The Tyler Junior College Alumni Association will honor its 2018 Homecoming Alumni Award recipients at a special event 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in the Apache Rooms, located in Rogers Student Center.
This year’s honorees include:
• TJC 1960 National Championship Football Team, Special Recognition Award
• Wanda Ealey ’74, Apache Spirit Award
• Dr. Henry Musoma ’98, Valuable Young Alumnus Award
• Shea Whigham ’89, Acclaimed Career Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts
• Robert M. Rogers (1926-1997), Black and Gold Award (Special Posthumous Recognition)
TJC 1960 National Championship Football Team
Special Recognition Award
In their 1960-61 season, TJC had what became known as “the winningest football team in America.” That was the year their 12-0 record carried them to the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
With Head Coach Floyd Wagstaff and Assistant Coach “Babe” Hallmark guiding the team, they were praised for their fine performances both on and off the field and for bringing the national spotlight to Tyler, Texas.
As Texas Eastern Conference Champions, the Apaches became the Eastern Representative to the Junior Rose Bowl and gained these awards for the team:
All-American Tackle – Richard Farris
All-American Fullback – Frank Brewer
Coach of the Year – Floyd Wagstaff
Most Valuable Player – Richard Farris
Most Conscientious Player – Mack Cope
Even though the favored Apaches were defeated by the Long Beach City College Vikings in the Junior Rose Bowl, they continue to be remembered for their stellar athletic achievements and sportsmanship.
The members of the 1960 National Championship Football Team include: Tom Anderson, halfback; Dwain Bean, fullback; Henry Boxley, halfback; James Braswell; Frank Brewer, fullback; Patrick Brinkley, guard; Tommy Brown, guard; Mack Cope, center; W.A. Dempsey; Timothy Falgout; Richard Farris, tackle; Larry Harwood, guard; Robert Hillis; Paul Isbell, center; Frank Jackson, center; Kenneth Jones, halfback; Gary Kinne, tackle; James Lyons, quarterback; Carlee Manchester; Rusty Owens, fullback; Eugene Patterson, tackle; Harold Price, end; Robert Price, tackle; Ronald Pritchard, end; Donald Pritchard, end; Aubrey Rawls, tackle; James Robinson; Robert Sanders; Conny Seal, guard; Gene Staples, end; Anthony Tremont, quarterback; Robert Tucker; Joseph Turney, tackle; Donnie Wallace, halfback; Wally Whitley, tackle; and James Wright, halfback.
Wanda Ealey ’74
Apache Spirit Award
A native of Bullard, Wanda Ealey is a graduate of Whitehouse High School, TJC and Baylor University, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.
After working for 38 years at the Texas Department of Transportation, she retired in August 2016. While at TxDOT, she worked as an accountant, maintenance contract specialist, contract claims specialist, EEO and labor compliance specialist and internal auditor.
She retired as the traffic safety specialist for the Tyler District. As traffic safety specialist, she conducted alcohol awareness educational activities and programs at high schools, colleges and universities in an eight-county area in the Tyler District. Some of the programs/campaigns included “Drink, Drive, Go to Jail,” “Shattered Dreams,” “Impaired Driving Mobilization,” “Click It or Ticket” and “Distracted Driving.” She worked closely with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) in an effort to inform the community of the consequences of drinking and driving. She is a certified child passenger safety seat technician and CarFit technician, focusing on the “fit” between driver and vehicle.
Ealey serves on the boards for the TJC Alumni Association, East Texas Mental Health Inc., Juneteenth Association of Tyler, MADD Advisory Council, PAET (Pay Attention East Texas) Coalition and other East Texas Coalitions. She is a mentor for the Sister-2-Sister Program at TJC and has always been a strong supporter of the youth in her community and at TJC.
While at TJC, she was a member of the internationally famous Apache Belles, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a founding member the Alpha Delta Sigma sorority, the first and only African American sorority on TJC’s campus.
Wanda is a member of New Hope Baptist Church where she sings in the choir and acts as financial secretary.
In retirement, Wanda is a professional volunteer, Uber driver, psychologist, babysitter and gardener.
Dr. Henry Musoma ’98
Valuable Young Alumnus Award
Henry K. Musoma was born and raised in Zambia, in southern Africa. He attended high school in Zambia and Mozambique, then moved to the United States to pursue higher education.
His first stop was TJC, where he graduated summa cum laude with an associate degree in agriculture. He went on to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural leadership and education from Texas A&M University, and a doctorate in educational administration from Texas Christian University.
