For a graduate from Texas A&M University, there is no higher honor than the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Since 1962, there have been 281 former students recognized through this award, which is jointly given by the university and The Association of Former Students.
The award was established in 1962, when The Association was restructuring many of the things they were doing at the time. A long-range committee identified that a distinguished alumnus award would be a great undertaking, according to Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of communications and human resources for The Association of Former Students.
Tyree Bell, class of 1913, chaired this committee. He said of the award, “Such a program would do more than honor such men. It would spotlight the accomplishments of the college; it would increase our pride, and our student body and faculty’s pride in our institution.”
Greenwade says she likes to share Bell’s quote because it sums up the award and still holds true today. “I think that’s exactly what [the award has] done, because when you see the accomplishments of these Aggies, it brings honor and pride back to Texas A&M.”
Since 2012, the Distinguished Alumnus Award has been presented to up to 12 former students each year. Prior to 2005, only four people were recognized per year, and from 2005 to 2011 there were six living and two posthumous honorees each year.
“[We are] looking for individuals who have reached the pinnacle of success in their chosen field, that have given back to their communities, that have made a difference at Texas A&M, and that really set an example for others,” says Greenwade. “We are looking for individuals who personify our core values.”
Nominations for the award are open May through October of each year. A selection committee formed by representatives of both the university and The Association meets in February and reviews the nominations to select honorees. Once the selections are finalized, each recipient is informed of the honor through a surprise announcement. The announcements often take place at meetings or Aggie events, but could really come in a number of unexpected ways.
“We’ve been doing the surprise announcement since about 2002,” says Greenwade. “Prior to that it would be a phone call, so it would still be a surprise, just not the entourage we have now with a Ross Volunteer, and often Reveille when she is able to make it with us, and a number of other representatives.”
In October, all of the honorees will be recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Gala. This is a fairly recent change; prior to 2004 the recipients would be recognized at the commencement ceremony for the college they graduated from.
“The award has always been recognized as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a former student of Texas A&M, but the way we recognized them didn’t always reflect that,” explains Greenwade. “In 2004 we made a conscious effort that we wanted to make sure that the recognition for this was equal to the prestige associated with the award.”
This year’s Gala is on Oct. 5. Tables and individual tickets are available at www.aggienetwork.com/distinguishedalumnigala. If interested, Greenwade recommends buying a ticket early, as they expect to sell out.
The honorees are also recognized on the field during halftime at the following home football game each year. This year’s 10 recipients, along with 2017 recipient Ed Wulfe ’55, will be recognized during the Oct. 6 game versus Kentucky.
As with every year, the 2018 Distinguished Alumni are a diverse group, representing the multi-faceted nature of former students from Texas A&M. From a pop culture icon to a veteran to a CEO and everything in between, the Distinguished Alumni represent the best of Texas A&M.
“I think it shows the expanse of that, because we have everyone from administrators and engineers and architects, and then you have someone who’s in the entertainment industry, someone who has truly reached [and] has been recognized at the highest levels for his songwriting ability,” says Greenwade. “It’s kind of fun to see that variance in the nominees — the variety of what they’ve accomplished.”
Nominations for the 2019 Distinguished Alumni are open now through Oct. 7 at www.tx.ag/DAnominations. For more information about the Distinguished Alumnus Award, visit www.AggieNetwork.com.
2018 Distinguished Alumni
- L.D. (Duke) Hobbs ’47 of College Station
- Charles L. Pence ’51 of Fredericksburg
- Dwain Mayfield ’59 of Dublin
- Jim Singleton ’66 of College Station
- Eddie Joe Davis ’67 of Bryan
- John S. Sharp ’72 of College Station
- Joe B. Swinbank ’74 of Houston
- Robert Earl Keen ’78 of Kerrville
- Kathleen Miller Gibson ’81 of Dallas
- Graham Weston ’86 of San Antonio
