Five alumni and supporters of Blinn College will be inducted into the Blinn College Alumni and Friends Association’s Hall of Honor during a ceremony Friday, Sept. 30.
The ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the Janis Sneed Banquet Room in the Brenham Campus Student Center.
Inductees are Ray J. Daugbjerg, Eunice Steinfeld Kelm, Lawrence Hemann, F.C. “Sonny” Schulte, and the Rev. Randy Wells.
The Hall of Honor recognizes Blinn’s most distinguished alumni, local business leaders, and those who have made a significant impact in their communities or professions. Inductees are recognized at a luncheon during Blinn’s homecoming week each year.
Tickets are $35 for an individual and $250 for a table of eight. Reservations are available by email to sharon.loukanis@blinn.edu or by calling 979-830-4344.
The Alumni and Friends Association maintains contact with all former students and friends of the College, encourages support for and participation in the educational, cultural, athletic, and social programs of the College, encourages personnel recruitment by members, assists the College in achieving planned goals and objectives, and provides fellowship among former students and friends.
RAY J. DAUGBJERG
Daugbjerg is a native of Houston and a 1964 graduate of Blinn College. He is a 1967 graduate of the University of Houston, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
His business career began with Honeywell Information Systems, where he became Marketing Manager of Small and Medium Systems in the Houston Region of Honeywell’s Southern Operations. He was elected President of the Honeywell Pacesetter Awards Club for outstanding sales performance and new business generation.
In 1975, he joined the international management-consulting firm of Kepner-Tregoe, where he served as Director of Petro Chemicals USA.
Prior to moving to Brenham in 2002, Daugbjerg managed his own consulting practice, Daugbjerg & Associates, specializing in strategy formulation and organization development.
His copyrighted Clear Choice Thinking consulting and training services included identification and resolution of critical issues and developing critical thinking skills of an organization into a core competence, resulting in a competitive advantage.
Daugbjerg established teamwork and leadership by applying common-sense, systematic approaches. The results were productivity improvements. His root cause analysis became the analytic tool of troubleshooting for the food and petrochemical industry. Clients included Proctor & Gamble, Global Marine Drilling, John Brown Engineering and Construction, Brown & Root Inc., Panama Canal Commission, Fina Oil & Chemical, Bechtel, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices, Compaq Computer, Keystone International, Inc., Basis Petroleum, Exxon USA, Shell Oil Company, Amoco Production, Daniel Valve Company, and Memorial Healthcare Systems.
He serves on numerous boards and is active in civic and social organizations. As a member of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, Daugbjerg served as Chairman of the Council of Ministries and on the Administrative Board.
In 1985, he founded the Houston Invitational Golf Marathon, which has raised more than $14.5 million for the prevention of child abuse and the Brookwood Community. In 1992, he received the Book of Golden Deeds Award from The Exchange Clubs of Houston for his work with the Escape Family Resource Center, for the prevention of child abuse, and the Brookwood Community, a residential community for the functionally impaired.
In April 1990, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President George H. W. Bush appointed Daugbjerg as Honorary Consul for Denmark in Texas. He served as Treasurer of the Consular Corps of Houston for 14 years and then as Vice Dean.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has twice knighted Daugbjerg. The Order of the Dannebrog is a Danish order of chivalry, which may be awarded to Danes and foreign citizens for meritorious civil or military service, for a particular contribution to the arts, sciences or business life, and for working for Danish interest.
He has served as treasurer of the Independence Historical Society and President of Washington County Board of Habitat for Humanity, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Brenham Housing Authority. For the past several years, Daugbjerg has served on the Blinn Alumni and Friends Board of Directors.
Daugbjerg conducted root cause analysis training programs through Blinn’s A.W. Hodde, Jr., Technical Education Center and donated his fees to Faith Mission.
Since moving to Brenham, the Daugbjergs have donated auctioned dinners in their homes for the benefit of Trinity Hospital, Unity Theater, Independence Historical Society, and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
He and wife Cherry (Windrum) are members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. They have four children and eight grandchildren.
EUNICE STEINFELD KELM
Kelm is a graduate of Brenham High School and part of four generations of graduates of Blinn College. She received a nursing degree from Hermann Hospital School of Nursing and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Prairie View A&M University.
She is a lifelong resident of Washington County and was a practicing registered nurse for 50 years at Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Kelm, along with her late husband Elwood, founded a registered Angus herd during the 1970s. In the development of the Kelm Angus herd, they gathered the finest genetics from across the country.
Their greatest joy was assisting local 4-H and FFA members with show calves, which as results of their efforts, resulted in several grand champions, including the reserve grand champion at the Junior Commercial Steer Show at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and several grand champion heifers at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Vacations were spent traveling with local youngsters to regional, state, and national junior Angus shows.
Kelm still manages the farm and continues to find ways to improve the Angus breed. She volunteers at numerous local organizations, including the Blinn Alumni and Friends Association.
