Alumni
From the President, Jeff Mitchell RM '2002
I am beyond proud to say, “Hello to TCU Ranch Management Alumni Association, Inc!”
It is with great respect and humility that I write my first letter as your Alumni President. I know that for many of us effected by the winter storm, February was a month of loss and a true test of our grit and determination to protect those that we love. Not to mention the trials and tribulations that we have all faced during the Pandemic of 2020.
My name is Jeff Mitchell and I am honored to introduce myself as the 2021/2022 TCU Ranch Management Alumni, Association, Inc. President. I currently serve as the Vice President of Construction for Toot n Totum and Chief Operating Officer for Indian Springs Cattle Company.
Myself, along with my wife Jessica, and our children Molly (11) and Miles (9) reside in Amarillo, Texas. I graduated from the TCU Ranch Management Program in 2002. My family has owned and operated the Toot n’ Totum Convenience store chain since its inception in 1951. This operation is located throughout the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle as well as Southwest Kansas and is expanding into New Mexico with a location in Clayton, currently under construction. In addition to convenience stores, Toot n Totum operates car washes and lube centers along with several Quick Serve Restaurants including Wendy’s, Which Wich, and our latest addition of Mitch’s BBQ. My love for ranching is derived from my family’s deeply seeded heritage in the farming and ranching business which began over 70 years ago in Western Oklahoma. Recently, our family relocated a portion of the Oklahoma ranches to Moore County, Texas which is just north of Amarillo. We are currently running a cow/calf program at Indian Springs Cattle Company.
The first thing that I would like to say as your newly elected President is “THANK YOU!!” Thank you to Bryan Morris, outgoing Alumni President. Bryan (class of 2011 and Ranch Manager for Edwards Ranch/EG Cattle Co.) has played an integral part in developing a new direction for the TCU Ranch Management Alumni. Under his leadership this program has begun the process of rejuvenation for what our Alumni truly believe “The Brand on the Buckle”.
Thank you to all of those who have helped contribute to the time, thought and effort that has taken place over the last year to make this letter in the Cattle Call edition even possible!
If you’ve noticed (hopefully you have) I have referred to this group very formally as the “TCU Ranch Management Alumni Association, Inc” I am in high hopes that by now you have heard “talk” about the “new” version of our beloved TCU Ranch Management Alumni Association. We are officially official and this is how it happened:
- January 2020 – A committee was formed to review TCURM’s current Alumni status and ways to not only strengthen the association but help bring all our resources and alumni together. Through the committee’s efforts, a new TCURM Alumni Association was developed and proposed to all Class agents.
- December 16, 2020 - The proposed new Association was unanimously approved.
- Interim – A nominating committee was formed in accordance with the above approved bylaws. The nominating committee presented a list of officers for consideration and once approved, the list of nominees was set as the slate and was presented at the March 3rd Class Agents Meeting.
- March 3, 2021 - TCURM Alumni Association held its first election of officers via ZOOM in place of the Annual Winter Gathering due to Covid restrictions.
Congratulations to all of those nominated and THANK YOU for your willingness to serve. The newly elected Board of Directors and Executive Committee has a great task ahead of them to ensure the success and longevity of this new association.
To assist in the development of this new program I am asking for your help. Please, help us in our effort to reengage as many of our Alumni as possible. Reach out to your classmates and acquaintances. The information that we are seeking is simple – it includes: Name, Phone Number, Address, and E-Mail. As a bonus we would like to know who their class agent was and what year they graduated! Please do not take for granted that just because you received the Cattle Call that we have all of your updated information. I am asking for each of our Alumni to please send your information and any other alumni’s contact information by email to ranching@tcu.edu, or by phone (817) 257–7145 to Mrs. Davila or Mrs. Barrow.
Lastly, as you will see in the new TCURM Alumni Bi-laws. The purpose of the Alumni Association is to strengthen the vast network of Ranch Management Alumni both domestic and internationally and assist in maximizing the success of all graduates. Additionally, the Alumni Association exists to serve the Ranch Management Program’s best interests by supporting their mission, programs, and activities in accordance with the directives of the TCU Ranch Management administration.
The Alumni Association will:
- Keep Alumni connected and engaged
- Help to enrich student experiences
- Help with administrative needs on a volunteer basis
- Preserve the history and traditions of the Ranch Management Program
I look forward to the years ahead and am thankful for this great opportunity to serve beside some of the most honorable and respected leaders of this institution.
Go Frogs!
Jeff Mitchell (806)680-4325 jmitchell@tootntotum.com
(reprinted from Cattle Call Spring 2021)