Texas Tech Alumni Association
Alumni organization serving former students of Texas Tech University and supporting the university community.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Texas Tech Alumni Association is the alumni organization for former students of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It was established on May 30, 1927, immediately after the first commencement of Texas Technological College, the institution that later became Texas Tech University. All 26 members of that first graduating class joined, creating a direct institutional link between the university's earliest graduates and the association. Although its membership base and public identity have changed over time, the organization has remained focused on maintaining connections among alumni, promoting the university, and supporting traditions and activities associated with Texas Tech. The association adopted several names during its history. In 1935 it became the Alumni and Ex-Students Association so that students who had attended the college without graduating could also participate. In 1949 it shortened its name to Ex-Students Association, a title that remained in use for much of the twentieth century. The current name, Texas Tech Alumni Association, was formally adopted in February 2002, reflecting the more familiar terminology used by the organization and the university community. Its membership and chapter network expanded as Texas Tech grew. By 1939, chapters had been organized in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Slaton, and Waco. Membership reached 800 in 1940. By 1980, the association reported 6,278 members, and the addition of 11 chapters brought its total chapter count to 70 in 1982. These chapters provided regional points of contact for alumni and helped extend Texas Tech's community beyond the Lubbock campus. The association has also played a role in institutional identity. During the 1960s, when Texas Technological College considered a broader university name, alumni and association representatives opposed the proposed name Texas State University because they wanted to preserve the Texas Tech identity and the Double T symbol. The eventual name Texas Tech University, approved by the Texas Legislature in 1969, retained that heritage. The association moved its office from the Administration Building to the former President's House in the same year, gaining additional space for staff, receptions, and meetings. The McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center has been the association's principal headquarters since 1969. Originally built in 1924 as one of the campus's early structures and used as the university president's residence from 1925 to 1959, the building serves both alumni and broader university and community functions. A 2010 expansion added the Bill and Peggy Dean Grand Reception Hall, McKenzie Ballroom, Shinn-Wylie Bridal Suite, expanded catering facilities, and an outdoor courtyard with a gazebo. The association also operates or manages the Frazier Alumni Pavilion, built in 1998 near Jones AT&T Stadium, which is used for meetings, special events, and football-day gatherings. Beyond membership and facilities, the association preserves and communicates Texas Tech culture. It published Texas Tech Magazine beginning in 1937, although publication was suspended during World War II, and launched Texas Techsan in 1950 as an alumni periodical carrying campus news, alumni updates, and features. The organization is also associated with the official Texas Tech class ring. The standardized design introduced in 1999 incorporates the Double T, the university name and founding date, the Administration Building, the university seal, and symbols connected to Texas and the surrounding region. A six-foot bronze version of the ring, installed in 2010 at Leaders Plaza, commemorates the tradition and has become a recognizable campus landmark. The association's present role therefore combines alumni engagement, communications, event services, regional networking, and stewardship of Texas Tech traditions.
History
The Texas Tech Alumni Association originated on May 30, 1927, following the first commencement exercises of Texas Technological College. The college's 26 graduates all joined the newly formed organization. This complete participation was unique to the first graduating class, but it established the association's long-term purpose: sustaining relationships among former students and strengthening their connection to the institution. As the college expanded, the organization broadened its eligibility and identity. In April 1935 it adopted the name Alumni and Ex-Students Association, explicitly including former students who had not completed degrees. By 1939, it had developed chapters in several Texas cities, including Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Slaton, and Waco. Membership reached 800 in 1940. In September 1949, the organization became the Ex-Students Association, a name that emphasized the wider community of former students rather than graduates alone. The association became involved in a significant question of institutional identity during the 1960s. Texas Technological College had expanded beyond a narrowly technical curriculum, leading to discussion of a new university name. Alumni and association representatives opposed the proposed name Texas State University because it would have abandoned the Texas Tech identity and its Double T emblem. The eventual compromise preserved the Texas Tech name. The Texas Legislature approved the change to Texas Tech University in 1969. That same year, the association moved from the Administration Building, where its office had been located since 1937, to the former President's House. The new location provided more room for staff operations, receptions, and meetings. Membership growth continued in the following decades. The association reported 6,278 members in 1980, and 11 additional chapters raised the chapter total to 70 in 1982. Its communications role also developed early. The first alumni publication, Texas Tech Magazine, began in October 1937 with coverage of university events, alumni activities, and general-interest subjects. Publication was interrupted in spring 1943 because of World War II. A successor publication, Texas Techsan, began in February 1950 and provided recurring alumni and campus coverage. Facilities became an increasingly visible part of the association's work. The Frazier Alumni Pavilion was built in 1998 near Jones AT&T Stadium and became a venue for meetings, special events, and football-day alumni gatherings. In February 2002, the organization adopted its current name, Texas Tech Alumni Association, replacing the long-standing Ex-Students Association title. The association's headquarters, the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center, has been used for alumni purposes since 1969. The building dates to 1924 and served as the university president's residence from 1925 to 1959. A $4 million expansion completed in 2010 added a grand reception hall, ballroom, bridal suite, improved catering capacity, and an outdoor courtyard. The center serves alumni, university, and community functions, including receptions, meetings, weddings, and other events. Tradition stewardship is another enduring function. In 1999, Texas Tech returned to a single official class-ring design. The ring features the Double T, the university's full name and founding date, imagery of the Administration Building, and symbols from the university seal and the South Plains region. Undergraduates traditionally wear the Double T facing inward and turn it outward after graduation. In 2010, the design was reproduced as a six-foot bronze sculpture at Leaders Plaza near the alumni center. Through its chapters, publications, facilities, membership programs, and traditions, the association has remained a principal link between Texas Tech University and its former students.
