What fun. UTEP, one of the best universities in the country, was celebrating its 100th anniversary and threw one whale of a party
during Homecoming week.
During the week it held receptions and breakfasts or lunches for its most distinguished alumni and Gold Nuggets, a block party on Thursday, a luxurious Centennial Celebration Gala on Friday and a homecoming parade, pep rally, tailgate party and, of course, the Homecoming football game on Saturday.
Alumni came from near and far to take part. As a UTEP grad, I partook of many of the week’s events, from a reception on Wednesday, to a breakfast with College of Liberal Arts dean Patricia Witherspoon on Friday, to the Centennial Celebration Gala that was also held on Friday, to some of the Saturday events.
LIKE MOST alumni, I was amazed at the great leaps my school has taken – and how many outstanding people it has produced. Graduates are practically in all walks of life, from scientists to engineers to educators to businessmen – even to astronauts and yes, journalists. World famous television broadcaster Sam Donaldson was on hand at the celebrations.
UTEP president Dr. Diana Natalicio was simply glowing as she welcomed us, and rightfully so. Much of the growth of the school has occurred under her leadership.
AS A GRADUATE of the College of Liberal Arts, I visited and had breakfast (along with others) with Dr. Witherspoon. Liberal Arts is the biggest of all the colleges at the university. Dr. Witherspoon pointed out there are 7000 students now enrolled in Liberal Arts.
That boggles my mind. There weren’t that many overall students when I enrolled at what was then Texas College of Mines after World War II.
Dean Witherspoon has settled into the position beautifully. Gracious and warm, she welcomed us with open arms.
- WITHERSPOON, by the way, is working on a new outreach program that contacts students who quit school before getting their degrees. She or a representative contact those students to find out why they didn’t finish. If it’s financial, they offer to help the students find grants or other means of financial aid. If there’s another reason, they encourage the students to return for their degree and offer to help with advice on how to make it happen.
The program has already landed quite a few of those students. One is a longtime friend of mine, Mike Martinez. We attended both El Paso High School and UTEP together and both worked on the Miners’ school newspaper, The Prospector.
WE BOTH majored in journalism but while I became a newspaperman, Mike went into the more lucrative end of the business: Public relations. He started his career in El Paso but has done business in South America, Europe, New York and other exotic places and has handled campaigns for nationally known politicians of both parties.
He, like Donaldson, came from out of town to El Paso for UTEP’s 100th celebration and attended some of the festivities. You can imagine what fun Martinez and I had meeting again and talking old times.
WITH SUCH JOY all around, the Miners just had to win the Homecoming football game against Old Dominion Saturday. And they did, 42-35.
UTEP Coach Sean Kugler made some smart moves for the game. Opponents had started using nine man defensive fronts to stop the Miners’ formidable running game. Kugler used a crossing pattern running offense that seemed to baffle the Monarchs.
And he wisely inserted blazing speedster Autrey Golden to do more than return kicks. Golden rushed for 51 yards in two carries and caught six passes for 70 yards.
That’s 121 yards with only eight touches of the football, folks.
Another powerful weapon for the Miners?