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The best of timesAlums share TMI memories

TMI marked its 120th first day of school Aug. 13, 2013, with the traditional Convocation, including a university-style academic procession, service in All Saints Chapel and The Greeting, in which all faculty and staff line up to shake hands with all students, from sixth grade through seniors.

Opening highlights■ This year, TMI welcomed 469 new and returning students, a record-high enrollment. ■ International students from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria and Singapore add diversity to the student body, as day or Residential Life students.■ TMI students earned an exceptionally high Advanced

Placement pass rate of 87 percent on AP exams taken in spring 2013.■ Most seniors had attended summer college workshops led by TMI college counselors to get a head start on their applications.■ More than half of all faculty members engaged in professional development during the summer, such as study toward advanced degrees or certifications.

“We all think about our teachers,” Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., told students in his welcome address. “As you reflect on your teachers, now and later, you will remember the ones who made a difference in your lives, how much they gave you and how important that was to you.”

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M I L E S T O N E S

Spring 2014

Table of ContentsAlumni News 12Around the Campus 8Community 7Events 22Feature story 4First Person 19From the Archives 24Parting Views 23

Patch donated by Dirk Rhoad ’69; class ring, the Rev. Charles Woehler ‘68.

Alumni Relations DirectorAlex Hernandez,a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org

Editor Paula Allenp.allen@tmi-sa.org

Designer Imelda B. Robles, Robles Design, http://roblesdesign.com

PhotographersLogan Blanco, Luis Garza, Chuck Gibbons, Jeff Heinke, Josh Huskin, Stephanie Livsey, Allan Rupe ‘80

TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.

The mission of TMI is to provide an excellent educational community, with values based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, challenging motivated students to develop their full potential in service and leadership.

20955 W. Tejas TrailSan Antonio, Texas 78257(210) 698-7171 • (210) 698-0715 (fax)www.tmi-sa.org

TMI TodaySmart start

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On the cover: In honor of TMI’s 120th anniversary and this issue’s feature on alumni ‘best memories,’ this collage of photographs spans the decades of school history. To share more TMI photos, send images to a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org.

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Dear TMI Family and Friends,

You would think that after 20 years as a headmaster I would no longer be surprised by how quickly each school year passes.Yet that’s what happens, every year. This issue of TMI Today features highlights of the first semester. As I write this, we’re well into second semester, and I’m asking myself, once again, where did the time go?In my second year at TMI, I’m getting acquainted with the rhythms of the school – grading periods, sports seasons, Pass in Review and liturgical seasons. In many ways, this 120th year is like all that preceded it. Students will learn leadership lessons and the importance of teamwork. They will have spiritual awakenings and they will become fascinated with subjects that could lead to the work of a lifetime. They will be inspired by gifted teachers and they will make lasting friendships. All this happens gradually, while we seem to be rushing through a well-filled calendar. Another important part of that calendar is something students might not think much about but which has a great impact on their experience of TMI. That’s the Annual Fund, which ensures that TMI lives up to its tradition of excellence.Our giving season starts in the fall and continues through May 31. Many of you have already made a contribution,

and that brings me to something else that never fails to surprise me – the exceptional generosity of our alumni and families.

We’ve come to expect that you who know TMI best support your school annually, but each year there are unexpected gifts as well. They are bequests we hadn’t previously known about, contributions from alumni we hadn’t heard from before and spontaneous donations from parents who want to help add cutting-edge classroom technology and sports equipment.

From the Panther Matching Challenge – made possible by Blackstone Dilworth ’47 for a second year – to parents who made Wish List requests come true and those who contributed, then made an additional gift, your above-and-beyond support never ceases to amaze me.Some of our alumni live far away and may never have seen our current campus. Our current families have college in their future, and even the most fortunate have many requests to consider. Yet each year, you come through in unexpected ways, making it possible for TMI to remain a premier private school.Years, even decades, have passed since many of you were students or parents of students, yet your belief in the school is still strong. Knowing how fast those years go, I can’t help but be surprised and grateful at the intensity of that connection.

In what will seem like no time at all, we will graduate another class of TMI alumni who will go out in the world and do amazing things. Soon after that, we will wrap up another Annual Fund campaign to make TMI the best it can be for the classes that come after them. To those who have already made your contribution for this year, a sincere thank you from all of TMI’s students and faculty. If a gift to our school is something you’re still thinking about, go ahead – surprise me…again!Yours in faith,

John W. Cooper, Ph.D.Headmaster

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H E A D M A S T E R ’ S L E T T E R

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Care and feeding“(History) Prof. J.D. Miller liked to hunt

doves, so I invited him out to my uncle and aunt’s place on the old Nacogdoches Road to hunt on Saturdays during dove season in 1940 or 1941. We hunted at a pond and along the mesquite tree line at their corn field in the evenings and brought the doves back to the school kitchen. We cleaned them, and the cooks prepared them for us. Then we shared the dove feast in the school dining room.

“Another memory I have was being in the infirmary for two weeks with many other students who also had influenza. I think it caused the school to shut down for a while. The hero of that time was Miss (Mary) Frey, our school nurse. She took good care of all of us, and we recovered without further problems.”

— Ed Mergele, Ph.D., ‘43

Snow Day fallout “Field Day 1951, as Platoon Commander

of 2nd Platoon, C Company, Best Platoon with Best Squad in Best Company. Previously busted as battalion commander for dismissing school because of beautiful snow, Feb. 28, 1951. Just stood at the gate and turned the cars away. This was much better than standing at attention and ordering Pass In Review.”

— Gardner Davis ’51, Lt. Col. / Pvt. / 2nd. Lt.

As we observe our school’s 120th anniversary, TMI Today asked alumni to share lasting memories of their time at TMI. Here is a sampling – poignant, funny, personally important and even historically significant:

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F E A T U R E S T O R Y

MOMENTS THAT

MATTER

Across the decades, alumni remember their TMI

Hero’s welcome “Late in the senior year of our class of

1951, a thrilling event took place. Gen. Douglas MacArthur (an 1897 graduate of TMI’s ancestor school, West Texas Military Academy) stopped in San Antonio en route to Washington D.C., where he was to give his famous “Old Soldiers Never Die” speech to Congress. We seniors were designated his honor guard for the visit and we were at planeside as MacArthur disembarked, then piled into a cavalcade of convertibles and roared off to TMI.

“At school (then at the College Boulevard campus), half a dozen of MacArthur’s WTMA fellow cadets awaited him by the flagpole. (TMI Superintendent) Col. W.T. Bondurant and others, including me, showed MacArthur around the school, and he remarked on a photo of the football team on which he had played as a cadet.

“Then it was back to the motorcade and on to the Alamo. There we once again formed an honor guard as MacArthur made a speech to the assembled multitudes. Afterward, the city fathers gave him a beautiful antique silver service. We were proud to have had a part in such a historic occasion.

— Lewis “Bob” Sorley, Ph.D. ’51

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Mary Frey, far left, school nurse from 1938 to 1966, examines a student in the infirmary.

Gary Richards ’67, at left, far right, gets set to score in the decisive game of a championship season.

Cadets, above right, salute President John F. Kennedy, Nov. 22, 1963, as his motorcade passes on Broadway.

TMI cadets, right, form an honor guard for alumnus Gen. Douglas MacArthur at his speech on the Alamo grounds, June 15, 1951.

