A cultural affinity - Lamar University

SIMPSON KEEPS STUDENTS IN SIGHT
The final weeks of preparation before opening the doors to the new
Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center were very much a race to
the finish, and who better to have lead that effort than Art Simpson
’95, recreational sports program director since 2002 and former
Cardinal athlete who still holds Lamar’s indoor record in the 800meter
dash.
Helping in that transition was a recreational sports staff that will
grow from about 85 student workers to more than 200 in anticipation
of increased demand for programs and inclusive operating hours for
the $19-million facility.
Simpson’s talent earned him a track scholarship at Lamar
University, where he ran the 800-meter dash and the mile relay,
becoming a two-time conference champion and earning a bachelor’s
degree in kinesiology. Having been active in recreational sports as a
student, Simpson enjoys “making a change in people’s lives.
Intramural sports provides the opportunity for everyone to be part of a
team. It’s a great way to build lifelong friendships,” Simpson said.
Alumni
Valid Century Club ($100) alumni membership required to purchase
• One, one-year membership for alumnus
• One additional, one-year membership for
an immediate family member (must be 18 or older)
Cost: $456 per year per person
Memberships expire each Aug. 31 and include a key card ID for entry.
Alumni are classified as either Lamar University graduates or individuals who
have earned 30 or more semester credit hours from Lamar University.
28 | CARDINAL CADENCE 35:2 MAY 2007
HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
To purchase
• Alumni must complete an application form available from the
Office of Alumni Affairs, John Gray Center, Bldg. B, Rm. 102.
• Submit the form, along with payment, to the Cashier’s Office,
Wimberly Building.
• Present payment receipt and a photo ID to obtain Umphrey
Center ID, issued in the Admissions Lobby, second floor,
Wimberly Building.
Membership information
Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center
(409) 880-8921 | http://dept.lamar.edu/recsports
Hours and information
BRIAN SATTLER
AN EYE FOR BEAUTY
Sheila Umphrey is an artist,
an adventurer and a muchadmired
presence in Southeast
Texas. She’s an interior designer,
a successful businesswoman, a
community leader and philanthropist.
She’s a mother of two,
a grandmother of seven and, for
47 years, the wife of one of
America’s most respected trial
lawyers. She loves riding motorcycles
and has an eye for beauty—on
and off the open road.
Now, Lamar University has
added another legacy to the life
of this remarkable woman: The
Sheila Umphrey Recreational
Sports Center will enrich generations
of Lamar students—as
well as the community.
“This is a sincere honor for
me,” Sheila Umphrey said. “I
watched it going up. I’ve been
so impressed. I think the building
is incredible, and it’s a real
honor that I’ve got my name
attached to it.”
The creation, design and
significance of Lamar’s
Umphrey Center holds special
meaning for Umphrey because,
she said, “Susan (Lamar First
Lady Susan Simmons) has
shown me everything that was
involved in it—the whole concept
from the ground up.” She
was renting a movie for her
granddaughter recently when
the clerk saw the name on her
card, recognized her and said,
“‘Oh, you’re Sheila Umphrey, as
in the rec center!’ She said, ‘We
just love it. We call it The Sheila.
That’s really a cool name.’”
Sheila studied commercial
art at Lamar, and Walter holds
undergraduate and law degrees
from Baylor University, which
named the Sheila and Walter
Umphrey Law Center in honor
of both philanthropists. But the
Lamar project is special, Sheila
said, because “I’ve never had
anything named just for me
before.”
“I think the vision Jimmy—
and Susan—had when he took
over the presidency and the
things they have done for Lamar
and added to Lamar have just
been amazing. They have been
beautiful additions that have
meant so much to the entire
region. We all are so proud of
what Jimmy and Susan have
done at Lamar.”
Born in Fort Worth, Sheila
McCarthy Umphrey grew up in
Port Arthur and graduated from Thomas
Jefferson High School. Her creative gifts
emerged when she was young.
“Even as a small child, I loved coloring
in coloring books,” she said. “As soon
as I was able to actually draw, I started
taking art courses, including private art
lessons.” Sheila studied fine art at the
University of Colorado, then came to
Lamar for a year to study commercial art.
