A GlobAl PersPective

Wesleyan Students Enrich Education with International Studies

An Official Publication of Texas Wesleyan University Fall 2011

2 Local Educators and Students Collaborate for Summer Biological Diversity Research

4 Fersing Freshman Success Center Welcomes Students

6 Texas Wesleyan Fall 2011 Medal Awards

9 Jack and Jo Willa Morton Awarded Honorary Degrees

10 Alumnus Draws on Experience toTeach Students

10 Texas Wesleyan Earns U.S. News & World Report Ranking for Second Consecutive Year

11 Law Student Posts Highest Bar Exam Score

12 Alumna Discovers Passion for Horses

13 Affinity Groups Expand Horizons

14 La Dolce Vita: Sights, Tastes and Impressions of Italy

16 An (Uphill) Walk Through Beautiful Guatemala

18 Where East Meets West

20 Travel Tips — Slow Down, Relax, Discover!

22 The Story of Wesleyan’s Seal

23 classroom.NEXT Redefines Learning Space and Experience

23 The Big Read Coming to Fort Worth in 2012

24 Two Lifelong Music Educators Coordinate Musical Joy

25 Meet Your New Athletic Director

26 A Precise Game

29 Alumni News

30 In Memoriam

31 Remembering Gene Burge

32 Tribute Gift Recognition

32 Alumni Database Conversion News

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL 2011

School of Education faculty, staff and students traveled to Guatemala, where they visited schools and various sites, including the Tikal Pyramid, shown above. To read more about this journey, go to pages 16–17.

On the cover: Wesleyan students took learning to a global level with recent educational trips to Guatemala, Italy, Turkey and France. From top left, clockwise: liberal arts major Rachel Rowland enjoys the view in France (see pages 20–21); a bridge in France; Ed.D. students Pam Cooper, Conrad Herrera and Al Benskin learn about making pasta from Chef Christian in Italy (see pages 14–15); and the beautiful architecture of Turkey (see pages 18–19).

CALENDAR OF EVENTS | FALL 2011 | SPRING 2012

September

29–30 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedbyConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,7:30p.m.

30 President’s Council Kickoff;MartinHall,7:30p.m.

October

1 Women’s Soccer: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.

1 Men’s Soccer: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.1–2 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedby

ConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

3 Volleyball: Oklahoma City University;Ft.Worth,7p.m.

4 Volleyball: Southern Nazarene University;Ft.Worth,7p.m.

6–9 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedbyConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

14 Volleyball: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,7p.m.15 Volleyball: Our Lady of the Lake University;

Ft.Worth,1p.m.20 Women’s Soccer: Southwestern Assemblies of God

University;Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.20 Men’s Soccer: Southwestern Assemblies of God

University;Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.21 Alumni Medal Dinner;TheFortWorthClub,6p.m.22 Brick Dedication Ceremony;frontstepsofthe

EuniceandJamesL.WestLibrary,10a.m.22 Women’s Soccer: Huston-Tillotson University;

Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.22 Men’s Soccer: Huston-Tillotson University;

Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.

November

3 Business Hall of Fame honoring Paul Andrews;TheFortWorthClub,6p.m.

4 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country:RRACChampionships,AllDay

4 Volleyball: University of the Southwest (Senior Day);Ft.Worth,7p.m.

5 Volleyball: Bacone College (Parents Day);Ft.Worth,1p.m.

10–13 “The Laramie Project”byMoisesKaufman&membersofTectonicTheaterProjectdirectedbyJeremyJackson;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

17–20 “The Laramie Project”byMoisesKaufman&membersofTectonicTheaterProjectdirectedbyJeremyJackson;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

December

9 Robing Ceremony;MartinHall,11a.m.

January

26–27 Presidential Inauguration

February

4 Baseball: Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College;Ft.Worth,noon

5 Baseball: Lubbock Christian University;Ft.Worth,noon

9 Baseball: Tabor College;Ft.Worth,2p.m.10 Baseball: University of the Southwest;Ft.Worth,

1:30p.m.11 Baseball: University of the Southwest; Ft.Worth,

noon14 Baseball: University of Mary-Hardin Baylor;

Ft.Worth,noon23–26 “Charley’s Aunt”byBrandonThomasdirected

byJeanneEverton;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

25 Baseball: Dallas Christian College;Ft.Worth,noon

March

1–4 “Charley’s Aunt”byBrandonThomasdirectedbyJeanneEverton;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

2 Baseball: Southwestern Assemblies of God University;Ft.Worth,3p.m.

3 Baseball: Southwestern Assemblies of God University;Ft.Worth,noon

6 Men’s Golf: University of Texas at Dallas;Ft.Worth,2:30p.m.

14 Baseball: Texas Lutheran University;Ft.Worth,noon

16 Baseball: Texas College;Ft.Worth,4p.m.17 Baseball: Texas College;Ft.Worth,1p.m.20 Baseball: Tarleton State University;Ft.Worth,

4p.m.April

3 University College Day,AllDay5 Baseball: Northwood University;LaGraveField,

3p.m.10 Baseball: St. Edward’s University;LaGraveField,

3p.m.14 Baseball: University of Houston-Victoria;LaGrave

Field,1p.m.15 Baseball: University of Houston-Victoria;LaGrave

Field,noon19–22 “Cabaret”byJohnKander&FredEbb;Thad

SmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.For the full athletic schedule, go to ramsports.net.

PRESIDENTFrederick G. Slabach

EDITORLaura J. Hanna

CONTRIbuTINg WRITERSBruce BenzPeter ColleyTerri CummingsMarilyn DardenneLaura J. HannaMark HanshawTasha Hayton

DESIgN AND PHOTO EDITORLinda Beaupré

PHOTOgRAPHYDan BrothersPeter ColleyTerri CummingsMarilyn DardenneMark HanshawRalph Lauer

OFFICE OF ADvANCEmENT AND ALumNI RELATIONSTexas Wesleyan University 817.531.44041201 Wesleyan Street 817.531.7560 faxFort Worth, Texas 76105-1536 alumni@txwes.eduwww.txwes.edu

Wesleyan is an official publication of Texas Wesleyan University for alumni and friends. It is published semiannually in the fall and spring by the Wesleyan Office of Communications. The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the University.

ALumNI ASSOCIATION bOARD OF DIRECTORS2011-2012

Barry Baker ’84Mac Belmontes ’09 Daphne Brookins ’01Dennis Camp ’64Patsy Clifford ’55Karen Cole ’99 MBA ’04, vice presidentMartha Earngey ’77, secretaryPresley Hatcher ’74Larry Kitchens ’63, immediate past presidentDavid D. Martin MBA ’04, presidentCheryl McDonald ’87Gladys Moore ’73Sharon Roberson-Jones ’96Wanda Russell ’64, secretaryAmy Tate-Almy ’95Glen Tuggle ’85, treasurerJorge Vivar ’76Kathy Walker ’97

TExAS WESLEYAN STAFFJoan S. Canty, vice president for university advancementGina Phillips ’97, MSP ’07, director of development and alumni relationsDeAwna Wood ’05, assistant director of alumni relations

John M. Veilleux MBA ’04, vice president for marketing and communications Chuck Burton, assistant vice president for marketing and communicationsLaura J. Hanna, director of communications

John HenryJosh LacySandy Myers M.Ed. ’98Deborah RoarkLouis Sherwood ’89Darren White

Dear Alumni and Friends,

I am pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, Texas Wesleyan University is ranked in the #1 tier of regional universities

by U.S. News & World Report. This is an external validation of what we already know to be true — that our faculty and staff provide individualized attention that focuses on student success in their future professions.

Over the past seven months, I have met with hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members to further refine our University strategic plan. While still in development, the key concepts of values, student-focus, and the essential competencies of analytical reasoning and critical thinking to prepare our students for professional careers and graduate programs have all come to the fore.

We are also engaged in a Master Planning process. With city, county, state and federal governments nearing agreement on a multi-million-dollar renovation plan for Rosedale Street, we are looking at a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a major change in the perception of our neighborhood.

But, as we focus on academic plans and bricks and mortar, we should not slight the importance of our shared values. My faith tradition teaches that the purpose of life is to learn, to love, and to serve. I believe Texas Wesleyan has been and should continue to be the embodiment of those values. We show our love of our students by serving them in a values-centered learning community.

I ask all of the Wesleyan community to join me in reaffirming our commitment to creating a safe and caring, as well as rigorous, learning environment for our students.

Sincerely,

Frederick G. Slabach

Ex-OFFICIO mEmbERS Dr. Carl G. Schrader, Jr.

EmERITuS mEmbERS E. Frank Leach ’53

Carlos MartinezTwyla MirandaTom PenningtonDeborah RoarkDarren White

www.txwes.edu2 

The biology department at Texas Wesleyan University offers graduate training in education through support from the Teacher Quality Grants Program at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In collaboration with personnel from the Fort Worth Zoo and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Wesleyan has offered this training program since 2005. Study of

the monarch butterfly has taken researchers to Mexico and participants in the program continue to tag and monitor monarch populations. Our newest endeavors literally branch out locally.

Fingerprinting Biological diversity The hot summer of 2011 has been uncomfortable for conducting fieldwork. The two previous summers involved fieldwork in two local natural areas, Tandy Hills Prairie in east Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Independent School District’s Outdoor Learning Center (OLC), located south of Boyd on Eagle Mountain Lake. The forests and prairies in these two protected natural areas are representative of native and natural Western Cross Timbers and Prairies vegetation occurring west of Fort Worth. Postponing the fieldwork until autumnal climes reduce water loss, high school teachers spent this past summer in the lab extracting and amplifying DNA to fingerprint individual trees in the OLC. Our program involves public and private educators and simultaneously brings novel technologies

and learning opportunities into the K-12 classroom, performs much needed research on regional biological diversity, provides paid laboratory training for Wesleyan undergraduates, and subsidizes graduate training for in-service teachers.

Texas Wesleyan University’s M.Ed. program offers a concentration in science. These courses, offered by the biology department, satisfy the graduate content area requirement through the Teacher Quality Grants Program, which receives support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through federal allocation from No Child Left Behind. Teachers who enroll receive a yearly scholarship that pays tuition for two graduate courses, per diem, a summer stipend, and equipment for the Teacher Quality Grants Program in Ecology and Environmental Science.

enter the Biological research institute oF texas The State of Texas harbors more than 5000 species of plants. The state’s flora has been widely studied by specialists such as those at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Teacher Quality participants were initially trained how to recognize plant species belonging to the most common families of plants in North Central Texas including the Asteraceae (Sunflower Family), Fabaceae (Legume Family), and Poaceae (Grass Family). With the assistance of Amanda Neill, Tiana Franklin Rehman and Brooke Byerley from BRIT, they made and

Local Educators and Students Collaborate

for Summer Biological Diversity

ResearchBy Bruce Benz, Ph.D.

Teacher Quality participants assembled at Tandy Hills Prairie in June 2009 to undertake their first

plant collecting trip. Herbarium vouchers are deposited at BRIT.

Pictured are Amanda Neill, Tiana Franklin Rehman, Hao Tran,

Lisa Hatzky, Kyle Catt, J. Nile Fischer and Brooke Byerley.

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) in fruit at the OLC.

Fall 2011 3 

labeled collections from Tandy Hills Prairie and the Fort Worth ISD’s OLC. At the same time, they acquired and learned to use data loggers that continuously record temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, sound and light. These data loggers are deployed in the FWISD OLC in and near the permanent forest plot established in 2010. BRIT collaborates on this project as a clearinghouse for plant information about North Central Texas plants. Teachers take their visit to the BRIT herbarium and their own first-time collecting history into their own classrooms with taxonomic exercises.

hands-on experience and a state presentation One of the Asteraceae that garnered attention of the teachers is White Rosinweed (Silphium albiflorum). Collected and photographed by teachers in Tandy Hills, they discovered that White Rosinweed is a Texas endemic (has a narrow geographic range restricted to the north central part of the state). Endemic species are notorious for being extinction-prone. This is due to their small population sizes that have unique and narrow habitat requirements. White Rosinweed’s rarity was the focus of fieldwork in the fall of the first year. Demographic study of the populations in Tandy Hills shows that less than 5 percent are reproducing effectively to maintain the population. Teachers presented this work at the 2010 Texas Wild Plant Conservation Conference at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Teachers gained experience modeling population dynamics and estimating population viability.

our work leads to Better understanding During the 2010 summer and academic term sessions, teachers mapped and measured 143 trees (> 3 cm diameter) occurring in 1000 m2 of lakeside forests of Eagle Mountain Lake. Fifteen species of trees

and two lianas comprise the sample. The next step is to genetically fingerprint each of the trees.

Fingerprinting uses chloroplast barcode sequences — a gene or usually an intergenic region shared by a large

number of related species that is taxonomically informative. Initial sequences suggest that many of the species occurring in these tracts of forest are novel, not previously fingerprinted. Teachers contribute to our understanding of Texas biological diversity and should provide a stepping-off point for future plans to barcode the Texas flora.

Our intention is to use these forest plots to monitor biological diversity in the Trinity River watershed. Continued study of the understory will provide a glimpse at recruitment of the tree species in the context of future meteorological and urban change. The result of the constant and continual monitoring is posted on the FWISD OLC website guaranteeing widespread access and classroom use.

Numerous individuals contribute and/or participate in this program. Teachers from the FWISD are the primary recipients, though participants from Eagle Mountain, Saginaw, White Settlement and Everman have also taken equipment, data and support from our program back to their classrooms.

Kyle Catt of Paschal High School carefully removes a female monarch butterfly for tagging. After being captured and tagged at the Historic Campus of Texas Wesleyan University, this insect will make its way to the highlands of central Mexico where it will overwinter.

