1. education
2. school

Volume 7 - Number 27
February 2015
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
CELEBRATING AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Yulonda Wimbish-North: UT Texas Women’s Athletic Hall of Honor Inductee
by Amy Leissner
In the summer before her freshman
year of high school, Victoria native Yulonda
Wimbish-North attended a basketball camp
where she encountered Jan Lahodny, the
dynamic girls’ basketball coach of what
was then Victoria High School. Wimbish
told her mother Alice Lott about Lahodny’s “dynamic personality and passion for
the sport,” and how she wished Lahodny
could be her high school basketball coach
when school started in the fall. Because
their neighborhood mandated that Wimbish attend Stroman, the rival high school
across town, Wimbish’s mother moved the
family before summer’s end, and Wimbish
got her wish. As a freshman, Wimbish met
senior Sherryl Hauglum, who had already
secured a basketball scholarship to the
University of Texas. “I didn’t even know
you could go to college and play basketball,
and I decided that day that I wanted to do
that too,” Wimbish says. But first, she had
Left to right, Alice Lott, Yulonda Wimbish-North, and Jan Lahodny
a Class 5A state high school championship
to help win, which she did as part of Lahodny’s 1982 VHS team.
True to her intention, Wimbish went on
Stand Up, Speak Up
by vicki spriggs
CEO, Texas CASA
February, Black History Month, is that period
of time when we consider
the contributions of African
Americans to our country.
We talk about advances in
civil rights and we lift up
success stories of those
whose skin color set them
apart. For most of us, the
28 days in February are a
brief history lesson that reminds us of the humanity Spriggs
of those whose ancestors
came to our country unwillingly and who
courageously fought oppression and racism to ascend to heights unimagined by
those who would try to hold them back.
Children in the foster care system,
particularly children of color, face similar
challenges. African American children
make up 11.6 percent of the child population in Texas and 16.1 percent of the children in the Texas foster care system. In
comparison, Anglo children represent 30.6
percent of the Texas population and 20.9 percent of
the foster care population;
Hispanic children comprise
49.4 percent of the child
population and 30.7 percent
of the foster care population.
African American
children are removed from
their homes at higher rates
than children from other
demographic groups even
though there is no evidence
that says African American
parents abuse their children more than other parents.
When a child enters the foster care
system and the state’s care and custody,
they have no voice. Well-intentioned adults
who do not know them and know little
about their history make decisions for and
about them that have the potential to harm
or to heal. We know that the state is not
a good parent and that growing up in an
overburdened foster care system is no way
See STAND UP, pg 16
to be the first left handed player recruited
by Longhorn’s coach Jody Conradt at the
University of Texas. Conradt remembers
Wimbish as extraordinarily talented for a
freshman, citing strong coaching from Lahodny, who was turning out players with
great skills and an excellent knowledge
of the fundamentals of the game, as well
as an exemplary work ethic. Conradt also
recalls Wimbish as “so serious, so intent.
She didn’t talk much, but you got the impression that she was taking everything
in.” Even when an injury kept her sidelined
for a year, Wimbish stayed engaged and
connected to the team, and came back “as
if she’d never been gone,” Conradt says.
Wimbish was a member of Conradt’s 198586 national championship team that became the first women’s college basketball
team ever to have an undefeated season,
and she has vivid memories of Barbara
Jordan giving a congratulatory speech to
mark that occasion.
In 1988, Wimbish was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year, and
last November she was thrilled to be
See WIMBISH-NORTH, pg 18
Spring semester is looking up for UHV
The money would pay for
new academic space, renovation of the exiting University West and University
Center buildings and land
acquisition. The UH System has pledge to support
UHV’s request for state
funding as a top priority in
the legislative session.
Dr. Vic Morgan
Interim President, UHV
It’s looking like it will
be an exciting spring semester at the University
of Houston-Victoria with
many changes taking place
as we continue focusing our
efforts on becoming a selfsustaining destination university in Victoria.
Here are just a few
things that we’re working
on at UHV:
Morgan
•Funding – The university is requesting $166 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds
during the 84th legislative session. UHV accepted its first underclassmen in fall 2010,
and we have been extremely successful
with our freshman recruiting since then. In
fact, UHV has about 470 freshmen on campus this school year. The TRBs would be
used for continued support of UHV’s transition to a four-year residential university.
•Administrative
Changes – I recently promoted Jay Lambert to vice
president for enrollment
management and student
affairs. In spring 2013, he
came to UHV from Lamar University as
the associate vice president for student affairs. This shift allows UHV to put a greater
emphasis on enrollment management and
student services while at the same time
freeing up Jeffrey Cass, provost and vice
president for academic affairs, to focus
on academic programs and the Academic
Master Plan.
See SPRING, pg 14
2 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
Publisher’s Message
2015 Wish List:
Formulate a Plan to Achieve
Goal(s) * Prepare & Implement * Strive for Excellence =
Success!!!!!!!!!!!!
Action speaks louder than words!
UHV honors Black History Month with
full schedule of events
Here are the events that UHV is putting on during Black History Month.
Evolution of a Black Girl: From the
Slave House to the White House
A powerful one woman show performance taking you on a journey from Africa
during the 1400’s to present day America.
7 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 2
University center,
Multi-purpose Room
Getting From Then to Now (Panel
Discussion: A.J. Ortega, Bev Tomek,
Cherlyn Hodge, Camilla Sutton)
Join fellow students as we travel
through time in the discussion of civil
rights from the past to now.
7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 3
University West, Alcorn Auditorium Film Night: “The Butler”
Follow African American, Cecil
Gaines, as he serves eight president during his tenure as a butler at the White
House witnessing the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and other major
events in this feature film.
9 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 5
Jaguar Suites, Multipurpose Room
Freedom Summer at 50 (Panel Discussion: Harold Simmons, Benny Martinez, Barbara Smith)
1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7
VC/UHV Library, L2
In the Words of Odd?Rod
Odd?Rod will captivate you with his
“picture-painting” poetry and storytelling
style. He has been voted as APCA’s 2014
Spoken Word Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
University Center, Multi-Purpose
Room 1st Annual A.D. Sheffield Symposium
1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28
University Center, Multipurpose
Room
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 3
Outstanding students juggle family, school
to accomplish goals
The outstanding fall graduates for the
University of Houston-Victoria School of
Education & Human Development are on
their way to fulfilling their lifelong dreams.
 Amy Lopez, the outstanding undergraduate student and a Victoria resident, will earn her Bachelor of Science in
Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on
early childhood
to
sixth-grade
education. Lisa
Marie Flores, the
outstanding graduate student and
a Houston resident, will obtain a
Master of Education with educational diagnostician certification.
Each semester,
professors Lopez
from the four UHV schools select an outstanding student from both their graduate and undergraduate programs to be
honored during commencement. UHV will
hold fall commencement at 11 a.m. Dec. 13
in the Leonard E. Merrell Center, 6301 Stadium Lane in Katy.
“These two women have shown a remarkable dedication to education and the
desire to improve themselves,” said Fred
Litton, dean of the UHV School of Educa-
tion & Human Development. “I am proud
to see such fine students graduating from
UHV and wish them the best as they take
the knowledge they have gained here to
the outside world.”
 This year, the outstanding graduates have more in common than their attendance at UHV. Both women are working mothers who
always knew they
wanted to have
jobs in education.
L o p e z
worked for the
Victoria
school
district
as
a
teacher’s aide for
about eight years.
“I’ve always
been in the classroom working as
Litton
an aide,” she said.
