“Mr. San Diego” Also “Mr. SDSU”

Our own Bob Payne has been named the San Diego Rotary Club’s “Mr. San Diego” for 2009. Mayor Jerry Sanders will present the award next week recognizing Bob for his humanitarian achievements and civic contributions.

Here on the Mesa, where he graduated in 1955, we’ve thought of Bob as a sort of unofficial “Mr. SDSU” for some time. He’s a member of the President’s Council and Chairman of the Board of The Campanile Foundation, of which he is a charter member. In 1988 he was honored by our organization as SDSU Alumnus of the Year.

A colleague asked me recently how I felt about Bob winning the Rotary's prestigious award.

Asking an alumni director's attitude regarding Bob Payne winning an award is kind of like asking how Leo Durocher about having Willie Mays in the lineup.

Bob Payne is the poster child for model alumnus. If Wikipedia allowed me to contribute a definition, then Bob's Picture would grace the entry “Model Aztec Alumnus.”

You could take a bevy of robotics engineers and they would never in a million years create a greater representative for your university.

Allow me to count the ways:
Leadership
Generosity
Wisdom
Involvement
Passion

Congratulations, Bob.

Dynamite Web Site

As a 50 something, I am somewhat “username/password” challenged. So when I got the email suggesting I register for the severely upgraded SDSU Alumni Web site I took a deep breath and began to fill out the form.

To my infinite delight, it only took 30 seconds and I was rewarded with a computer ding acknowledging my hi-tech prowess.

These days, of course, an alumni association Web site needs to have dynamic content, user friendly formats and pragmatic applications such as on-line registration and collecting memberships and donations securely and efficiently. Most importantly, the look, feel and ease of maneuvering have to be stellar.

I am very proud to say that your sdsualumni.org is all of that and more. With real time RSS feeds from the campus, athletic department and the Daily Aztec, our Aztec for Life site is a great portal to all things SDSU. Please give us a look at sdsualumni.org.

Student Veterans Organization

Looking out my window from our temporary Manchester Hall digs I get to take in some of the daily happenings which make working on a college campus so rewarding. Whether it is the Associated Student Council politicians holding fort, students debating zealots, or Greeks hawking baked goods for charities, the scene is always dynamic.

Today I am witness to a video production of one of our more celebrated students, Nick Popaditch. I have to duck outside to see what this is all about and discover that our marketing and communications department is creating a video designed to encourage support for SDSU. At least that is what Nick seems to be trying to do take after take.

What I marvel at is how anything can be considered daunting or even challenging to him given what life has already thrown at him. Nick Popaditch, as you may know, lost an eye, most of his vision and very nearly his life in 2004 during combat in Fallujah when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded next to his head. For his innovative combat tactics and leadership even when wounded, Popaditch received the Silver Star, the military's third-highest award for valor. His subsequent book which describes his service and transition back into civilian life is absolutely a must read.

www.amazon.com/Once-Marine-Commanders-Inspirational-Recovery/dp/1932714472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240338475&sr=1-1

Now Nick is a student at San Diego State. He and some other dedicated veterans work with the Student Veterans Organization, which is an on-campus association dedicated to making the transition from soldier to college student more palatable. They do great work. Check them out at: http://universe.sdsu.edu/military President Steve Weber has fully embraced our “Troops to College” initiative and has recently returned from Washington where he was invited to share our veterans’ services as a national model. Our goal is to become the premiere university in the nation in providing services to our military students.

Just another way SDSU does what needs doing in the world.

The Montys

If this were twitter I would have only 140 characters and already spent half. But it isn’t. This is about the Montys - one of those classic timeless traditions where humans actually eschew thumb communication and enjoy the grandest and most satisfactory of all interactive options: The one where you are actually face-to-face.

There are so many ways I could go about this. I could provide a post-game recap with facts and statistics. I could ramble from my insider’s perspective about event anxiety and relief. I could mention all the Aztec celebrities sitting courtside (so to speak). I could glowingly describe the fabulous body of work by the awardees, which would inevitably instill much pride. I could enthusiastically brag about the venue, the vignettes, the musical theater singers, the songs and lyrics, the production values, the food, the wine, the decorations, the joyousness of the presentations, the uplifting personas of so many Aztec alumni and the overall collective assessment that the event bespoke class.

But I won’t. You had to be there. Hopefully, next time you will join us.

NIT

It is often claimed that we are a bit obsessed with athletics in the alumni business. But there is just so much you can accomplish with Facebook and Twitter (Although this u-Tube video paints a decent picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRXHQ-fgwIM)

But in the aftermath of our basketball team’s dramatic conquest Wednesday night, it is impossible to not marvel at the power of athletics.

I saw grown men cry. I shared the exultation with people in their 30s, 40s 50s, 60s, and 70s. I saw 12,000 Aztec fans will Steve Fisher’s fine squad to Gotham for the NIT Final Four.

But most of all, we saw the culmination of ten years of student zaniness known as "The Show." Recently featured on the cover of 360 Magazine, our wild and crazy student section has been honing its we-can-make-you-miss-a-critical-free-throw act for many seasons. With 42 seconds left, St. Mary’s NBA-bound point guard, Patty Mills, and his 86% foul shooting rate stepped to the line in a tie game. He was faced with 500 demonstrative, big-head-wielding, jumping up and down, screaming, banana suit wearing, and certified crazy students. Clang.

The subsequent court storming by the young, witnessed by the old, was a convergence of monumental emotion. Twelve minutes later, Ritchie, Lo, and Kyle - our three mega stars - who all prevailed over significant challenges to forge our fantastic season, finally emerged from the mob scene love fest.

Can’t find that on Linked-In!

We Need Stuff

As you may know we are building an alumni center. The Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center will open this summer. We certainly hope you come and visit.

What is an alumni center? Well, it will be a building for you, our alumni. A place to meet old friends, and to access faculty and students. A place for history and memories. A place to check in with cutting edge knowledge. A place to remind you of the power of San Diego State, and to enjoy the burgeoning relevance of your alma mater.

So today I am asking for your historical artifacts. We need Del Sudoestes, blue book ball posters, theater and musical programs from decades past, ticket stubs from Bob Dylan in Peterson Gym, Oingo Boingo at the Backdoor, Jimmy Buffet at the OAT and X-Fest in Aztec Bowl. We need your intramural trophies and your letters from Dean Peterson. We need the tangible evidence of your memories. And we need your books; books relevant to San Diego State and books by our alumni are to be featured—if we only had them. We need your photographs. In short, we need alumni artifacts.

If you have been packing these things around for 10 or fifty years you might as well give them to us. We expect the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, like San Diego State itself, will be around for at least another 112 years. We will take good care of your donations and avail them to generations of Aztecs to come so if you are so inclined please let me know at herrick1@mail.sdsu.edu.

Oh, there is one more thing. We need a Grand Piano. Can’t hurt to ask.

Buzz Matters

There probably isn’t another college campus in this country with more great news associated with it these days than SDSU. Right now we’re dancing in clover. Here are a few things to be happy about if your blood runs towards a red and black hue:

• Our alumna, Kathleen Kennedy, produced the film (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) with the most Oscar nominations.
• This month our cheerleaders won the National Championship: http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/c-cheer/spec-rel/011909aaa.html
• Aztec pitcher Stephen Strasburg is widely recognized as the best college baseball player in the country. http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/010809aad.html
• Our women’s basketball team, in addition to beating fourth-ranked Texas earlier this year, just whomped BYU by 20. Since we are hosting the NCAA first round at Cox Arena, and since the way it works in women’s basketball is that you get to stay near home, we could very well be playing March 21 and 23 in Cox Arena! http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/09-ncaa-champ.html
• Our men’s basketball team has considerable depth and talent and will undoubtedly make a run at the Dance. The “Show” serves as catalyst for great atmosphere and great wins against substantial Mountain West teams. A few good seats remain at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/82694?brand=qualcommaztecs
• One of our students, Destin Cretton, just won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival for “Short Term 12.” http://advancement.sdsu.edu/marcomm/news/releases/spring2009/pr012209sundance.html

I am not making this stuff up, check it out for yourself:

And finally, head football coach Brady Hoke has hired coordinators of substance and our own Brian Sipe as QB coach, and has generally convinced all paying attention that the resurrection of Aztec Football is, in fact, possible.

It is, indeed, a good time to be an Aztec.