November Newsletter

FORT STOCKTON WOMAN CONTINUES LIFELONG LEARNING PATH AT SUL ROSS

By Steve Lang, News and Publications

Ida Casias' formal education may have ended after third grade if not for some encouragement from a kindly teacher.

"Never say I can't,' Mrs. Myers told me. 'Say, I'll try,'" Casias said.

She tried...and persevered. Now a teacher herself, she hopes to continue to convey encouragement to her own students.

Meanwhile, the 63-year-old Fort Stockton mother of 10 - including some who attended Sul Ross - plans to receive her B.A. degree in Administrative Systems and Business Technology at the end of the fall semester. Her journey has been an often-interrupted, illness-plagued trek, but despite complications from two open-heart surgeries, she plans to walk across the stage in the Pete P. Gallego Center on Dec. 15.

"To me, it's not a big thing....I'm not doing it to impress anybody; it's for me," she smiled.

After teaching herself to read in her pre-teen years, she later completed her GED as a wife, mother and caretaker for her elderly parents. Casias now teaches a computer course at Williams Regional Technical Training Center in Fort Stockton. In the meantime, she has been completing her bachelor's degree requirements via on-line courses and distance learning from Sul Ross. Earlier, she studied at Midland College.

"Everything I know, I learned in college," she said. "I only attended the last three months of each of the first three grades. Everyone else knew what they were doing [in class] except me."

She remembered being asked if she wanted to take a geography test at the end of her much-shortened third grade year. When Casias started to say she was unprepared, her Petersberg teacher told her the words she still lives by: "Never say 'I can't.' Say 'I'll try.'" She tried and received a 42, but "she [Mrs. Myers] was so proud of me. It has always been my motto," Casias said. "I still have a picture of Mrs. Myers in my photo album; she has always been an inspiration to me."

Elementary education ended after the third grade, but Casias' love of learning persisted. "I would see kids going to school and I would envy them; I wanted to learn, so I read. I read my mother's books and magazines," she said.

She was able to read only single-syllable words on her first attempt, but Casias patiently divided multi-syllable words, pronouncing each syllable separately, and then piecing the words together.

"Since I couldn't understand what the words meant, I got hold of a dictionary," she said. "That helped me learn how to spell, and I learned how to look up the meanings of words. I knew if I did not understand one word in a sentence, I was going to miss the whole point."

When she was 35, raising her large family, she walked across town to attend GED classes in Fort Stockton in pursuit of her high school equivalency certification. Later, she took an entrance exam to enter nurses' training in Midland. Overcoming her struggles with mathematics, she eventually passed that portion of the exam, but suffered a heart attack soon after. A month later, she had her first open-heart surgery and never learned that she had been accepted into the program until a year had passed.

"I didn't give up. After my year of recovery, I went back to work in a nursing home, then told my parents I was going to move to Midland to try and get back into the program," Casias said.

"They were disabled, I was caring for them, and they panicked, so I didn't go."

Instead, she opted for secretarial training in Fort Stockton, enrolling in a typing class and eventually learned to use computers in her advanced secretarial courses.

"At first I was afraid, but I overcame my fears. I realized if I was going to the pass the course, I needed to have my own computer."

Casias, who calls herself a perfectionist, did all her assignments at home. "Everything had to look just like it did in the book," she said.

When in class, she helped other students with their assignments. "One day, one of the other students said, 'why don't you be an instructor?'" Casias said, and after completing an associate's degree in Office Systems Technology from Midland College, she eventually went to work.

After passing required exams, she was hired to teach computer training at the prison in Fort Stockton in 1999. Later, she began teaching at WRTTC for Midland College. She continued to apply the encouragement teachers had offered to her as a student.

"Mr. Clark, from Odessa, helped me pass math. He said, 'Ida, don't give up on me; I haven't given up on you," she said.

"Teachers do and say things to keep students going. I try to be that kind of instructor."

Casias will be the first recipient of Sul Ross' newest degree, the Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Systems and Business Technology.