He is a clinical assistant professor and assistant director of the Center for International Business Studies in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He believes that education is transformational and enjoys teaching young people about leadership. In addition to traditional lectures, he accompanies a group of Regents’ Scholars (first-generation college students) to Dubai, South Africa, and Zambia each summer and also leads a spring break program to Heifer International Ranch in Perryville, Ark.
Musoma has been actively involved in university and community leadership development throughout his academic tenure and has received numerous awards. Most recently, he was one of 24 recipients of the 2017 university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards, given to professionals who have exhibited the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M.
His greatest recognition may not be for what he teaches directly, but how he teaches by example.
In 2017, he received the first Mays Spirit Award for his act of kindness to a student who couldn’t find a babysitter during class time. He encouraged her to bring the baby to class and even held the baby when he became fussy. The incident went viral on social media and Musoma received world-wide attention for his kindness; and he and the student and her son were invited to appear on the “Ellen” television show and national news programs.
“I never imagined such a thing would happen,” Musoma said. “I was just trying to make sure she had the support she needs to succeed – as I would for any student.”
Shea Whigham ’89
Acclaimed Career Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts
Shea Whigham is best known for his role as Elias “Eli” Thompson in the HBO drama series, “Boardwalk Empire,” as well as supporting roles in “Kong: Skull Island” and “True Detective.”
Before Whigham made it to the big screen, he was active in the TJC Department of Theatre. Earning a college scholarship in tennis, Whigham soon discovered acting while in school. He was active in TJC’s oldest active student organization—the speech and drama club, Las Mascaras.
He later attended State University of New York, where he roomed with fellow actor Kirk Acevedo. After graduating, Whigham and Acevedo co-founded a New York City theatre troupe, The Rorschach Group, with Whigham serving as an actor and artistic director for its first three years.
His big break came in 2000, when he was cast opposite Colin Farrell in “Tigerland.”
Nominated six times for Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for his work in “Boardwalk Empire,” Whigham and the cast won the award three times.
He has worked with such Hollywood notables as Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, Christian Bale and Sean Penn and had supporting roles in films including “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “American Hustle” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Previously, he starred in the Paramount TV mini-series, “Waco,” with Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch. Other television credits include HBO’s “Vice Principals,” Season 3 of “Fargo” for FX, Marvel’s “Agent Carter,” Graham Yost’s FX drama “Justified,” and Netflix’s “Narcos.
Over the past decade, Whigham has worked with such legendary film directors as Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Terrence Malick, Werner Herzog, Oliver Stone, David O. Russell and Robert Rodriguez.
Whigham can next be seen in the new Amazon series, “Homecoming,” opposite Julia Roberts, Sissy Spacek and Dermot Mulroney.
Robert M. Rogers (1926-1997)
Black and Gold Award
(Special Posthumous Recognition)
Robert (Bob) M. Rogers was a man of vision. As founder, chairman and chief executive of TCA Cable TV in Tyler, he helped revolutionize the national cable industry. Rogers built a company which, under his leadership, served more than 30 cable systems in four states. Rogers was considered a pioneer and was honored in 1994 with the prestigious John Mankin Award from the Texas Cable TV Association. In 1995, his accomplishments were again recognized with the Operator of the Year Award from Cablevision magazine.
Born in Buckner, Missouri, in August of 1926, Rogers graduated from high school in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy. He later attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and Kansas City Junior College. In 1987, East Texas Baptist University awarded him with an honorary doctorate degree in law. During later years, Rogers would frequently speak to college students about entrepreneurship.
From humble beginnings, Rogers became a giant in the national cable industry and as a result of that success established the Robert M. Rogers Foundation. Although he passed in 1997, Rogers’ legacy continues on through the Rogers Foundation and broadly impacts the East Texas community including TJC.
Due to extraordinary support, two facilities at the college bear the Rogers name. Since it opened in October 1989, the Rogers Student Center has supported rich student life opportunities that are a hallmark of the comprehensive collegiate experience at TJC. Opened during 2015, the Robert M. Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences facility provides state-of-the art training to aspiring healthcare professionals, who serve a more than $3 billion medical industry in Tyler. During his lifetime, Rogers also established three endowed Presidential Honors Scholarships at TJC.
He also funded the Rogers Endowment for Excellence, which annually provides funding to underwrite enriching educational opportunities for TJC students such as international travel.
Rogers’ significant support will continue to serve generations of TJC students, and the Robert M. Rogers Foundation continues to impact the East Texas community in support of many worthy organizations.
For more on TJC Homecoming Week activities, go to TJC.edu/homecoming.