- 2010
Alumni center expanded
[1]The McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center received a major expansion with new reception, ballroom, bridal, catering, and outdoor-event facilities. A large bronze class-ring sculpture was also installed at Leaders Plaza.
- 2002
Current name adopted
[1]In February, the organization formally became the Texas Tech Alumni Association.
- 1999
Official class-ring design standardized
[1]Texas Tech returned to a single official class-ring design associated with the Alumni Association and university traditions.
- 1998
Frazier Alumni Pavilion built
[1]The association added a pavilion near Jones AT&T Stadium for meetings, special events, and football-day gatherings.
- 1982
Chapter network reached 70
[1]Eleven new chapters brought the reported total to 70.
- 1980
Membership exceeded 6,000
[1]Reported association membership reached 6,278.
- 1969
Texas Tech name preserved and headquarters relocated
[1]The university's name became Texas Tech University after legislative approval, preserving the Double T identity. The association also moved to the former President's House, now the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center.
- 1950
Texas Techsan launched
[1]The association began publishing Texas Techsan, an alumni periodical covering university activities and former students.
- 1949
Organization renamed Ex-Students Association
[1]In September, the association adopted the shorter Ex-Students Association name.
- 1943
Texas Tech Magazine suspended
[1]Publication of the association's first magazine was suspended during World War II.
Products and positioning
A university-affiliated alumni and heritage organization that connects Texas Tech graduates and former students, supports institutional traditions, communicates university and alumni news, and provides venues and programs for the Texas Tech community.
Alumni engagement · 1927
Alumni membership and chapter network
The association's central offering is a membership and engagement structure for Texas Tech graduates and former students. Regional chapters extend participation beyond Lubbock and support networking, university connections, and alumni activities in Texas communities and elsewhere in the United States.
Publication · 1950
Texas Techsan
Texas Techsan is the association's alumni periodical, first published in 1950. It carries information about the university, alumni updates, campus activities, and features of interest to former students, continuing the communications role earlier served by Texas Tech Magazine.
University tradition · 1999
Official Texas Tech Alumni Association Class Ring
The official class ring uses Texas Tech symbols including the Double T, the university name and founding date, the Administration Building, and elements of the university seal. A longstanding custom has undergraduates wear the Double T inward and graduates turn it outward.
Event venue · 1969
McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center
The association's headquarters also functions as an event venue for alumni, university, and community activities. Its expanded facilities include reception and ballroom spaces, a bridal suite, catering infrastructure, and an outdoor courtyard.
Event venue · 1998
Frazier Alumni Pavilion
Located near Jones AT&T Stadium, the pavilion provides space for alumni gatherings, meetings, special events, and football-day activities.
Brand decisions
1999
Standardized the official class-ring designOtherBackground
Texas Tech class rings had previously appeared in multiple styles.
Action taken
The university returned to a single official design associated with Texas Tech traditions and the Alumni Association.
Aftermath
The ring became a formal symbol of Texas Tech identity, later complemented by a large bronze sculpture installed on campus in 2010.
1969
Supported retention of the Texas Tech identityStrategyBackground
During debate over renaming Texas Technological College as the institution broadened beyond technical education, alumni representatives opposed the proposed Texas State University name.
Action taken
The alumni organization and associated alumni constituency supported retaining the Texas Tech name and the Double T identity.
Aftermath
The Texas Legislature approved the name Texas Tech University in 1969, preserving the university's established brand and emblem.
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