Features Editor

Alumni and friends of Troy State University got together last week in Goshen to show their Trojan spirit and support for the university by chartering the Goshen Troy State University Alumni and Friends chapter to the TSU Alumni Association.

Sixty-one alumnus and friends gathered at the Goshen High School cafeteria to charter 34th TSU Alumni chapter.

Gene Nelson, president of the Goshen TSU Alumni and Friends Chapter and principal at GHS, opened the meeting and shared the purpose of forming the chapter.

"The purpose for being is to give scholarships to Goshen students," Nelson said, before introducing the speaker Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor of the Troy State University System.

"I have been here for 11 years and I have met a lot of people from Goshen," Hawkins said. ‘We have seen wonderful students from Goshen.

"I want to talk about your university. Graduation is the culmination of all our hard work. All of us need to help each other and no one stands alone. We need our TSU family to work hard and put its best foot forward."

Hawkins motivated the audience by creating an acronym for the word Troy. He said it was part of a speech he heard from former TSU president, the late Ralph Adams.

The "T," he said, stands for tradition.

"Troy State is a solid rock," he said. "We know where we’re going, where we are and what we represent."

Hawkins said one of the most important things done at TSU is hiring people. He said they hire people with well-defined values to continue the tradition.

The "R" represents recruitment and relationships.

"We want you to help us recruit students to TSU," Hawkins said. "We want good students at Troy State."

The "O" stands for opportunity.

"There is opportunity abound at Troy State University," he said. "We work with the teachers and the alumni body. There are more than 100 organizations at TSU. There is something for everybody."

Finally, the "Y" stands for you.

"You are the most important people to the university," Hawkins said. "The students are the barometer and the alumni body are a reflection of the university. We have a great opportunity to make a difference."

Hawkins talked about the visibility of the university and the importance athletics played in making TSU visible, mentioning the recent story in USA Today about Troy State moving to Division I-A.

"We are moving for increased visibility," he said. "We are getting into an arena where there is great visibility.

Next year Troy State will open against Nebraska, and although a victory against the Cornhuskers is not expected, it will make the school more visible.

"There was a football game on a fall day in 1947," Hawkins said. "The score was TSU 36, Florida State 6. We took a different path than Florida State, but we are on that path now, and I think we’ll see it again."

Faith Ward, director of Alumni Affairs, and Wiley Locklar, member of the TSU National Alumni Board, presented a check to the Goshen TSU Alumni and Friends Chapter. The check was accepted on behalf of the group by Nelson, Bart Snyder, vice president, and Paige Spivey, secretary and treasurer.

The program was then turned over to Mike Amos, TSU Alumni Affairs Chapter Development Coordinator.

"I am elated over the turnout tonight," said Amos. "Goshen is a community that has a lot of oneness."

Amos then led the Goshen chapter in the cheer, "We are Troy State."

"We are proud to be Troy State," he said. "And we don’t take a back seat to anyone."

Anyone interested in joining the Goshen TSU Alumni and Friends Chapter or any other chapter of the TSU Alumni Association can contact the Alumni Affairs office at TSU at 670-3318.