CANADA ALASKA 1975 TEXAS TECH EX-STUDENTS ASSOCIATION CRUISE JUNE 12-26, 1975 Royal Viking Sky-Cruise to Victoria, Canada, Vancouver, Prince Ruppert, Haines, Glacier Bay-The Inside Passage--San Francisco, with other Texas Tech Exes. Limited space is available for our luxury cruise so call or write for your infor­ mation brochure copy-or better yet send your 25% Deposit (min. $250 p/p) so you can be sure of going on the most elegant ship sailing the West Coast to Alaska. looking forward to seeing you aboard. For information please contact: Texas Tech Specialties, Inc. % The Ex-Students Association Box 4009 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas 79409 Phone (806) 742-4193 THE EX-STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OFFICERS W. F. "Pete" Baker '61- Abilene President Glen Cary '56-Dallas President-Elect Manuel DeBusk '33--Dallas Immediate Past President Richard Dickey '50-Lubbock Representative to Athletic Council The Ex-Students Association is an inde­ pendent organization of Texas Tech Uni­ Editor versity Ex-Students, cooperating with and EXECUTIVE BOARD Wayne James, BS, '57, ME, '64 working in behalf of the Institution, but not John Anderson '53--Plainview affiliated with it. The purpose of The Asso­ Dr. W. K. "Bill" Jones '57--Santa Fe, ciation is to serve Texas Tech University and to provide opportunity for continued N.M. friendship and a closer relationship among Joe Pevehouse '48--Midland Ex-Students. The Texas Techsan is the of­ W. K. "Bill" Barnett '44-Levelland ficial publication of The Association. Dr. R. G. "Wick" Alexander '58-- The Texas Tech Ex-Students Association Arlington was one of two University Alumni Asso­ Larry Pelt '63--Dallas ciations in the nation awarded the 1971 Jon Davis '62-EI Paso Alumni Administration Award for Com­ Bill Waddle '58--Austin prehensive Excellence in Alumni Program­ Mrs. Amy Brewster '71- Houston ming by the American Alumni Council. Mrs. Hurley Carpenter '36---Lubbock Waggoner Carr '40-Austin Edd McLeroy '49--Dimmitt JESSIE W. THORNTON lEAVES lARGE ESTATE TO TEXAS TECH . 2 WYALTY FUND TRUSTEES Charles Aycock '63--Farwell STEVE SLOAN NAMED HEAD COACH . 4 W. M. "Dub" Heffington '60- HOPE ENTERTAINS ON CAMPUS . 6 Wichita Falls Tom Sawyer '70-Lubbock SHAPING THE DESTINY OF OUR COUNTRY . 8 Raymond L. Johns '38--Lubbock john Pittman '56-Dallas HOPE, PARADE, FOOTBAll, VISITING HIGHLIGHT J. Fike Godfrey '44-Abilene Preston Smith '34--Lubbock 1974 HOMECOMING ... .......... .. ........ 13 Bob Brown '59--Lamesa Wendell Mayes '49--Austin BIG CROWD A ITENDS CENTURY ClUB DINNER . 16 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS ElECTED FOR 1975 .................... .......... .. 18 ASSOCIATION STAFF GOIN' BAND PRESENTED COMMUNITY Wayne James, BS, '57, ME, '64 SERVICE A WARD . .. 19 Executive Director Jim W90d, BA, '71 FIVE STAFF MEMBERS RECEIVE 'TOP Special Assistant TECHSAN' AWARD ....... ......... ... ... 20 MYERS' RAIDERS ENTER CONFERENCE RACE .... .. 21 PEACH BOWl GAME ENDS IN TIE . .. .. 24 TECH TODAY . 26 FROM THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK . 29 Second-class postage paid by The Texas Techsan at Lubbock, Texas. Published in February, April, June, September, No­ vember, and December by the Ex-Stu­ dents Association of Texas Tech Univer­ ABOUT THE COVER sity, P.O. Box 4009 Lubbock, Texas 79409. Subscription rate is $10 per year. Change of address ·should be sent to the Ex-Students Association President Manuel DeBusk is shown presenting Bob Hope Association offices 30 days prior to date a pouble T Branding Iron signifying that the entertainer is an Honorary Member of of issue with which it is to take effect. the Texas Tech Ex-Students Association. Hope is shown holding an autographed foot­ ~~ve~ising rates on request. All adver­ tlsmg ts handled through the Association ball that had been presented him by the 1974 Red Raider football team. Bob Hope and office. Copyright 1975, Texas Tech Ex­ The Golddiggers presented a benefit show sponsored by the Association the night be­ Students Association. fore the Tech-Arkansas football game. Photo by Norm Tindell. THI TDAI TICHUNI.tAIIUARY 1 Jessie W. Thornton Leaves Large Estate to Texas Tech In a surprise announcement at the Century Club Dinner, Gov. Dan Thornton '32 an· nounced that a gift in excess of three quarters of a million dollars from his wife's estate would go to the Texas Tech Loyalty Fund. The highlight of the Texas Tech Century Club Dinner of Lubbock. While a student at Lubbock High, he Meeting at Homecoming was an announcement of a was elected President of the 4-H Clubs of Texas. gift in excess of three quarters of a million dollars from In 1937 the Thorntons located in Arizona where they the estate of the late Jessie W. Thornton, wife of the established a registered pedigreed herd that was to be­ former Governor of