Panola College
David “Glynn” Russell Announced as 2019 Alumnus of the Year
April 3, 2019 - The Panola College Alumni Association is proud to announce the selection of David “Glynn” Russell as 2019 Alumnus of the Year. Russell will be recognized by Dr. Berri O’Neal, Chair of the Panola College Alumni Association, and recipient of the 2016 Alumna of the Year, at the spring commencement ceremony scheduled for Thursday, May 9, at 7:30 pm in the Arthur Johnson Gymnasium.
David “Glynn” Russell was born and raised in Center, Texas where he graduated from Center High School in 1972. He went on to attend Panola College from 1972 to 1973 where his fondest memories included spending time in the chemistry lab and playing ping pong in the Student Center.
Following Panola College, he went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Texas A&M in 1976. He would later put his degree to work developing, growing, and maintaining his passion for his peach orchard, better known as The Peach Shed. After college, he returned to East Texas where he opened a flooring store in Carthage, Russell’s Floors, in 1985. He later expanded his business to a second location in his hometown of Center and would eventually consolidate the stores into one location.
Russell has given back to his community over the years by serving on the local water board, Flatfork Water System. He is also responsible for the sound systems and participates in outreach ministries at his local church, Center Christian Fellowship.
“Glynn is an integral part of Panola County and Shelby County. Our schools, colleges, and life experiences make us who we are, but it is what we give back that makes our communities,” said Vicky Hudson, sister of Glynn Russell. “I believe my brother is an excellent choice for the 2019 Panola College Alumnus of the Year, because Panola College is where it all started.” When he is not working or volunteering, you can find him in a national park hiking with his wife, Sandra.
April 2, 2019 - Local educators and the public are invited to hear a presentation by Sheri Doss, president of the Texas Parent-Teachers Assn. at 5:30 p.m. on April 8 at the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms at the Panola College Library Building, Carthage, TX.
Mrs. Doss is the 54th president of the Texas PTA and is the first African-American to serve in this position. She has more than 15 years experience working at all levels of the PTA.
She has received numerous awards including outstanding volunteer at her school district. She also has received PTA Honorary Life Membership, Extended Service Award and National PTA Life Achievement Award.
With a passion for public education, Sheri was one of 18 members selected to serve on the 2017 Texas State Board of Education Long Range Plan for Public Education Steering Committee.
Prior to making the decision to become a full-time volunteer, Sheri worked as a project manager, systems analyst and independent consultant in the telecommunications industry. She has a B.S. in computer science and math from the University of California, Davis, and an M.B.A. from Rutgers Graduate School of Management.
Sheri recently earned a certification in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and in Volunteer Management from the Center for Nonprofit Studies. She is the daughter of Rev. Norman and Mrs. Ola Jackson of Carthage.
The event is sponsored by Panola College and community educators.
March 28, 2019 - Panola College invites the community to enjoy an evening of comedic delight with former Seinfeld writer, Pat Hazell, as he takes us on a hilarious ride back in time in The Wonder Bread Years on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in the Q.M. Martin Auditorium at 7:00 pm.
Pat Hazell’s one-man show & tell, The Wonder Bread Years, is a fresh and funny salute to Americana. The Wonder Bread Years is a fast-paced, hilarious production that gracefully walks the line between standup and theater. Remembering pop rocks, milk snorts, sugar-highs and Atari, The Wonder Bread Years evolved from the realization that people have many more things in common than they have differences, many of which happen to be laugh-out-loud-funny. The show’s strong sense of American pop culture earned it an invitation to represent the United States at the Vancouver International Comedy Festival. Funnyman Pat Hazell recalls specific influences of parenting and pop culture, and audiences from 8 to 80 roar in recognition. He reminds us that there is still a kid inside all of us, and a sense of wonder waiting to be unlocked.
Showtime declared Pat Hazell, "One of the Five Funniest People in America." Hazell made his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1989 and has since made six more appearances with Jay Leno. Hazell served as Jerry Seinfeld’s opening act and became one of the original four writers for the NBC series Seinfeld. As a playwright, his first endeavor, Bunk Bed Brothers, which he co-wrote with Matt Goldman, was critically acclaimed and eventually filmed as the sitcom, American Pie, for NBC Studios. The Wonder Bread Years, a one-man show & tell, has been taped as a one-hour PBS special.
