The Skyline Newspaper

Photo: Elbert Bassham

Bassham Given Banquet

Elbert Bassham, who retired as director of Institutional Research and Effectivness Sept. 14, will be honored at a reception Thursday, Oct. 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m. on the second floor foyer, University Center. The public is invited to attend.

Although Bassham retired after 15 years of employment, his Sul Ross State University roots trace back more than 45.

Bassham graduated from Sul Ross in 1965 with a bachelor of science degree and returned in 1992 as a lecturer in mathematics and computer science. He eventually retired as director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

In between, he served as director of the Academic Computer Resource Center (1995-2001). He also developed Sul Ross' original website, was a help desk administrator, assistant systems administrator and the Year 2000 Remediation coordinator. Recently, he developed the system for administration of online course evaluations, processed data, developed and administered many online surveys and developed the online interface to the Strategic Plan, effectiveness measures and syllabi databases.

"My career typifies Dr. (Vic) Morgan's statement that people change their jobs an average of four times in their lifetime," he said. "I have worked as a public school teacher, a land surveyor, a university lecturer, a computer technician, a university researcher and a director of two university departments. I am now moving into full-time programming."

Bassham taught at Burges High School in El Paso for five and a half years after graduating from Sul Ross. He earned a Master of arts degree (1969) from Tulane University, New Orleans, and is presently working on his dissertation for a Ph.D. from Capella University.

He taught in Melbourne, Australia for two years on an international teaching fellowship, returned to El Paso to teach another year and a half, then worked a number of years as a land surveyor, eventually forming his own company.

Three years of public school teaching followed, one at Presidio and two at Marfa, before Bassham returned to Sul Ross.

"I did not realize it at the time, but my undergraduate study prepared me and opened doors in ways that I have appreciated ever since," he said.

"Since my major was mathematics, whenever it came time for a change I was reminded that mathematics is the foundation for almost everything and it left me with many career options.

"Without a doubt, the academic, social and physical environment at Sul Ross has been very good for me. While my experiences in public school teaching and land surveying were challenging in their own ways, I felt a mental acceleration when I returned to the university environment," Bassham said.

"The influence of faculty, students, staff and administrators at Sul Ross accelerated my thinking and provided challenging opportunities."

He praised Dr. David Cockrum, provost and vice president for Student and Academic Affairs, "for his continuing support and his foresight to allow me to pursue my innovative ideas.

"I got to know essentially every faculty and staff member on campus during the time when we installed the campus-wide network. Special friendships developed during my time at Sul Ross will continue through the rest of my life."

Born in Kermit, Bassham graduated from Rankin High School before attending Sul Ross.

He and his wife, Genevieve, will continue to live in Marfa, and he will work in computer programming. He has a brother who lives in Dallas and a sister in Santa Fe.

"I do not see myself slowing down upon retirement from Sul Ross. I am merely moving from one type of work to another. I am now subcontracting to a corporation and working on a server in Dallas.

"Since my work will be conducted across the Internet, I can do it from any location where I can be connected to the Internet," he said. "I hear that they have Internet access on cruise ships now!"

Rodeo Tradition Continues at SR

Sul Ross State University, where intercollegiate rodeo began, will host the 62nd annual National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) event Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 4-6.

Competition begins at 7 p.m. each evening in the S.A.L.E. Arena. General admission is $5. Children under 12 and Sul Ross faculty, staff and students with ID will be admitted free. Thursday, Oct. 4, will be a long slack, with performances Friday and Saturday evenings. There is no charge for the slack.

Seventeen Southwest Region university and college teams will join Sul Ross in the competition, including: Angelo State University, San Angelo; Clarendon College; Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, N.M.; Frank Phillips College, Borger; Howard College, Big Spring; Mesalands Community College, Tucumcari, N.M.; New Mexico Jr. College, Hobbs, N.M.; Odessa College; Ranger Junior College; South Plains College, Levelland; Tarleton State University, Stephenville; Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Vernon Jr. Regional College; Weatherford College; West Texas A&M University, Canyon; and Western Texas College, Snyder.

Six Sul Ross State University coeds will compete for the 2007 Miss Rodeo Sul Ross title. Coronation will be held Saturday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m., during the rodeo.

Reigning Queen is Mary Briggs, Odessa.

Candidates include: Sarah Ashley David, Cisco, a freshman majoring in reproductive physiology; Amanda Renfro, North Richland Hills, junior, kinesiology; Julie Lejsal, Pearland, junior, animal science/pre-veterinary medicine; Cayla Slaughter, Pyote, sophomore, animal science; Kaydi Kubala, El Campo, senior, animal science; and Kayla Clingingsmith, Seguin, freshman, agricultural education.

Sul Ross boasts nine national team championships, seven men's and two women's; and 24 individual event titles. The rodeo team won men's championships in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1982 and 1983 and women's crowns in 1962 and 1985.

Only Southeastern Oklahoma State University boasts as many national team championships, five men's and four women's.

Current Sul Ross women's team member Kaycee Watt, Claresholm, Alberta, Canada, competed in goat tying at the 2006 College Finals Rodeo, and earned Academic All-American honors.

Harley May, a member of the first three men's championship teams, won eight national collegiate titles, three world championships in steer wrestling on the professional circuit and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. He returned to coach the Sul Ross rodeo teams from 1994-98.

