Texas A & M-Commerce: President Search Committee Named
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp announced Monday, February 5, that a 13-member committee has been created to conduct a national search for the next President of Texas A&M University-Commerce.
The committee includes two members of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and representation from the faculty, students and administrators at A&M-Commerce, as well as several community leaders from the region.
The search committee will screen and interview candidates over the next several weeks and is charged with recommending no fewer than three finalists to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.
In January, outgoing A&M-Commerce President Ray Keck announced his intention to step down by August 31, 2018. The regents hope to have a finalist selected to succeed President Keck in time to ensure a seamless transition.
“Selecting the next president of A&M-Commerce is not only critical for the future of the institution, but also for the well-being of the community and region,” said Chancellor Sharp. “I want to thank these individuals for volunteering their time for this important task.”
The members of the search committee are:
Bill Mahomes (Chair)
Regent
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents
Tim Leach
Regent
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents
Chuck Arize
Regents Professor of Business Administration
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Julia Ballenger
Professor of Educational Leadership
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Alicia Currin
Vice President for Business and Administration
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Jeremy Gamez
Staff Council President
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Andrea Graham
Assistant Professor of Engineering
Texas A&M University-Commerce
LaVelle Hendricks
Associate Professor of Counseling
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Chad King
Faculty Senate President
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Senator Ted Lyon
Attorney
Ted B. Lyon & Associates
Josh Skinner (Ex Officio)
Student Body President
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Graham Sweeney
Superintendent
Boles Independent School District
Ken Threlkeld
Chairman Emeritus
Threlkeld & Company Insurance
Assisting the search committee will be James Hallmark, Texas A&M System Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, and Laurie Wilder and Porsha Williams, consultants with Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta-based search firm.
Lady Cats Golf Opened Season Monday
Mariam Tran
The Lady Cats’ golf team opened their season Monday (February 5) in very cold weather at a Spring Hill sponsored tournament at Woodhollow Golf Course in Longview. Lady Cats Golf Coach Whitney Spigener said the temperature was in the mid-30’s when the Lady Cats teed off at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Coach Spigener said the Lady Cats shot 434, which was good for ninth place out of fourteen teams.
The Lady Cats were led by freshman Mariam Tran who shot 94, good for twelfth place in the tournament. There were 84 participants in the tournament. Sophomore Alyssa Underwood shot 109. Senior Emma Lane had a score of 114. Sophomore Addison White shot 117.
Coach Spigener said the Lady Cats will play next at Emerald Bay in Bullard on February 14. He said she is praying for better weather in the coming weeks.
Yantis FFA Chapter Plans to Attend Two More Major Livestock Shows
from report by FFA Advisor Tonya Rabenaldt
Nine Yantis FFA students competed in the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo during January 2018. Three took cattle to the Dairy Show, three showed in the Beef Heifer Show and three students participated in the Scholarship Calf Scramble. Brooke Barrett placed second with her dairy heifer.
Next, the Yantis FFA Dairy team will travel to the San Antonio show this week. Team members are Brooke Barrett, Maggie Hooker and Maddie Hooker. The Beef Heifer team will travel to the Houston Livestock Show in March and four chapter members have signed up for the Calf Scramble.
The Yantis FFA Chapter will attend the Area 6 Convention to be held in Sulphur Springs on February 26, and will enter their show animals to the Wood County Livestock Show during April.
Fort Worth’s National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum Inducts Reba McEntire
by Enola Gay
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, located in the cultural district of Fort Worth near the Will Rogers Coliseum, has had my heart ever since Grand Opening Day on June 7, 2002 when I covered the day’s celebration for KSST with a portable cassette recorder. Actually the Hall of Fame has been in existence since 1975 but the museum showplace was new. This January during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, I returned to the mecca honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. To date, the 228 inductees include pioneers, artists, writers, entertainers, humanitarians, business women, educators, ranchers and rodeo cowgirls including: Sacagawea, principal guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition; painter Georgia O’Keeffe; potter Maria Martinez; writer Laura Ingalls Wilder; sharpshooter Annie Oakley; Enid Justin, who created the multi-million dollar Nocona Boot Company; Hollywood icon Dale Evans and U. S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Among the newest inductees are Reba McEntire and her mother Jacqueline Smith McEntire.
