Posted 12:07 am Sunday, February 24, 2013
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Bextine raising money for memorial scholarship
By EMILY GUEVARA
eguevara@tylerpaper.com
Dr. Blake Bextine has found pleasure doing things most people don’t even think about.
eguevara@tylerpaper.com
Dr. Blake Bextine has found pleasure doing things most people don’t even think about.
On most days, he rides his bicycle to and from work at The University of Texas at Tyler, a one-hour trip each way.
During lunch he helps teach a fitness swimming class and swims in the process.
And on the weekends, he runs long distances with a friend.
Over the years, he has completed multiple marathons, ultra marathons and triathlons.
But today he will combine his love for a challenge with his deep appreciation for a person.
Bextine, an associate professor of biology at UT Tyler, will run in The Cowtown Ultra Marathon in Fort Worth, a 31-mile race, and raise money for the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship in the process.
This is the sixth time Bextine has run a race at The Cowtown and the second time he has done so as a fundraiser for the Pogue scholarship.
Pogue was an associate professor of biology at UT Tyler when he died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 43.
Bextine said Pogue was a fantastic professor, a great mentor and a friend.
“Darrell was the kind of guy that would walk by your office, come in and sit down and have a long conversation about just about anything,” Bextine said. “He was everywhere and he was interested in making sure that everything at the university was done right.”
Pogue’s family established the scholarship shortly after his death. But last year, Bextine learned the funds had been depleted. So he decided to do something about it.
He ran Cowtown in Pogue’s memory and raised $2,000 for the fund. This year, he hoped to raise $3,000. He was accepting pledges for each mile completed during the 31-mile run.
And on the weekends, he runs long distances with a friend.
Over the years, he has completed multiple marathons, ultra marathons and triathlons.
But today he will combine his love for a challenge with his deep appreciation for a person.
Bextine, an associate professor of biology at UT Tyler, will run in The Cowtown Ultra Marathon in Fort Worth, a 31-mile race, and raise money for the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship in the process.
This is the sixth time Bextine has run a race at The Cowtown and the second time he has done so as a fundraiser for the Pogue scholarship.
Pogue was an associate professor of biology at UT Tyler when he died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 43.
Bextine said Pogue was a fantastic professor, a great mentor and a friend.
“Darrell was the kind of guy that would walk by your office, come in and sit down and have a long conversation about just about anything,” Bextine said. “He was everywhere and he was interested in making sure that everything at the university was done right.”
Pogue’s family established the scholarship shortly after his death. But last year, Bextine learned the funds had been depleted. So he decided to do something about it.
He ran Cowtown in Pogue’s memory and raised $2,000 for the fund. This year, he hoped to raise $3,000. He was accepting pledges for each mile completed during the 31-mile run.
The funds will not be distributed until they reach $10,000 because at that point an endowment can be established and the scholarship will go on forever, Bextine said. They have five years to raise the $10,000.
Bextine said the scholarship is for UT Tyler biology majors only. There are no GPA, income or ethnicity requirements.
In this way, it allows students who are majors but might not meet qualifications for other scholarships to apply, Bextine said.
Running in memory of his friend means everything to him, he said.
“You know so often the heroes in your life go unrecognized and people like Darrell that had a significant impact on your life are often forgotten as time goes on,” he said. “And so to be able to put something in place where he’ll be remembered forever for being the kind of professor that all professors should want to be is really great.”
To donate to the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship, email bbextine@uttyler.edu or visit the UT Tyler Advancement website. For those who choose to give online, make sure to specify the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship as the fund to be contributed to.
Bextine said the scholarship is for UT Tyler biology majors only. There are no GPA, income or ethnicity requirements.
In this way, it allows students who are majors but might not meet qualifications for other scholarships to apply, Bextine said.
Running in memory of his friend means everything to him, he said.
“You know so often the heroes in your life go unrecognized and people like Darrell that had a significant impact on your life are often forgotten as time goes on,” he said. “And so to be able to put something in place where he’ll be remembered forever for being the kind of professor that all professors should want to be is really great.”
To donate to the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship, email bbextine@uttyler.edu or visit the UT Tyler Advancement website. For those who choose to give online, make sure to specify the Dr. Darrell W. Pogue Memorial Scholarship as the fund to be contributed to.
