SHSU Update for Week of Jan. 13

Gene Stallings to Kick Off President's Speaker Series

Gene Stallings

Stallings, one of football's most respected coaches, knows what it takes to win on and off the field. In his memoir "Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son," he tells a very personal story that includes winning national championships and raising and loving a son born with Down Syndrome.

A native Texan, Stallings is best known for his outstanding coaching career. His style--influenced by mentors Paul "Bear" Bryant and Tom Landry--is a mixture of football wisdom, discipline and down-home humor.

"Only in America can you get fired from two jobs and then become coach of the year," Stallings has said. Those are modest words for a coach who, in just three seasons, returned Alabama football to the glory it had once known, leading his team to the national championship in 1992.

With all eyes on the Tide that year, Stallings and his staff produced Alabama's first perfect season since 1979 by winning the Sugar Bowl and finishing 13-0 for the season. That year, he was named as the SEC Coach of the Year by numerous organizations.

Born in Paris, Texas, Stallings played football at Paris High School. He went on to play for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M University in 1954. Remaining at Texas A&M as a graduate assistant coach, he later moved to Alabama as a full-time assistant coach under Bryant.

He returned to Texas A&M in 1965, taking his first head coaching job at age 29. His Aggie team won the Southwest Conference Championship in 1967 and defeated Bryant's Crimson Tide in the 1968 Cotton Bowl. Stallings spent the next 14 years with Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys, winning seven division titles, three conference championships and a Super Bowl. He made his NFL head-coaching debut in 1986 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Returning to Alabama in 1990, he concluded his coaching career there in 1996.

Stallings and his wife, Ruth Ann, have five children. Together they have devoted their energy and talent to many charities. In 1991 they began sponsoring a golf tournament for the Tuscaloosa Association of Retarded Citizens. Stallings is also a partner in Tuscaloosa's Stallings Center, which ministers to young children with disabilities.

The President's Speaker Series was established to bring prominent leaders to campus so that Sam Houston State University students can benefit from the inspirational stories about the speakers' personal and professional lives.

SHSU President James Gaertner is chairman of the board of Tandy Brands Accessories Inc. on which Stallings serves as a member.

Outstanding Students Named in 'Who's Who'

Campus nominating committees and editors of the annual directory have included the names of these students based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.

They join an elite group of students from more than 2,300 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations.

Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1934.

Students named this year from SHSU are: Leslie Barrett, Ben Bostick, Phillip Buegeler, Lisa Cannon, Christina Castle, Crystel Chambers, Victoria Cisneros, Johnnie Cook, Audra Culberson, Nikki Drumgoole, Douglas Edwards, Joseph Fielder, Emma Hall, Peggy Hutson, Harry Johnson III, Colleen Jones, Penelope Meyers, Jennifer Mobley, Bethany Parker, Christina Rice, Diana Robles, Belynda Salinas, Tiffany Sanders, Meylin Santos, Stephen Sargent, Rose Seidel, Nelda Solano, Jason Thomas, Cheryl Thomas, Angela Thompson, Leenette Wilke and Veronica Wilson.

Chemistry Department Receives Grant

The grant will be used to encourage research at the undergraduate and graduate level. The bulk of the grant will go toward stipends for students to carry out chemical research, to travel to regional and/or national meetings of the American Chemical Society, and for research supplies and equipment.

The Department of Chemistry has had a history of strong undergraduate research programs and this grant will help continue that tradition. Research projects are available in the areas of analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, molecular calculations, and physical chemistry.

'Flags of the Republic' on Display at Museum

The exhibit tells the story of the evolution of Texas from Mexican territory to American state, covering the years 1835 to 1845.

The exhibit is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Jan. 31 in the museum's Walker Education Center.

The museum will have two traveling exhibits - "Invasion Yanqui: The Mexican War" and "Crossroads of Empire: Historic Maps of Texas and the United States" on display beginning Feb. 1.

Recreational Sports Offers New Wellness Programs

Continuing programs include power walking (starts Monday Jan. 14), personal fitness training, group fitness classes, and F.O.C.U.S. (flexibility, optimum breathing, core stabilization, unified body movement, and strength) training (also beginning Monday Jan. 14).

Dietary counseling is offered in basic or extended packages, from $26 students/$28 faculty and staff to $40 students/$44 faculty and staff.

The wellness workshops are offered the last Tuesday of each month and are free. Speakers will include Laura Smith, Wellness Program director, on fitness; nutritionist Zaheer Kirmani on healthy eating; university police Lt. Derrick Crist on safety and self defense; and psychologist Pamela McManus on stress management.

WellNotes is a monthly newsletter beginning Monday (Jan. 14) which will include healthy recipes, research summaries, articles about on-campus wellness resources, and upcoming events. It will be available at several campus locations and on the wellness Website.

FitBucks is a program which begins Feb. 1 and offers prizes for participants who accumulate points by working out.

Art Show Features Works by Faculty

The exhibit will be held in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery which is open from noon until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The public is invited to attend a reception honoring the artists from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 17) in the gallery.

Chemistry Students to Carry Out Studies in Germany

Michael Towler of Huntsville, who is pursuing degrees in chemistry and biology, and David Corley also of Huntsville, who is pursuing degrees in chemistry and computer science will be leaving the first part of June for Germany.

They will be engaged in research, along with Professor Rick White of the Department of Chemistry, at the interphase between chemistry and biology under the direction of Professor Waldemar Adam. White will leave for Germany April 1 and return August 12.

Towler and Corley will live in Wuerzburg and will travel throughout Germany, Switzerland and Austria during the weekends learning about the cultures of those countries. They will return the first part of August.

They plan to present the results of their work at the American Chemical Society Meeting in Austin during the Fall 2002 semester. The students are being supported by the Studies Abroad Office and a grant from the Gibbs family of Huntsville.

Public Relations Students Available To Help

SHSU Update

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SHSU Media Contacts: Frank Krystyniak, Julia May
Jan. 13, 2002
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