“I finally decided I wanted to have my own
classroom. I’ve had friends who graduated
from UHV and told me it was a great program.”
Lopez started taking classes at Victoria College before transferring to UHV to
earn her bachelor’s degree. She and her
husband both had to work to provide for
their family of four children, but she always
took at least six hours of classes every
See GOALS, page 18
UHV, Harbin Normal University in China
Form Partnership
To facilitate international academic
exchanges between students and faculty
members, the University of Houston-Victoria has signed an agreement with a large
university in northern China.
UHV and Harbin Normal University
recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could pave the way for
research collaboration and student exchanges
between the two
schools.
 “The MOU
is a starting point,
which allows us to
fast track a lot of
specific collaboration on programs,
such as teaming
up on computer Wan
science
undergraduate studies,” said Yun Wan, a UHV
associate professor of computer information systems and the director of computer
science graduate programs.
UHV Interim President Vic Morgan
welcomed the chance to work with Harbin
on mutually beneficial academic goals.
“This partnership formalization could
lead to a lot of exciting opportunities down
the line,” Morgan said. “We take pride in
preparing students to work in an increas-
ingly global marketplace. We look forward
to talking with Harbin officials about ways
to strengthen instruction and research.”
Harbin Normal University is a training
and scientific research base for talents of
education, arts, humanities, social sciences
and natural science. The campus is located
in the town of Harbin, which is in Heilongjiang Province.
The school
was
founded
in 1951. Enrollment at Harbin is
about 42,000 undergraduate students, master’s
students and doctoral candidates.
The school has
about 2,030 fulltime teachers in- Di Leo
cluding 1,080 professors and associate professors. Harbin
has 26 schools and offers 61 undergraduate
specialties, more than 100 master’s degrees and 47 doctoral programs.
The MOU is in place through Oct.
31, 2019. Jeffrey Di Leo, dean of the UHV
School of Arts & Sciences, initiated discussions about ways Harbin and UHV could
work together.
“Harbin Normal University has an
See PARTNERSHIP, page 18
You can make your mark at the University of Houston-Victoria
and in your life. UHV offers quality bachelor’s and master’s
degrees that fit every need.
Whether you’re about to graduate from high school and want a
traditional university experience while you earn a bachelor’s degree or
you’re a busy professional who wants to finish up a bachelor’s or start
a master’s degree, UHV is here for you.
You can take online or face-to-face classes at convenient times. UHV
also has some of the state’s lowest tuition rates and will help you get
as much financial aid as possible.
Choose from nearly 70 degree programs and concentrations in popular
areas such as digital gaming and simulation, criminal justice, business,
education and nursing. Call (361) 570-4848 for more information.
Olatunji Faluyi
UHV Student
WWW.UHV.EDU
4 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
School year offered many opportunities for students to showcase talents at VISD
by diane boyett
Director of Communications, VISD
This school year has offered many opportunities for our students to showcase
their extraordinary talents.
The year began with the prestigious
opportunity for elementary and high school
students to perform for the State Board of
Education.
Shortly after that performance, students began to prepare for the annual
VISD musical production. Our students
had the opportunity to shine on stage and
behind the curtain as the tale of Willie
Wonka came to life at the VISD Fine Arts
Center. The talents were amazing. The kids
in the audience had a magical adventure.
What am I saying? The kids…we ALL had
a great time! Congratulations and thanks
to the entire cast and crew who made “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” a
great production.
Even as students were heavily involved in the musical rehearsals, other students were hard at work in Austin earning
coveted places in the All State band and
choirs.
For the first time in school history,
a choir student from Victoria East and a
choir student from Victoria West earned
places on the elite All-State Choir.
Victoria West Senior Vanischa Stephens and Victoria East Senior Samuel
Gross were named to the Texas Music
Educators Association (TMEA) Texas All
State Choir. Vanischa is ranked as first
chair Alto II for the Women’s Choir. Samuel
ranked eighth chair in the Tenor I choir
and is part of the All State Men’s Choir.
They are the first students EVER from
their schools to earn a place with the AllState Choirs. The Texas All-State choirs
are the top performing groups in the state
with students selected from a process that
began in September. Over 60,000 music students auditioned to be a part of one of the
elite groups.
They will perform as members of the
Texas All-State Choirs in San Antonio February 14 as part of the 2015 Texas Music
Educators Association Clinic/Convention.
The same weekend Samuel and Vanischa were making school history, Victoria
East Senior Alan Olmos was making history, as well as the first student from East
to make All State Band three years in a row.
After competing and advancing in 3
separate tryouts among thousands of students from across the state, Alan earned
the highest possible state honor for individual competition and is again part of the
Texas All State Band. This year he took an
extra challenge and chose to compete at
the 6A level even though Victoria East is
rated as a 5A school. He competed against
students in an area that spans from near
Houston through the Valley and earned 1st
chair and straight 1st place scores from all
5 judges.
Alan will
perform with
the All State
Band at the
TMEA conference in February. We also
congratulate
seven Victoria
East students
who
earned
a place in the
state tryouts.
And, while
the musicians
were shining
at state level
competitions,
the
Victoria “Daddy Mike,” painted by Ashley Miska from Victoria East High School won High
Fine Arts Cen- School Best of Show at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Art Show.
ter was playto Erica Sanchez-Medrano and Alize Roing host to the
annual VISD Art Show that is held in con- driguez. Erica is a Victoria West student
junction with the Houston Livestock Show and Alize was at Victoria East.
At the middle school level, Howell stuand Rodeo. The amazing artistic talents of
the students made for a tough time as the dent Lauren Johnson was Best of Show
judges could select only a handful of pieces and Donivan Vecera was a Gold Medalist.
to take for the Houston Livestock Show and At the elementary level, congratulations
to Best of Show winner Minh-Tam Le from
Rodeo Art Show.
Ashley Miska earned the top high Smith Elementary. The Elementary Gold
school honors with Best of Show. Ashley is Medal went to Armando Villarreal from
from Victoria East. Gold Medalists at the Chandler Elementary.
Visit the VISD website at www.visd.net
High School level include Rachel Johnson
and Reagan McElroy, also from Victoria to see the art work as well as video perforEast. High School Special Merit honors go mances of our students in action.
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 5
HONORING THE LEGACY OF REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
From the streets of Selma...to the nation’s capitol...the dream continues!
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically....Intelligence plus
character - that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
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6 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
YOUR HEALTH
It’s Heart Month! Did you know?
by Dr. tywaun tillman
Cardiovascular Associates
Citizens Medical Center
February is known for Valentine’s Day
but also ushers in a celebration of the human heart. 51 years ago, February was designated as American Heart Month with the
goal of bringing awareness to the national
pandemic that is cardiovascular disease
(CVD) and to urge support for solving this
problem. Despite improvements in medical technology, exercise and dietary advancements, and education of the general
public, CVD (which includes heart attack
and stroke) remains the number one cause
of death in the United States.
Much progress has been made in the
battle against CVD over the last couple of
decades. During this time, the rate of death
from CVD has decreased by approximately
30%. Yet, CVD still accounts for 800,000
US deaths annually which equates to 1 out
of every 3 deaths. The majority of these
deaths are due to coronary heart disease
causing 1 out of 7 deaths compared with
stroke accounting for 1 out of 20 deaths. Improvements in emergency protocols, medical therapy, and the extensive technological advancements in the field of cardiology
have been the major force in decreasing
the death rate. Also, the impact of public
Much progress has been made
in the battle against CVD over
the last couple of decades. During this time, the rate of death
from CVD has decreased by approximately 30%. Yet, CVD still
accounts for 800,000 US deaths
annually which equates to 1 out
of every 3 deaths.
education initiatives, of which Heart Month
is a part, has led to a more aware and educated public. Patients are able to readily
recognize symptoms of stroke or heart attack and know to quickly react by taking
aspirin and calling 911. As a result, patients
are diagnosed earlier leading to better outcome including decreased death rates.
