Class Notes

1960s

Howard E. (Gene) Branum ’61 of Tyler, recipient of the 2015 Tyler Junior College Alumni Special Recognition Award, retired after 45 years of service as the department chair of engineering and physical sciences and a physics professor.

Former educator, newspaper editor and legislative staffer Linda Winder ’64 of Angleton, an Interscholastic League Press Conference Texas Legend in Scholastic Journalism, was inducted into the Center High School Alumni Hall of Honor.

1970s

Bill Hinds ’72 of Spring is illustrator of the sports comic strip Tank McNamara.

Dr. Rick Krustchinsky ’73 and ’74 of Katy is associate dean of undergraduate programs and professor in the School of Education and Human Services at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

Mary Ann Whiteker ’73 and ’77 of Hudson is the Texas Association of School Boards’ 2015 Superintendent of the Year.

Kim Taylor ’77 of Nacogdoches, gardener for SFA’s physical plant department’s ground division, retired after 10 years of service.

President and owner of Breen’s Florist Marcia Wilson ’77 of Houston was inducted into The Society of American Florists.

Former SFA Student Government President Mark Burroughs ’79 is the mayor of Denton and a partner at Sawko and Burroughs Attorneys at Law.

1980s

Scott L. Thompson ’80 of Lexington, Kentucky, is chairman, president and CEO of Tempur Sealy International.

Joe Tate ’82 of Houston, owner of Let Them Eat Cake! By Joe, has 20 years of service in the baking industry.

Jed Whitaker ’82, former Harmony ISD superintendent for 33 years, is the defensive coordinator at Second Baptist High School in Houston.

J.J. Lambert ’83 of Haymarket, Virginia, is a senior program manager at Customer Value Partners in Fairfax.

Regional urban forester with the Texas A&M Forest Service Oscar Mestas ’84 of El Paso is the 2015 Arborist of the Year for the International Society of Arboriculture’s Texas chapter.

Mary Ellingson ’85 of The Woodlands is an accountant and office manager at LJF Marketing.

Craig Goodman ’86 is chief of police for the Brenham Police Department.

Shannon Ebarb ’87 of Carthage is a driver for the Women’s House for Mission Carthage.

Gene Harrison ’87 of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the Greater Desert Region manager for investment and fiduciary services for Wells Fargo Private Bank.

Terry Riley ’87 is assistant principal at Mesquite ISD’s Judge Frank Berry Middle School.

1990s

David Batson ’90 of Spring is market executive for Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s global commercial banking division.

Melanie Johnson ’90 is the principal for Troup Elementary School.

Rhonda Minton ’90 and ’99 of Nashville, Tennessee, director of alumni programs at Lipscomb University, was appointed to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District III board of directors, overseeing operations, programming and services in nine states.

Gabrielle Mathis ’91 and Fred Baggett Jr. ’97 of Houston married July 4.

John McCullough ’91 of Paris, Texas, is superintendent of North Lamar ISD.

Rebecca Cordell Grant ’92 of Plano, a Math 8-Honors teacher at Haggard Middle School, was a top-10 Texas finalist for the 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Chris Hartman ’92 of Addison is sales manager of wholesale and correspondent operations for Mid America Mortgage.

Michael Zane Bode ’93 is the head football coach at Florence High School.

Troy Bush ’93 of Houston is the community engagement officer for the Episcopal Health Foundation.

Andy Gresham ’93 of Garrison is the secondary principal for Cushing ISD.

Vivien Bond ’95 of Houston, director of community relations and marketing at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital, is the 2015 Health Care Professional of the Year for the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Former SFA All-Southland Conference running back and football coach Curtis Luper ’96 and ’98 is the running back coach for Texas Christian University.

Christopher Walker ’97 of Jacksonville, a 17-year firefighting veteran, is chief of the Bullard Fire Department.

Jason Drake ’98 and ’14 of Woodville, 2015 Reaud Award recipient, received $10,000 for Teacher Excellence from the Beaumont Foundation.

Kinnie Douglas ’99 and Jason Reina ’03 of Nacogdoches were married May 30.

2000s

Travis Teichelman ’00 of Pasadena is assistant principal of Thompson Intermediate School.

Dayton High School principal Travis Young ’00 of Humble is the Liberty County Vindicator’s 2015 Principal of the Year.

Russell Boyd ’01 of Round Rock wrote the science fiction novel The Chorus Effect.

George Hooker ’01 of Nacogdoches, owner of GHM Media Group, is filming a year-long joint project for the City of Nacogdoches, which includes a partnership with Nacogdoches’ Main Street Association, Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Economic Development Corporation, highlighting the city’s services, corporations, landmarks and historic attractions.

Jerry Miller ’02 of Longview is athletic director and head football coach at Trinity School of Texas.

Christina Upshaw ’04 of Conroe is principal of Sam Houston Elementary.

The Rev. Benjamin West ’08 of Tyler is pastor at Fairwood United Methodist Church.

Stephanie ’09 and Wes Funderburg of Houston welcomed baby boy Ryan Nicholas May 2.

Drew and Amanda McGuire ’09 of Spring welcomed baby girl Reese Ann Marie May 17.

2010s

Mitchell McCoy ’11 of Longview is a senior associate certified public accountant at Curtis Blakely and Co., specializing in audit, consulting and tax services.

Janette Bauer ’12, managing director of Red Theater in Chicago, produced the play Romeo + Juliet: The Vineyard: Let Hands Do What Lips Do.

Mikayla Elliott Hart ’12 of Fort Worth is a nurse at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital.

Auditing and internal controls consultant Hunter Throckmorton ’12 of Lufkin is a certified public accountant at Gollob Morgan Peddy PC in Tyler.

Former SFA Phonejack Crystal Cortes ’13 of Plano is the donor engagement manager for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County.

Nathan Moore ’13, assistant band director at Handley Middle School and Eastern Hills High School in Fort Worth, and Amber Garduno ’13, associate director of bands at Rice Middle School in Plano, married July 11 and reside in Grapevine.

Kendrick Perkins ’14, third-grade English teacher at the KIPP Un Mundo Dual Language Academy in San Antonio, was accepted into Teach for America’s 2015 Teaching Corps.

Shalie Day ’15, former SFA All-Southland Conference softball player, is assistant softball coach for the Kilgore College Rangers.

With the first pick of the 27th round, the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball team drafted right-handed pitcher Cameron Gann ’15, a native of Crandall.