Mr. Jesse Pruitt, '69 Biology, is a Partner/PrinciPal at cMc - coMMercial realty grouP in dallas. he visited the college in aPril to sPeak to students and faculty.

Pictured left to right: dr. lawrence schovanec, interiM dean, dr. John Zak, chair, Biological sciences,

Mr. Jesse Pruitt, Ms. eMily Pruitt, daughter, Jr. at ttu and Mr. wendell Jeffreys, develoPMent officer.

R o b e R t W . b R o y l e s Rise eaRly, WoRk HaRd, stRike oil

P a u l a H e n R ytaking tHe Road less tRaveled

D R . m a R k s c i o l ia lesson on oveRcoming cHallenges

D R . G u y b a i l e y

a siMPle strategy

arts & sciences2 0 0 9 * t e x a s t e c h u n i v e r s i t y

o f f i c i a l p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e c o l l e g e o f a r t s & s c i e n c e s

p r e s i d e n t g u y b a i l e y 2

p r o v o s t r o b e r t v. s m i t h 4

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d r . J a n e t p e r e z 1 5

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D e p a r t m e n t s

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c l a s s i c a l & m o d e r n l a n g u a g e s & l i t e r at u r e s 2 2

c h e m i s t r y & b i o c h e m i s t r y 2 3

c o m m u n i c at i o n s t u d i e s 2 3

e c o n o m i c s & g e o g r a p h y 2 3

e n g l i s h 2 4

e n v i r o n m e n ta l t o x i c o l o g y 2 4

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h e a lt h , e x e r c i s e & s p o r t s s c i e n c e 2 5

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s o c i o l o g y, a n t h r o p o l o g y, & s o c i a l w o r k 2 9

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a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 3 2

9*robert w. broyles

16*dr. mark scioli

12*dr. jill patterson

6*dr. robert baker

19*paula henry

Sciences2 0 0 9 * t e x a s t e c h u n i v e r s i t y

Arts&

2 * Fall 2009

“I’ve really

never had

a strategy.

For most of

my life, when

a door of

opportunity

opened,

I walked

through it.

When I look

back, there

aren’t many

I passed on.”

Jan Tillery. She is a graduate of Monterey High and Texas Tech. Her father, Clarence “Tim” Tillery, played football for Tech from 1939 to 1941, and her mother gradu-ated from Texas Tech in 1947. Needless to say, Dr. Tillery gave the move an immedi-ate “thumbs-up.”

As well as being a “smart spouse,” Bailey is the type of person who quickly reasoned a move to his wife’s hometown would be an opportunity to help open new doors for a young, dynamic university — a university on the verge of becoming a tier-one national research institution as well as a major player in the world of higher education. His quest to achieve tier-one status began the moment he walked through his new office door. Being a well-schooled researcher, he knew the first order of business: listen, learn and analyze. So he began doing what he’s done hundreds of times before – field research, this time as President of Texas Tech University.

“A significant part of my job as president is exactly like what I did as a faculty member,” Bailey said. “We often forget to bring those same skills to our administrative jobs.”

Using those skills, Bailey and his Texas Tech team learned what needs to be done to become a tier-one school. Now he’s sharing that information with people, both on and off campus. One thing is for sure: becoming a national research institution will not only benefit Texas Tech, but also the Lubbock and West Texas economy.

Many of the benefits of tier one status are blindingly obvious. One that isn’t: the increased value of a degree from Texas Tech. Bailey has seen it happen at other universities – when a university’s esteem and prestige grows, its degrees also grow in esteem and prestige, no matter how long ago you received your diploma.

Not unlike Springville, Bailey’s work today is destined to affect generations of Texas Techsans both past and present, and into the future. Not bad for someone who simply walked through every door of opportunity that came his way. Now, it’s his turn to open doors for young, bright minds eager to come to Texas Tech. Some may call that a heck of a strategy – we call it being an inquisitive kid from Alabama named Guy Bailey.

Dr. guy Baileypresident - texas tech university

arts & sciences * 3

Not long ago Dr. Guy Bailey, the newest president of Texas Tech University, was asked, “What did

you do to become a university president? What was your strategy?”

Bailey’s answer was anything but ordinary. Once you have the pleasure of hearing his story, you realize it’s a perfect reflection of this Alabama boy’s inquisitive mind and gentle spirit.

Bailey’s answer was, “I’ve really never had a strategy. For most of my life, when a door of opportunity opened, I walked through it. When I look back, there aren’t many I passed on.”

The first door to open was at the University of Alabama where he received a degree in English. There he encountered several inspiring teachers who heightened his desire to learn more, which led to the completion of his master’s degree. The next door to open was the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. in English and linguistics. After Tennessee, it was on to Emory University and postdoctoral work. While there, another door opened which Bailey gladly sauntered through. Little did he know that this door, which led to field research work, would change his life forever.

