Marvin Applewhite is a native of Fort Worth, growing up the Birdville school district. He graduated from UT Arlington and Oklahoma State University (OSU) and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering. Marvin met Shirley at OSU where she was pursuing a BA and Masters in Speech Communications. Following graduation, Marvin began a career in computers and software engineering with Texas Instruments (TI) and Shirley pursued a career in teaching and administration at several local universities including the University of Texas at Dallas. In 1994, the Applewhites moved to London, England where Marvin managed TI’s international software business and Shirley traveled and “collected everything that she could find”. Marvin and Shirley retired to East Texas in 1999 and last year purchased a home in Fort Worth. The Applewhites have partnered with Wes Clark of Dallas to form the Applewhite-Clark Collection which features artifacts from historical figures such as Sam Houston, Santa Anna and Ripley Arnold. Part of their collection is currently on exhibit at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Stockyards in Fort Worth. When not working with their collections, Marvin and Shirley are both active on several boards and advisory committees at The University of Texas at Arlington. Marvin is also on the Board of Trustees of the Alliance for Higher Education and the North Texas Regional Center for Innovation and Commercialization.
