Tinker D. Murray

Tinker D. Murray, Ph.D., FACSM, is a professor of health, physical education, and recreation at Texas State University (formerly SWT) in San Marcos, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education and biology from the University of Texas in 1973. He earned his master’s of education degree in physical education from Southwest Texas State University in 1976, and completed his Ph.D. in physical education from Texas A&M University in 1984. His research interests include school-based and clinical-based youth physical-activity interventions for the prevention of obesity and diabetes, continuing education opportunities for coaching education, and personal fitness and training applications related to exercise physiology. Tinker is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and a former two-time president of the Texas regional chapter of ACSM. He has worked since 1984 with his colleagues to conduct and publish research, and has written textbooks related to school physical education/athletic settings to promote physical activity in adolescents and college students. He is a co-author of a high school textbook, Foundations of Personal Fitness, which has been adopted by many school districts across the U.S. Tinker was a distance runner on partial scholarship at the University of Texas. He won the Texas relays marathon in 1977, and the Texas A&M marathon in 1978, 1979, and 1982. He had a best time of 2:28:30. He was also an assistant coach of cross-country and track at SWT from 1985 to 1987, and helped earn four championship titles in the Gulf Star Conference. Mike Sardo has made a business of building and selling small businesses with the recurring theme of cheer industry specialization. He graduated magna cum laude from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science and a minor in business. Mike was a four-year competitive cheerleader at Texas State University, and was elected as team captain for both his junior and senior years. He was ranked by the Universal Cheerleaders Association as one of the top 30 partner stunt performers in the nation for two consecutive years. While owning a gym in San Marcos, Texas, he provided training for the Texas State cheerleaders for several years. He was the Texas State University head coach of the coed cheer squad and assistant coach for the all women’s squad in 2003, which he coached to a UCA collegiate level national championship in the all women’s division. He is presently a member of the collegiate style NBA professional cheerleading team, the San Antonio Spurs Coyote Crew. Gladys M. Keeton, MFA, is an associate professor of dance at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She taught previously at Memphis State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees were earned at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. She was director of the TWU modern dance group from 1969 to 1973, and the TWU repertory dance theatre company that toured Brazil in 1977. She is founder (1974), artistic director, and performer with the TWU international folk dance company that has performed at regional, state, and national conventions. Professor Keeton teaches modern, ballroom, tap, cultural dance, children’s dance, and adapted dance with emphasis on pedagogy. She also teaches dance appreciation and choreographs for annual concerts and musicals, one of which received honorable mention from the Kennedy Center ACTF. Recognition includes the TWU Distinction in Service and Outstanding Academic Advisor awards, Outstanding Young Women of America award, the TAHPERD Outstanding University Dance Educator, honor, and PEPI awards, Southern District AAHPERD Outstanding University Dance Educator award, the Texas Drill Dance Team Educator’s Association Hall of Fame award, and the Association for Retarded Citizens Outstanding Service award. Her contributions to dance education have been made through leadership positions in state, regional, and national organizations, as well as being selected as a charter member of the Texas Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts Cadre, Texas Education Agency fine arts advisory panel, state review panel for dance textbook adoption, the state board for educator certification dance standards review committee, and artist-in-education for the Texas Commission for the Arts. She is very active in the community as director of the TWU community dance center, directing special groups such as the Pure Emotion (special population) and Young at Heart tap dance company for senior adults, and conducting workshops for teachers and students.