J.D. Miller served as TMI superintendent from 1944 to 1953.

Students and faculty share a meal in ‘Old Main’ on the Alamo Heights campus.

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Ice try“The first weekend after returning from our

Christmas holiday in my senior year, I was almost an hour late for curfew. I was a boarder, and we had to be signed in by midnight. My punishment was three weeks of not being able to leave the campus. My roommate at the time was a junior named Alberto Everardo Muzquiz from Muzquiz, Mexico. He, too, was late and received a similar sentence.

“The dorm at TMI got pretty quiet on the weekends with everybody gone. We slept a lot, watched TV and even got desperate enough to do some studying. At about midnight on the last Saturday of our punishment, bored to death, we suddenly got a craving for some ice cream and decided to raid the kitchen. Since our room was on the third floor, we had to creep down old wooden stairs that squeaked at every footstep and somehow get past Sgt. Lester Sewell’s apartment on the second floor. He was the dormitory supervisor and lived there with his wife and sons.

“The dining hall and kitchen were in the cellar of the Old Main. Once we got to the first floor, we had to go out the front door and down the front steps, then turn and approach the building from the front, to one side of the steps. The dining-hall windows were at ground level, about knee-high. Albert and I got outside successfully and opened a window. Since I was smaller, I took the flashlight and crawled in, and Albert lowered me to the floor using a couple of web belts we brought for that purpose.

“It was very dark and eerie inside. I turned on the flashlight and soon found the freezer. I took two gallons of ice cream, one chocolate and one vanilla and even had the presence of mind to find some chocolate syrup and some strawberries as well as two spoons. Taking my loot with me, I went back to the window and whispered to Albert to come and get the stuff. I had to stand on a chair to hand it to him out the window. I then put the chair back where I had got it and climbed up the belts and out.

“Once outside, I looked at Albert and immediately knew something was wrong. In the dark looming over him was Sgt. Sewell. He turned his flashlight on the goodies and then on each of us. We had been busted, again.

“Good old Sgt. Sewell let us keep the ice cream and toppings. However, he did turn us in. We each got another two weeks of being confined to the campus.”

— Michael S. O’Farrell ’60

Historic passing“On Nov. 21, 1963, we put on dress blues and

marched up College Boulevard to Broadway. We then lined up by companies along the west side of the street to await the presidential motorcade. The presidential car stopped, and President (John F.) Kennedy invited our battalion commander, John E. Kennedy, to step forward and meet the group. I remember thinking how very fair Mr. Kennedy was, sandy hair and red-faced, the complexion of one long in the sun.

“The next day, during lunch, we heard that the President had been shot. In the first period after lunch, Prof Hightower’s English class, we heard that the President had died. Prof Hightower rose to his feet, as we all did. He then ordered that someone run out and lower the flag. The Star Spangled Banner was being played on the air. At the conclusion of the National Anthem, we all sat back down in stunned silence.

“We had seen President Kennedy only a few feet from us, less than 24 hours before his death.”

— Ray Keck III, Ph.D. ’65

Winds of change“Can any of us forget our graduation, which

was TMI’s first one ever to be held outdoors? The speeches were made and the awards given when dark clouds started forming. It was time to hand out the diplomas. The first name was announced: ‘Gregory Mitchell Acuff.’ Before Greg even got to the steps, it was as if a mini-tornado hit. Hats blew off, diplomas, bunting and microphones went flying. Someone quickly found the microphone to announce, ‘We will move to the gymnasium’ – and it was there we got our diplomas.”

— Tom Turbiville ’66

“It made the evening memorable when the flags on stage blew over. Who knew (Headmaster) Dr. (Edward P.) Droste, and all on stage could move that fast? Since the gym wasn’t prepared or decorated for the ceremony, the photos of us receiving our diplomas did not have the nicest background. By the time we headed out to the parties, the streets were flooded. I can remember using a lot of parking lots to skip intersections that were underwater. ”

— The Rev. Peter Getz, ’66

Hoop dreams come trueWinning the 1967 Texas Preparatory League

basketball championship. We had a great bunch of guys, and Coach Watson was the best!

— Gary Richards ’67

Inspiring influencers“I have too many best memories to list, so I

narrowed it down to a few special ones: • Biology AP with (the late) Mrs. (Betsy

Carson) Rupe, such an amazing teacher, and I loved this class. I made a 5 on the AP exam and went into the field of teaching, largely due to her influence.

• English IV AP with Mr. (Bob) Bell, who inspired me to major in English at Sewanee (the University of the South). It was a blessing to be in his class. He instilled a lasting love of analyzing literature that I now share with my students.

• Tennis with Coach (Kelley) Black, who encouraged me as a player and a person. I went on to play tennis at her (now our) alma mater, Sewanee. I will never forget her influence on my life.”

— Megan Talley Galloway ’00

Thanks also to Wade Langston ’76, Ford Sasser ’72 and all who contributed reminiscences.

At graduation in 1966, Board of Trustees President Curtis Vaughan Jr. ’44, above, gives Gregory Acuff ’66 his diploma outdoors. Due to a sudden storm, Headmaster Edward P. Droste, below at left, congratulates Charles “Jerry” Kerr indoors.

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’Bot time Students and faculty of Schulze Elementary School welcomed Morgan Garbett ’14 — back row, far right — on Dec. 19, 2013, as she arrived to help the third graders prepare for a robotics competition. A founding member of TMI’s Robotics Team, Morgan also men-tors teams from Girls Inc., an organization committed to the well-being of girls in our community.

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C O M M U N I T Y

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Quick drinksTMI students and families volunteered to staff a water station at the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Nov. 17, 2013,

in downtown San Antonio. Partnered with Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc., the TMI volunteers organized supplies and handed out water and energy gel to runners in the annual event, which benefits local and national charities.

Greater outdoorsStudents and faculty made campus improvements and enjoyed the outdoors during TMI’s annual Green Day on Nov.

14, 2013. Teams planted peach and plum trees in the orchard, carved a trail to Leon Creek, built bat and bird houses, did outreach at area parks and took plein air painting, outdoor digital photography and “green chemistry” workshops, among many other activities. “It’s a day when we are focused on giving back to our school, our community and our planet,” said Middle School Division Head Richard Stark, Ph.D. “Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

Stirring soundsThe San Antonio Wind Symphony performed a concert dedicated to “The American Spirit” on Oct. 20, 2013, in TMI’s All Saints Chapel. The group was founded 11 years ago by Roderick Leonard — at left, seated — TMI band director and Wind Symphony trombonist, “to provide a performance outlet for professional and semiprofessional musicians who then perform the best, most serious and intense (musical) literature for focused audiences.” The patriotic program included “America the Beautiful,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Yankee Doodle” and selections from “American Overture for Band,” “An American Elegy” and “Lincoln Portrait.”

Great communicatorsFrom left, TMI parents Bob Prado, Lisa Harthan, Liz Owen and Nancy Wright gathered with Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., center, and other TMI staff for an appreciation lunch Dec. 17, 2013, at The Grill at Leon Springs. Many thanks to them and all who represent their students’ grade on the Annual Fund Cabinet, spreading the word about annual giving and how it benefits every student and teacher by providing resources above and beyond tuition. The 2013-2014 giving year continues through May 31; gifts may be submitted online at www.tmi-sa.org/giving.

