New Residence Hall to Honor Former Mayor

When it came time to pick a name for the residence hall under construction in the College Park District, the choice was easy. Scheduled to open in August 2012, Tom J. Vandergriff Hall will pay homage to one of the most influential figures in UT Arlington history. The former Arlington mayor, congressman, and Tarrant County judge died Dec. 30, 2010, at age 84. He played […]

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Combatting Abuse

Beverly Black named to family violence professorship

The memory of alumna and Arlington police officer Jillian Smith, who was killed in the line of duty last year, will live on through a new UT Arlington professorship. The School of Social Work Advisory Council has created the $250,000 Jillian Michele Smith Professorship in Family Violence Research. Council members committed $125,000 to establish the endowment, believed to be the first of its kind from […]

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Blues Ain’t So Bad

Alumnus Jim Ashworth nominated for Grammys

They say you have to live the blues to sing the blues. Not so for Jim Ashworth. Life is good for the 1973 business graduate. As vice president of Marshall Career Service, he places senior-level accounting and financial professionals with major corporations in North Texas. He’s a long-term member of the Pinnacle Society, a national organization reserved for the top 75 performers in his field. The […]

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Back to the Herd

Retooled website helps keep alumni connected

You’ve heard that “once a Maverick, always a Maverick.” But after you earn your diploma and leave UT Arlington, how do you maintain that Maverick spirit and University pride? It can be difficult to stay engaged when you move away. One solution: a revamped Alumni Association website. Launched in August, the site functions similarly to popular social networking venues but offers more security and more […]

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Among Friends

The Friends of the UT Arlington Library has launched a campaign to raise $50,000 to create the Gerald Saxon Dean’s Excellence Endowment. Dr. Saxon, above, stepped down as Library dean in August and will join the History Department as a full-time faculty member. He has taught part time in the department since he came to UT Arlington in 1986 as the director of Special Collections. […]

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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