni Association and former coach, is still amazed that his curiosity about duck carving has grown into a 39-year-old hobby that has raised more than $20,000 for SFA scholarships.“I grew up in the suburbs of Cushing –

current population 700 – and I spent a lot of time as a boy whittling sticks,” Sitton said,

explaining his unique talent’s humble roots. “Nothing creative – I carved on a stick until

it was gone; that was all.” Sitton’s interest in woodcarving

was rekindled after reading a story about the art of decoys in a 1974 Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. The article featured duck carver C.D. Stutzenbaker, former chief wildlife biologist for the J.D. Murphee Wildlife Area near Port Arthur.“I was really just looking for something to fill my time,” Sitton said.

“I called Dr. Stutzenbaker and told him I wanted to learn, but I didn’t know where to begin,” Sitton said. Stutzen-baker suggested he contact Bill Provine, a fellow expert carver who worked at the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge on the outskirts of Houston. “It just so happened that the refuge was

about two miles from my mother-in-law’s house, so I had plenty of

opportunity to visit with Bill.”Provine took Sitton under his

wing, and for the next few years, taught him the art and craft of carv-

ing ducks. “Bill was very helpful during those early years,” Sitton recalls. “It

took me forever to finish the first duck, a real masterpiece,” he jokes. “I gave it away

to my friend Mike Driver, but his dog chewed it up.” Sitton held on to the second duck he

carved, a Canvasback, as a measure of his hope-ful progress, and he kept carving in his spare time.Sitton’s daughter, Karen Stacy ’85, suggested Sitton

Ducks as a name for her father’s craft. The name stuck. In 1978, a news article featuring Sitton’s carving was published nationwide, gaining exposure for Sitton Ducks

across the U.S. “And I knew then that this hobby of mine was something special,” Sitton said.

Having coached for 12 years, Sitton was elated in 1980 when the Houston Fellowship of Christian Athletes bought one of his ducks to give to former Dallas Cow-boy quarterback and Heisman Trophy win-ner Roger Staubach. “They even asked me if I would like to present it to him,” Sitton said. “Of course, I said yes. Roger and I even got our picture in the August 1980 edition of Houston Monthly magazine.” By the mid-’80s, Sitton had mas-tered his craft and was sharing his decorative decoys at art shows in Texas and at the Texas Folklife Festival.

For several years, Sitton has focused on creat-ing ducks depicted on Federal Duck Stamps, pictorial stamps annually produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although Sitton has carved many species of ducks, he does have his favorites. “All ducks are beauti-fully colored, but the wood duck tops them all,” Sitton said, recalling the 2011 Duck Stamp decoy he made. “I realized my eyesight is not what it used to be when trying to paint four distinct colors on a miniature wood duck beak.” In addition to ducks, Sitton has carved geese, swans, one coot, two mockingbirds, one dove and one quail.

Sitton Ducks was featured in Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine and also pictured in a story about mis-sile decoys in an issue of Defense Electronics Magazine. Sitton has made appearances on episodes of The Eyes of Texas, Texas Country Reporter and Proud of East Texas.

Sitton is grateful for his success in the craft and pays his blessings forward to SFA. He will donate 50 percent of the proceeds from future Sitton Ducks sales to fund scholarships that he, his wife Shirley, and family and friends have endowed through the SFA Alumni Association. “I have more time than I have money,” Sitton said, “and carving ducks is a way to use a simple talent the Lord gave me to help future students.”

Sitton Ducks can be purchased by contacting Sitton at lumberjackforever@gmail.com or by calling (936) 569-3256. Search Sitton Ducks on Facebook to read updates and view photos. –RHONDA CRIM

Carving a Legacy Former Alumni Association executive director turns childhood pastime into a gift for the future

Above Sitton’s work on display recently at the Old University Building in Nacogdoches

Top left Sitton carving a duck in 1990 at the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio Photo courtesy of

University of Texas

at San Antonio

Bottom left Sitton Ducks

FALL 2013 37

SEPTEMBER Wednesday 4 Thursday 5 Friday 6 Saturday 7FORT BEND NETWORK SOCIAL EVENT 6-8 p.m., Flying Saucer, 15929 City Walk, Sugar Land

SOUTHLAKE/KELLER/LEWISVILLE NETWORK SOCIAL EVENT 6-8 p.m., Campania Pizza, 291 Grand Ave., Southlake

LUBBOCK NETWORK SOCIAL EVENT 6-8 p.m., Caprock Cafe, 3405 34th St., Lubbock

ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE 3 p.m., Lubbock

SFA @ TEXAS TECH 6 p.m., Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock

Saturday 14 Thursday 19 Fri.-Sun. 20-22 Saturday 21ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE 3 p.m., corner of Hayter and Raguet streets in front of ECRC.