“At Emory, doing field research, I learned how to write grant proposals. I

was pretty good at it,” Bailey said. “When I moved to Texas A&M, grant writing came in handy and helped fund much of my work. Most ofthe money he received came from the National Science Foundation or National Geographic Society. It allowed me to do the kind of work that could make a real contribution to my field of study.”

While at Texas A&M his grant writing skills again paid big dividends and opened yet another door, this time leading to a small rural Texas town nicknamed Springville, not too far from College Station. Its population was primarily African-American. There Bailey honed his listening skills and advanced social linguistic research.

“The first time we drove into Springville, I thought ‘this is just like the rural Deep South. This could be a town in Alabama where I grew up,’” Bailey said.

The work began in 1986, when Bailey and his students drove into town. Their intent was to listen and learn how and why the language of Springville has evolved from one generation to the next. To get the research ball rolling, they had to find ways to engage the “locals” in conversation... get them to talk.

Like most rural Texas towns, it had a school, but with only 63 students. Of course, there was a post office and the quintessential general store. Its big,

friendly, inviting porch was, without question, the center of Springville’s social universe. It was the perfect place to chat with the “locals,” so quickly it became a linguist’s field laboratory. Day after day, Bailey would sit on the porch and share conversation – and often an ice-cold soft drink – with whomever might pull up a chair. Many of these conversations became part of the 2005 PBS television special, “Do You Speak American?” During the program Bailey can be seen sitting on that porch talking to Springville folks as if he’d known them all his life. The Alabama boy felt right at home.

For the next 18 years, members of the research team returned to listen and learn if societal evolution had made an impact on the speech and culture of Springville. Unfortunately in 2004, the store shut its doors, but the post office still “carries the mail.” The little school still thrives, thanks in part to the attendance of children from neighboring communities.

“It’s very hard to predict how things will work out. I’d like to find time to go back there some day,” Bailey said.

When the president’s door opened at Texas Tech University, Bailey was very interested in walking through it for a variety of reasons. One sentimental reason: it would be a homecoming for his wife, Dr.

Being a well-schooled researcher, he knew the first order of business: listen, learn and

analyze. So he began doing what he’s done hundreds of times before – field research,

this time as President of Texas Tech University.

Written by ranDy christian

Walk Through Every Door of OpportunityA S i m p l e S t r A t e g y :

“Whoever sits in the provost’s chair has an incredible opportunity to do something significant,” Smith said. “Making contri-butions to the academic fu-ture of this university is very, very exciting. I feel fortunate to be here at Texas Tech.”

He appreciates the history and accomplishments of Texas Tech, but he is well aware that to achieve an even higher level of academic strength and prestige, there is much work to be done. It is his belief that if “some new and exciting pieces are put in place” it will not take long for people everywhere to think of Texas Tech in a whole new light. Smith, like many others, feels Tech is on the right road and headed in a direc-tion that will reap benefits beyond one’s imagination. But the journey to the “Emerald City” of academic superior-ity is challenging and, along the way, a variety of “flying monkeys” are often encountered. That’s why, like Doro-thy, it’s wise to travel with courageous, thoughtful and compassionate partners who share the same vision.

“We want to be, and can be, a tier-one national research university. But to get there we must grow and develop, but grow smartly, while also emphasizing graduate education and research produc-tivity,” Smith said.

To become a national research univer-sity is a major challenge, but this isn’t the first time Smith has been a part of such a challenge. While at the University of

Arkansas (Fayetteville), he served as executive secretary for the “2010 Commission.” Its primary mission: make the case why research is important to the economic future of Arkansas and, secondarily, to communicate to its citizens the benefits of a nationally competitive research university.

“Just look what happened to the state of North Carolina,” Smith said. “Many years ago their governor had a dream of mak-ing his state a world-class research center. Now, what once was a sleepy little place is an internationally recognized research triangle made up of several universities. That dream is now a reality and has made a huge difference in region’s economy and in the lives of North Carolinians.”

Texas Tech has a similar dream, but for it to become reality, careful planning is a must. Currently, Smith heads a strategic planning counsel. One of its tasks is to

communicate what changes should take place and what people should be willing to do in order for Texas Tech to continue traveling toward an exciting and dynamic future. The ultimate goal is to create a learning place designed to enhance the lives of students, faculty, staff and the communities the university serves.

Yes, Texas Tech is in vigorous pursuit of national research status and more

graduate students, but Smith is also quick to point out the value of under-graduate education.

“The truth is some universities have lost sight of undergraduate education. But if you look at all the great research universities, they also have wonderful undergraduate programs,” Smith said. “Texas Tech has an exceptional reputation for undergraduate education. We have some very imaginative plans to attract bright young students who would like to begin their academic journey with us.”

