Tim McWatt ’74: Unique path leads to professional success
by Judy Petree

It comes as no surprise that Austin McWatt has a love of baseball. After all, his dad, Tim McWatt, Class of ’74, played baseball with one of St. Paul's own Hall of Fame baseball players, Dave Winfield. Of course, that was when they were both kids playing at the Oxford fields in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul. Today, McWatt lives in Santa Rosa, Calif., and is a home office property claim technical manager for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company (FFIC). He has been in this position since moving from Minneapolis in December 1996.

McWatt has worked for FFIC for the past 17 years, starting as a property adjuster and then moving to management in 1991 in what used to be their Minneapolis branch office. Before FFIC, McWatt was an adjuster at St. Paul Companies and SAFECO Insurance Company. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration/economics from Augsburg, he began working in the loan department of First Produce Bank, a part of the First Minneapolis Bank's system. He has also worked for 3M in sales.

While a student at Augsburg, McWatt held positions as vice president and president of the Black Student Union (BSU). He recalls his educational experience at Augsburg to be very positive, enabling him to develop business and leadership skills that have played a part in his success today.

McWatt met one of his best friends while at Augsburg, Roger Clarke, who was also a past president of BSU. They were both members of the critically acclaimed and internationally-renowned gospel group, Sounds of Blackness—McWatt from 1971-1975 during its infancy under the directorship of Gary Hines.

"I had great opportunities to travel with the group throughout the United States, and was fortunate enough to be on the first album," he said, "and happen to be one of the members pictured on the back of the album."

He and his wife, Michelle (White) ’75, whom he also met while they were students at Augsburg, recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Michelle is a teacher's aid in Santa Rosa-Reibli. They have two children: 12-year-old Austin, who, besides loving baseball and basketball, plays piano, and 16-year-old Danae, a sophomore at Santa Rosa High School and a member of the Dance Company. One of her best experiences, says her dad, is when she became a cast member of the Penumbra Theatre's production of Black Nativity when they were back in Minnesota.

McWatt and his family belong to the Harvest Christian Center Church in Santa Rosa, and he enjoys playing golf and working out at the local YMCA. He has been an assistant basketball coach for the past three years for the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) St. Rose boy's basketball team, where his son, Austin, is a point guard. The 2002 season brought them their first championship season.

—Judy Petree is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication.