In Memoriam

Edgar H. Burton, a 1965 SFA graduate and former advisory board member for the university's College of Liberal and Applied Arts, passed away May 6.

Born in Beaumont, Burton moved to and resided in Lufkin for more than 70 years. After graduating from both Lufkin High School and eventually SFA, he co-owned and operated Burton's Eggs with his brother, Gilbert, before his 25-year employment with Brookshire Brothers. He retired from the grocery company as a senior vice president.

Burton was passionate about giving back to his community and, alongside his advisory work for SFA, served as a board member for the East Texas Food Bank, Stubblefield Learning Center and Goodwill Central East Texas. He also served as president of both the Texas Poultry Federation and Texas Egg Council.

Former SFA marketing faculty member Barbara Bieber-Hamby passed away April 29.

After marrying Walter Hamby in 1977, Bieber-Hamby graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from SFA in 1978 and then returned to receive a Master of Business Administration in 1997. She had a passion for sailing and traveling, having visited such places as Alaska, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and Australia.

Bieber-Hamby worked for R.J. Reynolds from 1980 until her retirement from the company in 1996. She returned to her alma mater to become a lecturer of marketing at SFA in 1998 before retiring a second time in 2010.

Donor and friend of SFA Linda Bush passed away March 22.

Born in Houston, Bush graduated from Lamar High School and then attended Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting. She married Roy Bush in 1965, and the couple traveled the world through his job with Conoco, living in Italy, Egypt, Kuwait and Iran.

Upon Roy's early retirement in the 1980s, Linda pursued a real estate career in New Orleans, Houston and Austin.

Linda and Roy Bush's generosity led to the creation of SFA's Roy E. and Linda Bush Scholarship, which benefits students in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Their continued support of the university led to the naming of SFA's mathematics building as the Roy E. and Linda Bush Mathematical Sciences Building in April 2019.

Former class president and charter member of SFA's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, William Fletcher Ferguson of Nacogdoches passed away Jan. 31.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ferguson was the youngest of four children born to E.J. and Myrtie Helen Ferguson. Moving with his family to Texas in the 1940s, he graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1959 and then from SFA in 1964.

Professionally, Ferguson worked in a number of industries, including insurance, banking, feed sales and petroleum. He particularly enjoyed the years spent co-owning the children's retail store, Fleming's Young Years, alongside his wife, Frances.

Ferguson was a true Lumberjack fan during and after college. He was named class president during his first year at SFA, and he remained an avid sports fan throughout his entire life, attending Lumberjack basketball games until a few weeks before his passing.

Former professor and chair of SFA's Department of Secondary Education and Administration, Dr. William “Bill” Crockett Heeney passed away Feb. 9.

Born in 1934 in Trinity, Heeney moved with his family to Freeport, where he grew up. After enlisting in the U.S. Army, he attended Sam Houston State University on the GI Bill® and received a bachelor's degree in math. He then received a master's degree in education from the University of Houston and a master's degree in math education from Boston College. He completed his education at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a doctoral degree in educational administration.

Heeney began his career as a math teacher at Houston's Burbank Junior High School. He held several other teaching positions, including an administrative position in the Dallas Independent School District, prior to accepting a faculty position at SFA, where Heeney found his professional calling. He was a professor of secondary education and administration for most of his professional life before retiring from SFA in 1998.

Upon retirement, Heeney enjoyed running the Lazy H angus cattle farm in Kirbyville.

Martha Ernestine Hankla Henry, a two-time SFA graduate and former dean of women, passed away Jan. 24 in Nacogdoches.

Born in Geneva, Texas, in 1917, Henry was one of four children born to Samuel Flournoy and Elma Smith Hankla. She graduated from Beaumont High School and married Elvie Denton “E.D.” Henry in 1935. The couple lived in Corpus Christi, where Ernestine became a building contractor while E.D. managed ship building for World War II efforts.

As a lifelong learner, she earned bachelor's and master's degrees from SFA in 1957 and 1958, respectively, before continuing doctoral studies at the University of Houston and Baylor University.

While at SFA, Ernestine relished her position as dean of women, which she held from 1959 to 1985. She was the only woman to serve on the SFA executive committee during much of that time and was voted favorite administrator by the SFA student senate. She also played an integral role in bringing five national sororities to SFA. Her many contributions to the university led SFA to designate Alumni Drive as Ernestine Henry Drive in 2000.

Wonda Jean Jopling, a longtime employee in SFA's Office of the Registrar, passed away March 2.

Born in 1936 in Panola County, Jopling lived in Nacogdoches for most of her life. She was a member of the Garrison Heritage Society and a longtime member of Perritte Memorial United Methodist Church.

Jopling and her husband, Floyd, were married for 67 years. The couple established SFA's Wiley Jopling Memorial Scholarship in memory of their son.

Retired broadcasting executive and 1952 SFA graduate Ulman D. McMullen passed away Feb. 22.

Born in 1930 as the youngest of five brothers, McMullen graduated from Lufkin High School in 1947 before attending SFA, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry.

McMullen worked in the lumber industry and as a teacher before beginning his broadcasting career as a disc jockey with radio station KSPL in Diboll and then moving into television as a newscaster and weatherman at KXII in Sherman. He joined KBTX-TV in 1965.

Affectionately known as Mr. Mac, McMullen was operations manager and then general manager of KBTX-TV in Bryan-College Station, where he remained for nearly 30 years. He left KBTX in 1991 to become the owner of radio station KMBV/KWBC in Navasota.

Dr. Jane Durant Robertson, former professor in SFA's James I. Perkins College of Education, passed away Feb. 28 in Nacogdoches.

Born in 1932 in Birmingham, Alabama, Robertson received a bachelor's degree from Texas Woman's University and her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama.

Robertson's professional interests were focused in kinesiology with a specialization in motor skill development and adapted physical education. During her 39 years of teaching at all levels, including preschool through college, she received several professional recognitions. These included being named among the “Nine Who Made a Difference at SFA” in 1992, as well as receiving the Johnny “Lam” Jones spirit of Special Olympics award in 1993 and the director of athletics award of distinction from SFA in 2006.

SFA's Jane Robertson Scholarship was endowed by her friend, Ernestine Hooper, in honor of Robertson's decades of commitment to the field of education.

Longtime SFA employee and 1965 graduate Ronald Barham Sitton passed away Jan. 10.

Born in 1942 in Nacogdoches, Sitton grew up on a dairy farm and helped raise cattle on his family's land in Central Heights. He loved hunting, fishing and spending time with his family.

Sitton received his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from SFA and then worked for the university for more than 30 years, ultimately retiring as the assistant to the director of the university center.