Texas Techsan magazine

07/04/2024

Keaton Elyse West – BA '10; MED '12:
“I chose Tech for my education because all of my family are Red Raiders. My grandpa and both of my parents went to Tech. My uncles went to Tech as well as my aunt. Then, I and both of my younger brothers went to Tech, so it's a family affair. I was initially very adamant about not going there. I was trying to be different, but my dad knew that if he took me to a homecoming football game, I would change my mind. I stepped into the stadium and I was like, 'Oh, this is it. This is where I want to go.' That history and tradition are ingrained in my family and I grew up with that, so it really hit me when I went to that game and felt that connection. I also absolutely loved the dance program at Texas Tech. The head of the Dance Department at the time taught a lot more than dance. She taught a lot about how to be a good human and how to be a scholar. I knew how to write going into my master's program because of how high her standards were for us in writing even in some of our dance classes. I was also involved in a number of organizations and positions on campus. I was an orientation leader for two summers, which is funny because I actually work in orientation now. That's my professional career path in higher education. I was a resident advisor and I loved that. All of my experiences as an undergraduate led me to pursue a career in higher education and student affairs. I had such a great experience as an undergraduate student and wanted to continue that and help other college students have as great of an experience as I had. Also, the vice president of student affairs and I had a number of conversations about the field of higher education and student affairs. He is a big reason why I decided to pursue this as a career. I still keep in touch with him every time I get a new job. Both my educational experiences and my overall student experience at Tech really helped prepare me for what I'm doing now. Going there was the best decision I've made in my whole life!”

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

06/27/2024

Sharon E. Roberts – BA '04:
“I chose Texas Tech for their PR program. All of the programs I was looking into were a little bit different, and Tech's was the best. I went into PR and still do PR, so the education I got there had a huge impact on the rest of my career and my life. I'm so grateful for what they taught me. I have a degree in public relations that I have always used and that I still use. Other schools were canceling their journalism programs or thinking that it wasn't that important at a time when Tech was keeping it going and knowing that there was a future there. Of course, the system changed. Media has changed. I was taught to work with media, and at that time, it was newspapers. You don't deal with them as much anymore because now we have social media. Everything changed, but the skills that I learned at Tech helped me change with it. I really appreciate the fact that Tech knew that media was still going to be important; they did not cancel their programs, which is why I chose them. They prepared me to be flexible with what media became in the future.”

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

06/24/2024

It's hot out here in West Texas, y'all. But, there's double good news about that: first, that means the summer issue of the Texas Techsan magazine is out, and, second, it gives you an excuse to find a cool spot to sit and read it! Our cover shows James Vives, owner of Brushfire Farms. His is one-half of a two-part story, "En Fuego,"...the second part features Wes Wicker, owner of Big Wick's. Both companies create spicy pepper jams and glazes. Scroll through the photos to check out some of our other features.

If you're not receiving the Texas Techsan magazine, you're not a member of the Texas Tech Alumni Association, but we'd love to have you become

Head to www.texastechalumni.org and join today! Guns up!

06/20/2024

Jack M. Darden, Sr. – BS '49:
“Like me, I'm sure most alumni have fond memories of their years at Texas Tech. One memory I have was not 'fond' at first, but in later years would become more and more amusing. After our wedding on September 4, 1948, my wife Mary Jo moved to Lubbock for my senior year. As a WWII vet attending on the GI Bill, money was tight. With no car, we used the Lubbock bus system to move about town. Our apartment was about four blocks from the bus stop. Soon after classes started, Tech held a western-themed 'Howdy' Dance in the gym to welcome back the students. Everyone was to dress accordingly. I already had cowboy boots, but my wife did not. Mary Jo was so excited to find her first pair of western boots in Texas Tech's school colors of red and black! The night of the dance, we walked to the bus stop and rode to campus. Mary Jo loved to dance, and it seemed like we danced to every song. On the return trip, she removed her new boots to find numerous blisters on each foot. Upon painfully disembarking the bus, she said, 'Jack, I can't walk home!' With no taxis around (and no cell phones back then), what was I to do? I couldn't just leave her alone in the dark to go find a phone booth. Only one solution - carry her the four blocks! So be it. Luckily for me, Jo weighed maybe 100 pounds, and we made it back fine. We were happily married for 67 more years, and the memory of that night, which was no laughing matter at the time, has since acquired a more humorous tone. Thanks, Tech, for all the memories!”

