mountaineersports - Schreiner University

formerstudents
Rick Cree
RICK CREE ’67 sold his communications
technology company several
years ago and, unwilling to devote
his time “to golf or some other
mindless pursuit,” he began looking
for meaningful involvement as
a volunteer where he could make a
positive difference. It was a search
that in some ways brought him full
circle—it led him back to Schreiner
University.
Cree and his two brothers spent
some of their formative years at
Schreiner. Cree and his twin brother
attended high school at Schreiner
Institute, and another brother
graduated from Schreiner College.
So coming back to Schreiner to contribute
his experience and time was,
in a lot of ways, like coming home.
Shortly after he became involved
at Schreiner, the opportunity to
make the major contribution he
had been looking for emerged in
the planning for the new Mountaineer
Center for Recreation and
Athletics.
Scheduled for completion in
fall 2009, the Mountaineer Center
will become the headquarters for
all Schreiner’s intercollegiate and
intramural athletics, and provide a
first-class environment for academic
classes, physical fitness, recreation
programs, and community events.
Cree said, “I’ve researched this
carefully and have seen the kind
of impact on student enrollment
and quality of life that such facilities
have had at other universities.
The Mountaineer Center will not
only enhance athletics but will add
immeasurably to the recreational,
24 Fall 2006 SCENE
SCHREINER FORMER STUDENT
DEDICATED TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE
by Bill Drake
educational and social life of our
campus.”
It is easy to imagine young Cree
here as a student, with his infectious
laughter echoing through
the halls.
“Schreiner was a totally different
environment in those days,” Cree
reminisces. “I arrived here with my
twin brother, and looking back, I
realize that we were quite a handful.
In those days, you were ‘sent’ to
Schreiner to learn discipline and
have your character built, and I’m
sure we made the staff and faculty
earn their salaries!”
One professor in particular
touched Cree’s life during his time
at Schreiner.
“My English teacher, Zelma
Hardy, taught me a lesson that I’ve
always carried with me, and it has
been key in whatever success I’ve
achieved,” Cree said. Hardy was a
longtime Schreiner professor and
member of the Schreiner Oaks
Society who passed away in 2003.
Cree remembers that while
Hardy was handing out their first
writing assignment, she told them
to pretend that the paper was due a
week earlier than it actually was.
“She advised that we finish it,
then put it in a drawer and forget
about it until the day before it was
actually due, and then take it out
and see if we still thought it was
good enough to hand in,” Cree said.
He emphasizes, “As CEO of a
growing high technology company,
I’ve had to write and deliver literally
hundreds of speeches, and the
lesson that Zelma Hardy taught me
that day has been a key to my ability
to write and speak successfully,
whatever the situation.”
Coming from a family steeped
in the traditions and history of the
school, Cree recognizes that the
Mountaineer Center is not the icing
on the cake, but simply another step
in a long series of contributions by
many others who have loved Schreiner
as he does. “If you look at
the 80 plus years of hard work that
others have put into this University,
you realize that the opportunity to
take that work another step forward
is a great satisfaction to everyone
involved.” Asked what he tells
others whom he talks with about
becoming involved with Schreiner’s
vision for the future, Cree said, “I
simply tell them that this is a small,
vital, growing school where you will
be able to see the results of your
efforts, where you will be able to
make a tangible difference in the
lives of students today and in the
coming years.”
Asked what key lessons he has
learned in life since Schreiner, Cree
said, “If I had just one message to
send to today’s Schreiner students,
it would be that anything is possible
if you focus, dedicate yourself, and
think long-term. Without focus and
hard work you won’t get where you
want to go in life; with these qualities
you will succeed.” Zelma Hardy
would be proud.
Opposite page: Rick Cree and
his wife, Anne Cree, at their
home in Dallas. Above photo:
Rick Cree as a cadet in 1967.