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Page 2 Many Alumni riding point in this Texas boomtown continued from page 1 merce,” he says today. “It was a nice atmosphere.” After receiving his MPA from the University, George served as executive director of the Commerce Chamber of Commerce, administrative assistant for the City of Boerne, city administrator in Taylor Lake Village, and as city manager in Columbus. Mack Borchar Walk into the large fire station on Tomlin Drive and see Mack Borchardt clad in his classy dress uniform, and you might never guess that this fire chief once operated out of a small shed-like building in downtown Frisco. You also might never guess that, not so long ago, he was an agriculture student at the University who was dreaming of becoming a farmer.
Having come a long way since the city’s first primitive fire station, Frisco is now a four-station city with a CareFlite rescue helicopter base. A few years ago, there was such a scramble to add locations that Mack arranged to use a school as a temporary fire station. It’s obvious in the cheerfulness of the firefighters at Mack’s firehouse that they take pride in what they do. Just a little more than a decade ago, Frisco firefighters were unpaid volunteers who did what they did simply because they loved it and took pride in helping their small town. That was Mack’s attitude when he joined as a volunteer in 1973 while operating an appliance and air conditioning business. “I joined the fire department just to help out,” he told the Frisco Enterprise. “That was the thing. In a small town like Frisco you need to help out in your community, and that’s the reason I joined. From there, I fell in love with it.” In the early years, Mack also juggled the job of city administrator in addition to his duties as fire chief. That was before fellow A&M Commerce student George Purefoy was hired as city manager. Unlike many who have trickled into the city more recently, Mack’s roots truly do belong in Frisco. In fact, his grandparents were native to Frisco and were present when the first lots in town were sold. His mother, 97 year-old Ruth McCormick Borchardt, is a retired schoolteacher and local legend who left such an impression on the town that Ruth Borchardt Elementary was dedicated in 2001. Despite the growth, Mack believes that Frisco is still a small community at heart. “I’ll tell you what’s changed in Frisco,” he told the city’s newspaper. “We got more streets. We got more houses. We’ve gone from when you couldn’t buy socks in town to getting everything you want in one day. But for the most part, I see that the same things I loved about Frisco years ago are still here today and in some ways, more of them.” Dr. Richard “Rick” Reedy
Rick is frequently asked what it’s like leading such a school district, and he always has the same answer: “I just smile and say, ‘We are never bored.’” He attributes the success of the district to its school board members, supportive community, and staff. “We have been able to attract some of the best professionals that you could possibly ask for at a school district,” he says. One of those professionals is Alumna Debra Nelson (BS ’78, MED ’80, EDD ’83), who serves as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Her father is the late M. B. Nelson, a former faculty member in education at the University. Rick estimates that as many as 100 A&M Commerce graduates work at Frisco ISD. When he runs into fellow Alumni, Rick is reminded of his many years at ETSU and says he remembers having “far too much fun.” “It was a tight little community,” he says. “I had friends from a lot of different walks of life.” One lasting friendship formed at ET was with the current fire chief, and Rick recalls hanging out with Mack at his apartment. He didn’t know George Purefoy from his time at the University but discovered the connection after taking the job at Frisco. “I would say that you wouldn’t find any two finer individuals than Mack Borchardt and George Purefoy,” he adds. The superintendent holds all three of his degrees from A&M-Commerce. He kept returning for his graduate work because the faculty left such a good impression. “I thought they were the best teachers I had ever met in my life,” he says. Rick’s work is far from over. Estimates predict that enrollment will nearly triple over the coming five to 10 years from 13,000 students to 36,000. Susan McCallister Nesmith "I love ETSU,” says Susie Nesmith, now a principal at Frisco ISD. “I’d love to start working on my doctorate.” Until she finds the time to return to campus for her doctoral work, she will remember with a smile her years in Commerce earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Maybe the next time around, Susie won’t have to borrow her professor’s car to get around town. It’s one memory that still stands out to her—that her beloved professor, Dr. Paul Roosevelt, trusted his students with his car and helped them find jobs. With the help of Dr. Roosevelt, the speech therapy graduate was able to put her training to use at a local Commerce nursing home. After taking a break to raise her two girls (her husband is also an A&M - Commerce Alumnus), she began teaching in 1986 and eventually returned to complete her mid-management certificate and graduate work in reading recovery. Now a principal at Rogers Elementary, Susie has watched as new schools were built every year to accommodate Frisco’s soaring enrollment. She works in one of the district’s older buildings but notes she doesn’t mind because renovations and repairs continue to be made. “It is an incredible district,” she says. “They have had so much growth and yet still take care of what they do have.” As Susie looks back on her memories of school in Commerce…classrooms created from old Army barracks, the small, intimate environment of the speech therapy department and her favorite professors, she sums it up simply: “It’s something that stays with you a lifetime.” Brenda Haley Bledsoe
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