Mr. Todd McGrew (’07) came to the Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, focusing on Youth and Christian Education. Todd and his wife, April (Austin) McGrew (’06), have been married for over 20 years and have three children: Annabelle, Austin, and Asher. Todd currently serves as the Central Division Director of Franchise Operations at Firehouse Subs, which spans over 13 states and 300 restaurants.
Read along to hear more from Todd as he reflects on his journey and connection with ETBU.
I attended Tiger Day in the Fall of 2001 after being encouraged to be a part of the new drumline. Funny story, I received my first speeding ticket that Fall morning on Highway 80 coming in from Longview, where the speed limit drops on the West side of Marshall. I knew I was in trouble when the State Trooper made a U-turn on two wheels. That entire day, I was stressing about how I would tell my parents. Needless to say, it dampened my experience, even though in the back of my mind I felt that ETBU could still be the right college for me. I was offered a full ride to Kilgore College on a band scholarship and stayed there for 3 semesters before deciding to transfer to ETBU. While I decided to no longer stay in the band, I was later encouraged to audition for and join both the Concert Choir and University Singers under the direction of the great James Moore. Being part of the music department again was truly a blessing, and it was where I built some amazing friendships and memories before graduation.
The entire staff in Scarborough Hall truly was phenomenal to every student during my tenure at ETBU. They were not only available during school hours, but you could easily see them at student activities, around town, and they would always greet you with a smile and kind words. I would love to extend my heartfelt and most sincere thanks to have had the guidance and support of Dr. John Harris "Superman", Dr. David White, Dr. Jeph Holloway, Dr. Rick Johnson, Dr. Bruce Tankersley & Dr. Dane Fowlkes. Each of these individuals truly challenged me in different ways, and while at the time I may not have fully appreciated the amount of hard work that was asked of me, I now see that it helped shape me into the person that I am today. For that, I am eternally grateful and blessed.
The connections I made with my fellow alumni have truly provided lifelong friendships. It would be impossible to put into writing how much of an impact these people have had on me and my family over the last 20 years. Even those that I may not have spoken with or interacted with recently, I check in on how life is treating them via their social media posts. For those that I have remained close with over the years, you know who you are, and I am super thankful for you and your loved ones being a part of my life, especially when I needed you most after the sudden passing of my father in 2023. Thank you for your support, love, and kind words. It truly helped me keep my head up and keep pressing onward.
What often comes to mind when I think about my time in Marshall is friendship, fun, and laughter. It could have been an assortment of things that would change from day to day, but for me, it was mainly a lot of guitar and drum gigs at local churches and on campus. One of my fondest memories was winning Battle of the Bands with No Longer Nameless. I mean, it's not a college experience without being in a band, right?
If we weren't jamming out or getting in trouble for being too loud in the lobby of Merle Bruce Hall we were likely throwing around a frisbee, trying to figure out how a group of us could all eat with only twenty bucks, impressing girls or figuring out how many rounds of Halo we could get in without missing too many classes. Something I didn't fully recognize at the time was how alumni would visit the campus and try to connect with the students. It could have been different events like domino tournaments, a chapel series, or even open discussion/debate nights, and they would be there. You would see them attending our choir concerts and other events. We were truly loved, supported, and part of a much larger community than we could have possibly seen or imagined. Over the years, regardless of the size of the room I'm in or the audience I find myself leading in discussion, I constantly remind myself and my team to lead with empathy. Leading with empathy and adopting a servant-leader mindset may not always be popular in the corporate world, but it's also not what you often find in the church or politics. It's far easier to try and divide others instead of trying to bring them together, but our professors taught us the importance of bringing people together, listening to one another, and remembering that we are all equal.
Something that sticks out to me now is how often our professors would listen to us. I'm not talking about asking a question and then allowing us to answer, but rather listening both in class and also during office hours. There would be little to no distraction, and their facial expressions and body language conveyed to us that we mattered to them, even if they could not understand our points or disagreed with us. They did not assert dominance or belittle others because of anything that could have set us apart. Every person was seen as someone of value, worth, and was loved. Every voice truly mattered.