City saluteSan Antonio City Councilman Ron Nirenberg presented a proclamation recognizing TMI’s 120th anniversary Dec. 3, 2013, in chapel, where Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., welcomed the councilman, whose District 8 includes TMI, and received the proclamation. Signed by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, the proclamation extends the city’s official congratulations for “carrying on the historical legacy” of the school’s founding with “best wishes for many more years of success.”

National recognitionSeniors Berkeley Brown, Jonathan Clark, Taylor Devlin, Morgan Garbett, Chase Wisnowski and Susannah Wright were named National Merit Commended Students for scoring in the top five percent of 1.5 million students who took the 2012 PSAT/NMSQT. Susannah went on to be named a National Merit finalist, one of the top one percent; and Taylor also earned the highest possible ACT score. Susannah, Taylor and seniors Christophe Bernier and Berkeley Brown earned 800s on the SAT, and Philip Blair and Jake Fox scored 790s.

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College callsThrough the fall semester, college recruiters visit TMI to present information about their schools and to answer questions from interested juniors and seniors. This fall, students had the chance to meet representatives from schools including Baylor, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Reed, Rice, Texas A&M, Tulane, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis and Yale. First-semester acceptances came from A&M, Baylor, Duke, Georgetown, Trinity, the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vanderbilt and Washington and Lee.

Select scholarsJonathan Clark ’14 and Chris Perez ’14 were named National Hispanic Scholars, an honor that recognizes the 5,000 highest-scoring students from more than 250,000 Hispanic-identified juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT in 2012; and Phillip Greenfield ’14 was named an Outstanding Participant in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, a designation honoring the top 3,100 of 160,000 African American test-takers.

Night sightsPartnered with the San Antonio Astronomical Association, the TMI science department sponsored a star party Dec. 10, 2013, at the Roger Kramer Observatory, named for the retired astronomy teacher who was guest of honor. Students including Ciela Stark ’19, above, parents and faculty were able to view the crystal-clear heavens through five telescopes, and Astronomy Club President Brianna Hernandez ’15 (not pictured) operated the Espino Telescope to give everyone the opportunity to see the first-quarter moon, Venus before setting, the Orion Nebula and Jupiter with its largest moons.

— Leland Goertz, science teacher

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Jennifer Aguilar, an A&M recruiter, counsels TMI juniors and seniors on the application process.

Honor brightSixty-five TMI students were received into the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society at the annual induction ceremony, Oct. 30, 2013. More than a third of eligible students qualified for membership as students who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, service and character. TMI’s chapter, chartered in 1929, was the first established in a private school.

The Four Pillars of a TMI education are Academics, Athletics, Military and Spirituality.

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Screen starsThree TMI seniors – Taylor Devlin ’15, Sarah McCafferty and Chris Pietraszkiewicz – were chosen to be featured on KSAT-TV’s Scholar Athlete of the Week sports segment, honoring high-school seniors who excel in academics, athletics and community involvement. Taylor was recognized for being named to district honor teams in basketball, softball and volleyball; and Sarah, a swimmer, and Chris, a runner, both have won state championships – all while earning top grades and staying involved in extracurricular activities. Their interviews aired earlier this school year; to watch videos, visit www.ksat.com and search the Scholar Athlete page.

Net gainsBoys varsity basketball won two tournaments during first semester, taking the Marlin Classic Tournament title on Nov. 23, 2013, in Port Aransas; and the Wolfpack Classic, Dec. 12-14, 2013, at Hawkins High School – a great start to a winning season.

Smart and strongFall sports athletes named to Academic All State teams were: Danielle Ridewood ’15, above, volleyball; and Steven Constantin ’14, Aaron Cornelius ’15, Juan Carlos Merlo ’15 and Brian Ramey ’14, football. The TAPPS conference recognizes the achievements of junior and senior athletes who maintain an average of 3.5 or above and have been named to district honor teams.

Big advantageHarlem Globetrotter Jermaine “Stretch” Middleton gave the boys’ varsity basketball team a few pointers at practice Nov. 16, 2013. The 7-foot-4-inch Middleton is a friend of Assistant Coach Gerald Alsheimer. The team was about to play a top-ranked opponent including a 6-foot-10-inch, Division 1-bound player, says Head Coach Bob Pels, “so we brought (Middleton) in to give us a little perspective.”

Fast and firstThe varsity girls swim team won first place at the Palo Alto High School Invitational Meet, held Dec. 13, 2013, in the Aquatic Center at Palo Alto College. Sarah McCafferty ’14 captured firsts in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. She also was a member of a relay team with Elizabeth Holmes ’17, Grace Metz ’16, Tamara Leifheit ’17 that placed first in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay.

State champ — the sequelChris Pietraszkiewicz ’14 won his second state championship

in a row at the TAPPS 5A boys state

cross-country meet, held Oct. 26, 2013, in Waco. Earlier in the season he was recognized as one of the Top 50 male high-school runners in the nation.

A T H L E T I C S

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Banner dayMembers of the Corps instruct civilian students, faculty and staff on flag etiquette during Reveille Chapel on Aug. 28, 2013. Early in every school year, cadets demonstrate proper respect and care of the U.S. flag, which they are responsible for raising and lowering.

Academic advancementCadet Lt. Col. Falon Little ’14, battalion commander of the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets, has received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. A member of the Corps since sixth grade, she attended the Academy’s summer program last summer and was one of only about 1,200 out of 9,700 applicants to be offered admission this year. Falon has accepted and will report to the Academy on June 26.

New colorsMembers of the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets took on a new look at the start of this school year. “In order to be consistent with the Army’s new uniforms, which are blue and white, the Corps’ Army-issued JROTC uniform now consists of blue pants, a gray shirt and a gray beret,” said retired Army Maj. Douglas McVey, TMI commandant. “The green shirt, pants and garrison cap worn by soldiers and JROTC cadets in various versions since the 1950s is no longer worn.”

Double dutyCorps leaders spent Sept. 7, 2013, at Camp Bullis, where they shadowed members of the 2nd Battalion, Small Arms Readiness Group, 1/70 OPS BDE (Operations Brigade). From the cadet battalion commander through platoon sergeants, students had the opportunity to observe regular Army counterparts at their duties.

M I L I T A R Y

The Four Pillars of a TMI education are Academics, Athletics, Military and Spirituality.

First stepsBY CADET CAPT. ERICA CAVAZOS

On Aug. 17, 2013, New Cadet Military Training challenged 41 new cadets who made the decision to join the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets.

From returning cadets, they learned how to drill, how to wear the uniform with pride, the basics of military courtesy and the rules and regulations of the Corps. At school on a Saturday, incoming cadets absorbed much information about this influential, traditional organization that dates back to TMI’s initial opening 120 years ago.

Passing this knowledge on as we lead and teach our new cadets to accept the high standards set for them is what the Corps is about. Acquiring the discipline to live up to the Corps example has made it possible for many motivated students to develop leadership skills and to learn the true meaning of ideals such as honor, integrity and duty.

Among this year’s new cadets are future leaders of the Corps and maybe also in their adult lives. With their first training day, they began a journey to leadership that could take them far in this world.

Cadet Capt. Erica Cavazos ’14 is staff officer for publicity and recruitment for the TMI Corps of Cadets.

