Ted Babb, Sr. 1987 Distinguished Alumnus

Ted Babb, Sr. is Department Chairman of the Building Constructions Program at Texas State Technical Institute in Waco and a 1953 graduate of San Angelo College. An instructor and administrator at TSTI since 1968, Babb has been honored numerous times by the Texas Builders Association for his work in the classroom and as an administrator in what is considered the State's top education center for the building trades. Reared in San Angelo where he attended public schools, Babb entered San Angelo College in September 1951 and graduated from SAC in May 1953. While a student at SAC studying agriculture, he was a member of the Concho Aggies and the livestock judging team. Following graduation from SAC, he became an apprentice carpenter and attended Texas A&M for one year. He served in the United States Army for 2 years during the Korean Conflict before returning to San Angelo to begin training as a carpenter and enrolling at San Angelo College for one year of study in pre-engineering. He later attended Texas Tech and obtained a bachelor of science degree from Texas A&M. Babb was the first teacher of building trades at San Angelo Central High School before joining the then James Connally Technical Institute of Texas A&M in Waco in 1968 to start up the Construction Technology Department. He initiated a program which now includes building construction programs in carpentry, electricity, masonry, plumbing, joint apprentice carpentry, and joint apprentice painting. A past National President of the Association of Two-Year Schools in Construction, he is a current member of the National Technical Committee on Construction for Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. He has been named to Outstanding Educators of America, chosen Outstanding Teacher in Effective Classroom Practices at TSTI, Outstanding Professional Educator at TSTI, and has been named Outstanding Program Chairman at TSTI five times. The Texas Builders Association honored him with an award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service to the Home and Apartment Building Industry of Texas. Babb is married to the former Virginia Daniel of San Angelo, and the couple has three children and three grandchildren. As profiled in the 1987 Fall Alumni Magazine.