info on the above award recipients - Kilgore College

Alumni Relations names Ex-Teacher, Honored Retiree,
Distinguished Alumna and Ex-Students of the Year
Ex-Teacher
of the Year
Honored
Retiree
Distinguished
Alumna
Ex-Students
of the Year
Marion Turner
Marion worked at KC as
a coach and instructor
from 1975-1997. He was
head coach of the Ranger
football team from
1992-1996.
Leon Dodgen
Leon began working at
KC in 1972, eventually
becoming the Director of
Physical Plant. The KC
Physical Plant building
is named after Leon.
Barbara Bass
Barbara has been
Tyler’s mayor since 2008.
She is in her third term
as mayor, being
unopposed the
last two terms.
Merita Merritt Barbee
A.P. Merritt, Jr.
Tommy Merritt
Mike Merritt
The Merritts have had a
long-standing relationship
with KC.
Read complete biographies of the above award recipients inside the Ranger Roundup
Kilgore College has a full list of
activities set for Homecoming 2012
including the Rangerettes Forever
Brunch, The Flare reunion, Ex-
Students Luncheon and something
new this year--the Rangerettes
Forever Casino Night at the
American Legion in Kilgore. The
Ranger football team will play its
homecoming game 3 p.m. at R.E.
St. John Memorial Stadium versus
Southeast Prep out of Houston.
Homecoming 2012 Schedule of Events
Kilgore College Homecoming set for Oct. 20
10 a.m. - Rangerettes Forever Brunch, reserve a spot by visiting www.rangerette.com
Noon - The Flare reunion, reserve a spot by e-mailing bcraddock@kilgore.edu
1 p.m. - Ex-Students Luncheon, in Ballroom, reserve a spot by e-mailing pjamerson@kilgore.edu
3 p.m. - KC Football vs. Southeast Prep, at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium
7 p.m. - Rangerettes Forever Casino Night, at American Legion in Kilgore, $25 at the door,
$10 babysitting available at Rangerette Gym.

Ex-Teacher of the Year: Marion Turner
Kilgore College is
pleased to recognize
Marion Turner
as this year’s
Ex-Teacher of the Year.
Marion Turner is being recognized as
this year’s Ex-Teacher of the Year at KC.
Turner graduated from Wilmer-
Hutchins High School where he played
football, basketball, ran track and played
baseball.
He attended KC where he played
football. After KC, he transferred to East
Texas State (now Texas A&M Commerce)
where he played football and received
a Bachelor of Science and Master
of Science.
After college, he worked at Palestine
Independent School District as a math
teacher and an assistant coach from
1963-68.
After Palestine, he
worked for Garland
Independent School
District from 1968-72
as a math teacher
and assistant coach.
From 1972-75,
Turner moved back
to Palestine where
he served as athletic
director and
head football coach
for Palestine High
School.
In 1975, Turner
was named as an assistant
coach for the
KC football team.
He spent the next
21 years at KC, serving
as head football
coach for the Rangers
from 1992-96.
He also served on the KC
Board of Trustees from May
of 1999 through February of
2008.
Turner is married to Sandra
Kay Sturkie, and they have
three children: Melinda, Laura
and Russell.
Melinda Turner Brown is a
teacher in Tyler. Her husband,
Gary, is a principal at Tyler Lee
High School. They have three
daughters: Lanie, Haley and
Katie.
Laura is an academic
advisor at Stephen F. Austin
State University’s College of
Business. She has one son,
Reese.
Russell serves as an air
conditioning technician for KC
and is married to wife, Becky.
They have three daughters:
Jayden, Brooklyn and Morgan.
Marion Turner
Above: Coach Turner at football practice
in 1992. Below: Photo from the 1994 KC
Yearbook.

Distinguished Alumna: Barbara Bass
Barbara Bass
Kilgore College
is pleased
to announce
Barbara Bass
as this year’s
Distinguished Alumna.
Barbara Bass was elected as mayor
of the City of Tyler in May 2008 and was
the first woman in Tyler’s history to hold
this position.
She has recently started her third term
as mayor, having been unopposed for
the last two terms.
The past four years have been
challenging for not only the City of Tyler
and the East Texas region, but for the
entire country as we have been faced
with some of the worst economic times
in generations.
Through this
storm, Mayor Bass
has demonstrated
that she is a leader
with a passion
for transparency
in government,
strategic planning
and consensus
building. Mayor
Bass is a Certified
Public Accountant
with more than
30 years of experience. She holds a
BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M -
Commerce, and is a partner with Gollob
Morgan Peddy PC, Certified Public
Accountants. She has lived in Tyler for
more than 30 years and has become
extremely involved in the community.