Sponsored by the B.F. and Mary Payne Fund for the Preservation of Texas Culture, the program is free, and no reservations are required. For additional information, please call 903-693-2000.
Billy and Olive Dixon: The Plainsman and His Lady
March 28, 2019 - The M.P. Baker Library will host author Bill O’Neal at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2nd in the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms of the Library. Mr. O’Neal will debut his latest non-fiction title, Billy and Olive Dixon: The Plainsman and His Lady.
Billy Dixon triggered the most celebrated shot in the history of the West at the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874. A few months later, while serving as an army scout, Billy earned a Medal of Honor during an even more desperate engagement, as one of six men battling for their lives against a band of 125 warriors at the Buffalo Wallow Fight. Both of these actions took place in the Texas Panhandle, where Dixon became an icon of heroism.
A fellow adventure-seeker, Olive King, came to the Panhandle from back East to visit her cowboy brothers. She became a frontier schoolmarm and she met her famous neighbor, Billy Dixon. Billy and Olive fell in love, married, and had eight children. In later years, Olive persuaded Billy to dictate his memoirs to her, and the result was a classic frontier biography, Life of Billy Dixon: Plainsman, Scout and Pioneer. During a long widowhood Olive Dixon became a major force in Panhandle history, helping to establish the Panhandle-Plains Museum, writing and speaking about her own pioneer experiences as well as Billy’s, and erecting impressive monuments at Adobe Walls and at Buffalo Wallow. Mr. O’Neal will share the story captured in the pages of his manuscript illustrating the shared adventures of Billy and Olive.
Bill O’Neal recently concluded six years of service (2012-2018) as State Historian of Texas, traveling tens of thousands of miles across the Lone Star State as an ambassador for Texas history. He is a past president and fellow of both the West Texas Historical Association and the East Texas Historical Association.
Bill is the author of more than forty books, as well as 300 articles and book reviews. His most recent writing award, the A.C. Greene Literary Award, was presented at the 2015 West Texas Book Festival in Abilene. In 2012 Bill received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Wild West Historical Association, and in 2007 he was named True West Magazine’s Best Living Non-Fiction Writer.
Bill has appeared on TV documentaries on TBS, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, CMT, A&E, and the American Heroes Channel Series, Gunslingers. During a long career at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, his most prestigious teaching award was a Piper Professorship, presented in 2000. In 2013 Panola’s new dormitory was named Bill O’Neal Hall, and in that same year he received an honor Doctor of Letters degree from his alma mater, Texas A&M University-Commerce. Bill’s four daughters all have entered the field of education, and he is the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren.
The program is free and open to the community. Light refreshments will be served as books are available for sale and signing. For additional information please call 903-693-2052 or email library@panola.edu.
Almost 550 attendees gathered at the Carthage Civic Center to support Panola College students.
March 27, 2019 - On Friday, March 22 almost 550 attendees gathered at the Carthage Civic Center to play bingo for a chance to win designer purses and other prizes all for a great cause. This was the 6th Designer Purse Bingo fundraising event, hosted by the Panola College Foundation, and they broke their record by raising over $53,000. All the proceeds from the evening go to support Panola College students through scholarships and program grants.
This event has helped to increase the amount of scholarships and grants the Foundation has been able to provide students at Panola College. “It is great to see the community come out to support students and have a good time,” said Jessica Pace, Director of Institutional Advancement at Panola College. “We see more scholarship applications each year from many deserving students and Designer Purse Bingo makes it possible to provide aid to more of these students.”
This Bingo Squad was dressed up for a fun and hoping lucky evening.
Don Clinton, Vice President of Student Services at Panola College, entertained the audience as the emcee for the fundraiser thanking our sponsors and calling out the anticipated bingo numbers all evening. All guests took home a tote bag provided by our generous sponsor, First State Bank and Trust Company of Carthage. Guests also enjoyed a photo booth which printed souvenir photos of their evening, sponsored by UT Health East Texas.
