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ASU Alumni Awards Dinner

September 24, 2013

The Angelo State University Alumni Association will recognize eight distinguished alumni, honorary alumni and outstanding faculty and staff during its annual Homecoming Dinner on Friday, Oct. 11, in the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center, 1620 University Ave.

Activities will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. in the LeGrand Center’s Norris Ballroom, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are available from the Alumni Association for $60 per person or $100 per couple.  Complimentary valet parking and a cash bar will be provided.

Former San Angelo Mayor Alvin New will be honored as the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus.  Chris Sloan, head of Ambleside School of San Angelo, will be named the Distinguished Carr Alumnus.  Tara Hart, ASU’s associate director of admissions, and Air Force Col. Casey Eaton, Class of 1993, will be recognized as the Honorary Alumna and Distinguished ROTC Alumnus, respectively.  Dr. Mack McCoulskey, who played basketball for San Angelo College and retired as an ASU education professor after 36 years, will be honored as the Golden Ex of the Year.

Also recognized will be Dr. Donald Shelby as Outstanding Retired Faculty, Dr. Alaric Williams for Distinguished Faculty Achievement and Leonor Constancio for Distinguished Staff Achievement.

For more information and/or tickets to the dinner, call 325-942-2122.

Distinguished Alumnus – Alvin New

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in business earned at ASU in 1984, Alvin New worked his way up from store clerk to president and CEO of Town & Country Food Stores.  When the convenience store chain was sold in 2007, he pursued other business interests and ran a successful campaign for mayor of San Angelo, serving from 2010 to this past summer.  As mayor, he played an integral role in the completion of the pipeline project to bring much-needed water from the Hickory Aquifer to San Angelo.

Recognizing that his ASU education was a major component of his success, New and his wife Patricia, Class of 1986 and 1993, have donated $350,000 to renovate classrooms in the business and education programs and $250,000 for the Honors Program.  Since leaving public office, New continues to invest in the entrepreneurial development of individuals and start-up companies through his partnership in BNB Ventures.

Distinguished Carr Alumnus – Chris Sloan

An Air Force retiree, Chris Sloan earned multiple associate degrees before enrolling at Angelo State, where he was awarded a Carr Academic Scholarship and completed a bachelor’s degree in math and science education.  With the help of a Carr Graduate Scholarship, Sloan continued his education, earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, as well as master reading teacher and reading specialist certificates.  While still in graduate school, he began a second career as a public school teacher, then in 2012 was named head of school for the private Ambleside School in San Angelo.  He is continuing his education, working on a doctorate through Texas Tech University.

Honorary Alumna – Tara Hart

As ASU’s associate director of admissions since 2011, Tara Hart has played a key role in several areas of the campus community.  She plans recruiting events, oversees the RAMbassador student assistants in the Admissions Office and helps admissions counselors reach out to prospective students and their families.  In addition, the Nebraska native is the campus advisor for the Sigma Kappa sorority and volunteers with the ASU Alumni Association.

Distinguished ROTC Alumnus – Col. Casey Eaton

After graduating from ASU’s ROTC program in 1993, Col. Casey Eaton became an Air Force pilot and has risen through the ranks to his current position as deputy director of programs and resources for the J8 Directorate, U.S. Northern Command, in Colorado Springs.  A command pilot, he has logged more than 3,600 flying hours supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, the Pacific, South and Central America and around the globe.  He holds the Legion of Merit, the sixth-highest U.S. military decoration.

Golden Ex of the Year – Dr. Mack McCoulskey

An Abilene native, Dr. Mack McCoulskey’s ties to Angelo State stretch back to 1959 when he earned a basketball scholarship to San Angelo College and played for legendary head coach Phil George on a team that qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship Tournament.  He went on to earn a doctorate in special education at the University of Texas, and then returned to ASU in 1976 to join the education faculty, where he taught for 36 years until his retirement in May of 2012.

Outstanding Retired Faculty – Dr. Donald Shelby

Dr. Donald Shelby joined the ASU Agriculture Department in 1973 just as it was launching a four-year bachelor’s degree program in animal science.  Throughout his 26-year tenure in the department he taught a wide variety of courses, developed the university’s Angus cattle herd and helped launch the master’s degree program in animal science.  He also co-founded the Block and Bridle Club student organization and founded the ASU chapter of the Delta Tau Alpha national honor society for agriculture majors.  He retired in 1999 and lives in West LaFayette, Ind.

Distinguished Faculty Achievement – Dr. Alaric Williams

An assistant professor in ASU’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Alaric Williams has directed the Master of Education in student development and leadership in higher education program since his arrival five years ago.  In that time, he has grown the online degree program from 15 students to nearly 100.  Outside the classroom, he has served as a faculty advisor for ASU’s Black Student Alliance and co-advisor for the Student Government Association.  He has also served on more than 30 university committees and volunteered for a dozen San Angelo community organizations.

Distinguished Staff Achievement – Leonor Constancio

An Ozona native, Leonor Constancio has demonstrated a mastery of customer service and creativity as publications assistant of ASU’s Communications and Marketing Office.  She is also a nontraditional student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication with a creative writing minor and an advisor to ASU’s Graphic Design Club.  In her six years as an ASU staff member, she has won multiple awards and honors from the American Advertising Federation-San Angelo, including Member of the Year, and has been nominated twice for the President’s Staff Excellence Award.  As a student, she has earned induction into the Alpha Chi and Lambda Pi Eta honor societies.