Del Mar College celebrates 90th birthday of longtime Sociology adjunct instructor Dr. Willard Rushton as he wraps up teaching career
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November
2024
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00:15 AM
Europe/Amsterdam
Longtime educator started career at DMC in 1966 and became tenured full professor through mid-1980s, now serving as Sociology adjunct since 2010
Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr.
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Dr. Rushton also taught Sociology of Black Americans and Rural Sociology courses at his alma mater, Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, and the Research Methods in Social Work course at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He returned to DMC and taught truck driving in the Department of Transportation for seven years, retiring in 2010. That same year, he began serving as an Adjunct Sociology Instructor – a role that he has continued to fill through this fall.
Over the years, technology has come to play a key role in the classroom, and Dr. Rushton says he’s had to lean on the Information Technology team to help him keep up with those changes.
“I've had to learn a lot of stuff. The IT folks have been very helpful,” he says.
When asked if his current class knows that they will be the last students he will teach, Dr. Rushton says, “They do. I think they are happy for me.”
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The biggest highlight has been the opportunity to be associated with the great folks in the Social Science Department.
Dr. Willard Rushton
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Along with the additional venues, Leza noted that by increasing the number of authors, publishers and booksellers traveling to Corpus Christi from acoss Texas and other locations to participate during the festival, organizers have much more to offer this year. To kick-off the festival, Del Mar College will host the first day of sessions next Thursday, March 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the newly renovated William F. White, Jr. Library on the Heritage Campus, 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404), get online directions and campus map. Activities are open to both the campus community and the public. Dr. Andrea Elizondo, an Assistant Instructor and Reading and ESOL Lab Coordinator with the college’s Department of Communications, Languages and Reading, said, “Words ignite worlds. At this festival, we celebrate the power of stories, the voices of authors and the dreams of future writers.” Elizondo added that Del Mar College values the collaboration shared between the festival's founders and successive organizers during the past several years. “Not only has our campus community benefitted from the festival but also the general community, and we’re delighted to host another opening day to celebrate the literary world and all that it offers.” • 11 a.m.: Welcome Remarks • 11:15 a.m.: Session 1: Kick-off Keynote with acclaimed Holy City author Henry Wise for a debut novelist reading and discussion. Holy City (Grove Atlantic, 2024) examines the intersections of labor, racial justice and environmental concerns in rural America’s forgotten communities. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Mississippi’s Master of Fine Arts program, Wise is a writer across multiple genres. His poetry has been published in Shenandoah, Radar Poetry, Clackamas, Nixes Mate Revie, and elsewhere. His nonfiction and photography have appeared in Southern Cultures. Holy City is his first novel. Wise’s visit to Corpus Christi is sponsored by Del Mar College’s Cultural Programs Committee. • 12:15 p.m.: Networking Lunch sponsored by H-E-B • 12:45 p.m.: Session 2 (two concurrent presentations): a) How to Get Published: Cultural & Community Leadership - panel presentation covering editing magazines, journals and books b) Professional Development Workshop – covering research and resources for writing • 1:30 p.m.: Del Mar College Heritage Campus Tour • 2 p.m.: Session 3 (two concurrent presentations): a) How to Get Published: Self-Publishing - The Lived Human Experience in Self-Publishing b) Free speech on campus: Why is it important? - The First Amendment and (Texas) College Campuses Remaining Day 1 programming moves to All Saints’ Episcopal Church (3026 Staples St., 78404) with activities beginning at 7 p.m. with a Corpus Christi Poet Laureate Panel followed by an induction ceremony, Poet Laureate Reading, a 10th Anniversary Commemoration led by co-founders Tom Murphy and retired DMC Librarian and Professor Alan Berecka and presentation of the Robb and Vanesa Jackson Award for High School Poets. The festival moves to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s University Center (6300 Ocean Dr., 78412) on Friday, March 7, with sponsorship of event participation during the First Friday Artwalk in Downtown Corpus Christi by Alamo Drafthouse and readings and other activities at the House of Rock (511 Starr St., 78401). On Saturday, March 8, the festival concludes at All Saints’ Episcopal Church with a book fair and sessions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a live jazz fundraiser at Jazz Room Corpus Christi (1314 Ayers St., 78404) from 7 to 9 p.m. Visit the People’s Literary Festival website for more information about all scheduling, session descriptions, other planned activities and book fairs at several venues at peoplesliteraryfestival.com/. T Questions? For information about Day 1 festival activities at Del Mar College, contact Dr. Andrea Elizondo with the Department of Communications, Languages and Reading at 361-698-1952 or aelezondo43@delmar.edu or People’s Literary Festival Chair J.D. Leza at 206-817-8452 or chair@peoplesliteraryfestival.com.
