Former Horned Frog John V. Roach speaks about his time at the university and what he is doing now.
Roach graduated from TCU with a BBA in 1961 and an MBA in 1965. He is also a former chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. He is also the namesake of the John V. Roach Honors College.
Do you have any favorite memories of campus?
“The old student center, now gone, located where Scharbauer Hall is, was certainly a great gathering place. People gathered there between classes. Some played bridge in the student center between classes. You could shoot pool. The main dining room was there as well, and it was kind of the focal point of campus in those days.”
After classes, when you were done with homework, what did you do?
“After the dating hours were over, the guys would sometimes do things (nothing considered very exciting by today’s standards). There was a Toddle House, which was a breakfast place that was, I think, open 24 hours a day over where Einstein’s and the Potbelly [are], over in that area. A lot of people would gather there after their dates. Personally, I studied a lot at that time as well. And, generally, I think the campus wound down by one in the morning, two in the morning at the latest.”
How did your time at TCU shape both your education and the time after it?
“I think…the classroom was a major contributor, but also…learning how to communicate, get along with people, really growing up to become more of an adult. After I graduated I thought my fraternity, which was Sigma Chi, made important contributions to being able to socialize more after graduation. And it all combined, set me up at least where I could go out and meet the world with confidence.”
What are you doing now?
“I’m in the office as we speak. I’m retired and taking care of my own personal business. I basically work 8 to 5 when I don’t have something better to do. But I still take an interest in TCU…one of the things that I’ve enjoyed most was my time as chairman of the board there for 15 years. So I still have a high level of interest in what goes on at TCU…I spend about a fourth of the year down in Florida where we have a beach home, and somehow stay awfully busy.”
About how often do you come back to TCU?
“That’s a good question. Of course, obviously, I’m there for every home football game. I’m there for the board meetings. I’m there for a number of functions. I’m still pretty active around TCU, probably more so than the average [alum].”
What do you think the 100 years means for the university and for the community?
“I think what the city of Fort Worth did in the way of providing land and funding and street car access…to TCU, when they were recruited to move from Waco up to Fort Worth after the fire in 1910, [has] really paid off big time for the city. Also, TCU has been a great beneficiary of being a part of the city, so it was a great move for Fort Worth at the time and, today, they’re great partners.”
