The Skyline Newspaper

Photo: Mike Flynt is suited up in 1970. Courtesy of Sul Ross Brand yearbook

Flynt Returns After 37 Years

By Steve Lang
News and Publications

When Mike Flynt rediscovered Sul Ross State University, nearly every major media outlet but the Discovery Channel soon followed him to Alpine.

Fifty-nine-year-old students returning to college are not unheard of, but until August 2007, 59-year-old collegiate football players were.

Flynt, 59, seeks to complete his final year of eligibility as a Lobo football player. The newest darling of the AARP crowd last wore a Sul Ross uniform in 1970. Dismissed from the team prior to the 1971 season because of a rules infraction, he welcomed the opportunity to compete again.

"There are not many times in life when you have an opportunity to go back and right a wrong," he told a Monday (Sept. 3) press conference of local, regional and national media. "I want to play, but at the same time, I want to help these young men; to make up for some young men I let down 36 years ago."

Flynt, an Odessa native and a member of the Permian High School 1965 state champions, transferred to Sul Ross in 1969 with three seasons of eligibility remaining. During the 1970 campaign, he was named team captain and co-defensive player of the year. He recorded 24 tackles in one game; recovered four fumbles and intercepted a pass in another as the Lobos enjoyed a 7-3 season.

The following year, a dormitory incident turned into a fight and Flynt was dismissed from the team. Life continued, and Flynt finished his undergraduate degree. He has worked in the physical fitness field for many years, as a strength and fitness coach at several universities, as a trainer for branches of the military, and six years ago, he invented a piece of strength training equipment and now has his own company.

Finishing that final year of eligibility remained an on-again, off-again dream. Last summer, he contacted Lobo head coach Steve Wright, met with him in Alpine and asked for a try-out. Flynt passed muster in strength, speed and agility, and when the season-opening roster was announced, the grandfather was listed as a senior linebacker.

"Coach Wright and his staff evaluated me fairly," Flynt said, and his coach told the audience this was not a publicity stunt.

"I made a decision that Mike could come and we would take a look at him making our football team," Wright said.

"I'm not limited by barriers; barriers such as gender, race, disability or economic status....If this had affected our team framework, Mike would not be here.... If I did this for publicity, I would not be here [at the press conference}."

Flynt noted the countless emails from fellow non-traditional students and senior citizens calling him an inspiration.

"So many people have prayed for me; I've had letters and emails from people all over the country who say I have inspired them. Well, they've inspired me."

Like Satchel Paige, who pitched three scoreless innings for the Kansas City A's in 1965 at the age of 59., Flynt ascribes to Satch's theory: "how old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"

"Physically, I appreciate that I am able to take advantage of the opportunity," Flynt said. He added that being a positive influence on his much-younger teammates remains a goal.

"If I can help them make some right decisions, that's a victory for me," he said. "One of the biggest victories for me thus far has been their acceptance of me. It's a whole new experience looking out from inside the helmet this time."

Wright, 51, joked that Flynt has already been a positive influence on him.

"I'm diabetic, and I've lost eight pounds just by watching Mike. He's already made an impact."

A slight groin pull kept Flynt off the traveling squad for the season opener. It remains uncertain if he will travel in uniform to the Sept. 8 (against Southwest Assembly of God in Waxahachie) or Sept. 15 contests (in Belton against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor).

But when the team plays its home opener Sept. 22 at Jackson Field against East Texas Baptist University, number 49 at 59 will be on the sidelines awaiting his chance after a 37-year hiatus.

Sul Ross Students to Visit Bejing for Olympics

By Jason Hennington
Newswriter

Ni hao, "How do you do?" in English, is one of the various phrases some Sul Ross State University students will have to learn before leaving for their trip to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Next summer Brother Dan Dunagan, Monahans, is taking interested students to attend a trip to China to help with the Summer Olympic Games. The students would officially be apart of the Olympic committee and would be working to make sure that the games run smoothly.

"This is an opportunity for us to help the Chinese people at the 2008 Olympics," Dunagan said.

Dunagan is the advisor for Sul Ross State University's Baptist student ministry. The Baptist Student Ministry of Sul Ross State University has had fundraisers and is planning more in the future to raise money to fund the trip.

"We need about $20,000 to make it there and back," Dunagan said.

So far, a carwash, a concession stand at the Pisano ranch, and a few donations have earned about $1,300. Plans for more carwashes, concession work, and a booth during the Fourth of July celebration in 2008 are being considered. The Baptist Student Ministry is also planning to take a musical group around to different areas to perform and ask for donations.

Dunagan has been to China twice, but this would make a first for most of the students he is planning to take. In 1999, Dunagan took fourteen students above the Arctic Circle to meet Eskimos, so he knows preparation tactics for the trip.

"We've done a lot of begging," he laughed.

Sul Ross was invited by the Olympic committee to work and be a part of the official games of 2008. The Sul Ross group's job description will be Literature Distribution, meaning they will be handing out directions like, "How to get to the basketball game."

Moises Morales, Fort Hancock, is excited about his first trip overseas to China.

"Dude, it's another country. Pretty much this is a road trip across the world with a purpose," Morales said. "We get to meet different people from different cultures."

Jonathan Herrera, Austin, explained exactly how he felt about his first trip around the globe.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it's almost unspeakable," Herrera said. "It's a chance to see life outside the United States and other cultures."