For many young people their life’s journey begins, in earnest, with their first step onto a college campus. It’s the beginning of their own personal yellow brick road, where they, too, are sure to encounter unique people from faraway places and with assorted points of view. Hopefully, like Dorothy, they are always respectful, courteous and never lose their love for home and family.

“Oz’ forces us to think about elements of life such as learning, loving, serving and understanding in an integrated way,” says Smith. “When we think about bringing those aspects of our lives together, we not only enrich our own lives, we become empowered to do more to enrich the lives of others. It’s what life is all about.”

Texas Tech is very fortunate to have a man like Dr. Smith sitting in the provost’s chair. His academic accomplishments are obvious, but what sets him apart are the things he has learned and is willing to share about what it takes to live a fully engaged life.

Under Dr. Smith’s guidance, Texas Tech’s Yellow Brick Road is sure to take us on a lifelong-learning adventure all would enjoy. . .even Toto.

For many young people their

li fe’s journey begins, in earnest, with their

f i r s t s t e p onto a college campus.

It’s the beginning of their own personal yellow brick road,

where they, too, are sure to encounter

unique people from f a r a w a y p l a c e s and

with as sort ed p o i n t s o f v i e w .

“Texas Tech has an exceptional reputation

for undergraduate programs.

We have some v e r y i m ag i n at i v e p l a n s to attract

bright young students who would like to begin their

academic journey with us.”

Written by ranDy christian

Building a

Yellow Brick Road for Texas Tech

A lot of us grew up watching “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s a wonderful movie I’ve watched year after year. But never did I catch the many “lessons of life” revealed

as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion traveled the Yellow Brick Road until I met Dr. Bob Smith, Texas Tech’s newest provost. Once you have had the privilege of listening to this modern-day polymath’s study of the “The Wizard of Oz” and its creator, L. Frank Baum, those simple – yet meaningful lessons – laced throughout the movie and book become as brilliant as Dorothy’s ruby-red slippers. Lessons Smith loves to share with those he encounters along his Yellow Brick Road.

Robert V. Smith grew up on Long Island, New York,

graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in pharmaceutical sciences, and then journeyed to the University of Michigan for his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry. Since then Smith’s “yellow brick road” has taken him to Iowa, Texas, Washington, Con-necticut, Arkansas and now, back to Texas and Texas Tech. All along the way Smith, a man who truly believes life is about continuous learning, has absorbed a wealth of knowl-edge regarding what it takes to engage the hearts and minds of students both young and old. He is passionate about helping them discover the joy that comes from a life filled with ad-venture, discovery and endless learning. Fortunately for us, he brought that passion to Texas Tech.

Dr. roBert V. smithprovost - texas tech university

4 * Fall 2009 arts & sciences * 5

O ne of the last things a young guy wants to hear from the lips of a young girl is, “you’re such an animal.” It is my experience that this phrase isn’t

a term of endearment, but a brutally honest opinion of a person’s behavior, or lack thereof. Even though the use of the word “animal” is acceptable in this scenario, a more ac-curate description of the young man, but not necessarily his behavior, would be “mammal.” He, like the young lady, are members of an animal specie comprised of more than 4,200 warm-blooded vertebrates that have roamed the planet for millions of years. Mam-mals have some very unique and interesting character-istics, too. All have a lower jaw made of one bone, a diaphragm, hair, and a one artery heart. All females have mammary glands, hence the name mammals. Remem-ber the hammer, anvil and stirrup? All mammals have three tiny bones in their middle ear. Even though all mammals have these characteristics, their actions – and reactions – to the world in which they live and die are dictated by their genes.

Since 1976, Dr. Robert Baker, Paul Whitfield Horn profes-sor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, has been teaching young, bright male and female mammals about the world in which they live. He brings to the classroom his experience of traveling the world captur-ing, collecting and archiving information about creatures large and small. As a mammalogist, his primary focus has been all types of mammals, including himself. At the core of this lifelong pursuit is his fascination with life on planet Earth – past, present and future. It’s this passion that has inspired many young college mammals to spend less time thinking about the new leisure pool at the Tech Rec Center and a little more time about the gene pool.

Baker has witnessed first-hand how “man,” as well as nature itself, has impacted our world, both positively and negatively. He also understands, better than most, the value of science and the work of dedicated scientists as they seek to discover what makes creatures large and small “tick.” They sometimes uncover threads leading to potential remedies for diseases that have plagued human-beings for hundreds of years.

Of significant interest to Baker is mobile, or parasitic, DNA. He created a method to label this biological renegade replicates itself and travels in search of places to land. Thanks to Baker’s research, we now know mobile DNA especially likes to land on X chromosomes. Mobile DNA is fascinating. There’s more to be learned, but what we have learned is that if mobile DNA lands in the wrong place, bad things can happen. Fortunately, good things can happen too. The trick is to control how long and when the characteristics of the mobile DNA genes are expressed on chromosomes.

