ty of Texas at San Antonio Spring 2013 The Universi

Pipeline of Hope INSIDEA Tangle of Memories UTSA’s leading researcher on Alzheimer’s disease will get a $1 million boost to find out more about the mind- 12 robbing disease. Healing Water In a small village in Peru, clean water is a luxury most can’t afford. A group of UTSA students is installing a water distribution 16 system to sustain all 500 residents. Behind the Vault Sometimes the most impactful—and interesting—gifts 22 are those without dollar signs before them. Roadrunner 32 Building a The Paseo 1 0 Sports Legacy Sports briefs, plus get Junior Alexis Amos 4 TEAM Approach to know McKenzie is a member of so Student teachers and Adams, a junior many extracurricular children with autism volleyball player and organizations that both benefit from a WAC Player of the Year. she needs her fingers new center. to count them all. The biology 6 Girl Power! Community major and UTSA The Institute of Texan Alumni Association Cultures celebrates 28 Roadrunner scholarship winner 100 years of Girl Experience is already making an Scouts with an exhibit Leah and Roland impact on campus. that showcases arti- Pastrano ’99 enjoy facts and memorabilia. UTSA’s tailgate parties Where’s so much that they 33 Rowdy? Infectious purchased a home Did you know 7 Future across the street from Roadrunner alumni What is genomics, the Alamodome to are all over the anyway? For high more easily access the country? Take a look at school students festivities. where we live. from San Antonio’s John Jay and Edison Three 36 Class high schools, it’s an 30 Decades Notes opportunity to peer of Service Profile of Antonio into the world of They were among the Gonzalez III ’82, microbiology. first ROTC graduates UTSA’s first mascot; from UTSA. Three and trailblazer Marti Hathorn B.B.A. ’03, Beyond decades later, these 8 Expectations alumni talk about M.S. ’08; plus other ON THE COVER: In the small Peruvian town of Viña Vieja,the their adventures and campus and alumni air is dry, the land is arid and clean water is a One UTSA student luxury most who live there can’t afford. the rewards reaped news. defies the odds and Photo courtesy of Jessica George pursues her college from that experience. education with the aid ON THIS PAGE: The villagers work hard to maintain their modest lifestyles. There is no municipal water source, of her service dog. so many get their water from a man-made canal system, sometimes trekking long and far to bring it home. Spring 2013 Sombrilla 1 Photo by Eleazar Hernández I couldn’t help but laugh tribute to the students when I heard students talk who have worked on the about how they couldn’t projects in the past and to wait to graduate. the professors who run the Spring 2013 projects and strive to make Jessica Avalos-Alvarez Volume 29, Number 2 ’07 this experience rewarding to each of their students. The University of Texas LETTERS Assistant director, Office at San Antonio EDITOR’S NOTE Sombrilla article on former Roadrun- of Orientation and Family The article illustrated all ners and on how much they Programs, UTSA facets of the learning expe- President Goosebumps the sombrilla Fall 2012 have accomplished since rience beautifully. I was so Ricardo Romo Thank you so much for the teaching at UTSA. impressed that I made sure Publisher and To be around truly selfless people is so inspiring, so middle of the night. latest issue of Sombrilla. The Community section Forever to post the online version Vice President for moving, that it gives me goosebumps. And it seems Like the group of students who stayed on their feet Every time I see this to the Legacy Program’s was motivational for me. Roadrunners external relations that here, even in South Texas where winter days can for 18 hours straight, through pain and exhaustion, magazine in my mailbox, Many folks have passed What a pleasure it was to Facebook page. Marjie French I rush inside to begin reach into the 90s, I’ve always got them. dancing to raise money for children with cancer and to through the doors of read the article on UTSA’s Thank you again for run- reading it—and I’m never Goosebumps. show them that they care about their struggle and will UTSA and have (and are) Retired Faculty Associa- ning this article and getting Associate Vice PResident disappointed. Not only is When I met with a group of students who had trav- not give up the battle making an impact in our tion. It’s exciting to see the word out about this for Communications and it a beautiful publication, Marketing eled to a struggling, earthquake-ravaged community to find a cure. community. how these remarkable unique opportunity avail- but also the articles are Joe Izbrand in Peru, I had them. Here were four college guys, with Or like the world- But my favorite article individuals continue to able to UTSA students! always informative and a bond like that of brothers, who shouldn’t be worried renowned researcher was “The Lipstick Effect.” benefit UTSA and the Whitney Lytle well written, relevant and about much more than passing their next final. In- who has dedicated We make a living by Researcher Kristina outside world. I’d like to Legacy Program Coordina- Editor inspiring. stead, they spent almost two years trying to find a way his entire career, and Durante makes some add my thanks to all our tor, Center for Archaeo- Lety Laurel I’m always proud to be to deliver clean water to villagers who drink the same most of his life, to try- interesting connections retired faculty who have logical Research what we get. We make a Roadrunner, but I feel Associate Editor water their livestock use to bathe. ing to understand the between a woman’s so generously given gifts Doctoral student especially proud when Guillermo Garcia ovulation time and her to UTSA, but I’d also like to It wasn’t an assignment. It wasn’t for class credit. It disease that ravages a life by what we give. I read stories about my was simply to do the right thing for a community that the brain and steals non-consciously motivating point out that since your design Director university and the amazing Great cover story in —Martin Luther King Jr. picks for a mate! Perhaps publishing date we have so badly needed a little help. people’s memories, so Sombrilla’s latest edition! Tom Palmer —Winston Churchill work my peers and that’s how it came to me. I got goosebumps again when I spoke with a gradu- that someday, maybe received additional gifts or It made me want to go on professors are doing. Thank you for a very Photographers ate student working at one of UTSA’s newest centers, he can help stop it. pledges of several hundred one of their next trips. Keep up the good work. interesting read and update Patrick Ray Dunn, the Teacher Education Autism Model. With a small I hope that while thousand dollars from this I have been to most of the Forever a Roadrunner, on my alma mater. Cheers. Mark McClendon smile, she recalled sitting still while a preschooler you read these stories, you also get goosebumps, even group. What an impact that pyramids in Mexico but Veronica Fernandez punched her and spit in her face. Repeatedly, she’d try M. Sybil Howell will make on UTSA! Contributors in the midst of summer. And I hope it’s not from the air never to Belize. ’05 M.B.A. ’88 to redirect him. And repeatedly, she’d get hit. conditioning. Carolyn Lowery Gina Mendez Tim Brownlee, Christi Fish, Director of Gift Planning, Why do you do it? I asked her. The answer was im- ‘‘ I just received the hard Director of Community Eleazar Hernández, Kate mediate: “I want to make a difference,” she said. Saludos, copy of Sombrilla and I Miss College UTSA Relations, UTSA Hunger, Judith Lipsett, Kris That is altruism to the core, and it’s inspiring. read it from front to back. I just read your piece on Rodriguez, KC Scharnberg, “the good ol’ college days” Cindy Tumiel There are so many more goosebump-worthy It has so many fascinating Unraveling a Well done, Sombrilla team! and diverse articles in it. I and it really hit close to moments, not just within the pages of this issue of I can’t tell you how happy Web Designer home. I taught a class Mystery Sombrilla, but throughout the hallways and classrooms reminisced with editor Lety I was to read your story on Kristina Leh (Freshman Seminar) for the As a Ph.D. student of Kat of UTSA. And they happen all the time, even in the Lety Laurel on “Oh, How I Miss the research conducted first time this semester and Brown and Jason Yaeger, Web specialist College” and enjoyed the by Dr. Kat Brown and Dr. ’’ I have been working in Maria Corral Belize for the past few years Jason Yaeger in Belize. As part of their research team, and I wanted to thank you Sombrilla Magazine I find it incredibly reward- for the amazing article is published two times Write Back! ing to see that our research go online! you ran in the last issue of a year by the Office We’d love to hear from you! Sombrilla about the Belize at the sites of Xunantunich of University Communications, Need more information? Check out these UTSA websites: UTSA, One UTSA Circle, How do you think we’re doing? field school. The article did and Buenavista is being noticed. As UTSA makes its San Antonio, Texas 78249. For back issues of To discover ways to Chat with us! a great job summarizing the It is mailed without charge to Have any comments about the way toward Tier One status, Sombrilla, go to give back, go to facebook.com/utsa work done by UTSA faculty alumni, faculty, staff and utsa.edu/sombrilla giving.utsa.edu twitter.com/utsa stories you’ve seen here? Con- and students while high- we need to continually friends of The University of lighting the beauty of Belize highlight the amazing re- Texas at San Antonio. tact us at [email protected]. Phone: (210) 458-6155 For campus news Check out the latest sports Go mobile: and Maya culture. The pho- search that is happening at Email:[email protected] and events, visit stats and information at utsa.edu/mobileapp Or mail your letters to Som- tos used were also excellent the university and around utsa.edu/today utsa.edu/athletics choices. They were a great the world. Keep up the brilla Editor, Office of University To be removed from the For everything else, mix of the Belize environ- great work! I am eagerly Sombrilla mailing list, For The Graduate Reconnect with old go to utsa.edu Communications, UTSA, One ment, culture and archaeo- awaiting the next issue. receive Sombrilla Online School, go to classmates at UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas logical investigation. Eleazar Hernandez only or update address utsa.edu/graduate utsa.edu/alumni The article was a nice M.A. ’12 information, send a message 78249. Letters may be edited for to [email protected]. length or clarity.