Pat Averitte ’84 is ready to write aluminum tags for trees in the

OLC permanent forest plot.

Yolanda Thomas records species name and tree diameter at the OLC permanent forest plot.

White Rosinweed (Silphium albiflorum) at Tandy Hills Prairie.

www.txwes.edu4 

Texas Wesleyan trustee Jan Fersing’s landmark birthdays are commemorated by his wife with . . . well, landmarks.“Every five years, I do something that tells everybody how old

he is and commemorates his birthday,” said his wife, Dr. Kelly Flynn.

“It’s always something that shows recognition for what he does and enjoys.”

Ten years ago, Dr. Flynn paid for a path to connect the street with the bike path in the Tanglewood neighborhood and dedicated a plaque inscribed with words acknowledging Fersing’s 65th birthday.

At 70, University Christian Church was the beneficiary of a bench in the church garden.

“He goes to that church, so it’s nice to do something for the church.”

For No. 75, Flynn used the birthday to laud her husband’s devotion to Texas Wesleyan.

“Wesleyan was logical because he does so much for the University,” said Flynn of her husband, who will be recognized by Texas Wesleyan in October as an honorary alumnus for his years of service to the school.

And so in July, about 250 guests gathered for a surprise birthday celebration. Fersing learned of the event an hour or so earlier, and was expecting to be met by family and friends. The fact that he would also be cutting the ribbon of the new Fersing Freshman Success Center, however, was a complete surprise.

In fact, an hour later, when he was presented with a commemorative plaque by President Frederick G. Slabach, Fersing was still in blissful shock. His wife had succeeded in surprising him to the point that his brief comments ended with “I’m speechless.”

The new Fersing Freshman Success Center is the main classroom where all Wesleyan first semester students attend College Success class, which helps new students adjust to

college life. The class is designed to ease the transition and introduce needed skills, thereby giving students the confidence they need to continue through graduation.

This key classroom, the Fersing Freshman Success Center, was made possible by Flynn’s donation to the school in honor of her husband’s birthday. “It was a total shock and surprise,” Flynn said of Fersing’s reaction to the gift.

The birthday celebration then moved to Lou’s Place on campus for traditional birthday fare to celebrate a life that continues to be well lived. Fersing, a retired business owner, earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell and an MBA from Harvard.

In addition to Flynn’s major donation, members of Wesleyan’s administration, faculty and staff, as well as many of Fersing’s friends, made donations to cover the $16,000 project.

Flynn said she was motivated to do something that would benefit the quality of campus life for students.

“Jan spends so much time with students,” Flynn said. “So [university officials] thought it would be a good idea to do something connected to the students.”

The designer of the new center was Joe Brown, dean of freshmen success and professor of theatre and communication. He had originally planned to only replace the seating.

That changed, though, when he found ways to stretch the donation further than the original blueprints.

The renovation took about three weeks.When freshmen arrived in August for the fall semester, they

found a refurbished room designed to enhance their chances of university success.

Improvements include new technology, new paint (The school’s blue and gold, by the way, are the national colors of Jan Fersing’s ancestral home, Sweden.), new chairs that roll and swivel to improve interactive learning, and all new carpet, walls, ceilings and track lighting.

Fersing Freshman Success Center Welcomes Students

By John Henry

Fall 2011 5 

Class subjects range from time management and budgeting to study skills, and from selecting a major to improving communication skills.

“I think it’s good that [Dr. Flynn’s] not only giving her husband his birthday present, but she’s actually giving us a better environment to learn and get a great freshman experience,” said Salvador Alcala, a sophomore who took the class last year.

Alcala added that the improvements will allow his freshman colleagues to work better in groups and to work on projects.

The room is also available for meetings.

“I had the luxury of total freedom to design due to Kelly’s generosity,” Brown said.

“Wesleyan staff and professors are driven and motivated. They need to be encouraged and rewarded to reinforce the tremendous difference they make in the lives of students,” Fersing said.

A path, a bench and a classroom.What might be next for 80? Have you thought about it, Dr. Flynn?

“Not really,” Flynn said. “Something will come up, I’m sure, but I don’t know what it’ll be.”

Trustee Jan Fersing officially

cutting the ribbon at the

grand opening.

Jan spends so much time with students. So [university officials] thought it would be a good idea to do something connected to the students. — Dr. Kelly Flynn

Preparing the room was a labor of love . . . of

students. At right, Dean Joe Brown.

www.txwes.edu6 

The Texas Wesleyan University Alumni Association announces the Medal Award recipients for 2011.

Texas Wesleyan Fall 2011 Medal Awards

Alumni of the Year AwardDr. Victor Test ’86 Awarded to an outstanding alumnus or alumna whose service and loyalty to the University, community involvement and personal accomplishments merit the honor.

Dr. Victor Test went to Texas Wesleyan on a tennis scholarship and intended to major

in history. Growing up in Abilene, Test said, he was not a bad high school student, but he didn’t become a great student until he started at Wesleyan.

One of Test’s college friends wanted to be a doctor, and he planted the idea in Test’s mind. Test graduated from Wesleyan in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and composite secondary science education. He took off a year after graduating to teach disadvantaged children before enrolling in the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio. He graduated 24th in his class in 1991.

Test initially planned to be a urologist but switched to surgical. He completed his surgical residency at University of Kansas Medical Center in 1993. He then went on to an internship and internal medicine residency at Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, which is a part of Texas A&M University. He completed his residency in 1996.

Test’s specialty — or “super-specialty” as he calls it — is pulmonary hypertension, a relatively rare disease. He is focused on academic medicine and has taught at the University of California at San Diego, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, and is currently chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. He is helping to launch the medical school there.

He worked with pre-med students in the Pre-Professional Program at Texas Wesleyan while he still lived in Texas. He is also endowing a scholarship through the program. Test said he owes his career path to Texas Wesleyan, because it’s where he evolved into a better student. “I’m not sure I could have done that at any university,” he said.

Distinguished Alumni AwardGeorge Grammer ’47Awarded to a Texas Wesleyan graduate whose achievements have distinguished him or her in a broad (national or international) sense.

George Grammer has spent more than 60 years as a successful artist. He attended Paschal High School before moving to Texas

Wesleyan, where he studied under Kelly Fearing. He graduated in 1947.

Along with Fearing, Grammer was the youngest member of the Fort Worth Circle Artists, a group of 11 creative forces who explored

modernism during the 1940s. He exhibited his work during that time in Fort Worth and taught at the Fort Worth Children’s Museum.

Grammer received a scholarship to an art school at San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. After that, he moved to New York City on a one-year scholarship to study with the Art Students League. He planned to return home after the year ended, but he married his best friend from Paschal, June Amos, also an artist, in 1954. Amos was a top fashion illustrator and later designed collectors’ dolls.

They remained in New York City but went on the weekends and summers to rural New Jersey where they had converted a small church into a studio. Grammer and Amos were married for 40 years.

Grammer’s work was featured in “Exhibiting Intimate Modernism: Fort Worth Circle Artists in the 1940s” in 2008. His art was also displayed in “Looking for the Lone Star: Early Texas Art from Private Fort Worth Collections” in July at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. He is also exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art, which is among the top leading art institutions in the country.

Wesleyan Flame AwardDr. Bobby Deaton Presented to a current faculty or staff member whose commitment and dedication to the University and its students exemplify the Wesleyan mission and traditions.

Dr. Bobby Deaton has had the same office he selected in the Ella C. McFadden Science

Center at Texas Wesleyan for the past 44 years. During his tenure at Wesleyan, the physics professor has seen the science department grow, taught countless students — including Alumni of the Year Victor Test — and gone back to school for a second master’s degree in geology.

Deaton earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1957 and his master’s degree in physics in 1959 at Baylor University. He finished his doctorate in physics at the University of Texas at Austin in 1962. He worked as a scientist at General Dynamics in Fort Worth for six years before becoming a professor at Texas Wesleyan in 1967.

At 40, Deaton turned his fossil and mineral collecting hobby into another teaching emphasis when he went to the University of Texas at Arlington for his master’s degree in geology after his students asked him to teach a geology course. He now teaches one each semester.

During his tenure at Wesleyan, Deaton has remained focused on some of the school’s top students. He is the chair of the Pre-Professional Program. He is also the primary faculty sponsor of Alpha Chi, the most prestigious honor society on campus, which only accepts the top 1 or 2 percent of Wesleyan students. All Alpha Chi students must have at least a 3.75 GPA.

Deaton says his tests are legendary. He takes pride in offering some of the more challenging courses at Wesleyan. But Deaton also

Fall 2011

challenges himself. He still plays tennis regularly, and his house is also home to a triceratops fossil he spent several summers digging up in the North Dakota Badlands in the late ’90s. He is currently working on piecing together the dinosaur skull, which will likely end up weighing 1,000 pounds.

Honorary Alumni AwardJan FersingAwarded to a non-alumnus whose contributions to students, alumni and the life of the University merit special recognition.

Anyone who talks to Jan Fersing is likely to think he went to Texas Wesleyan. He can go on about the school for hours — he loves

it and thinks Fort Worth is lucky to have Wesleyan. He is serving his second term on the Board of Trustees and serves on several committees, including the finance committee. He also donates to the school.

Fersing has been involved on the Board of Visitors committee and has endowed a scholarship. He attends basketball games, musical events and plays. He spends as much time as he can on campus meeting faculty and students. He says he has the time to give back to the school after retiring in 2005, when he sold his manufacturing company.

Fersing grew up in Vermont and attended Cornell University, where he graduated in 1958 with an engineering degree. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years before beginning work at IBM. During that time, he noticed the people who moved ahead in the company had second degrees. So he applied to the business schools at Cornell and Harvard University. He graduated with an MBA from Harvard in 1964.

Despite his Ivy League education, or maybe even because of it, he prefers to give his time to Wesleyan, a school none of his four children attended. He credits his favorite Harvard professor with suggesting that everyone should spend at least 30 percent of their lives in public service. Though he makes occasional visits to Harvard, Fersing said he prefers to donate to Wesleyan.

“The money I give to Wesleyan wouldn’t even create a ripple in the Harvard pond, so it doesn’t mean anything,” Fersing said. “Here, I can see not only my funds at work, but I can see myself at work. I can make a difference.”

Despite his spending two years at Harvard and performing well academically, the faculty members didn’t know him. He was just one of 90 people on a seating chart. But when he visits Wesleyan, he said, he can see that isn’t the case. He often sees professors and students chatting together as they walk across campus.

Wesleyan Service AwardDennis Camp ’64Awarded to a Texas Wesleyan graduate whose service to the University and its alumni has contributed specifically to the success of the Alumni Association and its programs.

Col. Dennis Camp was a U.S. Army chaplain for 27 years before retiring from active duty

in 1996. His last role was the director of personnel and ecclesiastical relations in the U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains Office at the Pentagon. Camp had two assignments in Korea, one in Panama, and one in Germany during his time in the Army.

Camp also served as the division chaplain for the First Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood during the Persian Gulf War. He received a Bronze Star for his service during that time. Before his years of service to his country, Camp started out as an English major and history minor at Texas Wesleyan, where he graduated in 1964. He also received his teacher certification in secondary education from the school.

He attended graduate school at Southern Methodist University, where he received a master’s degree in divinity in 1967. Camp then taught high school and coached girls’ sports for two years in Whitney. He also worked as a pastor before going into active duty for the Army in 1974.

During his service, he continued his military education at the Chaplain Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms & Services Staff School, Armed Forces Staff College, and the resident course of the U.S. Army War College, where he completed master’s level work in national defense.

After retiring from active duty, he worked as a chaplain for a Methodist hospital in San Antonio for eight years before retiring to his cattle ranch in central Texas. Retirement didn’t end his service. Camp serves on the alumni board, has led a successful fundraising campaign for a Ram mascot costume in 2009 (he was a cheerleader at Wesleyan), served as the reunion committee chair, and donated a custom-built flatbed trailer for Wesleyan parades and events.

Though he lives two hours away from Wesleyan, he visits as much as he can, because he wants to give back to the school that he views as “foundational for everything I was asked to do in my career.”

Please Join Us for the Donor Brick Walkway

andCornerstone Garden

DedicationsSaturday, October 22, 2011

10:00 a.m.In Front of the Eunice and James L. West Library

www.txwes.edu8 

Young Alumni Achievement AwardBrooke McNabb ’08 Awarded to an alumnus or alumna within 10 years of graduation to recognize outstanding personal or professional achievement.

Brooke McNabb loves softball. She also loves science. While attending Texas Wesleyan University, McNabb played on the softball

team but planned on being a scientist in a lab somewhere after graduation.

That was until she decided to marry her two loves by becoming a teacher and a coach.

McNabb graduated from Wesleyan in 2008 with a major in chemistry and a minor in scuba diving. She now teaches pre-AP and AP chemistry and coaches softball and basketball at Brewer High School in White Settlement ISD. In 2009, she was credited with increasing the science scores at Brewer.

McNabb wasn’t finished with Wesleyan when she graduated. She is now working on her master’s degree in the graduate counseling program at Wesleyan. “After two years of teaching, I really fell in love with getting to know the kids,” McNabb said.

That new interest is what she says led her to go back to school for a master’s degree in counseling. She plans to graduate in May 2012. And after graduation, she hopes to move into a counseling position at a high school. Eventually, she would like to open her own practice and help students with behavior problems or assist with career planning.

In the meantime, McNabb is expanding her way of thinking. “Science is straight and to the point. With counseling — it’s a challenge. I’m making myself a more rounded person,” she said.