For Larry Lovato, Lubbock, this will be a dream come true to finally travel around the world.

"Dude, I'm pumped about it," Lovato said. "I've always wanted to go overseas, and this is my opportunity."

The trip was originally planned for ten people from Sul Ross State University but can increase or decrease before next summer. Dunagan stresses that anyone can attend; they just need to contact him first.

While working at the Olympics, the Sul Ross group will be able to view certain events during the games, and they all are excited.

"The best athletes the world has to offer are going to be in one city, and we get to be there to help," Morales said. "The smell of the popcorn in the air and the people chanting, it's going to be crazy."

This will be a chance for some Sul Ross students to exchange cultures with other students and people from around the world.

"We get to give them some of us, and we are getting some of them, as a culture," Herrera said. "Even though we are far apart, we are all under the same sky and are not really that far apart at all."

In the past, Dunagan and his groups have stayed for eleven weeks at a time in China, but this group only gets to stay for ten days during the finals of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. While in Beijing, the group will be working with a team to keep things in order.

"We all agree that this is our opportunity to get out and change the world," Herrera said.

Anyone interested in attending the 2008 Summer Olympic Games with this group can contact Brother Dan Dunagan at (432) 837-2675 or e-mail him at danbdunagan@hotmail.com.

Richerson Retires After 26 Years

By MaryAshley P. Gredell
Skyline Reporter

Barbara Richerson saw Sul Ross through the artistic eye of a camera for over twenty six years.

Last Friday, August 31, Richerson retired as assistant director of News and Publications. The photographs she has captured and the stories she helped shape have been the lens through which thousands of people have perceived this mountain campus and its community.

Her impact has gone further still than that: Richerson's famous dedication and passion for her work have influenced countless students.

In 1981, Richerson brought her talents to the News and Publications department as half-time photographer and soon rose to the position of student publications advisor. She left her mark and her characteristic photography; often action shots from athletic events, scenes captured from student plays, or lively portraits of students themselves at work or play, in 'The Skyline' newspaper, 'The Brand' yearbook, and 'The Sage' literary magazine.

Richerson is also an incredible inspiration for all those who have known her and aspired to do similar work.

"Barbara was one of the first people I met when I came for a visit to Sul Ross," said Jason Hennington, who graduated with both his BA in Communications and MA in Liberal Arts from SRSU.

"I told her I was interested in photography and she was very helpful in getting me involved with student publications," said Hennington.

Hennington currently works as news writer and photographer at Sul Ross, and his photography has been recognized at state competitions. "I had some of my work sent to TIPA (Texas Intercollegiate Press Association) and won a number of awards. I also put some of my work on display at Gallery Night," said Hennington.

"Barbara is a major part of the reason I am still here at Sul Ross. She is the reason I gave up basketball for photography."

Richerson's talents and teaching extended beyond the realm of the camera, even as she worked to adapt from traditional photography to digital.

Lori Keyes, another graduate of Sul Ross for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees and a current English instructor, worked under Richerson as Assistant Editor at The Skyline.

"I took a journalism class, and they kind of just throw you in there. Barbara tells you the basics and says 'Hey go write this article!' or, at least, that's what she did to me. Later she looked at my story, fixed it up, and we put it in the paper. I learned from Barbara by doing," said Keyes, who also learned photography and layout and design from Richerson.

"Barbara taught me to be very objective as a journalist," said Keyes, adding "I think Barbara really loved her student workers; we could go to her for help at any time."

Landon Moore, a current English graduate student at Sul Ross, worked with Barbara on The Skyline for several years, eventually rising to become editor. Moore's dedication to her studies and eventual pursuit of a PhD has been encouraged by Richerson.

"Barbara has been an inspiration because she is so dedicated to everything she does. She is always a face in every crowd; you'll see her at nearly every event with a camera. That shows how committed she is to what she does," said Moore, who, with similar commitment, plans on writing for the rest of her life.

"I know the paper won't be the same without Barbara," said Moore.

"She really left her mark on it and the students that worked for her."

Students Receive Grants

Thirteen Sul Ross State University students from Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties are recipients of a Bechtel Fund book grant in the amount of $300 each for the fall 2007 semester.

The Alpine collegians are Pedro Alcario-Garcia, a theatre major; Sylvia Probasco, an elementary education major; Talitha Raby, a mathematics major; and Leticia Church, an education major.

Christian Celis of Marfa is a sophomore business major.

From Presidio are Alcee Tavarez II, Brenda Ramirez, Jacob Ramirez, and Mayra Ramirez. Tavarez, a U.S. Army veteran of the War in Iraq, is a general studies major, Brenda is an interdisciplinary studies major, and Jacob and Mayra are kinesiology majors.

Fort Davis recipients are Jose Fierro, a business major, Ben Stringer, a music major, Hector Cardona, an accounting major; and Joshua Uttley, a management major.

The Bechtel Fund Book Grant program provides money to qualified Sul Ross students to help them purchase textbooks. Recipients must have graduated from a high school in Brewster, Jeff Davis or Presidio counties and meet certain academic criteria.

Established in 1994 by the late Dr. George Bechtel of Alpine, who worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Fund is a charitable philanthropy dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the residents of the tri-county area.

The Fund will call for book grant applications for the spring 2008 semester at Sul Ross in November. For information, please call (432) 729-4342.