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Playing their prayersStarting last fall, more student musicians – instrumental and vocal, individuals, duos and choir – have been invited to take part in daily chapel services. Jordan Aw ’20, above, played Dec. 2, 2013; other first-semester performers included Kalani Garza ’15, Brendan Reid ’15, Ian Vaughn ’15 and Susannah Wright ’14. Student readers and servers also help out in chapel, and senior chapel talks are a regular part of the program.

Community presentsFor the second year, TMI continued our annual Adopt a Family drive, in which we partnered with a public elementary school to gather and deliver Christmas gifts and household necessities to 47 needy families, many of them refugees from Africa and Latin America. When a team of TMI students, families and faculty arrived at one household bringing such everyday items as laundry detergent, toothbrushes and paper towels, the grandmother said, “Angels have come to see my family today.”

Soulful stitchesThe processional banner created for TMI by the Threads of Blessing textile ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas was dedicated Dec. 13, 2013. The Rev. Nathan Bostian, TMI chaplain, pointed out features of faith and geography in the design by artist Brenda Kingery, and invited the community to offer “thanksgiving to God for the hard work and craftsmanship.”

Good intentionsEach Wednesday morning during the school year, a group of TMI parents meets in All Saints Chapel to pray for the school and its students and larger concerns. The TMI chapter of Moms in Prayer was re-established last year; all mothers and grandmothers are invited, prayers are nondenominational, and women of all faith traditions are welcome. After a brief service, the group responds to prayer requests for individual students, groups or TMI faculty and staff. “We try to lift up as many aspects of the school as possible,” said leader Karen Evers, above, center, “and we’re always open to suggestions.”

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Faith journeySeventh graders in the World Religions class taught by Claudia Clark toured non-Christian worship spaces during an Oct. 4, 2013, field trip to the Islamic Center of San Antonio, the Wat Dhammabucha Buddhist Temple and Temple Beth-El. Some members of the class already had worshiped at the city’s largest mosque and were able to share personal experiences with their classmates. At the Buddhist temple, students took part in the midday offering to the monks, followed by a communal lunch of Thai food. In the home of the Reform Jewish congregation, they were able to enter many places that already had been unlocked for the evening service, said Mrs. Clark, “so they felt as if they had a backstage pass.”

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A L U M N I N E W S

We are planning plenty of great opportunities for

you and your classmates to reconnect and socialize in the near future.

■ Get your summer started with an informal get-together May 14 at Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest

continuously operated dancehall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels. Have dinner on your own at one of the nearby restaurants, then come and enjoy the rockabilly rhythms of The Georges, who’ll be playing from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. There’s no cover charge, no RSVP required, and when you identify yourself with TMI, you’ll receive two drinks free. Look for several longtime, beloved TMI teachers to attend – they miss you, too!

■ It’s not too early to start thinking about Homecoming 2014, especially if you’re a member of the following classes: 1944, 1959, 1964, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994 and 2004. If you’d like to help plan your reunion, please contact me at a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6159 to be put in touch with your class agent.

■ Finally, mark your calendars for these upcoming events and remember that old song – “The more we get together, the happier we’ll be”!

Save the datesAlumni Clay Shoot, Sept. 12Stars Over TMI, Oct. 4Homecoming, Oct. 31-Nov. 1Alumni Holiday Party, Dec. 5

Hope to see you soon,

Alex

Alex HernandezAlumni Relations Director

ALEX HERNANDEZ

Alumni Relations

Together again

Bennie and Charles Thompson enjoy the silent auction at Stars Over TMI 2012. He will be the honoree at Stars 2014.

1972

Taking the leadPatrick R. Garcia ’72, right, president of Division Laundry and Cleaners, was one of two new members to join the TMI Board of Governors last October. A previous president of the TMI Alumni Council (now Association), he is also a member of the board of the St. Mary’s University Alumni Association and serves on the steering committee of the Citizens’ Bond Committee of Northside Independent School District. Also new to the board is Daryl L. Lansdale Jr., partner-in-charge of the San Antonio office of Norton Rose Fulbright, a member of KLRN-TV’s Alamo Public Telecommunications Council Board of Directors and parent of Kelsey ’15 and Trey ’17. Both were appointed by the Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge, chairman of the board, to three-year terms.

1948

Evening star Charles E. Thompson ’48, a former TMI board member and parent of Eloise ’83 and Ingraham ’85, will be honored for his loyalty and service to the school at the annual Stars Over TMI gala, to be held Oct. 4 at The Venues at Valero. “He is a blessing to the TMI community, beginning as a student, an alum, a parent, a strong and visionary member of the board and as a faithful friend to this school and its families,” said the Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. “It is an honor for TMI to recognize Charles for his support, dedication and witness – in word and deed – as this school continues to educate servant leaders for today and for tomorrow.”

App easeFor quick access to what’s happening at your alma mater, TMI’s new mobile app is available for Apple and Android. To download, search “TMI Episcopal” in the iTunes or Google Play stores. It’s a handy tool for keeping up with campus events, connecting with TMI on Facebook, using the alumni directory and much more.

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A L U M N I N E W S

Hitting the targetA record number of shooters turned out for the 13th Annual TMI Alumni Modified Sporting Clay Shoot, held Sept. 13, 2013, at the San Antonio Gun Club. Nearly 100 alumni, parents, students and others participated, including two cadet teams. Cadet Corp. Michael Galo III ’17 – recently ranked by the National Skeet Shooting Association as its top sub-junior shooter – was the highest-scoring individual. The all-Texas Cavaliers team of Rob Eversberg ’63, Robert Eversberg ’97, Henry B. Gonzalez III ’87 and Gardner Peavy ’93 took first place among all-alumni foursomes, which also included teams representing the classes of 1980, 1988 and 1965. The event benefits the TMI Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship, to be awarded for the first time this year for 2014-2015. Recipients must be rising ninth graders who are close relatives of TMI alumni and new to the school. Save the date: The next alumni clay shoot will be held Sept. 12; registration will open this summer.

Alumni Association President Ernest Brown L. IV ’80, left, and Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., congratulate freshman cadet Michael Galo on his first-place individual win at the alumni clay shoot.

Brush with fame?A painting of “Old Main” at TMI’s former Alamo Heights campus (1910-1989) recently was donated to the school by Ann Brown, widow of Brisbane H. Brown ’48. Signed “Mary D. Vincent 48,” it’s an impressionistic view of the approach to the building, which contained administrative offices, classrooms and dormitory rooms. No information about the artist came with the painting, kept through many moves; the only information available about Vincent online was a 1948 newspaper mention of an unnamed artwork accepted for a group show. TMI yearbooks and catalogs don’t list her as an art teacher. Could she have been a summer-school student, a teacher at a nearby art school, or a faculty wife or daughter? If you know who the artist was, please contact Mrs. Alex Hernandez, director of alumni relations, at a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6159.

1995, 1997

Shining examplesTwo young alumni, the Rev. Michael Mumme ’95 and Courtney Wiley ’97, were recognized as Rising Stars on Oct. 5, 2013, at Stars Over TMI, the school’s annual fundraising gala. The award, presented by TMI Alumni Association President Ernest L. Brown IV ’80, left, honors alumni of the past 20 years who are examples of servant leadership.

