ENMU to host Emeritus Faculty Luncheon

The Eastern New Mexico University Foundation will host the annual Emeritus Faculty Luncheon noon Monday in the Campus Union Building to present the 2015 Distinguished Faculty Emeriti awards.

The following are this year's recipients:

• Mary Drabbs

Drabbs has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Montana-Western a master’s degree in exercise science in 1990 from Eastern Washington University where she continued to work as the director of the fitness center and taught classes as an assistant professor for three years.

She taught high school English for one year in Montana and for 11 years in Idaho.

In 1997, Drabbs earned a doctorate of education in health education from the University of Texas-Austin, then began her career at Eastern New Mexico University as assistant professor of health and physical education. She was promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in 2002 and chair of the department of health and physical education in 1998, a position she held for over 16 years.

• Bill Engman

Engman came to Eastern New Mexico University on a football scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s degree in history. He paused his undergraduate degree to serve two years in the U.S. Navy on the battleship Wisconsin, working in engineering. He then taught high school biology in Artesia and in Clovis.

While teaching in Clovis, he returned to Eastern to complete his master’s degree in natural sciences and earned his doctorate of education in science education from the University of New Mexico. He taught at University of Wyoming, University of New Mexico and Fort Lewis College, returning to ENMU in 1982 as the dean of the College of Education and Technology then as the executive vice president of academic affairs. He retired in 1992.

• Sue E. Strickler

Strickler received a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University Stanislaus and master’s and doctorate degrees in political science from the University of Iowa. Strickler joined ENMU in the fall of 1988 as an assistant professor of political science and was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in 1994 and promoted to full professor in 2004.

She has served as chair for her department, coordinator of academic advising and coordinator of Student Learning Assessment. She retired from ENMU in 2014 as professor emerita of political science after 26 years of service.

• J. Richard Waite (posthumous)

Waite attended Utah State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in speech and theater and an additional degree in dance in 1954. He then went into the U.S. Air Force and became a pilot, flying B-36s.

After serving in the Air Force, he received a master’s degree in theater at Brigham Young University, then taught theater at Church College of Hawaii for nine years. In 1969, he accepted a position as assistant professor of drama and theater at Eastern New Mexico University where he was promoted to associate professor of theater then professor of theater.

In 1979, he completed his doctorate of fine arts at Texas Tech University. He was president of the New Mexico Theatre Association for two terms and of the Southwest Theatre Conference for two years.

As a result of his work with the Southwest Theatre Conference, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award and was elected to the inaugural group in the Southwest Theatre Conference Hall of Fame. He retired from ENMU in 1991 after 25 years of teaching.

— Submitted by Wendel Sloan, ENMU Director of Media Relations