Despite the snow storm that blanketed Northwest Arkansas over this past weekend, the Arkansas Alumni Association stayed on track with the launching of the second Pride of Arkansas Tour on Monday, February 1. The first two events were held simultaneously at the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers and Villa Montez in Tyler, Texas.
Make sure to keep up with the Pride of Arkansas Tour online as we travel throughout Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas by following our #POAT Twitter Hashtag, checking out our photos on Flickr and following our Pride of Arkansas Tour blog articles.
Rogers, Arkansas
Through the eyes of Elizabeth Underwood, Associate Director of the Arkansas Alumni Association
After watching the video, “The Razorback Family: Generations,” Jerry Williams, president of the Northwest Arkansas Alumni Chapter, enlightened us on a secret of the Chi Omega Greek Theater. As a ROTC student at the University of Arkansas in the 1960s, Jerry knew that underneath the theatre was a shooting range where students learned to fire rifles.
Also in attendance were Dr. Robert and Darlene Matlock, who had just returned from the Arkansas Alumni Association tour to Tanzania, Africa. They reported that all Razorbacks had a great time!
Check out the Rogers AR photos on Flickr!
Sisters Helena and Abigail Alexander, dressed in matching cheerleader uniforms, were very helpful in drawing door prizes, which were given to several of our guests. The Alexander family attended this event last year and had been eagerly waiting to attend again this year.
Tyler, Texas
Through the eyes of Laurel Draudt, Assistant Director of the Arkansas Alumni Association
Starting with a greeting from Joe Hill and June & Glyn Crane at Villa Montez, which was a former mansion built before Prohibition, set the stage for a wonderful evening to come. Loyal East Texas alumni and supporters spent the evening reminiscing about their days on campus. Matt Kincaid, a urologist in Tyler, the Schneider family (with a couple of future Razorbacks in attendance) and Marilyn Young, a professor for the University of Texas, joined the group for the first time. We were pleased to welcome some new faces to an East Texas Alumni event.
The East Texas Chapter of the Arkansas Alumni Association is passionate about connecting with potential Razorbacks and East Texas residents who are already students on campus. Tommy Goodwin, currently of Pittsburgh, Texas, has been a loyal Alumni Ambassador for the last several years by attending college fairs at local high schools and providing information about the University of Arkansas. The East Texas area has noted an increase of top students from their area choosing to leave the state of Texas and become Razorbacks. Mr. Goodwin plans to continue his role as an Alumni Ambassador in the coming years.
Check out the East Texas photos on Flickr!
In addition to recruiting students for the University of Arkansas, the audience was also interested in learning more about scholarship opportunities for their bright, up-and-coming high school students as well as a few who are already current Razorbacks. The chapter would love to see more involvement of the 366 East Texas residents who are also University of Arkansas alumni. Through greater engagement, the chapter would be able to grow and celebrate their local University of Arkansas Family and support more East Texas students with scholarships.
We send a special thanks to Joe Hill and Greer Smith for helping us clean up after the event and for the discussions on how to connect with young and future alumni.
Come Share Your Stories With Us!
Do you have a story or campus memory you’d like to share with us and fellow alumni? Make plans to join us at one of our next Pride of Arkansas Tour Stops near you today!