Michael, who was battalion commander and voted “most likely to succeed” as a TMI senior, is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Cuero and previously was pastor of Floresville United Methodist Church. As president of the Floresville Ministerial Alliance, he oversaw its Help Fund, hosted community Thanksgiving dinners for seniors at his church and organized and coordinated a Helping Hands Ministry to aid elderly and disabled people with home repairs and accessibility.

Courtney, valedictorian and also voted “most likely to succeed,” is vice president of marketing for Marketing Advocate, a marketing-automation software provider. She serves on the PTA board at her son’s school, on the capital campaign team and marketing ministries at her church, as a team leader for the 2012 African American Male Academic Bowl in Dallas and a volunteer at the annual Clothe-a-Child event sponsored by Kohl’s department store.

To nominate alumni for consideration as future Rising Stars honorees, please contact Alex Hernandez, director of alumni relations, at a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6159.

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2012

Prize-winning pairMarian Amini and her horse, Just Plain English, competed in the 2013 American Pinto Horse Association World Show in Tulsa, Okla.  Competing for 10 days against more than 100 elite competitors from across the nation,  Marian and “Jay” were the World Champions in Hunter Under Saddle and English Disciplined Rail divisions.  The pair won Reserve Champion in Bareback English Equitation and English Ideal Pinto.  They took third place in English Pleasure, Western Showmanship and Western Horsemanship.  The wide array of wins across disciplines reveals the versatility that Marian and “Jay” have displayed over the four years that they have been a team. She is currently a sophomore at Texas A&M University.

2007

Lofty goalsA graduate of the University of Southern California who double-majored in aerospace engineering and economics, Warren Tichenor II – who attended with the class of 2007 – works in flight test engineering at the Boeing Co., the world’s largest aerospace company and manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft.

As a TMI cadet, Warren was the recipient of a Daedalian scholarship, awarded each year at

Final Pass in Review to a student interested in aviation. He used it to complete flight training, made his first solo flight and qualified for his pilot’s license. At USC, he served on the AeroDesign team, which designs, builds and flies a plane in the annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics competition, sponsored by Cessna and Raytheon.

Outside of school, he completed his commercial aircraft single-engine and multi-engine ratings and earned Certified Flight, Instrument and Multi-engine Instructor’s licenses, posting a total of about 800 hours of flight time.

After graduation, Warren was hired by Boeing, where he had spent two summers as an intern during college, for a full-time job in Flight Test Engineering Operations. “I couldn’t have written a better job description if you had handed me a blank piece of paper and told me to design my own dream job,” says Warren, who prepares aircraft for testing, provides support for test operations while airborne and writes an implementation plan for any changes that need to be made based on the test flight.

“What’s most exciting to me is that I’m living the dream,” he says. “My work is at the nexus of my strongest passions: engineering, aviation and economics. Flight Test is run like a business; if aircraft aren’t tested accurately and to a strict schedule, programs get delayed, and aircraft don’t get delivered. So the buck stops in Flight Test, and we are ready to move 24/7.”

At some point in the future, Warren plans to join the U.S. Air Force, “with high hopes of entering pilot school to fly either heavy transport (such as the C-17) or refueling tankers (KC-135, KC-10 or KC-46 tanker).” Depending on where his career path takes him, active duty or reserves, he’d like to return to Boeing as a test pilot: “In 20 or so years, my dream is to be Chief Test Pilot at Boeing.” 

2007

Alumna notesCellist Christine Lamprea, a graduate of The Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory of Music, returned to TMI on Dec. 9, 2013, to give a concert during daily chapel with pianist Daniel Anastacio, a graduate of Saint Mary’s Hall and Juilliard. With his accompaniment, Christine played selections from Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 2. The young musicians were in San Antonio to play a “Homecoming” concert Dec. 15 at Gallery Nord. Christine is an award-winning independent solo artist and chamber musician based in New York.

Line upBrowse TMI history or add your own at TMI’s Timeline, launched last fall at www.tmi-sa.com/timeline. Use the form at the bottom of the page to suggest “firsts,” championships and other events and to submit photographs to add to this interactive, historical record.

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passed away March 23, 2007, in Taylor, Texas. A veteran of the Army Air Force, he served as a flight instructor during World War II. He operated a lumber company and was a building contractor in Taylor. As a member of the Air Force Reserves, he served until 1976, when he retired as a lieutenant colonel. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

1943Vannoy Dixon ’43, died April 9, 2009, in Marietta, Okla. After a postgraduate year at TMI, he served in the Army Air Force during World War II, having earned his pilot’s license at age 17. A right-of-way agent for Oklahoma Gas & Electric for 23 years before retirement, he is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

1946John Saleh died May 14, 2014. A graduate of the University of Texas Law School, he served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and practiced many years in Lamesa, Texas. John and “Bonanza” star Dan Blocker ’46 “became close friends at TMI,” writes Judge Joe Cohn ’46. “It is a credit to both of them that Dan not only used Saleh as his family attorney but had him represent him throughout his acting career.” He is survived by his brother Sam.

1947Sam Barshop died Dec. 9, 2013. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a veteran of the Air Force, he was founding CEO of La Quinta Inns, Inc., a partner in Barshop and Oles Co. and a director of Southwest

to study abroad in Scotland for a month over the summer “and afterwards will be joining my

husband in Fort Irwin, Calif. I also reunited with my former roommate, Nahrae Yoon ’09, in April 2013.”

2010 Emily Parke graduated from

UTSA in August 2013, BA cum laude, Psychology, and is now working at CORA, a nonprofit

organization serving victims of relationship abuse in San Mateo County, Calif. In August, she will enter the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, working in its doctoral program toward licensure as a clinical psychologist with a concentration in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For fun, Emily writes a vegan blog for misadventuresmag.com and she works with her standard poodle, Beau, at Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area.

After three years at Baylor University, Austin Carr qualified for and was accepted into the PGA Golf Management Program at the University of New Mexico. While at UNM, he will finish his BBA in Management and complete the PGA program requirements. This will qualify him for career placement in the Pro Golfers Association.

DECEASEDDECEAS

1935Lt. Col. Charles B. Hamilton

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A L U M N I N E W S

career as the first district sales manager for Texas at Stine Seed Co., the largest independently owned seed company in the U.S., which is expanding its sales territory to Texas with a selection of corn hybrids that will work well from the Panhandle to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.“

2007 Caroline Parke graduated from Davidson College in May 2011, BA magna cum laude, English

Honors, and is now in her first year at Stanford Law School. This summer Caroline will intern at Disability Rights Texas in Austin. She still practices the art of poetry, swims, and runs her standard poodle, Bonnie, around Palo Alto, Calif.

2008Robert Rhodes graduated in 2012 from Texas Christian University, where he majored in communications with a concentration in sports. He worked for ESPN on the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl and is an account executive with GoVision, an LED screen provider, in Fort Worth.

2009 Kaitlin Hibbs married Jesus Peña

last September “in a small, private ceremony with family in San Antonio.” She

expects to graduate this summer from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Technical Writing, with certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Kaitlin plans

1943Accompanied by friends from VFW Post 688 in Boerne, Ed Mergele, Ph. D., was recognized

for his World War II service at the Nov. 13, 2013, Veterans Day Pass in Review, held in Frost Athletic Center because of inclement weather. See his First Person story about a wartime brush with fame on page 19.