As a diabetic for more than 40 years, Baker knows that for a variety of reasons, his cells do not produce insulin.

“My cells that produce insulin got infected with something. That killed those cells,” Baker said. “Someday, thanks to sci-ence, new cells will be created that can produce insulin and there won’t be any more diabetics.”

As Baker said, someday, because of science, the diabetic riddle will be solved. Right now the solutions challenging

diabetics, like Baker, are being found using lab mice. Therefore, a cure for human diabetes is in the future,

but when that might be is cloudy. Thus begins the great ethical debate of how much tinkering with human cells will soci-ety allow science to do. Can and should we take everything scientists have discovered in the animal world regarding the

control – and sometimes, elimination –of infection, disease and mutation, and apply it to benefit humans? One thing is certain: this debate will continue for many years to come.

Great debate also continues on an event that shocked the world and violently shook the environment like no other since the dropping of the atomic bomb that ended World War II. It happened on April 26, 1986, at 1:23 a. m. in the Ukrainian region of what was then The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The No. 4 nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant exploded. Two people were instantly killed. More explosions occurred, and a plume of highly radioactive “fallout” was launched into the air, floating and eventually landing on Eastern, Western and Northern Europe, parts of Ireland and the Eastern United States. More than 300,000 people were evacuated from the communities surrounding Chernobyl. Four times more radioactive “fallout” was released that day than at Hiroshima, Japan. The fear of how this unprecedented disaster might impact people and the environment of this region for generations to come was uncertain. As was customary at that time, the Soviets kept a lid on Chernobyl and little was known outside this secret society, other than it was now completely absent of man. Chernobyl was literally cloaked in secrecy and speculation. Were there now three-headed rats, mutant deer and giant deranged bears because of the fallout? Or, had the high doses of radioactivity killed everything…forever? The world was waiting for answers.

Since 1994, Baker and a team of researchers from Texas Tech University have traveled to Chernobyl more than 15 times to study the effects the radioactive fallout has had on the region’s animal life. Over the years Baker and team have collected more than 3,000 specimens, making Texas Tech one of the world’s foremost repositories of information re-garding animal life in post-disaster Chernobyl. What Baker and his Texas Tech colleagues discovered was quite surpris-

arts & sciences * 7

Kind another of POOl:

Dr. robert baker StuDieS GeneS, Dna effectS on environment

Kind another of POOl:

Dr. roBert Bakerhorn professor in the department

of biological sciences

Written by ranDy christianphoto illustration by neil hinkle

6 * Fall 2009

it’s this passion that has inspired many young college mammals to

spend less time thinking about the new Tech Rec leisure pool and a little

more time about the gene pool.

Rise eaRly, WoRk HaRd,

stRike oilb y M o n a a l l e n n u c ko l l s

According to John PAul getty,

those three ingredients mAke uP

the formulA for success. And for

robert W. broyles, getty’s Axiom

hAs defined his life. forget

the old movies of WildcAtters

striking out on their oWn, bAttling

the forces of nAture on A hunch

to hit PAy dirt AgAinst All odds:

broyles took his bs in Petroleum

geology obtAined in 1951 And built

A PersonAl dynAsty in the oil

business With An imPeccAble Work

ethic And A lot of gumPtion.

arts & sciences * 98 * Fall 2009

ing to many, but not to Baker. The long term effect of the radioactive “fallout” on animal life appears to be minimal. Today, species of all types are flourishing. No animals seem to be encountering reproduc-tive difficulties; in fact, several are being challenged due to over-population.

“If you go to Chernobyl today, you’ll see more moose, roe deer, black storks and other animals than outside of the Chernobyl area,” Baker said. “We simply cannot find that the accident has been as bad (on the environment) as many people would like to make it out to be. The evidence is just not there. The primary reason animal life is flourishing in this region is not because of what hap-pened in 1986 but because it has been absent of man.”

Isn’t it interesting that as we ponder the future of Mother Earth, her greatest threat may not be man-made technology, but man himself? Was Chernobyl a tragic accident? Yes, absolutely. But the tragedy has created a one-of-a-kind “enviro-lab” that continues to produce valuable information immensely relevant to the nuclear world we live in today. That information gleaned from scientists like Dr. Baker and colleagues, for whatever rea-sons, is seldom included in the great debates that rage among leaders of our land. Baker would probably agree the work of all scientists should be included in important global dialogues wherever in the world they might take place.

Without question, one of Baker’s greatest contributions to his profession is his leadership at the Natural Science Research Lab (NSRL) at the Museum of Texas Tech University. Established in 1962 by Robert Packard with more than 350 specimens of mam-mals, today the NSRL consists of nearly 110,000 from all over the world. “The tissues of the specimens are used by students as if it were an entire set of encyclopedia,” Baker said. “Each is filled with genetic information that can unlock the mysteries of that specific specie and often unveils the beginning of something that might ultimately benefit man.” One example is Baker’s study of vampire bats. It was discovered their saliva contains an an-ticoagulant that resists the clotting of blood. Today the protein found in the saliva of that particular specie of bat is being used

to treat heart attack and stroke victims and is saving lives.

