Resident Assistants to Dean Wilkinson 1959 – 1970

 

Rick Ray – Photos From the Past

 Bob Rollins – Photos From the Past

Brother Rollins provided some photos that date back to the 1970s.  I have posted them below and I hope you enjoy them:

 Photos from the Past

Thanks to the guardianship of our Little Sister Martha (Patton) Jax we have the following pictures of Homecoming 1972 showing the victorious SIGMA/ATO Alumni Association having won the trophy for attendance at the Stag Supper for returning Greek Alumni to the campus for this particular event.  The second image is that of Richard Waller’s letter in August of 1963 to incoming freshmen male students indicating the presence and support that the SIGMA Club would take in making their stay at Alabama College a pleasant and fruitful experience.  Richard was evidently president of the SIGMA Club in 1963.  We want to thank our little sister for her consistent support of the brotherhood for 50 years!!

 

 Dean Wilkinson – Dinner Planned to Honor Him

Brothers we have a unique opportunity to honor a man who has been very influential in most of our lives, keeping many of us out of trouble, jail, and who know what all while we were students at the University of Montevallo in the past few decades.  Jim Wilkinson has been more than just a dean, a staff member, and a friend to most of us – he has also shared in our brotherhood by attending our Annual SIGMA Alumni Reunions and has taken a strong interest in us decades after most of us graduated from college.

The opportunity that we have is to either be present to support him and/or to send a donation to University, designating it to the Jim Wilkinson Fund. This fund is similar to our own Bruce Higdon Brotherhood Award Fund, in that it helps students in need while attending the University.  The proposed date for the recognition dinner for Jim is October 10th, Friday evening, approximately at 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM on campus.  If there is enough interest from us to show up and actually be there in body and spirit to support Deano they will probably move the Olympics Day dinner to the cafeteria to allow for the additional people who might attend.  If you do plan to attend, please contact Brenda Knight at bknight1@montevallo.edu to insure that a dinner will be provided for you that evening.  I am not sure of the cost of the dinner, but I am sure Brenda can share that information with you should you decide to contact her about the recognition function. 

Some of us cannot attend due to other conflicts, and this is a “short notice” situation, but if you cannot attend but still want to honor Jim with a donation in his name to the Jim Wilkinson Fund the University will be happy to share that knowledge with Jim and his family, assuming you desire that to be done.

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, Jim’s health is failing and we may not have a lot of opportunity to share time with Jim in the near future.

 

Jim has recently been moved to a 24/7 nursing facility as he can no longer provide the care for himself and his legally blind wife.  If you are in the Montevallo area on Friday or Saturday, October 10th and 11th, you may want to contact Brenda Knight for more specific details as to the recognition that Jim Wilkinson surely merits!

 

 50th High School Reunion for Brothers Burdette and Stubbs

Brother Steve Stubbs and The Philosopher at their 50th high school reunion in early August of this year:

  

As they “appeared” in 1968!

 

 

 J.R. Wilkinson, Deano Visit

Brothers, Rick Ray and I visited with Deano this past Saturday evening in his home in Montevallo for a brief time and he was still “glib and funny” as he has always been.  I have included a couple of pictures of him with us and you will be able to see from the photos that he has lost a lot of weight and his color is really not that good right now.

 

It was a lot of fun talking about old Montevallo capers and some of the things that he knew we were doing but tended to occasionally look the other way at time.  What a great visit with an even greater friend.

If you plan to visit with him, or even contact him on the telephone, I suggest you not tarry in your task to do so.  Although he was really sharp with us on Sunday, I could tell that he had lost a step or two and time is of the essence if you want to share some time with him once more.

His contact information is:

295 Pineview Road, Montevallo, AL 35115. 205-665-2489.

Brother Moonpie has been instrumental in keeping us in touch with Dean Wilkinson over the past few years, and he may be able to shed more light on the overall situation if you care to email or call him.

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Colonel John Schmidt – A Well Deserving Recognition of Outstanding Service

http://www.troymessenger.com/2014/08/05/university-honors-schmidt-with-first-year-facility-renaming/

University honors Schmidt with first-year facility renaming

Published 7:32pm Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A man whose work had a lasting impact at Troy University will continue to influence first-year students, thanks to the renaming of a building.

The university has renamed the offices housing first-year studies the John W. Schmidt Student Success Center, in honor of the retiring vice chancellor.

The center provides resources for incoming freshmen, including computers and electronics as well as counseling.

Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. said Schmidt had earned the honor by being an extraordinary leader and dedicated Trojan. “He has served us well for years and is probably one of the greatest Americans I’ve ever known,” Hawkins said. “He is a patriot, he is a family man and at his heart, has integrity.”

In the last two decades, Schmidt has been a facilitator in the construction of Trojan Village and the Newman Center. The resolution listed several of his accomplishments. Schmidt led the university’s first two capital campaigns, raising more than $200 million in the process. He helped start the campus bus system that runs throughout the City of Troy and had a hand in bringing the new aviation program, CGI and the new IT center to Troy.

Schmidt is proudest of his role in creating a reading service program and first-year success program for new students. “It’s something we worked collaboratively on,” he said. “For the campus reading program, we had students read a book before they came to campus so that they would have a love of learning before they ever started.”

The program played a part in increasing the university’s retention of freshmen.

Schmidt thanked the board for the honor, and told them about the question on his desk, which he read every day.

“It says, ‘What does it mean to students?’ That really guided my whole focus,” he said.

When Schmidt decided to get a doctoral degree, Hawkins encouraged him to pursue something that would benefit the university.

Schmidt focused on freshman studies. “The center is the expanded version of his concept. It was that research, that leadership that led to the program we have today,” Hawkins said. “Our trustees felt it would be appropriate since he developed the program that led to the center, that we name the success center after him.”

Schmidt’s work redefined the position he held. He became the face of the university and his position became the university’s senior vice chancellor for Advancement and Economic Development.

Jack Hawkins

Chancellor

 

Snake – Pledge Master Extraordinaire!

From the annals of history…