Comrades True

Terry Smith ’02, producer for U.S. Army & Air Force Exchange Service, traveled to Pyeongchang, South Korea, to cover the soldier-athletes of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program as they competed in the 2018 Olympics. Smith and his team followed the story of the athletes since their training and world competitions in Lake Placid, New York, in 2017. Three luge and three bobsled athletes were accepted to Team USA and competed, representing the U.S. Army and the United States.

Smith said the athletes also represented “every soldier that helped put them there.”

Photo courtesy of Terry Smith

South Korea’s winter was an obstacle for the crew, but the experienced alumnus got the job done. “The shoots proved challenging with 11 degree temperatures and snow,” Smith said. “Equipment froze up in the bitter cold and batteries died, but [the crew] came back with some remarkable interviews and competition footage from the week.

“Unfortunately, the six Olympians came close, but did not medal, but the experience was well worth the trip.”

Smith said he hopes to travel to Tokyo in 2020 to cover the U.S. WCAP Athletes as they compete in the Summer Olympics.

See Smith’s Olympics videos on the Army & Air Force Exchange Service YouTube channel and Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/shopmyexchange/videos/10155457346207756/

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Laura Carmichael Bozeman ’92, stationed in South Korea with the U.S. Army, went to the Olympics to see the sport she loves and represent TCU.

“When I found out that I would be here during the Winter Olympics, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend at least one day of the games,” Bozeman said. She is the equal opportunity program manager for the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea.

Photos courtesy of Laura Bozeman

She chose the men’s figure skating finals because of her connection with ice skating. Bozeman grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

“I have wonderful memories of watching Scott Hamilton skate in his Olympic days,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed watching figure skating competitions.”

Bozeman also attended a men’s curing round robin and one of the short track speed skating finals. She made sure she wore her TCU purple.

“This year’s Olympics organizers chose purple and white as the theme colors, and I wore TCU’s colors proudly to the event,” she said. “It was an amazing experience!”

Glynn Thompson ’78 hiking in Southeast Asia. Photo courtesy of Glynn Thompson

Glynn Thompson ’78 trekked across Southeast Asia and “talked up the great programs at TCU.” His latest ventures brought him to Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

“High elevations to support a high flying university,” Thompson wrote in an email. “Grateful for my time at TCU – and even at 62, still desire to explore and learn more from others. Thanks, TCU.”

The November 21, 1967 edition of The Skiff courtesy of TCU Archives

Memories from 50 years: The 1967 TCU-UT football game, a purple dress and a poem.

Elizabeth Lee Smith ’70 was a sophomore at TCU when she met Michael D. Smith, a senior at the University of Texas. It was 1967.

Michael invited Elizabeth to Austin for the TCU-UT football game that November.

“I wore my favorite purple dress, not realizing that our tickets would be in the middle of the UT student section of the stadium,” Elizabeth wrote in an email to TCU Magazine.

TCU won the game 24-17. The Horned Frogs wouldn’t see another victory over the Longhorns until 1992. TCU wouldn’t defeat UT in Austin until 2012 when TCU joined the Big 12 and the series resumed.

In 1996, nearly 30 years later, Michael wrote a poem to remember the game and Elizabeth’s purple dress. They celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary this year.

That Purple Dress

(for Elizabeth, September 9, 1996)

There we were

practically strangers

together in a sea of orange

and ‘horns’ –

you in that purple dress.

Darrell was still coach,

what could go wrong?

On their own four,

simple handoff,

straight into the line.

It was a magic act:

Chris Gilbert rematerialized

in front of the linebacker,

only the two of them

alone in the world –

the poor linebacker

a mere traffic cone.

Ninety-six yards,

six points,

‘immortality.’

Is it possible:

4 first downs, 17 points?

TCU 24 Texas 17?

It is possible 29 years later

to remember

how sweet she was,

how pretty,

in that purple dress.

 – Michael D. Smith

Today is a big day for actor and film producer Arturo Muyshondt ’94. His new film “The Pastor” debuts at 400 theaters nationwide, including two in Fort Worth — Ridgmar 13 and Hulen Movie Tavern — and four in Dallas.

The film is billed as “a gritty, strong-messaged, gang thriller,” and it has personal meaning for Muyshondt, who grew up amid a violent civil war in El Salvador. He also conducted much of his research for the film in United States cities with gang activity and jails in the U.S. and Central America.

The movie draws from his own life. Muyshondt plays the title character who is a former gang leader in Brooklyn who survives a knife attack in prison and then discovers his faith in God while in solitary confinement. Upon his release, he becomes a pastor, finding his true purpose, and seeks to serve underprivileged youth of the community to steer them away from the gang life he once led.