SFA VS. MCMURRY 6 p.m., Homer Bryce Stadium

SHREVEPORT, LA AREA NETWORK SOCIAL EVENT5:30-7:30 p.m., Superior Grill, 6123 Line Ave.,Shreveport, La.

FORT WORTH AREA NETWORK SOCIAL EVENT6-8 p.m., Brownstone Fort Worth Kitchen + Bar, 840 Currie St., Fort Worth

CHI OMEGA - EPSILON ZETA CHAPTER 50TH ANNIVERSARY For more information, visit sfaa-lumni.com/event/chiomega50.

ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE 3 p.m., corner of Hayter and Raguet streets in front of ECRC.

SFA VS. MONTANA STATE 6 p.m., Homer Bryce Stadium

Saturday 28 OCTOBER Fri.-Sun. 4-6 Fri.-Sun. 11-13 Fri.-Sun. 17-19PARENT’S DAY

ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE 3 p.m., corner of Hayter and Raguet streets in front of ECRC.

SFA VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 6 p.m., Homer Bryce Stadium

SFA ALPHA CHI OMEGA ALUMNAE REUNION Hotel Fredonia - Headquarter Hotel. For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events or email paigereupke@att.net.

SFA RUGBY ALUMNI WEEKENDFor more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

HOMECOMINGAlumni Corner Tailgate • ParadeGolf and Frisbee Golf Tourna-ments • Certified 5K Run Legacy Dinner • Bonfire • Back in Nac Social • Class Reunions • Duck Dash • Homecoming Game

OMICRON DELTA KAPPA 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONCome back to Nac for the 10th Anniversary of ODK For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

Saturday 19 NOVEMBER Sat.-Sun. 1-2 Saturday 9 Friday 15ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE Noon, corner of Hayter and Raguet streets in front of ECRC.

SFA VS. NICHOLLS STATE 3 p.m., Homer Bryce Stadium

SFA INTERIOR DESIGN/MERCHANDISING HOMECOMING RECEPTION Right after the Homecoming Parade downtown; 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Human Sciences South Building Gallery, For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS 6-8 p.m., Nov. 1, Reception at the Westin Oaks at the GalleriaNov. 2, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tailgate, Reliant Stadium, Houston. Game at 3 p.m. No cost to attend reception or tailgate. Game tickets at sfajacks.com.

ALUMNI CORNER TAILGATE Noon, corner of Hayter and Raguet streets in front of ECRC.

SFA VS. MCNEESE STATE 3 p.m., Homer Bryce Stadium

ALUMNI AWARDS 6 p.m. Cocktail Reception 7 p.m. Dinner Convention Center A, Hotel Fredonia. Purchase tickets online by Nov. 1 at sfaalumni.com or call the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407.

Times and dates are subject to change. Visit sfaalumni.com for the most recent information.

UPCOMING EVENTS

38 SAWDUST

CAMPUS NEWSSCHOLARSHIPS

SFA Alumni Association, P.O. Box 6096, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6096 Phone: 936.468.3407 | Toll Free: 800.765.1534 | Fax: 936.468.1007 Website: sfaalumni.com | Email: alumni@sfasu.edu |

THE RON ANDERSON VOICE SCHOLARSHIP has been established in honor of a longtime SFA professor of music. The scholarship will benefit SFA music majors studying vocal performance or pursuing certification in choral music education. Anderson has been a member of the SFA music faculty and administration since 1970. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College and Master of Arts and doctoral degrees from the University of Iowa. He was director of choral activities at SFA for 13 years before serving as director of the School of Music from 1986 to 2009. His teaching areas include voice, music bibliography, conducting, literature and appreciation. He is a past president of the Texas Association of Music Schools, a former chair of the University’s Chairs Forum and former co-chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Field of Study Committee for Music. He received the SFA Foundation Achievement Award for Teaching for the 2004-05 academic year and was founding director of the Texas Institute for Creativity and Innovation in spring 2008. Anderson also served for two years as interim chair of the SFA Department of Psychology.