“I never really took design courses, other
than just here and there,” she said, “but I
took every art class I could possibly take
even after Walter and I were married.”
She has built a successful career as an
interior designer and owner of The
Decorating Depot Inc. “I have been in
business 18 years now, and just love it,”
she said. “Our business has grown so
much that I have three designers, a secretary
and a ‘girl Friday.’ Who would have
ever thought it?”
Her landmarks include the Stedman
Building, where Walter has law offices, as
well as other law firms, banks, a hospital,
homes, other businesses and, her most
treasured project, the Baylor Law Center
itself. She also continues to paint, exhibiting
her talents in fine art.
Sheila has been involved in the
Service League of Port Arthur and serves
on boards of Christus St. Elizabeth
Hospital, Land Manor and the Julie
Rogers Gift of Life program.
Umphrey’s design talents are reflected
across the Southeast Texas landscape.
“I’ve done all of the Community Banks
(now Texas State Banks) in town, the
ones we started from scratch as well as
the ones that just had to be renovated,”
she said. “And we’re opening banks again
now—we’ve got four of them to build,
decorate and buy furniture for.”
And, she adds, “I helped design
Cowboy Harley Davidson and then decorated
it,” referring to the Umphreys’ business
venture with Morris Moore. “I do
both commercial and residential,”
Umphrey said, and the homes she decorates
include her own.
A sense of adventure permeates
other aspects of the Umphreys’ lives,
including an interest in the outdoors, natural
resources and wildlife. “We’re both
big hunters. My father was an avid
hunter, and so I grew up going hunting
with him.”
They love the outdoors and time
spent at their Timberline Ranch, near
Woodville, as well as their latest retreat,
Southern Star Ranch, near Uvalde.
Sheila’s sense of adventure
really took wing when
she joined Walter on the
open road as a motorcycle
enthusiast, soon after he took
up the pursuit. A friend
talked him into going on a
motorcycle trip through
Colorado. Walter bought a
motorcycle, took riding lessons
and went on the trip.
“The first time they
passed a car, they gave each
other a hi-five. They were scared to death,”
said Sheila. “After he got to Telluride and I
thought he could do it, I told him I’d ride
behind him.” Though she does ride solo at
times—and is skilled at doing so —she
enjoys most of the scenery from the back
of Walter’s cycle.
Sheila and Walter have had an exciting
and eventful life together. “We’ve had
a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures,”
she said. “And living off $250 a month in
the very beginning when we were in law
school was always a challenge. But that
was fun too. You look back and always
think those were some of the best years of
your life.”
—LW
A LANDMARK RENEWED
When McDonald Gymnasium opened its doors in
1958, it immediately became a campus landmark—the
home of basketball, volleyball and high
school sports, as well as the site of commencement
ceremonies, concerts and a host of other
events. Lamar athletics had offices there; entertainment
legends from Isaac Hayes to Chuck
Mangione performed there; and Billy Tubbs was in
the first class that graduated there.
But the reason McDonald Gym holds a special
place in the heart of the university community
is Dr. F.L. McDonald, Lamar’s fourth president, in
whose honor the building was named. He was a
popular and trail-blazing president—in the president’s
office from 1952 until 1967—making him
the longest-serving president in Lamar’s history.
Presiding over Lamar during a period of rapid
growth, he worked to expand the curriculum,
attract faculty to the senior college and new graduate
school, and build a campus adequate for the
greatly expanded institution.
As president, Dr. McDonald became affectionately
known as Dr. Mac. Almost every year
while he was president, the Lamar marching band
awakened him on his birthday by playing a rousing
rendition of “Happy Birthday” on his front
lawn. For many years, it was a rare thing to find a
sporting event at Lamar where Dr. McDonald and
his wife, Evelyn, were not in attendance.
When it came time to honor the man who
held a keen love for athletic competition, it was
fitting that the building chosen would be the epicenter
of athletic competition on campus. Those
who knew Dr. Mac were indeed fortunate, and his
spirit of sportsmanship, dedication to purpose and
love of Lamar live on in the new McDonald
Gymnasium.
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