Hoops Pioneer

Alumnus Kaleb Canales is NBA’s first head coach of Mexican-American descent

Kaleb Canales didn’t set out to make history. But the 2001 UT Arlington graduate broke a racial barrier when he was named interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in March. Canales became the first person of Mexican-American descent to lead an NBA franchise. At 33 he’s also the youngest coach in the league. “I am very blessed and fortunate to get this great opportunity,” […]

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Olympians Lanny Bassham (1976) and Doug Russell (1968)

Count UT Arlington alumni Doug Russell and Lanny Bassham among the select group of athletes who’ve experienced the thrill of winning an Olympic gold medal. At the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, Russell upset legendary swimmer Mark Spitz in the 100-meter butterfly. His 55.9 set an Olympic record and fell just 0.3 seconds shy of Spitz’s world record. Russell, who set five NCAA marks […]

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Fresnel Technologies

Richard Claytor and Nelson Claytor

Optics research has yielded breakthroughs in medical imaging and communications, and UT Arlington’s capacity to explore this growing field is expanding, thanks to a $500,000 endowment established through a gift from Nelson Claytor. The commitment creates a distinguished professorship in the College of Science in honor of Nelson’s father, Richard Claytor, for his role in shaping Fort Worth-based Fresnel Technologies, a leading manufacturer of molded […]

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Team Chemistry

Shimadzu’s $3 million in-kind gift creates center to advance research on disease

Cancer killed 572,000 Americans in 2011. Research to combat the deadly illness and other ailments took a leap forward this spring when Shimadzu Scientific Instruments donated $3 million in equipment to establish the Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry at UT Arlington. The center contains $6 million worth of state-of-the-art chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy equipment. The instruments will be used to research the prevention […]

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New Orleans, Louisiana

It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s the kind of heat that wants to knock you flat and scorch everything in its path. What do you do? Danny Mekonnen ’03, founder of Debo Band, has the answer. Listen to any one of the tracks from Debo Band’s self-titled album and you’ll hear it: Moments, even the broiling hot ones, are meant to be celebrated, not endured. Raise your […]

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Campus Buzz

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

First semesters can shape your future. Handle the rigorous coursework and you’re on the road to graduation and […]

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TALK OF THE TOWN

If you’re looking for entertainment that’s enjoyable and enriching, the 2013–14 Maverick Speakers Series is delivering both. The […]

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PACKAGING AND 3-D CAD

Students in Ben Dolezal’s Packaging and 3-D CAD (computer-aided design) class are on the cutting edge of design […]

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PARENTS WIELD INFLUENCE OVER TEEN SMOKING

The biggest deterrent to teen smoking and drinking may be a candid conversation between parents and their kids. A […]

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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

If anyone understands the sociology of sports, it’s Krystal Beamon. The sociology assistant professor and Service Learning Faculty […]

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SHELL GAME

Two biology assistant professors have completed work on an international effort to sequence the genome of the western […]

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MAVERICKS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLE

The baseball team made history in 2013 by winning a conference championship for the second consecutive year. The […]

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GO CENTERS

Senior Gabriel Escobedo, left, always assumed that going to college was an unattainable dream. But a visit to […]

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GOLF

Paul McConnell made the most of his senior year, especially the last few rounds. The Dallas native claimed […]

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PROVEN WINNER

As the new women’s basketball coach, Krista Gerlich is determined to recruit, retain, educate, and graduate student-athletes. And […]

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CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Darn those dropped cellphone calls. Electrical engineering Professor Qilian Liang has received a three-year National Science Foundation grant […]

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EXTENDING ART’S REACH

A 20-foot sculpture inspired by Leonardo da Vinci welcomes visitors to the Engineering Research Building. Dedicated in May […]

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WATER PRESSURE

Two landscape architecture graduate students won recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts to solve UT […]

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FIELD OF DREAMS

Come 2015, Maverick softball and baseball players will have clubhouses, training facilities, and press boxes worthy of the […]

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SAFE FLIGHT

Understanding how aircraft parts can break down is vital to keeping passengers and crews safe. That’s why aerospace […]

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Move-In Day

UT Arlington launched the fall 2013 semester with Maverick Stampede, a week packed with entertaining and educational programs that welcome students to campus. At Move-In Day, the University community helped new students settle in to their residence halls. The next day, nearly 3,000 students, faculty, and staff attended the MavsMeet Convocation, a formal assembly that marks the beginning of the academic year. The annual event was followed by music, games, food, and fun at the AfterParty on The Green at College Park. New Mavericks also attended Success U, a two-day minicamp designed to prepare them for academic success.