O.D. Bounds AwardCoach Tommy Elliott ’76 Presented to an alumnus or alumna involved in athletics who exemplifies the work, character and contributions made by the late O.D. Bounds, Jr., BS ’41, a beloved Texas Wesleyan faculty member, coach, volunteer and friend.

Tommy Elliott always knew he would go to college, but when he started attending Texas Wesleyan in 1972 on a baseball scholarship, he hadn’t ever given much thought to what he would do after college.

Elliott didn’t have to decide the direction of his career until his junior year at Wesleyan, when a school counselor called him and asked which major he wanted to declare. Elliott, claiming he’s not much of a math and science person, decided to major in English and minor in physical education.

After graduating from Wesleyan in 1976, Elliott taught for one year at Riverside Middle School before becoming the junior varsity baseball coach at Carter-Riverside High School, where he taught for two years. He moved into his first head coaching gig at Diamond Hill High School, but he found his home at Arlington Heights High School in 1982.

He has now been an English teacher and the head baseball coach at Arlington Heights for 30 years. In those years he has overseen 500 victories, qualified for the state tournament twice, and led his team to win the state championship in 1996. In 2009, he was named the Co-Coach of the Year for District 7-4A.

He feels established at Arlington Heights, and he believes that during his tenure at Heights he has developed a consistent persona as a coach and teacher. “Having been here for 30 years, I’m teaching kids of kids that I had,” Elliott said. “I’m working on second generations.”

He and his wife, Marjorie, have two daughters. Katie, 28, graduated from Southern Methodist University with a law degree, and Kayla, 26, graduated from Texas Christian University and teaches first grade in Aledo ISD.

The Texas Wesleyan UniversiTy alUmni associaTion

cordially inviTes yoU To aTTend The medal dinner aWards ceremony

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Fort Worth Club

306 West 7th Street

6 p.m. Cash Bar — 12th Floor Bistro

7 p.m. Dinner — Top of the Town

Tickets are $60 each and seating is limited.For more information, please call 817.531.4404.

Fall 2011

Jack Morton receives an honorary doctorate from

President Frederick G. Slabach during the May

commencement ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Flash Photography)

Jack Morton and his wife, Jo Willa, were

given honorary degrees in appreciation

of all they have done for the University.

In 2007, the Texas Wesleyan Alumni

Association honored Jack and Jo Willa

Morton as Alumni of the Year.

Jack and Jo Willa Morton met as students at Texas Wesleyan College. Jack grew up in the Polytechnic neighborhood and attended Poly High School and always knew that he wanted to attend Texas Wesleyan. Jack was a business student who also took Civilian Pilot Training courses. Jo Willa, named a “Sophomore Favorite,” studied home economics and physical education. They were both active in student life and academics. Jack and Jo Willa married in 1942 after leaving the University.

Jack and Jo Willa Morton Awarded Honorary Degrees

The Mortons have given generously throughout the years to their alma mater. Their many gifts include:

■ $1.3 million gift for the $3 million Jack and Jo Willa Morton Fitness Center, which opened in November 2010.

■ $1 million to fund the Jack L. and Jo Willa Morton Scholarship Endowment for Christian Ministries, which will provide scholarships for students who plan to enter the field of Christian ministry.

■ $35,000 toward the renovation of the Polytechnic United Methodist Church, which now houses faculty offices on the second and third floors.

9 

www.txwes.edu10 

In his part-time role as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business, Texas Wesleyan alum Brandon Weaver’s most important lesson to his students might well be how he has dealt with

change.Weaver earned a BBA/MBA at Wesleyan in

2000, but decided he didn’t want to be a public accountant. So he veered and went to law school, graduating from St. Mary’s in 2003.

Now, after working at a small firm in Bedford, Weaver has decided to strike out on his own and open a practice with offices in Euless and Johnson County.

He makes changes by following his own advice. Always be prepared.

And, he says, his students should follow suit, especially in an era when finding a job is as easy as finding gold.

“Jobs are tough to find,” Weaver said. “Decide what you want to do, make sure it’s what you want to do, and be ready to jump in all the way.

“Make yourself as prepared as possible. You don’t want to be a mediocre job candidate in any profession. You’re going to be competing with a lot of people for few jobs.”

Weaver said he and his wife’s practice will focus on a little of everything, from family law to commercial litigation to criminal defense to some personal injury.

Like many undergraduate students, Weaver didn’t know in what profession he would land. At one time, he even considered trying to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force.

He giggles at the notion now.“At the time I didn’t really know what I was going

to do,” Weaver said. “I thought about that and probably a lot of other things, too.”

“He was outstanding,” said Dr. Hector Quintanilla, the dean of the business school who mentored Weaver as an undergraduate. “He was very accomplished in my opinion in the sense that he was always diligent about his work.

“He always had a plan for himself as to what he was going to do post-graduation.”

Turns out he had a few things in mind, including giving a little back to the University as

a faculty member. It’s a role, Weaver said, that “he really enjoys.”

“The students love him,” Quintanilla said. “They really feel his style as a teacher is exactly the kind of experience they want to have.

“He uses practical examples taken from his years in practice to make the textbook relevant.”

Alumnus Draws on Experience to Teach StudentsBy John Henry

Taking Excellence to a New Degree. Year After Year.

For 2012, U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Texas Wesleyan

University in the #1 tier of regional universities in the West.

View President Slabach’s remarks at http://goo.gl/9A7tW.

Congratulations to the entire Wesleyan community!

“The students love him.

They really feel his style as a teacher

is exactly the kind of experience they want to

have.”

—Dr. Hector Quintanilla

11 

A fter spending 10 years working in a science lab, Daniel Denton decided to ditch his

career in pharmaceutical research and head into the courtroom.

The gamble paid off. He earned the highest score on the February 2011 Texas Bar Examination — a feat the former chemist hadn’t expected to accomplish.

“When I walked out [of the exam], I wasn’t sure how well I did,” he said.

The highest possible score is 1,000, and 675 is passing.

“I got an 855, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s not that bad. That’s right in the middle,’” Denton said.

He didn’t realize the “not bad” score was actually the best score of the February test takers when a Texas Supreme Court Justice called to congratulate him.

The accomplishment isn’t just notable for Denton. He is the first Texas Wesleyan School of Law graduate to earn the top score.

“The Texas Wesleyan School of Law community is proud of all our February bar passers. We are especially proud, however, of the achievements of Daniel Denton,” Frederic White, dean of Texas Wesleyan School of Law, wrote after learning of Denton’s score. “Obtaining the highest score in the state against 1,149 other test takers is quite an extraordinary achievement.”

It was an achievement Denton says he deserves. “I worked really hard in school, and I worked

really hard on the bar exam,” he said. He was well prepared for the multiple choice

portion of the exam because of his law school classes. Denton spent most of his time leading up to the bar exam studying Texas law, because he didn’t take that class at Wesleyan.

Denton also believes his life experience helped him perform well in law school and on the bar exam. The 35-year-old was a chemistry major in college and worked 10 years in the field before deciding to change careers.

“I was kind of burnt out on lab work and doing chemistry,” he said.

Law just happened to be the course of study that caught Denton’s eye.

“I didn’t really have that much experience with law besides Law & Order on television, but it attracted me for some reason,” he said. “I needed something that was going to be a challenge.”

He started studying for the LSAT and filling out his applications in 2006. Denton started attending Wesleyan part time in 2007. It was nearly two years before he quit his job as a chemist to focus solely on law. He graduated in December 2010.

During the summer of 2009, Denton worked part time at a law office in Dallas. That practical experience led him to open his own general practice law office in June.

He focuses most of his legal work on small businesses and estate planning, but he doesn’t want to be tied down to one area of law.

“I actually prefer doing a variety of things as long as I can get them done and do them well,” Denton said. “I’m kind of in the ‘see where it takes me’ mode.”

To build up business, Denton is taking pro bono work from the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. He’s also received attention from other attorneys because of earning the best score on the bar exam. “They are really impressed with that,” he said.

Now that he has passed the bar with flying colors and finished school, Denton says he is ready to focus more of his attention on family time and enjoys the flexibility of running his own practice.

He tries to spend as much time visiting with his two daughters who live in Austin.

And though it took him a while to realize how well he did on the bar exam, his wife never doubted him.

“She was much more confident that I would get a high result than I was.”

Law Student Posts Highest Bar Exam Score

By Tasha Hayton

L–R: President Frederick G. Slabach, Daniel Denton and Dean Frederic White. Photo by Dan Brothers.

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12 

To get to Paradise, head west until the roads drop down from six lanes to four, to two, until finally, if two sizeable trucks approach from each direction, one must

wait for the other to pass before moving along the road. Sadie Warren Garrett ’50 has lived in Paradise — halfway

between Bridgeport and Highway 51 — for four decades. The nearly 40 acres that unfold behind her house are dry and brown, like a lot of the state in the summer of 2011, but not even the drought can stifle their grandness.

Garrett, 81, knows the land well. She does not sit inside much, except for summer days when the heat is unbearable. Much of the time she is outside working with her horses. She rides them to prepare for the timed events she competes in regularly, and she helps friends who would like to ride. “If anybody would have told me 40 years ago,” Garrett said, “that I would be riding a horse now, I would have said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’”

Garrett participates actively in two riding associations, the National Association of Riding Clubs & Sheriff Posses and the American Association of Sheriff Posses and Riding Clubs. She competes in “playdays,” which are horse shows with timed events like barrel racing, flag races, and pole bending, where a horse runs through a pattern of poles. She says she stays competitive and loves what she does.

Oftentimes people who ride horses are born into it. Their grandfather worked a ranch; their father grew up riding; they learned to ride a horse not long after they began walking. “I never rode horses as a kid,” Garrett said. “That’s what is so silly about this thing.”

In fact, she was more than 40 years old when she started riding. Sadie and her husband, Paul, retired to Paradise in 1979. They both got what they wanted there: Paul got a workshop, Sadie got an arena. Paul died in 1990. She wears her wedding rings around her neck.

She met Paul when she was working in the education/finance field in Oklahoma City and the two married in their 30s. The couple moved back to North Texas and raised two children: Kevin, 50, and Sara, 44, and it was her children’s interest in horses that first sparked Sadie’s interest. It was her first experience with riding clubs.

Garrett grew up in the country in Meridian, Texas, but she didn’t grow up riding horses. Her father was a bricklayer — her family was, for generations, in construction. She went to a small school with the same classmates for many years.

Garrett’s years at Wesleyan were different than what the school is like today. The faculty lived on campus. All the classes were in one building. Residence halls had a house mother. Her old residence hall — Ann Waggoner — is long gone. “I can just see it all,” she said. “It was so fun.”

After she graduated from Wesleyan, she began teaching in Smithville, and later in Grapevine. In Smithville, she had a row of fourth graders and a row of fifth graders. She was an active teacher — starting basketball teams, playing with the kids during recess.

Now, her calendar is filled, nearly every weekend, with things to do — many of them horse-related, and she says she’s as happy as she’s always been. “I guess I’ve always just seen that glass as half full.”

A lumna D i s cove r s Pass ion

f o r Ho r sesBy Darren White

13 

W hen the topic is Texas Wesleyan, the eyes of Darrell Adkerson ’80 and Perry Cockerell ’78 bloom, much like, coincidentally, the liberated

buds of spring in 1978.A harsh winter of snow and ice kept Cowtown

under the covers for more than its fair share of December, January and February.

Come April, though, the temperature rose to unseasonal heights around these parts because of an episode hereafter known as the Rhubarb on Rosedale (with rhubarb meaning “heated dispute”).

Truly, A legAl upbringingAdkerson, then a sophomore political science student, was running for chief justice of the Student Government Association. Cockerell, then a chemistry senior and outgoing student body president, was running his new friend’s campaign.

Adkerson appeared to be the winner after a 29-vote victory. However, his opponent filed a protest alleging improprieties by an election booth supervisor.

An adjunct election committee overturned the election.“I was shocked,” said Adkerson, now an attorney and director of

Adkerson Hauder & Bezney in Dallas. “They just had a vote. I didn’t get to say a word, and they overturned

the election without hearing any evidence from me whatsoever.”Cockerell advised his friend to appeal to the College Appeals Board.“I said, ‘Let’s do it. At least we’ll get a fair hearing,’” Adkerson said.Rest assured, Adkerson’s and Cockerell’s next campaign at Texas

Wesleyan won’t create quite the fuss.

TeAMing up AgAin TO SpeArHeAD A neW ViSiOnThe two college politicos are teaming up again, bringing more than 30 years of networks and know-how to help University President Frederick G. Slabach marshal through his vision of affinity groups for alumni interested in various professions and professional graduate programs.

Though Slabach’s vision will be new to Wesleyan, colleges and universities around the country have used the networking tool to great success in engaging alumni, who are able to remain engaged in the life of the university while mentoring students through a variety of programs.

Slabach said the idea was the brainchild of brainstorming groups with faculty, staff, students and alumni in the early months of his administration in January and February.

One common theme that emerged “loud and clear,” Slabach said, was Wesleyan’s established reputation for providing the type of undergraduate education that students need to go on to graduate-professional schools.

“We really want to make that a focus,” Slabach said. “Texas Wesleyan is a place where motivated students can come to prepare for professional careers and graduate professional schools.

“We started thinking, ‘Well, what resources do we need to make sure we continue to excel in that area? One of our natural resources that we have is our alumni.’”

The goal is to eventually create multiple affinity groups, including law, medicine, ministry, entrepreneurs, fine arts and others.

A HiSTOry OF leADerSHipAdkerson and Cockerell, an attorney with Cantey Hanger in Dallas who specializes in commercial litigation, real estate and bankruptcy appellate work, are spearheading the effort and will continue leading the law group.

