ALPINE – Jim Senneff’s April 30 retirement from Sul Ross State University marks the second time around.
Jim Senneff
Senneff, a collections supervisor in the Center for Enrollment Services, will conclude 15 years’ service at Sul Ross – after his first retirement.
“Maybe I’ll get it right this time,” he laughed.
Senneff and his wife, Charlotte, moved to Alpine in early 1995 after his retirement from Union Texas Petroleum Corp. in December 1994. He spent 27 years in the private sector, the first four with Allied Chemical Corp. (The former parent company of Union Texas Petroleum) and the last 23 with the Union Texas Petroleum in Houston.
“When we took trips [throughout Texas], we looked around to see where would be a neat place to retire,” he said.
While camping at Balmorhea State Park, the couple drove into Fort Davis to find a laundromat. During their visit, they were encouraged to visit Alpine.
“After 20 minutes [in Alpine], we decided to quit looking,” Senneff said. “Alpine was like coming home. I grew up in a town this size in Pennsylvania and Charlotte grew up in a small town in Virginia. Everything in Alpine paralleled my home town.”
The Senneffs purchased land in Double Diamond, where they constructed a log home. They joined First United Methodist Church, where Jim served as chairman of the Finance Committee. Fellow member Bill Peters, then the Sul Ross controller, urged Senneff to apply for a vacant position in Financial Assistance.
Senneff was first hired to direct the Perkins Loan Program. He later was in charge of short-term loans, served as loan coordinator and was transferred to the Office of the Controller, where he was in charge of student receivable collections and third party billings.
“What impressed me most about Sul Ross…was the emphasis on a student-centered campus,” he said. “This was the first educational institution I had ever seen where the emphasis was on providing service to the students. The students made the university what it is.
“Over the years I have been here, I have never met a single, solitary person I didn’t like,” Senneff said. “People have helped me along and I have tried to return the favor. Probably the most enjoyable part is when you are able to make a difference in the life of a student who really needs help.”
Senneff grew up in Downingtown, Pa. and attended Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) in Philadelphia, graduating with a B.S. in Business. A member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served 10 years, rising to the rank of captain. Upon his discharge, he joined Allied Chemical Co., working 27 years until his retirement. While in Houston with Union Texas Petroleum, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston.
The Senneffs are the parents of two sons, John (wife Jo-Anne) and James, Jr. (wife Angie), both of Houston, and two grandsons, Phillip and Kyle.
During retirement, Senneff intends to stay busy around his house and also will be active in the Gallery on the Square, where Charlotte exhibits her paintings.