The leaps and bounds in technology
and medical therapy that have defined the
recent “Golden Age” of CVD is unlikely
to continue into the near future. In order
to achieve continued progress in success
against CVD, prevention must be the new
frontier. The most impactful risk factors
for CVD are smoking and diabetes. There
has been a drastic reduction in smoking as
of recent. This has been offset by the rapidly increasing prevalence of diabetes owing
to the pervasive problem of both childhood
and adult obesity. As such, prevention at
this level must be waged by each and every
one of us on a daily basis. Healthy lifestyles
consisting of appropriate diets and regular
exercise could achieve a level of success/
progress equal to that of the aforementioned “Golden Age” of CVD. Unfortunately, current trends suggest the opposite. 40%
of the US population is expected to have
some form of CVD by 2030 thereby tripling
the annual direct medical costs of CVD to
more than $800 billion.
American Heart Month does not garner enough attention to rival the ubiquity
of the color pink that washes across the US
every October in support of breast cancer
awareness. While 1 in 31 women in the US
will die from breast cancer, 1 in 3 will die
from CVD. Every year since 1984, CVD has
killed more women than men in part due to
the lack of attention given to the effect of
CVD on women; unfortunately, only 1 in 5
women view CVD as their greatest health
risk. In fact, CVD kills more Americans
than all forms of cancer combined. As a
cardiologist, an important responsibility
for the foreseeable future will be educating
the public to raise awareness as the burden for prevention of CVD will rest on your
shoulders.
Dr. Tillman
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 7
Warrior’s Weekend Field of Honor seeks sponsorships Warrior’s Weekend
Dear Patriots,
For several articles, I have been encouraging each of you to figure out how you
can bring about a “Community of Honor”
in your Families, schools, businesses, and
organizations. Well, here’s an idea that
might intrigue those of you who want to do
just that.
The Warrior’s Weekend Field of Honor
would like to offer you an opportunity to
raise funds for your organization’s projects;
AND, provide a more meaningful experience for your members. Our proposal: sell
American flag sponsorships for the Warrior’s Weekend Field of Honor 2015. Please
take a moment to go to http://www.warriorsweekend.org/ and check out the photos
and testimonials from Soldiers about their
experiences.
Flags will be posted in the field at
Parkway Church on John Stockbauer in
Victoria, TX, on Saturday, May 2nd, and remain up until May 25, 2015 when the Field
is inactivated.
We will conduct a Dedication ceremony
on May 12, 2015; and, a Welcome Ceremony
on May 15, 2015 attended by local area Veterans, citizens, AND wounded/recovering
Soldiers attending Warrior’s Weekend.
Here are some specifics about the Flag
Sponsorship fundraising event:
•Flag sponsorship is still only $40.
Warrior’s Weekend will donate $20 (!) to
your organization…and flag sponsors can
Field of Honor flag
location and
ceremony schedule
keep the flags when the Field is inactivated
Weekend
•There are NO materiel costs, handling, or storage requirements. The Field
of Honor committee and Volunteers handle
all the logistics and setup. (We do welcome
volunteers! Call me!)
This fundraiser is a great way to support your projects, but most importantly,
it encourages the community to honor our
Veterans; and, encourages our wounded
Soldiers and their families when they come
to Warrior’s Weekend. Please contact me
if you need additional information or to get
started with this great opportunity.
•Flags sponsorships may be purchased to honor any Veteran who has
served in the US military at any time.
Each flag will be labeled with the name of
the Veteran and the sponsor. If you don’t
have someone to honor, the Field of Honor
committee will fill in the name of a wounded Soldier who will be attending Warrior’s
Serving the most deserving,
COL (Ret) Michael Petrash
Director, WW Field of Honor
210-364-4512
This year’s Field will be conducted at the vacant lot adjacent to Parkway Church on John Stockbauer. We
just out-grew the Field at Faith Family
Church. Here’s the schedule of events for
the Field of Honor and Warrior’s Weekend:
2 MAY: 9am to 1pm-Sponsor flag
posting. Volunteers and organizations
needed for helping to post the flags. ALL
Patriots welcome!
12 MAY: 8pm-Field of Honor
Dedication Ceremony
15 MAY: 3pm-Welcome to the
Warriors
15-17 MAY: Warrior’s Weekend,
Port O’Connor
25 MAY: 8pm-Memorial Day Ceremony
31 MAY: 8pm-Inactivation
Ceremony
8 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
A High Energy Campaign at the Boys & Girls Club of Victoria
Marc A. Hinojosa
Executive Director
Boys & Girls Club of Victoria, Inc.
We’re running
out of room at the
Boys & Girls Club
of Victoria! The
Club is experiencing a growth
in numbers of
school-aged kids
wanting to become
members.
The
place known as
the “Positive Place
for Kids” that has Hinojosa
served thousands
of kids ages 6 – 18 for over 46 years here in
Victoria, has seen a gradual surge in memberships over the last two years and now
finds itself searching for room to put them.
It is a good problem to have, but not for
the kids currently unable to attend due to
space issues. The Club has put an indefinite hold on accepting new memberships
for the After School Program. There have
been steps put in place to manage some of
the numbers and with an upcoming campaign to update the gymnasium and create
a teen center and weight facility, Executive
Director Marc A. Hinojosa, not only seeks
to develop unused space but also attract
a whole new audience to the Boys & Girls
Club experience.
It has been a number of years since
high school teens have been seen passing
through the wood-carved doors of the local
Club. Since the days of the consolidation
of Stroman and Victoria High Schools to
our current Titan and Warrior following,
the Club has suffered from retaining a high
school following due mainly to demographics and a lack of teen attractions. The proposed teen center and weight facility, currently in the planning stages, will go a long
way in making this happen.
Funds are in place to supply air con-
ditioning to our gym, but additional plans
include placing a modular flooring alternative that will serve primarily basketball and
volleyball. The teen center, weight facility
and gym flooring plus the added improvements associated with the air conditioning
system have set a modest goal of $85,000 to
raise in the coming year; modest to some
organizations, yet monumental in the history of the Boys & Girls Club of Victoria.
Projected improvements to over half of
this 21,000 square foot 30-year-old building
is a bold initiative for this “High Energy”
campaign, but results are expected to in-
crease the numbers, open up doors to a
new population and increase opportunities
for some self-sustainability at the Positive
Place for Kids.
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 9
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Vanischa Raquel Stephens
Age: 18
School: Victoria West High School
Grade: 12
Academic Recognition/Award Texas All-State Choir, The first
student ever from VWHS to earn a place with the All- State
Choir, Area G Candidate for All-State Choir, 1st Chair Alto
II Women’s Choir, 2nd Chair All-Region Choir, 4th Chair
All-District Choir, Band State Solo and Ensemble – 1 rating
and Gold Medalist, Band Region Solo and Ensemble – 1
rating and Gold Medalist, 2nd place District JV Shot Put, A-B
Honor Roll
Jeremiah Sodia
Joshua Smith
Mercedes Ellison
Age: 16
School: Victoria West High School
Grade: 10th
Age: 18
School: Victoria West High School
Grade: 12th
Academic Recognition/Awards: 1st Team AllState Football
Academic Recognition/Awards: A Honor Roll
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: Football, Basketball, Track,
Debate
Academic Recognition/Awards: AB Honor roll, Worthy
Warrior Award, Girls’ Basketball District 30 MVP 20132014, All Area MVP, 2012-2013 Most Improved Player
District 30
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: Victoria West
Football
Community Service: The football team goes to the
local soup kitchen to serve the less fortunate
Community Service: Community Clean Up, Journey Home,
Blue Santa, Chuy’s Parade, Turkey Hand-Out, Clothes Closet,
and more!