Turf wars ignite between two prominent gangs, and the new-found pastor finds himself and his growing community targets. Will he maintain his faith or turn back to the cold-blooded killer he once was.

“The film and my character have taken a life of its own as they relate to my personal story,” said Muyshondt, who also wrote and produced the film.

He’s also a global spokesman. Earlier this month, the United Nations invited him to speak at its conference on Poverty, Inequality and Social Violence. Afterward, he showed the film to audiences in his native El Salvador.

Muyshondt’s interest in acting and filmmaking dates back as far as 12 years old, when he created short films in El Salvador.

But it wasn’t until 2003 when he really tried his hand at acting after a successful but tiring career as an investment banker in Miami, where he worked for Dresdner Bank AG, a German financial conglomerate. After advising governments, banks and corporations in Latin America and structuring investment products for wealthy clients, he wanted something new and began acting training at Coconut Grove Playhouse.

By 2007, he launched his own production company WolfGang Cinema and went to Los Angeles to intensify his new career at The Joanne Baron Studio. His goal: Establish himself as a leading Hispanic producer in Hollywood.

Today, Muyshondt has turned WGC into a cross-cultural enterprise, producing films that focus on a multicultural audience.

TCU alums Bradley Lovell ’10 and David Smart ’13 were reppin’ the Horned Frogs this week at the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. The 2,658-mile route follows a continuous hiking trail from the California-Mexico border to the Washington-Canada border. “It took us nearly six months,” Smart wrote us just three days after completing the journey. “We started the journey on April 23 and completed on October 17. We’re so glad we had the opportunity to represent such an amazing school!” Smart and Lovell are graduates of the Neeley School of Business and hail from Dallas.

This week for College Colors Day, Teresa Baker ’87 and her fellow Horned Frog alums at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, proudly showed their school spirit.

Baker is in her 8^th year as a counselor at Bell after teaching English for 20 years. She is one of six TCU graduates spanning three generations in her family.

“We like to say we’ve been through the good, the bad and the ugly, and it’s nice to be around for the awesome,” she wrote us.

At Bell, TCU alums are a strong and loyal following and enjoy sharing the excitement of football season, Baker said.

In an effort to promote the school’s annual college fair and to generate excitement for preparing for college in general, Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district sponsors a College Colors Day when employees are encouraged to wear college gear from their alma maters.

“I thought it would be fun to get a picture to the magazine. I’m pretty sure the alumni from the different universities were jealous,” she wrote.

Bell High School faculty wearing TCU gear included (top row, left to right): Eric Oglesby ’83, Kathleen (Chapman) Chase ’97, Louis (Harris) Woodruff ’82, Natalie (Rodriguez) Caruso ’06, Lee (Anderson) McGuire ’71, Sandra Honc ’85.  Bottom row left to right:  Holly (Lewis) Gregg ’02, Teresa Baker ’87, Amy (Lester) Stach ’95, Bobbi (Brack) Choe ’07.

The Curt Wilson Alumni Jazz Band poses before playing the Umbria Jazz Festival

Dr. Skip Dolt ’89 writes:

The Curt Wilson Alumni Jazz Band performed July 12, at the prestigious Umbria Jazz festival in Perugia, Italy. This 19-piece band is a group of TCU alumni who all played under the direction of professor emeritus of the TCU School of Music, Mr. Curt Wilson, over his 35+ year tenure. The band is comprised of musicians both professional and amateur, graduating from TCU in four different decades, who still have a passion for playing jazz music. (L-R: Dr. Skip Dolt, Rich Dahl, Tyler Windle, Todd Burrer, Dr. Andy Dollahite, Sammy Tork, Micah Bell, Tony Yarbrough, Professor Emeritus of the TCU School of Music Curt Wilson, Steve Williams, Dr. John McDonald, Drew Ruiz, Harry Tschoerner, Rene Ozuna,Alan Burton, Marc Bellomy, Kevin Love, Tom Laney, Chike Okaro, Dr. David Williams.)

The Curt Wilson Alumni Jazz band with a big “Go Frogs”

Curt Wilson writes, “It’s the smartest band I’ve ever conducted — doctors, dentists, college professors, business executives, teachers and some pro players. Former students range from my first year (1976) to my last years (2011) with every decade represented.”

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.

Three TCU alumni are teaching at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Maj. Chad Fitzgerald ’04 (left) is an instructor in the Department of Social Sciences and teaches international relations. Lt. Col. Laura Bozeman ’92 (center) and Maj. Barrett Ward ’04 teach in the Department of English.

Dr. Raymond Blanton ’99 (center) received his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2015 and celebrated with a trip to Europe with TCU buddies. Joining him in Prague, Czech Republic, for a day of sightseeing and reminiscing about TCU days were Aaron Buck ’99 (left) and Brian Kleager ’98.