artfor ’ssake...the first story begins at a fall 2008tailgate, when charter members of the maroon...

T H E T E X A S A & M F O U N D AT I O N M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Art for A&M’s SakeExhibits in the University Art Galleriesbeckon passersby to explore the art world

Deep Sea ExplorationA POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION IN MARINE GEOLOGY OFFERS AGGIES THE CHANCETO STUDY THE EARTH’S HISTORY AT ITS CORE

Sociology SavantDISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR JOE FEAGIN IS A SCHOLAR, MENTOR AND LEGEND IN THE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY

Transformative GivingTHE FOUNDATION HONORS THREE COUPLES WITH THE 2015 STERLING C. EVANS MEDAL

P R E S I D E N T ’ S L E T T E R

Inspired By Maroon Coatshen I first envisioned the Texas A&M Foundation MaroonCoats, I never imagined that this gifted group of student lead-ers would directly influence our donors to interact with theirorganization in such creative ways. I could share numerous anec -

dotes about former students who were inspired by our Maroon Coats, but thesethree stories take the cake.

The first story begins at a fall 2008 tailgate, when charter members of theMaroon Coats ate lunch with donors at the Jon L. Hagler Center. Maroon CoatNick Adams ’09 sat next to David Wolf ’52 and his wife Harriet. After exchang-ing Aggie stories, Wolf scoffed at the plastic buttons on Adams’ new blazer, sayingthat such a special student organization deserved something better. Now, thanksto a generous endowment from the Wolfs in 2010, the standard-issue plastic but-tons on each Maroon Coat are replaced with custom metal buttons etched withthe Texas A&M University seal. A minor alteration, perhaps, but one that givesour Maroon Coats an added badge of confidence and style.

Jean and Skip Johnson ’52 are the pro-tagonists in my second story. After inter -acting with Maroon Coats at Foundationevents for many years, they have bondedwith the group more than most. When theJohnsons overheard that Maroon CoatKayla Valis ’12 had lost her Aggie ring butcould not afford to replace it, they boughther a new one without a second thought.

While the Foundation funds the actu-al coats, students purchase their own less-casual Maroon Coat uniforms, such as polo

shirts and fleece jackets. The Johnsons would have none of that, so they alsodonated $5,000 to cover these extra expenses for our often cash-strapped students.

And did I mention the recent $25,000 endowed gift from Ann and RobertLeitz III ’69 of Shreveport, Louisiana, who are so enamored by our Maroon Coatsthat they, too, want to advance their mission as ambassadors for the Foundation?

These gifts and experiences are proof that the student arm of the Foun da -tion has not only enriched the lives of our donors but also has given these talentedyoung people insight into the altruism that defines so many Texas Aggies.

eddie j . davis ’67presidenttexas a&m foundation

Jean and Skip Johnson ’52 funded a new Aggiering for Maroon Coat Kayla Valis ’12 afterlearning she had lost hers but could not afford a replacement.

Contents

In the Forsyth Galleries, visitors can take in

brightly colored Tiffany vases and explore 19th

and 20th century American paintings. » p.32

The International Ocean Discovery

Program’s (IODP) repository boosts the

university’s reputation. With donor

support, Interim Head of Oceanography

Debbie Thomas and IODP Director Brad

Clement are working to ensure that it

remains at Texas A&M. » p.16

VO LUM E X V I N O . 2 | S P R I N G 2 01 5

Spirit is published three times a year by the TexasA&M Foun dation, which manages major giftsand endowments for the benefit of academicprograms, scholarships and student activities atTexas A&MUniversity. Please direct inquiries tothe Marketing Office, Texas A&M Foun dation,401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX77840- 2811, call (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-8161,or email [email protected]. Informationin this magazine is for educational purposes onlyand should be examined by independent legalcounsel due to possible differences in local lawsand individual needs.

txamfoundation.comtxamfoundation.com/SpiritMagazinefacebook.com/TexasAMFoundationyoutube.com/AggieSpiritandMindtwitter.com/TXAMFoundationlinkedin.com/company/texas-a&m-foundation

copyr ight © 2015 texas a&m foundation

F E A T U R E S

Global Footpr int:AGGIES SAIL THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Aggies study the Earth’s history throughthe International Ocean Discovery Program.

Facul ty Impact:SOCIOLOGY SAVANT

Meet Distinguished Professor Joe Feagin—a scholar, mentor and legend in the fieldof sociology.

Col lege Impact:PUT ME IN, COACHThe Texas A&M University CoachingAcademy educates students to be coachesin the locker room and in life.

Student Impact:AN INDUSTRIOUS DISTRIBUTION

At the ripe old age of 22, Madisen Stites ’15 established an endowed scholarship to sup port classmates in industrial distribution.

Spir i t Impact:ART FOR A&M’S SAKE

The University Art Galleries in theMemo rial Student Center beckon studentsand passersby to explore the world of art.

TRANSFORMATIVE GIVING

Introducing the 2015 Sterling C. EvansMedal recipients.

16

22

26

30

32

38

The Texas A&M University Coaching Academy provides valuable resources for current and aspiring

coaches to make a difference on and off the sidelines. » p.26

Two “Byzantine” Tiffany vases, c. 1917, Bill and Irma RunyonArt Collection, Texas A&M Foundation, Forsyth Galleries, Texas A&M University.

Contents

2 T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N

D E P A R T M E N T S

3 THE LEGACY

The Beach family creates legacies for theirloved ones through memorial scholarships.

4 LETTERS/CORRECTIONS

6 ON CAMPUS

Texas A&M University president named;first woman commander will lead Corpsof Cadets; new subsea engineering program.

8 LAB WORK

Chemistry professor works to revolutionizeenergy production; new insights into hearing loss; campus facility makes foodfor outer space.

10 NEW GIFTS

Galveston scholarship memorializes afather; a new Oil Recovery Center willenhance oil production; multimillion-dollar gifts fund two Corps LeadershipLearning Centers.

12 ONE VOICE

The Aggie family helped me achieve myeducational dreams.By Elizabeth Colmenares ’14

14 VIEWPOINT

During Freshmen Orientation Week, “fish”learn the fine points of being in the Corpsof Cadets—and come out a little less hairy.

44 OPPORTUNITY

New funding will help the Texas A&MUniversity Press maintain its internationalreputation as a respected publisher ofscholarly books.

46 @FOUNDATION

Employees support United Way; the secondin a series on Foundation employees whohave funded major gifts for Texas A&M; newwebsite and e-newsletter launch.

48 POSTSCRIPT

“Now Forming at the North End of Kyle Field…”By Lt. Col. Jay O. Brewer ’81

49 CONTACT US

EDITOR

Sondra White ’87

MANAGING EDITOR

Dunae Crenwelge ’15

ASS ISTANT EDITOR

Monika Blackwell

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

Geer Design, Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Gabriel Chmielewski (p. 11, center left)Isaac Dovalina (p. 46, center right)Josh Huskin (cover; p. 2; 22; 24; 32-33; 35;

36; 45)Michael Kellett (p. 11, top right)Robb Kendrick (p. 4, bottom left; 5, bottom right; 18, bottom; 21, top, right, bottom left; 26-27; 30-31; 46, top)

James LaCombe (p. 13)Jim Lyle (p. 3; 28, bottom; 38; 42)Caleb Stewart ’15 (p. 14-15)International Ocean Discovery Program (p. 18, top left, top right, center; p. 21, center left)

Texas A&M College of Architecture (inside back cover, top)

Texas A&M College of Science (p. 9, bottom)Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine& Biomedical Sciences (p. 10, bottom left)

Texas A&M Dwight Look College of Engineering (inside back cover, bottom)

Texas A&M University Press (p. 44, left)Texas A&M University Libraries (p. 6, top)

PRINTING

Chas. P. Young Printing

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Van H. Taylor ’71Chairman

George K. Hickox Jr. ’80Chairman-elect

Jorge A. Bermúdez ’73T. Randall Cain ’82Charles H. Gregory ’64Richard Kardys ’67P. William Toler ’76

EXECUTIVES

Ed Davis ’67President

Jim PalincsarSenior Vice President for Development

Doyle ThompsonSenior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Liska LuskVice President and General Counsel

Janet Handley ’76Vice President for Investments

Kathy McCoy ’80Assistant Vice President of Marketing

Shannon Davies, Texas A&M University Press

editor-in-chief, believes that the press is turning

the page on a bright future of publishing at

Texas A&M. » p.44

COVER PHOTO

The Texas A&M Forsyth Gallery is one of two

galleries that make up the University Art Galleries,

housed in the Memorial Student Center. It displays

art from the galleries’ permanent collection as well

as rotating exhibitions ranging from traditional fine

arts to anthropological artifacts.

TheLegacyhe Beach family has cer-tainly dealt with heart-break in their lives.Shortly after he graduat-

ed from Texas A&M University, LoisBeach’s son Michael ’74 passed awayunexpectedly of viral pneumonia whileserving as a Naval ensign on the USS

Roark. Seven years later, her 60-year-old husband, Texas A&M ProfessorWilliam “Bill” Beach, also died.

In response, Lois, her daughterSally ’81 and her son Dan ’78 vowed tocreate something positive out of thesetragedies. Since the importance of edu -cation was always emphasized in theBeach household, helping Texas A&M

students in memory of Mike and Billseemed fitting.

“When my son died overseas, wedecided the best way to memorializehim was to establish an endowed schol -arship,” Lois said. “Then when Billdied, he was so dedicated to teachingthat we decided a second endowedscholarship was the way to go.”

But Lois and Sally didn’t stopthere. They understand that interestfrom their endowments will forevercreate scholarships for Texas A&M stu -dents, and that by adding to their en -dowments, the scholarships will growin value and number. So as a final trib -ute to the men they loved, Lois andSally are providing gifts in their willsto supplement the two memorial schol -arship endowments.

A charitable bequest included in awill or a living trust is one of the eas-

iest ways to leave a lasting impact onTexas A&M. This form of giving enablesthe donor to retain assets during hisor her lifetime and lessens the burdenof taxes on family members after thedonor’s death. It’s one of the moststraightforward ways to give, requiringonly the help of an attorney to specifya gift to the Texas A&M Foundationin a will or living trust.

Since Bill originally suggested theidea of a scholarship in Mike’s mem-ory, Sally and Lois know he would bepleased with their estate planning deci -sion.

“My father didn’t believe in flow-ers,” Sally said of Bill, a professor ofmechanized agriculture. “Flowers arebeautiful, but they die. My father want-ed Mike to be memorialized by some-thing that could live on.”

After serving both domesticallyand overseas as an agricultural engi-neer for the United States Agency forInternational Development, Billworked in the Office of InternationalPrograms at Texas A&M for seven yearsbefore teaching from 1966 until hisdeath in 1982. Lois earned a journal-ism degree and has found ways toshare her writing and editing skills

throughout the family’s many moves.Sally is a professor of literacy educa-tion at the University of Oklahomaand, like her father, takes her teach-ing skills all over the world.

Though Bill is now gone, his me -morial scholarship funded through theFoundation continues to help studentsgain college degrees—14 thus far. TheMichael Beach Scholarship, fundedthrough The Association of FormerStu dents, likewise has sup port ed theeducation of more than 20 Texas A&M

Naval ROTC students. This wouldhave pleased Mike, his mother said,since he loved his time in the Corpsof Cadets.

By bolstering these scholarshipsafter they themselves pass on, Lois andSally are ensuring that mem ories ofBill and Mike continue touch ing livesthrough the gift of education.

To discuss how a planned gift to the TexasA&M Foundation might benefit the univer -sity, you and your family, contact GlennPittsford ’72 in the Office of Gift Planningat [email protected] or(800) 392-3310.

From Heartbreak to Hope

Lois and Sally Beach ’81 established endowments to create scholarships for futuregenerations of Aggie students.

S P I R I T M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 3

Letters

REVISITING S P I R I T

I want to thank you for putting out one ofthe best magazines at Texas A&M University.The magazine came some time back, butfrom time to time, I pick it up and readand/or reread a story.

That was a great story on James“Doug” Pitcock Jr. ’49 in the spring 2014issue. His picture is a little different fromwhen I knew him at Texas A&M.

The article on Sara’s Aggies is whatthe Aggie family does.

My grandson graduated in Decemberin the Class of ’13, and I paid all of hisexpenses. Needless to say it wasn’t cheap.

Again, thank you for putting out agreat magazine. Best of health and happiness.

—e.j . chromcak ’50Houston, Texas

S P I R I T INSPIRES SCHOLARSHIP

I’m writing to applaud the article in thesummer 2014 edition of Spirit by JeannieRalston that explained our options forstudy abroad in the College of Architecture.

I appreciate the care she took toaccurately reflect our decades of focus onglobal programs. In fact, coincident withthis publication, donors Sherrye and JoeBass ’83 stepped forward to provide thestudent whom I mentioned in the article

with a generous scholarship. As a result,she is participating in our CastiglionFiorentino program at the Santa ChiaraCenter during the spring 2015 semester.

This generosity, so characteristic ofour former students, makes me proud toteach at Texas A&M University.

—dr. elton abbott ’83Assoc ia te Dean for Internat iona l Programs and In i t ia t ives

Assoc ia te Professor o f Pract iceDepartment o f Arch i tec tureTexas A&M Univers i ty

MY RESPECTS TO LT. MATOCHA

Editor’s note: After hearing Texas A&MFoundation President Ed Davis ’67 speakabout Lt. Donald Matocha ’67 at a LegacySociety event, retired U.S. Marine CorpsStaff Sgt. Frank Ybarra wrote to us.

I’d like to pay my respects to Lt. DonaldMatocha ’67. I was in the Marines fromlate 1965 until early 1969. I was only 17—too young—when I started at the universi-ty. I wasn’t ready to be in college, but justright to go into the Marines. I left TexasA&M after one year. As it turns out, I amfairly sure that Matocha and I were assignedto the same unit twice. The first time wasin the fall of 1965 at Texas A&M, where welived in Milner Hall with G Company. Hewould have been a senior while I was a


Share Your CommentsWe always enjoy receiving our

readers’ reactions to Spirit. If

any of the magazine’s content

moves you to write, please email

us at [email protected]

or send a note on the postage-paid

form on the inside back cover.

sondra white ’87Edi tor

dunae crenwelge ’15Managing Edi tor

monika blackwellAss i s tant Edi tor

Fall 2014 Spirit magazine

Castiglion Fiorentino is the setting for theCollege of Architecture’s oldest study abroadprogram at the Santa Chiara Center.


freshman; our time overlapped by only afew months. I can’t speak for what he waslike at Texas A&M, but many spoke highlyof him. That’s good enough for me.

When our paths crossed again in 1968,we were both assigned to the 3rd MarineDivision in the Demilitarized Zone. I waswith an infantry unit, the 4th Marines outof Camp Carroll; Matocha was a teamleader with a reconnaissance battalion.They were special marines with dangerousjobs, and we respected them.

North Vietnamese Army (NVA) artil -lery was killing American soldiers in ourdivision daily. Matocha’s team was tryingto find the enemy, which positioned spot-ters and infantry on a nearby hill. Eachtime they fired on us, we could see howthey adjusted their shots by watching theexplosions on the ground around us.

According to accounts, Matocha waskilled in the spring of 1968, with the TetOffensive in full swing, on Dong Ma Moun -tain, a tough piece of terrain to climb with-out cover and pockmarked with bombcraters. The NVA were fighting all aroundus. We were good soldiers, but men likeMatocha were the best of the best. Theyshowed us the way, and it took a lot of gutsto do what they did.