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: AVID, National Honor
Society, 3 year letterman varsity basketball, Varsity
Track 3 year letterman
Favorite Subject: English
Favorite Subject: Science
Goals: To play college football
Favorite Subject: Math & English
Goals: Graduate high school in the top 15 percent,
then go to college
Parent(s): Josh & Lola Smith
Community Service: Christ Kitchen, Mt. Nebo Baptist
church, Feast of sharing, AVID hours, Young Life
Favorite Subject: Science
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: Varsity Choir, Varsity Band,
Marching Band, VWHS Track Team, NHS (National Honor
Society), TFME (Texas Future Music Educators), NSHSS
(National Society of High School Scholars), VWHS Yearbook
Staff, Quill and Scroll
Goals: Attend college and join the college choir
Parent(s): Charles and Raquel Stephens
School: Victoria West High School
Age: 17
Grade: 12
Parents: Jerret Sodia & Janice Sodia
Goals: Go to a 4 year university and pursue Dentistry
Parent(s): Lakishia and Clarence Ellison
Camille Boone
Erica Barnett
Age: 17
School: Victoria East High School
Grade: 12
Academic Recognition/Awards: “A” Honor roll; ranked
top to in class; President’s Award
Clubs/Teams/ Organizations: Varsity Cross-Country
team, Varsity Track Team, Show Up ‘N Show Out Track
Club
Community Service: The Heat Fitness Center volunteer
(30 hrs);
Volunteered at Gulf Coast Rehabilitation Center (80
hrs); Southern Swing Volleyball Coach (48 hrs)
Favorite Subject: Biology
Goals: Receive a biomedical engineering degree from
Texas A&M University and join the Marines
Parent(s): Abbie and Faye Barnett
Imani Wimbish-Gay
Age: 16
School: Liberty Academy
Grade: 10
Raylynn Marie Randle
Academic Recognition/Awards: Liberty Academy Early
College Center (ECC) A/B Honor Roll (has earned 6
hours of college credit). Second year of Advancement
Via Individual Determination (AVID).
Age:10
School: Bloomington Elementary School
Grade: 5
Academic Recognition/Awards: GT; A-honor roll
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: Camille actively recycles
and donates recyclables to Liberty Academy.
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: Girls Varsity Basketball
Community Service: Member of Mount Nebo Baptist
Church and volunteers at Christ’s Kitchen and Texas
Zoo of Victoria. Participates in park clean up with
youth program of the church/Youth officer, church
choir, Youth usher, Ministry at nursing homes,
Member of Praise Dance Ministry, DeTar Health Center
youth volunteer.
Academic Recognition/Awards: A/B Honor Roll,
Shining Star Student, Social Studies, Science, Perfect
Attendance, Citizenship Award, Jump Rope For Heart
Age: 14
School: Victoria East High School
Grade: 9
Favorite Subject: Social Studies; English
Goals: Graduate High School in top 5%; go to
college on athletic scholarship
Parent(s): George and Yulonda North
Favorite Subject: AVID with Ms. Kelsey Williams.
Clubs/Teams/Organizations: UIL (Oral Reading)
Community Service: Church Youth Group
Favorite Subject: Science
Goal(s): Earn Associate’s Degree before graduating
high school. Professional goal become a Radiologist.
Goals: Academic Success in all subjects
Parent(s): Ms. Marie Ross and Mr. Craig Boone.
Parent(s): Tammy Randle
10 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
VISD Education Foundation gives to local students
by Kristy Nelson
Foundation Board Member
Last year, Stroman teacher Kendra
Duty noticed that her students often had
no school supplies, not because they were
forgotten, but because their families could
not afford notebooks, pens, and paper. Minutes in the classroom were lost scrambling
to make sure that all students had the basic
supplies they needed to learn. She began to
brainstorm about what could be done to
eliminate the need for these things in her
class.
Ms. Duty submitted a grant application to the Victoria ISD Education Foundation to request computer tablets for her
classroom. The tablets would mean that
“students would be able to walk into the
classroom and already have all the tools
they needed to learn and be successful”
and not be embarrassed because they
could not afford basic school supplies. Ms.
Duty was awarded the money to purchase
a classroom set of tablets to improve student performance.
This is just one of the many ways that
the VISD Education Foundation works to
help Victoria students succeed. Since its inception seven years ago, the VISD Educa-
tion Foundation has awarded 82 grants to
educators in the district, worth more than
$170,000. The foundation, made up of community members, solicits donations and
sponsors fundraising events, such as last
year’s Beatles tribute band and this year’s
sold out Three Dog Night concert on Feb.
14th. The money raised is used to provide
grants to local teachers who have ideas
about how to improve their students’ success. Grants like the Home Library Giveaway, which awarded books and a bookshelf
to families, or the purchase of indoor play
equipment for the Teen Parent Connection
Center all benefit local students and their
families.
The Education Foundation also offers numerous scholarships to deserving
VISD seniors who want to continue their
education. Many of the scholarship honor
former Victoria educators, like the Gayla
Capers Memorial Scholarship and the Dr.
Martha A. Zuniga Memorial Scholarship. If
you would like to be involved in the VISD
Education Foundation, call the office at
361.788.9271.
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 11
See NAVE, pg 27
OSCIA Productions
by Oscar Hernandez-Perkins, President OSCIA Productions
Over 2,500 excited Theatre goers attended the 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards on November 17, 2014 in
Beverly Hills California at the Saban Theatre. A celebration of excellence in Theatre, Produced and Directed by
Oscar Hernandez-Perkins
Toni Braxton - Spirit Award
Obba Babatunde – Presenter
Chante Moore – Performer
Christian Keyes – Presenter
John Sotoodeh – President’s Award
Vanessa Bell-Callaway and Kellita
Smith – Presenters
Glenn Turman – Lifetime Achievement
Award
Jesire Dizon and Steven Bishop –
Presenters
Tichina Arnold – Presenter
Shanica Knowles – Performer
Pastor Lee Yarbrough – Austin, Texas and
Kellita Smith- Presenter
Broadway Star - Chester Gregory
Toni Braxton – Spirit Award and
Babyface – Presenter
From left, Dr. Tywaun Tilman, Maiya Tilman, Katherine Limoges, Los
Angeles entrepreneur Wihelm Osterman and Rick Perkins.
12 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
Artist Jameel Rasheed sees “Quiet Courage” in Rosa Parks
by amy leissner
Ask artist Jameel Rasheed how his
art has impacted his life, and he’ll tell you
a story that he says has brought him full
circle. Living and attending high school
in Boston in the late 60’s, he entered the
Boston Globe’s annual art contest for area
schools. His piece, “Relaxation,” won an
award that included a four-year scholarship
to a well-renowned art institution in Little
Rock, Arkansas. When the award committee arrived from Little Rock to present him
with his award, they had no idea that the
nineteen year old, then known as Howard
Badgett, was black. After meeting him, the
committee revoked the scholarship, explaining that it would be too controversial
for a black student to attend an all-white
school in Little Rock.