The two are well qualified as professionals and share a lifelong love affair with Texas Wesleyan, where the Fort Worth natives lived the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s words:

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

“Wesleyan provided a place where I could have that opportunity to try to be a leader and actually become one,” Adkerson said.

Both were very active here. In addition to their activities in student

government, Adkerson was a resident assistant in his dormitory, a lifeguard at the pool, and a member of the Wesleyan Singers.

Cockerell was on The Rambler newspaper staff and both were active in Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity,

where Adkerson followed Cockerell after the disputed election.“Wesleyan provided a place where I could become more involved

in different facets of receiving a well-balanced education through not only academic study and organizations, but also through service organizations and business organizations and fraternity atmosphere and student government,” Adkerson said.

“I was into everything. I couldn’t have done that at a bigger school.”Adkerson’s path to Texas Wesleyan was through Eastern Hills

High School, where he graduated in 1976. Texas Wesleyan is a family tradition for Cockerell. His four brothers and sisters all journeyed from across town at Paschal to attend Wesleyan.

The Cockerells’ father, too, was a Ram. And their mother worked as a nurse at the University. One of Perry Cockerell’s three sons is pursuing a graduate degree at Wesleyan.

Both Adkerson and Cockerell attended Texas Tech law school. They even roomed together for a year.

“They’re great alumni,” Slabach said. “They’ve been involved in many, many ways over the years.

“So, when we were thinking about trying to formally organize these types of affinity groups we immediately thought of them as people who were already engaged and able to help us reach out and organize others.”

nOW, THe SHAring OF eXperienCe beginSAs mentors for law school and pre-law students, both will bring a treasure trove of professional experiences.

Before opening his firm in 1995, Adkerson gained court experience as a prosecutor in the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.

There are a lot of cases that “stick out in your mind,” Cockerell said. But one . . .

“I had just joined the firm [as a young lawyer] and was given a case that didn’t look like a very good case at all. A real loser.

“And it wasn’t a significant case in terms of how much was at stake, but it turned out to be an important case. It went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court.”

Cockerell argued that case before the Texas Supreme Court and won. As an adjunct professor at Wesleyan’s law school, Cockerell taught that case to students.

The two will also no doubt relate how they became friends in the spring of 1978. They won that appeal, too, by the way.

Adkerson won his seat as chief justice.“The relationship with your undergraduate college never ends,”

Cockerell said. “That’s the way it should be. This is a way to continue that effort.

“I think people need to know that.”The Law Affinity Group will launch Nov. 10 at The City Club in

Dallas. For more information, contact Gina Phillips at 817-531-4220, or gphillips@txwes.edu.

Affinity groups expand

HorizonsBy John Henry

If you are a lawyer, contact the alumni office at 817-531-4404 to keep updated on this affinity group.

www.txwes.edu14 

Ten days in Italy are not enough to truly savor every morsel of Italian culture, but 14 students in the doctoral education program — along with their faithful leader, Dr. Twyla Miranda — did their best to sample the tastes, sights and ideas of the country

during a study abroad trip this summer. The group, which were members of a Fort Worth Sister City delegation, visited three

distinct communities in Italy, including Fort Worth’s first sister city, Reggio Emilia.

First stop, romeArchitecture draws visitors to the heart of Rome, which is home to ancient ruins, majestic palaces, magnificent churches and distinguished museums. Art history abounds in Michelangelo’s Moses, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon.

Exploring ancient Rome thoroughly would take much more than a week, so, with only a day-and-a-half, we had to make a mad dash to take in all that we could. A guided walking tour helped us gain our bearings and learn a bit of history about the Coliseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

A highlight for some of us was attending Mass at the Vatican. We were surrounded by centuries’ worth of artistic treasure and people from all over the world coming together to share a common faith.

on to reggio emiliaThe focus of the trip was to study the Reggio Emilia Approach to education developed by Loris Malaguzzi following World War II. Malaguzzi believed that children were a powerful social force. To date, the Reggio Emilia schools do not study or follow the progress of their children into upper grades; they consider the progress of early childhood to be an end in itself. Teachers put a high priority on documenting the time they spend with children and

La Dolce Vita By DeBorah roark anD Marilyn DarDenne

and Impressions of Italy

Fall 2011 15 

reflecting on how they might better guide their learning next time they are together.

The Reggio Approach is a community-based model recognized around the world as an innovative design in early childhood education. It appeared on the global scene when former President Bill Clinton said the best preschool in the world was found there.

At the heart of the Reggio Emilia Approach is the idea that childhood is celebrated as a stage of life that has value all its own rather than a series of stages that lead to adulthood. Shortly after birth, newborns in Reggio Emilia even receive their very own library card, showing the community’s commitment to literacy. The Reggio Approach is true community collaboration in which teachers, parents and children build close relationships and partner in the education process.

Our Sister City tour guide, Barbara Donnici, planned a packed itinerary that allowed us to meet and talk with early childhood through high school teachers, higher education faculty, the director of a youth hostel, summer camp leaders as well as the deputy mayor for Education, Schools and Youth.

We visited the Atelier Raggio di Luce, or the Ray of Light Studio, and had an absolutely wonderful time being guided

through the Emilia Approach as if we were preschoolers ourselves. Our group spent more than an hour trying to solve a problem regarding refraction and reflection of light in water, and we made a bee line for Google when we got home to find out whether we had it right.

We had no direct instruction, but our curiosity was sparked by generative questions posed through an interpreter, guided discovery, and heightened utilization of our senses. The Reggio Emilia Approach rejects

the dichotomies typically found in U.S. education — art versus science, language versus math — and it is certainly at odds with our standards-based, test-driven educational climate.

We had the opportunity to visit in small groups with a group of high school students who were leaving later that week for Fort Worth to attend the Sister Cities International Leadership Academy. We were impressed at how well-educated and how well-prepared for their futures the young men were. We found that everything they told us — overcrowding and discipline problems in schools, unmet needs of immigrant children, corruption in government — were all echoed by the university professors, teachers, and the community leaders with whom we met.

a Word aBout tHe FoodEvery region has its own variation of Italian cuisine, yet we found the pizza and gelato to be excellent everywhere we traveled. Dishes reflect the region and

are dictated by the season and local produce.

Local businessman and Hotel Posta owner Umberto Sidoli of Reggio Emilia hosted our group at his family’s restaurant, Cavazzone, located on the mountainside about a 15-minute drive from Reggio Emilia. After a pasta-making lesson (provided by Chef Christian) during which we created our evening meal, Sidoli led us to his family’s balsamic vinegar cellar.

On another day, a tour of a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory enlightened each of our senses. From the smell of the cheese room stacked high to the ceiling with cheese wheels to the taste of the final product, we could not have enjoyed a finer tour — it was educational and delicious!

our Final stop Was stresa Stresa is a small resort town nestled in the Alps along Lake Maggiore. Stresa is only an hour’s train ride from Switzerland, and we found ourselves surrounded by a multitude of languages and nationalities. Stresa has a beautiful view of several resort islands.

The feel of Stresa was decidedly French, and we discovered why: Napoleon, too, appreciated the beauty of the place and vacationed there. We enjoyed a boat tour that included a stop at Isola Bella and a castle where the general spent some summer vacations.

Again we were surrounded by centuries of history shared through paintings, architecture and sculpture. At Stresa, we enjoyed the cool mountain air, shops packed with hand-crafted Italian ceramics, jewelry, scarves and shoes. We enjoyed a lively wine tasting and wished we had more room in our suitcases to pack the red, green and white pastas that were on display everywhere to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Italian flag. Some of us kept an eye out for George Clooney, who has a home in Stresa, but we didn’t see him — not even from the gondola cars we rode to the top of the mountain.

Our trip awakened our senses of taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing. It

was a true sensory overload and we still find our minds drifting back to

the experiences we had over those 10 days. We encourage students to travel abroad to discover and appreciate the diversity of regions, develop tenacity and creativity, and discover different perspectives on

community, culture and education. Traveling abroad is experiential

learning at its best.

16 

Sixteen undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Education were accompanied by three Wesleyan faculty and staff members as they departed for a 10-day study abroad trip to Guatemala June 30.

The group was led by Carlos Martinez, dean of the School of Education, Debra Thomas, adjunct professor, and Sandy Myers, M.Ed. ’98. Each student was enrolled in two courses that focused on English as a second language methodology, literacy, comparative education, emerging issues and/or an ESL teaching internship. Here’s a look at their travel itinerary from Sandy Myers.

Most of our trip inside Guatemala had been arranged by our new friend, Daniel, owner of a small travel agency in Panajachel and resident in nearby San Jorge La Laguna, where students taught in the school his daughter attends. The group learned very quickly that when a native Guatemalan tells you, “It’s a 10-minute walk up a hill” they are basing that on people who live in a country where everything is uphill. Some of us knew that we were out of shape but this fact came as a big surprise to others.

tikal national parkWe arrived at Tikal National Park late the first night — in fact, we suspected that the staff got out of bed to make the sandwiches that we carried to our rooms and hurriedly ate. Electricity is shut off between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. in the park, so many took showers by flashlight, and some were in the pool when the lights went out!

Tikal, the largest excavated site in America, is one of the greatest of the surviving classic Mayan cities. It covered 25 square miles, is estimated to have been home to about 100,000 people, and had more than 3,000 structures. Very early the next morning, we gathered to trek up to the ruins in the park. This day was our first endurance test and it took some travelers several days to fully recover. Our wonderful guide shared history and stories of ceremonies bringing the location to life! Did you know that one difference between a pyramid and a temple is the number of sides on which there are stairs?

FloresThe allure of Flores for many people was the air conditioners in the hotel rooms and the large balconies overlooking the water. That evening, many students strolled along the shore and shared a leisurely dinner overlooking the lake.

CHiCHiCastenangoChichicastenango is practically a ghost town except for the two days each week when it hosts thousands as the largest and most crowded open market in Central America. If you Google Chichi, most of the information addresses shopping in the market. It is imperative that the tradespeople make sales during market days and many of the most aggressive are the children selling everything from jewelry to bookmarks to key chains. As with any good sales person, they are persistent and several times they could be seen, literally, cornering members from our group until a sale was made! Price haggling was a new concept to some travelers but they quickly caught on — even given the exchange rates.

People often say that our next stop, Lake Atitlan, is the most beautiful lake in the world and that Italy’s Lake Como pales in comparison. More than 10 miles across, it is surrounded by massive volcanoes and small Mayan villages perched on the shores or up on the steep hillsides.

panaJaCHelPanajachel is the largest city on the lake’s shore and most readily accessible by car. This is where we stayed for five nights while teaching children in nearby Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta San Jorge La Laguna. The day our bus drove to the city, there had been a large mudslide and the road was blocked. We traveled that route every morning and afternoon for five days, past a beautiful waterfall and a rope bridge that several students ventured across. As you make a sharp turn coming into the small village of San Jorge, you see a large dirt area where the school children walk to have recess and come to play soccer every day. Overlooking the square is the church where we would be dropped off. We will all remember that view!

An (Uphill)Walk Through

BeautifulGuatemala

“The first day of the trip was very uncomfortable, frustrating and exhausting, but it really helped me to realize that life cannot be planned. It doesn’t always follow a schedule.”

Fall 2011 17 

antigua Antigua was the largest city we stayed in, and it also served as a gateway back to recognizable clothing and food. In Antigua, some of the group visited a coffee plantation, riding up the hill in a military-type vehicle that one of the students described as “something like you might have seen in the TV show M*A*S*H.” We had a coffee cupping and tasting and, of course, fulfilled our economic obligation in the gift shop.

The other great adventure while in Antigua was a trip to nearby, and active, Pacaya Volcano. This was our last full day in Guatemala and, based on the fact that the excursion was described as “a two-hour hike up a steep incline” and, reflecting on past hikes and sore muscles, several students opted out of this activity and stayed behind for more shopping. Imagine our delight when our guide came to pick us all up and asked if anyone wanted to ride a horse up the volcano rather than walk. At the time this sounded like an excellent alternative and many of us opted for this choice. The path was narrow, steep and uneven. When we would come upon a particularly rugged spot my young guide would say to me “Be strong, my friend. Be strong.” meaning to hold on tight.

About halfway up, we passed the few travelers who had determined that they did not NEED the help of a horse. On up we rode for TWO HOURS! When we arrived at the top and dismounted we were rewarded with an amazing view of miles and miles of black volcanic ash. A little while later our walkers appeared on horseback. The guides were smart enough to take extra horses knowing that some of our group might change their minds. Most of us opted to walk down rather than ride! What a way to end our adventure!

By SANDY MYERS M.Ed. ’98 | Photographs by DR. CARLoS MARTiNEz

i can make do with less: Most of us are spoiled or at least take many of our daily conveniences for granted. We know, but forget, that there are many places where people live their whole lives without what we sometimes consider as essentials. When I discovered that my phone carrier did not have a plan (that I could afford) in Guatemala I elected not to use the phone while on the trip. No calls, no texting, except for the one day I borrowed a phone to text my son Happy Birthday! Because I knew that Internet access would be intermittent and carrying my computer would add extra weight, I did not check emails or Facebook from June 30 to July 11! So, except for the occasional screen in a restaurant, I was without technology and communications for 11 days! At first I felt like there was something missing but, eventually it was rather nice.

recycle, reduce and reuse: Even in this remote area, the entire village was involved in a massive recycling campaign. Drinks during recess were poured into baggies and consumed through a straw rather than use plastic cups. The children would bring empty water and soda bottles filled

with paper scraps to use as insulation in the walls of the new classroom addition. Because the school was built on a mountainside, the ground had to be leveled before a concrete floor could be poured.

religion and culture are so intertwined that they often cannot be separated. Our group visited so many churches — at least one in each town or village. We were also able to attend a couple of services and observe the people and ceremony. This ranged from Catholic masses to traditional Mayan ceremonies on the top of a very steep and rugged trail. Watching the people was much the same as they displayed their profound faith and link to the past.

teaching children is more the same than different, no matter where you are and what kind of supplies and equipment you have. For the most part, the children want to learn and the teachers, or teachers-in-training, want to help them do so. Learning and teaching English can be scary for everyone involved whether you are in a school in east Fort Worth or a mountain-side village in Guatemala.