2 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 3 A TEAM

Approach arah Johnston’s household can of different activities. We often provoke prob- sometimes feel like a war zone. Her lem behaviors that way.” Student teachers and children with S5-year-old daughter, Cambria, just hap- The goal is to evaluate those behaviors, iden- pens to want everything that her 3-year-old sis- tify what function they might serve for the child, autism both benefit from a new center ter, Ainsley, wants. So they fight, but Johnston and then teach a more socially acceptable be- says these aren’t just any fights. havior. It’s not easy work, he added. By Lety Laurel They are more like knock-down, drag-out In her first week at the center, Emelin Laynez, battles. a graduate student in special education, Cambria, who will start kindergarten next worked with a 5-year-old boy who frequently year, has autism. “She gets really physical,” said threw temper tantrums that included spitting her mother. “I think right now they are similar in “The idea is just to make and hitting. Laynez realized the boy was trying developmental age. For a while there, Ainsley it a playful place.” to avoid having to complete an assigned task. was just like, ‘whatever.’ Then she decided to So she ignored the behavior and continued fight back over a year ago. And it’s like a war.” —Lee Mason, assistant professor of special education prompting him to complete more tasks. Cambria already had a host of therapists of places for children to play. There’s a small “To intervene in this behavior wasn’t easy,” to assist her, from speech to feeding therapy. trampoline and a slide, but the most-loved item Mason said. “Every time he slapped Emelin in Then social workers suggested that Cambria in the room is a wooden jungle gym that fea- the face or spit at her, she had to pretend like it could also benefit from applied behavior tures a swinging sack that the children can use didn’t happen.” analysis (ABA), which aims to modify nega- to spin and swing. But the tactic worked. The next session, the tive behaviors by assessing the environmental On one wall is a one-way mirror that allows boy did what he was asked. Laynez said the ex- causes for the behaviors and teaching alterna- parents and students to observe the sessions. perience reinforced why the TEAM Center is an tive positive responses. “The idea is just to make it a playful place important place for her to be. ABA, which is often used to teach children where students can come in and hopefully be “We weren’t sure how it would be when with autism, is not always covered by insur- motivated by a variety of stimuli for engaging in he came back for the next session, but when ance, and with recommended treatment time whatever activities we’re focusing on for those he did, he was just like a completely different of 20 to 25 hours per week at a typical cost of students,” said Lee Mason, assistant professor person,” she said. “He did the tasks as we asked $50 an hour, it would have been too expensive, of special education. him to. It blew my mind. There is a lot for me Johnston said. Graduate student therapists work with the to learn.” So when she heard about a pilot program at children on play or social skills and verbal com- Often, graduate students have studied spe- UTSA that pairs graduate students working on munication. They praise correct responses and cial education but haven’t applied their skills certification in ABA with children with autism ignore inappropriate ones. The children are in a classroom. Working at the center is a from the San Antonio area, she quickly signed frequently rewarded with playtime, which is crash course that quickly bridges the theo- up. Cambria is now part of UTSA’s first class interspersed with lessons. And through it all, retical to the real with hands-on experience. of students at the Teacher Education Autism the therapists are documenting what the child When a child gets accepted into the program, Model (TEAM) Center, which opened in Janu- is doing, how many opportunities were given the staff knows his or her name and age, but ary in the basement of the Durango Building for the child to complete a task, how much as- nothing more. at the Downtown Campus. The center works sistance the child needed and how many times “We don’t know the level of severity they with four children aged five and younger. For the child completed the task. are coming in with. We don’t know commu- one semester, each child receives six hours of “The more things we have for [the children] nication skills or whether they are physically therapy a week. to talk about and engage in, the better off we’ll aggressive or engage in self-injury. We don’t Designed to work like a teaching hospital, be in building communication skills and at the even know if they are toilet trained,” Mason the center provides low-cost services while al- same time reducing problem behavior,” Mason said. “So students have to be really prepared lowing graduate students the opportunity to said. for almost anything in terms of who they are hone their skills. It also serves as a research lab Autism can affect one in 50 American chil- going to be working with.” for determining effective teaching practices. dren, according to the Centers for Disease Con- But by the time the semester is over, the “It’s been a blessing,” Johnston said. trol and Prevention. While children with autism graduate students will have gained experi- “Cambria loves it here.” can range from low- to high-functioning, most ence working in real-world situations, which The TEAM Center is one large room display communication and social skills defi- will help them toward certification in applied with individual work stations set up cits, and restricted and repeated interests. As behavior analysis. And the children also will around the edge, tables for groups many as 25 percent never learn to talk but in- benefit, Mason said. of students in the middle and lots stead communicate through problem behavior. “We have 15 weeks to work with families and “When a child throws a tantrum their children,” he said. “We will see progress.” The TEAM Center: or engages in self-injury, what are Two weeks into her therapy, Cambria is A fun place to learn they trying to tell us? A lot of time doing well. But her mom said there is more Graduate student work to do. Nadia Mishaddin works it is to gain access to a preferred with 5-year-old Cambria item or to get attention from a “I want her to improve how she acts and be- Johnston, who has parent or teacher,” Mason said. haves and the amount of tantrums she throws,” autism. Cambria is part “A lot of time it is just to escape Johnston said, adding that she wants Cam- of UTSA’s first class of students participating demanding situations bria’s therapist to provoke her daughter’s bad in the Teacher where we’re asking behavior. “I told them to go for it. That’s why Education Autism them to perform a lot we’re here.” Model Center. at Right: Colorful murals adorn O the walls of the A Stroll SEAround Campus TEAM Center. Spring 2013 Sombrilla A 5 THE P photos by Mark Mcclendon by the numbers 59 endowed faculty positions

Students at San Antonio’s John Jay High School prepare a petri dish as part of the school’s medi- cal microbiology class, which is mentored by UTSA graduate students and faculty. Girl Power! Mark Mcclendon ITC exhibit highlights the history of the Girl Scouts Infectious Future Postgrads Bring microbiology to high school //in brief// By James Benavides Together By Guillermo Garcia Everything’s Better n 1912, Juliette Gordon Low set forth the impact Girl Scouts had In February, UTSA the founding principles of Girl Scouting: that on their lives by writing their received the largest t wasn’t long ago that Betty Since fall 2012, the program has conducts in the laboratory. private matching gift all girls should be given the opportunity to de- memories on leaves and plac- I Duran, a junior at San Antonio’s provided everything from texts and For another of the program’s coordi- in the university’s his- velop physically, mentally and spiritually. The pro- ing them on the tree. IJohn Jay High School, had no idea educational materials to microscopes, nators, Jesus Romo, the unique project tory. The $5 million, gram she conceived would help shape the lives Just behind the tree is a giant what microbiology was. But after a sci- petri dishes and other laboratory sup- was both a way to help him attain his five-year commitment from H-E-B will sup- sash, replete with badges that of some 59 million young women and influence ence fair project on the topic and a plies to Duran’s school and another lo- Ph.D. and an avenue for providing ca- port the recruitment countless others as Girl Scouting continued into call to mind shared experiences and little help from some UTSA students, cal high school, Edison. The program reer guidance to dozens of students. of world-class faculty. the 21st century. achievements. The sash was originally she has decided it may very well be her administrators create the curriculum “I am fascinated by how things work, The H-E-B Faculty Research Excellence created in 1972 for a Girl Scouting 60th anniversary In February, the Institute of Texan Cultures, in career pursuit. that the high school teachers follow. and I try and transfer that to the stu- Fund matches other cooperation with Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, celebration. The 17-year-old enrolled in her Throughout the semester, UTSA stu- dents because they are the next wave private gifts, providing opened “Girl Power!” an exhibit that looks back Among the other artifacts on display is an early school’s increasingly popular medi- dents supplement that curriculum with of scientists, and all future discoveries a total of $10 million for endowed professor- Golden Eaglet award, Girl Scouts’ highest honor, which cal microbiology class, in which UTSA guest lectures and lessons. will be in their hands,” Romo said. on a century of Girl Scouts and reaffirms its core ships and chairs. The principles as the program enters its next 100 evolved into the modern Gold Award. Anne Schelpher master’s and doctoral students help It is intended to expose more high High school students are at a stage endowment will enable years of service. earned San Antonio’s first Golden Eaglet in 1936. high school students to study micro- school students to the laboratory in their lives where they are naturally the university to attract and recruit leading “The values Juliette Gordon Low established “The Girl Scout Gold Award gives girls the opportunity scopic organisms and their role in hu- experience and encourage them to curious, he said. man illnesses. pursue post-graduate microbiology “These students, the vast majority scholars and research- have remained consistent for a century,” said to create sustainable change in their communities,” said ers through financial Angelica Docog, executive director of the Rose González Pérez, M.A. ’90 and CEO for Girl Scouts of She was excited about being ex- degrees, said program administrator of whom are [racial] minorities, might support for their re- Raquel Shrager. not have otherwise been exposed to search and teaching. Institute of Texan Cultures and a Girl Scout Southwest Texas. “Our council is delighted to highlight posed to an area of biology that fascinates her but which she might The program also provides grant this new field of study, and it is exciting “This is a watershed alumna. “She laid the foundation for the this prestigious award in the exhibit and to bring more moment for UTSA,” not otherwise have come to learn and scholarship opportunities so that to see them getting so stimulated about nation’s premier leadership program for awareness to the organization’s aim to challenge today’s said President Ricardo about, she said. participating high school students’ col- what they are learning in class.” Romo. “The generosity young women.” girls to make the world a better place.” The high school class is part of a lege education, from undergraduate to The popularity of the medical mi- of H-E-B was the spark At its core are three principles: engage, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas was chartered in five-year, $4.6 million program that is doctoral degree programs, can be to- crobiology class has grown so much that ignited giving empower and experience. The exhibit 1924 and now serves 21 counties. Notable alumnae by others who saw funded by the Department of Defense tally financed. that John Jay administrators plan to matching gifts as a way explores and illustrates each of these include state Senator Leticia Van de Putte, San Anto- and managed by UTSA’s South Texas UTSA students and faculty benefit, double the number of students in the to make their commit- themes with stories from local Girl Scout nio City Manager Sheryl Sculley and a diverse roster of Center for Emerging Infectious Dis- too. The program pays them to teach class next year, and university officials ments even more im- pioneers and artifacts from local and public officials, business owners, physicians, lawyers pactful. We are deeply eases. The center was established to and mentor the high school students. are planning to expand the program by grateful to everyone and executives. national Girl Scout programs. focus state and national attention on As part of the curriculum, the high offering the class to other area school who has contributed The first artifact at the exhibit’s en- “Girl Scouting has impacted so many lives,” said the university’s research in molecular school students are assigned a case his- districts, Shrager said. so meaningfully to the trance is one that many Texas girls Docog. “It is a commonality many cultures share and microbiology, immunology, microbial tory. During the course of the semester- “The more high school biology advancement of faculty excellence.” and parents recognize—a replica of it is a unique culture unto itself, with its traditions and genomics, biodefense and other areas long class, their job is to find the disease teachers we get involved and exposed The university recently the Storybook Tree from Camp La Jita. values passed from generation to generation. This is a of biological research. It leverages es- that is afflicting their theoretical patient to this microbiology project, the more renamed the Univer- Visitors can share their own stories about wonderful opportunity for Girl Scouts to explore their tablished faculty and utilizes their ex- and devise a treatment plan. students those teachers will be able to sity Center South as the H-E-B University heritage and for family and friends to learn about the pertise in the various research areas Through this exercise, the students reach, which will mean that many more The iconic merit badge sash is worn by Girl Scouts Center in recognition of everywhere. This sash is from the mid-1950s and is on institution that has molded girls of strong moral charac- through the recently created Center for get a hands-on feel for the kinds of re- students get an opportunity to go to col- the gift. display at the Institute of Texan Cultures. ter for 100 years.” Excellence in Infection Genomics. search a professional microbiologist lege,” she said.