Pippen Motor Company and Rural Water Service sponsored koozies for the evening, and Kelly’s Auto Collision sponsored souvenir glasses for the guests. Back by popular demand was a signature drink available for purchase brought to guests by sponsor, Simply Beautiful Salon with Rachel Davis.
Returning for the 5th time as a Game sponsor, Carthage Furniture is a bingo supporter that never misses an event.
Panola National Bank and Tradition Senior Living sponsored the bonus games of the event, which allowed guests a chance to carry home a couture Louis Vuitton handbag.
Game sponsors included Carthage Economic Development, Carthage Furniture, Edward Jones with Vicky Hudson in Center, TX, Farmers State Bank, General Shelters, Genpak, Golden Eye Associates, Kimberly’s Kreations, LimeLife by Alcone with Brandie Best, Sanford & Sons, Inc., Texas Home Health, and Young Energy Services.
Panola College Baseball player shows guests one of the lovely purses available to win.
Double Dazzle sponsors included Hal’s AC & Electrical and the Winkler Place. Dazzle sponsors were Citizens Bank, Designs of All Kinds, Grubb Consultants, Inc., L&K Express Wash, Sabine Holdings, and Shelby Savings Bank.
Bingo game purses included 24 different purses including brands such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Coach, which were modelled with much enthusiasm by volunteers from the Panola College baseball team. A popular bling ring raffle, sponsored by Luminant, consisted of prizes of donations from Bear Creek Smokehouse, Card My Yard-Carthage, Kendra Scott, Schlitterbahn Waterparks, Texas Rangers, and the Panola College Foundation.
Tonya Cooke, Rachel Davis, and Jessica Dorsey wait in line for Panda Express at Designer Purse Bingo.
As always, this event would not be possible without all the amazing volunteers. Panola College Occupational Therapy Assistant students and instructors, and the Panola College baseball team were instrumental in keeping the event running smoothly. Additional support for Designer Purse Bingo came from Arnold Graphic Design, Brookshire Brothers, Panda Express, Kountry Fresh Pizza, Panola College faculty and staff, Photography by Teresa Cage Beasley, R&K Distributors, Republic National, and Whataburger.
Pace recommends marking your calendars for the 7th Designer Purse Bingo ticket sales to open on January 15, 2020.
Winners of the evening posed for photos to celebrate their prizes.
March 26, 2019 - Panola College inducted new members into the Pi Beta Chapter of the national Phi Theta Kappa honor society on Thursday, March 21, in the Frances B. Ross Ballroom of the Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center.
Stephen K. Williams, Carthage City Manager, provided the keynote address, advising students to “always strive for excellence.” A PTK member himself, Williams encouraged students to choose their career paths carefully.
“Make sure you can get a job when you get out of college. Panola College is a good place to start your academic career or your working career,” he said. “You also need to give back to your profession and your community through volunteer involvement.”
Emily Zabcik, professor of mathematics and Pi Beta advisor, welcomed attendees, and the Panola Pipers, under the direction of Sandra Bauer, professor of vocal music and choir director, performed two songs.
The Phi Beta chapter is a long standing club at Panola College. Members may attend monthly meetings, and participate in community service projects coordinated by the club. To be eligible for Phi Theta Kappa membership, Panola College students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above and have completed a minimum of 12 transferable hours through Panola College.
New inductees for spring 2019 include Mason Campbell, Beckville; John Carter, Waskom; Yvonne Combs, Keithville; Nash Coultas, Carthage; Imani Hampton, Lilburn, Ga.; Esther Hernandez, Carthage; Hieu Le, Marshall; Lucero Luna, Tatum; Milagros Luna, Joaquin; Rebecca Mathis, Tenaha; Taylor Mills, Carthage; Keiler Norman, Carthage; Chailey Norton, Mt. Enterprise; Calicia Roland, Tenaha; Jazmin Uriostegui, Center, Rebecca Weatherford, Henderson, Leneve Williams, Marshall; Jeremy Dean, Beckville; Virginia Gentry, Carthage; Madelyn Haden, Tatum; Tyler Herndon, Center; Challenge Leonard, Marshall; Blaine Parker, Longview; Abigail Parrish, Nacogdoches; Julia Prewitt, Joaquin; and Cameron Stansbury, Groves.
