More than 250 TI Alumni Association members gathered at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas’ Arts District on May 9 for the association’s second annual meeting. The spacious performing arts center provided an elegant backdrop for the occasion, and retirees enjoyed visiting with one another while munching on cookies and sipping punch. A soothing, live soundtrack for the gathering was provided by a talented sax-and-keyboard duo.
“This was such a marvelous setting for our annual meeting,” said Max Post, president of the TIAA. “Many of our members hadn’t had the opportunity to tour the Meyerson before, so this was really an enjoyable occasion for them. Plus, it’s always nice for everyone to be able to get together with friends they haven’t seen in quite some time.”
Part of the meeting’s enjoyment came from guided tours of the magnificent Meyerson before the meeting began. The tours were conducted by Docents, who are experienced tour guides that volunteer at the symphony center. Retirees were treated to a rare behind-the-scenes view of the workings of the world-class Symphony Hall. Texas Instruments is a major corporate sponsor of the Dallas Symphony, which performs at the Meyerson.
The meeting was conducted on the building’s lower level in the beautiful Horchow Auditorium, with a standing-room-only crowd. After calling the meeting to order, Max introduced Ann Pomykal, TI’s director of public affairs. She commended the association for its progress and interest in community work. Ann announced the upcoming TechSmart/BigHeart events, sponsored by TI, where retirees are being included. Events scheduled include special days at the Arboretum, TI Weekend at the Science Place and TI Night at the Dallas Zoo.
Sam Self, Senior Vice President and TI’s Controller, gave an update on TI business and took questions from the audience. Sam also serves on the board of the Dallas Symphony, and commended TIAA members for their participation in the community. “You’ve been a good ambassador to your communities through volunteer programs, such as the Habitat House you helped build in Plano, your mentoring of small businesses such as ATS, and programs to improve technical education in our schools, including your active support of the Jerry R. Junkins Engineering Building at SMU,” Sam said. He then detailed some of the actions being taken by TI to come out of the current market decline even stronger when the market recovers, including new product developments and strong capital spending.
Following Sam’s comments, Anita Stinchcombe, TIAA Treasurer, gave the Treasurer’s Report and Carl Skooglund, TIAA Executive Vice President, presented the report of the nominating committee. TIAA members accepted the report, and the following were elected to another one-year term, beginning July 1: Max Post, president; Carl Skooglund, executive vice president, Ronnie Brandenburg, secretary; and Anita Stinchcombe, treasurer. Max then introduced the audience to Wesley (Wes) Ratcliff, chairman of ATS-South, a small company, located just south of downtown Dallas, who is starting up a fast-turn semiconductor assembly operation for engineering samples. Several retirees, including Herby Locke and Dennis Davis, have provided mentoring assistance in the startup. Wes expressed his appreciation to TIAA and invited others to participate as the business grows.
Recent retirees were recognized and encouraged to get involved in the many activities made available through the association. Earlier in the meeting, the work of special committees was recognized, particularly the Activities Committee for all the preparations at the Meyerson and its ongoing work on the upcoming Game Day, scheduled for June 21 at the Texins Activity Center. Also noted was the committee’s ongoing work on the annual Big Event, which this year is scheduled for October 11. Jerry Brandenburg chairs the Activities Committee.
John Byers was recognized for the actions of the Membership Committee, which has set the appropriate goal of 2,001 members for this year. John also serves as web master for the TIAA and has recently updated the web site to breakout “new events” for easy reference.
Dot Adler, who heads the Communications Committee, was commended for her work in keeping the relevant news flowing for the quarterly newsletter and the web site, and the work of Jerry Pierce and his Ongoing Education Committee was recognized for the quality of their informative seminars.