Colorado, Dan Thornton. come famous over the entire continent. They built up The announcement of the gift came as a surprise an outstanding show string of Hereford cattle and just before the dinner was over. Ex-Students Association showed them with remarkable success at all the impor­ President Manuel DeBusk introduced Gov. Thornton, tant shows. The enterprise prospered and in a few years who DeBusk said had a special announcement to make. outgrew its original home. Gov. Thornton, a member ofthe Class of 1932, stated A ranch was purchased in Colorado near Gunnison that the late Mrs. Thornton, who died December 22, in 1941 and the cattle were moved to this new home 1972, had visited the Campus of Texas Tech many which immediately became and remained the Thornton times and had fallen in love with Texas Tech, its stu­ headquarters for many years. The expanded operations dents and graduates. He stated that it was her wish that became even more successful as the fame of the TT a large percentage of her estate would go to Tech Hereford spread and at the Denver Stock Show in 1945 through the Texas Tech Loyalty Fund. the Thorntons sold two bulls at the sale for $50,000 each. Arrangements for the announcement of the gift In 194 7, an auction sale was held at the ranch near were completed shortly before the dinner. A spokesman Gunnison attended by over 10,000 people from 46 for The Ex-Students Association said final details of states and several foreign countries and when the sale the gift and its use would be completed with attorneys was ended, a total of $875,940 had been paid for these representing Thornton and Mrs. Thornton's estate cattle. and would be announced after the first of the year. Having had a keen interest in government affairs, as Mrs. Thornton, the former Jessie Willock, met the soon as the first sale had relieved him of the necessity future Governor of Colorado while both were students for such close attention to his ranching operation, he at UCLA. They were married in 1934. took an active interest in politics and was elected state Thornton was the son of a sharecropper and lived senator to serve a term for four years. In the election of much of his early life in the Posey Community southeast 1950, Ralph Carr, a Republican who was running for 2 TMil TUAS TllCMIAH/.IANUARY Governor, died five weeks before election. Thornton In January 1955, upon completion of four years as was selected to become the candidate and few expected governor, Thornton voluntarily retired from office. He that he would be elected. During the campaign of less has had a number of assignments of national impor­ than one month, Dan Thornton went up and down the tance, including his appointment by President Eisen­ state shaking hands with old friends and making new hower to the Commission on Intergovernmental Rela­ ones and giving talks in 201 scattered towns. He was tions. In mid-1956 President Eisenhower appointed elected governor and took office on January 9, 1951 Thornton as Director of the Republican National Com­ and set about immediately on the job of giving such mittee's Farm Campaign Division, with headquarters outstanding service to the state that he was re-elected in at Chicago. 1952 by a much more substantial majority. In 1958 he was appointed special ambassador to His outstanding record as governor attracted national Paraguay and it was during his tenure there that Mrs. attention and he was selected in his first term as a Thornton was striken with cancer which ultimately member of the Executive Committee of the National caused her death in 1972. Governor's Conference and later served as chairman. Even though he has lived much of his life in Colora­ He was also elected president of the Council of State do, Gov. Thornton has kept close ties with Texas Tech. Governments, succeeding Allan Shivers of Texas. He returns to Lubbock and the Campus frequently. In Mrs. Thornton continued to share with her husband 1952 he was the main speaker for the Commencement his normal governmental activities just as she had with exercises and was awarded an honorary doctorate in the ranch operations. One of her proudest moments !953. was when he was chosen to make the opening nominat­ He has been an active member of the Ex-Students ing speech of Dwight Eisenhower for President of the Association and the Texas Tech Century Club. He was United States at the Republican Party Convention in named a recipient of the Distinguished AlumniJS Award 1952 in Chicago. He was for three years the official host in 1968. to President and Mrs. Eisenhower in Colorado when Wayne James, who had talked with the Thorntons they visited the Summer-White House and played on several occasions regarding the contribution, stated an important part in helping to win the presidential " It is most appropriate that the announcement of Mrs.