- Del Mar College Music Department unveiling new Music Honors Wall connecting decades of excellence before annual Honors Recital on Monday, March 3Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr. For select Del Mar College (DMC) music majors, inclusion is an honor that has continued to build on its legacy for more than seven decades. And now there’s a new bold and contemporary way to see all that history. What is it? It’s the new Music Honors Wall, a stunning display that features the names of more than 300 DMC Music Department alumni dating back to 1959, which can now be seen by all on the third floor of Building A of the General Academic & Music Building (GAMBII) on the Heritage Campus. The new addition builds on the existing GAMBII second-floor display, which features portraits of the most recent Honors Recital performers for the past five years. On Monday, March 3, the Music Department will commemorate new and past outstanding musicians who have shaped Del Mar College’s musical landscape and beyond with an official unveiling of the new Music Honors Wall at 6 p.m. followed by the 73rd Annual Music Honors Recital featuring the six newest inductees at 7:30 p.m. in Wolfe Recital Hall. Cynthia Longoria, Professor and DMC Music Department Chair, says that she’s excited to reveal the new Honor Wall with not only the campus community but also with Coastal Bend community members as well. “We are looking forward to connecting the past to the present by unveiling the Honors Wall to current and past students, the DMC faculty and staff and the community to celebrate the college’s 90th anniversary and to recognize and honor the achievements of our alumni and current music students,” she says. Here are a few key details about the project: Material: Aluminum composite material Dimensions: 11 feet, 8 inches wide (all four panels) x 6 feet, 2 inches tall (tallest panel) Location: Third floor of Building A of the General Academic and Music Building Design: Four panels representing 1959 to 2024 with a LED wave above them Additional Feature: A vinyl wall cling displaying “Music Honors Wall” with illustrative musical notes Both the Music Honors Wall unveiling and Honors Recital are free and open to the public with both events on the Heritage Campus, 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404), get online directions and campus map. Questions may be directed to the DMC Music Office at 361-698-1214 or music@delmar.edu. During the unveiling, Longoria and alumnus Dr. Scott Elliff, a 1980 Music Honors Wall inductee, will give remarks as part of the event. Longoria notes that while she wants to preserve the element of surprise for guests who attend the unveiling ceremony next Monday night, she was willing to share that the new display includes significant elements of the Music Honors Wall in the old building now known as Viking Hall. “The new display features a more modern and beautiful design that still allows us to continue 73 years of tradition where we have recognized our music students who achieved a high level of performance in their instrument,” Longoria says. “With this design, these students will continue to line our halls with musical excellence as we remember and recognize them for their achievement for many years to come.” Following the unveiling, the annual Honors Recital will provide the six selected DMC music majors center stage in Wolfe Recital Hall. This year’s recital is designed to be truly special with a brass fanfare opening performed by DMC Music faculty. Additionally, the program will showcase the six student performances and then conclude with a memorable collaboration by Mary Grace Galvan Carroll (1979 honoree) and Alexandra Flint (2019 honoree), who will perform a stunning, four-hand piano piece together. Mary Grace, a member of Corpus Christi’s renowned Galvan family, pursued her doctorate in piano and has had a distinguished teaching career, including serving as piano faculty at the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications & Fine Arts. Alexandra, currently completing her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, represents the next generation of musical excellence. The Honors Recital features the following 2025 Music Honors Wall inductees (three of which are music majors who also performed in the 2024 Honors Recital: Benjamin Aldana, Michael Hinojosa and Oscar Rivera): Benjamin Aldana, trombone, who attended Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, playing Concert Piece for Trombone and Piano by Paul Véronge de la Nux, Malaki Cardenas, guitar, who attended Mary Carroll High School, playing Prelude No. 1 in E minor by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Angel Garza, flute, who attended Robstown High School, playing Image for Solo Flute by Eugene Bozza, Michael Hinojosa, clarinet, who attended Calallen High School, playing Solo de Concours by Henri Rabaud, Robert Naranjo, alto saxophone, who attended Alice High School, playing “Oodles of Noodles” by Jimmy Dorsey, and Oscar Rivera, piano, a homeschooled and DMC Dual Enrollment student, playing Etude Op. 25, No. 10 in B minor by Fédéric Chopin. The Honors Recital is an annual spring recital that consists of current music majors who have auditioned and were selected to perform. The tradition goes back to 1959; and to commemorate the event each year, portraits of Honors Recital performers were added to the walls in the halls of the original Music Building.
- Scouts converge on DMC’s Windward Campus on Feb. 15 to take part in “Merit Badge College”Article by: Melinda Eddleman and Photos by Richard Guerrero, Jr. It was an opportunity to “learn and earn.” We’re talking about Scouting and the 2025 Merit Badge College, which took place on Feb. 15. Once a year, Del Mar College (DMC) hosts the Merit Badge College for Scouts from troops with the South Texas Council Scouting America (STCSA), formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America. Approximately 186 Scouts attended the one-day event that consisted of activities held all over the Windward Campus and took part in classes taught by more than 50 volunteer DMC faculty and staff to earn those coveted Merit Badges for their sashes. The 11- to 17-year-olds, along with their parents and unit leaders, were able to choose from 27 different classes featuring quality programming, including the opportunity to complete rare and hard-to-find Merit Badge classes not found elsewhere. Among the classes that were offered that day were Architecture, Aviation, Camping, Citizenship in Society, Communication, Cooking, Crime Prevention, Dentistry, Digital Technology, Drafting, Electricity, Entrepreneurship, Fingerprinting, Fire Safety, First Aid, Geology, Health Care Professions, Indian Lore, Law, Personal Management, Public Speaking, Traffic Safety, Truck Transportation, Welding and Woodwork. Overall, Scouting America offers 138 Merit Badges that Scouts can earn. For Merit Badge College, participants had the option to choose either an all-day session or two half-day activities from the classes offered that not only touch on life lessons but also potential career paths the Scouts may pursue later on … even at Del Mar College. Revitalized two years ago after a five-year absence, the annual Merit Badge College also gives participants exposure to a college campus. Additionally, DMC will also host the Council Coordinated Meeting, which includes leaders of the South Texas Council and Units from all levels of Scouting, including Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Explorers and Sea Scouts. The South Texas Council operates Scouting America programs in 17 counties in this part of the state. The Merit Badge College is open to Scouts, including boys and girls, and their Troop Leaders. To learn more about the STCSA, visit https://www.southtexasscouting.org/.