Your gift to support SFA students secures educational opportunities for generations of future Lumberjacks. Contact us to create your legacy today.

THE ED AND GWEN COLE STEM SCHOLARSHIP has been established to benefit students enrolled in the SFA College of Sciences and Mathematics who are pursuing careers in the STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Ed Cole was born in Homer, La., grew up in Longview, and served in the U.S. Air Force in England during World War II. Gwen Cole was born in Hamburg, Ark., was raised in Shreveport, La., and attended business college. Ed started his own oil field equipment rental and blow out preventer business in south Louisiana in 1958. Gwen worked at Home Federal Savings and Loan in Shreveport, La., for 26 years. The couple retired in Nacogdoches in 1978. Since that time, they have been dedicated supporters of many areas of the university, including fine arts, biotechnology, nursing, audiology, alumni and student affairs, and athletic programs. Most recently, the Ed and Gwen Cole Student Success Center was named in their honor in 2011. The Coles are members of First United Methodist Church, Friends of Music and the College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle of Excellence. In addition, they are avid fans of SFA athletic teams.

THE ESTATE OF RUBY DEAN has provided funding for a new nursing scholarship benefiting students in SFA’s Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing. “Ruby Dean was a philanthropist from the Fort Worth area who desired to honor top nursing students from universities across the state,” according to Jeff Davis, executive director of alumni affairs at SFA. The first recipients of the Ruby Dean Nursing Scholarship are nursing students BreAnne Ford of Houston and Michelle Nash of Nacogdoches. The two were identified as having both exceptional leadership qualities and a passion for nursing. Both students will be entering their third-semester nursing courses in fall 2013.  Dr. Glenda Walker, former director of the School of Nursing, said the school is honored to have the Ruby Dean Scholarship. “Nursing scholarships enable many students to continue their nursing program without having to compromise their educational studies for financial reasons,” she said. “All too often, we see nursing students working numerous hours in order to pay their tuition, which is very difficult because of the rigorous and time-consuming curriculum of nursing programs.”

THE DR. TERA PRUITT PRICE AND NATHANIEL GEORGE PRUITT SCHOLARSHIP was endowed by Tom F. and Deborah Nichols Pruitt in honor of their two children’s academic accomplishments, and is awarded to deserving SFA students who are majoring in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Recipients must be in the top 10 percent of their class and maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average. Proud supporters of education and the Alumni Association, the Pruitts have solely funded four endowed SFA scholarships and co-funded three others. Dr. Tera Pruitt Price graduated magna cum laude from Rice University and also earned her doctoral degree from Cambridge University, Trinity College, Cambridge, U.K. Price taught and supervised graduate students at Cambridge prior to becoming the project manager for UCLA. She currently serves as a Teach for America Corps member. Nathaniel George Pruitt is a graduate of Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business Human Resources program and is currently attending the Master of Human Resources program at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business.

FALL 2013 39

HAPPY HOURS

NETWORKING

TAILGATES

SEND-OFFS

REUNIONS

TKE ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT DELTA ZETA REUNION

SCHOOL OF THEATRE REUNION

Visit sfaalumni.com to get involved with alumni and special interest networks.

ALUMNI NETWORKS

Chi Omega - Epsilon Zeta Chapter 50th AnniversarySept. 20-22 For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/event/chiomega50.

SFA Alpha Chi Omega Alumnae ReunionOct. 4-6Hotel Fredonia: Headquarter HotelFor more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events or email paigereupke@att.net.

SFA Rugby Alumni WeekendOct. 11-13For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

Omicron Delta Kappa 10th Anniversary CelebrationOct. 18-19Come back to Nac for the 10th Anniversary of ODK on Homecoming weekend. Enjoy a meet-and-greet complete with appetizers at the Hotel Fredonia on Friday, Oct. 18. For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

SFA Interior Design/Merchandising Homecoming ReceptionSaturday, Oct. 19 Directly after the Homecoming Parade downtown; 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.Human Sciences South Building GalleryThe interior design/merchandising faculty will host a reception for alumni of the interior design/merchandising major. Everyone is invited, so bring family and friends and get re-acquainted. For more information, visit www.sfaalumni.com/events.

