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Alumni Update |
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FLANGANS HONORED FOR DONATION
Coach Jay Flanagan and Liz Gowans Flanagan '91 were honored on Sept. 8, 2005, in the ASU Student Union for their gift of a plaque telling the story of the statue of 'Clyde.' Jay Flanagan has been ASU's head track and field coach since 1989, and Liz currently serves as an academic advisor at the Support Center for Student Athletes.
Coach Flanagan said that ASU is the place where he and Liz have spent a lot of their lives together, adding, "For the longest time we'd walk past Clyde but very little was known about it other than being mentioned at Order of the Tribe. There was no permanent way of explaining what it is, why it is, and where it came from. It's a great tradition and we just felt it should be honored."
'Clyde' was purchased by the Student Government Association for $1,200 and placed on campus in 1959. The statue resided in Wilson Hall and the Reng Center before being moved to the ASU Student Center in 2004. It was noted at the time when Clyde was placed on campus that he was charged with keeping watch over the students at ASU. The statue of a Native American chief weighs 1,000 pounds and was hand carved from Carrara marble in Italy. It stands more than seven feet tall. The statue’s name evolved from the Clyde Spence Monument Company of Jonesboro, from whom it was purchased.
 
"Clyde" with Liz and Jay Flanagan Alumni Association's Beth Smith recognizes the Flanagans' gift
 
LEFT - SGA President Candace Martin (3rd from right) accepts on behalf of the student body
RIGHT - Guests and a KAIT news team observe the plaque dedication
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ASU ALUM IS REALLY COOKIN'
Terry Black '83 of SuperSmokers was featured in August and September on a nationally broadcast program on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN). Here's a link to their website:
http://www.olntv.com/nw/article/view/723/?UserDef=true&catID=79
Terry says, "That is my picture (on the link page) with the co-host of the show All Star BBQ Showdown. The show selected eight of the top barbecue chefs in the nation to compete over nine weeks for the title of 'Best Barbecue Chef in America.'
Each week the show travels to a new location. The format is a mixture of Iron Chef meets Survivor meets World Poker Tour. We show up on the set. We have no idea what meat we are cooking and no idea what kind of grill or smoker we are cooking on. On a show that has already aired I was forced to cook on concrete blocks and build my own pit (and stay up all night). We get to bring one thing with us. It can be a spice blend (dry rub), a marinade, or a barbecue sauce. That's it. They supply everything else."
Terry Black [pictured at right] is cookin'
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ASU ALUMNUS TRAVELS IN 'HEAVYWEIGHT' CIRCLES
LTC Dallas Wood '60, who serves ASU as a member of the Board of Trustees, had some 'heavyweight' company recently at his home in Paragould. His houseguest was the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, 'Mighty' Mike Evans. It is believed to be the first time a heavyweight champion has visited northeast Arkansas.
With over 500 victories in his career in which he was managed by famed promoter Don King, Mr. Evans was in the area to help raise funds to organize sports programs for young people.
A native of Chicago, Mr. Evans recalled playing Arkansas State during his football career at LSU. After playing football, he became a professional boxer, winning the world heavyweight title in 1990 and traveling around the world for exhibition matches, including eastern Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Iran and Iraq.
In addition to his charitable work with Athletes in Action, Mr. Evans is encouraging sports programs for young people in smaller communities to combat the use of drugs. He plans to revisit northeast Arkansas in the near future for a fundraising exhibition match at an area high school.
LTC. Dallas Wood (left) and former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion 'Mighty' Mike Evans (at right) display Mr. Evans' championship belt.
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ALUMNUS AUTHOR DONATES BOOKS TO ASU
Rayburn Don Huckabee '59 is author of the novel, 'Flight to Home,' as well as a collection of poems entitled 'Road to Nowhere' and has donated copies of his works to ASU's Dean B. Ellis Library. Upon graduation from Arkansas State with a degree in journalism, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. (ROTC) in the infantry and spent most of his active duty as a pilot, later becoming a captain for Eastern Airlines and a flight instructor for Delta. 'Flight to Home' is a historical novel about aviation in the Korean War. Don and his wife Teresa have three children and reside in Roswell, GA.
Editor's Note: Don Huckabee passed away on July 23. He was laid to rest in Sharum, Ark., and will be greatly missed.
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GRAND PRAIRIE CHAPTER GETS INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK
The Grand Prairie Chapter of the ASU Alumni Association fed hungry volunteers for a great cause on Saturday, April 23, 2005. Using funds donated by area alumni, chapter members sponsored lunch in DeWitt, Arkansas, for workers participating in the “Paint Your Heart Out” project, which helps spruce up exteriors of homes for people unable to do it themselves.
For information on the Grand Prairie Chapter, contact chapter chair Kimberly Dale '99 at kimdale@classicnet.net.
For information on ASU Alumni chapters or to talk about how YOU can participate, contact Alumni Association chapter coordinator Molly Phillips at mphillip@astate.edu
Pictured: ASU Alumni Volunteers Darlene Frizzell, Margo Aufderheide and Hollye Jackson
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ALUMNI HONOR STUDENT HEROES
ASU students Kyle Riley and Ashley Riley, who are brother and sister, rescued Jonesboro residents Rod and Holly Jordan from their burning home recently, contacting 911 and entering the house to help the couple escape the flames before emergency vehicles arrived. Both Kyle, who is active in the Student Government Association, and Ashley have been callers for ASU's Phonathon, raising pledges for scholarships and other charitable giving for ASU. We appreciate our great ASU students!
On April 20, 2005, a "Hero Party" was given in honor of Kyle and Ashley. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan were present along with their son Patrick Jordan '00 (photo at right, center, with his parents and Ashley & Kyle) along with noted ASU professor Dr. Marlin Shipman '69 and his wife Donna Shipman '69 MSE '87 who are in-laws of the Jordan family. Elaine Mayo Poynter MPA '01, (below, far left, with Ashley and Kyle)) of the ASU Development office, who coordinates the Phonathon also coordinated the party and introduced ASU Vice President for University Advancement, Steve Owens, who read a presidential proclamation from ASU President Les Wyatt.
 