6 Mark Mcclendon Spring 2013 Sombrilla 7 THE PASEO

//in brief// Early Success After sweeping past its initial $120 mil- lion goal more than two years early, UTSA has announced a com- mitment to raise an additional $55 million in its first-ever capital campaign, for a total of $175 million. The $120 million goal in pledges and gifts was surpassed in less than one year after being publicly announced in April 2012. To date, the cam- Beyond Expectations paign has supported 135 new scholarships, By Stephanie Sanchez 26 new endowed faculty positions, and nine new research photo Courtesy of Stephanie Sanchez centers or institutes. Nearly 20,000 donors have contributed to the campaign, which ora Tompkins wasn’t supposed to run a mile medical professionals, family and friends, such as her first- continues through in first grade. She wasn’t supposed to graduate from grade run. Although, she said, her body didn’t take that mile- August 2015. L high school. stone well. College was supposed to be impossible. Yet the history Tompkins also broke the mold at the libraries. She is be- major, who is also a student worker with the UTSA Libraries’ lieved to be the first employee to use a service animal since by the numbers Special Collections, is expected to graduate in May. the John Peace Library opened in 1976. Tompkins, 26, was born with cerebral palsy with spastic The animal, Loki, is a 3-year-old, 60-pound, purebred poo- 812k diplegia, a condition caused by trauma to the brain during dle. He has been Tompkins’ pet since he was seven weeks YouTube views of President fetal development. Some doctors didn’t think she would old and recently started training as a service dog. Ricardo Romo dancing survive more than 24 hours, and others thought she would Service animals are specifically trained to perform cer- the Harlem Shake spend her life in a vegetative state. tain tasks, and are working animals, not pets. “I kind of knocked their expectations out of the park, Loki, who was playfully named after the Nordic god of which I like doing,” Tompkins said with a giggle. “I don’t fit mischief, finishes his training in July, but already is accom- the mold very well.” panying Tompkins to campus and work. Throughout life, she continues to do things that shock For Tompkins, whose disability causes balance problems and constant back pain, Loki provides security //in brief// and assistance. //in brief// New Postings I can get around pretty “I can get around pretty well without him, but he’s an extra Morale Builder College of Engineering layer of protection,” Tompkins said. “I have balance issues as For 18 hours, there was no sitting and no sleeping. Through sunset and sunrise, there was energy, Dean Mauli Agrawal “ celebration and moral support for children battling cancer and their families. well without him, but part of the [cerebral palsy] and I fall quite frequently.” is serving as interim UTSA’s For the Kids student organization hosted its annual celebration dance marathon April 5–6 at vice president for When Tompkins says, “Loki help,” the dog lies down so the Convocation Center. The marathon raised $40,445, which will go to the FTK Fund at the Children’s research. Mehdi he’s an extra layer of she can steady her hands between his shoulder blades and Hospital of San Antonio and will benefit children with cancer and their families. Shadaram, associate lift herself up. The goal of FTK is to raise awareness while providing financial and emotional support for those affected with childhood cancer. It fundraises year-round. Students also regularly visit hospital-bound dean for student protection. I have balance At home, she has the help of family. But after gradua- affairs and policies children. and holder of the tion, she plans to attend graduate school and will rely only “This is a great organization. For me, it is just a great way to give back to the community,” said Briscoe Distinguished issues as part of the on Loki. She hopes to get into the religious studies pro- Amanda Perez, a senior communication studies major. “I get a great sense of satisfaction in helping Professorship in gram at Yale or Rice. out those who are not able to help themselves.” Electrical Engineering, [cerebral palsy] and I fall The dance marathon is a metaphoric way to show the children they have friends who will stand for is serving as the “I try not to let my disability dictate who I am and what them against cancer. interim dean of the I can do, although reality says there are just plain things I “FTK Dance Marathon at UTSA has an incredible team of dedicated student leaders and volunteers college. quite frequently. can’t do,” Tompkins said. “But I’ve tried very hard to make it who work tirelessly all year long to provide comfort and support for San Antonio families struggling with childhood cancer,” said Eli Embleton, a senior in classical studies and overall chair of FTK. “Be- throughout life without the disability taking control.” —”Lora Tompkins ing able to bring joy to these kids and their families during such a difficult time is not only incredibly rewarding, it also gives us greater perspective and motivates us to live our own lives to the fullest.”

photo Courtesy of Amie Meaux 8 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Her Heart belongs to: A black poodle named ! after the Old Testa- ment prophet “This is something Obadiah. “But he special for San Anto- is turning gray be- nians who celebrate sports briefs cause of his age.” Fiesta every year and invest their memories lar season co-champion offensive categories. Louisiana Tech, 73–67, Additionally, the Birds and emotions in these in the quarterfinal round took three of four games small tokens.” on March 14 in Las Ve- from Pac-12 Conference —Diana Luis, curatorial gas, Nev. UTSA saw its member Washington researcher at the Insti- season come to an end State, downed Big 12 tute of Texan Cultures on against UT Arlington in Conference member the tradition of collecting Fiesta medals. She spoke at the April the semifinals one night Baylor for the second opening of the institute’s exhibit later. Individually, senior straight season and showcasing the largest collection point guard Michael defeated all three of their of medals commemorating the Hale III was named opponents at the UTSA week-long event. third-team All- Classic—Penn State, WAC after averag- Nebraska-Omaha and ing 15.6 points, Stephen F. Austin— by the numbers 3.8 assists, 3.1 re- in March. spinadelic y’all!: bounds and 1.5 McKenzie is relaxed and 10th steals per game. cool with her volleyball anniversary of Jeff Huehn, UTSA Athletics handling skill; spinning Women’s Campus Recreation it freely on the tip of Senior Richard Garrett Jr., named WAC Field Athlete of the Year and Basketball a first team All-American, led the Roadrunners to their eighth straight her finger while in the UTSA finished the indoor conference track and field title. middle of conversation 2012–13 campaign during our photo shoot. Men’s Track & Field Women’s Track & Field with a 16–14 Behind a school-record- UTSA accounted for 116 record, which tying six individual and points at February’s WAC gave the program relay titles, UTSA won its Indoor Championships its fifth winning spotlight eighth consecutive indoor for its highest total mark in the last six conference championship in 17 years, and the seasons. After being at February’s WAC meet Roadrunners just missed picked to finish McKenzie Adams in Albuquerque, N.M. their first league title eighth and ninth The Roadrunners, who since 1994 with their by the media and By Guillermo Garcia claimed the first WAC runner-up showing. I-35 coaches in the WAC crown in UTSA athletics rival Texas State was preseason polls, he preps for every “Although one person is named the history, scored a program- able to hold off UTSA by the Roadrunners match by following a strict winner, I would not be getting the award record 159 points to just six points, but the placed fourth with Jeff Huehn UTSA Athletics routine, always putting on but for my teammates passing the ball and Senior pitcher Alyssa Vordenbaum S //in brief// easily defeat runner-up second-place showing a 10–8 league America: her left knee pad, ankle brace setting me up” for the kill shot, she said. UT Arlington. Head coach was the program’s best record. Led by third-team winds up as she prepares to deliver A Gift of a pitch against the San Jose State She looks forward and shoe first while listening to “It was a huge honor and I am so honored Aaron Fox was named the in 16 years. Seniors all-conference selection Paper Spartans earlier this year. to getting to know a Jason Aldean’s country tunes or and blessed.” league’s coach of the year. Katie Bragg (weight Kamra King, the team Former U.S. Rep. different part of the hip-hop and rap courtesy of Drake Now the challenge will be the competi- Charlie Gonzalez’s Richard Garrett Jr. also throw) and Eboni doubled its win total from country. After having collection of constitu- and Lil Wayne. tion in Conference USA. had a senior season to Johnson (triple jump) last season and led the Softball played in Mountain ent correspondence, The superstitious ritual appar- “It will definitely be a step up in competi- remember. The Garland both won individual league in scoring de- After a successful start and Pacific time zones speeches, taped ently works. tion, for sure,” she said, given that the team interviews and other native was chosen as WAC gold medals for the fense and field goal to the season, UTSA in the Southland UTSA volleyball team mem- will regularly face the University of Tulsa, tra- items was donated to Field Athlete of the Year Roadrunners. percentage defense. opened WAC play March Conference and the UTSA Libraries after winning his third 22–23 with a three-game WAC, she will now be ber McKenzie Adams parlayed her ditionally one of the top teams in the nation. Special Collections Men’s Baseball consecutive conference sweep of Texas State in playing in Central and unique pre-game routine into a 2012 The 21-year-old Schertz, Texas, native re- in April. Basketball UTSA, which tied Within the donation shot put championship San Marcos. It was the East Coast time zones, American Volleyball Coaches Associa- mains grateful that she took her older sister’s UTSA pulled off the school record are legislative files and placing fourth in the Roadrunners’ first sweep where Conference USA tion All-American honorable mention as advice to transfer to UTSA, where she is on relating to appropria- the biggest upset with a 5–0 start weight throw. He entered of their I-35 rival since schools are located. well as the title of Western Athletic Con- a full athletic scholarship, after a year at the tions, energy, housing, March’s NCAA Indoor by seed in to the season, 2004 and the first in labor, transportation ference Player of the Year. University of Virginia. Plus she gets to live Championships with the the his- has shown San Marcos since 1996. and Social Security. In doing so, she became the first with her sister, Ashley, off-campus. nation’s third-best shot tory of the its offensive The materials will Roadrunner in program history to win The junior is majoring in multidisci- be made available put mark (65–9 ½) and WAC Tour- prowess and to congressional went on to match the best nament when led the WAC in either award. plinary studies, but she doesn’t plan to stray scholars, students and national finish—fourth— the ninth-seed- several different The six-foot, three-inch outside hitter far from the game she has played since tak- researchers interest- ed Roadrun- also became only the third player in WAC ing up volleyball at age 10. ed in examining in program history. That Senior point guard Michael Hale III led the Gonzalez’s impact was good for first-team ners toppled team to the biggest upset, by seed, in WAC history to be named conference player-of- Her goal and dream is the USA national during his 14 years All-America honors. top seed and regu- Tournament history when the ninth-seeded the-week five times in one season—scoring team, and she wants to coach at the UTSA team defeated top seed Louisiana Tech. in Congress. 4.85 points and making 4.35 kills per set, the collegiate level after playing professionally Jeff Huehn, UTSA Athletics second best in the conference. overseas.