ATO 45th Founder’s Day April 4-6, 2014The brothers of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity will celebrate their 45th Founder’s Day. Events for the weekend include a welcome party on Friday; golf tournament, BBQ lunch, dinner and banquet on Saturday; and a breakfast meeting on Sunday. For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

20th Annual Robert D. Dickerson Memorial Golf TournamentApril 26, 2014Woodland Hills Golf Course Sponsored by the Sigma Phi Epsilon Texas Pi Chapter. For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

Got an upcoming reunion?Whether it’s Greek, academic, organizational or just a big group of old friends, we’re here to help! We assist with: - Planning & Logistics- Registration- Campus tours- Marketing & Promotion Contact Samantha Mora, director of alumni events and engagement, for more details at (936) 468-3407 or email alumni@sfasu.edu.

SAVE THE DATE Upcoming Alumni Reunions

40 SAWDUST

1960sJean Phillips Frankie ’69 & ’80 of Rich-mond received the 2013 Tommy Eads Excellence Award from the Texas Asso-ciation of Supervisors of Mathematics.

Jeanette Temple Wynn ’69 of Quincy, Fla., is the author of Scared Stiff, a children’s book.

1970sRalph Fletcher ’70 of Grove retired af-ter 40 years in the animal care business.

James Drennan ’73 is purchasing manager of large OEM components for Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions in Garland.

Charles Jewett ’74 of Seabrook is a member of the sales team of Weichert Realtors Wayne Murray Prop-erties in Houston.

Joanne Bello Lambert ’75 has moved from the Atlanta, Ga., area to George-town to retire.

The Rev. Carol Turner ’76 of Palestine is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Palestine.

Jay Garrison ’77 is founder of J.A. Garri-son & Co. CPAs. The firm recently moved its headquarters to North Richland Hills. 

Jane Jackson ’77 & ’80 of Carrollton retired after 23 years as Coppell’s head tennis coach.

Darla Tamulitis Kelly ’79 of Deer Park is the swimming and diving coach for Pasadena High School. She was chosen as the 2012 National Federa-tion of State High School Association’s National Girls Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year.

Dr. Steve G. Surratt ’79 of Cleburne is board-certified by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was named a Fellow in 1991.

Joe Verhalen ’79 of San Augustine is the San Augustine County auditor.

1980sKathryn Katzenberger ’82 of Houston is a teacher at Thornton Middle School.

George King ’82 of McKinney is prin-cipal of Plano East Senior High School.

E. Paul Cauley Jr. ’83 of Dallas was elected to the Interna-tional Association of Defense Counsel’s Board of Direc-

tors. The IADC is an invitation-only professional association for corporate and insurance defense lawyers around the world.

Rebecca Dougharty ’84 & ’87 of Jasper was named Southeast Texas Teacher of the Year.

Mark Wooley ’84 of North Richland Hills retired after 29 years in public education. He also is the author of a mystery thriller,

The Smack, published on Kindle. 

Linda Kenjura ’86 of Montgomery is principal of Magnolia Elementary.

Penny Long ’86 & ’90 of Nacogdoches teaches at Nacogdoches High School.

Jean Ann Ruth Collins ’87 of Princeton was named Teacher of the Year for Princeton High School. 

Mark Rathe ’88 of Tulsa, Okla., is president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce.

The Epsilon Omicron Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity was chartered at SFA on Dec. 17, 1960. Several hundred men were initiated and served actively in the fraternity throughout the 1960s. After graduation, these men went on to succeed in numerous fields, including medicine, dentistry, business, entrepreneurship, the U.S. military, law, law enforcement, education, ranching, aviation and more. In 2000, the 1960s members began holding a Pikes of the ’60s Annual Reunion. At each event, the members honor their Pike brothers who have passed away. In December 2012, the group established an endowment to support annual scholarships for SFA students. Contributions to these scholarships may be sent to: SFASU Foundation, P.O. BOX 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962.

CLASS NOTES

From left, former SFA student Carol Roark of Fort Worth, Rebecca Yarbrough ’75 of Nacogdoches and Sally Askins ’75 of Waco, who roomed together in Gibbs Hall in the 1970s, recently reunited in New Mexico for Yarbrough’s son’s wedding. The three women have remained close friends since their college days at SFA.