Rasheed
says
that
experience
often makes
him wonder
if it was coincidence or
divine intervention that
he would become known
for his depiction of Rosa
Parks, “Quiet
C o u r a g e . ” Jameel Rasheed
and has been placed in
numerous city halls, government buildings and
businesses across the nation. When he had the opportunity to meet Parks
at the opening of the
transit center named for
her in Lynwood, he was
struck by a crowd of several thousand school children running to meet her
as if she were a rock star.
“How did they know who
she was?” he wondered,
and then he realized,
“She was in their history Photo of Rosa Parks signing Rasheed’s drawing.
books, required readVideo.” In addition to “Quiet Courage,” he
ing.” When Parks was asked what she
has created two other portraits of African
thought of Rasheed’s portrait depictAmerican legends: one of Muhammad Ali
ing the day in 1955 when she refused to
and The Temptations. Jameel has had the
give up her seat to a white bus passenprivilege of having both Ali and Otis Wilger in Montgomery, Alabama, he says,
liams (an original member and founder of
Rasheed’s drawing of Rosa Parks, “Quiet Courage.”
“She smiled, so I knew she liked it. And the Temps) autograph the portraits. He
when she signed my piece, it was a life
was told that the signature of Ali was one
I’m from back east, so I knew very little of
changing experience.”
of the last times the former boxer was able
Rosa Parks. Malcolm X was my hero,” says
With the help of long-time supporter
Rasheed, so when he was commissioned in former California congresswoman Diane to sign his full name due to his deteriorat1994 by the city of Lynwood, CA to create E. Watson, Rasheed is spearheading the ing health.
In all his work, Rasheed strives to
an image of Parks for their newly renamed effort to have the image made into a U.S.
Rosa Parks Transit Center, he researched commemorative postage stamp. “That’s present “African-Americans of the past
and present, legendary and contemporary,
Parks’ story. “I found her quite courageous, my dream,” he says.
while also paying homage to African warand I wanted to reflect that in her portrait.”
These days, Rasheed is hard at work
Jameel’s work has become a defin- on a television special, “Presenting African riors and nobility that project positive iming image for the civil rights movement American Legends through Fine Arts and ages.”
Victoria College presents "A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a
Prayer," a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned
authors and playwrights, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle. These
diverse voices rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose and
examine the insidiousness of violence at all levels: brutality, neglect,
a punch, even a put-down. This production is part of the nationwide
movement on college campuses known as V-Day, intended to expose and
stop violence against women all over the world. V-Day has grown to a
nationwide event over the past two decades, and has been celebrated at
Victoria College since 2010. Ticket proceeds are donated to the Women's
Crisis Center in Victoria.
When: Friday February 13 and Saturday February 14, 7:30pm
Where: Johnson Symposium on the Victoria College Campus,
2200 E. Red River
Cost: $10, $5 for students. Tickets available at the door.
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 13
Fourteen complete VC Law Enforcement
Academy training
Victoria College Fire Academy graduates
four students
Fourteen students recently graduated from Victoria College’s Law Enforcement
Academy. John McDowell was named class valedictorian and Jonathan De La Rosa
earned the John F. Baylor Award, which is given to the outstanding student in the class.
The students earned the Basic Peace Officer Certification and passed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement exam. They also participated in driving exercises designed
to improve pursuit skills, firing range shooting drills, search and seizure activities, and
intense physical fitness training. Pictured, from left, first row, are graduates Jacob Garza,
Marie Carisalez, Keith Lee, Jesus Landaverde, Michelle Davila, and Kelly Phelps, Public Services Academy director. Middle row, from left, are graduates Alyssa Chapa, Lea
Drake, Shaun Jackson, Jonathan DeLaRosa, and Steven Nelson. Top row, from left are
graduates Devan Taylor, Matthew Hayles, Ryan Taylor, and John McDowell.
Four students recently graduated from Victoria College’s Fire Academy. Students
discovered how to properly use fire equipment, learned firefighting strategies and tactics, management techniques and specialized job skills. Thomas Kennemer was named
class valedictorian. Pictured, from left, are Mark Turner, Fire Academy instructor; graduates James White, Miguel Canizales, Sebastian Luna and Thomas Kennemer; and Kelly
Phelps, Public Service Academies director.
14 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
VOICES UNITED THUMB’S UP!
Cherlyn Hodge
by amy leissner
In the last four years, Cherlyn Hodge
has seen more diversity in the students
attending the University of Houston Victoria campus than ever before. Sadly, one
of her duties is to counsel these students,
who have come to Victoria from all over
the world, when they encounter looks and
comments that make them feel unwelcome
here. “I tell them, stay focused on why
you’re here: to get an education and better
yourself.”
A Victoria native, Hodge attended
UHV, graduating with a B.A. in Criminal
Justice with a minor in Psychology in 2008,
and going on to earn a Master’s in Education, specializing in Higher Education
in 2014. She is employed as the Student
Advising Coordinator for UHV’s School of
Arts and Sciences, where she is the advisor
to all junior and senior athletes and the advisor for the Black Student Union. In 2012
she was honored as the UHV Employee of
the Year.
Hodge is committed to combating
what she calls “closet racism,” which she
says is unfortunately alive and well here
in Victoria. To that end, she is organizing
a Freedom Summer Panel at UHV as part
of the college’s Black History Month cel-
ebration. The event on February 7 will feature speakers who were involved in or are
knowledgeable of the non-violent voter registration drive in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Hodge is especially interested
in drawing in Victoria-area residents who
were alive during that time, to hear their
first person account of how the events of
that summer impacted them.
Hodge is excited about this first of its
kind event in Victoria. Her goals for the
event are three-fold: conversation, education and advancement. She wants to help
her students, and anyone who might feel
displaced or less than accepted, feel more
a part of our community. “I’m trying to create an open dialogue, so we can all have an
appreciation of how God created each of us
differently.”
Garza & Associates
Attorneys at Law
•• Serious
Serious Injuries,
Injuries, Auto
Auto Accidents,
Accidents, Work
Work Related
Related Injuries
Injuries
•• Federal/State
Federal/State Criminal
Criminal Law
Law
•• Immigration
Immigration
•• Divorce,
Divorce, Custody,
Custody, Child
Child Support
Support
Joseph G. Garza
Former State and Federal Prosecutor
Former JAG Officer
361-570-3900
1101 N. Navarro, Victoria, TX 77901
SPRING, from pg 1
•Academic Master Plan – Cass is
working with the deans of the schools of
Arts & Sciences, Business Administration
and Education & Human Development to
develop an Academic Master Plan. This
plan will help guide UHV in expanding its
degree programs by as many as five each
year until we can reach an enrollment of
6,000 face-to-face students on the Victoria
campus in the next 10 years. UHV now has
nearly 70 degree programs and concentrations for both undergraduate and graduate students, and I’m looking forward to
increasing that number to better serve the
residents of the Coastal Bend region.
•Enrollment Management Plan – We
are working on updating the university’s
Enrollment Management Plan to support
the growth in faculty, staff, programs and
facilities. Recruitment and retention of students will include best practices in marketing and branding, fundraising, grants, new
technology and resources for faculty and
staff training.
Resources from the state cannot fund student amenities such as a student center,
athletic facilities and a recreation center.
These have to be funded by private gifts,
corporate donations, foundation awards,
student fees and other revenue sources. I
have formed a committee made up of students, faculty and staff to look at student
centers at other public universities and
determine what would meet UHV’s needs
and the best way to fund a student center.
UHV students are eager to have their own
student center where they can have lunch
in the food court, grab a cup of coffee, study
with their friends, watch movies and visit
their favorite student organizations.
