Tag: Lubbock

Lubbock and the Law

It was great to finally be back in our great state of Texas, and the lure of home was great.  But so, too, was the lure of Texas Tech Law, which several of the LEAP Ambassadors–particularly Karla Rosales–aspire to attend.

Before heading to Texas Tech Law, we made a quick stop by Prairie Dog Town…

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Prairie Dog Town

…where we got to see a lot of cute prairie dogs!

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The weather was rainy, but that did not stop us or them from having a great time.

We then headed to our next stop, Texas Tech School of Law. This was particularly the best part for me, as Texas Tech Law is my top-choice law school and it was my first time to be able to visit the school.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech

Even though it was a Sunday morning, we were able to go inside the building and explore. As we walked in, we were welcomed by the West Texas Legal Legends wall where there are plaques for distinguished Texas Tech Alumni. We continued by taking a quick tour of the building…

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech

… and the Mark and Becky Lanier Professional Development Center where the auditorium and the Donald Hunt Courtroom are located.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech

We continued our exploration of Texas Tech and learned that Texas Tech actually has a lot of public art and beauty throughout their campus.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Karla Rosales

We saw a couple of Jesus Moroles sculptures, which are always nice to see as we can make that connection to Huntsville.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Jesus Moroles

We also saw an art piece by one of my favorite artists, Deborah Butterfield. The piece was titled “Water River” and depicts a life-size horse.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Deborah Butterfield

The material used looks just like twisted tree branches, but is actually bronze! Her art is so fascinating to see. Another one of our favorite was called “The Read Reader” also known as “The Bookman,” by Terry Allen…

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech

…which we have learned so much about at the Moody Gallery in Houston.

One of the other artists we have learned about on this trip is Glenna Goodacre, who does representational sculptures, and is from Lubbock, TX.  We had seen her art in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Denver, and, just off Glenna Goodacre Blvd in Lubbock, we were able to see her on Texas Tech’s campus.  In fact, we were able to pose as her figures!

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Glenna Goodacre

 

It’s always nice to see famous artists around the country and find a local connection. Texas Tech definitely is full of wonderful art pieces all over campus…

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Agave Dreams

 

…and it is fascinating to see how it enriches the cultural life on campus through diverse public art by many famous artists. ​

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech, Robert Bruno

And with that last glimpse, we headed back to our home in Huntsville.

SHSU, LEAP AMbassadors, LEAP Center, Lubbock, Texas Tech

 

Lubbock, Texas in our Rear View Mirror

After considering the question for about 2/7ths of a second, a majority of students thought it would be a good idea to leave Lubbock, Texas on Saturday afternoon, rather than spend another night in Lubbock.  Thus it was at 4:30pm that we drove home from Lubbock and into the path of a Tropical Storm.

Before we left, we stopped at One Guy’s Pizza, which was very good!  It was fortunate that the portions were large because, as it turned out, we wouldn’t be eating again for a long time.

As it turns out, Lubbock looked just fine in our rear view mirror.

Austin, for example, was fascinated by the windmills…

Windmills_Web…although the real windmills actually paled in comparison to Jesus Moroles’s granite windmill at Lubbock’s National Ranching Heritage Center.

Windmill_Moroles_Web

As we moved to central and then east Texas, however, the weather turned stormy.  It was raining heavily by the time we got to Eastland, and the water level rose further as we approached I-45.  Ominously, as we came within 10 miles of 45, we noticed that side roads were closed, with officers blocking them.  Sadly, this was also true when we arrived at I-45.

To get around what we thought was construction, we drove about 20 miles east, toward Seven Points, then southwest to intersect again with 45.  Our plan worked.  We took the ramp to 45 and headed south–at 11:30pm, we were less than two hours from home!

Our joy dimmed somewhat when we realized we were the only ones on the highway.  This, we surmised, was unlikely under normal circumstances.  Within ten miles, we saw that I-45 was completely blocked.  This time we asked the officer what was going on, and he said the highway was closed because of flooding.  He advised that we drive north to Corsicana, then drive west to Waco, then drive south to Bryan, then drive east to Huntsville.

Thirty minutes after being less than 2 hours from home, it was now midnight, and we were almost four hours from home.

But we dutifully slogged our way home.  Of course, just outside of Bryan we were stopped at a Railroad Crossing, waiting for what Austin called “the world’s longest train.”

Train_WebA little after 3:30am, we got to the green lot, and we scattered in separate directions, going home after a long, but successful trip to Lubbock, Texas.

For all of SHSU’s teams, the opportunity to participate on the moot court team has helped us each become well-rounded and develop skills to help prepare us for law school and our careers as attorneys. Each person grew as a result of our moot court preparation and the guidance we received from our coach, Jean Loveall. Half of the team will graduate soon, while the other half is already anticipating next year’s moot court competition. Many thanks go to the Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association for organizing the competitions each year, Texas Tech Law School for hosting the competition, the LEAP Center for providing the opportunity to compete in Moot Court this year, and our Coach Ms. Loveall who has helped each of the team members grow and learn in preparation for our regional competition.