FALL 2013 41

Dianna Manuel ’89 of Frisco is princi-pal of Frisco ISD’s Career and Techni-cal Education Center.

Arthur Sekula ’89 of Jacksonville has opened an art gallery.

1990sJon Almeida ’90 & ’93 of Carthage is principal of Mineral Wells High School.

Jay Carr ’90 of Sugar Land is a senior graphic designer at Weatherford Inter-national.

Kara Fannon ’90 of Diboll was named the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Diboll High School.

Collin Wade ’90 of Charlotte, N.C., is a senior account man-ager with American Genomics. He mar-ried Christy Eayrs on

March 3, 2012, in Costa Rica.

Mark Leuschner ’91 & ’12 of Nacogdo-ches is a principal at Slocum ISD.

Jennifer Mattingly ’91 of Flower Mound was named McAuliffe’s Texas PTA Elementary Principal of the Year.

Daniel Lopez ’92 of Lufkin is assistant superintendent for Diboll ISD.

Will Lucas ’92 of Center is president and chief operating officer of Shelby Sav-ings Bank.

Diane Craig ’93 & ’94 of The Colony is the new director of the Granbury High School Stowaways dance and drill team.

Heather Bailey New ’93 joined Bell Nun-nally & Martin LLP in Dallas as a partner and member of its Litigation practice. 

Wes Jensen ’94 of Nacogdoches is a Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent.

Kayla Cagan ’95 of Los Angeles, Calif., wrote a monologue included in One on One: Playing with a Purpose – Mono-logues for Kids Ages 7-15.

Tommy Newton ’95 of Shreveport, La., joined Centenary College as director of admissions.

Rachel Collins ’96 & ’99 of Zavalla is the new director of The Texas Forestry Museum.

Rebecca A. Hicks ’97 of Nacogdoches has her own law firm, Hicks Law Group PLLC.

Dr. Larry Hygh Jr. ’97 & ’99 of West Sacramento, Calif., was named the Methodist Conference communica-tions director.

Chris Cromwell ’99 of Spring joined Northwestern Mutual in Houston as the executive director of selection. He is responsible for all talent acquisition and direction of re-cruiting in Houston, The Woodlands, Austin, San Antonio and College Station.

Breezy Lake-Wolfe ’99 of Arp is the marketing manager for the City of Palestine.

2000sWendy Barnhill ’00 of Nacogdoches was named NISD Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Paul Gould ’01 of Alto is the head foot-ball coach for Alto High School.

Cristy Famulari Re-sendez ’01 and Clint Resendez of Humble announce the May 18 birth of daughter, Makenna Reese. 

Bryan ’01 & ’03 and Jaime Stephens ’04 of Killeen announce the Sept. 17 birth of daughter Kendall Taylor.

Lauren Gatson ’02 of Nacogdoches is a fed-eral prosecutor in the Lufkin office of the U.S. Attorney for the East-ern District of Texas.

Aaron Ramsey ’02 of Nacogdoches is Lufkin’s new animal control director.

Hollie Gammel Smith ’00 & ’02 and Ted Smith ’07 of Nacogdoches announce the Nov. 27 birth of daughter Averie Bristol.

David Madrid ’02 of Nacogdoches traveled to Ecuador with fellow Lumberjacks to serve with a medical mission group led by the First Baptist Church. The group helped more than 700 people who live in villages in the Andes Mountains, supplying the tools and education for water purification and distributing Spanish Bibles.

42 SAWDUST

Brett A. Richard-son ’02, associate instructor and third-year doctoral wind conducting student in the prestigious

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, was recently appointed the principal conductor of the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble, a com-munity wind ensemble based out of Bloomington, Ind. Richardson served on the SFA School of Music faculty from 2007 to 2011 as assistant direc-tor of bands. 

Kelli Magnuson ’03 and Tyle Fore of Na-cogdoches announce the March 5 birth of daughter Lennon Jai. 

Brent Kelley ’05 of Garrison is the boy’s head basketball coach at Whitehouse High School.

Curtis ’06 and Kim Cole ’06 of Katy an-nounce the Oct. 16 birth of son Tucker Levi. 

Christopher Ward ’07 of San Diego, Calif. was inducted into The Art Direc-tors Guild.

J.D. Yarbrough ’07 of Albuquerque, N.M., married Kelly Feirst-ine Dec. 15, 2012.

