When Tony Allison arrived at Cameron in 1972, there was only one major available through the speech program. He worked with others on campus to develop a new communications degree with four areas of concentration to include speech communication, radio/TV, public relations/organizational communication, and journalism.

Allison, an associate professor, chairman of Cameron's communication department, and former director of forensics, has taught at Cameron sine receiving his masters in speech communication at Southwest Texas State University in 1972. He also has an associate degree from Lubbock Christian College and a bachelor's degree from Abilene Christian College.

He has directed workshops which bring more than 1,600 students to the campus each year including Summer Speech-Debate-Broadcast camps for students and teachers, Gifted and Talented Workshops, Interscholastic Contests, and High School Speech Demonstration Day. The summer speech camp attracts students and teachers from a four-state region and is one of the largest in the country. For 21 years, he directed a nationally ranked speech and debate team which won two national championships and was ranked in the top 10 from 1977 through 1995 at the Pi Kappa Delta National Speech and Debate Tournament. He participated in developing Cameron's National Public Radio station, KCCU. He has been instrumental in securing grant money for numerous grants and donations to Cameron. The Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association presented him with the Oklahoma Outstanding Communication Educator award in 1986 and 1991. He is actively involved in the community and his church.

Vital to Allison's philosophy of education is what Aristotle called "ethos," the high ethical values of the individual. He feels that it is important that the student be honored as a person and learn to honor others. Through this philosophy, he has influenced many students who have attested that it if were not for Tony Allison, they would not have obtained a college degree.

- From the Fall 1995 issue of CAMERON TODAY.