Baker’s true pride and joy are his golden retriev-ers. He has been a breeder for more than 35 years and has seen how selective breeding impacts them. Like the mammals Baker has studied, the “Goldens” have their own unique ge-netic make-up that makes them what and who they are. But genetics also map the unique characteristics of every animal and its ability to survive, adapt and learn. Baker’s young golden retriever Puc is no exception. The newly trained Puc accompanied Baker on a trip to the family ranch. Puc was told to “sit” and stay close to the truck and not bother the cattle. After walking

several hundred yards away from Puc and the truck, Baker saw his dog romping through the mesquite doing what young pups do…running and playing. Ignoring Puc, Dr. Baker returned to his work with the cattle. When he returned to the truck, there was Puc sitting in the exact location where he was told to “stay.” Puc acted as if he’d been sitting in that spot all day. Never once did he give the slightest hint of his disobedience.

“Not only was Puc smart enough to go watch what we were doing, but he was smart enough to cover his act of disobedience by acting like nothing happened,” Baker said. “That’s pretty sophisticated behavior.”

Puc’s intelligence may or may not make him the best choice for breeding and advancing his specie. He is, however, a perfect example of why unique, complex animals of all types have fascinated scientists like Dr. Robert Baker. Hopefully, a few new college mammals as smart as Puc, if not smarter, will join Baker as he continues to dig deeper into the ever-changing world in which we live.

roBert w. Broyles'51 geology

We simply cannot

find that the accident

has been as bad (on the

environment) as many

people would like to

make it out to be. The

evidence is just not

there. The primary

reason animal life

is flourishing in this

region is not because

of what happened in

1986 but because it has

been absent of man.

they’re immediate response was “Yes!” He told his lawyer, “We’re going to court. They cannot deprive me of my skills and knowledge obtained during employment.”

During the trial, Broyles had to tell his attorney what questions to ask the witnesses. It turned out to be a brilliant courtroom strategy, and in the end the case was dismissed, leaving Broyles with all of his intel-lectual property and the ability to work anywhere he wanted. The legal battle also gave Broyles something else: exposure.

“The next thing you know, I was receiving phone calls from potential clients to process their acreage with seismic for potential drill sites. This required contracting seismic field crews, processing centers and qualified geophysicists for employment. A seven day work week was automatic.”

An astute businessman, Broyles made sure his contracts were written so that he had the option to obtain a 10% working interest in every well he recommended drilling since he knew the productivity of the reefs were limited. Amazingly, within a short period of time he accumulated enough investments to join a pro-posed drilling venture in West Texas, in which he is still involved.

And now? For therapy Broyles enjoys running his 500-acre ranch which occupies a majority of his spare time when not working the oil busi-ness, being active in his church, a rousing game of 42 on Fridays with close friends, Texas Tech football games (he’s rarely missed a home game in 30 years), and of course spending time with his wife and family. A life-long fitness enthusiast, he maintains a rigorous daily regimen and asserts that exercise not only helps him maintain his

current good health and mental acuity, but that it was absolutely instrumental in the success of his business.

When asked about his 2007 induction into the Texas Tech Red Raider Club Hall of Legacy, Broyles is humble. “I was honored that they would even consider me,” he says.

But it’s the scholarship that he received from Texas Tech that actually holds the most significance to Broyles. “I’m grateful for that scholarship years ago...it allowed me to make a living,” he recounts. And that is why he is an avid supporter of Texas Tech, being a sig-nificant contributor to the football and other scholarship programs. In fact, his donations to TTU have never been for “brick and mortar” projects; they’ve all been for scholarships.

Broyles’ philanthropic endeavors include giving back to God and community as well, his generosity having helped thousands of people over the years.

He proudly displays a letter and a picture with a football player in a locker room stand-ing next to a plaque which reads, Priorities You Will Never Regret: Education #1, and Football #2. The plaque was commemorative of a donation Broyles made to Texas Tech; the letter from the football player was thanking Broyles for the inspiration. “That really made me feel great,” he reflects.

While Broyles has embodied John Paul Getty’s axiom, his life has revealed a fourth and perhaps most fundamental ingredient to success: altru-ism. That is what is important to Broyles: not the money he donates, but the example that he has been (and is), the inspiration he can give, and most significantly, the opportunities he can create for people through scholarships. And that is what defines his legacy.