These are just a few of the things happening at UHV this spring. I know our goal
of increasing the number of students taking face-to-face classes at the Victoria campus from 1,400 to 6,000 is attainable if we all
work together. We owe it to students in this
city and the surrounding region to provide
educational opportunities so that they can
make their mark in their careers and in
their lives.
Dr. Vic Morgan is the interim president of the University of Houston-Victoria.
•Student Services and Student Life –
Next Issue May 2015
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 15
Dr. Hebert C. Smitherman, Sr.: Pioneering chemist
by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
www.theroot.com
Herbert Charles Smitherman Sr. was
the first African-American Ph.D. to work
for Proctor & Gamble. His son Christopher
Smitherman called him “the Jackie Robinson of Proctor & Gamble,” and even though
Smitherman passed away in 2010, his legacy remains with many of us when we brush
our teeth before heading out the door each
morning. Here’s what I learned about his
amazing achievements from reading his
2010 obituary, which my friend Nathaniel
F. Queen Jr. sent to me via the Cincinnati
Herald.
Smitherman was born on March 23,
1937, the only child of a minister and his
wife. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala.,
just down the street from the Rev. Fred
Shuttlesworth Sr., long before the latter cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and marched against Jim
Crow.
Smitherman graduated from Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and earned his
Ph.D. at Howard University in Washington,
D.C. In 1966, just a year after the Voting
Rights Act was passed, Smitherman became “the first African American hired by
Procter and Gamble with a Ph.D in physical organic chemistry,” his obituary states.
“Some of the many patents he developed
for P&G [were] featured in the ‘America I
Smitherman
AM: The African American Imprint’ exhibit
at Cincinnati Museum Center,” which later
went to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture in Charlotte,
N.C. “The products he helped create and
develop,” the obituary continues, “included
Crest toothpaste, Safeguard soap, Bounce
fabric softeners, Biz, Folgers Coffee, Crush
soda flavors, among others.”
Crest toothpaste? When I read this, my
jaw dropped. Laundry products, too? Just
to make sure it was true, I searched the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
database, which contains traces of records
dating to 1790. And, to my delight, I found
two patents issued under Smitherman’s name:
Patent
No.
5,015,467:
Combined anticalculus and
antiplaque compositions: “Tartrate monosuccinate and tar- Crest toothpaste is one of the many products Dr. Smitherman
trate disuccinate compounds
helped develop or improve at Proctor & Gamble.
of the formulae … are used
preparation of sulfonated detergent comin combination with various
polymers to provide anticalculus and anti- position. “A process for preparing a waterplaque effects on teeth. Oral care compo- soluble sulfonated reaction product having
sitions such as dentifrices, mouthwashes, excellent detergent properties which uses
and the like, are provided. Use of the tar- alpha-olefins as the starting reactant.” Smitherman was a chemical whiz,
tate-succinates and polymers in combination with other oral car ingredients such as from detergents to oral care, and these
fluoride, pyrophosphate and antibacterials were just the patents for which he was
credited as the inventor. Remember, it’s all
is also described.”
This patent was part of the develop- about “collaborative creativity,” as Isaacment of many of our everyday brush and son writes.
Then there were the lives Smitherman
rinse routines and has been cited by 31
other patents, according to the database! touched. As his obituary records: “Many of
Crest toothpaste may have been initially the African Americans at P&G in the 60s,
developed in the 1950s, as the Crest web- 70s and 80s were recruited and retained
site makes clear, and that was before Smi- by him.” Smitherman’s son Herbert Smitherman joined P&G. But, during his time therman Jr. is quoted as saying, “ ‘My faat the company, he was a valuable member ther leaves a legacy of diversity at P&G. ...
of the development team, and in assigning There were a lot of challenges facing Afrihis patent to the company (standard indus- can Americans in corporate industry at the
try practice), Smitherman was fortifying time. He tried to build bridges and open
the Crest product line for millions of con- opportunities for everyone in the industry,
including African Americans.’ ”
sumers. Here’s the other patent I found for
Excerpted from an article at www.
Smitherman, from 1973:
Patent No. 3,755,429: Process for the theroot.com
16 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
TRAILBLAZER
Dorothy Harris
BY AMY LEISNNER
Dorothy
Harris’
mother
would
have
been happy to see her
daughter working at the
general store in McFaddin, Texas, where her
four older brothers were
born, but she had dreams
of being a teacher instead. Harris was born
in Bloomington and attended
school
there
through the 8th grade, before transferring
to the segregated F.W. Gross High School
in Victoria. Declining a job at McFaddin
Mercantile, she attended Texas College
in Tyler to earn a teaching certificate. She
began working as a teacher in Longmont,
Texas, before coming home to teach at the
segregated one room school for black children across the road from the main house
at McFaddin Ranch.
The school closed in 1955 when students were integrated into the Victoria
Independent School District, and Harris
began working for Dr. George Constant,
caring for his two sons. Dr. Constant saw
great potential in Harris, and encouraged
her to pursue a degree in nursing. The
nursing school in Victoria accepted only
white students, so Dr. Constant secured a
scholarship to the Del Mar
College School of Nursing
in Corpus Christi for Harris. Upon completing her
studies in 1964, Harris returned to Victoria and began
working at the Hohf Clinic
and Hospital, opened by Dr.
Jerome Hohf in 1955. “The
Clinic had a segregated
waiting room when I started working there,” Harris
recalls, “but Dr. Hohf put a
stop to that,” and integrated.
Harris went on to a 43 year career as
a licensed vocational nurse at Devereux
Foundation. In 1970, she was elected the
first black president of the Licensed Vocational Nurses Association of Texas. She
has a long history of charitable and community work, including serving as a Silver
Haired Legislator for an Alzheimer’s committee, a mentor at Hopkins School, seven
years on the Pastoral Care committee at
DeTar Hospital, conducting community
bible study, and contributing many years of
service on behalf of her church, Palestine
Baptist.
Harris has seen enormous growth
in race relations in Victoria, but “there is
always room for improvement,” she says.
How do we make things better? “Well, that
needs a lot of study.”
STAND UP, from pg 1
to grow up. Court Appointed Special Advocates® – CASA volunteers – are trained
community representatives who volunteer
their time to advocate for children in the
foster care system. Their goal is to move
children out of foster care and into safe,
loving, permanent homes as quickly as
possible.
Last year, we had 7,611 CASA volunteers in 70 programs that advocated for
23,621 children. Unfortunately, nearly half
of the 46,649 children had to go through foster care without CASA volunteers to speak
up for them. We need more CASA volunteers to speak up for children in the foster
care system and we specifically need more
volunteers of color and more male volunteers to advocate for all children. It is only
human to connect with people who look
like you and who may have shared your
struggles. For children in foster care being
able to quickly establish a rapport with a
trusted adult can mean the difference between weeks or months or even years being spent in foster care.
We are seeking to have the most robust, demographically diverse trained volunteer pool available so that our CASA programs can match volunteers with children
and help them find safe, permanent homes
quickly. During this month when we celebrate those who have taken courageous
stands to change the world, I challenge you
to take a stand to ensure that all children in
our community and in our foster care system have a voice.
To stand up for children in the Golden
Crescent, please contact Golden Crescent
CASA at 361.573.3734 or www.goldencrescentcasa.org.
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 17
SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOU
By Sheryl Schroeder
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in
Brenham, TX
YOUR WINNING RETIREMENT
GAME PLAN
This month, a driver will take the
checkered flag at the Daytona 500, skiers
will stand atop the podium at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Vail, Colo., and a
football team will win Super Bowl XLIX in
Glendale, Ariz. The sports are different, but
the winners share a common trait—years
of commitment to their plans.
