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Page 23 Our Grads
“Professor
Mayo was a visionary, a person who could see what others couldn’t,
but he simply wouldn’t be able to believe the size of this
campus today. But more important, he would be impressed by the
people here and the way they’ve changed their communities
and their world.” Before
introducing this year’s Distinguished Alumnus, the president
mentioned several other outstanding graduates, including Sam Rayburn,
who was Speaker of the House longer than anyone. “Sam
Rayburn came here with twenty-five dollars in his pocket,”
he said. “And Sam Rayburn has impacted the life of every
person in this room—all because Professor Mayo started this
college.” Mayo
also made it possible for thousands of teachers to get their training
here. “How do you measure those teachers’ impact on
countless thousands of students?” he said. Barry
graduated with a master’s degree in 1961 and has worked in
public education for 41 years, including a stint as vice president
of academic affairs here. Known nationally and internationally
for his work in education, he was chancellor of Texas A&M
from 1994 to ’99. As such, the native Texan refocused the
mission of the A&M System back to one of serving grassroots
Texans—the original land-grant university concept. But
of all his accomplishments, President McFarland noted, Barry seems
“most proud of the years he spent as a junior high science
teacher.” Upon
acceptance of the citation, Barry said, “Over the years I’ve
had the great fortune of being mentored by people like Bub McDowell.”
Tears welled over his eyes until the mention of another mentor,
H.M. Lafferty, caused him to give a small laugh. “Barry,
you’re not nearly as smart as you think you are,” he
recalled Lafferty once admonished him. “Texas A&M University-Commerce gave me the final life I needed to reach for the brass ring,” Barry said. International Students On The Rise First-time
undergraduate and international student numbers are on the rise
at A&M-Commerce This
fall, 309 international students are enrolled, a 23.6 percent
increase when compared to a year ago. The enrollment outlook for
Spring 2001 is also positive with enrollment figures expected
to be up from last spring. Currently,
international students represent 34 countries with the largest
number—127—coming from India. The next highest number
of students—37—call Taiwan home. Thirty-one students
are from China with 23 from Thailand, and 19 are from Bangladesh. Most
of the 309 students are working on master’s degrees in computer
science. With the current figure at 1,249, enrollment of first-time, new students also increased. In 1999, those students accounted for an enrollment of 1,230, and 1,220 in 1998. Millennium Northeast
Texas Symphony Northeast
Texas Symphony “The
Medium” University
Wind Ensemble University
Jazz Ensemble University
Symphonic Band University
Percussion Ensemble New
Millennium Gala |