“B y the end of the trip I felt like I had gained a sister.”

WHat We learned

“O ur first day teaching was amazing. I was already thinking that I am going to cry on our last day there because these kids are so wonderful.”

www.txwes.edu18 

A Journey of Discovery for Wesleyan Students in Turkey, Greece

WhERE EAS T MEE TS WESTB y M a r k h a n s h a w

Fall 2011 19 

There is probably no symbol that better represents the ancient city of Istanbul than Hagia Sophia. Like the entire nation of Turkey, Hagia Sophia has a complex history. The enormous domed structure was one of the most important centers of Christendom at the time of its construction. It subsequently became the most important Muslim mosque of the great Ottoman Empire.

By strolling through the massive nave of Hagia Sophia, one gets a taste of why Istanbul is considered a cultural gateway. Here, a vast array of individuals mingles side-by-side, absorbed in the beauty of the grand domes suspended overhead. From Orthodox priests and Muslim imams to Japanese and European tourists, Hagia Sophia, today, attracts pilgrims, vacationers and vagabonds from around the globe — just as it has done for more than 1,000 years.

Because of its geographic position straddling the continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is the city where many say East literally meets West. With a history

that reaches back to the 7th century b.c., the city took a place of global importance when the Roman Emperor Constantine identified the location as his new capital. For more than 2,000 years, it has been a city associated with trade and the mingling of cultures. It was once a major hub along the ancient Silk Road and, this summer, it served as the beginning point for a journey of religious and cultural understanding for some 20 Texas Wesleyan students.

The summer program in Turkey and Greece was designed as a cross-disciplinary educational experience aimed at exposing students to differing cultural groups and their histories. The program included preparatory coursework within the fields of education, humanities and religious studies. Students, themselves, were drawn from a wide variety of major disciplines, ranging from language arts to mass communications.

Among the core purposes of the venture was the goal of introducing students to the deeply intertwined histories that Christian and Muslim communities share in this part of the globe. Even today, in locations such as Hagia Sophia, students are exposed to sites that are embraced by members of varied cultural communities.

A second purpose of the study abroad program was to invite students to engage and seek a better understanding of the local cultures of both Turkey and Greece. In that regard, Wesleyan travelers were afforded the opportunity to visit with community leaders, key religious figures, and students and teachers at both elementary and university levels in Turkey.

In one of the significant highlights of the trip, Wesleyan travelers had the opportunity to witness a ritual performance of the famed Sufi Whirling Dervishes and to meet with and question one of the senior Sufi masters.

“Meeting the Sufi master was a real highlight,” observed Wesleyan senior Timothy Reece. “Sufism often seems so

mysterious, and the master helped us better understand the purpose behind their religious practice.”

Over the course of the journey, Wesleyan travelers visited a number of important landmarks, including six locations designated by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. These included Hagia Sophia, the ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman cities of Hierapolis and Ephesus, the 6th century cliff monasteries in Cappadocia, the medieval fortifications built by Christian warriors around the harbor of Rhodes, and the Parthenon in Athens.

In addition to these landmarks, the group of Wesleyan travelers also visited other sites of historical significance in Istanbul, including the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar and the city of Konya, the home of the famed Sufi mystical poet Rumi.

The Turkey and Greece travel program is part of a larger effort by the University to provide students with opportunities to engage in multidisciplinary studies. The purpose of such studies is to help students better understand the relationships that bind varying educational disciplines. On-campus Learning Communities have also taken a cross-disciplinary approach to student instruction.

The summer program in Turkey and Greece was led by Dean Carlos Martinez of the School of Education, Professor Carl Smeller of the Department of Humanities, and Professor Mark Hanshaw of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Students participating in the trip were Micah Brooks, Melondy Doddy, Jill Dusza, Amanda Edmonson, John Frank, Chandler Haun, Cecilia Hill, Hollie Hilton, Laura Johnson, Lori Logan, Lorena Perez, Timothy Reece, Blanca Romo, Robyn Shelton, Ashly Spencer, Selena Stewart, Amber Taylor, Betty Taylor, Nadine Trotchie and Jessica Walls.

A Journey of Discovery for Wesleyan Students in Turkey, Greece

www.txwes.edu

Travel Tips — Slow Down, Relax, Discover!Slow down and you will discover yourself. Traveling fast makes cultural experiences a blur. When one can fully explore a place — especially a foreign place — wandering down back streets, savoring new tastes, trying to talk to people with a different mother tongue, looking for places not found on tourist maps — these are ways to find one’s place in this interesting world we all share. Our trip to southern France and Paris created a maximum of open time to allow our Wesleyan travelers to craft their own experience while we took guided day trips into the countryside to discover both rural and town life of les Provençals.

The importance of a travel component to humanities and art courses was immediately highlighted on the first day: Bizet’s opera Carmen was opening across the square from our hotel, Roman foundations supported medieval city walls, and the 14th century Pope’s Palace was around the corner and across another square from the papal treasury with its high-relief papal crest. Here was 1,000 years of history, ours for the seeing and touching. Textbooks came to life, and art history pictures were made real.

Present-day life’s comparisons and contrasts were had at every meal ordering from menus not in English, shopping done mostly by pointing to one’s choice, and finding our way around town with maps and asking passersby for directions. One week in, having carried my clothes to a local coin-operated Laundromat (Lavanderie), I met a student from Morocco studying computer science at the university. As the washing machine cycled, I walked across the

square to talk to a painter having a show inside a gallery created in a sideroom of a Romanesque church. We talked about her paintings of Arab women and Afghan camel drivers.

— Peter Colley Collage by Ana Flores.

➣ Another way to encounter Paris — late night boating on the Seine. Left to right: Erick Wong, Lance Vallejo, Rachel Rowland, Melissa Woods,

Daniela Torres, Georgia Johnson and Rosa Perez. Photo by Terri Cummings.

Wesleyan bicyclists lunching/relaxing along the Cavalon River under the Pont Julien built in 3 bce. Left to right: Georgia Johnson, Daniela Torres and Rosa Perez. Photo by Terri Cummings.

The start of our tour of the famous Pont du Gard, the highest (160 ft.) of all of the ancient Roman aqueduct bridges, built to carry water to the city of Nimes in Provence, the South of

France. Photo by Peter Colley.

[itinerary]D1 ARRIVAL NICE — AVIGNOND2 AVIGNON & FRENCH LESSON D3 ATELIER & FRENCH LESSON D4 ATELIER D5 BIKE TOUR IN LUBEROND6 PONT DU GARD — NIMES — ARLESD7 MARSEILLE AND THE BEACHD8 FREE MORNING — ATELIER D9 ATELIER — FREE AFTERNOON D10 AVIGNON — PARIS D11 PARISD12 PARISD13 FLIGHT BACK TO ATLANTA

Note: bce means Before Common Era and ce means Common Era. These are contemporary designations from historians, archeologists and scientists for bc and ad.

21 

Why Travel to France?Of course history comes to mind; the history within France connects so intimately to our own culture. Architecture, people, food, art, literature, music all come to mind. However, my answer to “Why travel to France?” is the light.

Light is the photographer’s medium. Observing it, analyzing it, capturing it inside a dark box to bring home to share, photographers are seduced by light. We all know Paris as “the city of lights” and many know that painter Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse among many other artists, traveled to Provence, in the South of France, to live and paint in the glorious light. I recall experiencing the visual explosion of light dancing in a sycamore tree growing beside a still, clear, dark spring on the highest point in Avignon. The spring was the site of worship rituals prior to the arrival of the Greeks, then the Romans and then Christianity; the Palace of the Popes built in the 14th century was mere yards away. Avignon, Nimes, Arles and Paris are all walking cities — coupled with our trip to the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct, and our bicycle trip in the rolling hills of Luberon — we spent most of our time outside observing, photographing, touring and enjoying our discussions in the quintessentially French outdoor cafes — we filled ourselves with all things, well . . . most things, French . . . especially the lovely light.

— Terri Cummings

Here, under the stronger sun, I have found what Pissarro said to be true . . . . The simplicity, the bleaching—out, the solemnity of great effects of sunlight.

— Vincent van Gogh

Old bridge (3 bce) and new bridge (2005 ce) near Apt in the South of France. Photo by Peter Colley.

Rachel Rowland biking outside of Avignon in the hills of the Luberon. Photo by Terri Cummings.

“T he Luberon is made up of three mountain ranges and is a beautiful, but demanding location to bike (especially if one is not a regular bicyclist!) The area is rich in ochre, a red rock, which has been mixed with paints for hundreds of years to give the object a rich red color. As I cycled through the hills, I could smell the scents from various fruit trees, flowers and herbs, which grow profusely in the area. We stopped along a small river to eat our packed lunch. Lying on the hard, cold, rock embankment, we analyzed the remains of a stone bridge, the Pont Julien, which was built sometime around 3 bce.” — Rachel Rowland, Liberal Studies major — see my blog: What Makes the French so French? http://frenchvalues.weebly.com/

Writing (Daniela Torres) and making art (Amanda Heron) in the studio at the University of Avignon. Photo by Terri Cummings.

Over the last 121 years, Texas Wesleyan has used a number of different seals on its official documents.

Seal of Polytechnic College, 1890–1914After Texas Wesleyan was founded in 1890 as Polytechnic College, it adopted

a very simple seal with the name and location on the perimeter with M.E.C.S., (Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the branch of Methodism with which the college was affiliated) in the center. This seal was certainly in use by 1906 and may well have been used earlier. Because the seal was used on materials promoting the

college, the presence of the M.E.C.S. was of paramount importance.

Seal of Texas Woman’s College, 1914–1934The year 1911 proved to be a fateful one for Polytechnic College. When

Southwestern University in Georgetown was founded in the early 1870s by the five Texas conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church,

South, it was to be the premier Methodist educational institution in the state — comparable to Vanderbilt. But by the turn of the century, it had become clear that it would be hard to create such a university in a small rural community. These doubts remained under

the surface until a letter from Hiram A. Boaz, president of Polytechnic College, to Robert S. Hyer, president of Southwestern, proposing that the

two schools be merged and located in Fort Worth, was made public. The public controversy that followed resulted in the formation of an educational commission in the fall of 1910 that was charged with deciding the location of a new flagship Methodist university and how the existing colleges would relate to it. In 1911, that commission accepted a land offer in Dallas, and Southern Methodist University was born. At the same time, the commission also recommended that Polytechnic College be converted to a woman’s college. With the end of the 1913-1914 academic year, Polytechnic College closed its doors and then reopened in the fall of 1914 as Texas Woman’s College.

The first seal of Texas Woman’s College was like the seal for old Polytechnic College, except the name. Texas Woman’s College continued to use this seal until a new seal was adopted in 1930.

The new seal featured a drawing of what appears to be the administration building in the center instead of graphics identifying the school as an institution of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This new seal served as the symbol of Texas Woman’s College until 1934.

During the Great Depression, Texas Woman’s College, like the other Methodist colleges in Texas and the nation at large, struggled

financially. The school needed more students and income to survive. In 1934, the Board of Trustees voted to make the college coeducational once again and changed the name to Texas Wesleyan College, thus ending the days of Texas Woman’s College.

Seal of Texas Wesleyan College, 1934–1945The first seal of Texas Wesleyan College was like the seal for old Texas Woman’s College — the only difference was the name. Texas Wesleyan continued to use this seal until a new seal was adopted sometime during the 1945/1946 academic year.

Seal of Texas Wesleyan College, 1945/1946–1977The second seal of Texas Wesleyan College was similar to the first one. It featured a graphic of the administration building in the middle, encircled by the name of the college and its location. This was flanked on the sides by two flaming torches and on the top

and bottom by leafy boughs of greenery with a star in the center.

Seal of Texas Wesleyan College, 1977–1978On September 21, 1975, Dr. Joe Mitchell, professor of

education, sent a memo to Dr. William M. Pearce, president of Texas Wesleyan College, asking if he thought the Board of Trustees would look favorably upon the adoption of a college motto, adding that he “was thinking of some device

such as the quotation from a C[harles]. Wesley hymn as [sic] ‘rational knowledge and vital piety’ rendered into Latin.” This

quote comes from the hymn Come, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the fourth verse of which begins with the phrase “Unite the pair so long disjoined, Knowledge and vital piety.”

On February 19, 1976, a faculty committee, chaired by Dr. Mitchell, presented a report to the Faculty Council, recommending the adoption of a new seal in which the graphic of the administration building was replaced with the cross and flame symbol of the United Methodist Church in a triangle. A proposed motto, “Scientia Pietasque Vitalis,” was at the bottom.

The Faculty Council endorsed the committee’s proposed new seal, and the motto “Scientia Pietasque Vitalis.”

I have heard it said that the motto translates to “Knowledge and vital piety” and I believe the above information would more or less substantiate that claim. The literal translation of the motto is as follows:

Scientia = Knowledge Pietasque = Piety Vitalis = LifeThis seal was adopted and began appearing on official documents by

early 1977. Seal of Texas Wesleyan College, Summer 1978–December 1988Dr. Jon Fleming became president of Texas Wesleyan College on June 1, 1978, following the retirement of Dr. Pearce. Dr. Fleming desired to craft a new graphical image for the college, instituting the now famous “Wesleyan flame” logo that still serves as the symbol of the University. A new seal was

created at the same time. This new seal was shaped differently and featured the new motto, but the symbol of the United Methodist Church was removed, perhaps because the new flame logo was based on it.

Seal of Texas Wesleyan university, January 1989–Fall 1997When the name of the school changed from Texas Wesleyan College to Texas Wesleyan University on January 9, 1989, the 1978 seal was altered to reflect that change. In addition, the date on the seal was changed from 1891, the year when classes were first offered, to 1890, the year the school was founded.

In the fall of 1997, the University began using a new seal. This seal, which is more of a rounded rectangle, contains all of the elements present on the previous one, but arranged differently. In addition, the cross and flame symbol of the United Methodist Church was returned to it as well.

Current seal of Texas Wesleyan universityToday, the seal reflects Texas Wesleyan University’s pride in its heritage as a Methodist institution of higher education. The motto reflects its goal to help students learn, through the General Education Curriculum, to “integrate the broad scope of his/her learning in a meaningful manner,” to “be proficient in applying problem solving skills in his/her life,” to appreciate the arts, and to encourage them to “formulate a clearly thought-

out philosophy of ethical and moral values” to guide them, and to become contributing members of society.

Compiled by Louis Sherwood ’89The Story of Wesleyan’s Seal

22  www.txwes.edu

Fall 2011 23 

The classroom.NEXT grand opening unveiled a new style of classroom — one driven by design, technology and student engagement.

The design is radically flexible and focuses on collaborative learning, social interaction, interactive learning and engaged learning; and it utilizes state-of-the-art technology to achieve these goals. Pico projectors, laptops, mobile SMART boards, TurningPoint classroom response systems, and integration with iPod Touch apps help facilitate the learning experience.

Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, associate professor of history, designed the classroom along with five of her Methods of Teaching History students — Gary Beam, Cecilia Hill, Susan Alyse Hofman, Tiffany Fitzhugh and Janie Torres. “[With this classroom], we are getting away from the ‘sage on the stage’ model of teaching,” Alexander said. “This design is intended to facilitate students constructing knowledge.”

The energy and curiosity of students are integral to the design, and the classroom has a shifting focal point. Mobile white boards can move to open

space. Students can engage with hands-on technology to explore new or difficult concepts. Collaborative spaces facilitate discussion and creation.

“I love how interactive the classroom is,” said Bobby Cowan, a senior history major. “It’s broken down into smaller groups, but we’re still able to easily come together as a larger class. I love the new layout.”

“It is very important to engage faculty and students in the process of our facilities planning,” said President Frederick G. Slabach. “This is one of those efforts that shows what can be done when faculty and students work together to see if we can discover ways to enhance the learning experience at Texas

Wesleyan.”The design was selected via a team-based competitive program in which

faculty were asked to submit their plans for the classroom to Texas Wesleyan’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Faculty began utilizing the classroom at the beginning of the fall semester.

Texas Wesleyan University has been awarded an $11,700 grant to participate in The Big Read, an

initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Wesleyan is one of four grant recipients in Texas.

“We are honored to play a leading role in this community effort of bringing Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath and its economic and historic themes into our reading circles,” said Dr. Twyla Miranda, program director for The Big Read in Fort Worth.

“The events planned will help us understand the Depression era better, and maybe understand our present situation better. We expect strong participation in book groups, FWISD high school reading classes, art and writing activities, workshops for teachers, drama productions, and keynote presentations. And all of the events will benefit the Tarrant Area Food Bank, with event participants donating cans of food.”

The Big Read provides communities nationwide with the opportunity to read, discuss and celebrate one of 31

selections from U.S. and world literature. In Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the book that will be spotlighted throughout The Big Read is John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, a classic novel about the Great Depression. The NEA presents The Big Read in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Texas Wesleyan’s community partners are the Fort Worth Public Library, City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Independent School District, Tarrant Area Food Bank, Friends of the Fort Worth Library, Texas Christian University, Tarrant County College, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, The Reading Connection, Stage West Allied Theater Group, Dallas Model A Club, and Barnes & Noble. Other partners include area high schools and media outlets.

The local kickoff event for The Big Read will be at the Tarrant Area Food Bank in February 2012. Events will continue until late May — both on the Texas Wesleyan University campus and around town. Book discussions, food drives, speakers, and a play adaption of The Grapes of Wrath are among the planned events.

THE BiG READ COMiNG TO

FORT WORTH iN 2012

classroom.NEXT Redefines Learning Space and Experience

Photos (clockwise from left): Frederick G. Slabach stresses the importance of faculty and students in facilities planning during his remarks at classroom.NEXT. Senior history major Tiffany Fitzhugh and President Slabach unveil the classroom.NEXT plaque at the grand opening. Bryan Daniel, IT operations director, interacts with a SMART Board in classroom. NEXT.

24 

Monday night at Nicholas Martin Hall in the Ann Waggoner Fine Arts Building at Texas Wesleyan University is abuzz with

familiar sounds — the convivial murmur of conversation, strings tuning and instrument cases latching open and shut.

Except it isn’t just the typical crowd of students and professors tonight — though there are some. Instead, doctors are tuning up. Engineers are joking with high school teachers. Add to that nurses, retirees, and many more professions and vocations.

This is the Greater Fort Worth Community Band, a musical labor of love. “There’s a wide range of vocations represented,” said Henry Schraub, conductor and co-founder of the band.

From Simple originS to a growing SucceSSThe band was founded by Schraub, Dee Tucker, and other music lovers who started the entire band — from putting out the call for players to attaining the 501(c)(3) status — from scratch. The 85 member band is celebrating seven years as a group and will perform in a series of concerts through the school year. The band has also performed at local high schools and Peak Performance Options’ Day at the Murchison in Denton.

Its sister group — the Wesleyan Chorale — has nearly 75 members. “It’s worth coming to hear these musical groups,” said Jerome Bierschenk, band member and director of choral activities at Texas Wesleyan.

The Chorale has been performing for nearly eight years and is the other side of the Community Band coin. Where the band is a group of instrumental musicians coming together to play, the Chorale is a diverse group of community members — people who sing in their church choir, students, local professionals — who come together to sing.

What began with barely 100 audience members is now pushing 300 per performance — and growing. “A lot of adults played this music in high school or college, and even though they didn’t pursue it as a career, they still love to play and they love the music,” Schraub said. “It’s a great way to connect with people and the music.”

Many of the band’s members are music teachers and educators looking for a time to beef up their performance skills. “It’s challenging to teach all day and find time to practice and perform,” said Bierschenk. “We’re really fortunate to have such talented players that make the band exciting.”

The band also features Texas Wesleyan instrumental students, who receive credit for playing in the group. From novice to skilled, the performers are playing for the joy of the music.

a retired muSic educator thriveSHenry Schraub was conductor for the Northeast Community Band, a forerunner to the Community Band, which eventually ran out of steam. When others began discussing the possibility of starting a new community band, they immediately went to Schraub and asked him to get involved. “I just picked some music for us to begin with,” Schraub said.

The band has played a variety of pieces of standard concert band literature, including Four Scottish Dances by Malcolm Arnold, a medley of George Gershwin songs and John Philip Sousa marches.

Music has been part of Schraub’s life since the beginning. Both of his parents were musicians — his father played trumpet and his mother played piano. Schraub grew up in Cibolo (near San Antonio), and his father taught him trumpet at an early age, and it is still his principal instrument. But as a band director, he is skilled at a wide range of instruments.

He received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from The University of Texas and then began work as a music educator for 42 years, including 27 years as director of fine arts for Birdville Independent School District. Schraub joined Texas Wesleyan University as an interim adjunct faculty member this semester and is teaching secondary music education.

Schraub mentored many students who pursued careers in music, including Bierschenk, whom Schraub taught in Weatherford in the late ’60s. Bierschenk immediately liked Schraub, who he said made the school band program much more credible.

One day after class, Schraub asked Bierschenk what his plans were after graduation. Bierschenk was planning on going to a local community college, but Schraub saw something in his musical talent that he thought could develop.

So he set up an audition for Bierschenk at The University of Texas. Actually, he even drove Bierschenk to the audition. It would change the course of Bierschenk’s life forever. “I think that probably says something about what our relationship has meant to me,” Bierschenk said.

When he hears the story recounted to him, Schraub just chuckles and humbly confirms it’s true. It’s all about the music.

Two Lifelong Music Educators Coordinate Musical Joy By Darren White

Fall 2011 25 

M e e t Y o u r N e w A t h l e t i c D i r e c t o r

This August, President Frederick G. Slabach announced the hiring of a new athletic director at Texas

Wesleyan University. The athletic department has set a high standard of excellence in recent years, and Rams fans can continue to expect that excellence under Steven Trachier’s watch.

Trachier comes to Texas Wesleyan from the Grapevine/Colleyville ISD where he put in 18 years of service, most recently as executive director of administration. In that capacity, he supervised athletics and administrators, served as compliance officer, and had oversight of all secondary campuses including athletics and activities.

“When President Slabach shared with me his vision for Texas Wesleyan’s athletic program, I knew immediately I could have a positive impact in helping the University realize that vision,” Trachier said after his hire.

“When I spoke to Steven about my philosophy on athletics and our obligation to student-athletes, I said that the ‘student’ in student-athlete comes first,” Slabach said. “Our faculty and our coaches have a responsibility to help our students achieve a level of self-confidence that helps them succeed in the classroom, and Steven immediately understood that.”

Including his time at Grapevine/Colleyville ISD, Trachier brings more than 30 years of experience in education and athletics to Wesleyan. During his career, he has served as both a middle school and high school coach in Cooper ISD and Deer Park ISD. He has prior collegiate experience as an instructor of health and physical education at East Texas State University (Texas A&M Commerce). Trachier earned a Bachelor of Science in History and Physical Education from East Texas State University and a Master of Science in Health Education from the same institution. He continued his education there, obtaining Mid-Management Certification.

Trachier is taking over a department that is coming off its first Red River Athletic Conference All-Sports Award in 2010–2011. That award is given annually to the institution that performs best in the conference’s sponsored sports. Points are awarded in sports with at least four member institutions participating. The top five teams in each sport are awarded points on a 10-8-6-4-2 basis, using the

conference tournament results. Twelve of Texas Wesleyan’s 13 varsity sports compete in the RRAC. The Rams were the most consistent institution in the league, garnering only one tournament championship, but taking six runner-up finishes and scoring points in 11 sports.

The Rams’ men’s golf team won its eighth consecutive RRAC title. The men’s basketball team won the regular season championship for the fourth year in a row, but finished as the tournament runner-up. The newest additions to the department, cross country and track and field, accounted for 26 of Texas Wesleyan’s 72 points in the contest with runner-up finishes in men and women’s cross country and women’s track and field along with a fifth-place finish in men’s track and field. The department also added runner-up finishes in women’s basketball and softball.

Texas Wesleyan student-athletes excelled in the field and in the classroom. The department boasted a GPA of 2.78, while 117 student-athletes held a GPA

of 3.0 or higher. All of this came a year after the department won four conference championships and had five teams ranked in the top-25 nationally. The department also boasted six NAIA Scholar-Athletes, while 82 student-athletes posted GPAs of 3.0 or higher and the department as a whole notched a cumulative GPA of 2.84 in 2009–2010.

In addition to adding cross country and track and field, the department has also made recent improvements to its facilities in order to better serve its students. The Rams have made improvements to the athletic suite in the Brown-Lupton Center. A newly renovated Sid Richardson Center (basketball, volleyball, table tennis) opened in the fall of 2008, while improvements to Martin Field (soccer) are ongoing. In addition, the Morton Fitness Center, which serves the entire student body, opened in November 2010.

After racking up 14 conference championships and making 18 National Tournament appearances, in the last five years alone, Texas Wesleyan has become one of the premier athletic departments in all of the NAIA. With an experienced administrator like Trachier at the helm, that trend should only continue to build. Fans can expect to see Texas Wesleyan student-athletes continue to excel in the field of play as well as in the classroom.

BY JOSH LACY

When President Slabach shared with me his vision for

Texas Wesleyan’s athletic program, I knew immediately I could have a positive impact

in helping the University realize that vision.

www.txwes.edu

A P rec i seGame

BY DARREN WHiTE

Jim Segrest discusses elements of placement, spin and movement that would bewilder many

advanced table tennis hobbyists.

26 

27 Fall 2011

able tennis is a game of precision that rewards the disciplined and the diligent. An angle of only a few degrees can separate two competitors into winner and loser.

Jim Segrest, 42, pores over those angles. He carefully considers shot placement and how his opponent will react. His shots must be precise because he is in a wheelchair and he cannot recover a misplaced hit like a table tennis competitor standing on two legs can.

Segrest has represented the U.S. internationally at the 2010 World Championships, and he won gold in the men’s team class 1–2 and bronze in singles at the 2010 Copa Costa Rica. He’s traveled all over the world to compete in tournaments — including Slovenia and Rotterdam, which is one of his favorite cities anywhere. “It’s just the coolest city,” Segrest said.

He is currently competing for a spot at the Parapan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. There are 12 spots total — four for women and eight for men, minus two men’s spots that are already taken. The remaining spots are up for grabs for any para-athlete. The games are a major stepping stone for the 2012 Paralympics in London.

“He is extremely patient, very determined and very focused,” Daniel Rutenberg, USA Table Tennis Paralympic national team coach, said. “He practices details — the flight path of the ball, placing the ball where it needs to go, and he has very good backhand control.”