May won the all-around men's championships from 1949-51; bareback riding in 1949; bull riding in 1949-50; and saddle bronc riding in 1950-51. Tex Martin (1953) and Cody Lambert (1982) also won men's all-around titles, while Jo Gregory Knox (1951), Elisabeth Prude Longbotham (1953) and Donna Saul (1962) claimed all-around women's crowns.

Other Sul Ross national individual champions are: bull riders Johnny Ackel (1952), Ira Akers (1953), Tex Martin (1954), and George Eads (1962); saddle bronc rider Don Lee Smith (1958); and Bill James, who tied for first in calf roping in 1961 and won team roping in 1962.

In women's competition, Charlotte Martin (1954) and Saul (1962) won goat tying championships; Saul won calf tying in 1961; and Jayne Gentry won breakaway roping in 1985.

Franco Family Establishes Scholarship

Family members of Lucy Rede Franco, the first Hispanic student enrolled at Sul Ross State University, have established a scholarship endowment in her honor.

The Lucy Rede Franco Scholarship Endowment and Fund will provide scholarships to Presidio High School graduates enrolled in teacher education at Sul Ross.

Eligible applicants must be fully admitted to Sul Ross if beginning freshmen. If returning students, applicants must be making normal progress toward a degree and have an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

Family representatives Delfina Alicia Anderson, Presidio; Rene Franco, Sr., Presidio; Yvonne Franco Hinojos, El Paso; Carmelina Holloway, Decatur; and Rachel Holloway Roberts, Keller, along with President R. Vic Morgan, established the endowment Sept. 21. Other contributors who are family members are Abelardo Franco, Presidio; Adalberto Franco, El Paso; and Rede Franco, El Paso.

Lucy Rede, daughter of Eusebio and Mary Ann Rede, was born Feb. 3, 1902 in Shafter.

The family moved to Redford, where Lucy's mother worked as postmistress and also taught English.

Lucy Rede enrolled at Sul Ross Normal College in Alpine in 1920. Following one year of study, she passed her teaching exam and began teaching in Redford. She received her B.A. degree from Sul Ross in 1956. Her teaching career continued until 1972, when she retired after a long career in the Presidio Independent School District. In 1985, the Presidio ISD named the Lucy Rede Franco Middle School in her honor.

She married Manuel Franco in 1924 and the couple's eight children all received college degrees. A total of 11 degrees were conferred on family members from Sul Ross.

In 1959, Luce Rede Franco was chosen Texas Mother of the Year by the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. In 1960, she was named Texas' Mother of the Year by the American Mother's Committee in New York. She died in 1977.

"This endowment is a true testament to a woman whose love of and belief in higher education was an inspiration to both her family and countless other individuals," said Morgan.

"We are deeply grateful to the Franco family for their generosity in keeping the Franco legacy a part of Sul Ross for future generations."

Sul Ross endowments now exceed $12 million. For more information on endowments, contact Leo Dominguez, associate vice president for Advancement and University Relations, (432) 837-8033 or leodo@sulross.edu.

Hispanic heritage month continues celebration

By Madeleine Cantu
Skyline Reporter

¡Olé! Sept. 15-Oct. 15 is officially Hispanic Heritage Month.

Doctors Jesús Tafoya and Mark Saka, chairmen for the Spanish American Studies Council at Sul Ross, have arranged several activities to promote Hispanic Heritage Month on campus such as the Chihuahuan Symphony, or Orquestra Sinfonica 2007 de la Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, which performed in the Marshall Auditorium on Sept. 19.

"It was absolutely wonderful," noted Dr. Tafoya.

In addition, two movies will be shown in Lawrence Hall to continue the celebration, though times and dates remain to be announced (keep checking the university activities calendar).

On the list is "Pan's Labyrinth" ("El Laberinto del Fauno") a Spanish language film directed by Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy", "Blade II"), which won three Academy Awards.

"Pan's Labyrinth" is an epic, gothic fairytale set in the post-Spanish Civil War era of dictator Francisco Franco that combines both historic and moral themes as it follows the life of a young girl troubled in both her brutally mundane and darkly fantastical worlds. There will also be another movie that has yet to be announced.

The last event for Hispanic Heritage Month will be a speech by Chicano author Denise Chávez.

Chávez writes plays, poetry, short fiction and novels.

Her focus is usually on the issues of the Chicano culture, whether social or economical and Chicano humor.

She received her master's degree in fine arts for creative writing from the University of New Mexico in 1984 and has received several awards for her work, including the Puerto del Sol Fiction Award for a compilation of her short stories titled "The Last of the Menu Girls."

Sept. 15, as opposed to Sept. 1, is the starting date of Hispanic Heritage Month because five countries in Latin America celebrate their independence on that date: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile declared their independence on Sept. 16 and 18, respectively.

Merriam-Webster defines a Hispanic as "of, relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent living in the United States."

In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that over 35 million people reported themselves as Hispanic or Latino.

El Paso was listed as the top city in the U.S. with the highest percent of its population being Hispanic in 2000.

Stay tuned for more information on these campus events, and watch for bulletin board postings and updates on the calendar on the school's web site.