Alumni Buzz

STREET ARTIST

Carlos Donjuan (’05 BFA, Art) was selected to paint Dallas city-funded murals to brighten retaining walls beneath the Jefferson Boulevard bridge’s Zang and Marsalis entry/exit ways in Oak Cliff. He is a lecturer in art and art history at UT Arlington.

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SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR

Louwanda Evans (’04 BA, ’06 MA, Sociology) is a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.

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VIDEO PRODUCER

Chris Mead (’12 BA, Broadcast Communication) is a video production intern for the Oakland Athletics and is pursuing a master’s degree at San Francisco State University.

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ENERGY ANALYST

Magdalena Salamon (’12 BA, Russian) is an upstream energy analyst in Houston. She studies oil shale in the U.S. and serves as an analyst for European and Russian energy ventures.

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CITY DEPUTY

Theron Bowman (’83 BS, Biology; ’91 MPA; ’97 PhD, Public and Urban Administration) is deputy city manager for the city of Arlington. He oversees neighborhood services, which include the police, fire, parks and recreation, and code compliance departments as well as the library system.

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GREAT WOMAN OF TEXAS

Lauri Lawrence (’82 BA, English) was named a “Great Woman of Texas” by the Fort Worth Business Press in 2012. She was events manager for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art from 2000 to February 2012. She serves on the boards of Jewel Charity Inc., the Van Cliburn Foundation, and the Texas Ballet Theater.

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LAW FIRM PARTNER

Paul Hendry II (’94 BBA, Management) is a partner in the Cantey Hanger law firm in Fort Worth. His practice focuses on banking and real estate. He worked as a clerk for Justice Bob McCoy in the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth before entering practice.

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AREA SUPERINTENDENT

Michelle Wilmoth-Senato (’00 MEd, Educational Administration) is area superintendent for the secondary schools in the Arlington Independent School District. Previously she was principal at Boles Junior High and at Bowie High School in Arlington.

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ELECTRIC LEADER

Mike Guyton (’82 BS, Electrical Engineering) was elected secretary for the board of directors of Leaders and Executives Advocating Diversity, a nonprofit organization in Fort Worth. He is vice president of customer relations for Oncor Electric Delivery.

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AWETIZM AUTHOR

Gayle Barkley Lee (’70 MSSW) co-wrote “AWEtizm: A Hidden Key to Our Spiritual Magnificence” with her nonverbal autistic daughter, Lyrica Mia Marquez. They are receiving worldwide recognition, sharing their message through television, radio, and the Internet.

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ILFUSION FOUNDER

Jeff Langhammer (’03 BFA, Art) is CEO and cofounder of Ilfusion Creative, a Fort Worth marketing agency.

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PRECISE INTERPRETER

Holly Behl (’07 BA, Spanish) operates Preciso Language Services, a translation consultancy based in Grand Prairie. She is a master-level licensed Spanish court interpreter in Texas.

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GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

Matt Geske (’07 BA, Political Science) is director of governmental affairs for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. A member of the UT Arlington Alumni Association Board of Directors, he previously was manager of government relations for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

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XPRESS DIRECTING

Diane Atkinson (’01 BA, Criminal Justice) is director of events for Pony Xpress Printing, one of the nation’s top promotional and apparel companies, based in Dallas. Previously, she was vice president of merchandise for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club.

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TENURED PROFESSOR

Alan Dettlaff (’99 MSSW; ’04 PhD, Social Work) was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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Talk

Laura Suarez Henderson, Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. Candidate