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1930s-1959

Rita Jennings Crump (BS ’52, MS ’69) has won this year’s Women In Service and Enterprise, or WISE, Award. After four decades as a teacher and administrator with the Mesquite ISD, Rita is serving her second term on the school board. She is an amateur ventriloquist who, with her delightful dummy Welvis, gives talks about communication.
Wilda Worth (BS ’54, MED ’59) is traveling Central Asia, Turkey and Greece after completing a Peace Corps assignment that began Aug. 14. Her assignment for the Peace Corps was English education and resource development, which involves teaching English as a foreign language to secondary school students. Following her travels, Wilda will return to the U.S.
Mary Sue Walters Liggett (BBA ’56) recently retired after serving the McKinney ISD for 29 years. She and her husband, Charles, plan to travel and live in the hills of Montague County.

1960-1969

Jim Morris (BS ’60) was elected mayor of Greenville, TX, in May. Jim was a longtime builder and developer in Greenville and currently is self-employed as a wholesale auto buyer. He has served on the Greenville school board, planning and zoning commission, chamber of commerce board, and others. He and his wife, Jean, have three children and six grandchildren.
Shirley Ann Nabors Smith (BS ’60, MED ’62) retired from Chisum (TX) High School after teaching 43 years. She and her husband, Don, own a farm and ranch, and Shirley is active on historical boards and associations in Delta County.
Jim Ball (BS ’63) was a featured author for “The Write Stuff,” published by the Arlington Historical Society, and presented at a special program with narration provided by Gary Cartwright, senior editor at Texas Monthly magazine.
Joe N. Smith (BS ’63, MED ’71) has become the pastor of First Baptist Church in Yuba, OK. He is married to Paula Smith (BS ’72).
Glen Onley (BS ’65), is now a full-time writer after retiring in 1999 as vice president in the Aircraft Integrated Systems Division of Raytheon. His latest book, Sunset, follows two others, Beyond Contentment and Discovery Tree.
Ronald Joe Turner (BA ’69) is serving his second year as senior warden of St. Vincent’s Episcopal Cathedral Church in Bedford, TX, which is the pro-cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. In October he marked 30 years’ combined service with AMR/Sabre Travel Network. In June he was certified as a travel counselor by the Institute of Certified Travel Agents.

1970-1979

Pam Shirley (BS ’70, MS ’74) has retired from teaching after 31 years at Queen City (TX) ISD.
Dr. Steve Thompson (BS ’70, PHD ’88) was recently awarded the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Award for teaching excellence. Dr. Thompson teaches in and manages the John Deere Training Center at Navarro College in

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Alumni feted by All-American Football Foundation

Alumnus Jim Ball (BS ’63), at left in photo at right, recently was honored by the All-American Football Foundation at their Banquet of Champions. Jim’s long service on the board of directors for the Cotton Bowl Association was cited during the reception and dinner at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Jim is pictured with another honoree, former Alabama coach Gene Stallings, who accepted an award for his wife, Ruth Stallings (BS ’56). She was also recognized at the banquet as the First Lady of Football recipient. Alumni Ruth and Jim were joined by, among others, former Cowboy greats Lee Roy Jordan and Bob Lilly as honorees. Pictured at right in the photo below is Gentry “Ace” Little (BS ’87), who was covering the event for KYQX in Weatherford, Texas. Ace is interviewing Texas high school coaching legend G.A. Moore.

photo courtesty of James T. Bradley

Alumna, ethics expert elected chair of Texas CPAs

Dallas ethics expert Dr. Nita J. Clyde (BBA ’75, MBA ’76), CPA, recently was elected as chairman of the 27,000-member Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Nita said that during her one-year term she will focus on integrity, objectivity and competence. “These three principles are fundamental to the accounting profession, and they are implied in everything we do,” she said. “It is time to go back and emphasize the founding principles of our profession, and let the world know that CPAs in Texas have integrity and objectivity and are competent.”
In addition to serving as the society’s volunteer leader, Nita will chair the organization’s board of directors, which sets policy, manages programs and oversees activities designed to serve Texas CPAs.
A former accounting professor and administrator, she currently is a partner in the CPA consulting firm of Clyde Associates. In addition to providing executive training and litigation support, Nita also writes and presents ethics courses for Texas CPAs and speaks frequently at conferences and seminars throughout the United States.
She is also a member of the American Red Cross’ Board of Governors and a former member of the American Institute of CPAs’ Board of Directors.

Dr. Tony Buckley awarded title he sought for others

The professor who in 1971 first proposed that A&M-Commerce establish the rank of “Professor Emeritus” for retired distinguished faculty has been conferred the title. More than 30 years ago, Dr. Anthony “Tony” Buckley drafted a letter to President D. Whitney Halladay suggesting that he consider adopting the emeritus distinction as a way to honor retired professors who had dedicated their careers to A&M-Commerce.

“The rank of Professor Emeritus should not, in my view, be conferred lightly,” wrote Dr. Buckley, then an associate professor of theatre, in his proposal. Presently fewer than 50 retired professors have been honored with this distinction. Two former presidents and one dean have received the distinction. President Keith McFarland said, “It is fitting that the very professor who cared so much about recognizing excellence and commitment among the University faculty be recognized himself,” he said. Originally from England, Buckley received his high school education in Australia at the King’s School and was awarded a National Certificate of Mechanical Engineering at Bromsgrove Technical College in England. After moving to the United States to further his education, he was admitted into the drama program at Purdue, obtaining his bachelor’s and master’s in drama in 1962 and ‘64. He continued in the Ph.D. program at Cornell University, graduating and then beginning his tenure here in 1967. Dr. Buckley has received the two top teaching distinctions at A&M-Commerce—Honors Professor of the Year and the Paul Barrus Distinguished Teaching Award.

He followed their hearts here

In 1975, Thailand natives Patcharin Charoensukmongkol (center) and husband Cherasak (right) met for the first time in Commerce at a graduate business class. They fell in love, graduated, went back to Thailand and married in 1978. When it was time for their son, Peerayuth (left), to attend graduate school, they were surprised to learn he had chosen their Alma Mater. It turns out he was swayed by the fond memories of his visits here with his parents when he was 4 and 10 years old.