Table tennis demands that players be both mentally and physically fit to succeed, so Segrest is focusing on fundamentals every chance he can get. He usually warms up with five minutes of forehand-to-forehand hits, then backhands, and then into more complex drills that build specific elements of his game. “Every stroke comes from three basic components. You start from a block, and then a forward motion, and then a follow-through . . .”

Segrest continues on to discuss elements of placement, spin and movement that would bewilder many advanced table tennis hobbyists, let alone a coordination-averse reporter. “You couldn’t even begin to understand all that goes into it,” Segrest said.

success comes in degreesJim has a trim build and neatly groomed hair and goatee peppered with flecks of gray. He speaks with a confident tone that is softened by a gentle demeanor and a self-effacing sense of humor. He tells stories of his early tournaments and describes them as humbling affairs where he lost thoroughly to competitors from Europe and Asia. “I was playing in tournaments two to three months after I started playing,” Segrest said, “and it showed.”

His father, Chuck Segrest, is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. When Jim was growing up, the two would sometimes play table tennis — they called it ping-pong back then — in the upstairs recreation room. His father says that even when he was younger, Jim didn’t like to lose. He was never angry or a poor sport, just competitive.

Table tennis fell away in favor of other sports — softball, baseball, darts — he was always a gifted and alert athlete. Segrest received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in Recreation Parks and Tourism Sciences. He worked in real estate and played softball.

He was injured in a car accident near North Richland Hills in September 2000. The accident resulted in Segrest being a C 4-5 incomplete quadriplegic.

Segrest wanted to do something else with his life, so he decided to attend Texas Wesleyan to get his master’s degree in education in order to teach sixth grade gifted-and-talented math.

He met Jasna Rather, head table tennis coach, on the first day of his first education class in 2007. The meeting changed his life, he said. She suggested that he should come to a table tennis practice

and play a little. “He said that he had played table tennis a long time ago, and I immediately said that he could join our team if he would like,” Rather said.

She also told him there were two other wheelchair athletes on the team: Andre Scott, who made his fourth appearance at the Paralympic Games in 2008, and Pam Fontaine, who still plays with Texas Wesleyan. It made it easier to know that there were other wheelchair athletes already playing and competing, Segrest said. “If I had been the first one, I probably would have dropped it . . . but having the two other people here was phenomenal.”

He was playing in his first tournaments later that year. “I would say that Jim’s life changed drastically since he joined our team and started competing in table tennis tournaments,” Rather said. “He found new friends and new purpose.”

Chuck started playing table tennis, too. The two often play against one another, and Chuck also competes in table tennis tournaments, though he is quick to say he is not on the same skill level as his son. Yet, the sport is a bonding experience for the two. “We talk table tennis quite a bit,” Chuck said.

only getting Better at the gameCompetitive para-athletic table tennis is divided into 11 classes that correspond to a player’s disability. Classes 1–5 are for athletes that cannot stand; classes 6–10 are for athletes that can stand. Class 11 is for mentally disabled athletes. Disabilities descend in order of seriousness; the lower the number, the higher the disability.

Segrest, currently the only wheelchair player on the team who is also taking classes at the University, plays as a class 2 athlete. He has limited use of his hands and attaches his racquet using a set of special gloves. Nationally, he is in a small class of very talented athletes. There are only slightly more than 20 competitive para-table tennis athletes in the United States, according to USA Table Tennis, which runs table tennis para-athletics.

“The wheelchair game is so much different than the able-bodied game,” Segrest said. “Patience is very important in the wheelchair game.”

His coaches have noticed that his skills have sharpened; his style of play has gotten better. They have noticed his hard work beginning to pay off in the form of an effective arsenal.

“His serve is so precise and deadly for other wheelchair players,” Rather said. “[Daily] he is developing more and more consistency and discovering new skills that could help him to make the team for the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.”

t

The Wesleyan FundTexas Wesleyan University has a great tradition of helping students succeed, thanks in part to the Wesleyan Fund. Gifts to the Wesleyan Fund serve as the foundation for the University’s ongoing success and are dedicated solely to providing institutional scholarships and program support for our students.

Thank You – alumni, parents and friends – for believing in our commitment to provide the best educational environment for students pursuing their dreams. Show your support for Texas Wesleyan by making a gift to the Wesleyan Fund.

HelpingStudentsSucceed

I feel blessed to be receiving such a valuable education from intelligent professors who really care about me. They are willing to work with students no matter what the circumstances. Playing on the soccer team at Texas Wesleyan has also enhanced my college experience. I can’t imagine not being a part of something so amazing.”

Math/Secondary Education ’12

Give today at www.txwes.edu/advancement

Texas Wesleyan UniversityOffice of Advancement1201 Wesleyan StreetFort Worth, TX 76105817.531.4404

“

1940s

Jack ’43 and Jo Willa (Stuteville) ’42 Morton received honorary doctorates at the May commencement ceremony. Jack was awarded a doctorate of business administration and Jo Willa, a doctorate of humane letters. 

Marie (Connor) Graham ’45 has been a piano teacher for 68 years. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from TCU in 1946 and a Master of Music degree from TCU in 1954. She was instrumental in starting the Preparatory Piano Department at TCU as a student teacher and was offered a professorship at TCU but declined in order to pursue research in piano pedagogy. She developed the Block Study Course for Piano.

Rev. John C. Johnson ’47 took on the role of pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Weatherford June 8.

1960s

Jerry Weaver ’62, a retired U.S. Army chaplain and clergy of the United Methodist Church, is now a faithful attendee of Manchaca UMC where he sings in the choir.

Martha Hernandez ’64 was reappointed to the Trinity River Authority board of directors by Gov. Rick Perry for a term to expire March 15, 2017.

1970s

Logan Swords ’71 owns Swords Music Co. Inc., which has been a long-standing business in east Fort Worth for 42 years.

Mark Fielder ’74 enjoys living in the Hill Country with wife Shirley. He’s self-employed and has won national awards for static scale aircraft model building.

The Graham Regional Theatre presented its 10th annual summer musical, The King & I, June 24–26. Several Wesleyan alumni were involved in the show including Evan Faris ’76, Janie (Ellis) Faris ’77 MA ’83, Lyle Kanouse ’75, Stephanie (Faris) Sanders ’01 and Anne Street Skipper ’78.

Debbie Brown ’78 appeared in The Pied Piper’s Magic at Dallas Children’s Theater June 16–July 17.

George Warner ’79 is serving his alma mater as Texas Wesleyan’s financial advisor. He was featured in Forbes regarding his relationship with the University and how he and his company are providing a great service to the institution.

1980s

Boswell High School’s musical Curtains has received seven nominations, including Best Musical, at the Lyric Stage-Schmidt and Jones Awards held May 13 at Irving Arts Center. This was the first year for the awards, which celebrate high school musicals from Collin, Dallas and Tarrant counties. Melissa Benton Wallis ’80 and Adam Hargrove ’03 are Boswell’s directors. 

Stan Graner ’81 appeared as Harold Hill in The Music Man at Garland Summer Musicals June 17–26. He also appeared in Becky’s New Car at Circle Theatre July 28–Aug. 27.

Stefan Stamoulis ’84 was awarded a patent in January 2011 from the U.S. patent office for a tool and method for enhancing the extraction of landfill gas. The patent was awarded under the green technology pilot program, for green technology and innovations that reduce greenhouse gases.

Andrea (Penn) Bain ’87, who received an art degree from Wesleyan, creates drawings in permanent marker on watercolor paper. Andrea’s nature drawings can be found at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin and at the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas.

Mary (Ward) Krsnak’s ’89 M.Ed. ’01 son, Nick Krsnak, is the #4 golfer in the Fort Worth district as a sophomore and lettering for the second year, taking after his father, Michael Krsnak ’87, also a Wesleyan alumnus and former Wesleyan golfer!

Joe Ralph Martinez ’89 is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals board of directors. 

1990s

George Rodriguez ’90, Lark Wallis-Johnston ’03, and current Wesleyan students Ben Tatner and Suzanne Fordering performed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare. The play, directed by Seth Johnston, was presented by Steve’s Shakey Shakespeare Under the Starry Stars at the historic Arts 5th Avenue in Fort Worth.

Dr. Lynda Jones-Mubarak ’94 joined the English department faculty at Stayer University, Cedar Hill Campus, on June 27. Dr. Mubarak retired from the Grand Prairie ISD in June 2010 after 32 years as a special education teacher and facilitator.

Mark Husband ’95 was recently named Teacher of the Year at Danny Jones Middle School in Mansfield after completing his 14th year of teaching.

Bob & Heather Mills ’95 just celebrated their 5 year anniversary on March 20. Their children, Trenton Mills, celebrated his ninth birthday on Jan. 18, and Cooper his second birthday on March 25. Bobby is presently finishing his second term as a city councilor in Biddeford, Maine, and serves as the City Council president (similar to deputy mayor). He has two classes left to finally finish a Master of Arts in Management & Leadership from Liberty University.

Christy (Davidson) Collard ’96 and Renee (Ackerman) Norris ’96 joined forces to choreograph Wesleyan’s 57th annual musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Melissa Stanford Oden ’97, daughter of Carl Stanford ’75 and Beverly Stanford ’81, is excited to announce she received her Doctor of Health Education from A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Mo., last month.

Amber Womack ’99 sang in the role of Little Red in Little Red Riding Hood at the Natchez Music Festival from April 17–29.

(continued on page 30)

Alumni News

Births

Caroline (Leest) Rose ’98 and husband Brian Rose welcomed their fourth child, Gideon Nathaniel, on May 25. Gideon measured 21 inches and weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces. He has three thrilled big siblings, Cyrus, Nina and Arden. The Rose family

lives in Dallas, where Caroline is a full-time stay-at-home mom. Here’s to a half-dozen Roses!

Eric Douglas ’08 and his wife had their second daughter, Anastasia Ruth, on May 3, at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. She was 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 22 inches long. Eric is currently finishing his Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Marriages

Beth Marie Worley ’06 married Don Kent Gilley on June 18, 2011, at the Northeast Wedding Chapel in Hurst. Both are teachers in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD.

RAM WRANGLER!  Larry Kitchens ’63, past president of the alumni board, in Alaska.

29 

Alumni News

1930s

Margaret Jobe Harrington ’38, July 8, 2011, Arlington. | Harrington taught in the Fort Worth and Arlington public schools. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

1940s

Gladys Scott ’40, July 4, 2011, Beaumont. | Scott taught in Hill County at Franklin Elementary. She was a life member of the Texas Parent-Teacher Association and Texas Retired Teachers Association.

Anita Jo Anthony ’41, March 15, 2011, Fort Worth. | Anthony was a Fort Worth native who also graduated from Paschal High School.

Elizabeth Jane Pool Johnson ’45, June 7, 2011, Fort Worth. | Johnson was a teacher and a longtime member of Southwayside Baptist Church.

Merle Dickinson ’49, May 23, 2011, Garland. | Dickinson married James H. Dickinson and had made her home in Garland since 1978.

1950s

Perry Joe Adams ’51, April 11, 2011, Glen Rose. | Adams built and developed many subdivisions in the Arlington area and was a member of the Tarrant County Builders Association. He also enjoyed water skiing, and even made his own water skis.

Paul B. Sandstrom ’51, April 21, 2011, Haltom City. | Sandstrom served on the Board of Trustees and was a past president of the Texas Wesleyan Alumni Association. He was an agent for Southwestern Life Insurance Co. for 40 years, and was a past president of the Fort Worth Association of Life Underwriters.

Jimmy L. Shawver ’57, Feb. 11, 2011, Milford, Mich. | Shawver worked for General Motors Corporation for 41 years and was very active in coaching youth athletics.

1960s

Zada Gladden Bruce ’63, June 10, 2011, Fort Worth. | Bruce worked with special education programs for 28 years and was also a graduate of North Side High School in Fort Worth.

Kenneth Cordell Freeman ’69, June 4, 2011, Decatur. | Freeman served in the U.S. Navy Seabees during World War II, worked at General Dynamics in Fort Worth for 30 years, and also worked as an educator.

1970s

Jerrell Elston ’70, June 14, 2011, Burleson. | Elston pastored churches for more than 50 years in Oklahoma and the Fort Worth area.

Cindy Noey ’76, July 19, 2011, Fort Worth. | Noey had a lifelong passion for birds and was especially knowledgeable about tropical birds.

Martha Alread Reagon Perry ’77, July 27, 2011, Fort Worth. | Perry worked at the Department of Agriculture and for several physicians. She was a life member of Arborlawn United Methodist Church.

1980s

Barbara Cain ’85, Aug. 9, 2011, Fort Worth. | Cain worked for J. Shelby Sharpe as a paralegal and was a member of Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth.

In Honor Of . . .

Dorothy Arnold, April 20, 2011, Mobile, Ala. | Arnold taught for more than 40 years in subjects including music and English. Arnold enjoyed music and loved to sing and play piano with the group the Gordonaires.

InMemoriam

2000s

Christopher Miller ’00 was the Master of Ceremonies for the Tarrant Area Heart Ball in April.

Melinda Massie ’01 and her professional home organizing company, Organizing with a Side of Fabulous, was awarded Best Personal Organizer by Fort Worth, Texas Magazine in their Best of 2011 Awards.

Bryan Stevenson ’01, assistant professor of theatre at Texas Wesleyan University, just received tenure.

Anne Dixon M.Ed. ’02 retired after teaching 22 years in the South Conway County School District.

Lark Wallis-Johnston ’03, George Rodriguez ’90, and current Wesleyan students Ben Tatner and Suzanne Fordering performed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare. The play, directed by Seth Johnston, was presented by Steve’s Shakey Shakespeare Under the Starry Stars at the historic Arts 5th Avenue in Fort Worth.

