Chieftain, Volume 42, Number 1, Spring/Summer 1992 Page: 2
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: McMurry Chieftain and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the McMurry University Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PEOPLE —
▼
Brian Thomas
By Gary Ellison
Office of University Relations
Brian Thomas is one of
those people ready to take
the lead — whether in
preparing for his own
future or helping build
McMurry University's
future as the newly-
elected president of
McMurry Student Gov-
ernment.
Brian took a big step
last fall that will give him a
strong building block for
his career. He travelled to
Spain to take intensive
Spanish language train-
ing, earning 16 hours of
college credit in the
language.
The class, offered
through Trinity Christian
College in Illinois, allows
American students to
study Spanish at Windsor
School in Seville, Spain.
While in Spain, Brian
stayed with a Spanish
family and immersed
himself in the language
and culture.
"I had taken two years
of Spanish in high school
and had beginning
Spanish at McMurry from
Dr. (Jim) Alvis," Brian
said, who is working
toward a
double
major
degree in
Spanish
and
Communi-
cation. "I
found out
that I did
not know
as much
Spanish as
I had
thought."
For four
months,
Brian lived the language.
It paid off immediately
with an invitation to work
as a translator at the
Republican National
Convention in August.
Seville is in the south-
ernmost part of Spain,
only an hour from the
Strait of Gibraltar and
Africa. It was the city from
which Columbus sailed
on one of his voyages to
the Americas. The 500th
anniversary of those
voyages was a topic of
great interest to the city
when Brian was living in
Seville.
Brian Thomas, President of
McMurry Student Government
for 1992-93
"I was able to learn a lot
about Columbus in the
museums and the city had
a lot of activities going on
for Columbus' anniver-
sary," Brian said.
With the growing
importance of Mexico in
the world economy and
the growing Hispanic
EDITOR'S NOTE
community in Texas,
Brian hopes his experi-
ence living and learning
in Spain will help him in
future career plans.
Brian also has major
plans for his term as MSG
president. He would like
to see McMurry sponsor
an Indian Awareness
Week next spring with
Native Americans from
across the nation gather-
ing on campus. Brian
would include a Native
American art show and
invite celebrities who
support the preservation
of Native American
history and culture.
That's a lot to accom-
plish in a year. But those
who know Brian know he
will give it his all, just as
he does in every area of
his life.
The Homecoming 1992 issue of the "Chieftain" will include a short
stony about MSG vice-president Kerri Parchman, the chief architect of
Tipi Village and other student-led Homecoming activities.
Chieftain
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
McMurry University. Chieftain, Volume 42, Number 1, Spring/Summer 1992, periodical, 1992; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238727/m1/4/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.