Arkansas Tech University launched a new tradition on Monday night when 168 student-athletes were presented with awards courtesy of the Arkansas Tech Alumni “T” Club.
The “T” Club existed as a student organization from Arkansas Tech from 1924-73. After going dormant for nearly four decades, the club has been revived as an alumni organization open to all former student-athletes and coaches.
One of the primary focus points for the Alumni “T” Club is to provide for a means to recognize current student-athletes in a consistent and uniform way.
Members of the Alumni “T” Club will pay $30 per year in dues, and the revenue from those dues will be used to purchase small awards for each letter winner at Arkansas Tech.
Student-athletes earning their first letter receive a fabric “T” similar to what would be sewn onto a traditional letter jacket. Two-year letter winners receive an acrylic award with their names and a block “T” on them. Those student-athletes who earn their third letter receive a double photo frame that displays their name and a block “T” on one side and a photo of them on the other. And finally, four-year letter winners receive a shadow box with a “T” and a plaque showing their names inside.
Below is a breakdown of the award winners from Monday night by the number of letters earned:
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Four-Year Letter Winners: 18 (photographed)
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Three-Year Letter Winners: 18
- Two-Year Letter Winners: 56
- One-Year Letter Winners: 76
Here is a breakdown of Monday’s award winners by sport:
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Baseball: 27
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Men’s Basketball: 13
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Women’s Basketball: 15
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Cross Country: 7
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Football: 53
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Men’s Golf: 6
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Women’s Golf: 6
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Softball: 18
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Tennis: 8
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Volleyball: 15
And here is a how Monday’s award winners were represented by classification:
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Seniors: 59
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Juniors: 46
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Sophomores: 39
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Freshmen: 24
Dr. Jack Hamm is serving as president of the Arkansas Tech Alumni “T” Club in its first year. Hamm played basketball at Tech, graduated from Tech in 1964, served on the Tech faculty from 1972-2008 and was vice president for academic affairs at Arkansas Tech from 2001-08. He is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Tech and he will be inducted into the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction on May 14.
Stephanie Strack Mathis has been appointed Arkansas Tech Alumni “T” Club president elect. A three-time All-America women’s basketball player and a member of Arkansas Tech’s back-to-back NAIA national championship teams in 1992 and 1993, Mathis will serve as the organization’s president in 2012.
Kelly Davis of the Office of Development will serve as executive director of the Alumni “T” Club, and Courtney Clarke of the Department of Athletics will be its secretary and treasurer.
In addition, these five former student-athletes have agreed to serve on the Alumni “T” Club executive committee: Leon Anderson, LeAnn Daniels, Larry LaFevers, Jim Murphy and Dr. Stanley Teeter.
Former Arkansas Tech student-athletes and coaches interested in joining the Alumni “T” Club can call (479) 968-0337 for more information.
Click here to view the Arkansas Tech Alumni “T” Club Facebook page, which includes more photos from Monday’s awards ceremony.
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