Texas Tech University’s Merket Alumni Center Officially Renamed

A popular place for meetings on Tech Campus has been officially renamed. Signs for the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center were posted along area streets as early as last year; however the official announcement wasn’t made until Friday night at the Texas Tech Alumni Association’s annual homecoming dinner. Michael and Barbara Esslinger McKenzie of Sulphur Springs were honored at the dinner for their contributions to the university, which added 11,400 square feet to the facility. The ballroom inside the center will also bear the McKenzie name.

During the dinner, the couple was presented with the Lauro F. Cavazos Award for their contributions. Several hundred alumni and friends of the McKenzies were present to witness the honor. Both McKenzies attended Texas Tech, and Barbara served as president of the TTAA National Board of Directors in 2009. Mickey was named Outstanding CEO by the Rawls College of Buisness Administration in 2002. He is the CEO and chairman of the board of Grocery Supply Company, the fifth largest wholesale distributer to convenience stores in the nation.