Highlights of her service include:
She is currently serving as Foundation
Treasurer for Pollard United Methodist
Church.
She has previously served as Chairman
of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce,
the Tyler Economic Development Council,
and the Better Business Bureau of Central
East Texas.
In addition, she served as board
chairman for Hospice of East Texas and
helped launch its
foundation. She also
served as treasurer
Left:
Barbara Bass
has served
as the mayor
of the City
of Tyler
since 2008.
of the East Texas
Symphony Orchestra
Association.
She served on
the Texas Society
of CPAs, her
state professional
association board, for
more than 20 years,
including three terms
on the Executive
Board. Bass has received Public Service
awards from the Texas Society of CPAs
and the American Institute of CPAs for
her community involvement, as well as
numerous other local and state awards
and recognition.

Honored Retiree: Leon Dodgen
Kilgore College is
pleased to recognize
Leon Dodgen as this
year’s Honored Retiree.
Marvin “Leon” Dodgen began working
at Kilgore College in 1972 with the
encouragement of former KC President
Dr. Randolph C. Watson.
“Dr. Watson <strong>info</strong>rmed me that I needed
to come to work at
Kilgore College,”
Dodgen said. “I was
privileged to work
under President Bert
Woodruff, also.”
Dodgen began work
in the Physical Plant at
KC, eventually being
named Maintenance
Supervisor and
eventually the Director
of Physical Plant.
“I was blessed in being able to
surround myself with fantastic service
technicians who not only made my
job easier, but kept the physical plant
running smoothly,” Dodgen said.
In 1997, Dodgen was honored by the
KC Board of Trustees who voted to name
the new plant building in his honor. The
Leon Dodgen Physical Plant Center was
dedicated on Nov. 18, 1997, the same
year Dodgen retired from full-time work
at KC. Dodgen remained on staff as a
part-time employee until 2001.
“Mr. Woodruff suggested that I wear a
tie to the board meeting, knowing that I
had a thing about ties,” Dodgen said. “I
was completely stunned when the board
presented me with a plaque placing my
name on the new maintenance building.”
Born in Alexandria, La., to Leona Pearl
and Marvin O. Dodgen, Leon grew up
running in the hills of Hot Springs, Ark.,
graduating from Hot Springs High School
in 1951. After high school graduation,
he joined the U.S. Navy so he “could see
the world.”
He attended boot camp in San Diego
and then went to Machinist Mate School
at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center
in Chicago.
Dodgen was assigned to the AF-
48 refrigerated supply ship based in
Yokosoka, Japan. The ship was assigned
to replenish food supplies to the 7th fleet
at sea off the coast of Korea.
He discharged at the rank of 2nd
Class Machinist Mate at Treasure Island,
Calif.
After the Navy, he attended Bethany
Nazarene College in Bethany, Okla.,
thanks to the G.I. Bill. Dodgen said the
best thing that
happened to him
in Oklahoma was
Left:
Leon Dodgen
meeting his future
worked at KC
wife, Ruby. He
from 1972-2001.
then transferred to
The physical plant
The University of
building on the
Kilgore campus is
Texas and married
named for Dodgen.
Ruby. While not in
class, he worked
for Technical
Products Air
Conditioning
Company in Austin. When the company
went out of business, former customers
started calling Dodgen which gave him
the opportunity to begin his own air
conditioning business. Because of the
demand for air conditioning services,
he left UT one semester early to run the
business.
In 1968, the appeal of living in the
country drew him and Ruby to sell the
company and move to Kilgore, where
Ruby had grown up. He again began to
build his own air conditioning business in
Leon Dodgen
Kilgore until the opportunity came to work
at KC.
Since retirement, he and Ruby have
traveled most of the U.S. and parts of
Canada in their RV, flying to Hawaii and
cruising to Alaska twice. For their 50th
wedding anniversary, their kids arranged
for the entire family to go on a cruise out
of Galveston.
“We just returned from a trip to Gulf
Shores, Ala., where my entire family,
all 22 of us, stayed in a house on the
beach,” Dodgen said.
Dodgen said that his kids keep him
very busy with all their projects.
“I frequently get a call with one of them
saying, ‘Daddy, what do you think about
this’” Dodgen said. “And then we get
busy!”

Ex-Students of the Year: The Merritts
Each year, Kilgore College
recognizes a Student of the
Year. This year, there are
four. And they’re all related.
Merita Merritt Barbee, A.P.