1995John H.P. Hudson was selected one of the most influential mortgage professionals under 40 for 2013 by National Mortgage Professionals magazine. He is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Premier Nationwide Lending, a Texas-based mortgage bank, and serves as communications chair for the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, a professional association.

1997Andrea Holt Duke won the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon with a time of two hours and 58 minutes – an elite time matched by only about 100 female runners in the United States. A lecturer in the UTSA College of Business, she has been running marathons since 2002 and is considering training for the 2016 Olympics.

2005Jessica Rhodes attended San Francisco Academy of Art and lives in San Francisco. She is a digital photographer in Special Collections at Stanford University’s Greene Library in Palo Alto, Calif.

2006Johnny Neese “started a new

CLASS NOTES

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1952Donald P. Fly died Jan. 25. A graduate of North Texas State, he started his own company, Don Fly Decorating, in Houston and moved after retirement to Goliad. He is survived by his wife and children.

1954Gerard T. “Jerry” Rote passed away Feb. 19 in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, after 10 days sailing aboard the National Geographic Explorer. After attending with the class of 1954, he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and went on to San Antonio College and Trinity University. He was a medical illustrator and headed the Graphics Department at Southwest Foundation for Research and Education (now Texas Biomedical Research Institute). He and his wife Margaret

A L U M N I N E W S

CLASS NOTES

Send alumni news and photos to Alex Hernandez, TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, 20955 W. Tejas Trail, San Antonio, Texas 78257 or to a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org.

Airlines. As a philanthropist, he supported the Barshop Jewish Community Center, the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies in the Texas Research Park and many other educational and medical causes. He also served on the University of Texas Board of Regents, the University of the Incarnate Word Board of Trustees and the University of Texas Health Science Center Development Board. He is survived by his wife, their children and grandchildren.

Daniel A. Groh passed away Jan. 24, 2013, in Houston. He is survived by his wife, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

1948Brisbane H. Brown Jr. passed away Nov. 15, 2010, in Gainesville, Fla. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute and went on to active duty in the Army Corps of Engineers for more than 20 years, serving in Germany, Greenland, Korea and Vietnam. Following the military, he earned his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University and taught at the University of Florida. He is survived by his wife and sons.

Russell C. “Rusty” Reinoehl died July 16, 2012, in Arlington. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, graduated from Trinity University and retired from the U.S. Department of Labor. In retirement, he and his wife Ardeth owned Arlington Travel Agency. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

bought Herweck’s Art Supply in 1972, where he continued to be involved after retirement. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchild.

1959Robert Foard Townsend III died Feb. 9. A graduate of Trinity University, he earned a master’s degree from Incarnate Word College, taught briefly at Saint Mary’s Hall and worked for 29 years at the Bexar County Adult Probation Department. After retirement, he did volunteer work at Christian Assistance Ministry. A member of the Argyle, San Antonio Country Club, San Antonio German Club and the Order of the Alamo, he is survived by his wife and sons.

1960David Mercer Martin of Bellingham, Wash., passed away Feb. 22. He earned a degree in history from Austin College, served as a Navy officer in Vietnam and worked for Squibb pharmaceuticals, American Express and other companies. He served on the boards of several community organizations, including Bellingham Theater Guild and Whatcom County Parks and Recreation and volunteered with the Whatcom Literacy Council and Boy Scouts. He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

1967William Evans Dean III, D.D.S., died July 26, 2013. He attended

the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Nevada, served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and graduated with honors from the UTHSC Dental School. A registered Texas Longhorn rancher and recreational pilot, he is survived by his daughter, granddaughters and great-grandchildren.

1978Christopher West passed away Jan. 29 and is survived by his children and grandchildren.

FacultyMary Catherine “Micki” Hudson, TMI’s first Women’s Athletics Director and later SAISD Assistant Athletics Director, died Nov. 25, 2013. She is survived by her husband, children and grandchildren.

BoardWilliam “Bill” Barnett Moser Jr. passed away Dec. 1, 2013. Father of Christopher ’76, William ’78 and Edward ’86, he was a member of the TMI Board of Trustees during the 1980s.

1949Jerome K. “Jerry” Harris Jr., passed away Nov. 4, 2013. He was a member of the TMI Board of Trustees and was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 1984. An Alamo Heights business owner, he was active in Rotary and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Texas Cavaliers, German Club and the Order of the Alamo. With fellow Alumnus of the Year Marshall Steves ’40, Harris was one of the original promoters of HemisFair ’68. He is survived by his wife and children.

Last callIf you missed the opportunity to order a copy of the 2014 TMI Alumni Directory last fall, there are still a

few copies available from the publisher, Harris Connect. Please call (800) 877-6554 to order on a first-come, first-served basis.

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A L U M N I N E W S

When high-school athletes get to college, even the best need to up their game to compete with older, more experienced players, while adjusting to a more demanding schedule.

As a senior at TMI, Allison “Ally” Limmer ’12, made the all-district first team in volleyball, was named academic all-state and featured as a KSAT-TV Scholar Athlete of the Week. Now a sophomore at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., she plays volleyball for her Division III school. There, as at TMI, Ally’s a setter – the player in charge of the offense – and helped lead the Lynxes to a spot in last fall’s Southern Athletic Association (SAA) tournament.

“Even in Division III, the college game is much more competitive (than high school),” Ally says. “There are players who could play at an even higher level, but they value their education over their sport.” Her coaches at Rhodes “expect year-round commitment, but they encourage their athletes to put school first.” A double-major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology who plans to go to medical school, Ally made the SAA Honor Roll all three semesters so far and was named the best intermediate Spanish student last year.

At the same time, she’s expected to practice at least three hours a day and travels with the team on fall weekends. “We play both Saturdays and Sundays at different locations, often different states,” she says. “In our conference, we play every opponent twice over the course of a month and a half.”

Soccer player Blake Smithson ’13 switched sides – defense to offense – last fall at Southwestern University in Georgetown, also in Division III. A center back or center midfielder at TMI, he now

Alums take sports to the next level

plays on the wings as a left or right midfielder. TMI Head Soccer Coach Oscar Muñoz “had the same expectations of me as my coach now,” Blake says. “Holding myself to those expectations helped me make an easier transition.”

The main difference between college and high-school soccer “is the intensity at which the game is played,” Blake says. As a Pirate, he played two games each weekend, for which his team practiced “at gamelike intensity for two hours, since we don’t have as many days between games as in high school.”

In high school, Blake also won academic all-state honors and was named to all-state teams three years in a row. A biology major at Southwestern, he finds that having regular practices and games “is actually rewarding, since it helps me flesh out the schedule I need to follow in order to get most of my work done outside of soccer.”

At the University of

Southern California, Drew Fox ’13 plays club baseball – “the 25 next-best baseball players” at the Division I school, according to his team’s website. An all-district center fielder at TMI who also was chosen for Scholar Athlete of the Week, “I barely made the (USC club) team,” he says. “Club baseball is highly competitive. We have a couple of D1 players on our roster – one former, now in graduate school, and a freshman getting more experience before joining the USC D1 team.”

