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May 5, 2009 CONTACT: Becky Stogner, 806-651-2311, bstogner@wtamu.edu COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu Alumni Association to Present Top Awards at Phoenix BanquetCANYON, Texas—The Alumni Association at West Texas A&M University will bestow its most prestigious annual awards during the Phoenix Banquet May 16 at the Dr. Hazel Kelley Wilson Alumni Banquet Hall on campus. Three individuals will be presented with Distinguished Alumnus Awards, and Dr. Bruce Brasington, professor of history, will receive the association’s University Excellence Award. A recognition dinner with the Old Main Society follows at 7 p.m. The Distinguished Alumnus Award is given to successful graduates who contribute time and support to the University and to humanitarian causes. The 2009 recipients are Don Hodges, Paul Ray Lyons and J. Pat Richmond. Don Hodges is chairman of Hodges Capital Management and founder and chairman of the board of First Dallas Securities. Hodges also is a portfolio manager for the Hodges Fund and a shareholder. He has more than 40 years of investment experience and is considered one of the leading fund managers in the country. Hodges also serves on the WTAMU Foundation Board. In 2007, he made a sizeable donation to the College of Business to promote the teaching of corporate responsibility to business students and community members. Paul Ray Lyons has been a builder in the Texas Panhandle for the past 27 years and serves as chairman of the Canyon Construction Advisory Board. He also has served as president of the Texas Panhandle Builders Association (TPBA) and was named Builder of the Year in 2005. Through his involvement with the TPBA, Lyons took the lead and established the TPBA WTAMU Scholarship Program, which has awarded scholarships to several area students. He is active in the community and was named Canyon Citizen of the Year in 2004 and Canyon Volunteer of the Year in 2003. J. Pat Richmond is branch manager for Glazer’s Wholesale Distributors, where he helped establish the Robert S. Glazer Memorial Scholarship in Business at WTAMU. The fund provides $5,000 in student scholarships each year. Richmond also is an active member of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce as well as the Amarillo Executive Association and the Amarillo Gun Club. At WTAMU, he is a member of the Foundation, President’s Circle, College of Business Advisory Board and the Alumni Association. "Each year we receive outstanding nominations for these awards," Becky Stogner, director of the Alumni Association, said. "It is always a difficult decision, but this year’s award winners represent the best of West Texas A&M University, and we are pleased to honor them." The University Excellence Award is an accolade reserved for faculty, staff or administrative personnel who make significant contributions to higher education at WTAMU. Dr. Bruce Brasington joined the WTAMU faculty in 1990 and is known for his work and research on medieval history and canon law. He is a Latin scholar and has offered Latin tutorial for several years. Brasington also has been a visiting professor at the University of Dresden in Germany, where he taught undergraduate and graduate seminars in medieval law, theology and paleography/codicology. WTAMU students benefit from his knowledge, professionalism and work ethic. Tickets for the event are priced at $50, and reservations can be made by calling 806-651-2990.
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