Merritt, Jr., Mike Merritt and
Tommy Merritt are all former
KC students that the college is
extremely proud of.
Merita Merritt Barbee
Merita Merritt Barbee has called
Kilgore home her entire life. The eldest
child of A.P., Sr. and Margaret Merritt,
she attended Kilgore schools before
moving on to Baylor University where
she was a member of Pi Beta Phi
sorority. However, KC remained an
important part of her educational career,
as she attended classes when she was
home in the summers.
Merita married her high school
sweetheart, Bob Barbee, in 1965 and
they made their home in Kilgore. Again,
KC would be a part of the Barbees’ lives.
Bob was the purchasing agent for the
college for many years, and later would
serve as an elected member of the KC
Board of Trustees. During those years,
the Barbees welcomed two children, their
son Robert and daughter Julyann.
Merita was a fixture as an educator in
the Kilgore ISD, teaching for 29 years in
the district. She still encounters former
students today who remember Mrs.
Barbee as a caring and compassionate
teacher.
She retired from teaching, but has
never given up her love of education.
Merita has been a frequent volunteer
for KISD, assisting with testing, reading
and many other aspects of school
life. She is a lifetime member of the
P.T.A., the Daughters of the American
Revolution and Colonial Dames of the
XVII Century.
In her retirement, she enjoys playing
golf, spending time with her family in
Arkansas and living life with Bob on their
newly acquired farm, just feeding the
horses and watching all of their dogs
play. A life-long member of First Baptist
Church in Kilgore, Merita can also be
found at the local schools, baseball
and soccer fields cheering on and
being involved with two of her favorite
people, grandsons Austin and Michael
Huckabee.
Continued on Next Page
Standing: A.P. Merritt, Jr., Tommy Merritt and Mike Merritt. Seated: Merita Merritt Barbee.
Dana Blair
2009
Kathryn Zwick
2010
Bill Hale
2011
Previous Ex-Students of the Year
1975 - John Hill*
1976 - Caleb Pirtle
1977 - Nina Miller Mata
1978 - Marita Chanler Ater*
1979 - Mary Bess Mercer*
1980 - Dr. Paul E. Geers*
1981 - Chere Graham
1982 - Dr. Peggy C. Coghlan
1983 - Reginald Robinson
1984 - William E. Gipson
Jerry Buchmeyer
A.J. Tatum
Jonny E. Ferguson
Donald G. Russell
Harry P. Hutchens, Jr.
Dr. Peggy Whalley
Gen. William G. Moore, Jr.
Rear Admiral Cecil J. Kempf
Col. J. Gayle Garner
Joe I. Tompkins
Howell L. Walker, Jr.
1985 - Rosemary Whitten
1986 - John W. Turk, Jr.*
1987 - Lynn Williams Holt
1988 - Evelyn Blalock*
1989 - Michael Miller*
1990 - Dr. Dralves Edwards
1991 - Lt. Col. Charles H. Hale
1992 - Judge Sandra Hodges
Dr. Thomas E. Young
1993 - Dr. William J. Mangold, Jr.
1994 - Jim Evans
1995 - Gary D. Ford
1996 - 1946 Jr. Rose Bowl football team
cheerleaders, band & Rangerettes
1997 - Gean and Judy Lyle Hale*
1998 - Adrian Burk*
John Hickman*
1999 - Rangerettes Forever
2000 - Justice Donald Ross
2001 - Virginia Long
2002 - Coach Clyde Lee Players Assn.
Hershell Curtis, Gean Hale*, Victor
Jordan, Charlie Jungmichel,
Joe Bob Locker, Phillip Crow
2003 - C.G. Mata
2004 - John Paul Tallent
2005 - Pam Mercer McWilliams
2006 - Representative Tony Goolsby
2007 - Charline Dauphin
2008 - Latane Speer
2009 - Dana Blair
2010 - Kathryn Heller Zwick
2011 - W.D. “Bill” Hale
* Deceased

Mike Merritt
Mike Merritt
is the youngest
son of A.P. , Sr.
and Margaret
Merritt, and like
his siblings,
he was born
and raised in
Kilgore.
A 1971
graduate of
Kilgore High
School, Mike
decided to
continue his
education at
Kilgore College.
However,
his time at KC
Ex-Students of the Year: The Merritts
Tommy Merritt
Tommy Merritt was born and raised in
Kilgore, Texas. A dedicated husband and
father, Tommy
has been
married for 40
years to his
beautiful wife
Janet, a former
Kilgore College
Rangerette,
and together
they have
three wonderful
children, Missy,
Meredith and
Thomas.