To win the retirement game, you also
need commitment and a plan. For years,
you’ve worked hard and paid into Social
Security. Whether you’re new to the workforce or getting ready to cross your own career finish line, you’ll want to open a my Social Security account to see how your hard
work is paying off. You can create or access
your account at www.socialsecurity.gov/
myaccount. You can use it to verify your
earnings history, get estimates of your future Social Security benefits, and more. It’s
the place to get the information you need to
put together your own winning game plan.
A good NASCAR pit crew keeps its
driver on the track, and our Retirement
Estimator can do the same for your retirement plan. The Estimator offers an instant
and tailored estimate of your future Social
Security benefits based on your earnings
record. You can plug in different anticipated yearly earnings to discover different retirement options and learn how your
benefits could increase if you work longer.
Give the Retirement Estimator a test drive
today at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.
Once you’ve come of age to retire—or
if you’re just in the planning phase—our
quick and convenient online services are
in place at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. In as little as 15 minutes, you can
speed through our online application. In
most cases, once your application is submitted electronically, you're done. There
are no forms to sign and usually no documentation is required.
Fine-tune your game plan. Take advantage of our services and resources at
www.socialsecurity.gov to optimize your
retirement.
A DAY DEDICATED TO THE NEW
YOU
Proudly displaying your new last name
on a marriage certificate is only the first
step in legally changing your name. Now
that the wedding and honeymoon are over,
you need to tell Social Security so you can
get a corrected Social Security card.
February 18 is “Get Another Name
Day.” It’s the perfect day for you to get a replacement, corrected, or original Social Security card—but only if you really need one.
Of course, you can do this any time, but you
should do it as soon as possible after your
name changes.
If you have changed your name, whether due to marriage, divorce, or for another
reason, the way to change your name with
Social Security is to apply for a corrected
Social Security card. This ensures that
your legal name matches our records, thus
avoiding possible problems in the future,
such as a delay in obtaining any federal tax
refund owed or not getting full Social Security credit for all your earnings.
There are a number of other reasons
you may want to get a Social Security card:
starting a new job, verifying eligibility for
government services, opening a bank account, obtaining medical coverage, filing
taxes, and legally changing your name. In
most cases, unless an employer or other
entity specifically requests to see your
card, all they really need is your number.
But, be cautious when sharing your Social
Security number. People who commit fraud
or want to steal your identity will often ask
for your Social Security number. Always
verify the identity of anyone who is asking,
whether you’re online, on the phone, or
face-to-face.
If you just had a baby, he or she will
need a Social Security number. The main
reason is to show your child’s dependent
status on your tax return. In most cases,
you apply for your newborn’s Social Security card and number, as well as the baby’s
birth certificate, in the hospital.
If you need a new, replacement, or corrected Social Security card, you can find all
the details at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber, including the “Learn What Documents You Need” page, which lists the specific documents we accept as proof of age,
identity, and citizenship. Each situation is
unique, but in most cases, you simply need
to print, complete, and either mail or bring
the application to Social Security with the
appropriate documentation (originals or
certified copies only).
After you receive your Social Security card, don’t carry it with you. To reduce
your risk of identity theft, keep your card
in a safe place with your other important
papers.
Learn more about your Social Security
card and number at www.socialsecurity.
gov/ssnumber.
FOLLOW THE GROUNDHOG’S
EXAMPLE: STAY INDOORS
Every year, on February 2, we wait to
see if Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most
famous groundhog, will predict six more
weeks of winter. Huge crowds have waited
for Phil’s prediction each year since 1886.
For Phil, seeing his shadow predicts six
more weeks of winter-like weather. More
often than not, he sees his shadow and
goes back inside.
You, too, can remain out of the cold,
and save time and money at the same time,
by using our secure online service, my Social Security, to conduct Social Securityrelated business from the warmth of your
own comfortable home.
When you
create a my
Social
Security account at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount,
you
can:
Keep track
of your earnings and verify
them
every
year;
Get an estimate of your
future benefits
if you’re still
working;
Get
an
instant letter
with proof of
your benefits if
you currently
receive them;
and
Manage
your benefits.
Setting up
your account is quick, secure, and easy. Set
it up during the cold weather, while you’re
waiting for spring.
Punxsutawney Phil usually predicts
more wintery weather, and according to
the Groundhog Day event organizers, he is
accurate 75 to 90 percent of the time. And
let’s face it, spring doesn’t really start for
seven weeks after Phil’s time in the spotlight each year.
Whatever the weather, you can expect
to be more comfortable than Punxsutawney Phil by using my Social Security. Follow
the groundhog’s example and stay inside!
From the warmth and comfort of your
own home, visit www.socialsecurity.gov to
learn about all the services we provide online.
WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR
SLEEVE
February is the month when we celebrate love and friendship. The Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) has also declared
February as American Heart Month to
bring awareness to the leading cause of
death for both women and men in the United States: heart disease.
We encourage you to wear red all
month to promote cardiovascular disease
prevention.
Just as the heart is vital to our emotional and physical well-being, Social Security disability benefits are often a vital
lifeline for people who are unable to work
due to severe disabilities—whether heartrelated or not.
There are numerous ways to protect
our hearts, including eating well, exercising, and not smoking. We get checkups, and
make sure to keep our cholesterol down.
However, sometimes these measures
aren’t enough. In fact, disability will affect
one in four of today’s 20 year-olds before
reaching retirement age. The Social Security disability program excels in providing
financial help to people when they need it
most—help they earned by paying Social
Security taxes on their earnings or as dependents of someone who paid Social Security taxes.
Social Security pays benefits to covered people who can’t work and whose
medical condition meets the strict definition of disability under the Social Security
Act. A person is considered disabled under
this definition if he or she cannot work due
to a severe medical condition that has lasted or is expected to last at least one year or
result in death. The person's medical condition must prevent him or her from doing
work that he or she did in the past, and it
must prevent the person from adjusting to
other work based on their age, education,
and experience. You can find all the information you need about eligibility and benefits available to you by reading our publication, Disability Benefits, available at www.
socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
If you are disabled, and think you are
eligible to receive disability benefits, you
will need to complete an application for
Social Security benefits. It’s easy to apply
online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
We also invite you to visit our Faces
and Facts of Disability website to watch
and read stories about people who have
truly benefited from Social Security’s disability program and to get the facts about
this very important program. Helping
people is at the heart of what we do. You
can learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/
disabilityfacts.
18 — VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA • FEBRUARY 2015 • www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com
WIMBISH-NORTH, from pg 1
inducted into the U.T.’s Texas Women’s
Athletic Hall of Honor. During her acceptance speech, she gave a shout out to the
many Victoria residents who had traveled
to Austin for the ceremony. “Victoria is in
the house,” she declared to cheers from the
audience.
After graduating from U.T. in 1988
with a degree in communications, Wimbish
spent thirteen years coaching women’s college basketball at four universities including the University of Michigan, before she
and husband Waylan Gay, who was born in
Houston, found themselves homesick for
Texas and moved to San Antonio. Wimbish
was a stay at home mom expecting their
third child, when Gay died suddenly of a
heart attack in 2002. Now a single mother,
Wimbish moved back to Victoria to be
closer to family, where she eventually remarried and had a fourth child with husband George North. Now a busy working
GOALS, from pg 3
semester. She did a lot of her coursework in
the evening while her children were asleep
and also got support from family in town
when she needed more time. During the
last year, she was able to take time off from
work to focus on completing her degree.