You may remember that Reba was first brought into the spotlight by Western entertainer Red Steagall when he heard her sing the National Anthem at the 1974 National Rodeo Finals in Oklahoma City. (Tune in for Red Steagall’s “Cowboy Corner” Radio Show each Saturday at 6am on KSST) Red took her to Nashville where she signed with Mercury then later with MCA Records, producing twenty-nine studio albums which have gone “gold” or “multi-platinum” in record sales. In the 1990’s Reba turned to movies and in 2001 to the Broadway stage where she starred in “Annie Get Your Gun” about the life and love of Annie Oakley. .After two successful TV series, Reba will be seen in 2018 as a female Colonel Sanders for KFC and reportedly in a new dramatic TV series called “Red Blooded”.
Gown worn by Reba on display, from ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ showing some of the medals bestowed upon Annie Oakley by cities and dignitaries during her world travels as a sharpshooter.
Now, as for Reba’s mom Jacqueline, her first brush with fame came when she led her fellow classmates and teachers in “The Star Spangled Banner”. Although she dreamed of a singing career, she earned her teaching certificate from the state of Oklahoma and began riding her horse every morning to the Tipperary School to teach grades one through eight. In 1950, she married future three-time world champion steer roper and ProRodeo Hall of Fame member Clark McEntire. and they had four children; Alice, Pake, Reba and Susie . Jackie put her career on hold to help build the family ranch, working alongside the men and on horseback, cooking supper for everyone, taking care of the kids and hauling them to and from school and rodeos, football, basketball, 4-H, FFA and FHA . She returned to education in 1962 at Kiowa ISD and continued an essential role in her husband’s rodeo career as well as her children’s burgeoning musical careers.
Jacqueline Smith McEntire
When you find yourself in Fort Worth, plan to find your way to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and remember the cowgirl slogan”Always Saddle Your Own Horse” because it will take you a long way down the trail as you explore new frontiers!
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1720 Gendy Street, Fort Worth
TxDOT Attentive But No Promises Made at County Work Session
No promises were made by the Texas Department of Transportation during a Monday afternoon work session with Hopkins County Commissioners but they were attentive to the presentations made by those attending the session, including State Representative District 2, Dan Flynn. The focus of the meeting was traffic issues on State Highway 19 North between Birthright and Mahoney Road and State Highway 11W, according to Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom.
Newsom told KSST News that most of the time in the work session focused on the highway concerns even those other items were also discussed Monday afternoon including the New Law Enforcement Center and a Fire Department grant.
During the discussion with TxDOT, the four commissioners, the judge, Sheriff Lewis Tatum, representatives of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Representative Flynn, and a county resident shared their concerns and opinions regarding the needs along the two roadways discussed. Regarding Highway 19, the number and serious nature of accidents that have occurred on Highway 19 has spurred outgoing Commissioner Precinct 4 Danny Evans to continually seek answers to the problem during his long term service to the county.
Evans has also been concerned about the conclusion of work on State Highway 11W. A resident along the roadway told TxDOT there is a need to raise the speed limit to 60 mph and not to 70 when the construction on the roadway has concluded. The rework of State Highway 11 began as a deterrent to the number of accidents that were occurring on that highway. Many of the accidents had involved students from the Sulphur Springs area commuting to the University located in Commerce.
Hopkins County Commissioners will use their equipment from various precincts to haul the dirt needed in construction of the new Law Enforcement Center Courtroom that will be built at the county jail. Commissioners discussed the design of the courtroom facility and the start of dirt work Monday afternoon. The dirt work is set to begin this week or early next week, weather permitting.
Chief Andy Endsley told commissioners that he will be seeking grants to fund new air packs for the County Fire Department. The air packs used by firefighters are replaced periodically due to continual need to update the equipment.
Winnsboro Police Report January 29-February 4, 2018
Winnsboro Police made two arrests, investigated one accident, responded to 145 calls for service, issued 42 citations and wrote 53 warnings during the January 29-February 4, 2018 report period.
Breanna Liedtke, 20, of Saltillo, was arrested on two Hopkins County warrants on January 29th.
