Two Army Frogs serving in Poland

The "It's a Small World Game - Horned Frog Edition" had two winners this week. Two TCU graduates who are in Poland in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve met again for the first time in almost 10 years.

Army chaplain Cpt. Luke Sprinkle '06 (right) of the 1st Squadron, 91st Calvary Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, based out of Grafenwoehr, Germany, met Sgt. 1st Class Adam Stone '04, 807th Medical Command, United States Army Reserve, just outside of Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.

Sprinkle is the 1-91 Cavalry chaplain and Stone is on an army public affairs team assigned to cover the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Operation Atlantic Resolve involves approximately 600 paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Graduation Day makes history

Marissa Torres'11 (M.Ed. '14) shared these photos from commencement this past weekend. With Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in the midst of a major overhaul, TCU graduation exercises returned to Amon G. Carter Stadium for the first time since 1961. More than 1,600 graduates walked the stage arranged in the south end zone to get their diplomas, including Torres who received her masters of education in professional counseling. Weather cooperated as the temperature was only 70 degrees when the ceremony started.
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TCU flag at Iwo Jima

Major Ryan D. Cox '02 of the U.S. Air Force visited the Japanese island of Iwo Jima earlier this year, and he brought a TCU flag with him.

But it was no ordinary spot for a flag photo.

"We hiked up to the top of Mount Suribachi, which is the location of the famous raising of the U.S. flag at the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II," Cox wrote to us. "I was at the actual spot where the flag was raised."

Behind him, is the beach on which U.S. Marines landed and bravely fought to take the island. 

"The opportunity to go to Iwo Jima is rare since no civilians of any kind are even allowed to visit the island," Cox shared. "Truly a great experience!"

Cox, who is a former member of TCU Cheer, is stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

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Vicente Fox on campus

Bryan Lucas '96, chief technology officer at TCU, met with former Mexican president Vicente Fox yesterday to discuss technology at his Centro Fox library and potential learning opportunities for Horned Frog students.

Fox, who guided Mexico to a stronger democracy from 2000 to 2006, was the keynote speaker at the 51st annual Honors Convocation and shared his perspectives about the global economy, leadership on the world stage, immigration and challenges in the 21st century.

78 (MA) (PhD '81)

78 (MA) (PhD '81)

78 (MA) (PhD '81)

78 (MA) (PhD '81)

Joining them were Fox's special assistant Dr. Juan Hernandez '78 MA '81 PhD (far left) and Dr. Beata Jones of the Neeley School of Business.

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Frog medical interpreter in Afghanistan

Haroon Said Wardak '13 graduated from TCU's Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences less than a year ago, but he's showing his Horned Frog pride with passion on the other side of the globe.

Wardak, who describes himself as an Afghan-American "with purple blood in my veins," is a medical interpreter/translator for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. He also works in a NATO hospital there. 

When he was deployed, he took along several TCU t-shirts. But he wanted something to show off his Horned Frog ties every day. So he bought a TCU ID tag holder from Amazon.  

In the photo above, Wardak is proudly donning the TCU ID tag during formal Change of Command Ceremony at Multinational Medical Unit-NATO Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Read more TCU People stories at The TCU Magazine. 

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High honor for Horned Frog soldier

Lt. Col. Diana Loucks '96 of the 4th Infantry Division in Kandahar, Afghanistan, has been chief of space and special programs for Regional Command (South) since June 2013.

But before long, she'll be a pioneer at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. 

Loucks has been asked to join the faculty at West Point in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. She would be the first female professor in the history of that department. 

Following her tour in Afghanistan, Loucks must earn a doctorate before she starts her new job. She plans to pursue Ph.D. work in aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she earned a master's degree in 2008. 

Then she will be installed as an academy professor in 2017 and is scheduled to teach there for the duration of her Army career.   

Previously, Loucks taught physics at West Point in 2008 and hopes to mentor students and help them develop their careers from the outset.

“It’s not just teaching them, it’s shaping their future as Army leaders,” she said through the U.S. Army public relations office. “You have an opportunity to shape how they think and feel about their role as leaders in the Army. To be able to influence that is really what I’d like to do.”  

Read more on Loucks:
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/122361/opportunity-lifetime-awaits-army-officer-upon-return-hom#.UzCDwF7AkpR

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Frog spirit in the Holy Land

Kate Jackson Potter '99 is the director of CrossWalk Houston at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston. She and TCU friends Melissa Lewis Simmons '01 and Jean Sauerberg Ware '60 took a trip to the Holy Land earlier this month with a group of 40 from their church. They brought their Horned Frog spirit with them, snapping photos in Jerusalem (above) and the Sea of Galilee (below) with a purple TCU flag.


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I just realized I never replied to your mesage (so sorry).  Is it too late to submit the information?  I am assuming the Summer Magazine is pretty close to finishing up:)  I went ahead and answered the questions below.  Thanks again for all you do to keep us alumni in "the know"!  -Kate

We can add a little to this account if you'd like. What made Jean think to bring a TCU flag?

Jean is one of the biggest TCU fans out there.  I think everyday she had at least something purple on!  When she mentioned carrying a TCU Melissa and I thought was a great idea.  Nothing like Horned Frog Pride to united Christians! Of course, Jean's husband knew we would be a great pair because my Mac has a purple cover and I used a purple bag to carry all my things on the trip:)  There is just something about the awesome color purple!!!!

What areas did you see? 

We went to almost all parts of Israel,  We spent about half our time on the Sea of Galilee and then the rest of our time in Jerusalem.  We had side trips to Ceasarea by the Sea, Bethlehem, Qumran (where Dead Sea Scrolls were found), Bet Shean, Massada.  But we saw it all... The mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus fed thousands, The Jordan River, Garden of Gethsemane, The Upper Room, Via Dolorosa (stations of the cross), Temple Mount...It was a jam packed 10 days!!!

What did you get from the trip? 

The bible came to life.  It was so real, it was so beautiful, it was life changing.  Sometimes words can't explain what an experience has done to ones life.  This is one of those experiences!