DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight from the Texas Tech Alumni Association plaque in Lubbock County. Now, every good story has a beginning, and this one starts with a diploma. May 30, 1927 — the first graduating class of Texas Technological College walked across that stage, picked up their degrees, and then did something that tells you everything you need to know about the kind of people Texas Tech produces.
They didn't scatter to the four winds. Right then and there, they formed the Alumni Association of Texas Technological College. Same day, practically.
The ink still wet on those diplomas. They set up shop in the Administration Building with a small staff, because the idea was simple: stay connected to the place that shaped you. Now, ten years pass, and in 1937, Texas Tech Magazine makes its debut — news about current students, former students, keeping everybody in the loop.
The association also built itself a governing board with 31 district committeemen, one from each of the senatorial districts in Texas. Thirty-one voices spread all across this big state, all pointed back toward Lubbock. Over the years the organization tried on a few different names, stretching its arms wide enough to include both those who completed degrees and those who attended.
For more than fifty years, it went by the Ex-Students Association. Then came World War II, and with it — the lean times. The association needed to stay solvent, and a group of a hundred contributors stepped up, each pledging to give a hundred dollars a year for three years.
They became known as the 100 Club. That spirit didn't die either — it was later revived as the Century Club. By 1950, a new publication hit the scene: the Texas Techsan Magazine, covering campus activities, alumni achievements, and fundraising efforts to support academic scholarships.
And then the fifties and sixties arrived, and rapid growth hit both the school and the association like a West Texas wind — steady, powerful, and it wasn't stopping. The college became a university, the association kept growing, and pretty soon the old offices in the Administration Building just weren't cutting it. So in 1969, the association relocated to the former president's home.
Renovations came in the 1990s, and then in 1995, the Merket Alumni Center was completed — a proper home at last. It was renovated again in 2010 and renamed the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center. And if you've ever been to a Red Raiders game, you may have found yourself at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion, right there near the football stadium — a gathering place for game days and special events that's been welcoming folks since 1999.
Then came the year 2002, the association's 75th anniversary, and they gave themselves one final, official name: the Texas Tech Alumni Association. Seventy-five years from that first graduating class deciding they weren't ready to say goodbye — and they never did.
What the marker says
The first graduating class of Texas Technological College received their diplomas on May 30, 1927. Wanting to stay connected to their alma mater, these students immediately formed the Alumni Association of Texas Technological College. Offices were originally located in the Administration Building and supported by a small staff. Texas Tech Magazine, with news of current and former students, debuted in 1937. The association formed a governing board with 31 "district committeemen," one from each of the senatorial districts in Texas. Over the years, the organization took on variations of its original name to include those who completed degrees and those attended. For more than 50 years, it was called the Ex-Students Association. After World War II, a group of 100 contributors pledged to give $100 for three years to keep the association solvent. This group became known as the 100 Club, later revived as the Century Club. In 1950, the new Texas Techsan Magazine featured campus activities, alumni achievements and fundraising efforts to support academic scholarships. The school and association experienced rapid growth during the 1950s and 1960s. Through the college's transformation into a university, as the association continued to grow, so did the need for additional office, event and meeting space. The association relocated to the former president's home in 1969, and renovated and expanded the facility in the 1990s. The Merket Alumni Center was completed in 1995, renovated again in 2010 and renamed the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center. The Frazier Alumni Pavilion, near the football stadium, has been a gathering place for game days and special events since opening in 1999. The association marked its 75th anniversary in 2002 with a new official name, the Texas Tech Alumni Association. (2019)