With a room full of books to dispose of, Yvonne Anderson naturally thought of the University of Texas-Pan American Alumni Association’s Used Book Sale as the natural place to donate the books. More than 600 books were donated for the Fourth Annual Used Book Sale.

“I was truly impressed by the great diversity of books Mrs. Anderson had and donated,” said Arnoldo Mata, UTPA Alumni Association Used Book Sale chair. “There were titles in just about every genre, from fiction to nonfiction. It included current fiction, classic literature, philosophy, art, design, cooking, history, and music. I wish I had time to read through all of the books she had in one room.”

Mrs. Anderson’s daughter, Janet Sprague, said Anderson recently moved to Austin to be closer to family. Anderson was a former English instructor at UTPA. Her late husband, Dr. John Anderson, was UTPA Department of Music Chair. Yvonne Anderson has been a longtime supporter and patron of UTPA, literacy, music, art, theatre and her church. She was an exemplary member of the International Women’s Board Executive Council for 20 years, a Lifetime member of the UTPA Alumni Association, and the President’s Circle, and she supported many initiatives at UTPA.

According to Mata, the books will be added to the many others already donated by UTPA alumni and South Texas residents for the Used Book Sale.

“We’ve already received quite a few books, but we still need more books. We will be accepting book donations up until the week before the sale, so we’re asking our supporters to start collecting their books,” Mata said.

Books can be dropped off at one of two locations. The first is at the UTPA Alumni Center at 2402 S. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg. The second location is at Office Furniture USA at 1008-A E. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen.

“We’re looking for more drop-off locations. If any alumni or local business would like to help by serving as a drop-off location, please contact us. We are also looking for volunteers to help us in the collection and sorting. Of course, we’ll also need help on the sale day,” Mata said.

According to Mata, all proceeds from the book sale will be used for scholarships.

For more information about the UTPA Alumni Used Book Sale, contact Arnoldo Mata at 460-9125 or arnoldo.mata@hotmail.com.

BOOK DONATION – Jeanette Sprague poses with some of the approximately 600 books her mother, Yvonne Anderson, donated to the UTPA Alumni Association’s Fourth Annual Used Book Sale.

UT Pan American alumni employed at Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley are on a mission to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and special needs by helping them and their families live better lives. For more than 50 years, Easter Seals has offered a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life’s challenges and achieve personal goals. Meet the UTPA alumni who are assisting more than 2,000 children and adults with disabilities and their families in the Valley every year.

Front row, left to right, are Gerardo Garcia, UTPA student; Jennifer Gomez, BS ‘09; Lizbeth Martinez Carrera, MSW ‘06; Angela Belton, BSW ‘96; Jessica Rodriguez, BS ‘02; Cassandra Reyna, UTPA student; Priscilla De la Cruz, UTPA student; Perla Pena, UTPA student; and Mary Alice Villarreal, BS ‘07. Back row, left to right, are Gloria Castro, BSW ‘98; Roschel Servantes, BS ‘99 and MS ‘01; Vicki Doria, BS ‘94; Ana Leal, BBA ‘10; Pattie Rosenlund, MS ‘06; Yolanda Baleras, BS ‘88; Janet Serrano, BS ‘09; Mark Zapata, BA ‘97; Margie Ortega, BS ‘83; Melchor Gracia, BS ‘09 and MS ‘11; Karina Leal, BBS ‘97 and MBA ‘01; Jessica Graham, MA ‘11; Jose Hernandez, BSW ‘79; David Elizondo, BBA ‘92 and MBA ‘02; and Alma Puga, BSW ‘97.

Tags: Pan Am, UT Pan Am, UTPA

The Alumni Association is “aiming high” for higher education this fall with its first Pan Am Classic Skeet Shoot Saturday, Nov. 19, at the RD Guerra San Felipe Ranch in Linn, 4.2 miles north of Edinburg.

Proceeds from the event, which has as its honorary co-chairs State Senators Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (BA ’70) and Eddie Lucio Jr. (BS ’74), will go into the Alumni Association’s scholarship fund in the UTPA Foundation. The goal is to raise at least $30,000, and sponsorship opportunities are available from $1,000-$5,000.

Registration for the skeet shoot begins at 8 a.m., with the tournament shotgun start beginning promptly at 9 a.m. The three-man team entry fee is $500 and includes drinks and lunch. There will be a total of 50 targets per person, with $3,000 up for grabs in prizes. Mulligans will be offered for $10, and shooters may purchase up to two. Door prizes will also be awarded. Participants must use their own gun and ammunition.

For more information about the tournament fundraiser, call the UTPA Alumni Association at (956) 665-2500 or email Debby Grant, director of alumni relations, at debbygrant@utpa.edu.

Helping to promote the Alumni Association’s first Pan Am Classic Skeet Shoot are, from left, Association Vice President Arnoldo Mata (BA ‘81), UTPA President Robert S. Nelsen and Association Vice President Diane Willis (BS ’89, Med ’95).

Tags: Pan Am, UT Pan Am, UTPA

Debby Grant (BBA ‘99), Director of Alumni Relations, and her staff are flying high these days – celebrating a new home for all of our former students at UT Pan American’s first-ever Alumni Center, and now a new, attractive home on the Web, thanks to the great creative and technical support from the team of Director of Internet Services Kumar Raman (MS ‘01). Special kudos and sincere thanks to Web Designer Maricela Perez, who brought all of our crazy ideas to life over the last few weeks.

My role in all this? Well, I retired as vice president for university advancement on August 3l, 2011, and one “retirement life” commitment I made was to Debby, who runs a very busy shop with a staff of only three. Though I can’t claim alumni status myself (I graduated from a couple of other universities away from the Valley), I love Pan Am, and one way I can help Debby and give back to the University that has been such an important part of my life is to volunteer in Alumni Relations.

My assignment is to find more and more ways to keep our 60,000 or so alumni connected to their alma mater. We’ll be reaching out to you asking you to update your contact information, to share some of the interesting things going on in your life, as well as some of your greatest memories of your college days, and to give back to your University by making an annual gift so that you can be counted for the all-important alumni participation rate. (To learn more about that, check out COUNT ME IN!.)

In turn, through our Alumni Blog, we’ll try to keep you up to date on what’s happening at the University and what’s on the calendar for you from the Office of Alumni Relations and the UTPA Alumni Association. We hope you’ll check the blog often and be an active member of our online Pan Am Alumni Community.

Coming Soon

As soon as Facilities Management finishes with some outdoor sprucing up – including a new roof, resurfacing of the large patio area and the addition of some landscaping and signage to give it some much-needed curb appeal, the UT Pan American Alumni Center will be ready for prime time. An open house will be scheduled as soon as this work is completed. If you live out of the area, we hope you’ll come back for Homecoming February 17-18, 2012, so we can show you your new home away from home.

A real ‘page-turner’…

Check out the Fall 2011 issue of Los Arcos, which features information about a Bronc Baseball Reunion in October, a sneak peak at Homecoming 2012 and a lot of Alumni Class Notes. To save trees – and postage costs, the magazine is available online at utpa.edu/los-arcos.

Tags: Pan Am, UT Pan Am, UTPA