Lisa Gordon ’04 has joined Meals-on-Wheels of Johnson and Ellis counties as the Ellis County volunteer coordinator.

Jill (Montgomery) Merrill ’04 was recently named the 2010–2011 Teacher of the Year at Irma Marsh Middle School in Fort Worth, after completing her fifth year of teaching.

Vincent Haas ’04 has taken his company from a non-profitable territory to 400 percent growth over the last three years. He credits Wesleyan and its strong name for being able to land a job with the company and continues to grow his sales career.

Robert Fitzpatrick ’06 graduated from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law in May 2011.

Linda M. Lee ’06 MA ’11 is excited to announce the publishing of her first short story in Pets Across America-Volume III, which can be found on Amazon.com.

Nicole (Wilkins) Hammons ’08 was named Burleson’s Teacher of the Year. She receives this honor after teaching only three years.

Kayla (Bland) Barrett ’09 appeared in the Grand Prairie Arts Council’s production of The Pirates of Penzance June 16–19 and June 23–26.

Robert Carroll ’09 has been accepted to Texas Wesleyan School of Law. Rob is currently employed by Central Market and also runs sound and lights for events in Martin Hall at the Texas Wesleyan historical campus.

Ben Phillips ’09 appeared in Little Red & Kaschei the Immortal: Two Fairytale Operas for Millennium Opera Theatre of Dallas June 3–12.

Chase Burnett ’10 and Christopher Hatcher ’10 appeared in Lycanthrope, the winning play for Theatre Wesleyan’s biannual Playmarket event May 17 in New York City. www.txwes.edu

InMemoriam

Remembering Gene BurgeVernon Eugene “Gene” Burge ’54 died July 13. He was 78 years old.

Burge — along with his wife of 56 years, Ann ’54 — was a beloved Texas Wesleyan athletics booster with a long history associated with the University that lasted for more than 50 years. Three of their four children graduated from Texas Wesleyan and the couple could often be seen at sporting events. “Wesleyan feels like home to us,” Burge said. “It was good to us.”

Burge was a member of the Board of Trustees, and served as president of the Texas Wesleyan Alumni Association, and in 2007, he received the Wesleyan Service Award. Earlier this year he and Ann were inducted into the Texas Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame for meritorious service to the University. Also, the Gene and Ann Burge Sportsmanship Award is given to the male and female athletes that best embody the gracious spirit of competition — the characteristics of true sportsmanship — that year.

Burge, who was born Dec. 19, 1932, was a longtime member of Handley United Methodist Church. He enjoyed golf, traveling and tennis. He was an East Fort Worth native whose roots run deep in the local community. He graduated from Polytechnic High School before enrolling at Texas Wesleyan, and that decision would change the rest of his life.

He met a girl from Covington at the end of his freshman year, and the two fell in love. Ann was May Queen in 1954. They were married in September of that year.

Gene graduated from Baylor Dental School in 1957, and served three years in the U.S. Public Health Service before entering general dentistry practice. He retired in 1997, after being honored for 50 years of service from the Texas Dental Association. Burge had been a member of the Breakfast Optimist Club of East Fort Worth since 1974.

The lifelong connection to Wesleyan was passed through the generations: Daughter Barbara received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1980; sons James and John both received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1983. Daughter Cynthia attended

before earning a degree in dental hygiene.

His presence at athletic events, particularly basketball games, as well as his support will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ann Burge ’54; daughter, Barbara Caldwell ’80 and husband, Leland, JD ’96, and their children, Dustin and wife, Melissa, and Danny and wife, Jennifer; son, John ’83 and wife, Leianne, and their daughters, Sara and Morgan; son, James ’83 and wife, Brenda, and daughter, Katherine; daughter, Cynthia and husband, Dr. Ron Lee, and children, Margaret and Matthew; sister, Drucie Bonham; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Fall 2011 31 

Gene ‘54 and Ann ’54 Burge.

Top and right: From the 1952 Wesleyan yearbook.

Kevin Millikan ’98, inductees Gene and Ann Burge, and President Frederick G. Slabach at the Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony.

Above: Wearing shirt autographed by the 2010–2011 men’s basketball team.

32 

T r i B u T e G i f T r e c o G N i T i o N

A gift to a charitable organization is a wonderful way to recognize someone of importance in your life.

Texas Wesleyan is honored to receive gifts in memory or honor of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends. These gifts acknowledge the relationship individuals have with the University and the community. We are pleased to recognize these gifts and the role each honored person and donor has in the lives of our students.

We gratefully acknowledge the following donors for their tribute gifts received from 6/1/11 through 8/31/11.

In Honor of

Jan Fersing for the Fersing Freshman Success CenterRobert & Renee AlfordFrank W. BadeyMr. & Mrs. Gus BatesBill BleibdreyJoe BrownJoan CantyMr. & Mrs. Ervin D. CruceJoyce DavidsonJoseph & Mary DulleSten E. FersingKelly FlynnMartine GinsburgGlen HahnSuzanne HillThe Knapp FamilyLori LoganJohn & Addie MannTina F. MastersDr. & Mrs. Donald MathesonRobert & Nancy OwenJ. Michael PeckGina M. Phillips ’97, MSP ’07Dr. Gregory J. Phillips ’70 Deborah RoarkElizabeth RoarkAnne Street Skipper ’78 President Frederick G. SlabachLarry ’63 & Carol SmallSandra E. Soria

Stefan Stamoulis ’84 Claudia Stepp ’72 Robert & Elizabeth SwainJerome & Sylvia WeinerJoel and Janis Werland

Reverend Wilson Canafax ’40 to the Tribute Scholarship Fund

Gilbert ’44 & Dorris ’47 Ferrell

In Memory of

Vernon Eugene “Gene” Burge ’54 to the Texas Wesleyan Athletic Expansion Fund

Dr. James ’60 & Mrs. Claudia Atkinson Brandon & Cindy BoehmePatsy Warren Clifford ’55Charlene BurdorfDoug & Karen ’99, MBA ’04 ColeN. L. ConwayJ. E. ConwayJackie & Benge Daniel Joyce DavidsonJan FersingPatsy Feemster ’68Helen LeeMr. & Mrs. John H. Maddux ’59 Mr. & Mrs. Reg MartinMcLeland Monday Tennis GroupJohn ’71 & Kathy MurpheyCameron NewberryO. P. Newberry III

Palisades CorporationsGina M. Phillips ’97, MSP ’07Mr. & Mrs. W. E. RainwaterMaura D. RattikinLuther & Betty ScarboroughCatharine Wakefield ’39 Mr. & Mrs. Gary WoodyRichard Williammee, Jr.

Alta Lewis Dollar ’66 to the Alta Lewis Dollar Endowed Scholarship

David Dollar ’85 Donald Hummel to the Tribute Scholarship Fund

Mark NurdinTim Russell ’64 to the Wesleyan Fund

Wanda (Hunsaker) Russell ’64Jimmy L. Shawver ’54 to the Tribute Scholarship Fund

Joan ShawverElma Sarah Slabach to the Law Review Endowment Fund

Stephen & Judith JD ’94 AltonElma Sarah Slabach to the Tribute Scholarship Fund

Jan FersingElma Sarah Slabach to the Unrestricted Library Fund

The United Methodist Church — Fort Worth

Gift in KindPasty Warren Clifford ’55

www.txwes.edu

Stay Up-To-Date with an Alumni Database that Works for Youthe alumni office is converting its database to Blackbaud’s raiser’s edge. it is an exciting move for the office, and our staff members are looking forward to a database that will serve alumni better than ever!

Blackbaud is a leader in providing software and related services designed specifically for nonprofits. more than 12,500 nonprofit organizations around the world use Blackbaud products and services.

so don’t miss out on all the exciting new benefits of the system! please contact the alumni office to update your records so the new system is current and up-to-date! Visit us at www.txwes.edu/alumni or call at 817-531-4404.

C o m i n g S o o n !The Blackbaud NetCommunity is an interactive online network for alumni that will offer many benefits:

■ Connections with classmates and the ability to view, submit and update class notes

■ Secure, searchable online directories

■ Easy, hassle-free online registration

■ Personalized web pages and emails

■ Secure and simple online donations

■ Personalized, lifelong email addresses

■ News you can use

2 Local Educators and Students Collaborate for Summer Biological Diversity Research

4 Fersing Freshman Success Center Welcomes Students

6 Texas Wesleyan Fall 2011 Medal Awards

9 Jack and Jo Willa Morton Awarded Honorary Degrees

10 Alumnus Draws on Experience toTeach Students

10 Texas Wesleyan Earns U.S. News & World Report Ranking for Second Consecutive Year

11 Law Student Posts Highest Bar Exam Score

12 Alumna Discovers Passion for Horses

13 Affinity Groups Expand Horizons

14 La Dolce Vita: Sights, Tastes and Impressions of Italy

16 An (Uphill) Walk Through Beautiful Guatemala

18 Where East Meets West

20 Travel Tips — Slow Down, Relax, Discover!

22 The Story of Wesleyan’s Seal

23 classroom.NEXT Redefines Learning Space and Experience

23 The Big Read Coming to Fort Worth in 2012

24 Two Lifelong Music Educators Coordinate Musical Joy

25 Meet Your New Athletic Director

26 A Precise Game

29 Alumni News

30 In Memoriam

31 Remembering Gene Burge

32 Tribute Gift Recognition

32 Alumni Database Conversion News

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL 2011

School of Education faculty, staff and students traveled to Guatemala, where they visited schools and various sites, including the Tikal Pyramid, shown above. To read more about this journey, go to pages 16–17.

On the cover: Wesleyan students took learning to a global level with recent educational trips to Guatemala, Italy, Turkey and France. From top left, clockwise: liberal arts major Rachel Rowland enjoys the view in France (see pages 20–21); a bridge in France; Ed.D. students Pam Cooper, Conrad Herrera and Al Benskin learn about making pasta from Chef Christian in Italy (see pages 14–15); and the beautiful architecture of Turkey (see pages 18–19).

CALENDAR OF EVENTS | FALL 2011 | SPRING 2012

September

29–30 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedbyConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,7:30p.m.

30 President’s Council Kickoff;MartinHall,7:30p.m.

October

1 Women’s Soccer: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.

1 Men’s Soccer: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.1–2 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedby

ConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

3 Volleyball: Oklahoma City University;Ft.Worth,7p.m.

4 Volleyball: Southern Nazarene University;Ft.Worth,7p.m.

6–9 “Lycanthrope”byalumnusChuckFaindirectedbyConnieWhitt-Lambert;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

14 Volleyball: UT-Brownsville;Ft.Worth,7p.m.15 Volleyball: Our Lady of the Lake University;

Ft.Worth,1p.m.20 Women’s Soccer: Southwestern Assemblies of God

University;Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.20 Men’s Soccer: Southwestern Assemblies of God

University;Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.21 Alumni Medal Dinner;TheFortWorthClub,6p.m.22 Brick Dedication Ceremony;frontstepsofthe

EuniceandJamesL.WestLibrary,10a.m.22 Women’s Soccer: Huston-Tillotson University;

Ft.Worth,5:30p.m.22 Men’s Soccer: Huston-Tillotson University;

Ft.Worth,7:30p.m.

November

3 Business Hall of Fame honoring Paul Andrews;TheFortWorthClub,6p.m.

4 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country:RRACChampionships,AllDay

4 Volleyball: University of the Southwest (Senior Day);Ft.Worth,7p.m.

5 Volleyball: Bacone College (Parents Day);Ft.Worth,1p.m.

10–13 “The Laramie Project”byMoisesKaufman&membersofTectonicTheaterProjectdirectedbyJeremyJackson;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

17–20 “The Laramie Project”byMoisesKaufman&membersofTectonicTheaterProjectdirectedbyJeremyJackson;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

December

9 Robing Ceremony;MartinHall,11a.m.

January

26–27 Presidential Inauguration

February

4 Baseball: Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College;Ft.Worth,noon

5 Baseball: Lubbock Christian University;Ft.Worth,noon

9 Baseball: Tabor College;Ft.Worth,2p.m.10 Baseball: University of the Southwest;Ft.Worth,

1:30p.m.11 Baseball: University of the Southwest; Ft.Worth,

noon14 Baseball: University of Mary-Hardin Baylor;

Ft.Worth,noon23–26 “Charley’s Aunt”byBrandonThomasdirected

byJeanneEverton;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

25 Baseball: Dallas Christian College;Ft.Worth,noon

March

1–4 “Charley’s Aunt”byBrandonThomasdirectedbyJeanneEverton;ThadSmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.

2 Baseball: Southwestern Assemblies of God University;Ft.Worth,3p.m.

3 Baseball: Southwestern Assemblies of God University;Ft.Worth,noon

6 Men’s Golf: University of Texas at Dallas;Ft.Worth,2:30p.m.

14 Baseball: Texas Lutheran University;Ft.Worth,noon

16 Baseball: Texas College;Ft.Worth,4p.m.17 Baseball: Texas College;Ft.Worth,1p.m.20 Baseball: Tarleton State University;Ft.Worth,

4p.m.April

3 University College Day,AllDay5 Baseball: Northwood University;LaGraveField,

3p.m.10 Baseball: St. Edward’s University;LaGraveField,

3p.m.14 Baseball: University of Houston-Victoria;LaGrave

Field,1p.m.15 Baseball: University of Houston-Victoria;LaGrave

Field,noon19–22 “Cabaret”byJohnKander&FredEbb;Thad

SmothermanTheatre,Thursday–Saturday7:30p.m.andSunday2p.m.For the full athletic schedule, go to ramsports.net.

A GlobAl PersPective

Wesleyan Students Enrich Education with International Studies

An Official Publication of Texas Wesleyan University Fall 2011