Marines finally found and capturedthose guns later that summer of 1968.Knowing what I know of that place, I cer-tainly wouldn’t have wanted to be one ofthe first ones up the hill, but Matocha tookthat risk and paid the ultimate price. Mysympathy goes to his family, friends andformer classmates, and I’m glad his remainsfinally came home.

I’m privileged to have been associatedwith him and men like him, even in myown small way. Men like him can neverbe replaced and certainly will never beforgotten, not by me.

Semper Fi, Lt. Matocha.

—retired staff sgt. frank ybarra, usmcArneckev i l l e , Texas

DUTY, HONOR, FAMILY

I enjoy reading the Texas A&M Foundation’sSpirit magazine. My father, a 1937 graduateand a highly decorated WWII veteran,passed away Nov. 4 at the age of 99. Assomeone who loved Texas A&M and was a Century Club member for many years, I thought his life accomplishments wereworthy of noting in your magazine as aTexas A&M supporter who gave back toboth his alma mater and his community.

His funeral was the day of the Auburngame on Saturday, Nov. 8. As we watchedTexas A&M triumph, we couldn’t help butwonder (with a smile) if Daddy’s spiritmay have caused those unusual last twoAuburn fumbles. Our family hopes thatSpirit magazine readers may find his storyinteresting.

—melba ellen cox williams ’77Kerrv i l l e , Texas

Editor’s note: You can read more aboutCox at give.am/XBCox.

LAW SCHOOL IMPRESSES

Thanks for the article on the Texas A&MUniversity School of Law in the fall 2014issue of Spirit magazine. I recently had theopportunity to participate in a symposiumsponsored by the Texas A&M Law Reviewtitled “New Technology and Old Law—Rethinking National Security.”

The exceptionally well-organized symposium addressed a timely subject thatreflects both the dedication and profession -alism of the Texas A&M Law Review staffand its faculty advisers. Out-of-state partic-ipants departed Fort Worth genuinelyimpressed with Texas A&M’s hospitalityand its ability to bring together leadingexperts on cyber matters and unmannedaerial vehicles (drones).

I trust that this symposium represent-ed but a first step toward the school’sdevelopment of a recognized expertise innational security law. Texas A&M’s Schoolof Law, in conjunction with The BushSchool of Government and Public Service,is now in a position to make significant,ongoing contributions toward addressingthe many legal issues impacting U.S.national security interests. As it strives to do so, the law school deserves the fullsupport of the Texas A&M administrationand Aggies worldwide.

—col. david e . graham ’66Char lo t tesv i l l e , Virg in ia

U.S. Marine Corps retired Staff Sgt. FrankYbarra in Vietnam (1968)

FALL 2014 S P I R I T CORRECTIONS

On page 18, the professor picturedwith Courtney Merket ’15 is CivilEngineering Professor Tony Cahill,not Raymond Tarpley ’71.

A class year was omitted for Patricia& Edward A. Hiler in the HonorRoll. It should read Patricia ’77& Edward A. Hiler.

Professor Vrooman’s middle initialwas incorrect in the article about AllFaiths Chapel. His full name shouldread Richard E. “Dik” Vrooman ’52.

X.B. Cox Jr. ’37 passed away on Nov. 4,2014, at the age of 99.

OnCampus

Engineering at New Depths

Texas A&MUniversity will enhance itsreputation as an engineering educa-tion powerhouse through a new sub-sea engineering program in the DwightLook College of Engineering that willoffer a master’s degree, certificate pro -gram and undergraduate minor.

The only other U.S. universitywith subsea offerings is the Universityof Houston, and only a handful of uni -versities worldwide offer a program.

Subsea engineering involves thede sign, fabrication, installation andoper ation of equipment needed to pro -duce oil and gas fields in deep, un -der water locations. An emerging fieldwhich relies heavily on experience-based engineering practices, the avail -ability of training for subsea engineersis limited.

As easier-to-access offshore oil wellsare depleted, companies are increasing-ly drilling exploratory subsea wells.These deep-water locations can pro-duce significantly more barrels of oilper day than conventional shale boomwells, but the challenges to extract un -derwater oil are greater due to the hos-tile environments at such depths.

“With the breadth of our engi neer -ing program, we are well-posi tioned toemerge as a world leader in the sub-sea engineering field,” said Dr. M.Katherine Banks, vice chancellor anddean of engineering at Texas A&M.

Dave Lucas, a retired Exxon Mobilexecutive with more than 35 years ofindustry experience, will direct the sub -sea engineering program.

Booking It

A new library storage facility jointlyoperated by The Texas A&MUniversi -ty System and The University of TexasSystem will save money and accommo -date millions of volumes for shared useacross Texas. As the libraries at bothcampuses continue to add new study,learning and consultation spaces, thestorage facility will alleviate space pres -sure for printed materials while low-ering storage costs for both systems.

The $6.3million Joint Library Fa -cil ity, located at Texas A&M’s River sideCampus, accommodates one millionvolumes and can expand to hold anad ditional two million. More than460,000 volumes were already housed


Texas A&M’s Dwight Look College of Engineering will begin offering a master’s degree, certificate programand undergraduate minor in a newsubsea engineering program. Only a handful of universities worldwideoffer a similar program.

in the 18,000-square-foot building atthe end of 2014.

“As we increasingly rely on digitaltechnologies for access to informa tion,this facility allows us to protect the vitallegacy of print materials and providetimely access to the originals,” saidTexas A&M University Libraries DeanDavid Carl son.

The cost savings of storing a vol-ume in the Joint Library Facility as op -posed to an open library stack facilityis approximately $3.40 per volume.

Volumes at the facility are availableto users from both university systemsand to other academic and medical in -stitutions in Texas at no cost.

BUILDing Tradition and Unity

Texas A&M University students moti-vated by the service and camaraderiethat defined Aggie bonfire recently es -tablished BUILD, an organization thatseeks to unite all students through self -less service by planning, organizingand constructing a large-scale serviceproject each fall semester.

During fall 2014, BUILD convert-ed four donated shipping containersinto mobile medical units to provideac cessible medical care for communi-ties in Haiti, Honduras, Bolivia andColombia. These Texas Aggie MedicalUnits—which were shipped to theirdes tinations in late November—areequipped with a reception room, twoexam rooms, a nurse’s station and apro cedure room furnished with med-ical equipment.

To accomplish such large-scale pro -jects, approximately 25 BUILD mem-bers begin the planning process eachFeb ruary. At the start of the fall semes -ter, BUILD welcomes 30 to 50 studentsu pervisors who are trained in powertools and 20 community volunteerswho wish to assist with the project asBUILD advisers.

“Ultimately, BUILD’s goal is tounite campus by bringing student vol -unteers from any number of campusor ganizations together for a centralcause,” said Chief Executive OfficerDrew Allen ’16.

For more information or to viewmore photos of BUILD projects, visitbuildtamu.com.

Presidential Finalist Named

The Texas A&M University SystemBoard of Regents named Michael K.Young the sole finalist for Texas A&M

president on Feb. 3. Young has servedas president of the University of Wash -ington since July 2011.

“Given his reputation, I believeDr. Young will instantly elevate TexasA&M’s status among its peers,” said EdDavis ’67, president of the Texas A&M

Foundation. “After meeting him, I amreinforced that his performance willexceed our lofty expectations.”

A graduate of Brigham YoungUni versity and Harvard Law School,Young also has served as president of

the University of Utah; professor ofJapanese law at Columbia Uni versity;and dean of the George WashingtonUniversity Law School.

The Board of Regents confirmedYoung’s appointment March 9, andhe will begin work this spring.

A new library storage facility jointly operatedby The Texas A&M University System andThe University of Texas System enables bothschools to store print books and journals.

The Texas A&M University System Board ofRegents named Michael K. Young the solefinalist for Texas A&M president on Feb. 3. Dr. Young is expected to begin work this spring.


First Woman to Lead Corps of CadetsFor the first time in Texas A&M University’shistory, a woman will lead the Corps of Cadets.Alyssa Marie Michalke ’16 of Schulenburg,Texas, will take command of the 2,400-plus-member unit at the conclusion of the springsemester and serve during the 2015-16 school year.

A junior double major in ocean and civilengineering, Michalke presently serves as corpssergeant major, the highest rank for any cadetwho is not a senior. She is also the first womanto hold that position.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the nextcorps commander and will do my very best touphold the tradition of leading my fellow cadets,while also continuing to learn," Michalke said.“The Corps of Cadets has provided me atremendous opportunity to grow as a person and to develop leadership skills.”��

Michalke was selected following interviews with a board consisting of the senior leadershipof the corps and members of the commandant’s staff. Corps Commandant Brig. Gen. JoeRamirez Jr. ’79 and Interim President Mark Hussey gave final approval.

“As a former corps commander, I know both the honor and responsibility that comes withthis position, and I applaud Alyssa for her achievement,” said Texas A&M Foundation PresidentEd Davis ’67. “Her appointment reflects what makes Texas A&M great: the ability to blend ourtraditional values with the realities of an ever-changing world.”

Michalke is a member of the O. R. Simpson Honor Society; the Ross Volunteers; multiplecampus honor societies and organizations; and Texas A&M Sports for Kids, an organization thatcreates opportunities for children to become involved in youth sports.

LabWork

Hear, Hear

Understanding how hearing works haslong been hampered by challenges as -sociated with seeing inside the innerear, but a Texas A&M University re -searcher and his team are developingtechnology that is generating some of

the most detailedim ages of the innerear to date, offeringnew insight into themechanics of hear-ing and hearing loss.

By employingop tical coherencetomography (OCT),a technology similarto ultrasound thatgenerates high-res-olution, three-di -men sional im ages,Associate Professorof Biomedical En -gi neering BrianAp plegate and col-leagues from Stan -ford University aremapping tissueswithin the cochlea,

the portion of the inner ear responsi-ble for hearing.

The cochlea has been traditional-ly difficult to study due to its small sizeand the fact that its tissues are encap-sulated by dense bone. Thus, hearingloss diagnoses are typically based oncircumstantial evidence as opposed tomorphological proof.

Though OCT technology has pri-marily been used in animal models,Applegate’s team is developing a pro-totype device for human use. Thehand-held instrument will enable aphysician to pass a probe through theear canal that shines a laser through athin membrane located on the cochleato image inner ear tissues. The imagesare produced from measurements ofthe inner ear’s structure and small vi -brations within the cochlea.

“We’re trying to better understandhearing and learn more about the ac -tual morphology of the inner ear andhow it processes vibrations,” said Ap -plegate.

The Happy Factor

In a study examining the effects of gov -ernment intervention in the economy,a Texas A&MUniversity researcher andhis colleagues found that governmentintervention—when managed correct-ly—leads to more happiness and sat-isfaction in the lives of citizens.

To reach their conclusion, profes-sors of political science Alexander Pacekof Texas A&M, Patrick Flavin of BaylorUniversity and Benjamin Radcliff ofthe University of Notre Dame studied21 capitalist democracies from 1981 to2007 and examined data from nearly50,000 respondents.

In studying four measures of gov-ernment policies—spending on socialwelfare programs, government size,wel fare generosity and workplace pro -


Texas A&M Associate Professor ofBiomedical Engi neering Brian Applegateand colleagues from Stanford Universi tyare developing a technology that isoffering new insight into the mechanicsof hearing.

In a study examining the effects of government intervention in the economy, a Texas A&M Uni versityresearcher and his colleagues found that citizens from Denmark enjoy the highest level of happiness.

tections—researchers found that bothhigh- and low-income citizens find lifemore satisfying as the degree of govern -ment intervention in the economy in -creases.

The country with the highest levelof satisfaction was Denmark, followedby Switzerland, Iceland, Ireland andAustria. The United States ranked No.11. Countries ranked lower on the sat -isfaction scale included Great Brit ain,Germany, Spain, France and—in lastplace—Japan.

“We don’t claim to address otherarguments on big government such asits effect on economic growth,” saidPacek. “Government can cause prob-lems, but to those who say that govern -ment is always bad, here we have evi-dence that is simply not the case.”

Space Smorgasbord

A small, nondescript building at TexasA&M often goes unnoticed de spitehousing one of the most high-techresearch facilities at the university—theFood Technology Fa cility for Elec tronBeam and Space Food Research.

A product of a partnership be -tween NASA and Texas A&MAgri Life,the Space Food Research facility pro-duces thermostabilized foods for use inthe NASA International Space Station.Instead of freeze-drying, scientists treatfood products with heat to kill bacte-ria and make them suitable for con-sumption in space.

With the assistance of Aggie stu-dent labor, scientists at the facility pro -duce about 60 different space food pro -ducts annually for the InternationalSpace Station.

On the horizon is research and de -velopment of a variety of food productsfor a future mission to Mars.

Cash for Clunkers Crashes

A group of Texas A&MUniversity econ -omists reports that the 2009 Cash forClunkers program actually reducednew vehicle spending during the GreatRecession.

A study by economics professorsMark Hoekstra and Steven Puller ofTexas A&M and Jeremy West of theMassachusetts Institute of Technol ogyrevealed that the federal stimulus pro -gram was unsuccessful because of con -flicting goals.

“The first goal was to increase rev -enues to the auto industry by acceler-ating the purchase of new vehicles,”said Puller. “The second goal was to re -duce the impact to the environmentthrough more fuel-efficient vehicles.”

The researchers found that thetwo-month program advanced sales byas much as eight months. How ever, be -cause the subsidy encouraged consum -ers to purchase more fuel-efficient butless expensive vehicles, the program ac -tually reduced new vehicle spendingover the entire ten-month period.

The researchers concluded that astimulus policy subsidizing the pur-chase of any new vehicle would haveaccelerated purchases without costingthe automotive industry billions of dol -lars in lost revenue.


Energy EvolutionWith worldwide energy demand projected to rise 35 to 40 percent between now and 2040, thesearch is on for viable sources and solutions. One potential answer may lie in hydrogen-basedenergy alternatives, an option that Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of ChemistryMarcetta Darensbourg explores in her research.

Darensbourg, an expert in synthetic and mechanistic inorganic chemistry, is developing methodsto perfect the technology of hydrogen-powered fuel cells.

Fuel cells provide a reliable source of heat and electricity and dramatically reduce reliance onfossil fuels. Similar to batteries, they work by electrochemically combining hydrogen and oxygento produce electricity, heat and water in a process that is highly efficient and virtually emission-free.Unlike batteries, fuel cells can generate energy continuously as long as they have a fuel supply.

Darensbourg believes the best such fuel supply is hydrogen. The current catalyst used in fuelcells to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity is platinum, an expensive and limited resource.Her goal is to utilize Earth-abundant transition metals—such as iron, nickel and sulfur—asalternative catalysts to generate more cost-effective, readily available sources of hydrogen energy.

“We hope our work will be able to answer two things—how to make hydrogen and how to usehydrogen,” Darensbourg said. “It will be momentous for renewable energy if we can do this.”

Graduate student Randara Pulukkody ’15 helps Chemistry Professor Marcetta Darensbourg researchhydrogen-based energy alternatives.

Texas A&M’s Space Food Research facilitypro duces approximately 60 different food products annually for use in the NASAInternational Space Station.

NewGifts

Callie’s Legacy

To celebrate Christmas 2004 and theirfour-year anniversary, John Cook ’05gave his then-girlfriend (now his wife)Stacey a gift: a picture of a dog as a go-ahead for her to choose a real-life ca -nine. A few weeks later, she chose theperfect present—Callie, a black Lab ra -dor retriever.

Callie loved fetch ing tennis balls,swimming and run ning. In additionto being active and loving, she was aloyal friend to the couple’s two-year-old daughter Grace from birth.

On Feb. 22, 2014, Callie passedaway following an 18-month battle withkidney disease. To cope with her pass -ing, Stacey was compelled to contrib -ute to the discovery of a cure for wide -spread chronic renal disease in dogs.

“One of the hardest things aboutkidney disease is that when it’s diag-

nosed in dogs, it’s already too late,”Stacey said.

In an effort to help identify bio-markers for earlier diagnosis and bettertreatment of chronic kidney disease,the Houston couple and Stacey’s par-ents, Janis and Bob Frank, funded the$35,000 Callie Cook Endowment forKidney Disease Research at Texas A&MUniversity’s College of Veterinary Med -icine & Biomedical Sciences.

“Creating this endowment gaveme purpose,” Stacey said. “I love thatthis gift will last forever and that it canhelp me teach Grace about giving.”

To support this endowment, visitgive.am/CallieCook.

A Gift for Galveston

To honor her late father, Theresa ’90and Robert O’Donel ’90 established a$25,000 endowed scholarship at TexasA&M University at Galveston.

They designated the Joseph B.Mor reale Memorial Endowed Schol -arship for Texas students ranked in thesecond quartile of their high schoolgraduating classes and majoring in gen -eral academics, marine engineeringtech nology or marine transportationat the Galveston campus.

“We feel like someone in the sec-ond quartile of their class representswho we are,” said Theresa, a businessanalysis graduate. “We were good stu-dents, but school didn’t come easily forus. We wanted to give that kind of stu -dent a chance to receive a scholarship.”


Gifts to the Texas A&MFoundation Inspire Spirit and Mind

Stacey Cook and her daughter Gracecelebrate a birthday with their belovedLabrador retriever Callie, who laterdied of kidney disease. The family isfunding an endowment dedicated tokidney disease research at Texas A&M.

Every Gift Counts

We would like to extend special

thanks to donors who have recently

given or committed $25,000 or more

to the Texas A&M Foundation.

To view this Honor Roll, which

we publish online each year, visit

give.am/TAMFHonorRoll.


Morreale worked at Air ProductsInc. for more than 30 years beforefound ing Wesmor Cryogenic Serv ices.Following his passing in 2011 and the2014 sale of Wesmor to Dallas-basedTrinity Industries Inc., the O’Donelsused funds to create the scholarship.

“Joe would have loved the hands-on approach that Galveston offers itsstudents,” said Rob, a geography grad -uate. “We thought that setting up ascholarship at Galveston in his namewould make him proud.”

Rob is president and Theresa isvice president of League City-basedSun trac Services Inc., a consulting firmproviding radiation safety services.

Final Two Corps Centers Named

Multimillion-dollar com-m i t m e n t sfrom Susanand Michael

Plank ’83 and the Grady Ash Foun da -tion will support construction of thefinal two of four planned Corps ofCadets Leadership Learning Centersat Texas A&M Uni versity.

The third center will be named inhonor of Susan and Michael Plank ’83while the fourth will be named inhonor of Stephen C. Ash ’87, trusteeof the Grady Ash Foundation.

Construction will begin this sum -mer and will be com pleted by fall 2016.

Anthony G. Buzbee ’90 and H.Grady Ash Jr. ’58 funded the first twolearning centers, which opened in 2012and August 2014, respectively. Both fa -c il ities are approximately 17,000 square

feet and connect existing, renovatedresidence halls.

Michael Plank is president andCEO of Houston-based Plank Compa -nies Inc., a construction machineryman ufacturing facility. A former cadet,Plank graduated with a degree in mech -anical engineering. Stephen Ash, afinance graduate, is managing seniorvice president of the real estate firmTranswestern Commercial Ser vices.

Aggies for Fresh Food

Agricultural economics graduatesDan’l Mackey Almy ’94 and AndrewAlmy ’94 are advancing the Collegeof Agriculture and Life Sciences’ fivegrand challenges through a newly cre -ated excellence fund, Aggies for Fresh.

The couple established the fundin 2013 with a $35,000 gift and com-

mitted to creating an additional $35,000endowment in 2015.

The multifaceted Aggies for Freshexcellence fund will support faculty re -search; foster student connections withthe fresh produce industry; and bolsterstudent organizations whose missionsre late to advancing agriculture. “Weneed more of the leadership and pas-sion of Aggies in the industry,” Dan’lsaid. “This fund will raise awarenessabout available careers and providenet working opportunities.”

Dan’l is president and CEO ofIrving-based marketing firm DMA So- lutions Inc., while Andrew is an ac -count executive at Fi delity Investments.

Visit www.aggiesforfresh.com tolearn more. To contribute to the Ag -gies for Fresh excellence fund, visitgive.am/AggiesForFresh.

Fischers Fund Oil Recovery CenterTo enhance research efforts concerning the use of carbon dioxide as an enhanced oil recovery agent,SuSu and Mark Fischer ’72 committed $1.75 million to establish the Chaparral-Fischer CO2Enhanced Oil Recovery Center in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering.

Mark Fischer is chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Chaparral Energy, thethird-largest U.S. operator for CO2 enhanced oil recovery based on the number of active projects.The Chaparral-Fischer center will be used to study and improve the use of carbon dioxide as anenhanced oil recovery agent.

The donation will also support several petroleum engineering graduate students tasked withinvestigating oil recovery mechanisms. The partnership will enhance students’ educational expe-riences by providing opportunities to work on real-world engineering challenges.

“We are honored to help cultivate the next generation of industry leaders with support of thislab,” said Fischer. “By providing tools and resources such as these, we hope to fuel innovationfor decades to come.”

The Fischers have been longtime supporters of academics and athletics at Texas A&M andrecently contributed $12 million toward construction of the new Engineering Education Complexin support of the 25 by 25 Initiative.

SuSu and Mark Fischer ’72 established a new oil recovery center at Texas A&M.

Theresa ’90 and Robert O’Donel ’90 establisheda $25,000 endowed scholarship at Texas A&MUniversity at Galveston.

OneVoice


A Triumph Worth Telling

the texas a&m family helpedthis aggie through a difficult journey.

I was born in Compton, California, asthe youngest of six kids. My parentsdidn’t have the opportunity to attendcollege and worked long hours for min -imum wages. At the end of 12-hourdays, they always came home, cookeddinner and ensured our homework wasneat and complete. They encouraged usto work hard for our grades and madeit clear that if we wanted to succeed inlife, we must take school seriously andattend college. They truly wanted us tohave opportunities that they missed.

Early Hardships

Unfortunately, when I was 11, my fa -ther became ill and retired early. Hemoved us to Colima, Mexico, forcingme to leave the life I knew as an Amer -ican seventh grader. We moved to asmall town named Rincon de Lopezthat didn’t have a middle or highschool. I remember my mom telling menot to worry, because she plan ned todrive me to the next town so I couldcontinue middle school. We talked tothe principle at that school, who in -formed us that I was ineligible for itsprogram—news that brought my edu-cation to a complete stop.

Three years later, my oldest broth -er Jose relocated to California and in -vited me to live with him so I could

again enroll in school and have achance at attaining a college educa-tion. Before I could move back to theUnited States, however, Jose was killedat a tire shop after a man stormed inand shot all of the employees, the own -er and customers. This was one of themost difficult times in my life. Under -standably, my parents no longer want-ed me to move away.

Time passed and when I turned18, the opportunity arose to visit mysister Claudia in California, where Ipassed the high school equivalencyexam. I knew that the GED could neverreplace the five years of education thatI missed, but at least I had a diplomato fall back on if I ever applied to col-lege.

At 24, I was continuing to care formy father as his illness became worse.My goal in life was to attend college,but I felt that dream slipping away. Idecided to take a risk. I moved to Texas,worked in retail and applied to LoneStar Community College in Mont -gomery. I wasn’t ready for a big uni-versity and believed I wouldn’t be ac -cepted because of the gap in my edu-cation. My only option was to get highgrades in basic classes at a communi-ty college.

My story always brings tears to my eyes, but if it helpssomeone continue to move forward during difficult times,it’s worth telling.

Elizabeth Colmenares ’14 overcameeducational, financial and personalhardships to achieve her dream of grad uating from Texas A&MUniversity with a degree in geology.


The Tide Shifts

During my time at Lone Star Com mu -nity College, I met my husband Albertoand discovered my passion for geology.Along with basic courses for a businessdegree, I chose geology for my sciencecredit and fell in love with the subject.I knew then that I wanted to pursuethis discipline at a larger university.

In March 2012, I attended Aggie -land Saturday, where I was introduced

to Aggie traditions and spirit. I sawparents with their children, proudlydressed in maroon, showing off theirAggie rings. I hadn’t yet applied to theuniversity, but everyone treated mewith respect.

I applied as soon as I got home,reminding myself that the probabilityof being accepted was low. Despite my3.97GPA, I still worried about the gapin my education. A month later, I re -ceived an acceptance letter from TexasA&M and moved to College Station topursue my dream.

Another Obstacle

Everything was going well until Octo -ber 2013 when Alberto was diagnosedwith stage four lymphoma, and I learn -ed he would need a 24-hour care giver.I had two choices: to withdraw frommy classes or become both a caregiverand student. After talking to my fam-

ily, my sister offered to be his primarycaregiver so I could continue my TexasA&M education. I felt better aboutmy decision after talk ing with mygeology department advi ser, Su zanneRosser, who told me that she trulybelieved I could manage be ing a full-time student and secondary caregiverfor my husband. She understood myjourney and didn’t want me to quitsince I was already a senior.

Alberto’s health continued towors en, but with support from myfamily, friends, Suzanne and my pro-fessors, I was able to get through thefall semester. Dr. Rick Giardino, headof the geology department, encour-aged me to return for the spring se -mester, and I realized that many peo-ple were hoping to see me graduate.

After five chemo treatments, Al -berto was ready for his bone marrowtransplant. Because of his illness, wefaced extreme medical expenses. Tomake matters worse, my car broke downand we couldn’t pay our rent. At onepoint I had $20 in my bank account.I knew I couldn’t afford tuition for mylast se mes ter, and I was exhausted. Idiscussed the situation with Su zanne,who surprised me with news that Ihad been awarded a scholarship. I im -mediately broke down in tears. For me,this was a sign from God to soldier on.

Shortly thereafter, I received moreencouragement. Touched by my storyand high GPA, oceanography ProfessorMary Jo Richardson understood thatI needed additional support, so sheintro duced me to Carl Jaedicke ’73, vicepresident for principal gifts at theTexas A&M Foundation. Carl sharedmy story with The Association of For -mer Students, and I was granted theHenderson-Wessendorff Founda tionScholarship. Later, I was also awardedthe Texas A&M Foundation’s RobertR. and Josephine F. Berg EndowedSchol arship as well as a scholarshipand Out standing Student Award fromthe Hous ton Geological Society.

I was blessed to graduate fromTexas A&M on my scheduled date inAugust 2014. I walked the stage and re -ceived my bachelor of science degree ingeology with Summa Cum Laude hon-ors. I now work in Houston at URS

Corp., an environmental consultingcom pany, where I’m involved in envi-ronmental monitoring and remedia-tion. I’m also happy to say that Alber -to’s cancer is now in remission.

This would have been impossiblewithout the support of so many peopleat Texas A&M. I no longer see TexasA&M as just a university that I chosefor a geology degree, but as a familythat helped during my difficult jour-ney. Every person I met along the waywill always have a special place in myheart, and I will forever wear my Aggiering and maroon with pride.

I would need a lifetime to explainhow grateful I am to be an Aggie whonever stopped fighting to accomplishmy dream.

—by elizabeth colmenares ’14

To learn more about supporting Aggie

scholarships, contact:

Marcy Ullmann ’86

Manager of Scholarship Programs

Texas A&M Foundation

(800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-6383

[email protected]

Faces of FOWOne of the most memorable milestones during Freshmen Orientation Week (FOW)

takes place at local barbershops—in this case, Southgate Barbers—where “fish”members of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets receive military regulationhaircuts from skilled barbers like Gene Wren (left) and Robert Kruse (right). Forfirst-semester freshmen like Jonathan Chen ’18 (left), Alexander Kent ’18 (right)and Benjamin Pico ’18 (below) from Squad ron 4 ‘Aces’, this equates to a maximumof one-fourth inch of hair on top of the head and five-finger whitewalls.

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth ina series of features on Texas A&MUniversity’s global footprint.

T E X A S A & M ’ SG L O B A L F O O T P R I N T

The JOIDES Resolution is a -foot-long ship that functions as the Inter -national Ocean Discovery Program’sworkhorse. The ship sails on fourtwo-month expeditions per year.

As freshmen geology majors pored over meter-and-a-halflong samples of the earth’s crust, Associate Professor DebbieThomas peppered them with detailed questions: “What do youthink is going on here?” “What type of material do you thinkthis is?”

Some samples were chalky white; others, pewter gray. Manyshowed rings indicating minute changes in sea floor compo-sition. All of them contained material millions of years old.

Toward the end of class, after students offered their the -ories on the composition of the various core samples, Thomas—interim head of the Department of Oceanogra phy in the Col -lege of Geosciences—began explaining the scien tific answers.She held up one tray with light, soft sed iment packed into itand pointed to a three-inch band under the plastic wrap wherethe color was slightly darker.

“Right here where my finger is, this is the Holy Grail ifyou’re into evolutionary biology,” she said. “It’s going to blowyour mind.”

Much of what happens at Discovery Drive on theTexas A&M University campus falls into the “mind-blowing”category. Though it is a squat, unremarkable brick building,this place has been called a “mecca of marine geology” be cause ithouses the operations office of the International Ocean Dis -covery Program (IODP), an organization that coor dinates ex -plo ration of the sea floor in all corners of the globe. It drawsenormous amounts of prestige and federal grant money to theuniversity; the latest grant by the National Sci ence Foun da tion(NSF) provides million over five years.

Despi te i t s landlo cked o f f i c e s a t Texas A&MUniversi ty, the Internat ional Ocean DiscoveryProg ram dominate s sea explorat ion .

Clockwise from top: “The JOIDESResolution is a research drillshipthat carries to scientists from countries on four expeditionsannually. � Roughnecks procuresediment and rock samples from theocean floor using the ship's drillingplatform (top right) and derrick(right). � Associate Professor DebbieThomas and IODP director BradClement study one of the approxi-mately kilometers of core samplesthat are stored in the repository oncampus. Texas A&M houses one of only three such repositories in the world.