Phi Theta Kappa was formed in 1918 by Missouri two-year college presidents. Today Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more that 2 million members and 1,200 chapters located in the 50 United States, U.S. territories, Canada, and Germany.
Phi Theta Kappa members are eligible for more than $37 million in transfer scholarship opportunities. Some scholarships offered by local schools include a $11,000 per academic year scholarship through East Texas Baptist University, a $3,000 scholarship at LeTourneau University, and a $1,500 scholarship at UT Tyler.
March 25, 2019 - Panola College took the conference lead this weekend after going 2-1 against Navarro. Both teams are 9-3 in conference, but Panola holds the tiebreaker after taking the series. The Ponies are now 24-5 on the year with 6 weeks left in the regular season.
Game 1 - The series opener was a close one for the first 5 innings. Back and forth lead to the Ponies being up 1 going into the bottom of the 6th. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Mateo Beltran (Lafayette, LA) uncorked a double off the top of the wall in left center to score 3 runs. The next batter Kade Clemens (Gilmer,TX) went big fly to left field for 2 more runs. Ponies took the opener by a score of 8-4.
Game 2 - The first game of the double header at Navarro was a close one. The Ponies ended up losing by 1, but had multiple opportunities to try and win the game. Zach Goree (Woden, TX) came on in relief on the mound and held the Bulldogs for 3 innings and Clemens belted his second Homerun of the series. Ponies lose 4-3.
Game 3 - The series finale was all Panola. Garret Hermes (Rowlett, TX) and Trey Lindsay (Beckville, TX) combined for a stellar 8.2 innings pitched in relief. Beltran smacked another bases loaded double in the top of the second to put the Ponies out front and they never looked back. Ponies take game 3 of the series by a score of 8-2.
The Panola College Ponies head to Eunice, LA to play LSUE on Tuesday followed by a home game Thursday against BPCC and then the DH at BPCC on Saturday. This will round out the first half of conference play.
From left: Dr. Sherlynn Hall, Associate Dean of Arts, Sciences and Technology; Natalie Oswalt, Dean of Arts, Sciences and Technology, and Dr. Billy “Bubba” Adams, Vice President of Instruction, review the Panola College courses offered with Open Education Resources.
March 22, 2019 - Panola College students working toward an academic associate degree could see savings of more than $1,000 beginning in fall 2019, as a result of an effort to use no-cost or low-cost Open Education Resources (OER) instead of traditional textbooks.
“Since I’ve been working in higher education, students have complained about the cost of textbooks. We made the decision to do something to help our students,” said Dr. Billy “Bubba” Adams, Vice President of Instruction.
The College Board said the average cost of a textbook in 2014 was $82, with annual cost of books and supplies at a two-year college totaling $1,390. Those costs, coupled with rising tuition and fees resulting from reduced state funding of higher education, led many students to sign up for classes without buying the required textbooks. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 65 percent of students surveyed in a federal study said they did not purchase a textbook because it was too expensive, but 94 percent of those students were worried that their grades would suffer as a result.
The Panola Faculty Association generated a timeline to transfer to OER most of the basic courses that form the foundation for a university bachelor’s degree. With this new program in place for fall 2019, the only basic courses that will not be initially available using OER content are Texas government and some science courses.
“Of the 42 semester hours in the academic core curriculum, our students will be able to earn 31 hours with OER beginning this fall,” said Natalie Oswalt, Dean of Arts, Sciences and Technology. “They will be able to earn 74 percent of their core coursework with OER. Math courses may continue to require online lab access, but within the new system, this cost cannot exceed $25.”
How will this initiative impact students in fall 2019? “Students who may have only had the funds to pay for one class with a $150 textbook will now be able to take two classes because the textbook cost no longer applies,” said Dr. Adams.
Oswalt researched the potential savings for Panola College students. “Students coming to Panola to complete the basic courses in the core curriculum will be able to complete 10 of those classes with OER, saving them at least $1,000 in textbook costs,” she said.
