Dodds ‘Comes Early, Stays Late’ for Hidalgo-Starr Chapter

By Rose Cahalan in Chapters, TXEX on June 1, 2012 at 2:58 pm | No Comments

McAllen, Texas, is more than 300 miles away from the Forty Acres. But on one festive night last week, you’d never know it.

UT Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds; Texas Exes CEO Leslie Cedar, BS ’89, MBA ’98; U.S. Federal Judge Ricardo Hinojosa, BA ’72; and Texas State Rep. Sergio Muñoz, BA ’04, Life Members, were just a few of the influential Longhorns who joined the Texas Exes Hidalgo-Starr Chapter on May 23.

The welcome event drew about 100 people to the McAllen Chamber of Commerce for a night that was characterized by a “pep-rally atmosphere,” says Heather Fallek, BJ ’95, Life Member, the chapter’s scholarship chair.

The chapter also recognized its four local scholarship recipients and encouraged attendees to donate.

“It was a great crowd,” Fallek says. “And it meant a lot that DeLoss Dodds came early and stayed late, mingling with everyone.”

Dodds gave a brief and informal speech on a range of topics, from the Longhorn Network—he expressed excitement for the network to publicize a wider variety of UT sports than are currently televised—to UT President Bill Powers, whom he called a “fantastic leader,” Fallek says.

The Texas Exes Hidalgo-Starr Chapter Board. From left: Heather Fallek, Jay Leal, and Marla Muñoz with DeLoss Dodds. Photo courtesy Heather Fallek.

Tags: chapters, deloss dodds, hidalgo-starr chapter