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ASU ALUMNI RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARDS
On Thursday, April 21, 2005 two special alumni who are ASU employees received honors at the Service Recognition and Distinguished Performance Awards Ceremony from ASU President Les Wyatt. Congratulations to these outstanding alumni!
Irene Morgan Martz '74 BS '84 received the top Service Recognition award for her 48 years of continuous service (the most of any ASU employee), in which she has served ten ASU presidents. She is currently Senior Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Roy L. Perry Jr. '69 received the Distinguished Performance Award (Technical/Paraprofessional) for being ASU's "guardian angel" on the Information Technology Services Help Desk. Roy is the person who is called by everyone with a computer at ASU (which means just about everyone!) when their electronics have left them "out of patience, out of time and out of luck."
Pictured: Irene Martz (left) and Roy Perry
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MEDICAL ALUMNI GO "BACK TO SCHOOL" FOR ASU STUDENTS
Dr. Steve Modelevsky DDS '74 and his wife Teri Chastain Modelevsky '94 hosted an end-of-semester Bar-B-Q party for students of Dr. Modelevsky's "Introduction to Medical and Dental Practices" class. Dr. Modelevsky instructs the class for the pre-professional program in the Department of Biological Sciences at no compensation and coordinates other guest speakers from the medical and dental community, all of whom donate their time to explain the realities of the professions to students.
At the party, Dr. Ben Burris, DDS, attended along with the students, who all enjoyed the buffet dinner from ASU alum Dennis "Demo" Gambill.
Among the comments from students (along with high praise for the dinner!) were: "This course has helped me better understand the fields of dentistry and medicine and what it's going to take to achieve my life-long goals. I was almost scared to take a course like this for fear that it would later my thoughts on what I want to become in the future. It only strengthened my desire to work in the dental field." … "This course has been really beneficial to my outlook on the professional world. I think all of the speakers were very interesting."
Thanks to Dr. Modelevsky as well as all the busy medical and dental professionals who share their time with ASU!
 
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Alumni Donate Military Painting
On March 11, ASU alumni Bob Miller '61 MSE '65, Ron Miller '59 and Ted Pylant '74 presented a painting by George L. Skypek to the ROTC program of the Department of Military Science, a symbolic tribute to the soldiers of World War II.
ASU President Les Wyatt and Lt. Col. Larry Aikman of ASU's Department of Military Science accepted the gift on behalf of the university.
The Skypek painting is a symbolic tribute to the soldiers of World War II. It was presented to the ROTC program in the Department of Military Science by the Craighead County Veterans Monument Foundation, Inc., and was donated by the Miller family, several members of which have served their country in the military.
According to Ted Pylant, "Through the years, thousands of veterans have attended Arkansas State on the GI Bill. Hundreds of students left Arkansas State to serve in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. For example, the 206th Coast Artillery (Arkansas Army National Guard), was activated in 1940 and left for active duty in January, 1941, from the campus of A-State. Many of these young men went on to become officers and serve as leaders in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps."
Pictured below (left to right) are Vietnam veteran Ron Miller '59, President Les Wyatt, Korean War veteran Bob Miller '61 MSE '65, Lt. Col Larry Aikman and Ted Pylant '74.
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