The Skyline Newspaper

Current Sul Ross football team members pose with a dedicated bench. Photo by Jason Hennington

"Baby Boomers" Donate Benches

By Adam Cuellar
Skyline Reporter

This past Friday the Sul Ross Baby Boomers dedicated two new concrete benches to the university. One bench recognizes the 2007 Sul Ross football team and Mike Flynt, while the other identifies the Baby Boomers as the very appreciative donors.

The gathering was held in the downstairs patch between the Gallego Center and Graves Pierce. Ten current lobo football players met and exchanged memories with the Sul Ross alumni, most of whom were meeting each other for the first time. There were wide smiles, many hearty laughs, and a few tears shed between the groups that came to have much more in common than just having attended the same small, West Texas university.

The Sul Ross Baby Boomers are an alumni group primarily consisting of members who graduated between 1964 and 1974. Their association began just a few years ago and they are eagerly attempting to recruit old schoolmates.

The arrival of Mike Flynt proved to be a spark for the group, as it generated peak interest in success of both the football team and university. Many of Mike's old teammates were present at the dedication, as well as numerous other alumni who drove or flew in from places such as Dallas, Sanderson, North Carolina, Wyoming, and Virginia, to name a few.

President Morgan announced that the benches will soon be made permanent fixtures to the campus, and slabs of concrete will surround the gifts from the Baby Boomers. They will outside Gallego Center and Graves Pierce.

"The shouts of laughter and recognition will stay with me forever. It was a wonderful and humbling feeling" wrote alum Randy Jackson in an internet blog.

"I've never seen anything like this," chimed Preston Watts, senior Lobo defensive captain.

Head Coach Steve Wright smiled as he too witnessed something he had never before seen at Sul Ross.

"The interaction between alumni and current Sul Ross players was awesome. The connection between the groups was pretty special and encapsulated the benefits of such an event."