A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF WEATHERFORD COLLEGE Volume XIV : Issue I SPRING 2014 PHI THETA KAPPA CELEBRATES 85 YEARS AT WC Hilltop Staff Katie Edwards MESSAGE FROM Editor/Designer/Photographer Brent Baker Writer/Photographer THE PRESIDENT Crystal Brown Writer/Photographer Graduation is just around the corner! Marsha Johnson This is always a very interesting time of year Friends We’ll Miss at Weatherford College. We experience the exhilaration of knowing many of our students Weatherford College President are celebrating the completion of this stage Dr. Kevin Eaton of their education, but we are also saddened Board of Trustees to see so many of our WC family leaving our Frank Martin campuses to continue their education at the Chair Joel Watson university level or to start their professional Vice Chair careers. However, we feel a great sense of pride Dr. Luke Haynes in knowing we have played a major role in Secretary/Treasurer preparing each of these students for whatever Don Allen Dr. Trev Dixon may come next. Betty Jo Graber Another point of pride at Weatherford Mac Smith College is the vast improvement of our campus Member Emeritus infrastructure. It’s hard to believe, but our new Academic Building has been Jean Bryan open for two years, and our new Don Allen Health Science Building will be WC Foundation, Inc. completed in May. Moreover, we have completed our irrigation upgrades and Board of Directors Dr. Mike White energy conservation projects. Within the next few weeks you should start President seeing beautiful green grass where only bare ground has been in the past. We Dr. Steven Wood truly believe our facilities are now some of the best in the state. Many of these Vice President Jacy Guynes improvements would not have been possible without the support many of Secretary you gave to our WC Foundation’s “The Time is Now for Your College” capital Bob Glenn campaign, so thank you once again. Treasurer Don Chrestman In closing, with summer on the horizon, I would like to invite all of you to Vickie Durant come tour our campus. You will be amazed at all that has changed over the past Dr. Kevin Eaton few years. I know you are going to be as proud of our improvements as we are. Roy Eaton Dan Feely I look forward to seeing you very soon. Lisa Flowers Charlie Gilchrist Justin Hooper Rev. Curtis Jefferson Rep. Phil King Ed Kramer Kevin J. Eaton, Ed.D. Lonna Leach David Orcutt President Tom Pritchard Mark Riebe Mike Scott Nancy Stuart Jim Wilkinson Member Emeritus Dorothy Doss MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR GIVING! Dr. Richard McIntosh Brent Baker See the WC Foundation’s new Planned Giving website: Executive Director Marsha Johnson • Get a free estate planning kit Executive Assistant Readers may send comments, • Read articles on the latest rules and regulations on tax-smart gifts story ideas or letters to: • Use our free Gift Illustrator to see how a planned gift can help THE HILLTOP 225 College Park Drive you and your favorite non-profit Weatherford, TX 76086 817-598-6275 817-598-6210 fax Go to www.wc.edu, click on "Give to WC" and then click on [email protected] “Planned Giving” © 2014 Weatherford College Equal Opportunity/Equal access institution 2 • The hILLTOP • Spring 2014 PHI THETA KAPPA CELEBRATES 85 YEARS AT WC by Crystal Brown “They chose to research the history of Phi As the oldest continuing community Theta Kappa and to search for an answer to college in the Southwest, Weatherford ‘Does competition influence innovation?’ College boasts organizations and traditions The end result was a survey distributed to that have lasted through generations regional and chapter leaders that gauged of students. But not many of those the perception of the importance of organizations can say it’s the oldest of its competition in Phi Theta Kappa.” kind in the State of Texas. For their college project, members Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for worked with CollegeFish.org and “C4” – two-year colleges, is celebrating 85 years on Community College Completion Corps. the WC campus this April. Members used these initiatives as tools to 1942 The flagship oupgr was founded in 1918 encourage college completion. by the presidents of eight Missouri junior “We had about 100 students create a colleges for women and grew from there. It profile,” Harris said. “CollegeFish.org is like reached Weatherford College in 1929, and Match.com for the transfer process. After the WC group is the oldest continuously students create a profile including specific active Phi Theta Kappa chapter in desires for a four-year institution, the state and one of the oldest in CollegeFish links the student to their 1946 the nation. matching institution and scholarship Now averaging about 150 students opportunities. A student can place up each semester, the beginnings of Phi to 10 universities in their ‘fish bowl.’ Theta Kappa at WC were much From there the university can help the more modest. The 1930 Oak Leaf student track his/her transfer process.” yearbook describes the selection Phi Theta Kappa members also process for potential Phi Theta represent Weatherford College at three Kappa members: “All students who regional events and one international have a scholastic rating in the upper event each year. You can also find twenty-five percent are eligible them donating their time to events to membership…Citizenship, around campus including the Taste personality, loyalty and leadership are of Parker County, the Coyote Chase Race, further considerations after scholarship.” WC Live, Veteran’s Day activities and Today’s rules of acceptance have been commencement. streamlined – Weatherford College students “The students in hiP Theta Kappa serve who have a 3.5 GPA or higher after as role models to other students through completing 12 hours of coursework receive their leadership activities and community invitations to join Phi Theta Kappa. Those service,” said Dr. Arleen Atkins, Dean of who are invited to join comprise about 10 Institutional Effectiveness and honorary Phi percent of students at WC. Theta Kappa member. “Phi Theta Kappa has Once accepted into the organization, a real presence and high visibility on campus members work on the four hallmarks of and can be relied upon to help with campus Phi Theta Kappa: Scholarship, Leadership, events even when they are not sponsoring Service and Fellowship. They do this through them.” two main projects. The first is “Honors and Back in the 1940s, the activities of Phi Action,” a research-based service project. Theta Kappa were focused on the fellowship. The second is a “college project” which is In the 1942 Oak Leaf, the group’s activities an activity that the entire campus supports. for the year included a get-together and the “For Honors and Action this year they start of the school year where they enjoyed researched the culture of competition,” “popcorn, candy and a grand time,” a 2014 chapter advisor Dr. Molly Harris said. continues with ΦΘΚ on page 5. The hILLTOP • Spring 2014 • 3 MEMORIES DO YOU KNOW... If you have any memories of this photo, please send a note to Katie Edwards at 225 College Park Drive, Weatherford, TX, 76086, or an email to [email protected]. LAST ISSUE’S DO YOU KNOW... "As the sun rises on our new campus, a new dimen- sion opens for Weatherford College. New growth and new activities widen the scope of the future of W.C." - 1968 Oak Leaf James Earl “Jim” Austin of Weatherford longtime employee in WC’s Technology William Brandon “Boomer” Peyton passed away Jan. 3. He was 66 and had Department. of Weatherford passed away Nov. 27. taught many years in the WC Nursing Richard Leo Moore passed away on Jan. He was 30. Program. 26. He was 66. Bill C. Prichard of Weatherford passed Tommy Lee Long passed away on Jan. Vada Marie Nail of Fort Worth passed away Feb. 4. He was 76. 16. He was 30. away Dec. 12. She was 53. Dr. Levon L. Ray of Waco passed away Cheryl “Dixie” Harrison passed Charlotte Maritha Newsome passed away Jan. 7. He was 95. away Feb. 22. She was 54. She Jan. 12. She was 56. Ethan L. Smith of Garland passed away was WC’s Learning Management Dec. 2. He was 87. System Administrator and was a 4 • The hILLTOP • Spring 2014 FROM WC TO CSI: ALUMNUS EXCELS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Photo courtesy of Ropeadope WC ALUMNI TAKE HOME GRAMMY Two Weatherford College alumni walked away from the 56th Martin has received three previous Grammy awards for co-producing Grammys winners of the prestigious recording arts award. albums by Kirk Franklin – 2006 Best Contemporary R&B Gospel With Robert “Sput” Searight on drums and Shaun Martin Album, Hero; 2008 Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album, The on keyboards, the jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy with Lalah Fight of My Life; and the 2011 Best Gospel Album, Hello Fear. Hathaway won the 2014 Grammy for Best R&B Performance for The day following their big win, Snarky Puppy reached out to Something. fans via Facebook where they posted: “The way that we all feel Searight and Martin were members of the WC Jazz Band in the right now is inexpressible. I can’t emphasize enough that we were late 1990s. Snarky Puppy originated in Denton but is now based only able to win this as a result of you all listening, supporting and in New York City. sharing our music with your friends . the underdogs somehow Searight has also performed with Celine Dion, Justin Timberlake, pulled it out after 10 years of grinding it out on the road, and it’s Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg.