Ladyjack Academic Shootout nets more than $5,800

The Feb. 28 Ladyjack Academic Shootout, which raises funds for summer school and fifth-year scholarships for the Ladyjack basketball program, generated $5,894 for its student-athletes.

Shown are members of the Ladyjack basketball team; Jeff Davis, interim director of the SFA Alumni Association; Ladyjack Head Coach Lee Ann Riley; Dr. Jane Robertson, a coordinator of the Academic Shootout; Robert Hill, SFA athletics director; and Herb Perley, Doris Havard, Dr. Jack McCullough, Judy Huey and Dr. Dorothy Allen, members of the Hoop Group Ladyjack basketball boosters.

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Distinguished Professor Award nominations due March 1

2-26-08/R. Minton

The deadline to nominate an SFA faculty member for the SFA Alumni Association’s Distinguished Professor Award is March 1.

Established by the SFA Alumni association in 1966, the Distinguished Professor Award honors a current SFA faculty member who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and career has brought credit to SFA.

The faculty member nominated should satisfy the criteria for faculty excellence as published in the award criteria. This incorporates teaching, scholarly, creative and service activities. He or she must be a tenured member of the SFA faculty. Academic administrators holding a position above that of department chairman or director are not eligible.

The nominee must also be an active member of the SFA faculty at the time of the award and a member of the Alumni Association by the date of the award.  The nominee must also have demonstrated evidence of involvement and support of the Alumni Association.

An individual shall be ruled ineligible to receive the award if he or she is running for public office, is serving in a public office, is a previous recipient or is one who cannot be present at the time and place where the award is to be presented.

Nominations may be submitted by any individual or member of the university faculty, staff or student body. The nominating procedure requires a completed nomination form, a resume or biography of the nominee and no more than six letters of support; one of the letters must be written by the person making the nomination.

The selection committee consists of the past three recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Nomination forms are available online at www.sfaalumni.com or at the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center.

The award is scheduled for presentation at the Alumni Association’s Celebration of Excellence on April 17. The recipient will receive a plaque as well as permanent recognition in the Alumni Center.

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Scholarship honors late English professor

2-18-08/R. Minton
A scholarship honoring the late Cydney W. “Cyd” Adams, a poet and professor of English at Stephen F. Austin State University for more than 30 years, has been established by his friends and family through the SFA Alumni Association.

The Cyd Adams Memorial Scholarship will be awarded during its first year to an incoming freshman who majors in English. In subsequent years, the scholarship will be open to any U.S. citizen student regardless of his or her major or classification. An essay is required as part of the selection criteria. The recipient must maintain an overall 3.0 grade-point average, and the scholarship is renewable to its current recipient.

The oldest of five children, Adams grew up on a farm in Dirgin, Texas. Fiercely devoted to his family, Adams took to heart the lessons learned from his father and working the land. His love for words developed at his mother’s knee when he read him everything from “The Bible” to “Beowulf.” Always an avid reader, Adams was influenced by the works of Robert Frost, W.B. Yeats and William Shakespeare.

A 1973 SFA graduate, Adams integrated his background as an East Texas farmer and a passion for hard labor into his writing as he shared the trials and tribulations of the common working man. His depictions of East Texas and its people earned him the title of Poet Laureat of East Texas in 2001. His works are found nationwide and are on permanent display at Oxford University in England.

Much of his work has been featured in literary magazines and anthologies. In the late 1990s, he began a creative partnership with Charles Jones, an SFA art professor, which resulted in the award-winning book “Blackjack Bull Pine and Post-Oak Glade.” Other works include “On the Perimeter” and “The Labor That a Man Takes.”

One of his best-known poems, known by either “July Wall Poem” or “Mason’s Man,” is a tribute to his father W.T. Adams.

In addition to being an acclaimed writer, Adams also was a woodcarver, sculptor, bricklayer, gardener and farmer. Friends described him as “a talented and unique artist as well as a sincere, sensitive and beautiful soul.” Adams died May 15, 2005 at age 55.

For more information about the SFA Scholarship Fund, contact the SFA Alumni Association at PO Box 6096-SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962; visit www.sfaalumni.com or call 936-468-3407.

Yarbrough family scholarship to benefit Garrison students

2-19-08/R. Minton

A scholarship honoring the Yarbrough family of Garrison has been established by Maebelle Yarbrough of Garrison and family through the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association.

The Yarbrough Family Scholarship will benefit students who major in a healthcare-related field. Preference will be given first to graduates of Garrison High School and secondly to Shelby County graduates. Recipients must maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average, and the scholarship is renewable to its current recipient.

A graduate of Timpson High School, Yarbrough graduated from SFA in 1957 and added a master’s degree in 1965. She taught elementary school at Timpson Independent School District from 1957 to 1964. From 1964 to 1991, Yarbrough taught business at Garrison ISD and served as the school’s curriculum coordinator from 1991 to 1994.

After leaving the school, Yarbrough worked as the owner and administrator of Garrison Nursing Home from 1994 until selling the facility in July 2007. Today, she spends time with her family and operates the family’s cattle business. She and her late husband Darrell are the parents of Darrell Glynn Yarbrough and Suzy Yarbrough Galanis.

For more information about the SFA Scholarship Fund, contact the SFA Alumni Association at PO Box 6096-SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962; visit www.sfaalumni.com or call 936-468-3407.

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Academic Shootout to raise funds for Ladyjack basketball scholarships

02-11-08/R.Minton

The Ladyjack Academic Shootout takes the court Feb. 28 at Stephen F. Austin State University for its eighth year to raise summer school and fifth-year student scholarships for the Ladyjack basketball program.

The Academic Shootout occurs during the 7 p.m. game between the SFA Ladyjacks and the Lady Bobcats of Texas State University at San Marcos. The game is scheduled to be televised. Members of the Hoop Group, Ladyjack basketball boosters, currently are soliciting pledges and accepting flat donations.

Since 2005, the Academic Shootout has raised nearly $21,000 for the Ladyjack basketball program.

Lee Ann Riley, Ladyjack basketball head coach, said the Academic Shootout has been a significant source of support for the women’s basketball program and credits the Hoop Group for its efforts in helping coordinate the event.

“We could not be a successful program without the support of our Hoop Group. The Academic Shootout is just one area in which they help our program, “ Riley said. “We are all blessed to have the individual connection and support from our Hoop Group.”

Riley believes those who contribute to the Academic Shootout do so because they believe in education and are helping the young women prepare for life beyond the basketball court.

“Every penny raised from the Academic Shootout goes directly to our players’ tuition,” Riley said. “By donating to Academic Shootout, you are making an investment in each player’s future. Their basketball careers will all end, but the education they receive will last them a lifetime.”

Riley said the players are grateful for the assistance they receive for summer school.

 “Our players are so grateful and appreciative of the support our fans give them throughout the season and through programs such as the Academic Shootout,” she said. “The Academic Shootout is the only fundraiser we have for our program, and the proceeds from it allow our players to focus on their education. Knowing that their summer school tuition comes from private donations becomes a huge motivator for them to excel in the classroom.”

The Ladyjack Academic Shootout is co-sponsored by the SFA Alumni Association and the Hoop Group. The Academic Shootout pledge form is available online at www.sfaalumni.com and at the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center on the SFA campus.

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