He proudly displays a letter

and a picture witH a football player

in a locker room standing next

to a plaque wHicH reads, Priorities You Will Never regret:

educatioN #1, aNd Football #2.

arts & sciences * 11

Robert W. Broyles (“The ‘w’ stands for ‘Wood’ but I tell ‘em it stands for ‘work,’ ”) is a vintage

gentleman with a distinctive Texas drawl, piercing blue eyes and a quick smile. Unassumingly dressed in blue jeans and boots and emanating an easy confidence, one would never begin to guess that he is a man of particular substance.

Born in 1927 in San Angelo, Texas, Broyles was the youngest of two sons. Though raised during the Depression and World War II with all the challenges that prevailed during those times, his childhood was relatively uneventful except for the fact that he outgrew his older brother by a head in his early teens, managing to eventually reach a burly 6’2”, playing football on the San Angelo 1943 Football State Championship team. Graduating from high school at 16, things started to get interesting.

By a twist of fate, Broyles’ football acumen was discovered while help-ing as a counselor at his uncle’s camp for boys one summer. Broyles be-came friends with one of the other counselors: a punter for the Texas A&M football team whom Broyles could out-distance in punting. It didn’t take long before the coach from A&M showed up offering Broyles a football schol-arship; Broyles became an Aggie. A knee injury quickly ended that short-lived sojourn into higher learning, and he found himself drafted into the military. Discovered once again as a football player, Broyles played for the Army, suffering another knee injury. Although offered a chance for officer training, Broyles decided military life wasn’t for him and after one tour of duty he rejoined civilian life.

With a GI Bill in hand, Broyles was offered yet another football scholarship to Texas Tech. It was a win-win situation; he had decided he wanted to be a petroleum engineer, and he heard that TTU had the best reputation for those studies. Unfortunately, the engineering

school was full, and Broyles was persuaded to take petroleum geology instead. His career at TTU was off and running.

Literally.“We didn’t have a social life,” Broyles

states as he recalls that, back then, students were required to take 19 hours or more per semester, which meant school was in session six days a week. After classes, it was time for football practice, and then studying until one or two in the morning, only to get up and start over. With the grueling schedule, Broyles confesses that he wasn’t an outstanding student, but his priority was to get an education... and play football.

Broyles was a giant on the football field in the late 40’s. Weighing in at an unheard of 225 lbs., he dominated as a lineman, and played throughout his stint at TTU. He was honored with All Border Conference selection in 1950.

As a football player, he enjoyed the respect and admiration of both students and faculty —except a particular literature professor. The professor made it quite clear to Broyles on the first day of class that, “...if you think you’re going to impress me with that football jacket, you’re wrong!” Broyles smiles as he remembers the experience. “I was the only boy

in that class,” he recounts. “I had plenty of help from the girls, and I ended up making a B in that course.”

As his senior year wound to a close, recruiters from oil companies came to TTU. He was courted and won over by Stanolind, an exploration andproduction subsidiary of Standard Oil of Indiana, now remembered simply as Standard Oil. But they didn’t want a Petroleum Geologist, they wanted a Petro-leum Geophysicist. “I told them I couldn’t even spell it, let alone be one,” Broyles says. “They told me they would train me.”

And train him they did. For the next 20 years, Broyles was transferred 14 times, going back and forth between Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Michigan. In the meantime, Broyles fell in love with and married Helen J. Parker, of Shreveport, Lousiana, and had two

children, Deborah, born in 1958 in Jackson, Mississippi, and Thomas, born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1960. In 1967, the family ended up in Fort Worth. By that time Broyles’ training and experience had taken him to a different level.

“I established an interpretive technique to find pinnacle reefs in Michigan, which could produce up to 300 barrels of oil a day. My superiors kept asking me what the theory behind

it was, and I kept telling them ‘Work!’ Well, they didn’t like that,” Broyles recalls. Political maneu-vering being what it is in the oil industry, things got rather ugly and in 1970 he submitted his resigna-tion. Ten days afterward, Broyles was visited by a U.S. Marshall and present-ed with a restraining order by Standard Oil, accused of stealing information.

Abe Lincoln’s old ad-age, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client” would not apply to Broyles. While he did hire legal counsel (his Sunday school teacher, the only lawyer he knew), his attorney “didn’t know squat” about the oil business. Af-ter several depositions Broyles asked Standard Oil if they would drop the restraining order if he elected not to work in Michigan, to which

His donations to ttu

Have never been for

“brick and mortar”

projects; tHey’ve all

been for scholarships.

10 * Fall 2009

arts & sciences * 13

Texas Tech boasts another Iron Horse, one that was conceived to provide a forum for literary arts in Texas. In 1999, Dr. Jill Patterson, associate professor of creative writing, developed a proposal for a literary journal and approached college and uni-versity administrators about establishing a literary journal at Texas Tech.

“At the time, other universities in Texas had seen their literary journals fold, but we understood how critical a journal was to any creative writing program,” Patterson explains. “I knew that we could do it well, and we would be the only Big 12 univer-sity in Texas with a literary journal.”