After
graduating from Above: Tommy Merritt’s
Kilgore High KC yearbook photo
School, Tommy from 1967.
attended
Kilgore College.
He was inducted into the NJCAA Football
Coaches Association Hall of Fame for
his significant contribution to the 1966
Kilgore College National Championship
Football Team.
He went on to graduate from Texas
Christian University with a Bachelor of
Business Administration. From 1971 to
1974 he served the United States Postal
Service as a Postal Inspector.
Following his desire to work in the
private sector he returned to Kilgore to
work for the family business, Merritt Tool.
Tommy founded Gregg Industrial
Insulators, Inc. in 1976 and grew it into
Above: Mike Merritt’s
KC yearbook photo
from 1972.
was cut short, as he was drafted into the
U.S. Army in 1972 where he served for two
the successful company it is today.
After gaining a great depth of
knowledge in the private sector,
Tommy turned his focus to community
involvement and public service.
Tommy has been actively involved in
the East Texas Police Academy, Junior
Achievement of East Texas, Great Texas
Balloon Race, Texas Shakespeare
Festival, Kiwanis Club, East Texas Area
Council – Boy Scouts of America, local
Veteran’s organizations and LeTourneau
University’s Belcher Center.
Tommy was elected as a director to
the Gregg County Appraisal Board and
served from 1986 to 1993 fighting to
ensure that the appraisal process was
fair to homeowners and landowners.
In 1990 Bill Clements, the first
Republican Governor in Texas since
Reconstruction, appointed Tommy to the
Sabine River Authority for a term that
ended in 1995.
In 1996, Tommy was elected to the
Texas House of Representatives and
served House District 7 from 1997-2011.
During his tenure he was appointed
Chairman of both the House Committee
on Public Safety and the House
Committee on Energy Resources.
Tommy also served on the House
Committees on Transportation,
Redistricting, Select Federal Legislation,
Local and Consent Calendars, Border
and International Affairs, Defense Affairs
& State-Federal Relations, and State
Affairs.
years.
In 1975, he and Teresa Dyer became
husband and wife and chose to settle
in Kilgore and they later welcomed two
children, their son Michael and daughter
Lacy.
Mike, along with his siblings, has been
a part of numerous local businesses and
companies throughout the years.
He is currently the President of Gregg
Industrial Insulators.
His other passion is life on the Double
M farm where he and his family raise
cattle and horses.
They also enjoy spending time on
the show horse circuit supporting their
horses.
He is a longtime member of First
Baptist Church.
He enjoys fishing, playing golf and just
relaxing at their family cabin in Arkansas.
A.P. Merritt, Jr.
A.P. Merritt, Jr. is a lifelong Kilgore
resident who has devoted his life to his
family while
serving as
an advocate
and staple for
the business
community of
East Texas.
One word
comes to mind
when thinking
of A.P. – family.
A devoted
husband,
father and
grandfather,
A.P. has been
married for
45 years to
his lovely wife
Susie, a former
dance teacher.
Above: A.P. Merritt’s
KC yearbook photo
from 1965.
They have two daughters and their
husbands, Tiffany and Bryan Johnston
and Tara and Joe Stone. A.P. and Susie
are blessed to have eight grandchildren:
Lexi, Colby, Jack, Luke, Merritt,
Savannah, Tanner and Lauren.
After graduating from Kilgore High
School, A.P. attended KC and later went
on to graduate from the University of
Houston with a Bachelor of Business
Administration degree. He returned
home to Kilgore in 1967 to work for the
family business, Merritt Tool Company,
Inc., founded in 1928 by A.P. Merritt Sr.
The business’ 97,135 square foot facility
is still located in Kilgore today.
In 1981, A.P. Merritt Jr. assumed
control of the family business.
Under his leadership, the company
was transformed into a premier, modern
aerospace machine shop. In March
2009, Merritt Tool Company merged
with Triumph Group and formed Triumph
Structures - East Texas, Inc.
The family stayed on with the
company, serving an integral role in the
company’s operations with A.P.’s son-inlaw,
Bryan Johnston, as President.
A.P. currently oversees business
development and customer relations for
Triumph Structures – East Texas.
He was recognized by the Small
Business Administration as “Small
Business Person of the Year - 2008” for
the Dallas/Ft. Worth 72-county district
in Texas. A.P. has also been a lifelong
active member in the community, serving
on numerous local civic, church, bank,
municipal and county boards. A.P. and
his family welcome families from around
the area to their home to celebrate
Christmas with a remarkable light display.