On his current team, he plays center field as backup to a senior center fielder. It’s a yearlong, two-season commitment, with fielding and batting practices and weekend games including travel to schools as far away as Arizona State University. The main difference between the club team and D1 Trojan baseball is that with a larger roster, club players are not required to play every game. Coaches “try to accommodate the kids’ different schedules if their academic demands are high at that time,” says Drew, a

political science major with a sports media minor.

All three college players say their TMI experience has helped them in college. “TMI challenged me to stay on top of

my work while staying involved in the community,” says Ally, who’s active in many student organizations at Rhodes. “It taught

me to allocate my time.”Blake agrees that high-school athletics

“conditioned me to be more able in juggling school, sports and other extracurricular activities,” he says. “Knowing how to manage time has been extremely beneficial to my success

so far in college.”TMI Head Baseball Coach (Patrick)

Davis ’94 “does a great job preparing his athletes for both the mental and physical

challenges that come with every game,” says Drew. “Time management and being

able to play well mentally helps in every situation.”

Know a TMI alum playing college sports? Let TMI Today know at p.allen@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6155.

Stepping it up

Allison Limmer ‘12, above, plays volleyball at Rhodes College; Drew Fox ‘13 plays club baseball for USC.

‘(TMI)

taught me

to allocate

my time.’

— Allison Limmer ‘12

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Homecoming 2013TMI celebrated its 120th anniversary with a special Homecoming, preserving timeless traditions while starting new ones, such as an alumni company marching at Homecoming Pass in Review, an alumni shoot and the first 50th-reunion dinner to be held at the current campus. Patrick Perez ’96 spoke on teamwork at the Homecoming Pep Rally, and members of the 1973 championship football team appeared with Coach Garry McMillian at the Homecoming game, where JT Plummer ’14 – son of Elizabeth Stewart Plummer ’80 – and Melissa Schlosberg ’14 were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. Next Homecoming: Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2014

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BY E D M E R G E L E ’43

I sang on the “Lucky Strike Hit Parade” with Frank Sinatra. Well, I didn’t exactly sing with Sinatra but I did sing on the same stage with him in October 1943 in New York.

Sinatra got his first national break earlier that year on this popular radio show. I had joined the Navy in the summer of 1943 and had just been transferred to New York from Florida.

While stationed in New York, we sailors were given tickets by the officer of the day to the various variety shows. Two or three of us would take the streetcar uptown and see the shows after school and duty. This was really something for those of us who had never been more than a few hundred miles from home.

Military uniforms were magic for getting free things in New York during the war. One evening, we received tickets to the Hit Parade. There were the usual big crowds trying to get in, and we presented our tickets and were told where our seats were located – in the front row. The orchestra was positioned right above us on stage, and there was a big, glass-paneled radio broadcasting booth in back.

The other front-row seats to our right were filled with young girls dressed in skirts, blouses and two-tone shoes. We later found out they were paid to be there and to scream when a singer came up to the mike to sing and again after he finished.

From where we sat, we could see a young skinny fellow sitting on a chair back of the podium with a young lady wrapped in furs and holding a small baby. The MC, Martin Block, asked the audience if we would like to hear the most popular song of the day. The girls on our right started screaming and shouting the name of a song.

Sailor sang on radio show with young Sinatra

Block announced that “Frankie Sinatra” would sing that song for them, and the young fellow got out of his chair and came up to the mike. As he

sang, the bobby-soxers jumped up and down, screaming some more.

After the MC calmed them down, he asked for two sailors to come up, pointing to us. An attendant escorted us to the stairs on the side of the stage, where we stood next to Mr. Block.

He asked the crowd if they wanted to hear us sing. After a lot of clapping, he

handed us each a song sheet with the words to “Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag,” and the orchestra struck up the tune. My friend Harold and I started singing, or trying to, and then it was over. Probably the bobby-soxers were silent

during our performance.Mr. Block asked us to

sit down in back beside the Sinatra family. The next tune the audience called for was

“The Beer Barrel Polka,” so the MC motioned for

“Frankie” to come forward. The girls screamed again as he sang, but I could tell he was

very unhappy. When he came back, he told

his wife that he had said he wouldn’t sing that song. Mr. Block had embarrassed him into singing it anyway, and he was very mad. They went through the same routine with another popular song, and then the Sinatras got up and left the stage through the back.

Mr. Block announced the end of the show and came back and handed us each an envelope with tickets to a movie at the Paramount Theater and a carton of Lucky Strike cigarettes. He thanked us, and we left. Someone

told me the vocalists received $100 for each song they sang on the “Hit Parade.” Our pay in the military was $50 a month.

When I finished my schooling in New York, I was transferred to Boston and onto a combat ship in the North Atlantic. Sinatra stayed with the “Hit Parade” for a while longer before moving on with his singing career and making movies.

About 25 years later, I met Mr. Sinatra at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. I was shooting craps, and he and his buddy Sammy Davis Jr. came up to the table and started playing beside me. When I spoke to him about the Hit Parade show in 1943, he didn’t seem very pleased, so I didn’t say any more about it.

Reprinted with permission from “Notables, Peace and War: A Collection of Short Stories” by Ed Mergele ’43.

Ed Mergele ’43 — above in the Navy and below at TMI — twice met Frank Sinatra, above right.

F I R S T P E R S O N

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Alum shares stage with superstar

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BY B R O O K E D I P P O - F O D E R A R O ’13 After I graduated from TMI, one piece of advice

stuck with me more than anything else for success in college — get involved! So when I moved halfway across the country last fall to attend the University of San Diego, I knew the easiest way to make new friends and find things to do would be to join any and every club that I was interested in. Naturally I applied for the USD Medical Brigades club, since I came in as a pre-dental student, and I was ecstatic when I was accepted.

Our medical mission trip to Honduras during winter break required a lot of preparation throughout the first semester. We had to raise funds for the cost of flights, food, housing and medications to give to the people there. Another essential part of the preparation is recruiting physicians to travel abroad with us. While many of the students had parents who were doctors, the first person that came to my mind was our TMI Health Care Coordinator Tesa Stark, a registered nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner. I sent Mrs. Stark a quick text message asking if she might be interested, and she responded, “Sounds amazing, and going on a medical mission trip is on my bucket list.”

We landed in the capital, Tegucigalpa, and the weeklong adventure began. We spent the next day at our compound, sorting and counting medications that we would dispense in our makeshift pharmacy in the community. Then we spent three days working in a clinic we set up in the community of Las Animas. Mrs. Stark saw all of the children who came to the clinic, easily 100 of them. As a student, I worked in different stations. The first day, I worked in triage, taking basic medical information from patients and translating it from Spanish to English for doctors.

Alum gains awareness on mission trip

The next day, I worked in charla (literally, “talk”), designed to educate children on basic hygiene such as washing hands and brushing teeth. Finally, I worked with our OB/GYN, who performed exams and ultrasounds for the women in the community. We also had the opportunity to spend a day on a microfinance brigade, where we saw a community that had been completely transformed

by the Global Brigades holistic model that creates sustainable communities.

On our return flight to the United States, Mrs. Stark and I had a chance to reflect on the incredible trip we took together. Though we were exhausted both physically and emotionally, it was bittersweet to be coming home. It was sweet because we would be reunited with our families, with clean water, flushing toilets and technology; but the bitterness of much that we had seen still pulled at our hearts.