“The program is arguably the largest and most inter-national collaboration in any science field in the world—even compared to the space station,” said IODP DirectorBrad Clement, pointing out that thousands of scientists fromaround the world have been involved in research since theproject began in 1968. Scientists have learned much of whatthey know about plate tectonics and about how the climateof Earth has varied over millions of years by studying coresam ples drilled by the JOIDES Resolution, the 471-foot-longship that functions as the IODP workhorse. The program isre sponsible for “some of the most transformative science ofthe last century,” said Thomas, who participated in two seaexpeditions and authored a proposal that gained approvalfor a future cruise. For instance, researchers on the Resolution

discovered the largest volcano on the planet—the TAMU

Massif—and tiny microbes capable of living at depths oncethought to be inhospitable to sea life.

rom its College Station offices, where 122 tech ni -cians and staff work, IODP coordinates researchand manages logistics for Resolution expedi-tions—acting something like mission control atNASA. The ship sails on four two-month expe-

ditions per year, drilling up to two kilometers beneath theocean floor and covering waters from the North Sea to theSouth Pacific. Each cruise carries 25 to 30 scientists from the28 IODPmember countries, and at least eight scientists arefrom the U.S. These scientists win berths through a highlycompetitive process based on their expertise and researchthey hope to contribute to the overall cruise goals. Alsoaboard are 25 technicians from the IODP offices—many ofthem Aggies—who facilitate scientific work and operate $5million worth of lab equipment.

Back at home base, the IODP offices provide anotherfunction that directly benefits Texas A&M students and thegeneral public. One-third of the core samples collected bythe Resolution—or approximately 110 kilometers of materi-al—are housed in a repository in the campus offices. As oneof only three repositories in the world (the others are inGermany and Japan), geologists and other scientists visitfrequently for their research and for pre-expedition plan -ning. The three graduate research assistants and the 30 stu -dent workers employed at IODP—in departments rangingfrom human resources to industrial engineering—get valu-able exposure to international operations. “Those workingon the loading dock, for instance, learn what it takes to shipsupplies around the world and the logistics of preparing anexpedition,” said Clement. “The university is always lookingat how to prepare students for the global environment; wedo it all here in one-stop shopping.”

When Brittany Martinez ’15 applied for an IODP stu-dent worker position five years ago, she had no knowledgeof the program that would later change the direction of her

college education. “I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian,”she said, “but interacting with the international science com -munity really opened my eyes to geology and made me fallin love with it. Whether I’m searching a core for a specificfeature or helping a scientist, I’m always learning somethingnew.” Now Martinez hopes to pursue postgraduate work ingeology and dreams of going aboard the Resolution herselfone day. “It’s incredible to see things here that have or couldchange textbooks forever,” she said.

andlocked College Station isn’t the naturalplace to situate a premiere international ocea -nography effort, but strangely enough, locationdid help the university land the IODP con tractin 1984. Before then, the drilling program was

operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at theUni versity of California at San Diego. Texas A&M’s closeties to the oil drilling industry in Houston—and, morespe cifically, access to an exploration drilling vessel—helpedcon vince the NSF to accept the bid from the non-seasidesite. The university leases the Resolution , which has beenretro fitted for science exploration rather than oil explora -tion, from Overseas Drilling Ltd., the same company thatprovides the roughnecks who do the actual deep-waterdrilling.

The impact of the program’s move to College Stationwas huge, since universities are rated by the value of federal

grant money brought in for re -search. The IODP is the largestex tern ally funded program inThe Texas A&MUniversity Sys -tem, and the award catapultedthe institution into the TierOne research university dis-tinction, designated for univer -sities that bring in more than$100 million per year in grantmoney. In fall 2014, Texas A&Mwon another five-year contract,with the possibility of extend-

ing for five more—beating out other prestigious bidders. “Texas A&M took the program from Scripps and ran

with it,” said Linda Mays McCaul ’87, who was the first Aggiegraduate student to join the program. Eager to attend TexasA&M as a graduate student in oceanography and geology,she aspired to work for what was then called the OceanDrilling Program. She was successful in convincing the pro -gram director at the time, Dr. Phil Rabinowitz, to includegraduate students. She joined Leg 104 to the Nor wegianSea as the first Texas A&M graduate student aboard theResolution . She also sailed on Leg 112 to Peru and basedher master’s degree thesis on research conducted dur ing hertime at sea. “It was such an honor to be the first grad uate

The program is arguably

the largest and most

international collaboration

in any science field in

the world.”

—Dr. Brad Clement DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE

SERVICES, INTERNATIONAL

OCEAN DISCOVERY PROGRAM

“

student on the Resolution and see numerous other studentsparticipate in the same amazing experience,” she said. “Hav -ing the opportunity to convince the directors that graduatestudents have a role in an international scientific programis the most remarkable accomplishment.”

Realizing the extraordinary educational value of the ex -peditions, the IODP tries to staff at least one-third of the sci -entific positions on each voyage with graduate students frommember countries. “We’re preparing the next generation ofglobal scientists,” said Clement.

The first of Clement’s four drilling expeditions—whenhe was a graduate student at Columbia University—“com-pletely changed my life and the way I do science,” he said.

He was able to see the powerof scientific minds come to -gether in real time. “So oftenscientists are in a lab, send-ing out measurements toanother scientist in anotherlab and then waiting for theresponse. But everyday on -board, you had a bunch ofsci entists working together ona common prob lem in thesame place. In this multicul-tural environment, people

would be arguing about how to interpret different data.There was incredible urgency and excitement,” he said.

Because the ship is expensive to operate, no time is squan -dered. This means scientists and technicians work 12-hourdays, seven days a week for eight weeks straight, withoutgoing to port. “By the end of the cruise you might be eatingpeanut butter sandwiches,” remembered McCaul, “and yourhair would be green (from the chlorine in the desalinatedwater), but you didn’t blink an eye. You were learning, andyou cannot put a price tag on that kind of hands-on expe-rience.”

Stella Woodard ’11 has equally powerful memories ofher experience on the Resolution . In 2009, then a graduatestudent in geological oceanography, she worked as a sedi-mentologist. Her job was to describe a core’s properties—color, composition and grain size—immediately after it sur-faced from the drilling rig (once exposed to air, the samplestarts to change). “What was really amazing was that thesecore samples remained below the sea floor for millions ofyears,” she said, “and I was the first person to see them.”

Three of the expeditions planned for 2015 will focus onthe initiation and evolution of the monsoon climate system.“Monsoons supply fresh water to approximately one-thirdof the Earth’s population, so it’s critical that we understandhow they have varied over time,” Clement said. The fourthexpedition of the year will attempt to recover rock from thelowest portion of the Earth’s crust.

his room contains the past 160million yearsof the history of the planet,” Clement an -nounced as he opened the door to the12,000-square-foot repository at the IODPhead quarters. Inside the frigid space (cold

slows the decaying pro cess) are racks stacked floor to ceilingwith carefully catalogued core samples. Soon after beingextracted from the ocean floor, each cylindrical core is splitin half lengthwise. Only half is used for research. The otherhalf is archived and left untouched.

Because the repository boosts the university’s interna-tional reputation, Clement is working to ensure that it re -mains at Texas A&M—something that is not guaranteed intoday’s challenging funding environment. To do this, he islooking for private funding to ensure that these valuablesamples and equipment remain accessible to Aggie studentsand researchers for years to come. “This certainly could be anincredible naming op portunity for someone,” he said.

The repository brings not only international scientiststo College Station, but also top students like Woodard, whochose to get her Ph.D. from Texas A&M after rejecting anoffer from Yale.

It also attracts touring students and educators from allover the state and Aggies from across campus—such as Deb -bie Thomas’ freshmen geology majors, who were anxiousto learn the significance of the core she was holding.

“So what if I told you that this colored area here,” shesaid, tapping on the darker band of the sample, “was 66mil -lion years old.” She paused and scanned the eager faces.“What happened 66 million years ago?”

“The dinosaurs went extinct,” answered a girl in Con -verse sneakers and a gray hoodie. Thomas nodded her headvigorously. “This sample taken from the Northern Pacificis darker here because a meteor hit the Yucatan Peninsula,which sent debris and sulfuric acid into the sky, consequent-ly blocking out the sun and causing a nearly complete col-lapse of photosynthesis.”

As the students left the lab, Corey Barker ’18 was stillin awe. “After studying all this in a class room, to actuallysee the real material from all these millions of years,” hesaid, shaking his head. “It’s like learning your letters andthen finally being able to read words.”

—by jeannie ralston

To support the International Ocean Discovery Program

in the College of Geosciences, contact:

Cara Milligan ’08

Senior Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 862-4944

[email protected]

The International Ocean

Discovery Program is

responsible for some of

the most transformative

science of the last

century.”

—Dr. Debbie ThomasASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND

INTERIM HEAD, DEPARTMENT

OF OCEANOGRAPHY, COLLEGE

OF GEOSCIENCES

“

“

Clockwise from top: IODP studentworkers Brian Kelly ’ (top left)and Michael Paine ’ (top right)use an XRF core scanner—an instru -ment designed to measure core sectionhalves or slabs with flat surfaces. �The section core halves are thenreviewed by Shawn Miller ’ (bot-tom left) and Amanda Kleiber ’(bottom right). � Researchers areable to determine how the climate ofEarth has varied over millions ofyears by studying the sediment layersin the samples. � Scientists markspecific samples with colored stickersfor future research.

D I S T I N G U I S H E D P R O F E S S O R J O E F E A G I N H A S M A D E A N A M E F O R H I M S E L F

B Y C R I T I C A L L Y S T U D Y I N G I S S U E S O F R A C E , E T H N I C I T Y A N D G E N D E R .


DIST INGUISHED PROFESSOR JOE FEAGIN’S award-winning research

un doubtedly pushes parameters, but a s imple and fundamental

mot ivat ion l ies behind h is socia l sc ience s tudies—real l iber ty

and just ice for a l l . Dr iven by that ideal , he has developed con -

cepts of systemic racism and sexism that inf luence the work of

socia l sc ient is ts and pol icymakers wor ldwide, and one would

be hard-pressed to wr i te about race without referencing h is

theor ies and f ie ld research.

“The people who are wil l ing to read my research and take it

seri ously are often persuaded by it ,” Feagin said. “The diff iculty

is that most whi tes don’ t want to read socia l sc ience research

that is cr i t ical of established inst i tut ions, especial ly of their rac -

ist dimensions. I learned a long t ime ago that when you de velop

cr i t ical ideas about the basic st ructures of society, you have to

back them up empir ica l ly and substant ia l ly. ”

For hal f a century, Feagin has conducted research on racia l

and gender issues facing the United States, leading to ground -

break ing cont r ibut ions in the f ie lds of rac ia l -ethnic re la t ions

and sex and gender inequal i ty. There is no doubt that he’s a

legend al ready made, with more in the making. And thankful ly

for the f ield of sociology, Dr. Joe Feagin— at 76 years old— sti l l

fee ls young.

“What every good teacher will tellyou is that the students keep you alive inmany ways,” Feagin said. “They keep youthinking critically, and their questionshelp you develop better answers.

“I’ve got ‘grandchildren’ studentsnow, and it’s great to see them thrive andfeel personally validated by their success.You look at my resume, and it soundsa little odd, but I like teaching morethan research.”

Feagin’s preference for teaching overresearch isn’t reflected in his CV, whichcould double for a short story. He haspublished 66 scholarly books (one,Ghetto Revolts, was nominated for a Pul -itzer Prize in 1973) and more than 200research articles and monographs.

But retirement is a thought for thedistant future. “I’ll be teaching until theyhave to carry me out in a box,” he joked.

And with all of the accolades he’sreceived, particularly in the last threeyears, there is no need for a departure.Feagin received four career achievementawards in 2012-2013: The Arthur Fletch -er Lifetime Achievement Award by theAmerican Association for AffirmativeAction, given to scholars and prominentactivists for civil rights; The Soka GakkaiInternational-USA Social Justice Award;The American Sociological Association’sSection on Racial and Ethnic Minori -ties’ Founders Award for Scholarshipand Service; and the W.E.B. DuBoisCa reer of Distinguished ScholarshipAward, the highest award given by theAmerican Sociological Association.

It was only fitting that he also beone of seven professors given the titleof University Distinguished Pro fessor in2014, one of the most esteemed acco-lades bestowed upon Texas A&M Uni -ver sity faculty.

LEGENDARY MENTOR AND ADVISER

Feagin came to Texas A&M in 2004 asthe Ella C. McFadden Professor in Lib -eral Arts. He was recruited from the Uni -versity of Florida to help develop TexasA&M’s graduate program in sociology,which includes about 100 students.Work ing with undergraduate and Ph.D.students is Feagin’s passion, and he hasmentored more than 30 Texas A&M doc -

toral students and two dozen Ph.D.stu dents and junior faculty at other in -sti tutions during the last 10 years ontheir research projects and dissertations.In addition, he chairs roughly 16 doc-toral research committees per semester,teaches graduate seminars and is one ofthe anchors in the Department of Soci -ology’s largest specialty area—race, classand gender.

“Dr. Feagin works with more stu-dents than anyone I know, and he givesthem his full commitment,” said WendyMoore, associate professor of sociologyand the department’s graduate adviser.“He has respect for young scholars in away that many professors of his stand-ing do not, and he is always interestedin working with students to pursue newand innovative research.”

His office hours are an open doorpolicy—no student is turned away. Histeaching style is empowering because he

encourages class discussion and the de -velopment and application of criticalthinking skills. And his classes—pre-sented as a series of social science ques-tions students should consider ratherthan as a series of statements they mustmemorize—provide fodder for criticalthinking and self-reflection.

“Rather than viewing himself as ateacher, Joe sees himself as a facilitator,”said Todd Couch ’14, a doctoral studentin sociology who graduated last August

under Feagin’s tutelage. “Instead of dic -tating, Joe allows his classes to centeraround discussion and encourages stu-dents to learn by engaging with onean other. This ‘hands-off’ approach toteach ing and mentorship showed methat he believes his students are capa-ble of thinking for themselves.”

ASKING THE DIFF ICULT QUESTIONS

Feagin grew up in Houston in the 1940sand 1950s, when Jim Crow segregationwas the oppressive norm.

“I was one of the very few whiteyouths that I knew who started thinkingcritically about why life was like that, butnone of the white adults around meencouraged this thinking, and none ofmy college professors would touch seg-regation critically,” Feagin said.

After graduating from Baylor Uni -versity in 1960 with a joint major in his -tory and philosophy, he began taking his

first sociology courses at Harvard Uni -versity, earning a B.D. in social ethics in1962 and a Ph.D. in sociology in 1966.From 1974 to 1975, he served as theschol ar in residence for the U.S. Com -mission on Civil Rights, which invigor-ated him in the study of racism and sex -ism as fundamental social forces, andgave him a chance to study the publicpolicy and legal sides of racial and gen-der issues with important civil rightsleaders and government policymakers.


P R O F E S S O R J O E F E A G I N E N C O U R A G E S

S T U D E N T S T O L E A R N B Y E N G A G I N G

W I T H O N E A N O T H E R T H R O U G H O P E N

D I S C U S S I O N .


Feagin’s research interests revolvearound the sociology of racism, classismand sexism issues; racial and ethnic stud -ies; gender relations; and the urban po -litical economy—the study of how classstructures shape the development ofcities.

One seminal contribution he’smade to the field of sociology is a deepanalysis of systemic racism, in which heresearches how and where the long his-tory of slavery and Jim Crow segrega-tion—about 85 percent of U.S. history—left behind highly unjust structural in -equalities persisting into the 21st century(e.g. median white family wealth is atleast eight times that of median blackfam ily wealth) that substantially ac countfor the lack of a truly free, just and dem -ocratic society.

He is also particularly well-knownfor his white racial frame concept, whichdetails and explains a long-dominantwhite worldview that rationalizes thissocioeconomic system of unjust enrich -ment for whites and unjust impoverish -ment for African-Americans and otherAmericans of color. He demonstrateshistorically and empirically how this ra -cial frame developed to legitimate in -equality and then evolved to become acentral and lasting part of the racialstatus quo.

“If you start looking deeply into theway a society operates, it often operatesin ways that are different from the pub-lic rhetoric and mythology,” Feagin said.“The United States has its own hiddenrealities, such as systemic racism, that wehave never really confronted and erad-icated.”

Leading by example, his empiricaland critical approach inspires many stu -dents to ask challenging research ques-tions of their own.

“Joe pushed me to be inquisitive,crit ical and aware of the value in myvoice and perspective, which developedmy ability to ask pointed questions con -cerning structural inequality,” saidLouwanda Evans ’12, a former studentof Feagin’s who is now an assistant pro -fessor of sociology at Millsaps Collegein Jackson, Mississippi. “He encouragedme to consider the ways that scholar-

ship and teaching can influence and pro -mote change within existing systems.”

Other students, like RachelFeinstein ’14, who graduated with aPh.D. in sociology last May, attest thatthe value Feagin places on using criti-cal theoretical perspectives tremendous -ly impacts student research. His criticalapproach has inspired countless disser-tations, including Feinstein’s researchon sexual violence perpetrated againstenslaved black women by white menduring slavery in the U.S. It also movedEvans to research the racialized experi-ences of African American pilots andflight attendants working in the com-mercial aviation industry and ledMichael Regan ’14 to question and re -search the underrepresentation of blackhead football coaches in NCAADivisionI football.

“I think the most important thingDr. Feagin has done is to teach young

sociology students that the issue of ra -cial inequality is not a minor area in thebroader study of social or gan ization,”Moore said. “Racial inequal ity is funda -mental to social organization, and it ispresent in all forms of social interactionand characterizes all social institutions.As a result, all students of sociologyshould have a comprehensive under-standing of race and racial inequalityto inform their work.”

—by dunae crenwelge ’15

To learn how you can support faculty

research in the College of Liberal Arts,

contact:

Larry Walker ’97

Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-1304

[email protected]

At the Forefront of Their FieldsFeagin jo ined s ix other Texas A&M facul ty members se lected as Univers i ty Dis t in -

guished Pro fessors in 2014. These awardees joined a select group of 77 act ive fac -

u l ty members and 40 former facul ty members who hold the prest ig ious t i t le . Th is

des ignat ion denotes a facul ty member who is preeminent in h is or her f ie ld; has

made at least one seminal contr ibut ion to the discipl ine; and whose work is wide -

ly recognized to have changed the di rect ion of scholarsh ip in the f ie ld.

“Distinguished professors are known for being influential in their discipline, and

thei r accompl ishments a re exempl i f ied by outs tanding teaching, mentor ing, dis-

covery and service,” said Jane Sel l , department head of sociology, who nominated

Feagin for the honor. “Dr. Feagin has won an amazing number of awards that a re

indicators of others ’ es teem and recogni t ion of h is impact . ”

University Dist inguished Professors receive $25,000 over f ive years. These funds

are al located from discret ionary funds the Texas A&M Foundation provides annual-

ly to Texas A&M. For the 2014–2015 f iscal year, the Texas A&M Foundation provided

$175,000 to support new University Distinguished Professors. Feagin will use his award

to support his own research and that of his doctoral students. To learn more about

the other 2014 recipients , v is i t g ive.am/2014Dis t inguishedProfessors .


C O L L E G E I M P A C T

A N I N S I D E L O O K AT T H E T E X A S A & M C O A C H I N G A C A D E M Y

The score was tied with three seconds remaining. The pounding cadence of the basket -

ball’s bounce and the slaps of running feet echoed across the packed gymnasium. As

No. 12 drove hard along the baseline, a wall of opposing players stopped his drib ble. He

performed a quick shot fake and then passed the ball to a teammate who effortlessly

landed it in the basket to win the game. It worked just like it had in practice.


From left: John Thornton ’, director of the Texas A&M University Coaching Academy;former Texas A&M defensive tackle Kirby Ennis ’; and Steve Morris, a founding donorof the Coaching Academy.


Although athletes ultimatelymake the plays that decide a game,an effective coach puts a team in aposition to win. Better still, a coachwho is engaged in his players’ devel -opment can put those individualsin a position to succeed in life. Edu -cating coaches to both win and moti -vate is the guiding premise of theTexas A&M University CoachingAcademy, part of the College of Edu -cation and Human Development.

Established in 2013, the goal ofthe Coaching Academy is to prepareand support 21st century coaches atthe public school, university andprac titioner levels. (Practitioners in -clude volunteer youth, adult coach-es and those who coach at pri vateschools.) The academy provides sup -port for Texas coaches at every levelto facilitate their success.

“Whether a full-time coach, aclassroom teacher with coaching re -sponsibilities or a parent workingwith their child’s team, all coachesneed support so that they can do thebest job possible for their studentathletes,” said John Thornton ’75,acad emy director and a second-gen -eration coach. “The Coaching Acad -emy’s resources will help them be -come more effective coaches.”

Off the Court, Field and TrackThornton knows from experiencethat the path from accomplished stu -dent athlete to successful adult coachis well-traveled. A dual-sport athletein high school, Thornton played bas -ketball and football at Holmes HighSchool in San Antonio before fo -cusing on basketball. He went on toplay forward at San Antonio JuniorCollege, transferred to Texas A&Mand later led the Aggies to a South -west Conference Basketball Cham -pionship in 1975. These milestonespaved the way for Thornton’s ca -reer in coaching and later as an ath -letic administrator.

Two people inspired Thorn ton’scareer: his father, Bill Thornton ’50,was an important role model; andhis high school basketball coach,Paul Taylor, greatly influenced hislife.

“Coach Taylor encouraged meto dream big and work hard,” Thorn -ton said. “He was my coach, but alsoan inspiring adviser and mentor.” Itwas Taylor’s example that spurredThornton to consider how he mightbetter support coaches at all levels.

“Effective coaches make a tre -mendous impact on the lives of theirplayers that extends beyond thecourt, field or track,” said Thorn ton.“While the coaching discipline en -hances the skills and strategies of aparticular sport, the lessons learn edthrough competitive athletics devel -op character, work ethic and person -al identity. The relationship forgedbetween players and their coaches isan integral part of that education.”

Former Texas A&M defensivetack le Kirby Ennis ’13 learned thispowerful bond at an early age.

“When I was 11 years old, myfootball coach guided me to be comethe man I am today,” said Ennis. “Hehelped me expand my understand-ing of the game, learn plays and de -velop discipline. He also demon-strated compassion and tough lovewhen I needed it. He was like a fatherto me, and the reason that I want tobecome a coach.”

When a knee injury during hissenior year ended Ennis’ dream toplay professional football, he en -rolled in graduate school at TexasA&M to focus on the transition tocoaching. “I took coaching classesand met with Coach Thorn ton todevelop strategies for entering theprofession,” said Ennis. He re ceivedhis master’s degree in health edu-cation in December 2014 and plansto apply his experience, educationand passion to teaching and coach-ing.

“The Coaching Academy is agreat resource for students who wantto become coaches,” said Ennis.“Coach Thornton’s reputation andnetworking skills in the professionhelp students define opportunities.The academy will elevate Texas A&Mnot only as a place where studentathletes can compete, but also wherethey can prepare to transition fromplayer to coach.”

Career Path for Future CoachesWhile the Coaching Academy cre-ates opportunities for Texas A&Mstudents, it also supports the inter-ests of high school students explor-ing the possibility of a coachingcareer.

The academy has developedpart nerships and continues to makeinroads with school districts and cer -tifying agencies to help studentspre pare for, find and get jobs incoaching. Reciprocal arrangements


in which the academy hosts highschool students on the Texas A&Mcampus and offers student leader-ship programs related to coachingand teaching on high school cam-puses are already underway.

“Many of our students want tobecome teachers and coaches,” saidKevin Ozee ’94, director of athleticsfor Arlington Independent SchoolDistrict. “Most teacher/coaches re -ceive classroom and experiential in -struction for the teaching aspect, butthey may only have player experienceto draw from for coaching. It’s ben-eficial for them to learn early onabout coaching in the same way theyprepare to become teachers. TheCoaching Academy is working to -ward making this possible.”

The academy is also developingseminars to support parent coach-es who often shape a child’s lifetimeview of exercise, sports and compet -itive athletics.

“We hope to elevate the techni-cal and interpersonal skills of coach-es at every level,” said Thornton.“We provide effective player supportto transition players into coaches,and to help good coaches becomebetter coaches—at whatever levelthey choose to coach at.”

A Vision for the Academy Many Aggies who share Thorn ton’svision for the academy give generous -ly to support both operating fundsand endowments.

“I am concerned about our stu -dent athletes who want to re main

engaged in sports after grad uatingbut whose choices are limitedbecause they won’t be pursuing apro fessional athletics career,” saidSteve Morris, a member of the 12th

Man Foundation Board of Trusteesand a founding donor of the Coach -ing Academy. “I first heard Johnspeak about the Coaching Academyabout a year ago when he came totalk to the 12th Man FoundationBoard. I knew John’s reputation asa basketball player, a coach and asan athletic administrator, and I im -mediately understood his vision. Idecided that I wanted to be part of

it. Coaches make a powerful impacton athletes and on their communi-ties. With education and support,these future coaches can be inten-tional in planning their post-collegecareers.”

The Coach ing Academy has cap -tured the attention of other formerstudents and friends who see valuein its mis sion. Five donors contrib -uted a total of $200,000 to provideop erating funds for the first twoyears of the program. Further dona -tions could help sup plement its$150,000 annual budg et and createan endowment to sustain long-termgrowth.

“The Coaching Academy ex -pands opportunities for our studentsby providing training, hands-on ex -perience and continuing educationactivities for coaches in our com -mu nity,” Thornton said. “I look atyoung men like Kirby Ennis, and allthat he has to offer young people,and I am excited about the role theacademy is playing to help our stu-dent athletes transition from play-ers to coaches. From my perspective,this is a win for everyone.”

—by diane oswalddirector of college relationscollege of education and human development

To support the Coaching Academy in

the College of Education and Human

Development, contact:

Jody Ford ’99

Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 847-8655

[email protected]

To give online to the Coaching Academy,

visit give.am/CoachingAcademy.

John Thornton ’, director of the Texas A&MCoaching Academy, believes that building effectivecoaches starts in the classroom.

lthough athletes ultimately make the plays that decide

a game, an effective coach puts a team in a position to

win. Better still, a coach who is engaged in his players’

devel opment can put those individuals in a position to

succeed in life.

WH I LE M O S T S T U D EN T S are studyingfor exams, attending a campus event orjust hanging out with friends, MadisenStites ’15may be planning her next ma -jor gift to Texas A&M University.

Every year, she enjoys the privilegeof donating money to a charity of herchoice through a charitable trust estab-lished by her grandparents, which allowsher to decide how to use the funds.

Stites donated to breast cancer re -search in the past, but this year she gavean endowed scholarship to juniors with -in her industrial distribution major.

“I wanted to see the direct impact ofmy donation a little more, so I decidedto help out those closest to home—notjust those in Texas or at Texas A&M, butthe students I’m with every day in mydepartment,” said Stites.

Stites is in her second year as an offi -cer for the Professional Association forIndustrial Distribution (PAID) at TexasA&M, a student organization that givesmembers the opportunity to networkwith indus try contacts. In this role, shehas witnessed fellow officers attempt tojuggle leadership positions, classes, mul -tiple or ganizations and work.

“I watched my friends put every-thing into being involved with the groupwhile simultaneously holding a job andworking to keep their GPAs strong tomaintain scholarships,” said Stites. “Iwanted to cre ate a scholarship to helppeople with that kind of work ethic.”

Stites is fortunate to attend collegewithout the burden of paying her own

tuition, applying for multiple scholar-ships and loans, or worrying about howto repay those loans after graduation.To acknowledge this, she gives back tostudents who are serving the university.

Easing the BurdenTwo students receive $2,250 each fromthe Madisen E. Stites ’15Endowed Schol -arship, a two-year scholarship for full-

time junior industrial distribution ma -jors who demonstrate leadership and arein good academic standing.

One recipient is Andrew Salada ’16,from Clarkston, Michigan. For Salada,paying out-of-state tuition was concern -ing because the financial burden is al -most triple the cost for in-state stu dents.“I could not afford to come to a schoollike Texas A&M, but the scholarships I

DistribAn Industrious

S T U D E N T I M P A C T

have received, includ ing this generousgift from Madisen, en able me to attendwithout being bur dened by tuition,”he said.

During his freshman year, Saladaserved on the fundraising committeefor the student organization, Fresh menLeaders in Christ (FLiC). He returned toFLiC his sophomore year to serve as aleader of its Kids’ Committee. In addi-tion, Salada spent the last two years asa member of PAID and par tic ipates inPioneers, a ministry at Em man uel Bap -tist Church.

An Encouraging EndowmentA second scholar spends 20 hours aweek working at the Talent Incubator,a program that offers top industrial dis -tribution students the opportunity towork on corporate research projects.

Each semester, Shelby Edmiston ’16

must find a way to pay for college. “Ihave a job, but it doesn’t cover my liv-ing costs plus tuition,” she said. “Schol -arships really ease my financial burden,which allows me to focus on aca demicswhile making time for extracurricularactivities.”

Aside from work, Edmiston serveson the Breakaway Ministries supportteam and is a member of Pi Beta Phiso ror ity.

“This scholarship motivates me toperform better in class and to be a betterperson,” she said.

As the original gift generates inter-est, Stites’ scholarship endowment willcontinue to support students forever.

“I’m really happy I went forwardwith the scholarship,” Stites said. “Justbecause you are a student doesn’t meanyou have to wait to give.”

—by felysha walker ’16

If you would like to support industrial

distribution students, contact:

Don Fazzino ’84

Assistant Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-2354

[email protected]

butionA Class of �udent establishes an endowedscholarship for her fellow classmates.

Madisen Stites ’ (left) funded a scholarshipendowment for industrial distribution majors througha charitable trust established by her grandparents.Fellow classmates Shelby Edmiston ’ and AndrewSalada ’ (below) are current beneficiaries of hergenerosity.

Art From their sanctuaries in the Memorial Student Center, theForsyth and Stark Galleries beckon passersby to experience theworld of art.

When most people think of crowd control, they likely pictureunruly masses and perhaps even riot police. For Heather AnnBennett, crowd control means something entirely different—for her it’s a cart filled with practically priceless arti facts, apair of purple nitrile gloves, and an ability to tell stu dents walk -ing through the Memorial Student Center (MSC) to look out.

“I always make sure we move pieces using the buddysystem—one person to push the cart and another to tell stu-dents to watch where they’re going,” said Bennett, the col-lections manager for Texas A&M’s Forsyth Galleries. “Most stu -dents are pretty good about paying attention to us, though.”

The cart—protected like a presidential motorcade—is onits way to “the vault,” a climate-controlled repository lockedby fingerprint scanners and filled with various kinds of art.This space holds items from the permanent collection of the

University Art Galleries when they are not displayed in eitherof Texas A&M’s main galleries, the J. Wayne Stark Galleriesor Forsyth Galleries. In fact, only 10 percent of the collectionis exhibited at a time, a setup that gives the objects a “rest peri -od” in a controlled environment between exhibitions.

When not on a mission to transport pieces to their safehaven, Bennett handles pest monitoring and disaster plan-ning—“We do have a panic button,” she emphasized—andkeeps the exhibits clean.