Mark McClendon 10 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 11 Me? Mom? Sis?

A Tangleof MemoriesBy Guillermo Garcia lthough it strikes one in six Americans in their 60s—and one of every two in their 80s—fundamental aspects of Alzheimer’s disease remain unknown and in need of new avenues of research, says UTSA College Aof Sciences Dean George Perry. A nationally recognized expert on the disease, which produces profound changes in the brain and is characterized by the loss of cognitive function, Perry refers to the complex, debilitating disorder as “the disease of our time.” Great strides have been made over the past 30 years in understanding how the illness can rob otherwise healthy individuals of their mind and memory, he noted. But there is still much work to do. >>>

Photos by Mark Mcclendon “The risk just doesn’t stop... by the time people A “smart” solution

reach age 85, one By Guillermo Garcia Illustration by Gerardo Razo and Marcelino Perez of two people will he interior design students’ semester-long assignment seemed have been diagnosed straightforward enough: utilize the latest in computer modeling, Tautomation and prediction technology to redesign a house for a person with some form of living with Alzheimer’s disease. “Technology is cutting edge, and applying such innovations could do Alzheimer’s” wonders to assist, and put at ease, not only the millions of people diagnosed with the debilitating, life-changing disease, but their families and caregivers —George Perry, Dean, College of Sciences as well,” said Ela Poursani, assistant professor in the UTSA Department of Architecture. An architect with a Ph.D. in urban theory, Poursani taught the out-of-the- Having spent decades studying Alzheimer’s, Perry unprecedented opportunity for worldwide collaboration are the mood changes, depression and confusion triggered box, research-heavy studio class in spring 2012. hopes to add to the body of knowledge after being named as well as stimulate and expand research into the by the onset of dementia, which impacts just about every The home environment can play an important role in managing treatment aspect of the affected person’s life. to the newly created Patricia and Tom Semmes Endowed debilitating affliction. The endowment will also support for this disease, since many older adults prefer staying home rather than in a Over the long term, Perry suspects that Alzheimer’s will Chair in Neurobiology. The $1 million is made possible by the coordination of research efforts at UTSA into more hospital or other care setting, she said. have a higher impact in Third World countries, especially a Semmes Foundation gift of $500,000, matched by the than 20 nervous system disorders, some of which are So the students set about designing a so-called “smart home,” one that in Latin America, because those nations have significantly H-E-B Faculty Research Excellence Fund. commonly associated with the dementia brought on by would technologically be able to meet the needs of a patient living alone. higher birth rates than European and Far Eastern nations. Such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ralph Waldo Alzheimer’s, Perry said. The key design element is a “smart wall” peppered with sensors and As people in those developing countries approach their Emerson, Henry Ford, Norman Rockwell, Rita Hayward “George is one of the top 10 authorities on Alzheimer’s interactive screens that could provide a direct audio and video link with older years, the incidence of Alzheimer’s diagnoses is most and James Doohan, best known as Scotty on television’s in the world,” said Provost John Frederick. “To have such doctors, clinics, hospitals and caregivers; monitor a patient’s vital signs; and likely to increase, Perry pointed out. Star Trek, have fallen victim to the illness, for which there an authority in our midst will provide a place where alert family members or caregivers when the resident goes out the front door “The greater the number of people who live longer, the is no known cure. other experts in that and other areas will want to come at unscheduled times through remote sensors in the wall, in pillows and in greater the problem of dealing with Alzheimer’s patients More recently, Pat Summitt, the University of Tennes- and collaborate.” shoes. Often, a person with Alzheimer’s becomes disoriented, and, if and the greater the impact will be on the society that has to see’s legendary women’s basketball coach who chalked Perry, the editor in chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s unsupervised, can easily wander away from familiar, safe surroundings with deal with a larger population which is aging and which is up the most wins in any sport in collegiate history, stepped Disease, one of the leading research periodicals in the sometimes-disastrous consequences. most susceptible” to being diagnosed with it, he said. down after being diagnosed with it. As recently as last year, field, has published more than 900 studies on various While the wall and the rest of the technology-heavy residence remain in the more than 1,000 clinical trials were launched to evaluate aspects of the disease. He notes that one facet of the disease that carries partic- ular implications for South Texans—and which he hopes to design stage and have not been built or tested, “there are updates and tech treatments, but it is not known if any of them are effective. He noted that because the illness is so widespread, innovations that today could make such a residence possible,” Poursani said. Current treatment focuses on the disease’s symptoms, just about everyone knows someone who suffers from explore further—relates to its apparent connection to other illnesses like Type 2 diabetes. The class was offered as awareness of the disease’s impact on society but nothing has yet been found that reverses its progres- Alzheimer’s. grows and as the 2012 federal allocation for Alzheimer’s research increased sion, which can sometimes be rapid. A common symp- Over the last several decades, what was once consid- “There appears to be little doubt that the diet and lifestyle habits of Hispanics make them more sus- by 25 percent, she noted. tom, dementia, causes a person to lose his or her ability ered almost exclusively an “old person’s” illness has been ceptible to Type 2 diabetes,” Perry said. “Consequently Alzheimer’s affects one in eight elderly Americans, and is the nation’s sixth to think, recall and reason to such a severe extent that it increasingly diagnosed in otherwise healthy individuals they suffer significantly higher rates of Alzheimer’s than leading cause of death, according to federal statistics. interferes with daily function. in their late 30s and early 40s. their Anglo counterparts.” As more members of the baby-boomer generation reach and pass the While it was once thought to be typically age-related, While more than five million Americans have been di- He cited study results that noted that Hispanics over age critical age of 60, the costs associated with the disease will only increase. So studies have shown that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part agnosed with various stages of Alzheimer’s, whether ear- 65 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at a rate of 60 percent, the challenge for the students, all graduating seniors, went beyond applying of the aging process. ly-onset or advanced, projections are that millions more in contrast to the 30 percent rate for Anglos. Other stud- function and design principles, Poursani said. The theory is that over time, organisms age due to the will be affected as the baby boomer generation ages. ies indicate that African Americans are also diagnosed at Statistics show that more than 20 million people in the United States live damage done by free radicals, molecules with unpaired Early-onset Alzheimer’s, the less-common form of the higher rates than Anglos. with the effects of Alzheimer’s. This includes the five million who have been electrons in their shells, which leads to DNA mutations disease, can present symptoms early, but the person af- Nancy Rheams, support assistant with the Alzheimer’s diagnosed with either early-onset or full-blown dementia—and the 15 million that are thought to speed up the aging process. fected tends to worsen more rapidly. The most common Association San Antonio & South Texas Chapter, said its family members and unpaid caregivers “who are affected in one way or form is late-onset, occurring in people in their mid-60s. Cells damaged by free radicals have been associated region of 44 counties sees a high prevalence of Type 2 dia- another by Alzheimer’s,” Poursani noted. not only with Alzheimer’s but with other illnesses such Studies have shown that once a person reaches age 65, betes among its large Hispanic population. Poursani had the students undertake extensive research, not only on as diabetes. the risk for getting Alzheimer’s doubles, and the risk factor Because of that, she thinks Perry’s expanded research architectural innovations and trends, but also on aging and Alzheimer’s. They The Semmes endowment will help Perry—who is continues doubling every five years after that. will have significant implications for her chapter. met with aging specialists as well as experts from The University of Texas considered one of the top scientific investigators in the “The risk just doesn’t stop, it increases as the person “Whatever the kind of…research Dr. Perry might be Health Science Center at San Antonio, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans world in the area of free radicals—focus research efforts gets older, so that by the time people reach age 85, one of able to launch, to find answers to common problems of Al- Hospital and other facilities. They also met and interacted with senior citizens on the brain cells’ response to free radicals and the two people will have been diagnosed with some form of zheimer’s could really make a difference,” Rheams noted. living at the Air Force Village in San Antonio, a retirement community for damage they cause. Alzheimer’s,” Perry said. “Locally, that kind of research could have a potentially military officers or their widowed spouses. Perry said he hopes that this research will provide an Some of the most feared components of the disease huge impact for us.”

Spring 2013 Sombrilla 15 The Crisis: Foul Water

Healing By Lety Water Laurel ust feet from where a pig slops contentedly in the water, children play and bathe. Later, they will take some of the water home with them to drink. JIn the small Peruvian village panies that operate in the area, of Viña Vieja, there is no mu- though. A few feet from the poor- nicipal water source. Many of est homes in Viña Vieja—where the 500 villagers get their water houses are little more than ado- from a man-made canal system, be brick or tarp-enclosed lean- sometimes trekking long and far tos with roofs of banana leaves to bring it home. or straw—is a line of luscious Getting water is not as difficult tangerine trees fed 24 hours a

Steven Byers, a senior civil engineering major and member for the many agricultural com- day by soaker hoses. >>> of Engineers Without Borders, takes a water sample from a residential well in Viña Vieja. The water may look fine to drink, but every time the area floods, fecal matter from area photos by Eleazar Hernández, Jessica George, and DIego GOnzalez livestock spills into the well and contaminates the water. The Setting: Peru

In Viña Vieja, a Peruvian village struggling to recover from repeated violent earthquakes, there is no municipal water source. Many of the 500 residents get their water from a nearby canal system, which is already contaminated with fecal bacteria from area livestock and residents. Soon, a local agricultural company will begin adding fertilizer to the water, poisoning what little water they have available.

