UT Arlington College of Engineering
UT Arlington

Board of Advisors Member Profile
Marvin Applewhite, Ph.D. – Service with Distinction



Marvin Applewhite received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arlington State College (now UT Arlington) in 1964. His support for the College of Engineering and the university continued with a steadfast resolve throughout his career, so much so that he was presented with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the university in 1991.

After receiving his doctorate in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State in 1969, Dr. Applewhite began what was to become a 28-year career at Texas Instruments (TI). His first 20 were in TI’s Defense Group, where he gained significant experience in working with various government agencies. During this time, he served on several company and government-related committees, including the U.S. Army Science Board.

“Working in the defense business was always exciting and challenging,” Dr. Applewhite recounted. “We were always pushing state-of-the-art concepts. On the other hand, it was also frustrating because we usually could not talk about what we were doing outside the job. However, it is all worth it today when I see those early concepts brought into real products, not just for the military, but also for the civilian world.”

In 1990, Dr. Applewhite moved into the commercial side of TI, becoming general manager of the Computer Systems Division in Austin. He returned to Dallas in 1992 to become the development manager for the Information Engineering Facility (IEF), a commercial software development tool. In 1994, Dr. Applewhite moved to London, England to become group managing director of TI’s software business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 1995, his responsibilities were expanded to include the Asia Pacific region – in effect, managing all international software business outside of North America.

“If you ever have the opportunity to work outside the US for a period of time, I would highly recommend that you do it,” Dr. Applewhite stated. “The experience opened my eyes and broadened my perspective much more than I could have ever imagined. Working with employees and customers – and competitors – from other cultures on their turf was both interesting and frustrating. Many of the work habits, the use of words, and the laws of the land overseas are significantly different from what Americans are used to dealing with. I certainly respected the people I dealt with, but they did work based on different background experiences and followed a different set of rules.”

In 1997, Sterling Software bought TI’s software business and Dr. Applewhite retired from Texas Instruments to become president of Sterling Software’s Applications International Division. He served in this role until he retired in late 1998. He later became a member of the College of Engineering’s Board of Advisors, where he chaired several committees and continues to provide sound insight and advice.

“I have been a member since about 2001 and have found it to be both an interesting and a rewarding involvement,” said Dr. Applewhite. “As a UT Arlington alumnus, I have a strong interest in seeing that the college continues to grow as the world changes. Being a part of the advisory board gives me an opportunity to monitor what new technologies are being researched at UTA as well as to provide insight into how these research projects can be transitioned to the marketplace. Research in the college continues to address truly innovative concepts that are at the forefront of the needs of industry.”