Categories
Alumni

Honoring Distinguished Alumni

Distinguished Alumni Award winners Frederick B. Hegi Jr., ’66, Joe White ’70 and Cecil Williams ’55 and Emerging Leader Award recipient Amanda Dunbar ’04 were honored in November.

Since 1951 the Distinguished Alumni Award has been the highest honor SMU bestows upon its graduates in recognition of outstanding achievement, character and citizenship. The Emerging Leader Award, now in its 10th year, acknowledges an outstanding alumnus or alumna who has graduated within the last 15 years. The following graduates received 2009 DAA honors and the Emerging Leader Award Nov. 5:

Distinguished Alumni Awards

HEGI.jpg

Frederick B. Hegi Jr.

Frederick B. Hegi Jr. ’66 is known as a hands-on community leader. The founding partner of Wingate Partners, a private investment firm, Hegi also serves on several corporate boards. A member of SMU’s Board of Trustees since 2004, he is co-chair of the Dedman College Campaign Steering Committee for SMU’s Second Century Campaign. Thousands of students and alumni have benefited from his generosity through services of the Hegi Family Career Development Center at SMU.

WHITE.jpg

Joe White

Joe White ’70, a former defensive tackle for the Mustangs, transforms lives as president and chairman of the board of Kanakuk Ministries, which operates Kanakuk Kamps in Missouri. The Christian camps host 20,000 campers and 2,500 staff members each summer. He is founder of three organizations: Kids Across America, which sends inner-city youth to summer camp; Cross International, a relief organization in 30 countries; and Men at the Cross, a national men’s ministry.

WILLIAMS.jpg

Cecil Williams

Cecil Williams’ ’55 innovative ministry at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco spans more than 40 years. Glide is known worldwide for its outreach to society’s poor and marginalized. Williams was one of SMU’s first five African American students, entering Perkins School of Theology in 1952 and graduating in 1955. The school’s Williams Preaching Lab in Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall was named recently in his honor. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from SMU in 1997.

Emerging Leader Award

DUNBAR.jpg

Amanda Dunbar

Amanda R. Dunbar ’04 picked up a paintbrush at age 13 and released a talent that has been displayed in galleries and museums worldwide. She had her first solo exhibition in Dallas at age 16. Dunbar is the youngest woman to be inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. With proceeds from her painting sales, she formed a charitable organization to fund arts programs for children and supports other groups that serve youngsters.

Nominations Now Open For 2010 Awards

The 2010 Distinguished Alumni Awards and Emerging Leader recognition are open to SMU alumni who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary service and achievement in a particular discipline, organization or cause.

The deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 31, 2009.

Any individual may nominate an alumna and/or alumnus by completing the nomination form available here.

Once nominated, the candidate remains in nomination for three consecutive years. After that time, the individual may be nominated again.

The completed form may be mailed to Southern Methodist University, Office of Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 750173, Dallas, TX 75275-0173; Attention: Nominations.

Questions about the nomination process should be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations: 214-768-2586, 1-888-327-3755 or smualum@smu.edu.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *