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Enrollment increases

Spring enrollment at the University is up slightly at 7,358, an increase of 0.26 percent compared to Spring 2000.

It’s good news, since last fall’s enrollment had been down—and usually when the fall figures are down, the following spring figures also show a decline, administrators said.

“The efforts of our faculty and staff and an initiative making more scholarships available to students have resulted in an improved enrollment picture for Texas A&M University-Commerce,” President Keith McFarland said.

Agreement signed with Cooper Institute

A&M-Commerce is the first university to have an affiliation agreement with the renowned Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas.

President McFarland and Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, founder of the Cooper Institute, recently signed an agreement at the Dallas health center. The agreement will give A&M-Commerce graduate students and faculty opportunities for research and training at the institute.

Cooper said, “We are pleased to be associated with Texas A&M University-Commerce, a university that is forward thinking and committed to making a difference.”

President McFarland (left) and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the Cooper Institute, sign an affiliation agreement.

Duchovnay to run in honor of Morris

As a college athlete, sprinting was Gerald Duchovnay’s game. But when he runs in honor of University President Emeritus Jerry Morris, Duchovnay will be in it for the long haul.

Next month the professor and head of the department of literature and languages will run his first marathon, a 26.2-mile event in Vancouver, for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team In Training.

Duchovnay will be running in honor of cancer patients Lea Clancy, 9, and Dr. Morris. Dr. Morris is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.

“I am pleased and honored that Dr. Duchovnay is participating in the Leukemia and Lymphomic Society Team in Training and will run in the marathon,” Dr. Morris said.

Dr. Gerald Duchovnay, head of the department of literature and languages, meets Lea Clancy, who is being treated for cancer. Duchovnay will be running a marathon in honor of Lea and Dr. Jerry Morris.

In other news...

• It looks like one of the University’s own will be directing the all-new amphitheater project at Cooper Lake State Park this summer. The University will provide the artistic director for the outdoor drama scheduled to open in summer 2002. It’s anticipated that a faculty member in the department of communication and theatre will be tapped for the post. • This spring, the University will add three criminal justice courses to the more than 20 classes it is conducting at Navarro College in Corsicana. • The marketing and management department is now offering master of science degrees in marketing and management. “We want to provide graduate study options to professionals who may not be interested in pursuing the MBA degree,” said Dr. John Parnell, department head. All courses required for the MS in management and the MS in marketing will be taught at the A&M-Commerce Metroplex Center in Mesquite, and many will be available in downtown Dallas at the Universities Center.

Letters to the Pride

Dr. Robert Jones one of the special teachers

With sadness, I noted the death of Dr. Robert L. Jones who was a most distinguished professor in the Department of History at ET while I attended the University during 1949-1951. During the busy time of starting a career, serving in the military and then settling into a career, I lost track of Dr. Jones but never forgot him. So this letter is to thank you for publishing news of his death and some brief information about his life.

During your college career there are always one or two professors that make a deep impression on you and, quite frequently, you carry forward an interest in the field in which they taught. Dr. Jones was that person for me. I shall never forget the happy times that I spent in the southeast corner of the Education Building where Dr. Jones conducted his classes. He would walk into class with several 3x5 cards, which he seldom looked at, and kept the class absolutely fascinated for the hour. On many occasions, he would tell the story of a person in history, take a few minutes to discuss the genealogy of his/her family and even relate the character traits of the individual. Dr. Jones, to me, was a “one and only” when it came to command of detail and the ability to make history come alive right there in the classroom.

Dr. Jones was truly a great history professor, a favorite with students, and a gentleman in every respect. he was my role model and will always be remembered for his contribution to my education and life in general.

Very sincerely,

James Hicks

BBA ‘50

Dinner Dance sparked new and happy beginning

Texas A&M-Commerce or East Texas State Teachers College—it is still bringing people together.

In 1949 and 1950, Alton Polk of Jacksonville and Jessie Hollingsworth of Commerce, both freshmen, met and fell in love. Fifty years later, they married.

When I received the an nouncement of the Dinner Dance 2000 from the social club, I determined to attend. My husband of 46 years had died, and I wanted to see if I might see someone I would know.

As the date drew near, I gathered my courage to call Alton and see if he was single.

On the first day of spring, I put down my gardening tools, went into the house and called the number supplied by the operator.

He was home. He was single. We dined and danced and loved again. We married June 11, 2000. Spring was, indeed, a new beginning.

Jessie Hollingsworth Polk

BA ‘51, MEd ‘54