Homecoming Honorees: Skip and Valerie Priess
Honorary Alumni
Skip and Valerie Priess love Angelo State athletics, and their primary language of love is food.
“A lot of it came from me being a coach and knowing the difference we could make in the lives of student-athletes,” Skip said. “We’ve been blessed to have the resources to be able to do the things we do. Both of us really enjoy being around the coaches and student-athletes.”
“It started with basketball, and we have supported Rams and Rambelles basketball for a long time,” Valerie added. “Then we added baseball, then we added golf, and now we’ve added the soccer team. We just love sports, and that has grown to where pretty soon we’ll be at all the ASU games.”
But perhaps their favorite way to show their support is by taking different ASU teams out to dinner every year at Bentwood Country Club.
“We’ve been blessed to have the resources to be able to do the things we do.”
- Skip Priess
“It started when Chris Beard was the Rams basketball coach,” Skip said. “I was talking to him about what we could do to make the players feel more at home, and that’s when we came up with the idea of hosting team dinners. I think it’s important that we do this and make the kids feel like family.”
“We used to have them over to our house,” Valerie added. “But it got to where I was so busy feeding them and cleaning up afterwards that I didn’t get to visit with the athletes. So now we take them to Bentwood, and we have a good system out there that works really well. We also invite other boosters to hopefully get even more support for the teams. We try to take a team out to dinner at least a couple times a year.”
A secondary plus is that the Priesses get to really visit with the ASU student-athletes.
“We get to know them and they get to know us,” Valerie said. “So when we go to the games, they know they have people who care about them and are cheering them on. It’s amazing that some of the kids from so far away come to San Angelo to go to ASU.”
“They each have the opportunity to talk about where they’re from, their background and what they’re majoring in at ASU,” Skip added. “That’s really interesting for us, especially how ASU reaches students in so many countries.”
Hosting team dinners has also allowed the Priesses to form and maintain close ties with many of ASU’s coaches.
“The success that ASU has had in all the sports really speaks volumes about the quality of ASU, and we just enjoy being part of that.”
- Skip Priess
“Skip has that coaching background, and he’s never met a stranger,” Valerie said. “So we’ve become pretty good friends with just about everybody who comes to coach here at ASU.”
“It’s just natural for me,” Skip added. “Most coaches are extroverts, so it’s easy for us to get along. It also makes you feel special to know that you’re involved, and we’ve made some great friendships.”
Additionally, the Priesses support ASU athletics as members of the Ram Club, and they were among the first contributors to the new Angelo State Athletics Endowment. Valerie sponsors ASU athletics radio broadcasts through Mortgage Financial Services, and Skip has hosted high school all-star basketball games in the Junell Center/Stephens Arena to raise money for the ASU basketball program.
But outside of their team dinners, the annual event the Priesses look forward to the most is the Phil George Blue & Gold Dinner and Auction – particularly Valerie, who has won the bidding for nearly every painting of ASU’s live mascot, Dominic, that has come up for sale.
“I love auctions and I like to win,” Valerie said. “My whole office is full of Ram paintings by Justin Blair. I will fight with just about anyone for those Justin Blair pictures. Skip and I both love the Blue & Gold Auction and really enjoy it every year.”
And their support for ASU is not exclusive to athletics. They are also members of the President’s Circle and Alumni Association, and they contribute to the Fostering Ram Success program for former foster care youth, as well as many other campus programs and events. As a result, they have had an insider’s view of the evolution of the ASU campus, especially over the last 20 years.
“We love ASU and we’re proud of ASU.”
- Valerie Priess
“ASU’s athletics facilities are now some of the best in the country, especially among the ranks of NCAA Division II,” Skip said. “Plus, when I moved to San Angelo, the whole campus had already started changing. But now, just watching developments like the Mayer Museum and Housley Tower, it has been exciting.”
“I think the sky is the limit for ASU,” Valerie added.
For their comprehensive and ongoing support of ASU, the Alumni Association has named Skip and Valerie Priess its 2024 Honorary Alumni.
“We don’t support ASU for recognition, it’s all for the students,” Valerie said. “But it’s still very cool that they thought we were worthy. We love ASU and we’re proud of ASU.”
“It’s a really big honor for us,” Skip added, “especially because I’m sure there’s a pretty big list of other people who deserve it. The success that ASU has had in all the sports really speaks volumes about the quality of ASU, and we just enjoy being part of that.”