She is part of an eight-person team that works full-timeto curate exhibits, plan educational programming, photographand measure objects, handle security, preserve artwork andincrease foot traffic within the galleries. And while the gal-leries run like well-oiled machines, the latter of these initia-tives has required extra effort in the last couple of years.

During the MSC renovation, the Stark Gallerieswere shut down for three years, and the Forsyth Gal -leries moved to a temporary location in DowntownBryan. Because of these changes, the number of gal -lery visitors dropped from roughly 45,000 visitors an -nually to less than half that. Now, both spaces areback within the MSC, along with added signage toencourage students to pay them a visit.

Cathy Hastedt, director of the University Art Gal -leries Department, is focused on re-establishing thegalleries, not only for the program’s sake but also forthe benefit of Texas A&M students. “You can learn alot just by walking around the art galleries and enjoy -ing what you see,” she said. “By not coming in, stu-dents are missing out on that opportunity.”

Many students pass by the spaces without real-izing the treasure trove they contain. But thanks toa team effort, that trend is slowly reversing. For Thom -as Trinkl ’16, a sport management study abroad stu-dent from Austria, a happenstance stroll into theStark Galleries one evening allowed him to discoversome artwork from his native country. “I walked bya couple of times before, and thought I might as wellstop by since I had a half hour to spend,” said Trinkl.“Com ing from Europe and having visited art gal-leries there I have an appreciation for art, so it wasnice to stop by and see what Texas A&M has to offer.There’s some beautiful art here.”

Napping PermittedThe University Art Galleries are uncluttered, serenespaces with high ceilings, white walls and the foot-step echoes characteristic of museums. “We don’teven mind if students use the benches within thespace to nap,” said Lynn McDaniel, communicationsspecialist for the University Art Galleries. “It’s perfect -ly fine if people want to come here just to re chargetheir batteries.”

But even though napping is permitted, the gleam -ing glass and deliberate brushstrokes that fill the gal -leries are better appreciated with open eyes.

In the Forsyth Galleries, visitors can observe thedelicate precision of English Cameo and Steubenglass—one of the world’s leading collections of suchdecorative art. They can take in brightly colored Tif -fany vases and explore 19th and 20th century Ameri -can paintings.

Established in 1989 through an endowment byIrma and Bill Runyon ’35, the Forsyth Galleries housethe Runyon’s personal collection of art, a cache thatconsists of approximately 1,500 pieces. The galleryrotates its display of objects three times annually, andthe space also hosts traveling exhibitions. A recentexhibition, “In Company with Angels,” displayed acollection of seven opalescent Tiffany stained glasswindows depicting divine messengers. The currentexhibition, “Winslow Homer and the American Pic -torial Press,” explores the work of the 19th centuryAmer ican landscape painter and printmaker known

for his dramatic seascapes.Downstairs from the For -

syth Galleries are the J. WayneStark Galleries. Here visitorswill find works by Texas artists(also part of the university’s per -manent collection) and travel-ing exhibitions rang ing from

traditional fine arts and crafts to history, anthro-pology and science.

J. Wayne Stark ’39, the founding director of theMSC, began the art collection. Exhibitions typicallychange within its two rotating gallery spaces everysix to eight weeks, and a third gallery space withinStark displays items from the permanent collection.

In fall 2014, the galleries featured “Inspired byNa ture: Graphic Design in the Art Nouveau Peri -od,” works from the private collection of John andCindy Delulio of Calvert, Texas. This spring, boththe Stark and Forsyth Galleries are showing con-temporary and historic representations of NativeAmericans in art as well as art by Native Americansin respective exhibitions. Previous exhibits have in -cluded Fabergé pieces and works by Edgar Degas.


(Top right) Exhibitions in the J. Wayne Stark Galleries typically change

every six to eight weeks. The galleries featured a private collection of

art nouveau pieces during the 2014 fall semester. (Below right) Cathy

Hastedt, director of the University Art Galleries, is intent on getting

more foot traffic in the galleries.

Geo

rge

Woo

dall

for

Tho

mas

Web

b &

Son

s, N

ight

, 189

0, B

ill a

nd I

rma

Run

yon

Art

Col

lect

ion

Tex

as A

&M

Fou

ndat

ion,

For

syth

Gal

leri

es, T

exas

A&

M U

nive

rsit

y.

➺

Art—Cathy Hastedt, director, University Art Gal leries Department

“

I’ve—Amanda Dyer, assistant director, University Art Gal leries Department

“


The Stark Galleries are funded through the Uni -versity Advancement Fee and bookstore funds. In ad -dition, two internal galleries within Stark are namedin honor of donors who made significant gifts to sup -port the arts.

Believing that Texas A&M needed an art galleryto develop more well-rounded students, Sara andJohn H. Lindsey ’44 of Houston provided seed moneyto build the Stark Galleries. As a result, one of thegallery spaces within Stark is the Lindsey Gallery.

A second gallery space within the Stark Gal leriesis named for Mary and James B. Crawley ’47 of Nor -man, Oklahoma. Avid supporters of the arts at TexasA&M, the Crawleys created a preservation and main -tenance fund for the art collections within the MSC.

Even with supporters like the Crawleys and theLindseys, the staff still has aspirations for the galleriesthat will require additional outside partnerships. “Wewould adore having an acquisi-tion fund to fill in the collec-tion with pieces we don’t haveand to help us with our educa-tional mission,” said Hastedt,whose team is developing a planto determine which artistic mi -lieus could use enhancing.

“We’ve had times in the past where we couldn’tmove fast enough to acquire a piece, and it was soldto another buyer,” added Amanda Dyer, assistant di -rector of the galleries.

Additional support would also help the gallerieshost more educational workshops, store additionalartwork, support an endowed curatorship, or inviteother traveling exhibitions, which can be especiallyexpensive due to the costs associated with transport -ing fragile artworks cross-country.

“I’ve had to pinch myself because I’m surround-ed at work by so many amazing pieces of art, butwe’re always interested in bringing in exhibitions thatdovetail with our permanent collection to show howour pieces fit in the bigger scope of the art world,”said Dyer.

Art is Not BoringBecause the galleries are located centrally on campus,they are in a prime location for classes and studygroups to convene. Drawing and performance studiesclasses have used the galleries for interpretive work,literature classes have gathered there for inspiration,and floral design groups have used them to displaytheir own creations.

The spaces are flexible not only in terms of theaudiences to whom they cater but also in how theycan be navigated. Viewers are invited to explore theopen rooms any way they like—as McDaniel empha -sized, “There’s no right or wrong way to go through amuseum.” And they are welcome to experience arange of emotions, from inspiration to consternation.

Two springs ago, the Stark Galleries hosted thephotography exhibition “The Absolute Truth andNothing but Lies,” which juxtaposed the work of adocumentary photographer with a Hollywood studiophotographer. While the one artist’s images were veryraw—a man on an autopsy table, for instance—theother’s were posed and highly stylized—a transvestitein full drag and a smoldering, Photo shop ped celebri-ty. Needless to say, the pairings garnered atten tion.

“Art is not boring, and if it doesn’t make youthink, it’s not doing its job,” said Hastedt. “Good artshould stimulate conversation. Even if it’s, ‘I don’tget it,’ or, ‘My 3-year-old could do that!’ That’s a start -ing point.”

—by monika blackwell

To support the University Art Galleries, contact:

Cindy Munson ’99

Regional Director of Major Gifts


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-7558

[email protected]

To contribute online, visit give.am/TAMUArtGalleries.

To view a video, visit give.am/TAMUArtGalleriesVideo.

➺D

orot

hy H

ood,

Spa

ce R

ider

s, a

cryl

ic o

n ca

nvas

.Pu

rcha

sed In

mem

ory of R

icha

rd Fra

nk M

iller ’80 by

his par

ents.

(Top left) The University Art Galleries are uncluttered, serene spaces

with high ceilings, white walls and the footstep echoes characteristic

of museums. (Below left) Amanda Dyer, assistant director of the

University Art Galleries.


. ’

.


The Foundation awarded its highest honor in late Feb ruary tophilanthropists Modesta and Clay ton Wil liams Jr. ’ of Mid -land and to Evelyn and Ed Kruse ’ and Verlin and How ardKruse ’, all of Brenham.

“These couples’ lifelong devotion to Texas A&M Univer -sity, transformative con tributions and volunteer leadershiphave shaped the university’s progress and influenced count-less Aggies,” said Foundation President Ed Davis ’. “Evi -dence of their support is seen in two prominent Texas A&M

facilities, the Clay ton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center and theC.E. “Pat” Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Their generosity hasinspired others to support the university, and their reputationsfor integrity and excel lence reflect favorably on Texas A&M.”

Williams and the Kruse brothers descend from Texas pio -neers who val ued strong ethics, hard work and education. Theyfollowed in their fathers’ footsteps, later rising as successfulentre preneurs committed to improving their alma mater, com -munities and state. All three are members of the Corps Hall of

Honor, winners of the College of Agri culture and Life Sci ences’Outstanding Alumni Award and the Mays Business SchoolKupfer Distinguished Executive Award, as well as The Asso -ciation of For mer Students’ Distinguished Alumni Award.

A LE G E N D AM O N G WI L D C AT T E R S

Oil-and-gas wildcatter, one of America’s largest landowners,farmer and rancher, Brangus breeder, real estate developer, tele -communications mogul, banker, big-game hunter, Mariachisinger and conservationist—all accurately describe Williams,whose larger-than-life story is as film-worthy as his hero, JohnWayne.

Williams, fondly known as Claytie, is chairman, presidentand CEO of Clay ton Williams Energy Inc. and has drilled al -most , wells primarily in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi andNew Mexico during his legendary career. He has made and lostseveral fortunes in the vol atile oil and gas industry, all whilehold ing fast to the morals he learned at his father’s knee.

T H E T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N H O N O R S T H R E E P H I L A N T H R O P I C C O U P L E S W I T H T H E 2 0 1 5 S T E R L I N G C . E V A N S M E D A L .

Three self-made Texas couples who built successful companies in oil and gas and in icecream are the Texas A&M Foun dation’s 2015 Sterling C. Evans Medal winners.

“My dad was influential in settingthe ethics and standards I’ve followedmy whole life,” he said.

Clayton Williams Sr., Class of 1915,graduated in civil and electrical engineer -ing after serving in World War I. Hewas a West Texas miner, surveyor, engi-neer and oilman. He and his son bothare members of the Permian Basin Petro -leum Museum Hall of Fame in Mid land.After the Depression, the senior Wil -liams settled in Fort Stockton, where hewas a Pecos County commissioner, arancher and farmer, and finally a histo-rian who wrote books to help preservethe region’s rich history.

FO L LOW I N G HI S FAT H E R

The junior Williams grew up in FortStockton and naturally followed his fa -ther’s lead when it was time to go to col -lege. Initially, he struggled with TexasA&M’s academic demands and militarystructure, but now admits that the ex -perience helped him understand lead-ership and develop business skills.

“It was hard on a boy raised withthe freedom of ranching and farming,”he said. “I spent the first year and a halfthinking about quitting.” As a freshman,he played in the Fightin’ Texas AggieBand and joined the swim team. Later,he participated in intramural boxing.

After graduating with an animal hus -bandry degree in 1954, Williams joinedthe U.S. Army. He returned to FortStock ton in 1957 to sell life insurance.Later that year, he and a partner beganbrokering oil and gas leases and promot -ing wells. They drilled their first success -ful well in 1959.

“It’s been a good business. For morethan 50 years, the oil and gas industryhas treated me well,” said Williams, whoalong with his family owns 51 percentof Clayton Williams Energy, a publiccom pany. “Several times I’ve had to cutback and make difficult choices. My lifehas been a series of tremendous highsand lows, but a great life.”

He is proud of building a companyworth hundreds of millions and of the20-plus-year service records of many em -ployees he considers family. However,

Williams calls his greatest achievement“being married for almost 50 years to agood woman who has supported meeven in my failures.”

A former model who ran a modelingschool in Midland, Modesta Williamsshares her husband’s love of the land

and sense of adventure. She grew up inBig Spring, spending many weekendson her grandfather’s ranch, where shelearned to hunt and ride horses. Sheat tended Texas Tech University andstud ied business at Texas Christian Uni -versity before leaving college to earn aliving. Modesta served as a director ofClayDesta National Bank, which sur-vived the 1980s banking crisis that re -corded 1,600 bank failures nationwide,and designed the 183-acre ClayDestaPlaza. Using her instinctive eye, she cre-ated offices and a spectacular bank lobbywith an atrium waterfall that became acommunity centerpiece.

SU CC E S S A N D FA I LU R E

Although Williams has been wildly suc -cessful, he has faced some uphill battles.In 1990, he lost the Texas governor’s raceto opponent Ann Richards. “I felt likeI was six-foot-four when I was runningfor governor, and four-foot-six when AnnRichards beat me,” said Williams, whodoesn’t dwell on mistakes but takes sol -ace in knowing the campaign paved theway for conservative Texas Democrats tovote Republican.

A year later, he almost lost his busi -ness. After adroitly navigating the 1982recession and mid-1980s oil bust by sel -ling off wells and ClayDesta Communi -cations and paying off $500 million indebt, he returned from the campaign to

find his company almost $90million indebt. Rather than declaring Chapter 11bankruptcy, he worked his way back toprofitability in 1997 after years of layoffs,downsizing, renegotiating with lendersand selling ClayDesta National Bank,ClayDesta Plaza, airplanes, artwork, real

estate, ranch land, cattle and other assets.“The mark of a man is how he han -

dles defeat,” he said. “We eventually paidback everyone we owed.”

During those turbulent times, Wil -liams fulfilled a commitment to TexasA&M that many assumed he would beunable to meet. In 1984, he pledged $2.5million to build a new multimillion-dollar alumni center. When oil pricesplunged from $40 to $10 per barrel in1987, the final $1.7 million payment wasdue. Despite his financial woes, Wil -liams honored his pledge, living up tothe All-American Wildcatters Associa -tion motto, “Our word is our bond.”

MO R E TH A N HE CA N RE PAY

A die-hard Aggie, Williams credits TexasA&M with doing more for him than hecan repay.

The Williamses have shown theirgratitude by contributing more than $7million to the university they love. A1979 gift of a 1 percent overriding min-eral interest on oil and gas leases hasgen erated millions for scholarships, aca -demic programs and athletics. The cou -ple also supports the George Bush Pres -idential Library and Museum, the TexasA&M University Press, the Texas A&MUniversity President’s Council, the 12th

Man Foundation and The Associationof Former Students.


“ M Y D A D W A S I N F L U E N T I A L I N S E T T I N G

A N D S T A N D A R D S I ’ V E F O L L O W E D M Y W H O L E L I F E . ”

— C L A Y T O N W I L L I A M S J R . ’ —


They have established a Sul RossScholarship, a Corps of Cadets 21st Cen -tury Scholarship and a $1 million en -dowment supporting the Berg-HughesCenter for Petroleum and SedimentarySystems in the College of Geosci ences.

Williams has devoted time and ex -pert ise to Texas A&M, serving on nu -mer ous councils and teaching graduateentrepreneurship classes in the MaysBusiness School.

The couple passed their love ofTexas A&M to their fam ily. Four out offive children, two sons-in-law and threeof their nine grandchildren are Aggies.

At 83, Williams thrives on “gettingthings done,” but he does not take hisown accomplishments too seriously.

