The 2008 Distinguished Alumni: (from left) Necia Yax and Distinguished Alumnus George Yax, Judy Ragsdale and Distinguished Alumnus John Ragsdale, Bud Munroe and Distinguished Alumna Jimmie Gibbs Munroe, Distinguished Alumna Eleanor Smith Garrett and Charles Garrett, Nancy Gaertner and President Jim Gaertner, Kimberly Brooks and Outstanding Young Alumnus Quatro Brooks.

Orin and Becky Covell Mike and Maria McIver

Among those attending the Distinguished Alumni Gala were (from left) Jack and Linda Douglas, Mac and Leanne Woodward, Vice-Chairman TSUS Regents Trisha Pollard, and Marilyn and John Thomas.

A Newsletter of the Sam Houston State University Alumni Association Vol. 3, Issue 3

A Member of The Texas State University System

Platinum Sponsors

College of Arts & SciencesCollege of Business Administration

Lee Drain '50 in Honor ofJames '49, '57 & Dorothy '52 Gilmore

John Hoyt '75Ron '61 & Donna Koska, ISA

Office of the PresidentOffice of University Advancement

John '59 & Judy Ragsdale

Gold Sponsors

Alpha Tau Omega AlumniR.H. '60 & Kelley BondBrooks Custom Homes

College of Criminal JusticeCollege of Humanities & Social SciencesCorrectional Management Institute

of Texas (CMIT)David & Geraldine Dickerson

Marta Edwards '02 & Dr. Marie Hayden '69

William '53 & Mary '54 HalloranRoy Harper '65 & Mac Woodward '70Jack '52, '53 & Mary Charles '53 Kyle

Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT)Ron '60 & Chrissy Mafrige

John A. '62 & Geanie McMannersBrig. Gen. Cecil N. Neely '71 -

Lynn Hardy Neely '56Office of the Provost

Texas Community Bank -Larry Corley '75, '79

George C. Yax '66, '67

2008 Distinguished Alumni Galaalumni.shsu.edu

Tailgate Season ’08

Alumni Coffee & John R. Ragsdale Building Campaign Dedication

ClassNotes

Retired educator Marion E. Luper Jr. ’46, continues to enjoy an active life in Odessa, Texas, serving on the Midland/Odessa Symphony & Chorale Board, singing in the First Baptist Church Chancel Choir, supporting the Noel Art Museum, The Odessa Council of the Arts and Humanities, traveling and participating in various other civic endeavors.

Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Pollard Jr. ’49, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The Pollards were married on August 27, 1948, in Chandler.

Karey Bresenhan ’62, was elected in May for a two-year term as mayor of Piney Point Village in Houston’s Memorial Villages area. George Lantrip ’65, received his 15-year Service Award from General Dynamics in September 2008.

Daina Mickelwait Baker ’68, retired after 19 years of service to the people of the State of Texas, 16 years with the Texas Department of Human Services as an Eligibility Specialist and 3 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as an Auditor. Linda Pringle Moore ’68, is currently serving as a teacher for the Bishop Gorman Catholic Schools in Tyler, Texas.

Deborah Plengemeyer Hubenak ’75, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her excellence in education. One of five finalists in the state, Hubenak has been teaching for 33 years.

Robert Cummins ’77, owner of Fast Trac Transportation, was ranked #29th in the top Transportation Companies in America and 39th Top Business in the Houston area by Inc. Magazine. Caroline R. Boyd ’90, won the 2007 Lone Star Emmy Award for her work as an Executive Producer for “Bridges of Health.”

G. Kregg Lunsford ’92, is currently serving as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Cal Dive International, Inc.

Chad Willie ’95, is a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, stationed in the Nagasaki Prefecture, Sasebo, Japan. He works in the Criminal Investigative Unit and investigates felony-level crimes involving United States service members and their dependents. Teresa Hill ’97, received a Master's degree in Instructional Technology from UH - Clear Lake on December 20, 2008.

Merritt P. Witherspoon ’07, landed a job as an Investment Portfolio Analyst with Cambridge Associates in Arlington, Virginia. Abby McFarland ’08, was promoted to the Coordinator, Member Services for the Greater Houston Partnership which includes the Houston Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development, and International Affairs for Greater Houston.

In Memoriam:Roy W. Preston, age 85, of Ben Wheeler, passed away August 4, 2008, in Tyler, TX.

James Wilburn Johnson ’40, died on August 4, 2008 in Huntsville, Texas.

Dorothy M. Hardy ’40, age 88, of New Waverly, passed away August 23, 2008.

Glenn Lowry ’55, age 74, of Houston passed away on November 7, 2008.

