With an active 2-year-old son in tow, A&M-Commerce alumna Sheryl Leach looked for ways to entertain him.

Leach, who was living in the Dallas metroplex, looked for videos that would appeal to her young son, Patrick. Most she found, however, were for older children, she related.

"I was stuck in traffic one day and I just thought someone should come up with a video series with all the things in it that 2 year olds love. It would be great for the 2 year old and parents would love it," Leach said.

With this creative spark, Leach began an adventure in 1987 that resulted in the beloved children’s character, "Barney." The 6-foot 4-inch purple and green dinosaur and his friends were a hit and have taken Leach throughout the United States and to various parts of the world.

Only a little more than a decade later, "Barney" is known nationally and internationally with video, a television show, traveling stage show, books, greeting cards, newsletter, fan club, and other items. Today, Leach lives in Greenwich, Conn., and is recognized as an advocate for quality, nonviolent children’s programming.

In a new turn in her professional life, the A&M-Commerce alumna has formed her own company, SL Productions , and is collaborating with producers to "create informative, entertaining, and wholesome film and television projects."

She returned to A&M-Commerce in May to receive an honorary doctor of education degree in the Graduate School ceremony at spring commencement.
It had been approximately 20 years since she had been on campus and she was excited to return for a visit and to be honored by her alma mater. A former
English as a Second Language teacher in the San Antonio public schools and later an instructional leader at a Dallas elementary school, Leach earned a master

of education degree in bilingual education from A&M-Commerce in 1979. She received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in ’74.

In her varied background, Leach has also worked as a director of sales and marketing for an education software company, an educational consultant for publishing and product development, and a director of public relations at a hospital.

In developing "Barney," Leach had in her background the skills necessary to get the video series off the ground.

She put together a team of a few individuals who were parents or had backgrounds in education to help her with her "Barney" idea. Describing the effort as "very grassroots," Leach presented the idea to her father-in-law, who was chairman of the family business. Saying her father-in-law "loved" the idea and encouraged her to pursue it, Sheryl had available to her a video studio, warehouses, and a computer service —the infrastructure that was needed.

Regarding her "Barney" idea, Leach said those involved believed the purple and green dinosaur and the entertainment series would be a "worldwide" project. "We just believed that, and I think this is one of the secrets of our success." Today, the "Barney & Friends" television show is seen on six continents and in more than 100 countries. In the U.S., the show is one of the top-rated programs for children under the age of 6. The show has been translated and dubbed into numerous languages including Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew, Portuguese, Greek, and Mandarin Chinese. Leach has won several awards, such as being "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 1993 by the CNBC Cable Network and one of the nation’s "Top Marketing Executives" by Advertising Age, also in ’93. The following year, she was honored with the George Washington Honor Medal for Individual Achievement for Dedication to Children from the National Freedoms Foundation.

LEACH AT GRADUATION — In her Spring Commencement speeches on May 13 first to master’s and doctoral degree candidates and later in the afternoon to students in the College of Education, Sheryl Leach urged her listeners to “know your greatness.”

While all of the awards are significant, Leach is especially proud of the Distinguished Achievement Award given to her by B’nai B’rith in ’96. She was the first woman to win the award since Eleanor Roosevelt. The world’s oldest and largest Jewish organization, B’nai B’rith, honored the native Texan for creating wholesome children’s programming.

In presenting the honorary Ed.D. to Leach, A&M-Commerce President Keith McFarland said, "Sheryl Leach is a proven success in the field of children’s and family entertainment."

Accepting the degree, the honoree responded, "It’s one of those pinch me—is this really happening—moments that you just can’t foresee in your life."

Leach’s degree is the first honorary doctorate A&M-Commerce has awarded since joining the Texas A&M University System in 1996 and also the first since ’92 when former East Texas State University regent Leon "Jack" Coker was honored.

A&M System policies stipulate that the "overriding criterion" for awarding an honorary doctorate is "national or internationally significant achievement."

Accompanying Leach to A&M-Commerce on May 13 was her mother, Mary Whiteside Stamps, also an alumna of the University. Formerly of Lamar County, Stamps of Austin earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from A&M-Commerce. Her husband, Dr. Billy Stamps, now deceased, also received bachelor’s and master’s degrees at A&M-Commerce.

Both of Leach’s parents worked in the education field.

Regarding the role A&M-Commerce has played in her family, Leach told the graduation audiences on May 13, "This is the campus where my mother and father met and fell in love."

After receiving her honorary doctorate, Leach then spoke at the Graduate School ceremony and later in the afternoon at the College of Education graduation.

Leach stressed three key points to the graduates:

• She urged them to know their own "greatness." Individuals are "far greater and more powerful than they think."

• Individuals need to find that thing that they love to do and that brings them joy, and then success will be a byproduct.

• Individuals’ thoughts are "powerful, focus brings forth reality. Positive breeds positive. Negative breeds negative."

"Barney" is a successful multi-million dollar enterprise, according to Leach, because educators and parents were involved in the development. Also Leach believes "there is something magical and very special about ‘Barney’ and I think it’s his goodness. There’s a loving energy about ‘Barney’ that I think kids feel safe and they feel happy; they just love him."

And how does her son, Patrick, feel about "Barney?" Patrick is now 15 years old and 6 foot 2 in height. His mother describes him as a "young man" but also a "typical American teenager."

While Patrick has outgrown "Barney," Leach says her son appreciates the purple dinosaur and his friends. "He appreciates what ‘Barney’ is doing in the world," Leach reflected.