“You need to be able to laugh at your -self and say, ‘I’m not perfect, but I’mdoing the best I can.’ ”

TH E IC E CR E A M KI N G S

Ed Kruse ’49 and Howard Kruse ’52learned Texas A&M’s core values fromtheir father long before they ever step -ped foot on the College Station campus.The brothers grew up 40 miles fromTexas A&M in Brenham, where their fa -ther E.F. Kruse led Blue Bell Cream -eries for 32 years and set high standardsby which his sons and grandson stillop erate the privately-held com pany.

Ed served as chairman, presidentand general manager from 1968 until

1986, when he was named chairman andCEO and Howard was named president.Howard became president and CEO in1993, and Ed’s son Paul Kruse ’77 as -sumed the company’s leadership in 2004.

E.F. Kruse was the youngest son ofa respected farming family descendedfrom German immigrants. The first inhis family to attend college, he graduat-ed from Southwest Texas State NormalCol lege in San Marcos. He was a WorldWar I veteran and school teacher beforejoining the struggling Brenham Cream -ery Co. in 1919 at age 23. During thenext three decades, he trans formed BlueBell from a lo cal butter-making cooper -ative into a growing ice cream company.

“Blue Bell has been run for 96 yearsby our family, and it has never lost mon -ey, not even during the Great Depres -sion,” said Ed Kruse, who still serves asBlue Bell’s chairman.

“Blue Bell also has never laid off anyemployees,” added Howard, now pres-ident emeritus and a Blue Bell boardmem ber. “That has occasionally meantsacrifice. Our father did not cash hisfirst six months’ paychecks, because hedid not want to put the company in thered. We couldn’t have inherited anygreater direction in life than from him.”

A ST R O N G WO R K ET H I C

Ed and Howard began working at BlueBell during summers when they were 13and 10 years old. They earned 10 centsan hour and worked 48 hours per week.

Both Kruses were drawn to TexasA&M because of its agricultural ac claim,particularly in dairy manufacturing. Bothwere members of the Corps of Cadets,but Ed found his niche on the varsityswim team while Howard was in triguedby dairy science.

As Ed approached graduation, heasked his sister for dating suggestions.She mentioned Evelyn, who was then

’

.

’

.

attending Blinn College and workingsev eral jobs in hopes of becoming a reg -istered nurse. After their third date, Edtold his best friend that he was going tomarry Evelyn. She graduated from Blinnbut decided not to go to nursing schoolwhen Ed proposed. The couple has beenmarried for 64 years and has four Aggiechildren (two sons died at age 45) and21 grandchildren. In addition to caringfor her family, Evelyn has been active inher church and enjoys gardening andsaltwater fishing.

BAC K TO BLU E BE L L

In 1951, after working for two years atSwift & Company in Fort Worth, Edjoined Blue Bell as sales supervisor.When his father died of cancer later thatyear, Ed succeeded his father as Blue Bellmanager. He was 23 years old.

“It was quite a responsibility,” Edsaid, “but I knew no one else could dothe job, and I was going to give it mybest shot.”

Like his father and brother, Howardwas also 23 when he joined Blue Bell in1954 following service in the KoreanWar. The two brothers worked well to -gether. “Ed handled sales and adminis-tration, while I directed operations andresearch and development,” said How -ard. “We were in com petition with Bor -den and other national companies andit was daunt ing.”

Blue Bell stopped making butter in1958 when the Kruses began to focusfull-time on making the best ice creamin the coun try. Technological advancesin the 1960s led to increased productionand sales and the ability to expand be -yond the Brenham area.

Besides advancements within hiscom pany, Howard experienced a signif -icant personal change. Verlin, an 18-year-old lab technician who went to work atBlue Bell after graduating from high

school in nearby Columbus, had no -ticed that Howard worked all the timeand thought he needed a break. Sheasked him to go fishing with her, anda year later, they married. Much of her52-year marriage has been spent caringfor their four chil dren (three of whomare Aggies), but Verlin also enjoyed lead -ing scout groups, volunteering at churchand area veterans’ and medical chari -ties, and painting. The couple has sevengrandchildren.

THE FLAVOR THAT BUILT BLUE BELL

In 1969, after two years of research anddevelopment, Howard introduced BlueBell’s biggest all-time seller, Home made

Vanilla. The flavor he created catapultedBlue Bell to its current ranking amongthe three top-selling ice creams in thecountry even though its products areavailable in only 23 states and less thanone-third of the nation’s supermarkets.

“It took several years to develop theproper flavor, ingredients and texture.It was a risk, so we made it in limitednumbers at first. Now Homemade Vanil -la is the No. 1 vanilla ice cream sold inthe nation,” said Howard. “It tastes likeice cream Grandma cranked by hand.”

Looking back on their careers, Ed,87, and Howard, 84, said it has beenrewarding to work in an industry “thatmakes people feel good” with “the hap-piest food in the world.” Both have been


’

.


industry leaders and are members ofthe Texas Business Hall of Fame and theDairy Products Institute of Texas Hallof Fame, but they attribute their suc-cess to their wives, who they said de -voted themselves to their families andhomes so they could focus on business.Blue Bell’s success has enabled theKruses to give back generously to TexasA&M and their community.

TH E BLU E BE L L FA M I LY

In 2010, the two couples committed $1million each in addition to a $5milliongift from Blue Bell to complete the $24million renovation and ex pansion ofTexas A&M’s baseball stadium, C.E. “Pat”Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

“Texas A&M suggested naming itthe ‘Kruse Family Park,’ but Ed and Iwanted to honor the Blue Bell family,”said Howard. “We’re a family operation,not just because the Kruses have led thecompany for three generations, but alsobecause of our dedicated employees,who own 40 percent of the company.”

In addition, the Kruses contributednearly $1million to provide various agri -culture scholarships and faculty fellow-ships, including an endowed scholarshipin honor of their father and three Presi -dent’s Endowed Scholarships. They alsosupport the 12th Man Foundation, TheAssociation of Former Students and theCorps of Cadets.

In 1998, they jointly contributed$1million to endow the dean’s chair inThe Bush School of Government andPublic Service, now filled by Ambassa -dor Ryan Crocker. Subsequent BushSchool gifts from the Kruses totalingmore than $1million established a pro-

fessorship, a schol arship and two fel-lowships.

The Kruses’ relationship with for-mer President George H.W. Bush datesback to 1994, when a Dallas MorningNews profile of Howard and Ed report-ed who they would most like to inviteto dinner.

“I said George and Barbara Bush;my brother said Jesus Christ,” Howardrecalled. “President Bush wrote back andsaid, ‘Barbara and I were flattered to readabout whom you’d invite to dinner. But wehave a fine idea. How about you all comingto our place sometime for that dinner orlunch? In fact, since it is unlikely that Ed’sfavorite dinner guest can make it, ex cept inspirit, bring your brother, Ed, along too.’ ”

SH A R I N G TH E I R BL E S S I N G S

The Kruses’ belief in philanthropy start -ed with church stewardship and hasspread to other areas, said Howard, whoalong with Ed has been honored asWash ington County Man of the Year.They have generously supported areaeducational, athletic and medical char-ities as well as Kruse Village, a Bren hamretirement community.

“Our family has received so manybenefits in business and in this commu -nity. We give back with great thanksgiv -ing,” said Verlin. “We feel blessed andwant to help others; education is so im -portant,” added Evelyn.

When thinking about the legacythey want to leave, Ed and Howard saidthey want to be remembered for caringabout other people. Like Blue Bell em -ployees dedicated to making excellentice cream, Howard noted, Aggies arestriv ing to make Texas A&M absolutely

the best there is. “We are common folksdoing things uncommonly well,” theysaid.

—by nancy mills mackey

To watch a video about

Sterling C. Evans ’21, visit

give.am/EvansMedalVideo2015.

R E C I P I E N T S

1998Sterling C. Evans ’William C. McCord ’

2000John H. Lindsey ’

2001Leslie L. Appelt ’

2002H. R. “Bum” Bright ’

2004Minnie Belle HeepHerman F. Heep ’

2005Jon L. Hagler ’

2006George P. Mitchell ’

2008H. B. “Bartell” Zachry Jr. ’

2010L. Lowry Mays ’

2011Jack E. Brown ’James K. B. “Jim” Nelson ’

2012Dan A. Hughes ’Dudley J. Hughes ’Nancy M. TerryHoward L. Terry

2013Reta K. HaynesHarold J. “Bill” Haynes ’Patricia C. KrugerWeldon D. Kruger ’

2014Dorothy F. McFerrin Arthur R. “Artie” McFerrin ’James “Doug” Pitcock Jr. ’

2015Evelyn KruseEdward F. Kruse ’Verlin KruseHoward W. Kruse ’Modesta WilliamsClayton W. Williams Jr. ’

Evans Medal

“ I T H A S B E E N R E W A R D I N G

I N A N I N D U S T R Y T H A T M A K E S P E O P L E F E E L G O O D . ”

— H O W A R D K R U S E ’ —

Opportunity

Pressing On

new funding for the texasa&m university press willenhance its reputation as arespected book publisher.


The scenic outpost marked the start-ing point of an epic 3,000-mile bor-der-to-border horseback trek made byfour Aggies: Ben Masters ’11, BenThamer ’11, Thomas Glover ’12 andJonny Fitzsimons ’12. For more thansix months, the men traveled throughthe deep backcountry of the Ameri canWest on mustangs, from Mexico toCanada, for personal adventure andto bring wider attention to the plightof wild horses on public lands.

Their trip of a lifetime has sinceformed the basis of a documentaryfilm, which is now traveling the do -mestic and international film festivalcircuit, and also a book. Unbranded:Four Men and Sixteen Mustangs. Three

Thousand Miles across the AmericanWest was released by Texas A&M Uni -versity Press in late February.

The book introduces readers tothe young horsemen, their travelingcom panions, and the project’s name-sakes: the wild mustangs adopted andtrained to make the difficult journey.

One of about 60 new titles thepress will publish this year, Unbrandedjoins more than 1,500 other books thatbear the Texas A&M University Pressimprint.

Shannon Davies, editor-in-chief,hopes Unbranded will re cast expecta-tions of what scholarly presses pro-duce and advance the na tion al im pactof the Texas A&M im print.

Small American flags hung from the fence at the end of aseldom-traveled dirt road along the Arizona-Mexico bor -der. The April day was calm and clear, a perfect 65 degrees,and the Huachuca Mountains beckoned to the north.

One of about 60 new titles the TexasA&M University Press will publishthis year, Unbranded joins more than1,500 other books that bear the press’simprint.

The History of Texas A&MOne of Texas A&M University Press’s missions is to support and publish history of the university.

Footprints in Aggieland: Remembrances of a Veteran Fundraiser by Robert L. Walker ’58offers instructive and sometimes amusing vignettes of the veteran fundraiser’s encounters with awide range of benefactors to Texas A&M.

Released in February, Famous Trees of Texas: Texas A&M Forest Service Centennial Edition byGretchen Riley and Peter D. Smith, updates its classic 1970 book with some newly designatedtrees—living links to the state’s storied past. The book’s release coincides with a series of statewideevents for the Forest Service centennial celebration and an ongoing exhibit at the George BushPresidential Library and Museum.

Engineering Agriculture at Texas A&M: The First Hundred Years by Henry C. Dethloff andStephen W. Searcy, another new book, explores the history of the department—its people, itsactivity and its growth—and projects the department’s future for its second century.

The press has a number of backlist titles focusing on the institutional history of Texas A&M,from vignettes of war heroes in Texas Aggie Medals of Honor: Seven Heroes of World War II byJames R. Woodall, to a comprehensive history of the development of the Memorial Student Centerin Building Leaders, Living Traditions: The Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M University.

For more information on Aggie books, visit tamupress.com.


“All of our books provide author -itative knowledge or original scholar-ship, but a book such as Unbrandedalso extends our reach and im pact togeneral readers and makes them pas-sionate about the subject covered,”Davies said.

Value for Authors and Readers

Founded in 1974 during a short boomof university press openings across thecountry, Texas A&M University Pressaims to select and publish books thatenhance the university’s strengths andconfirm Texas A&M’s cre dentials as atop-tier research university.

Over the years, the press has de -veloped a worldwide reputation in adozen or more academic fields (in clud -ing physical anthropology, nauticalarchaeology, military history and pres -idential rhetoric), and has also stakedits claim as the foremost publisher ofgeneral interest books on all aspects ofTexas, from its history and cultures toits natural resources. This diversity ofspecialized subject areas ensures thatthe press attracts a broad mix ofauthors who are authorities in theirrespective fields.

One recent example is Paul Chap -lo, who used his unique skillset tophoto graph the breathtaking Big Bendlandscape from the air. His book, MarfaFlights: Aerial Views of Big Bend Coun -

try, presents a hawk’s eye view of theruggedly beautiful region.

“It has been most rewarding toteam up with the creative professionalsat Texas A&MUniversity Press,” Chap -lo said. “Their collaborative spirit, tire -less support and insistence on qualityis inspiring. As I have traveled on theMarfa Flights book tour, I have real-ized that my publisher stands head andshoulders above other presses.”

New Directions

To ensure continued growth, the TexasA&M press develops new publishingcollaborations with de partments andprograms on the Col lege Station cam -pus and at several other Texas A&Msystem institutions.

During an age in which e-booksare changing the landscape of publish-ing, the press is also committed tobeing at the forefront of digital pub-lication. Through collaborations withe-book vendors like Amazon Kindle,Barnes and Noble’s Nook and the Ap -ple iBookstore, the press is finding newways to reach readers in an electronicdomain.

In addition to these knowledge-based collaborations, the press also ben -efits from private donations. Out sidesupport allows the press to fund keyleadership positions and student in -ternships that provide professional ex -

periences for their Aggie holders. Giftscan support press needs rang ing fromunderwriting the highest quality bookdesign to acquiring the latest publish-ing and distribution tech nologies.

Donors like the late John TomCampbell ’45, a rancher from Brady,Texas, understand the importance ofsupporting the press. In 2009, Camp -bell gave a $2 million planned gift toestablish the Edward R. Campbell ’39endowed chair in honor of his brother,the first such chair for a press directorin the country. He also created a sep-arate unrestricted $5 million endow-ment for the press.

“The press contributes significant-ly to the outreach of the Texas A&Mbrand and the fulfillment of the in sti -tution’s core mission of disseminatingauthoritative knowledge far and wide,”said Press Director Charles Backus,who holds the Campbell chair. “Notevery university is equipped with thisunique tool, and there is value in sup -porting such an entity. The recogni-tion the press brings to the universityenhances Texas A&M as a whole.”

And with a book on its shelveslike Unbranded—a compelling story ofmustangs, western heritage and openspaces—the press is only just turningthe page on a bright future of pub-lishing at Texas A&M.

—by holli kosterpublicity and advertis ing managertexas a&m university press

To learn how you can support the Texas

A&M University Press, contact:

David Hicks ’75

Assistant Vice President

for College Programs


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-2904

[email protected]

To make a gift to the Texas A&M

Univer sity Press online, visit

give.am/TAMUPress.

To view a video about the press, visit

give.am/TAMUPressVideo.

Texas A&M University Press Editor-in-ChiefShannon Davies and Director Charles Backuswith a few of their favorite books.

@Foundation


The Texas A&M Foundation launcheda revamped website in October. Checkout the updated look at our newaddress, txamfoundation.com.

