Painting the Town Maroon - McMurry University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

children. They expressed appreciation for the support of McMurry faculty and staff who “helped us and were so supportive of a young couple with two sons (18 months and 5 months at the time).” Larry Ray ’73 also stressed the importance of the supportive McMurry community in his comments: “If it hadn’t been for the other students, I don’t believe I would have ever graduated. They had a hand in my success.” Patty Heidenreich, mother of Jacob ’05, gives credit to the McMurry faculty, by sharing the following: “Jacob became a leader while at McMurry, and he met some terrific people. Coach Bill Libby was such a great asset when Jacob began his college life.” As the evening progressed I asked about the people who had influenced them during their time at McMurry, and so many people were mentioned that it is impossible to list them all. Faculty members like Drs. Robert Sledge, Gary Wilson, David Klassen, Clark Beasley and coaches like Hershel Kimbrell, Grant Teaff and Pete Shotwell were a sampling of names mentioned. The quality of education at McMurry received equal accolades. Brent Hammett ’68 stated, “McMurry exposed me to a new and expanded intellectual world.” David Codding expressed his agreement by saying, “I have been impressed with the scope of educational exposure at McMurry. My girls have been well prepared for graduate school and for life.” Beyond a supportive community and strong education, Charlie and Shelly Ebarb received something equally as important from their McMurry experience: “We found each other!” Upon graduation Charlie and Shelley married and have lived happily in Artesia since their college days. After an incredible evening listening to stories of these committed alumni and friends from Artesia, another piece of the puzzle fell into place, and that is the invaluable support of generous donors to McMurry and the role of the local United Methodist Church. As mentioned earlier in the article, First United Methodist Church in Artesia is one of only a few churches whose members have received the Cross and Flame Award two times (Cherie Widmayer and Shelley Lorang Ebarb). This prestigious award is presented to individuals in recognition of their distinguished service to McMurry and the United Methodist Church. The fact that two members of this local congregation have received the Cross and Flame speaks to the role that First UMC plays in this connection between McMurry and Artesia, a connection that was voiced often throughout the evening with my Artesia friends. In addition, many former and current students have been the beneficiaries of generous financial support provided through that church. Students from First UMC are eligible to apply for two different scholarships—the Yates Family Scholarship and the Tom and Mary Sivley Scholarship. In addition, the Chase Foundation provides scholarship assistance to 8 M c M u r r y U n i v e r s i t y
“Artesia is like McMurry in that people care about each other and support each other. The spirit of community is prevalent in both.” - Christi Bever students from Artesia with at least a 2.5 GPA to attend any college of their choice. However, McMurry is one of a few colleges or universities that matches these funds. The combination of these generous donors and foundations has provided many Artesia students the opportunity to attend McMurry. As the evening came to a close, I left with a sense of appreciation for the McMurry pride that is alive and well in this small, close-knit community. A quote by Christi Bever really sums up the connection between McMurry and Artesia: “Artesia is like McMurry in that people care about each other and support one another. The spirit of community is prevalent in both.” While the official colors of Artesia are orange and black, there is no doubt that Artesia has been painted a prevalent shade of Maroon. • **A special thanks goes to all Artesia residents who helped contribute to this article. My hope is that this article has done justice to the special relationship between McMurry and Artesia. M c M u r r y U n i v e r s i t y 9
Page 1 and 2: SPRING 2010 Painting the Town Maroo
Page 3 and 4: T H E A lu m n i M ag a z i n e o f
Page 5 and 6: The people in our feature stories a
Page 7 and 8: every year, and more importantly, s
Page 9: Nathan currently attends McMurry, p
Page 13 and 14: One might say that in certain light
Page 15 and 16: to McMurry,” said Goldie. Also, s
Page 17 and 18: 35 graduates of Merkel High School
Page 19 and 20: March 11 & 12, 2010 H O S T E D B Y
Page 21: Conference Details This event is ho
Page 24 and 25: ATHLETICS For the full athletics up
Page 26 and 27: ATHLETICS For the full athletics up
Page 28 and 29: FRIENDS Become a fan of McMurry on
Page 30 and 31: 28 M c M u r r y U n i v e r s i t
Page 32 and 33: HOMECOMING REUNION DINNERS 40th Reu
Page 34 and 35: FRIENDS & FAMILY Chaplain Col. Holl
Page 36 and 37: FRIENDS & FAMILY coach and math tea
Page 38 and 39: FRIENDS WE’LL MISS doctorate in F
Page 40: Office of University Relations Box

Painting the Town Maroon - McMurry University

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?