Not a small dream. Originally called The Dark Horse for the first issue, the Iron Horse Literary Review became a reality with Patterson at the helm as editor. One of the main goals of the journal is to raise critical opinion about “region-al” writers, offering Texas artists a platform to share their talents next to nationally-acclaimed artists.

What started as a journal with two issues per year now boasts six issues annually, including a holiday issue, a themed issue, a single author issue, and the only National Poetry Month issue in the country. Most literary journals only pub-lish four issues a year.

With the Iron Horse, Texas Tech also established the Discovered Voices Awards, which allows each university creative writing program enrolled in the Associated Writ-ing Programs to nominate three of their students. The Iron Horse publishes a “discovered” poet, essayist, and fiction writer each year. These winners are students from across the United States.

In ten short years, the Iron Horse has successfully done what few other literary journals have been unable to do. Not only survive, but grow.

From the beginning, Patterson’s strategy for growing the Iron Horse into a top-notch literary journal started with sending “fan” mail to celebrated authors, inviting them to submit their writings.

“Most would send us something,” she says, “but the trick was making sure that they sent their best work. Now, we have reached the point where even renowned writers submit their work through the general submission process.”

This singular focus on publishing the best writing has established Texas Tech’s reputation in the creative writing field.

The Iron Horse writers and contributors include Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, National Book Award winners and finalists, New York Times Best-Selling authors, National Book Critics Circle Award winners, Guggenheim Fellowship winners, NEA Fellowship winners, United States Poet Laureates, and Texas State Poet Laureates.

Producing a journal of this caliber is not accomplished without intense effort. The Iron Horse receives over 50 submissions a week, about equally split between poetry and prose submissions. Works have to be original and not previously published. Each issue is generally comprised of one-third solicited works and two-thirds submitted works.

The process for accepting a manuscript takes approximately three months, and only one percent of general submissions are published.

“We seek out the highest quality material, both in our invited and submitted work, even if that means we sometimes even have to decline invited manuscripts," Patterson said. Quality work can be hard to define, but you recognize it when you see it. The story grabs you, characters are robust, the story line doesn’t wrap itself up too neatly at the end. And, it is technically sharp.”

You cAnnot be paRt of Texas Tech And not undeRstand the

compAnionship between WiLL Roge>s And his horse SoApsuds.

That faMous i Ro n h o r s e a n d h i s f R i e n d p a y h o m a g e n o t

only to the MAn Who befRiended TexAs Tech in the 192o'S, but

aLso to the tRAditions o f t h e We St e R n w a y o f l i f e .

A HoRse o f a D i ffeRent Co lo|

Dr. Jill Patterson, Ph.D. editor of iron horse literary revieW

Written by shannon kirklanD

I R o n h o R s e l I t e R a R y R e v I e w :

12 * Fall 2009

continued on next page

Li-Young Lee is one of America's most beloved poets. He is the author of four books of poetry: Behind My Eyes, Book of My Nights, Rose, and The City in Which I Love You. Lee’s honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Lannan Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Born of Chinese parents in Indonesia, Lee learned early about

loss and exile. His great grandfather was China’s first republican President; and his father, a deeply religious Christian, was physician to Mao Tse-Tung. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Lee’s parents escaped to Indonesia. In 1959, his father, after spending a year as a political prisoner in President Sukarno’s jails, fled with his family. After a five-year trek through Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan, they settled in the United States in 1964. Today, Lee lives in Chicago with his wife Donna and their two sons.

Pam Houston is the author of four books: Cowboys Are My Weakness (which landed on the NY Times Best-Seller list for over six months), Waltzing the Cat, A Little More About Me, and Sight Hound (which was on the independent booksellers list for over a year). Her stories have been selected for the Best American Short Stories anthologies, the O. Henry Awards, the Pushcart Prize, and the Best American Short Stories of the Century. She has appeared on CBS SundayMorning from time to time doing literary essays on the wilderness, and has also been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

ADD iT ionAL jouRnALS fRoM THe CoLLege of ARTS & SC ien CeS

The College of Arts and Sciences houses editorial offices for 12 journals that are distributed nationally and internationally: 32 Poems, American Journal of Philology, Céfiro, Conradiana, Hispania, Intertexts, Monographic Revue/ Revista Monográfica, Novelles Etudes Francophones, Technical Communicator Quarterly, The Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation, The Iron Horse Literary Review, and The William Carlos Williams Review. Housing the journals in the College raises the visibility and reputation of the programs at Texas Tech. According to Sam Dragga, the Chair of the Department of English, “Authors and scholars from across the world are submitting their manuscripts to us and recognize the contribution to their disciplines that we are making. The name of Texas Tech University is in every copy of every issue.”

Additionally, the journals create educational opportunities for students. Both graduate and undergraduate students gain experience in editorial and publishing du-ties, receiving and sorting manuscripts, and corresponding with authors and reviewers. “This is the ideal preparation for both the academic profession and the publishing industry,” said Dragga.

