In June, former student Matthew Brown met renown astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson after his lecture at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. The Hayden Planetarium director gave an off-camera star talk called “An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies,” and pointed out astronomy’s influence on Hollywood, even if television and movies occasionally get it wrong.

Afterward, Brown approached Tyson for a handshake and Horned Frog greeting. “I told him, ‘I know you’re a UT grad, but I’m about to travel to Omaha to watch the TCU Horned Frogs play in the College World Series. It would be a good omen if I could get you to flash the Frog sign.’ And he did it!” Brown shared.

Tyson earned a master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin in 1983. He also holds degrees from Harvard and Columbia.

“As I was leaving, he said, ‘Hey, you want to know a fun fact about horned frogs?’ ” Brown recalled. “I said, ‘They’re actually horned lizards.’ And he smiled.”

Brown attended TCU from 2008 to 2010 and is a managing director at Tamra-Tacoma Capital Partners in Dallas.