Beached rings, 1970 bond , Tyres and Jackie crisis, Pat Frost ,and bust

Top of the Que Volume IV newsletter 24 Oct. 25, 2019

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the 50th anniversary reunion of the 1969 football national championship team because I was fortunate enough to attend my mother’s 90 birthday party during the same time frame. For those who attended, please send me some photos and or comments, and I will post on the TLSN website at https://texaslsn.org.

The Longhorn nation celebrates all shades of Orange but in particular a mix of pale cadmium yellow, lemon yellow,  with cadmium red and a  touch of burnt sienna.  Any deviation from this formula and the color is no longer burnt orange.  

On March 10, 2018, at Mark’s Ranch, the phenomenon of team bonding worked its magic converting men into boys for one weekend.

The guest included doctors, lawyers, business people, home builders, ranch owners, accountants, tour directors, restaurant owners, oilmen, and retirees. All attendees are bridge-builders making this world a better place, but this weekend the attendees enjoyed building bridges to the past and sharing memories.

The first evening sitting around a campfire, Dan Adams and Bob Tresch shared a story about a trip down the Guadalupe River in their youth. It was not a fun trip for either participant.

Bonds that last a lifetime require many transitional elements, and overcoming hardship together is one of those elements. Their story is a defining moment in friendships transformed into a bond for life.

The article in the Que shares all the team elements required to form a bond for a lifetime as seen through the eyes of the 1970 Longhorn football recruiting class.

TLSN is a 501 (c) (3) offering qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, managers, trainers, and their immediate families temporary financial support. Yanaq’s cancer has returned. His mother, Jackie Campbell, a UT volleyball player from the ’80s, says Yanaq on October 25th will get his cells “harvested.” Then he will undergo 28 days of continuous chemo infusion, hopefully only three days in the hospital and the rest at home. Then he is off everything for two weeks, and then he returns to the hospital to receive the harvested cells. He should be in the hospital for about two weeks, and the family will stay in a hotel in Ann Arbor for 6 to 8 weeks. Yanaq’s whole story is in the Que at https://texaslsn.org

The story of the beached Longhorn ring

A month ago, I received a phone call from a waiter at a hotel in Hawaii who said that a guest found a Big XII Texas track Championship ring on the beach near the hotel.

He said the names on the ring looked like “Sutherlan” and “compliance.” I asked some track members for help, and the next day Chris Plonsky, Ivan Wagner, Tyrone Scott, and others said the ring belonged to Leroy Sutherland, a compliance officer for UT. Leroy’s whole story is in the Que with the chronology of events that began with a loss ring 21 years ago.

The photo at the top is how the ring looked when earned by those who qualified to receive one.

The photo at the bottom is what the ring looked like after 21 years in the ocean.

Photo is Ricky Brown and Tyres Dickson

TLSN is presently financially supporting Tyres Dickson until January 1, 2020. I received the following email from Tyres last week.

“Hey Billy, just letting you know that I haven’t been able to send the receipts for reimbursement to you. I’ve been in ICU 1st. I missed the Red River Rivalry because I was down graded that week. They’re still running a bunch of test.

I went in for a UTI and was giving antibiotics that I was allergic to which took me on a ride I wouldn’t mind every seeing again. They did transfer me here to Kingwood.

Tyres struggle is at the top of the Que. Please “give back” by donating to help all qualifying Legacy Longhorn applicants that need a helping hand.

Mr. Patrick B. Frost is President of Frost Bank, who earned his MBA degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Recently I received a handwritten 8-word letter with his phone number delivered via snail mail to my home. President’s of major corporations usually don’t write me so I knew it was vital for me to reflect on his comment.

The note said, “Billy- a slight correction of your latest email” is necessary. Pat was politely telling me that Jody Conradt’s 1987 women’s basketball NCAA attendance record was no longer accurate. Attached to his note was the hard copy Wikipedia page discussing the history of the Alamodome. On that page, Pat highlights with an orange marker the following college sports historical fact “2002 NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship Game- Oklahoma vs. Connecticut – (the largest turnout to an NCAA women’s basketball game).”

Pat Frost is correct. The 1987 Longhorn women’s basketball attendance record was broken in 1998. In 2002 29,619 fans visited the great city of San Antonio and set the attendance record in the Alamodome for the women’s NCAA college basketball final game between U. Conn and Oklahoma. As of 2019 that attendance record still stands. (I think).

Pat Frost has also set up four checking accounts at Frost Bank to receive donations to fund the four national championship Longhorn quarterback bronze bust. The bust will be located in the new building behind the South End Zonethat is scheduled for completion in the next 18 months. Funds for Duke Carlisle, Eddie Phillips, and Vince Young bust are still needed.

Here is how to donate.

Donations should be made payable to one of the following: (1) “Nonspecific statue” (Donations Funds where needed) (2) “Duke Carlisle” statue (3) “Eddie Phillips” statue (4) “Vince Young” statue. Donations should be sent to Pat Frost at Frost National Bank P. O. Drawer 1600 San Antonio, TX. 78296. 

A donation of $250 will memorialize your name etched on the pillar that holds the bust. 

Respectfully, 

Billy Dale 

James Street clay model . Bronze is in process.

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