Jennifer Elbert ’08 of Houston is a teacher at Eiland Elementary.

Tyler Weiland ’08 is an associate at Lewis Public Relations in Dallas. 

Ashley P. Withers ’08 of Lubbock is an attorney for Fadduol, Cluff & Hardy, P.C.

2010sElliot Holliday ’10 of Missouri City is the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Attack Athletics in Shanghai, China.

LIFE MEMBERS

CLASS NOTES

T o u r n a m e n t t o b e h e l d a t W o o d l a n d H i l l s

G o l f C o u r s e i n N a c o g d o c h e s , T e x a s o n

A p r i l 2 7 , 2 0 1 3 .

Y o u r p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e t o u r n a m e n t

a n d a d d i t i o n a l c o n t r i b u t i o n s p r o v i d e f o r

t h e R o b e r t D . D i c k e r s o n M e m o r i a l H o u s i n g

a n d S c h o l a r s h i p F u n d s , w h i c h a r e

a d m i n i s t e r e d b y t h e B r o t h e r s o f S i g m a P h i

E p s i l o n , T e x a s P i A l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n a n d

t h e D i c k e r s o n F a m i l y .

S P O N S O R E D B Y

2 0 T H A N N U A L

M E M O R I A LG O L F T O U R N A M E N T

Robert D.Dickerson

Y o u a r e c o r d i a l l y

i n v i t e d t o p l a y i n t h e

1 9 t h A n n u a l

R o b e r t D . D i c k e r s o n

M e m o r i a l G o l f

REFERENCE SHEETWHERE Woodland Hills Golf Course 319 Woodland Hills Drive On US. Hwy 59 S. between Nacogdoches and Lufkin Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Call for directions: 936.564.2762FORMAT Four person Scramble

SCHEDULE Friday, April 26, 2013

Gathering and JAZZ at the FREDONIA HOTEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5pm

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Registration and practice range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11am-12:30pm

Putting Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12:30pm

Shotgun Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1pm

Dinner and Award Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:30pm

After Tournament Gathering in the courtyard at the FREDONIA HOTEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7pm ENTRY FEES Individual Player and 1 Non-Playing Guest Includes golf, golf cart, hospitality reception, and dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100 Non-golfing Guest Includes hospitality reception, dinner and refreshments at the golf course . . . . . . . . . . . $25 Putting Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10 Mulligans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5 Extra Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20 SPONSORSHIP LEVELS Corporate Tournament Sponsor (includes 4-person Team) . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .$2,500 Platinum Hole Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000 GOLD Hole Sponsor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .$500 RED Hole Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . . . . . .$100

Lodging: Fredonia Hotel 200 North Fredonia Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 For reservations and directions Call 936.564.1234 or Toll Free 800.594.5323 Be sure to ask for a room in the Dickerson Tournament Block of rooms

For Additional Information, Please Contact: Jack Dickerson Chad Dickerson 903-763-5030 713-459-5174

S i g m a P h iE p s i l o nT e x a s

A l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n

The SFA Alumni Association would like to thank the following alumni who recently became life members.

We appreciate your support.

7846. Joshua A. Yuja ’13, Nacogdoches7847. Haley J. Muilenburg ’13, Plano7848. Aimee O. Phillips ’06, Houston7849. Yvonne Clark ’04, Henderson7850. Sandy M. Miles ’03, Pittsburgh, Penn.7851. Patricia A. Fitch ’76, Nacogdoches 7852. Jackson Baker Brown, Nacogdoches 7853. Harvey Smith ’69, Waco7854. Hunter T. Russell ’13, Lufkin7855. Clifford E. Shackelford ’90, Nacogdoches7856. Julie Shackelford, Nacogdoches7857. Melinda E. Wenner ’00, Nacogdoches7858. Francesca N. Tierno ’09, Dallas7859. James Dylan Combs ’13, Campbell7860. Amie E. Morton ’09, Nacogdoches7861. Theresa Gay Thomas ’84, Gary7762. Jonathan D. Wolfe ’05, Grapevine7862. Shannon A. Saxby ’13, Houston7863. Edward J. Plant ’80, Sugar Land7864. Kay A. Plant ’80, Sugar Land7865. Dannette Leigh Ransom, Garrison7866. Lewis D. Madsen ’12, Dallas

Cody Derouen ’09 & ’11 and Brandi Hampton ’10 of Nacogdoches married Sept. 22, 2012, in Bugscuffle.

