Dr. William J. Brophy

Brophy Scholarship honors former SFA administrator

5-13-08/R. Minton

A scholarship honoring the late historian Dr. William J. Brophy of Nacogdoches has been established by his family through the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association.

Initiated in 2005, the William J. Brophy Graduate History Scholarship will benefit a graduate student who majors in history at the university. Recipients must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average, and the scholarship is renewable to its current recipient.

A native of Boston, Mass., Brophy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1961 from the University of North Texas, and he added a Master of Arts degree in history from UNT in 1963. He obtained his Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University in 1974.

Brophy joined SFA in 1964 as an instructor in the Department of History. He rose through the ranks to professor, and he was named chairman of the department in 1977. He served in that position until 1984 when he became associate vice president for academic affairs. In 1986, Brophy was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Brophy served in three different interim positions during his tenure at SFA—interim vice president for academic affairs from 1985 to 1986, interim dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics from 1986 to 1987; and interim university president from 1991 to 1992.

He also served as the university’s Title VI coordinator since 1984, overseeing the progress or lack thereof by the university in complying with desegregation goals as set out by an agreement between the State of Texas and the Office of Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.

During Brophy’s role as university president, he created the Academic Enrichment Living Center and the Academic Excellence Living Center, both designed to increase student retention and to showcase academic achievement. One center was designed for academically strong students with programs geared to the high-achieving student. The other center was designed primarily with support programs for students who needed a more structured learning environment with in-house tutors, quiet hours, study rooms and restricted visitation hours.

Also during his presidency, he created the Multicultural Center, reflecting a lifelong interest in civil rights and equality issues.

When Brophy stepped down as interim president, he became adviser of the enrichment center on a part-time basis, while continuing to teach history part-time.

In January 2005, the university celebrated Brophy’s memory and  contributions to the university by dedicating the William J. Brophy Academic Enrichment Center.

Brophy died Sept. 21, 2001, at age 67. He was preceded in death by his parents Walter and Edna Smith Brophy, daughter Rebekah and wife Sue. He is survived by daughters Heidi Ford of Alexandria, Va., Holly Herb, of Williamston, Mich., son Christopher of Nacogdoches, grandchildren Isabelle and Sophia Herb of Williamston, Mich., and wife Shelley of Nacogdoches. His daughter Holly and wife Shelley are SFA graduates.

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Scholarship honors Wallen, a 1982 SFA graduate

5-13-08/R. Minton

A scholarship honoring the late Cindi Wallen of Dallas has been established by friends and family through the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association.

Initiated in 2002, the Cindi Wallen Scholarship will benefit a single mother who majors in business at the university. Recipients must maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average, and the scholarship is renewable to its current recipient.

A native of Biloxi, Miss., Wallen moved to Dallas with her family in the 1970s. She was a cheerleader during her junior high and high school years and was named Who’s Who in High School Scholastics. After graduating from high school with various honors and scholarships, Wallen enrolled at SFA in the fall of 1979. She was a member and officer of Gamma Sigma Sigma, American Marketing Association and Phi Chi Theta at the university.

Wallen graduated summa cum laude in 1982. Her professional career included positions with Proctor & Gamble in Seattle, Wash., and with Baskin & Robbins in Dallas as district manager of the southwest United States. In 1996, Wallen joined Starbucks Coffee and became a regional director. She was responsible for pioneering the company’s Smalltown Project that placed Starbucks in communities such as Temple, Waco and Tyler. She also helped open the Oklahoma and New Orleans markets and ran the New Mexico market for Starbucks.

Wallen was active on numerous community boards, charities and organizations, including the Women in Sports Foundation, AIDS Service of Dallas and the “Flying Ws” supporting AIDS research.

In 2001, Wallen was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and liver. While undergoing tests in early December for possible full transplant, the cancer was discovered to be more widespread than originally expected. Wallen died Dec. 26, 2001, eight days after her friends, family and Starbucks Coffee hosted a “living memorial” to celebrate her life.

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