Tracy Gardner, 46, of Winnsboro was arrested on a Franklin County warrant on January 31st.
A vehicle traveling north on Main Street turned left onto West Pine Street. Failure to control speed led to a confrontation with with utility pole affecting the front center of the auto. A wrecker removed the vehicle from the scene.
North Hopkins FFA Chapter Looks Forward to NETLA Show February 22-24, 2018
By Reporter Breanna Hicks
The holiday and New Year season was fast and furious for the North Hopkins FFA! The 53-member chapter finished up the holidays with one of their favorite service projects, the SCAT program. The chapter received the names of two local senior citizens in need and asked them to write a Christmas list to “Santa”. The chapter got as many of the items as we could and spent a day delivering the special gifts to the special people. In December, we also had our chapter Christmas party. A day where the chapter members could come and hear about what was going on in the chapter and enjoy a pizza lunch.
After New Years and into January, the chapter attended District FFA convention. For the convention, we had a chapter officer run for a district office. While she did not get voted for an office, we are extremely proud of her efforts. Our chapter First Vice President, Faith Wheeler, was also serving as our District Vice President. Her term was over but she was elected to run for Area office at the end of the month.
For the future, we are looking forward to the NETLA county market show, happening February 22-24. We have many participants from the North Hopkins FFA chapter. The next month looks exciting and we can’t wait!
Casey Jeter, Wildcats Powerlifting Coach, on Mount Pleasant Meet
A 12-member Wildcats’ powerlifting team, made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, finished seventh at a Mount Pleasant meet on Saturday. Wildcats Coach Casey Jeter said he wanted his young lifters to be featured while the veteran lifters had time off to heal up for future events. 220 lifters participated and Coach Jeter said six of his dozen Wildcats got medals for top five finishes. In the 114 pound weight class, Trenton Johnson was second and Austin McCain was fourth. Noah Johnson was third in the 165 pound weight class. George Greenway was fourth in the 181 pound weight class. Ignacio Guerrero was fifth in the 275 pound weight class. Alfredo Olaveto was fifth in the Super Heavy Weight class. Coach Jeter said the lifters represented Sulphur Springs well and they got better. He said he will be taking his top lifters to a Commerce meet on February 17 so they can work to secure spots in the regional meet. Coach Jeter said at the current time, 16 Wildcats have lift totals good enough to qualify for the regional meet. The Wildcats had 11 lifters qualify last year. Coach Jeter said he and the team have a goal of winning the Regional Meet. They were fourth last year.
David Carrillo, Lady Cats Softball Coach, on Saturday Scrimmage
During early scrimmage action, the Lady Cats’ softball team has already played both of last year’s regional finalists. The played Forney last Tuesday and The Colony, the Class 5A State Champions, on Saturday. The Lady Cats also scrimmaged Rockwall and North Forney on Saturday. Lady Cats Coach David Carrillo said the Lady Cats did well against the competition, did some things well on offense and stayed in the scrimmages. The Lady Cats defeated North Forney and lost to The Colony, 5-2 and to Rockwall, 5-1. Coach Carrillo said in the losses, the games got away from the Lady Cats late in the games. Coach Carrillo said pitcher Bailey Haggerty had a good weekend in the circle. He said she also pitched well against Forney on Tuesday. Coach Carrillo said Kelsey Wallace, Brinklee Driver and Alyssa Abron were all off to a good start. He added Sadie Stroud also had a big offensive game against Forney. Coach Carrillo said his team has made few errors in the scrimmages. The Lady Cats plan to have their third scrimmage at Lady Cat Park Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m. against Lindale and Wylie East. There is rain in the forecast. There is also a home scrimmage planned for Friday beginning at 4 p.m. against North Lamar.
No Wildcats Baseball Scrimmage Monday Evening
Wildcats’ baseball scrimmage games scheduled in Sherman Monday have been postponed due to cold weather. Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said the Sherman coach told him a wind chill of 29 degrees was expected in Sherman Monday evening. According to Coach Hammack, the scrimmage has been rescheduled for Thursday. The Wildcats JV Royal Team is scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday with the Wildcats Varsity to follow at 6:30 p.m. Weather permitting of course.
A JV Softball game scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday at Wylie East has also been canceled due to cold weather.