Problem: —Livestock Remedy: contamination —Community Support

— fertilizers

—awareness “Those trees are on soaker hoses, but the people living hour drive south of Peru’s capital of Lima. In 2007, the re- and didn’t happen over- next to them can’t get water,” said Steven Byers, a UTSA gion was devastated by consecutive earthquakes, leaving night. When the students senior civil engineering student. “It’s so close they can see residents without housing and further complicating the ex- joined UTSA’s Engineers We saw pigs it over their fence, yet it’s still not theirs. And the residents isting problem of obtaining potable water. Without Borders chapter in can’t do anything about it.” Some residents survive by drinking and using un- 2011, it was already the orga- sitting in the water But Byers is doing something about it. filtered canal water, rife with human and animal waste and nization’s target, but they didn’t Guided by John Joseph, a lecturer in the Department of trash. Others tap an artesian well, an uncovered pit about yet know what the community ‘‘ 40 feet deep. most needed. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Byers traveled with and kids drinking it. three other UTSA students to Peru over Christmas break to “They basically drop a pipe in there, but anything can When they asked, the answer begin the arduous process of building a water system that, fall in there: Dead animals. People. It’s not only a danger in was as simple as it was unex- I know every time I’ve once complete, could sustain the entire village with clean, and of itself, but it’s also not an ideal source of drinking wa- pected: Water. naturally filtered water. They’re tapping into an existing ter,” said Timothy Hayes, a senior civil engineering major. “We didn’t even think about that well that once provided water to an agricultural company Once the water is collected, residents boil it, but each because we always have water. You been down [there], I’ve and was recently turned over to the residents. However, it year a number of residents fall victim to amoebic dysentery, take it for granted,” said civil engi- —Damaged lacks a storage and distribution system. and there’s a high infant-mortality rate as a result. neering senior Diego Gonzalez. “You —education Infrastructure heard somebody has “The capacity can serve the entire community with “We saw pigs sitting in the water and kids drinking it,” don’t realize that people really need ease,” Byers said. “We have tested the water quality and it Byers said. “I know every time I’ve been down [there], I’ve access to safe, reliable water.” is good. And if there [is] a problem in the future, they’ll be heard somebody has passed away due to problems that For a year, the students compiled passed away due to able to chlorinate. We plan on teaching them how to test people in the U.S. don’t usually die from. There, diarrhea is numerous reports, ranging from a the water when we’re not there.” serious. Infant mortality is serious.” list of Peruvian insects to avoid to problems that people The 12-day excursion was the third trip that UTSA’s And soon, a local agricultural company will begin add- implementation and sustainability chapter of Engineers Without Borders made to the South ing fertilizer to the canal system used for crop irrigation. plans. Then there were the math- American country. It’s a component of a larger effort to pro- “They’re going to be getting fertilized water to drink. ematical calculations that needed in the U.S. don’t vide medical support and begin rebuilding the earthquake- That’s a problem,” Byers said. approval by the national arm of stricken region, part of a five-year agreement with the tiny So the race is on. And the students feel the pressure. Engineers Without Borders before usually die from...... town in cooperation with Texas Partners of the Americas, a any work could begin. While Byers non-governmental organization. Digging In tackled how to get the water from —Steven Byers, civil engineeri’’ng major Viña Vieja is an arid farming community about a three- Finding the solution to Viña Vieja’s water woes wasn’t easy the tanks to the people and >>> 18 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 19 THE WORK: A Clean water line

Four UTSA civil engineering students, Steven Byers, Diego Gonzalez, Adam Bazar and Jessica George, traveled to Viña Vieja, Peru, to build a water system that could sustain the entire village of 500 with clean, naturally filtered water. They’re tapping into an existing well that lacks a storage and distribution system.

the amount of water pressure that would be of hours outside of their regular jobs digging a trench, sifting required, Hayes and civil engineering ma- gravel and making and pouring concrete. jor Adam Bazar worked on engineering the That’s why the students put so much of their spare time earthquake-proof foundations for the tanks. into this project, Hayes said. It matters. “About 95 percent of what we do happens “It takes a very specific kind of personality to stick with before we leave [the U.S.],” Hayes said. “All of it,” he said. “There is no big payoff in the short term. There these things that are actual practical design are a lot of late nights and tedious design work and calcula- engineering calculations will eat up hours and tions and frustration. But we’re the kind of people who care hours of your life for months at a time.” about others. We are changing lives.” Design setbacks took months to correct, And their lives are being changed in the process, the and the students worked year-round to find students said. solutions. Once in Peru, the challenges intensified. Their supply list wasn’t re- Unfinished Business ceived, so they spent much of the time As seniors, this group will be graduating soon. Like all stu- working with a single shovel left behind dents, they will take away book knowledge from UTSA. But from a previous trip. They depended on they now have the added bonus of experience. locals to provide them with the basics Viña Vieja taught them patience and trial and error, and they needed for construction, scour- that not every solution is 100-percent correct. They became ing homesteads for a piece of rebar technically savvy, able to create and present reports to or wood. Hours were spent traveling professional engineers. And they learned that any project to hardware stores, only to find that should always start with water, something they never used the simplest items, such as two-inch to think about. pipe, weren’t available. “This is something we’re doing in school that we actu- “The trip was frustrating,” said ally care about,” Bazar said. “Assignments get graded and Joseph, a licensed engineer. But that’s it. But this wasn’t just an assignment. We actually used instead of losing hope and giv- whatever extra time we have to create something for this ing up, the students did what community, and that memory will last our whole lives.” they could to make progress In an ironic twist, the students won’t see the water project on the water system. “It’s easy completed. They laid the groundwork that will ultimately to become hopeless when the lead to a water-starved community beginning the arduous plans start to unravel, but [the task of rebuilding after several years of simply surviving. But students] didn’t. It was clear evidence graduation day will come first, so they’re now doing what that they weren’t just down there for fun. They all just they can to pass on their knowledge to the Peruvian com- wanted to get things done for the people.” munity and to the students who will walk in their footsteps Viña Vieja residents could see that, too. By the end of the over the coming years. students’ stay, dozens of townspeople regu- “We might not be able to see it finished, but we’ll gradu- larly worked at the site, collectively putting ate knowing we did our best,” Gonzalez said. “We made a in what Joseph estimates to be hundreds commitment. It will be finished.”

The impact: a healthy community The students know that their work doesn’t end when the water system is up and running. As part of their outreach, they are also working to educate the residents of Viña Vieja on how to maintain the well, test for bacteria and other pollutants and repair any problems the well might Web Extra: have. They are also teaching the residents about the importance Learn more about UTSA’s Engineers Without of sanitation. Borders at utsa.edu/sombrilla.

Unlocking a university receives are those with a highly symbolic or personal meaning, the type of gift the Vault where the dollar sign in front of a donation has less intrinsic value than the story behind it. The very ground that UTSA sits on was a gift of rocks and Hill Country land

and a confidence that from that donated earth, the Main Campus’ buildings

and Sombrilla would arise so that a higher education tradition could take root.

Through UTSA’s four-plus decades of existence, the school has received

gifts of stocks, sculptures and scriptures, as well as papers that range from the

historical to the commonplace. There have been donations of food and water,

theme park tickets and entire estates.

It’s easy to think only of the dollar bills that sustain a university. But so much

of what the university is and so much of the reason it has thrived is due in no

By Guillermo Garcia and Lety Laurel small part to the rocks donated for future geologists to study; to the land given

by a pioneering San Antonio restaurant family to bring public higher education

to the heart of the city; to the decision of a woman who quit her pursuit of

a master’s degree at UTSA but who nonetheless donated her entire estate,

including oil fields, to the university; and to the extensive Texana collection left

by a philanthropist for future historians to pore over.

Those are the types of gifts that mean as much or more to a university’s

sense of wellbeing as cash. >>>

22 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 23 Hey! I was here first!

Location, Location, Location

In 1970, the UT System Board of Campus on the far northwest side caused concern among many said Marjie French, vice president Regents accepted a gift of 600 acres San Antonio residents, who feared accessibility would be a hurdle for external relations. “We’re talking about something as of land in northwest Bexar County in what was then deer country for prospective students. So when the restaurateur offered to donate covered with trees and brush. That property, tucked between Loop land downtown, it was a gift worth more than its $1.2 million in small as a book or Fiesta Texas passes for an auction, to lab 1604 and Interstate 10, was destined to become UTSA’s Main land value. equipment that students can utilize for their research. These Campus. “The Downtown Campus gift came at a time when UTSA really The selection of the site, donated mostly by Mary Ann Smothers needed it,” Martinez said. Today, the land is valued at more than gifts are very important. We value them.” Bruni, whose parents once owned the largest textile service business $6 million. And then there are unique and quirky gifts that are, well, in the Southwest, was influenced by the amount of acreage avail- And then there was the retired able for the university to eventually expand. Also influencing the Re- schoolteacher who was so angry at getting a C in her simply interesting. gents’ decision to pick the property, one of five contenders through- Chaucer class that she dropped out of UTSA. Decades later, she left out the city, was the fact that the northwest quadrant of the city had Here’s a look at just some of the things that have helped her entire estate to the university. the largest college-age population. Mary E. McKinney's 2011 gift, which included personal build UTSA into the institution it has become and those that Although it is unknown how much the property and a portfolio of stocks and bonds, also includes three land was worth back then, today it is will continue to propel it toward what it strives to be: ranch sites, all of which sit on the Eagle Ford Shale. The oilfield is valued at more than $51 million. expected to become the largest ever discovered in the United States A separate gift by Bill in terms of hydrocarbon production. “The Original Fruitcake” Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises in And since UTSA now owns the rights to the minerals under the 1993 gave birth to UTSA’s second ground, the more oil and gas produced, the greater the income to In 2009, Aline Carter’s family sifted through the attic of her 19th-century home only to uncover treasures hidden in campus, in downtown San Antonio. the university. dusty, moldy old trunks. They found the former Texas poet laureate’s special papers, unpublished poetry This donation of nine acres helped The entire estate is valued at more than $28 million, all of which and written recollections, which they promptly donated to UTSA. An unexpected strengthen ties that had been weaken- will go toward student scholarships. bonus? The decades-, perhaps centuries-, old fruitcake partially wrapped in a ing with the community, said Sonia “This is a spectacular example of a gift in kind,” said Marjie brown paper bag that her son, David Carter, jokingly dubbed “The Original Martinez, special assistant to French, vice president for external relations. “The scholarships Fruitcake” when it was donated. President Ricardo Romo. that have already come from this gift are transforming UTSA “They don’t actually know how old the darn thing is, but it does give every ap- The decision to build the Main students’ lives.” pearance of being the original fruitcake,” said David Johnson, history professor. “It’s a great conversation piece, if nothing else.” Take a Chair

Even before UTSA was to be located on 600 acres in northwest Bexar County, a 25-acre estate called Oak “I Got a Rock” Court was given to the yet-to-be-developed university. The estate, owned by Lutcher and Emily Wells Brown, was donated to the UT System in 1965, then quickly turned over to UTSA after the school was established in 1969. More than a ton of rocks and minerals, all kinds of them, fill up six cabinets and The proceeds from the sale of the property eventually netted UTSA $7 million, which was divided to create about 50 drawers in the Science Building. seven endowed chairs, the first endowed positions for the university. While the vast majority of the rocks received by the university—by folks giving “This is what got us going for our first endowed positions. That was really key in the university’s starting to hire up their collections or by rock firms going out of business—are neither famous nor senior researchers,” said Sonia Martinez, special assistant to President Ricardo Romo. The Lutcher Brown Distin- infamous, they are available for faculty and students to use for teaching and as guished Chairs were then used as leverage to gain other large research gifts. “This was our first little gem of research tools. Also included with these gifts are books, journals and other refer- ence materials, some dating back to the early 1900s. opportunity. We started using the chairs really wisely, and now those Lutcher chairs are prestigious.” >>>

24 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Priceless Art

In 1970, a retired UTSA professor donated 15 Peace Library on the Main Campus. original photographs by highly regarded Mexican The university also boasts a 26-print collection donated by photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Considered to be comic and actor Cheech Marin that includes the works of the main representative of Latin American photography well-known Chicano artists from San Antonio. Another nearly in the early 20th century, Bravo’s work extends from the $354,000 worth of art donated by AT&T also hangs throughout revolutionary times of the late 1920s to the 1990s. His the library. portraits of women and street signs of a Mexico of the past “The beauty of the art collection is there for everyone to see,” are valued at $75,000. said Marjie French, vice president for external relations. “It’s “Bravo plays with lots of light, and is considered a fabulous.” Magical Music master Mexican photographer,” said Arturo Almeida, the The entire university art collection includes 1,600 pieces university’s art curator. representing some 400 artists; given the collection’s A gift from Liberace’s goddaughter sits tucked sing, she said. So when space became scarce, Some of the university’s Bravo photographs are on breadth and depth, Almeida noted, “We should already be Bring away in a practice room in the Arts Building. The she stored it away. But she knew it needed to be display on the fourth floor of the John an [art] museum.” on the red mahogany 1918 A-Series Steinway grand played in order for it to last. Burritos player piano is valued at $25,000, and offers Now it gets played every day by students a rich, mellow sound that is rare in an instrument who love music as much as she does, but who It takes a village to raise a child, and of that age. are much more musically inclined. it takes food—lots of it—to sustain col- “The piano is in amazing shape,” said David “I’m thrilled that the students get to use it be- Super Tasty lege students. Throughout the years, Frego, the Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Profes- cause it’s a marvelous piece and I’m thrilled Who doesn’t like chocolate? Apparently, people are willing to bid good money the university has been supplied with sor in Music and chair of the music department. to death that it is getting used on a daily basis,” for it. In 2012, UTSA staff member Andra E. Kiser, a part-time chocolatier, countless burritos, milkshakes, pizzas “It’s done remarkably well throughout the years.” she said. “To me, any piano should be. To donated homemade chocolate candy for an Office of Student Affairs auction. and even chuckwagon meals from It sat in storage for 13 years before its owner, sit as a beautiful piece of furniture is not what The candy, along with other donated items, helped raise more than $1,700 local vendors. Often, the food is used Robyn Hines, decided to give it to the university. it’s meant for.” that will be used for student programming and staff development. to cater student organization meetings “It was a gift of love,” Hines said of the piano, An added bonus, she said, is that it is not “I’m the weird chocolate lady,” said Kiser, who plans to donate two pounds and events. That’s one less meal the given to her by her father 30 years ago. too far away. of chocolate candies for the next auction. “And I have to brag a little bit. students have to pay for. Hines never did learn how to make a piano “I can still visit it,” she said. I make the best dark chocolate fudge I’ve ever tasted.”

Very Old Books Peace, Man

Among the old, handwritten volumes kept The hand-painted colors are vibrant and the John Peace, a San Antonio attorney and a former chair of the Santa Anna, whose forces defeated Alamo defend- under special atmospheric conditions in the geometric designs intriguing. William Mastoris UT System Board of Regents, donated a collection of early ers during the Texas Revolution. John Peace Library are hundreds of original Jr., who earned three UTSA degrees in the late Texas and Mexico history books and documents to the UTSA The papers are valuable for students and research- manuscripts. These range from financial forms 1980s and early ’90s after retiring from the Library in December 1973. ers, said Mark Shelstad, head of UTSA Libraries’ that conveyed commercial transactions and U.S. Army, donated the book. Peace, an avid collector of Texana, was a driving force in Special Collections. daily life in 19th-century Texas to exquisite, Other original manuscripts in the UTSA the effort to create the university, and the school’s main library “Having a collection of primary illuminated books, like an 18th-century Quran. Libraries’ Special Collections include a bears his name. resource material is a way for us to The Muslim holy book was written in hand-painted 17th-century King James Bible, Peace’s collection was the very first ever received by the uni- interact with students as well as for Arabic in 1722 in Lahore, Pakistan. The book a Mexican cookbook dating to 1789 and versity, and it was huge. The documents date back to the days students to interact with documents features crushed lapis lazuli, a deep blue notes from the life of James Redford Sr., a before the Civil War and chart the creation of the Mexican and resources that can tell a story and gemstone, pounded into the beautiful red transplanted Canadian who had a 160-acre government and the history of the Mexican Revolution. There provide new light on any sort of topic leather binding. homestead near Sandy, Texas. are land grants and sets of correspondence, including that of they might have,” he said.

Spring 2013 Sombrilla 27 A Roadrunner //in brief// The Newest Tradition Uniting our alumni Experience Students at Texas State University By Guillermo Garcia run their class rings COMMUNITY through river water eah and Roland Pastrano Association’s food prepping and eating fes- during their ring pre- sentation ceremony. love UTSA’s football tailgate festivi- tivities prior to kickoff. Tarleton State ring Lties so much, they would not mind Fans such as the Pastranos add to holders dip theirs into having the parties go on year round, instead the excitement already generated by purple dye and Texas of only during the handful of home games the games, said UTSA President Ricardo A&M has the famous ring dance. played at the Alamodome. Romo, who regularly attends the Alumni In its newest tradi- Having hosted their own tailgate fandan- Association tailgate. tion, UTSA class rings go since the university initiated its football “I delight in how Roland and Leah and now spend the night program in 2011, the couple is so involved thousands of UTSA alumni have embraced at the Alamo before the tailgating spirit,” he said. “The UTSA being presented to with the pre-game tradition that they say it their owners dur- is out of the question to miss just one week- Alumni Association tailgate makes game day ing the formal ring end’s worth of action. something you never want to miss.” ceremony. In fact, the pair of diehard Roadrunners The Pastranos’ decision to move to the “We believe a way even decided to buy a house in downtown Historic Gardens district across the street to capture the hearts of future alumni is to San Antonio just to be close to the action on from the Alamodome is a testament to their have a unique way to Saturday game days. devotion to UTSA Football, Roland said. It personify the rings in Joining the Alumni Association and par- was also a matter of convenience. a way no other higher ticipating in tailgate activities “has afforded educational institution could do,” said Anne us the opportunity to meet many fantastic Englert, director of people that are passionate about the uni- alumni programs. “We versity,” said Leah, a Marquette University believe having the graduate. “The sense of pride, camaraderie UTSA rings sleep at and school spirit during tailgating season the Alamo will add to UTSA’s history and undoubtedly strengthens our community.” will help our students Despite the fact that she hails from appreciate the another alma mater, she is a life member Alamo’s history even of the UTSA Alumni Association, as is her more.” More than 12,000 husband, who earned his B.A. in criminal alumni have a UTSA justice at UTSA in 1999. Both now work for a ring. And every federal agency. December and May, “It is all part of a big social event,” Roland about 400 students, said of the family’s plans on football week- family members and friends attend the tra- ends. “Getting involved in Roadrunner Foot- ditional ring ceremony ball is part of the fun and excitement and at the Convocation pageantry of Division I football. It is just a Leah and Roland Pastrano ’99 may have started a Center at the Main new UTSA tradition when they strolled with a group of fantastic atmosphere that has been created Campus. Alumni, mariachi players at Texas State before last year’s season juniors and seniors downtown as a result of Roadrunner Foot- finale against the I-35 rival. who have completed ball, and I hope that never changes.” 60 credit hours are On game mornings, things normally get “We were so excited about the prospect eligible for a ring. underway for the Pastranos at their home, of tailgating in our own backyard, and the “The Alamo is well where they host friends and family for the access nearby of the Alumni Association tail- known near and far, and I’m a part of a first party of the day. gates, that we can hardly wait for [each] sea- select group of people While a salmon is in the smoker, the cou- son to kick off” another round of Saturday that can say the ring ple puts up piñatas and other decorations parties, he noted. that I wear every day in the backyard to welcome their guests. The Pastranos even got a new tradition stayed in the Alamo started that Roland hopes will continue. Be- overnight before it Roland then hustles across the street to help was presented to with last-minute preparations for the Alumni fore last year’s season finale against I-35 rival me,” said T.J. Hawley Association’s tailgate event before the cou- Texas State, mariachi musicians played El ’12. “It’s a tradition ple’s party gets underway. Rey as they strolled with the Pastranos and that only UTSA can Later, after the salmon is eaten, the their guests through the other university’s have. It just gives me another reason Pastranos and their guests cross the street stadium parking lot. to be proud to be a on d to join the hundreds of Roadrunner fans, “It was definitely a Roadrunner-type ex- Roadrunner.” e n friends and family members at the Alumni perience,” he said. Mark Mccl Mark Spring 2013 Sombrilla 29 //in brief// A New Journey Gerry Sanders, professor of strategic management at Rice University, has been named dean and the holder of the Bodenstedt Chair for the College of Business. He will begin July 1. A leading researcher in corporate gover- nance, Sanders has been a faculty mem- ber at Rice Univer- sity since 2008 and served as a depart- ment chair and faculty By Cindy Tumiel member at Brigham Young University for 12 years.

by the numbers $89 b Top Right: estimated economic impact These cadets made UTSA history in 1982, of the Eagle Ford Shale on when they pinned on their gold bars and were Texas by 2022, according commissioned as second lieutenants—the first ROTC graduates produced by the university. to a report by the UTSA Institute for Economic on d Development

Bottom Right: e n Thirty years after its first cadets were given their gold bars, UTSA’s ROTC program is recognized as one of the most productive in the state. Mark Mccl Mark

//in brief// hirty years ago, they were young recruits the university’s ROTC program. with the majestic scenery and the lifestyle. When he left San Antonio native Gloria Hansmann remembers sharp- Take a Bow This spring, UTSA trying to find their way along the path of career ad- “We used to be the stepchild of St. Mary’s [University],” the Army in 1994, Burns and his wife moved to that state, ly dressed recruiters coming to Fox Tech High School in the President Ricardo Tvancement. One played the baritone in the Army said Sonsalla, reflecting on the earliest days of officer train- where he began a second career as a detective with the mid-1970s with tales of an exciting life in the armed forces. Romo received two Band. Another found his calling in the computer room. A ing in San Antonio, when UTSA’s program was a detach- Anchorage Police Department. The all-volunteer military was relatively new and there was honors: the 2013 Clark Kerr Award third was pursuing a dream seeded years earlier by uplift- ment of the ROTC program at St. Mary’s. “Now, we are the William “Skip” Pope, a retired Army captain, earned a push to get women to join. for Distinguished ing recruiting films. premiere ROTC program in South Texas.” a degree at UTSA in data systems management and then “The Air Force showed us a film of all the planes, and all Leadership in Higher They all recognized that college degrees would open Typically, UTSA has about 180 members in its ROTC bat- spent a career in military intelligence. He traveled the world the jobs we could have, and I thought, ‘I want to do that,’” Education from the University of Califor- doors for them and that UTSA’s new Reserve Officer Train- talion, and it nurtures hundreds more through its connec- to help soldiers who had stumbled into pay and promotion she said. But instead, she quit high school, took a civil ser- nia, Berkeley, and the ing Corps, ROTC, offered them unparalleled opportunities tions with Junior ROTC programs on about 50 high school issues. He was assigned to the National Security Agency vice job and joined the Army reserve. Soon she ran into ca- Wheaton College Otis in the armed forces. campuses in the region, he said. His staff of 14 also offers during Operation Desert Shield in Iraq. reer roadblocks. “In both jobs, they required a degree to get Social Justice Award. The Clark Kerr Award They probably did not pay much attention to it at the instruction at regional community colleges. “I’ve had an interesting life,” he said. “Part of the reason any more promotions. I told my husband, ‘I have to go back recognizes Romo for time, but the 19 men and women who went through that Graduates from that first class said the ROTC program I stayed in the Army is because you are always doing some- to school and finish this.’” his success in promot- training made school history when in May 1982, they not only gave them financial assistance, but also provided thing different, and making a difference,” Pope said. “When She remembers her ROTC training at UTSA as a time ing higher education and for his efforts in pinned on gold bars and were commissioned second lieu- a career path and instilled a patriotic pride that gave them I signed up for ROTC in 1982, who would have known I of self-discovery and commitment to the Army as a way making UTSA a model tenants, the first ROTC graduates produced by UTSA. a direction in life. would end up at the NSA?” of life. “I wanted more than what I had,” she said. “I for recently founded But now, three decades have passed and the members “The experience at UTSA shaped my life and career,” William Layden began as an enlisted recruit and a definitely gained military knowledge and definitely learned American universities, especially those serv- of that inaugural ROTC class look back with satisfaction said Michael Burns, a retired Army lieutenant who came member of the Army Band in the late 1970s. He enrolled to be a leader.” ing minority communi- and perspective at the milestone they achieved, both for to UTSA to pursue a criminal justice degree. “Without the at UTSA to earn his education degree and then joined the Hansmann worked as a quartermaster and got to super- ties. themselves as individuals and for their alma mater. guidance of the professors and mentors, I would not have National Guard. vise Army installations around the world. She left in 1992, The Otis Social Jus- tice Award recognizes UTSA, meanwhile, has seen its officer preparation pro- accomplished so much in my life.” “I always wanted to be a commissioned officer and fly in but after three years of missing the lifestyle, she rejoined Romo for promoting gram prosper. About 30 aspiring career officers every year Burns met his wife, Karen, while finishing his degree, the Guard,” he said. the reserve, serving as an evaluator in a recruiting unit until social justice through capitalize on scholarship offers and career assistance and and together they embarked on a life of adventure that With his ROTC commission, Layden was able to do just 2010. The military has been the cornerstone of her life. education and public service. earn their commissions. The ROTC program is recognized took them to stations around the U.S. and the Middle East. that. He attended flight school and spent 10 years on active “Once you join, in your heart, you become part of the as one of the most productive in the state, said Lt. Col. Perhaps the most formative of these was an assignment duty with the Army, including service as the pilot of a medical corps,” she said. “You pledge your life to it. It is a thing you Scott Sonsalla, professor of military science and director of to Alaska in 1987, where the avid outdoorsman fell in love evacuation helicopter during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. commit yourself to totally.”

30 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 31 Alumni Association Report Building Where Roadrunners Roost a Legacy WA NH Alumni Association scholarship 355 38 ME MO ND VT 25 recipient aspires to impact 30 14 MN 8 OR 123 MA the medical community 148 ID SD WI NY 148 48 97 290 and the world WY 16 MI RI 22 172 PA CT 16 By Lety Laurel IA 219 NE 74 OH 82 NV 86 IL IN NJ 135 116 221 UT CO 343 WV 139 102 25 VA CA 529 KS MO KY 673 MD DE 1,159 121 198 78 319 28 NC DC TN 184 287 58 AZ NM AK SC 378 211 105 102 MS AL GA 57 170 345 photo by Mark Mcclendon LA AK 159 48 sk Alexis Amos how many organizations and give back to the city of San Antonio and give back FL she belongs to, and she loses track as she ticks them to UTSA,” Starnes said. “And, we hope that they do the HI TX 637 A off on her fingers. same and pay it forward for the generations that come 55 68,435 “It’s a lot,” she laughs. after them.” Indeed, the sophomore biology major is a member of That’s exactly what Amos plans to do. several student organizations, including Women of Honor She hopes to someday be a pediatrician. To get and the Latin Dance Society, as well as others affiliated there, she knows she must work hard at UTSA, graduate with her major. Then there’s the marching band, to which at the top of her class, and excel in medical school. It’s she was recently named a drum major. not an easy road, and as the first in her family to attend “I have really big goals for myself,” she said. “With college, it’s a path that she expects will be riddled with //in brief// anything I do, I go above and beyond, and I give it my twists and challenges. Cover Girl all. Every class and every organization gets every part of “Being a first-generation college student actually is a Alexis Harris, a Alexis. I’m just trying to stand out some kind of way.” big deal for me and leaving some kind of legacy behind,” junior anthropology It’s working. Amos was recently awarded an Alumni she said. “I really just want to make an impact right now major, will appear as a CoverGirl model in Association scholarship, which will pay $2,000 each at UTSA and when I go on to medical school. And when I an upcoming issue of year for four years. She was one of 75 from more than pursue my career, I want to [have] an impact on the health People magazine. 850 applicants. care system.” Harris, 18, was San Antonio 46,424 Colorado Springs, CO 111 selected over 20,000 “It’s the only scholarship I have, and it makes me feel Once she’s an established pediatrician, Amos plans others in a national like I did something right,” she said. “This scholarship to open her own practice, then travel to provide medical Austin Area 2,525 Albuquerque, NM 90 search by comedienne means a lot to me and my family.” support in developing countries. and television host Houston Area 2,257 Alexandria, VA 86 Amos’s scholarship is from Cathy Starnes ’92, CEO “I just have this compassion for people and a passion Ellen DeGeneres. In Laredo 954 San Diego, CA 83 addition to the model- of the Employee Benefits Consulting and PEO Divisions for helping others,” she said. “I’ve always been that way.” ing gig, the Killeen at SWBC, and her husband, Troy Torres, a cadet and That compassion is focused first on her own family. Amos Corpus Christi 573 Phoenix, AZ 82 native also won a check for $20,000, probationary training commander for the San Antonio is the oldest of six siblings; her youngest brother is 3 years part of which she Police Department Training Academy. old. Her role as the trailblazer is one she takes seriously. plans to save. She They said their decision to fund student scholarships “In certain areas of my life, I didn’t always have that also intends to donate a portion of the prize stems from their passion about education and the good example to follow. It was something that I searched to charity. Harris is opportunities it has given them. for and couldn’t find,” she said. “It means a lot to me that Bexar 45,050 slated to receive her “We hope that [scholarship recipients] have the those that come up after me have an example to look to. bachelor’s next May, and hopes to pursue same experience, that through their education and the If it’s academics, if it is extracurricular activities, if it is life Harris 1,159 Guadalupe 529 Williamson 345 post-graduate study. opportunities at UTSA that they will get a well-rounded in general. They have an example of some of the major character, learn a lot, and ultimately have a great career aspects of what they will go through in life.” Travis 673 Webb 990 Kendall 343 Comal 637 Dallas 355 Fort Bend 319

32 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 33 community

is an adjunct professor at Palo \\ Ajay Tejwani, M.B.A., ! 1997 2006 Alto College in San Antonio. recently published The Social \\ Rob Killen, B.A. \\ Jared Brown, B.S. Media Action Plan, a guide for “[UTSA] thought I class notes \\ Jill Tarpey, B.A. in in political science, was in mechanical engineering, planning, implementing and could make a American studies, is owner of selected by the San Antonio and Pari (Ghaffari) Brown, measuring social media efforts. San Antonio-based Eat Well SA, million-dollar Business Journal for the 2012 B.A. in psychology ’03, M.A. in He is the owner of Social Media 1977 1988 and is a yoga instructor and donation. I started \\ George Shuler \\ Bryan Bunn, B.S. physical Outstanding Lawyer Awards. He education ’07, had their second Sapiens, an online marketing , certified nutrition coach. B.A. in history, was elected as education, is a basketball coach is an attorney with Kaufman child, Carter, on Dec. 11, 2012. company in San Antonio, which coughing and Worshipful Master of Union at North Carolina University. He Killen, practicing in the he founded in 2008. sputtering. After I \\ Alex Garner, B.B.A. Lodge No.7 of Ancient Free and is also a former coach at Texas areas of land use, economic ers had built for that first game at in management with a came down off the Accepted Masons, Grand Lodge Lutheran University. development and government HemisFair Arena against the Univer- concentration in small business ceiling, I began to of Kansas. relations. 2008 2010 sity of Arkansas. and entrepreneurship, is the \\ Andrea \\ Michael J. Lewis, look at my stuff. Anwei Chen, “I got in the egg before the game founder and CEO of YUMIX, an Ph.D. in environmental sci- All that stuff I had 1990 B.A. in commu- started,” he recalled. “The pep band \\ William Burwell, 2002 all-natural alternative to pre- ence and engineering, has mixed alcoholic beverages. nication, was the collected over a played, I believe it was [music from] 1981 B.B.A. in management, is a \\ Michelle Beadle, been promoted to executive B.A. in communication, is visual effects director of Southwest Research lifetime of work… 2001: A Space Odyssey. They dimmed \\ Marilyn regional sales manager for ExploreLearning.com and is a now working at NBC’s Access manager for the Institute’s Environmental, Safety A million dollars the lights.” Peterson, M.A. in education, member of the Village Council Hollywood. She is also cohost 2007 Oscar nominated and Quality Systems Program. was possible.” He remembers hoping he would pop of the Village of Pinckney in of The Crossover with Beadle \\ Catherine Austin, He was previously director of has been named film Beasts of —Yvonne Katz ’74, at the out of the egg at the right time and how Livingston County, Michigan. and Briggs on the NBC Sports B.B.A. in finance, co-chaired the Environmental and Safety a Fellow in the the Southern March 18 dedication of the gratifying it was for fans to see their first Network. the 29th annual UTSA Alumni Systems Department. Alliance for Diploma Dash 5K San Antonio Wild. The film Katz Alumni Center game, complete with a mascot. Continuing City Championship Run. earned a Sun- “It was hot,” he said of the costume. Education in 1991 dance Film by the numbers \\ Jana Duty, B.A. in English, 2003 \\ Monique Broadnax, “It took a little bit of time to get used to. \\ Santiago Alaniz, B.A. Festival award the Health is the district attorney for Texas’ M.A. in education, is the owner Gilbert C. (Gil) Barrera But I was so excited about being out on in criminal justice and political in 2012. Professions. She Williamson County. She and her of The Broadnax Place, a 2,929 science, is an attorney with the floor that it didn’t really matter.” is the director political consulting firm, KC multi-use meeting room in San Runners at the 29th Among Gonzalez’s favorite memories Strategies, were recognized with Fisher & Phillips’ San Antonio Not a of continuing Antonio. \\ Christian Porter, annual UTSA Alumni a Reed Award for excellence office. as the Roadrunner are roller-skating on medical B.B.A. in management, is Diploma Dash 5K San by Campaigns & Elections \\ Dale G. Schlundt, Hatchling the court, traveling to an away game education at working in Malawi with the Antonio City Championship magazine. B.B.A. in management, M.A. in at the University of Houston, and par- Peace Corps. Run Texas Health adult learning and teaching ’11, Anymore ticipating in a Fiesta parade. He also Research & remembers having to figure out the Education 1993 Antonio Gonzalez III ’82 boundaries of his antics. During one Institute, the \\ Elizabeth Garcia, B. S game he was hamming it up under the research and in biology, M.S. in biology ’95, Before there was Rowdy, there was sim- basket while a player from the oppos- continuing is UTSA’s research concierge ply the Roadrunner. ing team attempted a free throw. The medical and serves as an on-call liaison, providing UTSA researchers And rallying the fans at UTSA’s first ref was not amused. education arm of Texas Health with assistance in research basketball game in 1981 from inside the “If you don’t get away from here you administration. stuffy bird suit was Antonio Gonzalez are going to cost your team a technical Resources, one of the nation’s III—UTSA’s first mascot. foul,” he recalls the ref telling him. largest faith- It happened quite by accident. A It was decades ago that Gonzalez based, nonprofit 1994 check of his business administration helped ignite the orange and blue spirit \\ Steve Barlow, B. S. i n health care kinesiology, is a cross-country degree requirements during his senior of game-day revelers. But his ties to the systems. coach at Northside Independent year revealed that Gonzalez still need- university continue to run deep. His School District’s Holmes High ed one semester of PE to graduate. wife, Sandra H. Gonzalez, received her School in San Antonio. Each “I decided to take gymnastics,” the degree in English from UTSA and teach- year, he runs around the self-described class clown said. “I es eighth-grade English. Their daughter 1983 Holmes campus to raise money didn’t know at the time, but our instruc- is a junior at UTSA and plays piccolo in \\ Linda M. Boehme, to purchase Thanksgiving tor was going to be in charge of the the marching band. UTSA is among the B.B.A. in accounting, has been baskets for families in need. cheerleaders and the mascot. One day universities their son, a senior in high promoted to treasurer and assistant secretary at Southwest she called me over and said, ‘I want school, is considering. Research Institute in San 1995 you to try out for the mascot.’” And Gonzalez still enjoys watching Antonio. \\ Orlando Rummans, When Gonzalez asked what he Rowdy at games, which now occur on B.A. in interdisciplinary studies, would have to do, his instructor didn’t the field as well as on the court. co-chaired the 29th annual UTSA Alumni Diploma Dash 5K mince words. But for him, being a part of the uni- 1984 Birds of a feather... San Antonio City Championship “She said, ‘I just want you to behave versity’s first foray into college sports \\ Kevin M. McGowan, B.B.A. in accounting, is vice Run. ...run together. Whether you’re a Roadrunner alum or on the basketball court the way you do and the attendant school pride is some- president, regulatory affairs, for supporter, you can join the UTSA Alumni Association in my class.’” thing that he will never forget. Pepco Holdings, Inc. One of us. Gonzalez followed that advice at try- “You can do little things for the uni- 1996 today and become a part of an organization dedicated outs and won the mascot role over a versity and it’s always a part of you,” he \\ Juanita “Janie” handful of other hopefuls. said. “That’s something that can’t ever 1987 Martinez-Gonzalez, to building pride and tradition and helping provide B.A. in sociology, is founder of Today, more than 30 years after be taken away from you.” \\ John G. Clamp, B.B.A. in scholarships to deserving students. Webhead, a San Antonio-based Gonzalez’s first appearance as the And if the opportunity arose for a re- accounting, M.B.A. in finance ’97, was named executive website hosting company that Roadrunner, the operations manager prise, would he suit up? director of the San Antonio offers cyber-security support, Membership is your direct connection to nearly lOO,OOO for Lonestar Radiator Co. in San Anto- “I could put that thing back on in e-commerce system design and Hotel & Lodging Association. UTSA alumni, plus you’ll also receive special discounts nio remembers the thrill of hatching a heartbeat,” he said. “It would be a Clamp served on San Antonio’s a number of digital analysis and out of an egg that he and cheerlead- blast.” —Kate Hunger City Council from 2007 to 2011. advisory services. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION available only to association members.

alumni.utsa.edu Join today and be a part of Building Pride and Tradition.

34 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Spring 2013 Sombrilla 35 THE PASEO Post

! ScriptsWhere “UTSA students work hard and dream big, just is This? like we do at H-E-B.” —Winell Herron, M.B.A. ’00, H-E-B group vice president of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs, at the April 9 dedication of the H-E-B University Center

Patrick Ray Dunn tion systems in 2003. After Changing Lives graduation, she took a job at the //in brief// San Antonio Lighthouse for the Marti Hathorn, B.B.A. ’03, M.S. ’08 Blind as an assistive technologies Benefits of specialist and has worked there Joining the Some people hate their jobs. Oth- had planned on studying physical ever since. UTSA Alumni ers merely tolerate them. But therapy and sports medicine and She went back to graduate Association when Marti Hathorn discusses attending medical school. school at UTSA and earned her • 2 Athletic Loyalty the life-changing work she does But as Hathorn considered her master’s with a concentration in Points (a $100 at the San Antonio Lighthouse for prospects as a doctor whose vi- information systems in 2008. value) the Blind as assistive technologies sion loss would likely progress— It is increasingly common to • Free admission supervisor, the joy in her voice is and in fact, did to the point that to- find students with visual impair- into Alumni unmistakable. day Hathorn has peripheral vision ments on campus, said Dianne tailgates (a $120 Hathorn and her team help peo- but no central vision—another value) Hengst, director of Student Dis- ple who are blind or visually im- path presented itself. In an effort ability Services. But when Ha- • 10% off paired learn how to use technol- to broaden her own skills, she shoputsa.com thorn attended, assistive technolo- merchandise ogy to reach their goals in school, signed up for a keyboarding class gies and related resources were work and life. Some of the tech- at the Lighthouse. She mastered harder to come by. • 10% off La Quinta nology is handheld and magnifies touch-typing 30 words a minute in stays nationwide “It is incredible what they small print. Then there are com- three weeks. have learned to do and how they • Discounted admis- puters that speak words the user That led to a computer class sion to alumni learned to do it,” Hengst said of events throughout types as well as every typed com- where, while learning how to Hathorn and others who were us- the year mand. Other technologies include use a computer herself, Hathorn er-pioneers of assistive technolo- • Low cost auto and a camera that captures print that began helping other visually im- gy. “They were figuring out things home insurance is then spoken out loud, so users paired classmates. That led to her as they were coming.” through Liberty can hear what they cannot see. first job as an assistive technol- Today, Hengst’s department re- Mutual Learning how to use the equip- ogy specialist and to a passion for fers students to the Lighthouse to • Up to 70% on over ment means being able to read computer programming. figure out which technologies will 3,000 golf courses labels at the grocery store, to read Eventually, Hathorn enrolled help them. Hathorn has spoken at Play it Forward or hear textbooks or to perform at San Antonio College and then Golf on campus about diversity in the various job tasks. transferred to UTSA in the 2 Plus workplace and how that includes • Delivery of “The technology itself is blow- 2 program. Sombrilla those with disabilities. Magazine to your your-mind amazing, but what is At SAC, Hathorn used her vision What makes Hathorn love her home or office especially amazing is seeing how to read magnified text. But the job is experiencing the joy of help- • Use of the UTSA people use it and how it changes larger workload at UTSA tired her ing someone in a profound way, Library their lives,” she said. eyes much faster, and so she tran- like the woman who bear-hugged If the 39-year-old seems espe- sitioned to screen readers to get • Discounted Alumni her after Hathorn showed her how General Parking cially familiar with the many uses through her reading assignments to use equipment to magnify small permit of these assistive technologies, and to take notes during class. type in a phone book. • Option to purchase it is because she has been using “Let’s work together because I “She said, ‘Are you kidding me? UTSA Recreation them since learning as a college don’t want shortcuts, I want equal I can read that!’” Hathorn recalled. Center member- student that she was legally blind. education,” she recalled telling “It’s those experiences, those mo- ship photo by Mark Mcclendon It was 20 years ago that Hathorn her instructors at the start of each ments, that make my job so grati- • $10 off mem- was diagnosed with cone-rod dys- semester. fying and so awesome. From that bership to the trophy, an inherited progressive Hathorn received her B.B.A. moment, it changes your life.” Institute of Texan retinal degenerative disease. She with a concentration in informa- It Could Be Anywhere Cultures — KATE HUNGER Can you guess what this is? Hint: It represents science and is very important. We’re positive about that.

Go to utsa.edu/sombrilla to find out 36 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu what and where it is. The university of texas Non-Profit Org at san antonio US Postage One Utsa Circle San Antonio, Texas, 78249 Paid San Antonio, TX Permit No. 2474

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