Mr. Jake Tortorice and Mrs. Mary Tortorice

Mr. Jake Tortorice, BBA in Marketing, Class of 1976 

Mrs. Mary Tortorice, Dental Hygiene Courses, Summer of 1973-Summer of 1974

Principal Owners of Rao’s Bakery

Interviewed by Vidisha Barua Worley on 05/11/2023

 ‘1971, I graduated from high school and I entered Lamar that next fall. I got my degree in Marketing. It taught me how to sell something, how to promote, how to build a brand. I was in Alpha Tau Omega. I served in several positions there and ended up as their worthy master (president). I served in several committees at Lamar, different projects, but entertainment mostly. I remember Dr. David Taylor, who recently passed away. He was one of our marketing professors. Dr. Makayla, also taught us marketing at a higher level. Those two professors had an impact on the way I think. While I was in college, I was involved in a chain of Hallmark card shops. Started that with a brother. Next, I had the Great American Cookie for 15 or so years. My wife and I operated seven of them. Then we sold out. We took over Rao’s. It was a one-store operation. Now, we moved to five stores. And, we hope to do some more. My family has always been business for themselves. Something we grew up, seeing our parents, uncles and aunts, and grandparents, running their own business. So, you learn a lot from them. I had a great experience at Lamar. I lived at home a little bit. Then I moved out and lived in Fraternity Houses. A number of people there, I am still very close with, friendships. I did serve about 10 years ago as the president of the Lamar Alumni Association. I did that for a few years. I have a lot of friends at Lamar and I try to be a loyal supporter of Lamar. It’s a great university, it’s affordable. I didn’t have to get a loan. I was able to work while I was in school. There are a lot of advantages to Lamar.’    — Jake Tortorice

‘When I graduated from high school in 1973, I immediately went to Lamar for the summer course. I was looking at the program for dental hygiene. Lamar had the program, but it was only for one year. So, I applied also to the University of Texas Dental Hygiene program. So, I attended Lamar from the summer of 1973 until the summer of 1974. That education at Lamar prepared me for college study. It gave me a whole different outlook of education. There were certain classes that I absolutely enjoyed. I met Jake during that time and made a lot of friends. The boys were Jake’s friends and the girls they were dating were my friends. I am still close to all of the ladies I met at Lamar. I attended the football and basketball games. That was very enjoyable to me. Even after we were married and had kids, we took our kids to the activities, the football camps, the basketball games. We had season tickets. We were still involved with Lamar through the Cardinal Club and lot of different organizations. I remember Ms. Setzer (Setzer Center, he had already passed, she was still teaching), my English teacher. She was excellent. English can be boring if it not taught right. My child psychology teacher was a wonderful teacher. The university offers many opportunities in many different arenas, education but also friendships, connections. There are some really successful people and businesses in the community, and they are all graduates of Lamar.’ — Mary Tortorice