Ann Ray Kelly ’70, age 71, of Tyler, passed away September 23, 2008.

In recognition of the generous support of those individuals who made contributions to the John R. Ragsdale Alumni Building campaign, the SHSU Alumni Association hosted a coffee and dedication on October 18th.

More than 70 alumni and friends contributed to the building campaign, adding an additional $185,000 to the one-million dollar Alumni Endowment, established through a generous gift last fall by John R. Ragsdale.

During the activities, plaques listing donors which are located throughout the Alumni offices and outside patio area, were formally dedicated and unveiled.

Sonny Dean, Frank Heath, Ron Koska & George Miles President Gaertner with Diane & Alan Tinsley

President Gaertner with Chester Crawford Kelley & R.H. Bond

Go to alumni.shsu.edu to submit new class notes.

SHSU Alumni AssociationBox 2022Huntsville, TX 77341-2022

Connecting AlumniServing SHSU

SHSU Freshman Wins Alumni Tuition Raffle Trevor Austin Geary of Azle, TX will not have to worry about paying for classes at Sam Houston State University next year. That’s because his name was selected during the Third Annual SHSU Tuition Raffle Scholarship Drawing on Nov. 22. The SHSU Alumni Association held the drawing during the SHSU vs. Texas State University-San Marcos football game. The Alumni Association has awarded more than $33,000 in scholarships to 33 individual students as a result of the tuition raffle during the program’s first two years. In addition, two lucky students have won over $2,400 each in financial assistance because their names were selected in the annual drawing. This year, over 7,000 tickets were purchased, and the award is 24-hours of undergraduate in-state tuition, an approximate value of $3,500. The SHSU Alumni Association will award net proceeds from the tuition raffle in $1,000 increments to eligible

students for the following fall. Students interested in applying for alumni scholarships should complete the ScholarX Application by Feb. 15, 2009, to be considered. Criteria for alumni scholarships can be found on the alumni Web site at alumni.shsu.edu. For more information on the tuition raffle or alumni scholarships, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 800.283.7478.

Upcoming Alumni Association Events

Bernard C. “Bernie” Francis - Chairman CarrolltonTrisha S. Pollard - Vice Chairman BellaireDora G. Alcala Del RioCharlie Amato San AntonioRon Blatchley BryanJohn E. Dudley ComancheMichael Truncale BeaumontGreg Wilkinson DallasDonna N. Williams ArlingtonNicole Lozano, Student Regent HuntsvilleCharles R. Matthews, Chancellor Austin

Sam Houston State University is a Member ofThe Texas State University System

Board of Regents

`

http://alumni.shsu.edu

Brazoria County Alumni & Friends

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

TSUS Legislative DayWednesday, February 18, 2009

Austin Area Alumni & Friends

Sam Houston Birthday Celebration

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Centennial CelebrationDept. of Agriculture

Houston Livestock Show & RodeoFriday, March 20, 2009

Distinguished Alumni & Service Award Nomination Form

InformationThe Office of Alumni Relations is now accepting nomination forms for 2009 Service Awards and Distinguished Alumni.

Deadline for Service Awards nominations is Feb. 1, 2009 and Distinguished Alumni is April 1, 2009.

For more information or to obtain a nomination form log on to alumni.shsu.edu or call the Office of Alumni Relations at 800.283.7478.

Texas State Rep. Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs, and vice-chairman for the Texas State University System Board of Regents and SHSU alumna Trisha Pollard of Bellaire (above) draw the winning name. Also on hand are (from left) SHSU Alumni Association Executive Director Charlie Vienne, Board President Walter Bennett Jr., Executive Committee member Ed Owens and Assistant Director Kristle Castillo. Raffle winner Trevor Austin Geary (above, second from left) joins President Jim Gaertner, Sammy Bearkat, Pollard and Representative Rose during the November 22nd football game.

Alumni Legacy Golf Tournament

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Ring CeremonyThursday, April 2, 2009

Service Awards Luncheon

Friday, April 24, 2009

Austin - Washington County Alumni

& FriendsThursday, April 30, 2009

The Alumni Association would like to salute the former SHSU athletes inducted this year into

the SH Association Hall of Honor.

Sirena Autman(Basketball)

Jeremy Burkhalter(Basketball)

Katherine Charles

(Volleyball)

Tricia Clacken(Track & Field)

Jonathon Cooper(Football)

JoAnne Graham(Softball)

Brandt Kieschnick(Golf)

Nancy Metcalfe(Tennis)

Jim Miller(Baseball)

Vicky Resnick(Golf)