New Website, Newsletter Launch

The Texas A&M Foundation launcheda new website in October, which offersan innovative, user-friendly de sign thateases navigation and provides greateraccessibility across technologies, includ -ing smartphones and tab lets. Checkout the updated look at our new ad -dress, txamfoundation.com.

In conjunction with the newweb site, the Foundation launched amonthly e-newsletter with content tai -lored to its donors and other friends.“The newsletter highlights the tre men -dous impact Texas A&M is having onthe state, nation and world,” saidFoun dation Marketing Manager JohnZollinger.

Electronic Spirit subscribers willnow receive Spirit content via the news -letter. Subscribe to the Founda tion’snewsletter at txamfoundation.com/subscribe.

Gifts from Within We’re pleased to continue our “Gifts fromWithin” series acknowledging the charitableefforts of Texas A&M Founda tion employ eesand their personal commitment to givingback.

Senior Regional Director of MajorGifts Don Birkelbach ’70 leads by ex -am ple as a Texas A&M Foundation em -ployee. With bachelor’s and master’sde grees in chem istry, Birkelbach enjoyssupport ing his field of interest by fund -ing schol ar ships for students pursuingdegrees in chemistry.

“Chemistry forms the basis of somuch of daily life, and I think it’s im -portant that we continue to supportthat activity,” Birkelbach said.

In 2002, he established his firstgift, the Dr. Minoru Tsutsui Mem orialEndowed Graduate Scholarship inChem istry. The endowment—whichhas funded seven scholars—was creat-

ed to honor hisgraduate adviser,who supported hiseducation andhelped launch hiscareer.

Through a$70,000 individual

re tire ment account, Birkelbach andhis wife later established a plannedgift, the Shirley and Don ’70 Birkel -bach Scholarship Fund in Chemistry.

“My education at Texas A&MUni -versity made all the difference in theworld,” said Birkelbach, who is also anEndowed Century Club member at

Don Birkelbach ’70

The Association of Former Students.“I was able to attend Texas A&M be -cause of a scholarship, and I felt likeI needed to pay back.”

The Birkelbachs also establisheda schol arship in 2013 to support first-generation students pursuing bache-lor of science degrees in chemistry whoare working part-time to finance theiredu cation.

After a successful career workingfor Dow Chemical Co., Birkel bachjoined the Foundation staff in 2001.

“I enjoy working with the Foun -dation and helping others experiencethe same joy of giving back to this uni -versity,” he said. “I feel that if I’m notwilling to commit a gift, why shouldI be asking others to make one?”

Ugly Sweaters Invade Hagler Center

The annual Foundation holiday partytook on a new theme in 2014 as em -ployees participated in an ugly holi-day sweater competition. Sporting agarish 3-D plastic snowman dioramalined with garland, Kristen LuetgeMorelius ’06 won the top prize of a

gift card to Saltgrass Steak House. Herhusband Michael Morelius ’98 is adirector of development for the Col -lege of Science.

Development Staff Join Foundation

Annette Forst ’88 joins the Foun da -tion as assistantdirec tor of devel -op ment for theDepartment ofMech anical Engi -neering in theDwight LookCollege ofEngineering. She previously workedas a community relationship managerfor the Ameri can Cancer Soci ety inGrand Junc tion, Colorado, andAustin, Texas.

George Grainger joined the Foun -dation as Senior Director of StrategicPartnerships in February. In this new

de velopment position, Grainger willbe responsible for identifying, cultiva -t ing and soliciting gifts from na tion alfoun dations and individuals to sup-port aca demic and research initiativesat Texas A&M.

He will coordinate with TexasA&M’s pro vost andvice president forresearch as well asthe Divi sion ofResearch to identi-fy academic and re -search programsfocused on solvingstate, federal and global challengesthat warrant private support.

Grainger previously worked morethan 15 years as the senior programof ficer at Houston Endow ment Inc.,a philanthropic foundation that pro-vides grants to nonprofit or gan iza tionsand educational institutions.


Kristen ’06 and Michael Morelius ’98

Employees Support Brazos ValleyEach year the Texas A&M Foundation participates in a United Way campaign to give back to theBrazos Valley community. For the fifth consecutive year, 100 percent of Foundation employeesparticipated, raising more than $12,000.

Foundation President Ed Davis ’67 recognized the achievement by allowing employees to wearblue jeans every Friday through the end of 2014 and authorizing an extra half-day holiday.

Foundation teams also competed to raise food and monetary donations for the Brazos ValleyFood Bank’s Food for Families drive, bringing in 340 non-perishable food items for families inneed and raising more than $1,600.

Other employees, including the Maroon Coats, delivered, sorted and packed food during theannual drive.

During a morning shift at the Brazos Valley Food Bank, Foundation employees unpacked, sorted andpackaged donated food items for distribution to the local community.

Annette Forst ’88 George Grainger


was 12 years old in 1970 and learn -ing to play the trombone whenmy parents surprised me with aTexas Aggie Band stereo album

and sheet music given to them by Lt.Col. E.V. Adams ’29, director of theFightin’ Texas Aggie Band. I remem-ber listening to that album on repeatand writing the slide positions over thenotes I hadn’t yet learned. As I pro-gressed through junior high and highschool in Chan nelview, Texas, my in -ter est and desire to attend Texas A&MUniversity re mained strong. I wasnever too excited about the academicaspect; I just wanted to play in thatband. For me, marching in the bandwould set the course of an unbeliev-able and unique story—mine.

In August 1977, my spectator’spoint of view changed when I becamea brand new fish in the Aggie Band.The next four years were a roller coast -er ride that touched on every humanemotion almost every day. Significantacademic challenges, demanding up -per classmen and the Corps of Cadetsenvironment equipped me with a can-do attitude and helped me discoverwho I was and what I was made of.Words cannot begin to de scribe the lifelessons I learned at Texas A&M and thefeelings of doing the impossible.

After I graduated in May 1981,Col. Joe T. Haney ’48 asked me to stayat Texas A&M to help him direct theband. I knew my answer was a “yes”the moment he asked me.

During my 33 years as senior asso -ciate director of the Aggie Band, thou -sands of dedicated men and womenhave marched in our ranks and sound-ed recall. Marching and musical re -hearsals keep me motivated. Chart ingdrills, visiting with cadets and speak -ing to groups about the Aggie Bandis my passion—seeing the band per-form their drill on Saturdays at KyleField is the icing on the cake. Hear ingthe crowd reaction when I announce,“Now forming at the North End of Kyle

Field…” over the stadium’s public ad -dress system is still surreal. But makeno mistake, my voice speaks for anorganization that gave me and thou -sands of other band members the op -portunity to discover our passion andpurpose in life.

Through all these years, I havewit nessed opportunities evolve for stu -dents to participate in musical organ-izations in performance venues acrosscampus. I’ve had the honor of workingwith talented instrumental and choraldirectors who are dedicated to the suc-cess of our students. Our team of di -rectors, staff and more than 1,300students make up our newly formedMusic Activities Department withinthe Division of Student Affairs. The

Texas A&M administration has beensupportive in helping us answer the de -mands of a large student populationof musicians and agreed to an initia-tive that will greatly advance our mis-sion: the devel opment of a new MusicActivities Cen ter on Duncan Field.

Plans for the facility include anartificial turf field for the Texas AggieBand and a large re hearsal room withstate-of-the-art acous tics for our 400-plus-member Aggie Band, symphonicbands, choirs and orchestras. This ex -cit ing endeavor is gaining momentumas key stakeholders work to create avi able fundraising and constructionplan. With your help, we will ensurethat future Texas Aggies and their di -rec tors have the facilities necessary forcontinued excellence.

—by lt. col. jay o. brewer ’81senior associate directorfightin’ texas aggie band

To learn how you can support the future

Music Activities Center, contact Cindy

Munson ’99, regional director of major

gifts, at [email protected]

or (800) 392-3310.

Give online now at give.am/Support

AggieMusic. View a video about the

Aggie Band at give.am/AggieMusic.

Lt. Col. Jay O. Brewer ’81, senior associatedirector of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band

Now Forming at the North End of Kyle Field

Contact


Executive StaffEd Davis ’67, PresidentJim Palincsar, Senior Vice President for Development

Doyle Thompson, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Liska Lusk, Vice President & General CounselJanet Handley ’76, Vice President for InvestmentsKathy McCoy ’80, Assistant Vice President of Marketing

Development StaffCarl Jaedicke ’73Vice President for Principal Gifts [email protected](979) 845-6551

David Hicks ’75Assistant Vice President for College [email protected](979) 845-2904

Mark Klemm ’81Campaign Director [email protected](979) 845-6537

College Programs College of Agriculture & Life SciencesSteve Blomstedt ’83Senior Director of [email protected](979) 845-9582

College of ArchitectureLarry ZuberAssistant Vice President for [email protected](979) 845-0939

The Bush School of Government& Public ServiceJessica McCann ’07Senior Director of [email protected](979) 458-8035

Mays Business SchoolBrian Bishop ’91Senior Director of [email protected](979) 862-3615

College of Education & Human DevelopmentJody Ford ’99Director of [email protected](979) 847-8655

Dwight Look College of EngineeringAndy Acker Assistant Vice President of [email protected](979) 458-4493

Texas A&M University at GalvestonRichard KlineSenior Director of [email protected](409) 741-4030

College of GeosciencesCara Milligan ’08Senior Director of [email protected](979) 862-4944

Texas A&M Health Science CenterAndrew Robison ’04Director of [email protected](979) 436-0811

Texas A&M University School of LawMyke HoltSenior Director of [email protected](817) 212-4061

College of Liberal ArtsLarry Walker ’97Director of [email protected](979) 458-1304

College of ScienceMichael V. Morelius ’98Director of [email protected](979) 847-9218

College of Veterinary Medicine& Biomedical SciencesO. J. “Bubba” Woytek DVM ’64Assistant Vice President for Development &Director of Alumni Relations

[email protected](979) 845-9043

Student AffairsCindy Munson ’99Regional Director of Major Gifts (Central States)[email protected](979) 845-7558

Corps of CadetsJerome Rektorik ’65Director of [email protected](979) 862-4085

Corporate RelationsJim Keller ’63Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

[email protected](979) 845-6227

Foundation RelationsGeorge GraingerSenior Director of Strategic [email protected](979) 845-8161

Office of Gift PlanningGlenn Pittsford ’72Vice President for Gift [email protected](979) 845-5493

Real Estate ServicesTim Walton ’90Assistant Vice President for Real Estate [email protected](979) 845-8026

Regional Major GiftsDavid Wilkinson ’87Assistant Vice President of Major [email protected](979) 845-7609

Scholarship ProgramsMarcy Ullmann ’86Manager of Scholarship [email protected](979) 845-6383

Donor RelationsLynn HarrisManager of Donor [email protected](979) 845-5963

Gift ProcessingAnn Lovett ’81Manager of Gift [email protected](979) 845-8167

Get in touch with theTexas A&M Foundation.For a comprehensive staff listing, please visit our website.

401 George Bush Drive

College Station, Texas 77840-2811

Toll-free: (800) 392-3310

Phone: (979) 845-8161

Fax: (979) 845-3973

txamfoundation.com

[email protected]

txamfoundation.com/SpiritMagazine

facebook.com/TexasAMFoundation

youtube.com/AggieSpiritAndMind

twitter.com/TXAMFoundation

linkedin.com/company/texas-

a&m-foundation

fold o

n g

uid

e

✄cut a

long d

otted l

ine

Attn: M

arke

ting O

ffice

Texa

s A&M

Foundat

ion

1234 TAM

U

Colle

ge

Stat

ion T

X 7

7843-9

988

BUSIN

ESS R

EPLY

MAIL

FIR

ST-C

LASS P

ERM

IT N

O. 148 C

OLLEGE S

TATIO

N T

EXAS 7

7843

PO

STAG

E W

ILL B

E P

AID

BY A

DDRESSEE

NO P

OSTA

GE

NECESSARY IF

MAILED IN T

HE

UNIT

ED S

TATES

Living LaboratoryEnhances LearningA nature preserve located two milesfrom the Texas A&MUniversity campuswill act as a permanent, living classroomfor students in the College of Architec -ture and the College of Agriculture andLife Sciences, who will use the site fordesign and research projects.

The 7.43-acre David E. Schob Na -ture Preserve, located on Ashburn Ave -nue in the Eastgate subdivision inCollege Station, was a gift to the univers -ity from the late Schob, a Texas A&Mhistory professor who taught 26 yearsand died in 2007. The official transferof the land and site preparations de lay -ed its use until this year.

The land contains a swath of un -touched woods as well as the three-bed -room, two-bath residence Schob calledhome. The site also includes hiking trails,a drainage swale, two pergolas suitable

for small class gatherings and many plantand drought-resistant grass varieties.

Much of the site will remain unde-veloped to facilitate a variety of re searchand educational projects related to urbanplanning, landscape architecture andrec reation, park and tourism sciences.The two colleges will jointly op erate the

preserve with help from the $1.9mil lionendowed Dr. David E. Schob Fund.

Schob’s residence will also be of -fered at a subsidized rate to students inexchange for conducting and coordinat-ing research projects, contributing toedu cation programs and providing gen -eral oversight at the preserve.

The 7.43-acre David E. Schob Nature Preserve is a living laboratory and field classroom for stu-dents and faculty to advance research, creative work and scholarship.

Farewell to ZachryMore than 800 Aggies said goodbye to the Zachry Engi -neer ing Center at a tailgate last fall as Texas A&MUniversity broke ground for a new multimillion-dollarEngineering Education Complex.

Attendees left notes describing their favorite memoriesin the facility; took home pieces of aggregate from the45-year-old building; and signed an I-beam that will bedisplayed in the new facility.

When construction is completed in 2017, the complexwill be the largest academic building on campus. It will beused exclusively for undergraduate engineering education.

To support construction of the new EngineeringEducation Complex and the 25 by 25 Initiative, visitgive.am/TAMU25by25.

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U . S . P O S TA G E P A I D

TEXAS A&M

FOUNDATION

Requests & Comments: Spring 2015If you have a comment or question, call us at (800) 392-3310,email us at [email protected] or mail this postage-freeform. We encourage you to update your own contact informationonline at txamfoundation.com/update. Thank you!

first name last texas a&m class year

street address

city state zip code

home phone work phone mobile phone

email address

Check here if: New home addressNew business address

I have a comment/question:

Please change my Spirit print subscription to electronic.

Please contact me about making a gift to Texas A&M.

I’d like to know more about making an estate gift (trusts, life insurance, bequests, gift annuities).

I’d like to inform you of an existing estate gift.

I’d like to know more about supporting the following programs:

Other:

Contact the Texas A&M Foundation at:

401 George Bush DriveCollege Station, Texas 77840-2811(800) 392-3310 (979) 845-8161

[email protected]

Agriculture & Life SciencesArchitecture Bush School of GovernmentDwight Look/EngineeringEducation & HumanDevelopmentGeosciencesHealth Science Center Liberal ArtsMays Business SchoolScience

Veterinary MedicineCorps of CadetsStudent AffairsTAMU School of LawInternational Ocean Discovery ProgramMusic Activities CenterTAMU Coaching AcademyTAMU PressUniversity Art Galleries

✄cut a

long d

otted l

ine

✄ c u t a l o n g d o t t e d l i n e

401 GEORGE BUSH DR IVE

COLLEGE STAT ION

TEXAS 77 8 4 0 - 2 811

artfor ’ssake...the first story begins at a fall 2008tailgate, when charter members of the maroon...

Documents