(Photo: Colgin Hirschel/WCSN)
Texas Tech and the alumni association offer every student who has earned over 60 undergraduate hours the opportunity to purchase a class ring. Each ring has the double-T logo embossed on the top, the university’s seal on one side and an image of Riding into the Sunset, a statue of actor Will Rogers and his horse Soapsud, on the other.
Barry Brown was one of many alumni to buy a class ring, with his forged in gold and the number 89 featured prominently, representing his 1989 graduation.
Brown was in town to receive the Texas Tech Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award, honoring his commitment to the university and his professional career achievements.
“Being able to come back to Texas Tech and feel the same kind of camaraderie that I had when I was a student is very special,” Brown said.
For the last 30 years, Brown lived outside Texas, but still honored his roots in Lubbock. Brown helped set up the Texas Tech alumni chapter in Washington, D.C., and eventually became president of the alumni association.
When he returned to Lubbock, Brown continued feeling the same community so many from Texas Tech and Lubbock speak about.
“There are a lot of students who’ve gone to Texas Tech, so being a part of it is a very special part of my life,” Brown said. “It’s been a lifetime passion for me to be able to stay engaged, stay involved, even from a distance.”
Compared to Brown’s new home in Washington, D.C., Lubbock’s population is a drop in the bucket. It’s home to roughly 270,000 people, but when Brown graduated, there were only around 190,000 residents.
The small population, alongside the lack of professional sports teams, has led to a very tight connection between students, alumni and the university.
“I live out of state, and I run into Red Raiders all the time,” Brown said. “As soon as we recognize that we’re both Red Raiders, both graduated from Texas Tech, it’s an instantaneous connection. A week doesn’t pass that I run into somebody that has some sort of Texas Tech connection.”
With homecoming week set for the matchup against Arizona State, many alumni have returned home to Lubbock, including Brown.
In Brown’s 30 years away from Texas Tech, the university has doubled in size to now hold 46,000 students. Yet, the community has welcomed the growth with open arms.
Senior Keith Inglis is part of the Texas Tech community’s new generation and was honored alongside Brown. Inglis received the Brent Ross Fearless Champion Award from the Texas Tech Alumni Association.
“Coming here alone, I have no family here,” Inglis said. “Everyone here – Red Raiders – they’re all a big family. There’s nothing like it. You come here, and you’re welcomed in.”
The award honors those who strive for honor, live life to the fullest and love Texas Tech, all aspects that Inglis developed with the help of the Texas Tech community.
Inglis is a first-generation college student and chose Texas Tech without any prior connection to the university.
“I knew [Patrick] Mahomes, I knew football, so I was like ‘Okay, let’s choose Texas Tech,’” Inglis said.
That decision built the foundation of a lifelong connection between Inglis and Texas Tech.
Despite nearly 40 years separating their graduation dates, Brown and Inglis have bonded over their awards, and of course, their connection to the university.
“There are other places where you just go, and it feels like it’s a city or it’s a town,” Inglis said. “But this truly feels like a community. Everyone cares for each other; they’re all looking out for each other.”
Despite all the changes at Texas Tech, both fully believe the university’s culture is set in stone and not subject to change.
“You come back decades from now, they’ll be doing the same thing,” Brown said.