We got to return to the United States where our blessings are overflowing, while the cheerful, happy, loving people we had met in Honduras would remain in impoverished conditions. I understand now what people mean by “life-changing,” though I would argue it feels more like a world-shaking. I doubt that will be the last brigade for myself or for Mrs. Stark, and I hope some of you will consider coming with us on the next one.

For more information on Global Brigades, visit www.globalbrigades.com

With TMI Health Care Coordinator Tesa Stark, R.N., above, Brooke Dippo-Foderaro ’13, at left, assists in a Honduran clinic.

Learning to help

I understand now

what people mean by

‘life-changing.’

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G I V I N G

TEXA

S MILITARY INSTITU

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1893 SOCIETY

As a seventh grader, Richard W. “Rick” Smith Jr. ’71 was doing fine in public school – maybe too well. “I was bored,” he says. “School came too easily to me; I was just skating through.” He didn’t have to try

hard to keep up his grades and wasn’t required to play sports.

the annual Panther Scramble golf tournament, and currently on the Board of Governors, where he is a member and former chairman of the Advancement Committee.

One of his sons and his two stepchildren also attended the school. “TMI offers the same opportunities for education we had back then,” he says, “the same well-roundedness, only now we call it the Four Pillars (Academics, Athletics, Military and Spirituality).” The school is “still preparing our children as we were prepared to become servant leaders.”

Rick owns Chapman Schewe Benefits Consulting San Antonio and was “a financial planner before there was even a word for it.” For years, he presented seminars on planned giving through Frost Bank and local accountants and attorneys. His decision to include TMI in his own estate planning “was a natural extension” of his commitment. “I put my money and my time where my heart is,” he says. “Therefore, TMI is in my will.”

He is still active in the community, on the development board at the University of the Incarnate Word, the advisory committee of the Alamo Bowl, the board of San Antonio Sports and chairman of “dozens of golf tournaments over the years.” Through it all, TMI “was always one of the lead dogs in this hunt.”

Since the school was founded 120 years ago, Rick says, “Great men kept it going, and we want to make sure it’s around for another 100 years. Wherever I am 100 years from now, I want to look down and say, ‘I helped touch that campus and I’m

glad it’s still there.’“I hope folks who are thankful for their

opportunities at TMI will remember it in their planned giving. This school has made a difference and will continue to make a difference.”

For information about including TMI in estate planning, contact

Stephen Skinner, director of advancement, at

s.skinner@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6240.

His father, an Air Force officer, and his mother, a teacher, were Episcopalians and heard of TMI through church. With the help of a scholarship, Rick enrolled as an eighth grader at TMI, where “My father brought me to Coach (George) Watson and said, ‘He’s going to be involved in everything and play every sport.’”

Rick fulfilled that expectation, playing football and basketball and running track. He played in the band, rising to drum major and band commander. As TMI cadets still do, he marched in the Battle of Flowers Parade and assisted at other Fiesta San Antonio events. He also was a flag bearer at the opening of HemisFair ’68. “TMI was always so involved in the community,” he says. “I enjoyed every minute of it. You could be outgoing and involved, encouraged to do many things and excel and still stay grounded.”

At the same time, he was impressed by the TMI “professors,” especially English teacher, R.T. Whatton, and chemistry teacher Claude Ray. “Even if you hated chemistry, Col. Ray would

beat it into you,” Rick remembers, smiling. “Sometimes literally, with a rap of the knuckles if you were daydreaming.” They directed him to challenging courses, including Advanced Placement. “I always knew I would go to college,”

he says, “knew I would graduate on time. TMI was on-the-job training for life.”

Then as now, TMI promoted well-roundedness. The school “offered me the opportunity to grow and blossom intellectually, emotionally and spiritually,” Rick says. After

graduation, he went on to Texas A&M University with

an Army scholarship, then served four years in the Army.

When he returned to San Antonio in 1979, he says, “I walked into the school and said, ‘I’m just starting out in my career, I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m here to serve.’” Since then, he has never stopped serving – on the Alumni Council, on “every committee the school’s ever had,” as chairman of

‘Here to serve’Thankful alum pays it forward

Rick Smith ’71, left, with wife Judy and family, came to TMI as an eighth grader, below, and has made a lifetime commitment to the school.

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E V E N T S

Grandparents DayNearly 150 grandparents and other relatives visited the campus Nov. 23, 2013, for Grandparents Day. They enjoyed a morning of special programs including science demonstrations and a performance by the TMI Band, followed by lunch with their grandchildren. Guest speaker in chapel was Julian Stewart, grandfather of JT Plummer ’14 and father of Elizabeth Stewart Plummer ’80 and James Stewart ’78. “We are impressed with everything that has happened to TMI since 1980,” he said, “(and) I believe TMI is a stronger school today than it was in the late 1970s.”

Alumni Holiday PartyAlumni and guests braved icy weather to gather at the annual TMI Holiday Alumni Party, held Dec. 6, 2013, in La Paloma restaurant. Henry B. Gonzalez III ’87 spoke in honor of retired Army Col. George M. Rodgers, TMI commandant from 1978 to 1991; and Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., presented Col. Rodgers with an artwork depicting the Alamo Heights and current campuses.

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P A R T I N G V I E W S

Super StarsStars Over TMI, the school’s annual

fundraising gala, was held Oct. 5, 2013, in The Venues at Valero. Chaired by Carol Holmes, the event introduced electronic bidding for live and silent auctions, netting more than $187,000 – a record since 2009.

Honorees were retired teachers Virgil Espino and Mario Rivela, and many alumni attended to congratulate them. Rising Stars, honored as outstanding younger alums, were the Rev. Michael Mumme ’94 and Courtney Wiley ’97. Returning as MC was KENS-TV Chief Meteorologist Bill Taylor, and presenters included Patrick Garcia ’72 and retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael L. Oates ’75.

Next Stars Over TMI: Oct. 4, honoring Charles E. Thompson Jr. ’48

Last fall, alumni brought items back to campus that cross generations, preserving past and even future traditions.

Phil Jones ’68 visited last November to donate the cadet officer’s saber, panoramic photographs, school sports and academic medals and World War II service awards of his father Jarvis Jones ’34, a gifted track athlete at TMI and a decorated Army Air Corps aviator. Retired Army Maj. Joseph Claburn, assistant commandant, made a shadowbox of the TMI awards, now on display in Ayres Hall lobby.

During Homecoming 2013,

Vincent Clark ’74 brought his cadet saber to the Archives Room as a loan expected to turn into a gift. He hopes it will be used by his nephew Carson Clark, now age 6 and son of Vince’s brother Charles Clark ’88, then donated to the school after Carson’s graduation. Vince, who was a company commander as a senior, also donated his dress uniform jacket, complete with all medals and insignia, and a Crusader 1974 yearbook.

To donate TMI memorabilia, contact Mrs. Alex Hernandez, director of alumni relations, a.hernandez@tmi-sa.org or (210) 564-6169.

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May 24 GraduationJune 3-July 12 Summer School August 13 Convocation

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20955 W. Tejas TrailSan Antonio, Texas 78257

F R O M T H E A R C H I V E S

Giving historyAlums bring keepsakes home

Headmaster John W. Cooper, Ph.D., right, accepts from Phil Jones ’68 some TMI memorabilia kept by Phil’s father, the late Jarvis Jones ’34.

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