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

06/13/2024

Laura Ann Wilson Pratt – JD ‘09:
“After attending another institution for my undergraduate degree, I was exploring options for my legal education all over the United States, and the Texas Tech University School of Law is where I landed. As a biochemistry major and the first member of my family pursuing a legal career, I had no idea what I was doing, so I am very grateful for everything the law school did to support me through that process and set me up for success in the practice of law. I really cherished the connections I made, and I still use the Tech law network in my career today. I was able to give the closing remarks for the December 2009 graduates of the law school. Because I gave those remarks, I was able to meet President Guy Bailey when he was president of the university. He was really instrumental in helping me start my legal career, and he helped me get my first job out of law school when jobs weren't really available for lawyers. It is such a great story to tell, and I really believe his humility and kindness in helping a student like me find a job really highlight all that is good about the Texas Tech University system, then and now. My dad was a chemical engineering major and Texas Tech University graduate in 1981. He never placed any pressure on us kids to attend 'his' university but rather encouraged all of his children to pursue higher education at the schools that felt right for us. It seems rather fitting that now all four of his children have Texas Tech degrees, and my husband was even convinced to join our ranks in May 2020. I'm hoping that I can follow the same approach with my children and carry on the tradition for our family.”

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

06/06/2024

Jeremy Lorenzo Sedeno - BA '11; MED '14:
"My story begins a bit differently than the traditional college student. I ended up leaving high school in my junior year, receiving my GED, and having my first child. I worked quite a few different jobs for a few years, and to my dismay, I was in my early 20s, and every corner seemed to be a dead end. I finally told myself something needed to happen. I spoke to an Army recruiter and ended up swearing into the US Army as a combat medic. Finally, things were looking up for my son and me. I was in my fifth year of service when I got my second deployment to the Iraqi War. I was in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and was two weeks from coming home when I got injured. This ended my lifelong dream of completing a career in the Army. After being awarded a Bronze Star and a Combat Medical Badge, I received news that my injury was so severe that I was being medically retired from the military. This was a sudden change for me, and my military career was gone. I was back in Lubbock living with my mother and going through surgeries on my knee from my injury. I was finally discharged on February 14, 2007, after seven years of service. I was granted a disability rating from the VA, which allowed me to go to school. My school of choice was the one and only Texas Tech. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I hadn't been in a classroom environment in years, and I wasn't a very good student in high school. Once I got a taste of what Texas Tech had to offer, I was bitten by the TTU bug. I ended up getting my undergrad in history with a minor in ethnic studies. However, I was not ready to leave Texas Tech, as it was transforming me into someone I had always wanted to be. After graduation, I enrolled in a post-bac teaching program in the College of Education where I received a teaching certificate. In 2014, I received my M.Ed. in secondary. I couldn't have been more proud of myself. To this day, I am employed with Texas Tech University as an academic counselor with the TECHniques Center."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past."

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/30/2024

Denika Nicole Caruthers (Rose), JD - JD '01:
"Texas Tech stood out to me because they had a 100% bar passage rate at the time. I spoke to some people who had gone to Texas Tech, and one of the things that they shared with me was that Texas Tech trains students to practice law. They train them not to be afraid of the courtroom. I was more than prepared to go into a courtroom and present a case. On top of that, each individual that I spoke with said that they had a good experience there. I knew nothing about Lubbock and I didn't know the people, so it was a little bit scary. It was something I had wanted to do since I was nine, but obviously, I had no clue about how that was going to come to fruition. One of the ultimate blessings that I received there was a scholarship from the Board of Regents. That's how I was financially able to attend. I ended up really enjoying my experience. While a lot of people talk about the stressors, how crazy law school was and all the challenges of law school, I always say I had fun because of the people. Career-wise, I was impacted immensely. I learned that it was not really giving of yourself and doing the work, but giving something to those who have less or need that. My education launched me into my first few positions. It gave me that desire to support the community that I live in and not to forget that it's a part of my responsibility once I leave Texas Tech. I think that I've consistently done that. I went into public service when I first got out working with legal aid in Northwest Texas. I went on to have several other positions and have since ended up in the Dallas County Juvenile Department as their general counsel. I've never felt more fulfilled or been able to draw on more of those lessons than in this particular position."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/23/2024