Panola’s initiative resulted from a decision by Dr. Greg Powell, President, and Dr. Adams to encourage and promote OER with faculty. While OER materials are available at no cost, they are academically sound and have been reviewed by professors in all disciplines. Content comes from reputable sources including Rice University’s OpenStax, peer-reviewed textbooks free in digital format.
Already, more than 200 Panola College courses do not require a textbook each semester. Certificate and associate of applied science degrees, however, often require supplies, equipment and books, but those materials are bundled as a one-time fee and are used throughout the program sequence.
The rising cost of higher education prompted the effort to provide more affordable resources to students. “Panola College remains one of the most affordable community colleges in East Texas. We are proud of the work we are doing to hold the line on textbook costs for our students,” Dr. Powell said.
Tyler Johnson
March 21, 2019 - Panola College Rodeo Team was in Bryan, Texas, for the Texas A&M Rodeo the 15th and 16th. The Men’s Team held on to the lead in the Southern Region, as well as finished 1st as a Men’s Team for the rodeo and the Women’s team placed 2nd for the weekend. Here are the results for athletes:
Tyler Johnson competed in the bareback riding event and kicked off the weekend with a bang scoring 79 points for the long round and placing 1st. Johnson was prepared and determined to be the best bareback rider at the Texas A&M Rodeo and finished the short round splitting 1st with a 76-point ride. He was on fire and with the show stopping performances Johnson put on, he won the bareback riding average. Johnson’s accomplishments earned the Panola College Men’s Team points helping to maintain their first place lead.
In the tie down roping event, Macon Murphy, started the weekend out with a 10.8 second run splitting 4th place in the round. Murphy was ready to make a run to remember in the short round and had the quickest time of 9.3 seconds finishing the round in 1st place. Murphy left Bryan, Texas winning 2nd in the average for the tie down roping event.
Panola College Women’s Rodeo Team member, Campbell Grover, came to the rodeo with a game plan to make fast and clean runs in the barrel racing event. She put up a challenge for the barrel racing contestants in the first round and placed 4th with a time of 15.6 seconds. Ten fierce contestants came back to the short round, Grover showed the competition just why she deserved to be there with a time of 15.5 seconds and a 2nd place finish. Campbell Grover is your second place barrel racing average winner for the Texas A&M Rodeo.
All Around Cowboy, Daylon Swearingen, from Piffard, New York competed in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. Swearingen continuous to show why he deserves a spot to the College National Finals Rodeo. After making two outstanding saddle bronc rides, Swearingen placed 3rd in the average. He didn't stop there, he spurred a bucker to earn the 4th place spot in the average for the bareback riding event. With his hard work and determination, his placings earned the Panola Men’s Team points to keep the lead in the overall standings.
Abbie Muckelroy, a barrel racer competing on the Panola College Women’s Rodeo Team set the arena on fire and after placing in both the first round and the short go, Muckelroy ended the Texas A&M rodeo with a 4th place finish in the barrel racing average. With Muckelroy’s perseverance the Panola College Women’s Team was able to move up in the rankings for the overall team standings at the Texas A&M rodeo.
Jackson Williams weighing in at 145 pounds, 5 foot 9 inches tall, came to take down Goliath in the steer wrestling event, in the first round Williams threw his steer stopping the clock at 4.8 seconds splitting 4th. In the short round, Williams was anxious to show his talent in the arena once again with a time of 8.6 seconds and another 4th place finish. It was no surprise with the amount of hours and hard work to prove it that Williams would place in the average, heading back to Carthage, Texas as the 4th place steer wrestling average winner.
Campbell Grover
A name all remember and all are familiar with, Saddle Bronc rider from Alto Texas, Logan Cook showed up and showed out at the Texas A&M Rodeo where he put together a spur ride that would place him 5th in the average. Cook’s accomplishments not only helped him in the overall standings for the all around, and event leaderboard, but helped to place the Panola College Men’s Team first at the Texas A&M Rodeo and maintain the overall lead as a team.
Bareback Rider, Travis Chapman, matched up with a bucking horse of Champion Rodeo Company’s and their dance in the arena was nothing short of outstanding landing Chapman a 4th place finish. Finishing the weekend out, Chapman placed 6th in the bareback riding average.