“It took me seven years, but UHV
worked well because it was local, easily
accessible and I could take classes in the
evening or online,” Lopez said. “The price
also was affordable.”
Now that she has her bachelor’s, Lopez wants to work at Chandler Elementary
School in Victoria, where she did her student teaching and previously worked for
five years. She plans to apply for a teaching position next fall. Until then, she will
be a substitute teacher and will learn more
about the different schools and principals
in the district.
PARTNERSHIP, from pg 3
outstanding reputation for research,” Di
Leo said. “They have 51 research institutes, and research and development centers as well as 14 academic journals sponsored by this university. This agreement
not only sets the table for potential joint
research and program collaboration, but
it also could allow us to send students and
faculty members there to study.”
This past summer, a group of 29 UHV
School of Business Administration students exchanged ideas with Chinese stu-
mother, she tried to squeeze in basketball
coaching at Faith Academy along with her
job as a parent liaison at a local school, but
with the time she devoted to her husband
and four daughters, it was just too much.
When friends suggested she consider
coaching girls’ basketball at Victoria East
High School when the new school opened
in 2010, she backed away. “I thought my
coaching days were behind me,” she said,
“and I told myself that God would need to
give me a clear sign.” That sign came in
the form of a visit from Ralph Escalona,
who is Wimbish-North’s athletic director,
asking her to consider taking the job. With
her mother and her husband stepping up
to help with the girls, she did, and was the
first coach to lead Victoria to the UIL state
tournament since Lahodny last did in 1991.
Her daughters love playing basketball,
and her oldest, Imani, who will be fifteen on
Valentine’s Day this year, has just joined
her mom’s varsity team. Says WimbishNorth, “I’m walking in the destiny where
I’m supposed to be, and I’m having a blast.”
Left to right, George, Imani, Leilani, Kiani, Yulonda, and Giani
Lisa Flores
was in her second year of
teaching special
education in the
Houston Independent School
District when
she decided she
wanted to earn
her
master’s
degree. She is
currently teaching in the Sheldon ISD in the Flores
same field.
“I’ve always wanted to pursue a master’s,” Flores said. “I like challenges and
bettering myself. This helps in my career
because I feel like I’m more knowledgeable
in the area of special education and better
able to service my students based on their
individual needs.”
Another teacher at her school was taking classes through UHV’s online program
and suggested it to Flores, who earned her
bachelor’s degree from UH-Downtown.
She looked into the program and decided
to enroll.
It took her seven years to finish her
bachelor’s degree because of her need
to work, family responsibilities and other
complications. This time, she was determined to get her degree quickly. She made
a plan and earned her degree in a year and
a half, in large part by taking advantage of
her summer breaks from teaching to take
more classes.
“I liked the convenience of taking
online classes,” she said. “It also helped
that the coursework lined up with what I
already was doing in my classroom. Now,
I’m more knowledgeable, so I’m up for the
challenges ahead. In a few more years, I
want to pursue my doctorate. Now that I
have my master’s, I might as well keep go-
dents from the Central University of Finance and Economics during a two-week
study abroad program in China. A trip to a
different part of China could be forthcoming.
Wan said Harbin Normal University
often hosts international students and arranges for its students to study abroad.
“They are a university that is very
experienced in hosting international students, so our students may be able to have
a long- or short-term study with them in
the near future,” he said. “They have many
students who plan to study abroad every
year. By partnering with them, we will be
one of the destinations for their students.”
Wan, who originally is from China, said
Harbin is well known for its ice sculptures.
Moody Garden in Galveston hosted an exhibition this month for their artwork. A team
of 31 professional ice carvers from Harbin
carved 900 tons of ice into characters from
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants.
“Harbin is a beautiful and vibrant city,”
Wan said. “If we have a chance to send students over there to study, I’m sure they
would enjoy the cultural, sightseeing aspects of the trip, in addition to the academic opportunities they would encounter.”
Happy Valentine’s Day! Next Issue May 2015
ing.”
Flores plans to finish the school year
before looking into promotion options or
changes in position. She wants to apply for
a diagnostician position with her district.
Eventually, she hopes to be a professor at
a college or university.
On top of working as a special education teacher, Flores also has two sons, who
are 4 and 9 years old. She hopes that her aspirations and hard work will inspire them
to plan for their future as well.
“This is a good example for my boys,”
she said. “I’m always telling them that I’m
behind them 100 percent. I’m going to help
them, whereas I had to do this on my own.
I want them to know that I’m there to support them, and they can be successful, as
well. There are a lot of opportunities out
there, and they need to take advantage of
them.
Morgan
www.voicesunitedpublicationofvictoria.com • FEBRUARY 2015 • VOICES UNITED PUBLICATION OF VICTORIA — 19
Vol. 2 - No. 9
ria
s
iere
Dr. Tywaun Tillman
BY ALLISON MILES
rem
d
nite
p
tion
The road of life brings
twists, turns and, yes, the
occasional detour. Ironically
enough, it was medical roadblocks that led Dr. Tywaun
Tillman to become the
respected physician he is
today.
The North Augusta, S.C.
native developed an early
love of sports and, as he dove
into Little League baseball, realized he had
talent. The problem? Severe asthma.
“It didn’t bother me while I was playing
the sports but I’d be up all night,” he said.
“I couldn’t breathe. Back then, they didn’t
have all the meds they have now.”
Breathing difficulties or not, by age 12
the athlete caught the eyes of professional
scouts, who considered him a prospect.
And, as he grew and asthma became less
an issue, his athletic aspirations expanded
to include football and basketball.
“From then on, I always played three
sports, with football quickly jumping to the
forefront once I got in high school,” he said.
lica
pub
August 2010
THIRD ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
icto
in V
“I became a highly-recruited
football player and was
named a pre-season AllAmerican prior to my senior
year, in a season that was
never to happen.”
A pre-season scrimmage
resulted in a fractured right
leg and forced the young man
to sit the season out, although
he still received multiple
scholarship offers. Tillman
took Furman University up on its offer,
mainly because of the school’s academics.
Although he spent his freshman year
as a red-shirt and focused on rehabilitating
his leg, the premed biology major worked
equally hard in the classroom. A back-up
plan is necessary, he explained, since injury
can end an athletic career.
And it’s a good thing he did.
Tillman’s time with football ended his
junior year, when he fractured two vertebrae in his neck.
Afterward, he focused his sights on
academics and graduated the school cum
Gary Moses
BY ALLISON MILES
Volunteering isn’t the
only thing the energetic man
If you’re looking to track
has up his sleeve, however.
down Gary Moses, catch him
Education is also close to his
if you can.
heart.
Between his job with
He himself graduated
Citizens Medical Center and
both Victoria High School
the time he spends hosting
and the Victoria College and
events and giving back to the
later moved on to Southwest
community, the
Victoria
Volum
e 4 - Nu
native is constantly on the go.
mber 13 Texas State University,
where
he majored in history
“There are only 52
and earned a bachelor’s
Saturdays in a year,” he said,
www.voic
explaining he volunteers virtually every degree in education.
esunite
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Moses obtained his administrator’s
weekend and many weekdays. “I’m happy
tionofvi
certificate in secondary education from the
when I’m doing things, helping.”
ctoria.co
m
Moses is active in numerous organiza- University of Houston-Victoria.
The long-time educator taught in the
tions, such as the Dorothy H. O’Connor Pet
Adoption Center, the Black History Victoria Independent School District for
Steering BYCommittee,
the
Victoria more than 37 years, teaching American and
GHENI PLA
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Association for Citizens
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