The Kelm legacy continues with a generous donation of property to the Blinn College Foundation for continuing education for agricultural students.
LAWRENCE HEMANN
Hemann, born in Navasota, grew up on a Grimes County dairy farm. He was a 1952 graduate of Navasota High School, then attended Blinn College and graduated in 1959. While attending Blinn, Hemann was a student bus driver.
He earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Agriculture degrees from Sam Houston State University and did post-graduate work at Texas A&M, Arizona State, and Colorado State universities.
From 1964 until his retirement in 2000, Hemann was an agriculture instructor at the Blinn College-Brenham Campus. He was Chairman of the Applied Arts and Sciences Division and served as the College’s Director of Transportation.
Hemann was founder of the Texas Junior College Agriculture Association, serving as its advisor for 20 years.
In 2004, the Lawrence H. Hemann Endowed Scholarship for agricultural or industrial arts students was established. Blinn College and its students always were an important part of Hemann’s life.
He was involved with the Washington County Fair and the Texas Association of Fairs and Events for many years. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Association of Fairs and Events.
His hobbies included working on his farm at White Hall, deer hunting, and rebuilding old farm engines. After repairs, Hemann often displayed them at various fairs and festivals.
Hemann died in 2011 and is survived by his wife Ruth, son and daughter-in-law Kevin and Shelly Hemann, daughter and son-in-law Karen and Wil Schulz, and grandchildren Cody, Kelly, Caleb, and Cole Schulz, and Body and Brayden Hemann.
F.C. “SONNY” SCHULTE
Schulte is a lifelong resident of the Brenham/Washington County area. He was born in Independence in 1930.
He spent his formative years working in his parents’ general store in Clay, Texas. His first eight grades of education were in a one-room schoolhouse where one teacher taught all eight grades. Schulte moved to Brenham public schools in the 9th grade and graduated from Brenham High School in 1948.
Soon after graduating high school, he began working for the Texas Highway Department, now the Texas Department of Transportation. However, this portion of his career took an unexpected turn due to the conflict in Korea. Schulte served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, earning the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
Upon his return from Korea in 1953, Schulte married Doris Streich. He rejoined the Texas Highway Department and spent a total of 20 years there, reaching the position of Chief Inspector of Road and Bridge Construction.
He served as Administrative Assistant to Washington County’s Gus Mutscher, Texas Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1968-72. After completing his work with the Legislature, Schulte continued his career with the State of Texas for another 11 years as District Supervisor and Assistant Director of Marketing with the Texas Department of Agriculture.
He retired from state government in 1983 after 35 years. His retirement was short-lived, however, as he was recruited by Blue Bell Creameries. Schulte devoted the next 12 years to the company as its International Sales and Food Service Manager.
An active member of the community, Sonny has served as a member of the:
- Brazos Valley Public Employees Association Legislative Committee,
- Brenham State School Advisory Council,
- Brenham Outreach Advisory Council,
- and as a Goodfellows of Washington County Charter Member.
He is a past board member of the:
- Washington County Industrial Development Corp.,
- Washington County Housing Finance Corp.,
- and Washington County Health Facilities Development Corp.
Schulte and Doris, members of Grace Lutheran Church, were married more than 66 years at the time of her passing in 2020. They have one son, Darrell, along with daughter-in-law Liz, of Austin, and one granddaughter, Natasha, and her husband Allen, of Liberty Hill, Texas.
He said his greatest joys have always been family, friends, and the occasional fishing trip to the Texas Gulf Coast. One of his favorite sayings is, “When you help someone up a hill, you get nearer the top yourself.”
THE REV. RANDY WELLS
Born and raised in uptown New Orleans, Wells earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Orleans in sociology with a minor in political science (1990) and a Master of Social Work degree from Southern University at New Orleans (1996).
Wells has dedicated more than three decades of his life working and developing national best practice programs for children, youth, and families. He currently serves as a member of the Blinn College Board of Trustees.
Wells is Executive Director of Faith Mission and Help Center and Associate Minister for Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church.
Wells is a founding member of Brenham Game Changers and serves on its Board of Directors. He also is past Chairman of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Washington County Ministerial Association.
Wells has been married for 30 years to his wife Nelda, and they are the parents of daughter Randi A. Wells, who is a graduate of Brenham High School and Lamar University and currently serves as an educator in the Orleans Parish Public School System, and son Thomas, a senior at Brenham High School and a budding thespian.
Wells is an ordained minister who has conducted preaching, teaching, and training in foreign mission fields, including Kenya, Honduras, and Grand Bahamas.
He is the creator and host of the international radio show Building Bridges to the Bahamas and is the author of two books, “The Grandmother’s Rule” and “Few Fathers.”
Wells is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity International.
About the Blinn College District
With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn’s academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
Information Courtesy of the Blinn College District