In the event of Breakaway Roping, girls compete to rope their calf in the fastest time possible, Maison Davis of Kilgore, Texas grasps this concept strongly. Davis, set the bar high with a fiery run of 2.2 seconds winning 2nd in the 1st round. Accomplishing this goal, Davis helped to earn the Panola College Women’s Rodeo Team points to earn their 2nd place finish at the Texas A&M Rodeo.
After 8 rodeos that the Panola College Rodeo Team has competed in this far, here is where the team members stand overall: Leading the all-around standings is the cowboy from Alto, Texas, Logan Cook, he competes in the saddle bronc riding, team roping, and tie down roping events. In the bareback riding event, the cowboy from Athens, Texas, Tyler Johnson, holds the lead with 853 points. Clayton Lowry, is a competitor in the Team Roping event and is placing second with 435 points. Bull Rider, Ross Freeman, has 354 points and is 2nd overall. Sitting third in the event leaders for the tie down roping, Logan Cook, with 379.50 points.
Panola College Rodeo Team is the number 1 men’s team in the Southern Region, with plans to take a full team to the CNFR. “Our goal is to take a team to the College National Finals and be the number 1 team in the nation. I expect this team to achieve this goal, and look forward to the next 2 rodeos says Coach Collins.”
March 19, 2019 - Panola College baseball had a busy Spring Break playing 6 games in 7 days. The Ponies went 4-2 over the week dropping two close games in which Panola had the lead late. The Ponies are now 21-4 on the year and sit in second in conference play at 7-2. Big week ahead as Panola takes on LSUA Monday night at 6pm (at home) and a 3 game series with conference leading Navarro (Thursday-home, Saturday-away).
Northeast took game two of the three game set due to some defensive miscues late by Panola. The Ponies rallied back to take game 3 by a score of 6-4. This moved their overall record to 18-3 and 5-1 in conference play.
On Monday the Panola Baseball team traveled to Centenary to play them in a midweek matchup. Panola dominated from the start of the game. Sophomore Blaine Parker (Hallsville, TX) got the start and went a solid 3 innings. He passed it off to Nick Sewell (Dallas, TX) for 2 innings, John Dominguez (Leander, TX) for 1, Bryce Toney (Cypress, TX) for 2, and Michael Soisson (Jasper, TX) closed out the final inning. The pitching staff held Centenary to 1 earned run on the day. The offense was led by freshman Mateo Beltran (Lafayette, LA) and Ryan Snell (Hardin, TX). Beltran had 3 hits-2runs-2rbi-1walk while Snell added 2hits-2rbi-1walk-1run. Panola won the matchup 10-3 and moved to 19-3 on the year.
Thursday’s matchup at Angelina was dominated by the Ponies. Every hitter in the lineup posted a hit and 7 of 9 had multiple hits. Joe Stevens (Gonzales, LA) had 3 hits and RBI and Kade Clemens (Gilmer, TX) had 2 hits and 2 RBI with one of the hits being a line drive homerun to right (his 5th). Sophomores Jarret Whorff (Winnsboro, TX) and Garret Hermes (Rowlett, TX) combined for 8 innings giving up only 3 earned runs. Panola won the shortened game due to mercy rule 11-3 in 8 innings. 20-3 on the season for the Ponies and 6-1 in conference play.
Saturday Game 1-
Panola Jumped out to an early lead over Angelina, but it proved to not be enough. The ponies gave up 5 unearned runs and gave up a 3 run homerun in the top of the 7th to go down by 1 run. In the bottom of the 7th Austin Bost (Groves, TX) gave one a ride deep to right but his walk-off attempt was robbed and the Ponies fell 8-7 in game 1.
Saturday Game 2-
Chad Dallas (Orange, TX) was the story of game 2. He went a complete game (mercy rule shortened) 7innings-1hit-0run-0walks-10strikeouts. He faced the minimum amount of hitters by picking off the only roadrunner to reach base. Dallas took a perfect game into the 6th but gave up a jam shot single that was just out of reach for the diving Cam Sibley at shortstop. Austin Bost and Kade Clemens each went big fly for the home team and the runs were more than enough. Panola wins the series and takes game 3 by a score of 8-0.
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