Jimmy Huel Jackson - BBA '84:
"As a college student, I was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and the Texas Tech Finance Association. I currently serve on the Advisory Board for the Jerry Rawls College of Business Administration (COBA) at Texas Tech University. I have also served as a guest lecturer on real estate entrepreneurship to upper-level COBA students at Texas Tech over the years. I presently serve as the executive director of Integra Realty Resources for DFW, Lubbock, and OKC. I have over 35 years of experience as a commercial appraiser, as well as years of experience as a seasoned real estate investor. Before joining Integra Realty Resources, I was one of the founding partners of JPP Capital Advisors, as well as one of the original two founding partners of Jackson Claborn, Inc., a real estate consulting/valuation firm that was established in 1992. I graduated from Texas Tech University in 1984 with a BBA in finance with a real estate emphasis. I have served on numerous professional boards, including serving on the Ethics and Counseling Panel of the North Texas Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. A major philanthropic achievement was consulting with and influencing family members to provide start-up expertise, as well as seed funding in 1994 for the formation of the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD). The PPMD organization has developed into a worldwide nonprofit centered to provide research funds for children suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Since its inception, the PPMD organization has directly funded more than $50 million in direct research and assisted and helped leverage more than $500 million of other research related to other genetic diseases through government grants and other private funding sources. In 2008, I received a Humanitarian Award from Texas Governor Rick Perry for charitable work with the National Jewish Hospital in Denver. I currently serve as a national trustee for the hospital which is the number one respiratory care hospital in the world."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/16/2024

Deborah "Debbie" Anne Williams (Wall) - BA '79:
"I never considered any college other than Texas Tech. My dad and his brother both went there. Tech was pretty much always a part of my life. My dad had been very involved on campus, especially after the war. He started at Tech in 1940, returned from WWII in 1946, and graduated in 1948. I loved Texas Tech and everything it represented. I went to Tech in 1973 and jumped into campus life immediately. I pledged Alpha Delta Pi and became a Sigma Phi Epsilon little sister. I loved dorm life and made wonderful friends there. My favorite professor at Tech was Dr. Idris Traylor. I took four classes with him and never once saw him look at any notes. He was as much a storyteller as a professor and his classes were enthralling. He also brought a large grocery bag full of Brach's Pick and Mix candy to every test day. He'd set it on the first desk and say, 'Pass it around. Sugar stimulates the brain!' We all ate candy and wrote furiously in our blue books. Being at Tech allowed me opportunities for things and events I wouldn't have encountered otherwise. One of my roommates was interested in politics and convinced me to join her as a campaigner for Gerald Ford. Lubbock managed to get a spot on the campaign trail and Texas Tech was to be the site of a speech by President Ford. As staffers, we had invitations to the meet and greet party after the speech. We got there early and were told to move to a certain area of the room. It turned out we were positioned directly in front of the press area and wound up in virtually every news feed that went out that day! My roommate was on the front page of the Lubbock AJ laughing with President Ford and my picture with him is in the La Ventana. Some of my favorite memories are of crisp fall days, walking across campus to Jones Stadium, hearing band practice, Greek life, intramurals in the old gym, and flag football games on Sunday afternoons. I have been thrilled and very proud to watch the university grow into an incredible presence."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/09/2024

Jeffery "Jeff" Walters - BBA '98; MS '02:
"Business law with Shuetzeberg was always fun, and he was also a personal mentor to me. That was great. I participated in a lot of activities at Tech, but something that may be a record is for the five years I was there, I was on the field for every bowl game that we attended from 1993 to 1998. That's five bowl games, five years in a row, that I was either on the field playing the tuba in the Goin' Band or in the color guard for Air Force ROTC. How many people can say that?"

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/02/2024

Daniel Nelson Evans II - BGS '18:
"I went for a visit with my uncle who graduated in 2012 and went to a few football games with them. I spent some time with them, and they took me around campus, so that was really what sold me on wanting to attend Tech, and I was lucky enough to get in. What stood out to me was the friends that I was able to make. I was a biology major in the beginning, so I had a lot of labs and ended up with partners for those labs. I was lucky enough to work with some great people. Some of them I still keep in touch with, so that was an awesome experience being able to connect and come together. That was really awesome. The football games were so much fun. I am teaching now, and I try to have that same togetherness with the kids. I teach seventh-grade science, so I want them to take pride in their school. I got that from Tech, and I try to instill that into the kids, to be proud of where they're from. Texas Tech means everything to me. It gave me a home and gave me an opportunity, and I will be forever grateful for that."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

05/02/2024

Come join us!

The Texas Tech Alumni Association and Lubbock Chapter invite you to join us at 8 a.m. on May 18 at Hub City Clays for the inaugural Guns Up Clay Shoot.

04/25/2024

Jim Bob Steen II - BS '08:
"Back in 2005, I was looking for colleges that had great agriculture departments, so it was between Texas Tech and A&M. I applied to both and was accepted by both. A&M sent me a packet and gave me a number. Texas Tech sent two people from the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications to Alpine and one of them was Dr. Todd Brashears. I met with them a few times. The first time I met with the dean, he was out there for something, so I talked to him. He came back to Alpine and met with me and then they invited me up to Lubbock and I spent a whole day with them together with my mom. They saw something in me and they pursued me. I could have gone to A&M and been a number, but at Tech, I was actually an individual, so that really made a big difference. I pledged and made it into Saddle Tramps. We had Coach Leach and Bobby Knight and it was a fun time. Our baseball team was really starting to pick up some steam, so it was a great time. I remember being able to shoot the shotguns at football games. We shot the shotgun after every touchdown, so that was a lot of fun. Another thing was that I did a congressional internship in 2007, so I got to live in D.C. for that spring semester. Tech opened a lot of doors. There were and still are a lot of opportunities that I can use as far as being an alumnus."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

04/18/2024

Melissa Dawn Franz (Beavers) - BA '97:
"I chose Texas Tech because it was convenient for me, and I wasn't ready to be far away from my parents. The football games were fun. I remember going to a few basketball games, which was a lot of fun as well. Of course, that was before we had that fancy arena that they have now. I remember doing stuff at the Rec Center. My parents worked for the hospital, so my dad was always at the Rec Center. I'd go to work out, and there'd be my dad playing basketball with kids my age. I was embarrassed then, but I appreciate it now. I never lived on campus because I was a local student. I remember doing Carol of Lights, and that was pretty cool. I remember when the women won the national championship in basketball. I have people that I met at Tech that are still a huge part of my life, just the friendships that I still have, even with people that I wouldn't have necessarily thought that I would be lifelong friends with. We all have that in common, and there's a certain camaraderie with Tech people. It lends itself to know somebody somewhere. Texas Tech has impacted my life as a whole. I raised my son wearing double T's, and now he's going to start in the fall. I like to say I bleed red and black. For potential students of Texas Tech, don't mess around. For instance, I took six years to get through school because I had fun. I don't necessarily regret it, but I think it's also important to pay attention, just focus, and study something different. I use my degree every day, but I don't work in social work at all. Sometimes I wish I had picked a major that would have been a bit more financially beneficial. Start saving money while you're at college, and don't sign up for credit cards."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association

04/11/2024

John "Mike" Michael Haynes - BA '73; MA '91:
"My interest in Texas Tech started with hearing Jack Dale broadcast football and basketball games on the radio, and I became a Tech freshman in 1969, along with a few other high school classmates from McLean, Texas. Other than one semester on the La Ventana staff, I didn't take advantage of working in Tech student publications during my undergraduate years, 1969 to 1973. But I made up for it later. I did receive a bachelor's degree in journalism and was hired as a copy editor at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. After six years at the A-J and in other newspaper positions, including owning my hometown newspaper, The McLean News, for a short time, I served as advisor of The University Daily and La Ventana from 1983 to 1990, so I was fully immersed in the world of student media. While on campus, I earned my master's degree in mass communications. Wanting to live closer to my hometown, I left to be a reporter and editor at the Amarillo Globe-News and more important, met my wife, Kathy, in Amarillo, resulting in our 1991 marriage. After less than two years at the Globe-News, the lure of student media took me to Amarillo College, where I was hired to teach journalism and serve as the advisor of The Ranger newspaper and AC Current magazine. I retired from AC in 2016 after 25 years, experiencing all the changes in the media in that quarter-century. I was active in the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Texas Community College Press Association, and the Panhandle Press Association, and the latter two have inducted me into their halls of fame. From 1997 to the present, I have written a regular column in the faith section of the Amarillo Globe-News, and since 2011, my sister, Sheri, and I have been co-publishers of Panhandle-Plains Basketball Magazine. One of my recent joys is keeping up with the lives of my former Texas Tech and Amarillo College students and colleagues."

To help record the history of Texas Tech’s first 100 years, the Texas Tech Alumni Association collected stories from alumni for an oral history project titled "Matador Memories." More than 10,000 alumni contributed to this digital vault honoring our past.

“Every Red Raider has a story,” and Matador Memories exemplifies that. We will be sharing some of those stories here. Enjoy!

A limited number of published copies of Matador Memories is available for purchase, which includes a one-year membership in TTAA. Contact the TTAA at [email protected] for more info.

Texas Tech Alumni Association