April 26, 2014Woodland Hills Golf Course NacogdochesVisit sfaalumni.com/events for more information.

ALPHA TAU OMEGA 45th Founder’s Day April 4-6, 2014

The brothers of the ATO fraternity will celebrate their 45th Founder’s Day. Events include a welcome party,

golf tournament, BBQ lunch, dinner, banquet and a breakfast meeting on Sunday. For more information, visit sfaalumni.com/events.

FALL 2013 43

Nina J. Allen ’77 of Jasper, July 4.Kenneth R. Austin ’73 of Nacogdoches, July 19.Ioma W. Beasley ’74 of Marshall, May 1.Francis E. Birdwell of Nacogdoches, June 2.Marita J. Blanton-Currie ’76 of Tyler, May 11.Cara Boyd ’71 of Overton, July 8.Margaret A. Chapman ’61 of Houston, March 25. Nicole Ciriacks ’88 of Tulsa, Okla., July 19.John Clausen ’70 of Houston, May 25. Rachel Click of Llano, July 15. David A. Coats ’60 of Tyler, May 8.Ruth L. Cooksey ’70 of Nacogdoches, June 7.Charles M. Coussons ’54 of Houston, June 30.Donna Creer ’83 of Little Rock, Ark., June 12.Leilabeth Crispin ’44 of Houston, July 12.Patty Sue Cross ’41 of San Antonio, July 18.Kolton W. Culberson of Emory, June 26. Joseph A. Curtis ’70 & ’73 of Houston, June 21.Sandra Dargis ’81 of Florida, N.Y., June 13. Elizabeth Enloe ’72 & ’74 of Whitehouse, July 25. Billy Ford ’54 of Nacogdoches, July 8.Michael L. Glover ’68 of Big Sandy, July 3.James Richard Goodman ’74 of Emory, May 23.Mary Evelyn Gresham ’66 of Cushing, Feb. 21.Raymond Gerald Jones of Lufkin, March 3.Thomas David Jones ’84 of Richardson, July 18.Ted B. Reed Jr. ’74 of New Braunfels, April 25. Jacqueline Sears Lindsey of Tyler, May 15.Juanita Lowrance of Hawkins, July 22.Priscilla E. McNeil ’41 & ’56 of Dallas, May 4.Brigitte S. Mangham ’78 of Orange, May 26. Wanda L. Marlowe ’54 of Gladewater, June 1.Sue A. Muckleroy of Nacogdoches, June 17. Reba Neal ’48 of Corsicana, April 17. Alison Partin of Cove, May 20.Al Permenter Jr. ’74 of Pollok, Aug. 3.Matthew Pickens of Houston, June 2.Joe D. Prejean ’63 of Birmingham, Ala., June 5. Gayla McLain Sanders ’56 of Nacogdoches, July 1.Geneva E. Sessions ’77 of Nacogdoches, June 19.Robert Sibley ’60 of Nederland, June 12.Geneva Estelle Sessions ’77 of Nacogdoches, June 19.David L. Slack ’72 of Crockett, July 23. Jerry Wayne Simmons of Nacogdoches, Feb. 13.Moultrie Smith of Kilgore, June 17.Carol Anne Strickland ’70 of Houston, June 24.L.C. Watkins of Hallsville, July 17.Roy Michael Watkins of Denton, March 3.

DR. JACK DENNIS MCCULLOUGH JR. ’62 of Nacogdoches died June 16. He was born Aug. 8, 1931, in San Antonio. As a recipient of National Science Foundation Scholarships, McCullough was able to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in biological sciences from SFA and Texas A&M Uni-versity, respectively. After serving in the U.S. Army, he taught in the Houston ISD for eight years and was a biology instruc-tor at Texas A&M. McCullough joined the

Biology Department at SFA in 1964. He retired in December 2000 as the director of the Environmental Science Graduate Stud-ies Program and was named professor emeritus. Other honors include the Regent’s Professor Award for Research, Distinguished Professor Award and the SFASU Foundation Faculty Achievement Award. McCullough was an active member of the Nacogdoches Rotary Club, the Eagle Scout Board of Review and Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder. The Mc-Cullough Family Scholarship is endowed through the SFA Alumni Association.

JOHN ERNEST LINNEY, ’55 of Spring, died June 8. He was born April 9, 1932, in Refugio and graduated from Longview High School before attending Tyler Junior College on a football scholarship. As quarterback, Linney led his team to the Junior College Championship game in the Rose Bowl. Linney also attended SFA, where he was the Lone Star Conference quarterback. He is a member of the Lumberjack Hall of Fame. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s

degrees in education and began his coaching and teaching career in Bryan before moving on to Beaumont and Lockhart schools. In 1966, he began a successful corporate career with IBM, receiving numerous corporate honors before returning to his first love of teaching and coaching in Klein ISD. John married Beverly Snider in 1951, and the couple raised four sons. He served his community as a school board and Kiwanis Club member, was church youth counselor, and was active on school district committees. The John and Beverly Linney Scholarship is endowed through the SFA Alumni Association.

CHARLES KILPATRICK ’42 of San Anto-nio died June 26. He was born in Fairview, Okla., on June 16, 1922, and was a respected journalist and community leader for more than four decades. A small-town boy who learned to work hard growing up in East Texas during the Depression, Kilpatrick excelled as an officer in the Marine Corps and later as commander of the Marine Reserves’ 14th Reconnaissance Battalion in San Antonio. After working at small East

Texas newspapers, he moved his family to San Antonio in 1950 to take a job at the San Antonio Express. He later became editor and publisher of the San Antonio Express-News, which he guided to preeminence in San Antonio and South Texas before retiring in 1990. Kilpatrick loved San Antonio, and he fought to build a strong, vibrant downtown, moving with his wife, Margie, to live there in 1988. After retiring from the Express-News, the couple spent a few months each year in France before returning to their adopted hometown of San Antonio.

IN MEMORIAM

FALL 2013 43

44 SAWDUST

ALUMNI NEWS

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS

Ryan Emmons ’03

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

H.N. “Moe” Litton ’53 & ’56

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS

Cory Beasley ’95

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS

Cody Corley ’01

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

Dr. Greg Powell ’80

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

Tom Boggus ’78 & ’80

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITYALUMNI ASSOCIATION

SFA ALUMNI HALL OF FAME

Dr. Paul L. Boynton

DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR Dr. Leon Young

TICKETSTickets are $50 per person, $100 per couple or $400 for a table of eight. Ten-top tables available for $500.

Purchase tickets online by Nov. 1 at sfaalumni.com or call the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407. Dress is business attire.

The SFA Alumni Association bestows its highest honors on those who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and community, committed themselves to advancing the values and goals of SFA,

and ensured a better quality of life for future generations.

Friday, Nov. 156 p.m. Cocktail Reception

7 p.m. DinnerConvention Center A,

Hotel Fredonia

JOIN US

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46 SAWDUST

Liberty Mutual is a proud partner of the SFA Alumni Association

12AFF489 2013/01

For additional information about Liberty Mutual and how we're working together to help future students please contact us at 855-323-2150 or visit www.libertymutual.com/qfs-sfaalumni

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P.O. Box 6096 - SFA StationNacogdoches, TX 75962-6096

Office (936) 468-3407Toll Free 800-765-1534

Fax (936) 468-1007alumni@sfasu.edu

Help us build a foundation of success by participating in the SFA Walk of Recognition.

Permanently make your mark in the Sesquicentennial Plaza next to the Stephen F. Austin statue by designing a brick inscribed with your personal message. Brick prices are $100, $250, and $500.

Contact the Alumni Center today for more information about how you can help build the foundation of tomorrow’s Lumberjacks.

48 SAWDUST

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The East Texas Research Center and Sawdust would like to know more about this SFA photo, marked RPC Freshmen, Sept. ’56. If you know more about this photo, please contact: alumni@sfasu.edu or (800) 765-1534. The ETRC at SFA collects, preserves and provides physical and virtual access to East Texas’ unique cultural history. It also is responsible for managing SFA’s Records Management Program and caring for the university’s archives. If you have SFA-related photographs, journals or memorabilia you would like to donate to the ETRC, please call (936) 468-4100.

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Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDStephen F. AustinState University

Stephen F. Austin State UniversityAlumni Association P.O. Box 6096, SFA StationNacogdoches, Texas 75962

October 18-19, 2013