Several of the journals edited in the College are prominent or the most prestigious in their field. Céfiro features papers covering topics dealing with Latin American and Iberian languages, literatures, and cultures, and it is edited exclusively by graduate students in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures. The journal is in its 9th year. Technical Communication Quarterly has an international audience, and it is the official journal of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing. Additionally, it is available for free or at a reduced rate to 3,000 libraries in developing nations.

14 * Fall 2009

Dr. Janet Pérez has spent a life-time learning and teaching the Spanish language and litera-

tures. It is one of her passions. Her contri-butions to this area of academic study go beyond the walls of Texas Tech.

Pérez has served for nine years (the term limit) as the editor for Hispania, the academic journal of the American Associa-tion of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Hispania was founded in 1917 and has had 11 editors in its history. Hispania is the largest academic journal in the world published by a professional language organization. The journal is unusual because of the broad scope of its audience: K-12 educators, as well as educators at both small colleges and large research universities.

“The journal includes articles on pedagogy, language, literature from the middle ages through the 21st century, Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian world

news, as well as applied and theoretical linguistics,” Pérez says.

Hispania is published four times a year, with approximately 1,000 pages of content to serve educators of Spanish and Portuguese language studies.

After nine years as editor, Pérez wraps up her work with a last volume to be published in December. She adds, “I’ll be glad to turn the reins over to the next editor. I’m looking forward to returning to my full-time teaching responsibilities and exploring new areas of research.”

After 32 years as a professor at Texas Tech, that statement alone explains why Pérez is such an asset to the University. She came to Texas Tech in 1977 as a Distinguished Visit-ing Professor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and recalls, “I was only supposed to be here for a year.”

At Chapel Hill, she had already forged new roads. Pérez was the first female to be

hired full-time in Romance Languages at the universi-ty—quite a feat, since it had been all male for 200 years. She had a great position and a bright future at North Carolina. But the people of Lubbock and West Texas were too friendly, and she decided to stay.

And she has excelled in her academic pursuits here, excelling in research, teaching and service.

At Texas Tech, she is a Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Romance Languages and the Qualia Chair of Spanish. Besides more than 200 conference papers and invited lectures, she has hundreds of entries in reference works and over

200 reviews. Pérez has received the College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Research Award five times. Earlier this year, Dr. Pérez was elected to full membership in the Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Es-panola (ANLE), which is the highest honor available in the area of Spanish Language & Literature.

Dr. Perez is particularly proud of a second academic journal, which she co-edits with her husband, Dr. Genaro Pérez, also a professor of Spanish at Texas Tech. Together, they founded and have sustained the journal, Monographic Review, for 25 years.

“We established the Monographic Review because traditional scholarly jour-nals tended to focus only on established genres of literature, and there was a wide gap of neglected areas of Spanish literature about which very little was studied or known. We wanted to bring these areas to light and expand the academic study to include genres like the fantastic, Spanish detective stories, children’s literature, and women’s experimental fiction.”

The Monographic Review is published once a year, and each issue has a single theme for exploration. The journal is now primarily supported by library subscrip-tions, with subscribers even as far away as Israel and Japan.

After 25 years, the Pérez’ have seen topics move from neglect to more mainstream study.

“We wanted to be pioneers with our concept, and I think we’ve succeeded. It has been exciting to see the pursuit of studies in Spanish literature expand and grow to accept new areas,” Pérez explains, “For us, the Review has been the best of academics: expanding our knowledge and understanding through research, and sharing that with others.”

exploring SpaniSh literature BeyonD texaS tech

Hispania

Dr. Janet Perez editor of hispania

Written by shannon kirklanD

arts & sciences * 15

The development of each issue is a teaching environment for students in Texas Tech’s creative writing program. In addition to publishing outstanding literature, the intent of the journal is also to train young writers in writing and in editing.

“There is something about proof reading and editing that hones a person’s own writing skills, especially when students are exposed to such high quality work,” Patterson explains. “Editing requires that you slow down and really read each sentence, each paragraph critically. Usually by the time that a year has passed, our student editors have improved significantly, not only in editing, but also in their own creative work.”

Texas Tech has reaped the benefit of that hard work. With the reputa-tion for publishing the best works of highly-acclaimed writers, Tech has seen growth in its own creative writing department. The faculty has grown from three to seven. The program also offers a certificate in publishing, which is very attractive to students. Student enrollment has seen a six-fold increase since the journal began and is currently at capacity. The program can be selective in accepting the high-est caliber students into its master’s and doctorate program.

The Iron Horse, its editors, and the entire creative writing faculty at Texas Tech have launched the University toward becoming one of the premiere creative writing programs in the country.

feATuReD WR i TeRS AppeAR ing in i Ron HoRSe

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