Recently, she visited Mazie Will's classroom at Sul Ross and spoke to the students. "It's the first class I've actually sat in," she laughed, noting that she has taken all her Sul Ross courses online. "She is an excellent student and performs very well in the online classes," said Will. "When Ida spoke to my class, she really spoke to their hearts."

Casias' own heart condition makes her future uncertain, but she continues to move forward. "I have all this education and I need to use it," she smiled. "If not, if I have inspired someone, God has at least let me go to school. "If I can make a difference to someone somewhere, it will be worth it," she said.

"I think it has helped my children, because 'if Mom can do it, so can I.' If I can do it with a third grade education, anyone can."

RECENT SUL ROSS GRANTS EXCEED $6.18 MILLION

SulRossStateUniversityreceived over $6.18 million in grants since July 31, ranging from $7,500 to over $2.8 million.

Rio GrandeCollegereceived a five-year, $2,849,112 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, funding $574,000 per year from 2007-08 to 2011-12, is a Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions award. The grant will broaden educational accessfor underserved, disadvantaged students in the predominately Hispanic border service area.

RGC's award is one of only 15 institutional awards nationwide

Sul Ross also received a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Education grant for the McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement program. The ward will provide 25 upper division students with critical faculty mentoring and research experience to prepare them for graduate studies.

Other grants include:

• $35,000 from the U. S. Department of Education to assist teachers of English Language Learners become better math teachers.

• $15,000 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to participate in improving college readiness for Texans.

• $147,810 from the National Park Service for the Center for Big Bend Studies http://www.sulross.edu/cbbs/ at Sul Ross to conduct an archaeological survey of approximately 14,000 acres in the Big Bend National Park of Far West Texas.

• $8,559 from the National Park Service for the Center for Big Bend Studies (http://www.sulross.edu/cbbs/) to develop a criteria for cultural resource reconnaissance survey methods.

• $13,000 from the National Park service for the Center for Big Bend Studies (http://www.sulross.edu/cbbs/) to register approximately 380 archaeological sites in the Big Bend National Park.

• $ 518,713 from the Department of Defense to investigate the microbiology of novel, field-deployable wastewater treatment technology

• $318,820 in pass-thru funding from the University of Texas at San Antonio for small business development assistance at the Alpine and Rio Grande Small Business Development Centers

• $293,157 for the Upward Bound program to support college readiness programs for under-served and minority high school students in the rural Big Bendregion.

• $7,500 from the Brown Foundationfor surface geology studies and rodeo program related equipment maintenance.

For more information, contact Leslie Hopper, grants coordinator, (432) 837-8393 or lhopper@sulross.edu.

"Baby Boomers" Donate Benches by Adam Cuellar, Skyline Reporter

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. " (Photos by Jason Hennington)

AKL FRATERNITY REUNION by Dennie Miller

A decade of memories was re-lived by the alumni of the Beta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity (AKL) when they reunited on, Oct. 19-20, in Alpine.

The chapter was active on the campus of Sul Ross State University during the 1970s in which during that time over three hundred students became members of the order. Many have not returned to Alpine since graduation, in some instances, 35 years ago or more.

AKL, a prominent national social fraternity, was presented its charter by then Executive Director Lewis Bacon at an installation banquet in the dining room of Mountainside Dormitory in the spring of 1970.

Accepting the charter on behalf of the men of Beta Gamma chapter was President Tom Lawson. The fraternity remained active as an integral part of campus life until 1981.

Through the years, the members of Beta Gamma chapter have spread far and wide, raised families and have had distinguished careers - teachers, administrators, engineers, doctors, ministers and journalists.

The AKL reunion was headquartered in the Holland Hotel in Alpine. On Friday, Oct. 19, a scrapbook of memories was presented to the Archives of the Big Bend in the Wildenthal Library. A tour of the campus was followed. An informal social gathering will took place on Friday evening at the meeting room of Edelweiss Restaurant.

On Saturday, there was a chuck wagon dinner at Kokernot Lodge. (Photos courtesy by Dennie Miller)

Thank you for the Memories...

Dear Office of Alumni Affairs,

My mother, Willie Fay Tillman, earned her Master's from Sul Ross and my father, Delmer Winn Tillman, earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees there. My mother is deceased (1995) and retired from teaching, mostly in Crane, Texas, after teaching into her third generation of families in the Crane Independent School District. My father is 93 and recently moved into the Clyde W. Cosper Texas State Veteran's Home in Bonham, Texas. He also retired from the Crane schools after teaching there following a stint of 8 years in Odessa, Texas.

My primary reason for sending this email is just to let you know how much Sul Ross has meant to our family and how much it has influenced our lives. Many of my early memories are of heading to Alpine just after school was out in Crane, moving into the brick houses – once the larger, rock houses – for students and families and staying all summer. We did this several years – I enjoyed each time so much. It looks like those living quarters have long since been replaced, but they were great for folks like ours to live in for the summer months.

One summer, my folks took an audio-visual class, and I got to visit with them. It seems like I was about 10 years old at the time. Mr. Williams, the instructor, let me help with many of the AV tasks – seems like I had a pretty good aptitude for those things – and I actually got to help set up and help with many of the other classes AV needs. That sparked a continued interest in that field, and I continued on into Electrical Engineering at UTA in the 1970's and have worked in related fields since the 1960's.

Of all the teachers I have ever known, I can truly state that my mother loved to teach more than anyone else. Her love for that profession prompted my father to finish his college education. It had been interrupted by WWII where he served in the Army and spent some terrible times in France, Germany, and other European countries, ending up in Nuremburg, Germany, guarding the building where German war prisoners were housed.

My parents met in Crane, where the "Oil Money" was great.

Mom taught school, and my father worked for Gulf Oil in Crane, Texas. He continued there for 13 years, and I can still remember him coming home from the oil field – covered with oil and dirt from a hard day's work – watching mother take his lunch box as he walked in and replace its crumpled contents with fresh ones for a trip to Odessa. Dad cleaned up and headed to Odessa College. He attended OC for several semesters, and on Saturdays would head to Alpine. He and other friends traveled there to attend Sul Ross weekend classes.

Our summers were spent in Alpine, where we moved for the two summer semesters – we did this several times. When dad neared the end of his college work toward his Bachelor's Degree, he quit Gulf. He had to complete his college work and get his diploma in order to fulfill requirements for his first teaching position in Odessa. If something went wrong, he would have no job at either Gulf Oil or at the school system. Looking back, that must have been pretty stressful for my parents, but they never passed that worry on to me.

Dr. Casey, who taught (I believe) History also befriended me. He let me come to his home and visit many times. Dr. Wildenthal, the president of Sul Ross during at least part of those years, also treated me and my family graciously. Professor Williams was so special. I probably pestered many of the professors at Sul Ross with numerous questions and visits. I do not remember any of them being unkind to me.

Anyway, I could go on and on…..but I will end here. It is great to see how well Sul Ross is doing. The recent advertising for the University regarding Mike Flynt – GREAT…..how could anyone purchase such great, positive exposure. May the best still be ahead? ~Bobby Tillman

Governor Perry Appoints Three to Texas State University System Board of Regents.

Austin, Texas -- Texas State University System (TSUS) is pleased to present the newly appointed members of the Board of Regents. Governor Rick Perry announced the appointment of the following regents:

See the Governor's full announcement and a brief biography of each new regent by visiting http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/appointments/Appointment .2007-09-24.5108.

The Texas State University System is the oldest multi-campus system in Texas and plays a critical role in the educational and economic development of this state. It is governed by a nine member Board of Regents appointed by the Governor. In addition, a nonvoting student regent is appointed annually to the Board.

TSUS's eight component institutions are committed to serving the people of Texas through education. The Texas State University System Institutions include: Lamar Institute of Technology; Lamar State College-Orange; Lamar State College-Port Arthur; Lamar University; Sam Houston State University; Sul Ross State University; Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College; and Texas State University-San Marcos.

Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni, Athletic Hall of Honor, and Outstanding Service Awards

Photo by Jason Hennington

(left to right) Gary Painter, Midland; Corliss George on behalf of Joe George, Belton; John Curry, Monahans; Marty Davis, Dallas/Ft. Davis Golden; Dana (Souter) Pannell, San Saba; Ruth (Roman) McWilliams, Marfa; and Robie Golden.

Former faculty member and Alumni Association director Robie Golden, Alpine, and Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter, Midland, received the Sul Ross State University Distinguished Alumni Awards during Homecoming 2007. John Martin "Marty" Davis, Dallas/Fort Davis, received the Slingin' Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service to Sul Ross. The three were honored, along with Athletic Hall of Honor inductees at the annual recognition banquet on Saturday, Oct. 27.

HALL OF HONOR

Former football coach Joe George, Belton, tennis and basketball standout Dana (Souter) Pannell, San Saba, volleyball player and coach Ruth (Roman) McWilliams, Marfa, and John Curry, Monahans, were inducted into the Sul Ross State University Hall of Honor during Homecoming 2007. Joe George was not able to attend the ceremony; his wife Corliss George attended the ceremony; receiving the award on his behalf.

Hall of Honor Inductees photo by Jason Hennington Left to Right Joe George, Belton (represented by Mrs. Joe George) John Curry, Monahans Dana (Souter) Pannell, San Saba Ruth (Roman) McWilliams, Marfa

David Crowned Miss Rodeo Sul Ross 2007

Freshman Sarah Ashley David, Cisco, was crowned Miss Rodeo Sul Ross 2007 at the 62nd NIRA Rodeo.

David, a freshman majoring in reproductive physiology, succeeds Mary Briggs, Odessa, the 2006 Rodeo Queen. David finished first in the Appearance, Photogenic, Congeniality, Speech, Modeling and Interview categories.

Named first runner-up was Kayla Clingingsmith, Seguin, a freshman agricultural education major who won the Personality and Impromptu category awards. Kaydi Kubala, El Campo, senior, animal science, was selected second runner-up and won the Test category.

Also competing were: Amanda Renfro, North Richland Hills, junior, kinesiology, winner in Horsemanship; Julie Lejsal, Pearland, junior, animal science/pre-veterinary medicine and the Cowgirl-up winner; and Cayla Slaughter, Pyote, sophomore, animal science, Participation award winner.

"We are one of the few schools who still have the tradition of crowning a Rodeo Queen," said Pageant director Lana Hickok.

"I think it is very important for the NIRA founding school to set the example of tradition. After all, that is what the sport of rodeo is founded on - the Western Tradition - the art of being a cowboy.

"Sul Ross will continue to set the bar for others to emulate. My hope is that we will soon have a Miss Rodeo Texas and Miss Rodeo America to come out of our program."

SRSU Alumni Publish Paper on Safe Jaguar Capture

A scientific paper, "Safe and Selective Capture Technique for Jaguars in the Paraguayan Chaco," by Rocky and Roy McBride will appear in December volume of "The Southwestern Naturalist." Both authors are graduates of Sul Ross State University.

Rocky McBride received his B.S. in wildlife management in 1983. He has been involved with the capture of large cats, with the assistance of hounds, worldwide. He is the owner of Faro Moro Ranch in Chaco, Paraguay, and director of Faro Moro EcoResearch.

Co-author, Roy McBride, received his M.S. degree in biology from SRSU in 1976. McBride is the inventor of the Livestock Protection Collar, a device that selectively removes only the animal that is killing the livestock. Roy received the SRSU Distinguished Alumni award in 2003.

During the study on jaguars, between 2002 and 2007 as part of an agreement with the government of Paraguay, 16 different jaguars were captured and equipped with GPS telemetry collars in the Chaco region of Paraguay. The McBrides' paper reports on the first 10 captured jaguars. This study represents the first comprehensive research on jaguars in the Chaco of Paraguay and on arid land jaguars anywhere within their range.

Of the 16 GPS collars fitted on jaguars, 7 have been successfully recovered. Data from the successfully recovered collars mapped movement patterns of jaguars in the different habitat types. Jaguar home ranges in the dry Chaco are much larger than any reported in scientific literature to date. The study also collected data on puma, camera trapping, livestock predation, and jaguar mortalities throughout the Chaco.

The paper was written during an independent study for Dr. Barney Nelson's graduate English class, "Writing Science for Publication." Publication was funded by a SRSU Research Enhancement grant.

Diamond Jubilee Lectures Continue

Sul Ross State University presented the fourteenth 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Lecture, "The Enduring Robert Frost," by Robert Harris. Harris is the Chair of the English and Social Science Department and the Director of Term in Asia at Northwood University. The lecture took place November 5, 2007, at the Becky Ramos Espino Conference Center, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas.

This lecture was the fourteenth in a series to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Sul Ross State University. Lectures in this series come from various disciplines representing the diverse interests of the University community. Although the Diamond Jubilee celebration officially ended with the Convocation on November 23, 1996, the Diamond Jubilee Lecture Series continues as a commemoration of Sul Ross State University's first seventy-five years.

An avid collector of books, letters, and other literary memorabilia, Harris is an expert on Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and Theodore Roethke. Part of his library was exhibited at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University and the Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Harris has written extensively, including three books of his own poems. His essay, "Charles and Robert, A Literary Friendship," was published by the DeGolyer Library at SMU in 2004. He is currently working on a new book, "The Poet and the Collector: Selected Letters of John Ciardi and Charles Feinberg."

Robert Harris presented the SRSU's Mary Thomas Marshall Lecture in 2004 and has donated materials relating to Walt Whitman to the Archives of the Big Bend.

Appearing regularly before business, civic and academic audiences, Harris speaks on a variety of subjects, including the joys of collecting and the ways in which literature continues to enrich the human experience.

Bill Extends Tuition Deduction

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Budget Committee, introduced legislation, S.2234, to extend for two years an important deduction for taxpayers who pay college tuition. This above-the-line deduction, which is available to all taxpayers regardless if they take the standard deduction or itemize their tax return, is set to expire at the end of this year.

"It is important that college be affordable for working families in Texas and across the country," Sen. Cornyn said.

"This deduction will save Texans and all Americans millions of dollars each year, providing a helping hand to taxpayers who want to send their children to college. Unfortunately, the provision will expire this year, so I call upon Congress to extend this deduction as soon as possible."

Sen. Cornyn's bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., extends the $4,000 above-the-line deduction for taxpayers who pay college tuition and related expenses through December 2009. As a result, taxpayers would continue to able to deduct up to $4,000 from their federal taxes even if they don't itemize their return and instead take the standard deduction.

The deduction was originally part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act that passed Congress and was signed into law by the President in 2001. It would have expired in 2005, but the Senate, with Sen. Cornyn's support, extended it until the end of 2007 when the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 was signed into law in December.

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee.

Ted Scown And Days Of Football Passed

By Andrew Ross, Skyline Reporter

In 1948, the Sul Ross State University Lobo football team accepted a bid to play in the third ever Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

It would be a long way by bus from Alpine to Orlando for the Lobos, but as former player Ted Scown put it: "It wasn't that bad of a deal."

And for the 1948 Lobos, it truly was not. In a season that ended with the Lobos as the only undefeated team in the football-crazed state of Texas, and one of only twenty-six in the nation, the diverse team of World War II veterans and young recruits who had missed the draft outscored their opponents 431 to 113.

Scown, who grew up in Monahans and has remained in Alpine after two years of service in the Korean conflict, was the nation's leading scorer at halfback for the Lobos, racking up twenty-four touchdowns in ten games. He earned a place on the Little All-American team for Divisions II and III NAIA players, along with guard John Waldrum.

Scown recalled the five day bus trip to Orlando that included a stop "somewhere between Del Rio and San Antonio" for a barbecue hosted by the family of a cheerleader.

When they reached the Tangerine Bowl, they suited up in mostly leather helmets "though we did have a few of the new plastic ones by then," Scown added.

They were to play the Murray State Thoroughbreds from Murray, Kentucky. The Lobos went up 21-0 early on but Murray State, led by their MVP Dale McDaniels fought back late and when it was all said and done the Lobos walked away with a 21-21 tie game.

Scown ended up splitting MVP honors with Murray State's McDaniels and came back to Alpine as humble as ever. When asked how it felt to become the nation's leading scorer, an All-American, and a bowl-game MVP in only his sophomore season, Scown replied, "Oh, I felt 'bout the same."

But very few things are the same anymore. The Tangerine Bowl has become the Capital One Bowl and bigger names, like Peyton Manning, have held MVP honors. Helmets now have facemasks and instead of a seventy-five piece band, Sul Ross now has a few valiant volunteers. Our football program no longer offers to give the same room, board, and tuition scholarships that the 1948-49 football team received (not to mention a monthly $10 stipend "to just kind of blow off," as Scown put it.)

What has remained unchanged however is the heart of the Lobo football team. This season has seen two stunning overtime wins and the Lobos have already matched last year's win total.

Student Leaders See Stars: as Logo for QEP

Student leaders who have been serving on the SRSU Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) committee as well as others representing Student Government, Student Athletic Association Council, and other major student groups, chose the Milky Way galaxy as a logo for the project.

"Stars is a good logo for us because we all strive to be the best at what we do and associate reaching for the stars with being the best we can be," said student committee member Will Montano.

The QEP, "Enhancing Academic Learning through Student Engagement," is the result of the past year and a half's work by a large committee working on SRSU's upcoming reaccreditation review. Student leaders have been charged with publicizing the project that covers three major areas: enhancing the use of West Texas in learning, encouraging individual ideas to inspire student engagement, and organizing seminars for faculty development.

The idea began with student QEP member, Moises Morales, who said he was willing to "step out" of his role as a SRSU basketball player during half-time (if the coach approves) to grab a microphone and help promote the project. Student leaders have volunteered to wear star badges as a visible trigger for making themselves available to questions. They will also be passing out stars to others who are interested in becoming part of the SRSU All-Stars. Their goal is to have everyone on campus wearing stars by the time the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visits campus in the spring.

Stars represent one of the real assets of West Texas as well as providing guidance, inspiration, mystery, a sense of humility, and all of the many themes that run through the QEP. From the Star of Bethlehem to "Star Wars" to rodeo stars, from black holes to nebulas, stars provide numerous creative promotional opportunities. Our galaxy also provides a visual reminder that we are all in this project together and that being a "star" actually means being one in a million, each unique, and each making an important contribution. When photographed by NASA, the Milky Way even appears to be wearing Lobo red.

"Stars represent Texas and being one piece of the universe. We can all come together and reach our full potential," committee member Kenzi Miller said.

The night sky is also full of Lobos. In addition to the Lupus Constellation and Canis Major, according to a Pawnee legend, Sirius is the Wolf Star and travels the Wolf Road (the Milky Way). The Wolf Star, jealous over not being invited to the council of animals held to decide how the Earth was to be created, released death into the world. So the Pawnee made a medicine bundle out of a wolf pelt to remind them what jealously could do.

The students are still working on a slogan. Some of the ideas include: Reach for the Stars, Sully Stars, Stars over SRSU, and Follow the Stars.

Student leaders who compose the core star committee are Andrew Ross, Cade Woodward, Jackie Martinez, Moises Morales, Jaime Rios, Janice Mitchell, Kenzi Miller, Lacy Cox, Tori Neugebauer, Will Montano, and Trey Darby.

Anyone interested in becoming a star should contact one of these members. The chosen logo is a royalty-free artist's illustration of our 30-million-star Milky Way Galaxy based on star surveys conducted by astronomers using the Spitzer Space Telescope.

In Memoriam

Jimmy "Jack" Schuler, Class of '80, from Dallas, Texas

Alton Ray Bryant, Class of '61, from Allison, Texas

Charlie G. Adams, Class of '71