Ernest L.
Wehner ’41
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Year Awarded: 1976
Del Rio, TX
Wehner received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 1941. After serving in WWII, he joined the international public accounting firm of Arthur Andersen and Co., advancing to Managing Partner in 1968. Wehner served on the firm’s Board of Directors and was noted for his expertise in oil and gas taxation.
He also served as an advisor to Executive Development Program and the President’s Forum of Texas A&M University College of Business Administration and the Texas A&M University Development Office. Wehner is the co-founder of the Thomas W. Leland Accounting Professorship at Texas A&M.
Dr. Eli L.
Whiteley ’41
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Year Awarded: 2012
Eli L. Whiteley, Class of 1941, graduated from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas in three years with a bachelor of science in agriculture. He entered North Carolina State College before being drafted into the army, but returned in 1946 after he was discharged to earn a Master’s degree.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and later served as a training officer at Camp Wolters. He received orders for Europe and was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, where he joined Company L as a rifle platoon leader. In 1944, while leading his platoon in an attack at Sigolsheim, France, Whiteley was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder, but continued clearing hostile troops from strong points. He continued fighting, even though his eye was pierced by a shell fragment, and led an attack which cracked the core of the enemy resistance. He was the sixth Texas Aggie awarded the Medal of Honor.
Whiteley returned to A&M in 1946 as a lecturer in freshman agronomy classes before earning a Ph.D. in agronomy in 1959. He would remain a part of the Texas A&M faculty and was eventually named a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Whiteley and his wife, Anna, had two sons and three daughters—one of whom attended Texas A&M. He died of a heart attack on December 2, 1986.
"His training and experience as a member of the Corps of Cadets benefited him during the time he served in the U. S. Army during World War II. The values instilled upon him during his time at Texas A&M, the values of duty, honor, integrity, and service to others, ultimately led to his return to Texas A&M, where he obtained a doctorate degree, and then served Texas A&M for 31 years."
- -Alice Whiteley-Wiese, Eli Whiteley's daughter
James B.
Hervey ’42
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Year Awarded: 1988
Greenville, TX
Hervey received a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics in 1942. In 1947, he became the third Executive Secretary of The Association of Former Students, a position he held until 1964. Under his leadership, he implemented a computerized database, and established the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Texas A&M Archives.
"I’ve had a great love for the university that gave me the education I got. And for this reason, I hope that my civic service in this community has in some way made our community a better place to live."
Turney W.
Leonard ’42
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Year Awarded: 2012
Turney W. Leonard, Class of 1942, graduated from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas with a bachelor of arts in agricultural administration. While at A&M, he was involved in the Scholarship Honor Society, Marketing and Finance Club, Dallas A&M Club, and was awarded the Best Drilled Sophomore Award and the Distinguished Student award.
He was first commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular Army, and later assigned to the Tank Destroyer Center at Camp (later Fort) Hood as an instructor. In the Huertgen Forest at Kommerscheidt, Germany, Leonard repeatedly braved intense enemy fire to direct the fire of his tank destroyers, which enabled his battalion to destroy six German tanks. He went on reconnaissance missions alone to discover what opposition his men faced, reorganized confused infantry units whose leaders had been killed, and continued to fight until he was disabled by a high-explosive shell which shattered his arm.
Leonard was reported missing in action on November 7, 1944—his body was recovered in November 1949 and identified in January 1950. He was the fifth Texas Aggie to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
"You can't put Turney's life and courage into just a few words. He was, indeed, a true Aggie, and his life and courage still inspire Aggies today. Two of my granddaughters (Classes of '06 and '08) attended A&M because of the same feeling of 'being home' that Turney felt.
- -Karen Leonard Anderson, Turney Leonard's niece
William M.
Peña ’42
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Year Awarded: 2015
Houston, TX
William M. Peña, Class of 1942, received a bachelor of science degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in architectural design from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he served on Corps staff and as president of the Laredo Club.
As a U.S. Army infantry officer in World War II, Peña fought in battles including Huertgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Colmar and was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, French Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre and Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honor (France’s highest honor). He is one of five Aggies featured in the “Texas Aggies Go To War” exhibit in the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium.
Joining CRS Architects in 1948, Peña lectured worldwide and was part of more than 150 architectural projects in 39 states and nine countries. He is considered the “father of architectural programming” and he is the author of several books including “Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer” and “Ways of Thinking.” He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and recipient of Houston AIA’s Thomas Jefferson Award.
Peña is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club and a colonel in the Corps of Cadets Association. He endowed a professorship in Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, of which he is an Outstanding Alumnus, and the college named CRS “Firm of the Century” for its influence. He has also served on the Board of Regents for the University System of South Texas.
Among his Aggie family were brothers Gustavo Peña ’38 and Augusto “Augie” Peña ’50.
"In the last 30 years, I have come to know Willie Peña as an eminent architect, author, teacher, scholar, mentor, war hero, and most importantly, as a generous, gentle, kind human being."
- Valerian Miranda '94, Director of the CRS Center
E. M. “Manny”
Rosenthal ’42
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Year Awarded: 1987
Fort Worth, TX
Rosenthal received a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 1942. While a student he was editor of the Battalion, the university newspaper, and the Battalion Magazine. Rosenthal was President of Standard Meat Co. who later merged with the Sara Lee Corp., making it the largest meat purveyor in the world. He also worked to make changes in the USDA grading standards and lessen the federal regulatory control over the industry. Rosenthal served as Chairman of the Board of Standard Meat Company.
He has continued his service to his alma mater by being instrumental in establishing two endowed chairs in the College of Agriculture, providing funds to support meats and judging teams and other student programs, and making state-of-the-art processing plants accessible to Aggies studying agriculture and veterinary medicine.
"He is a kind, generous man; really the cream of our community. I wish there were more people like him."
- Ron Stocker, District VP of B’nai B’rith
Richard “Buck”
Weirus ’42
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Year Awarded: 1993
Weirus received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering in 1942. In 1961, he was named Executive Director of The Association of Former Students. During his tenure, membership grew to nearly 100,000, the Century Club was instituted, and he assisted in fundraising for the Kyle Field expansion in 1968.
Because of his unique leadership, vision, and support of student involvement, the Buck Weirus Spirit Award was established by The Association to recognize students' contributions to student life.
Ford D.
Albritton, Jr. ’43
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Year Awarded: 1977
Houston, TX
Albritton received a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1943. Albritton is the only person in history to have been President of The Association of Former Students and then President of the Texas A&M Research Foundation while serving a term on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. He was a 1st Lieutenant and Artillery Pilot in the U.S. Army during World War II and received a Purple Heart.
Albritton founded Albritton Engineering Corporation (ALENCO), an aluminum products manufacturing firm, in Houston in 1948 then moved to Bryan, Texas where he was the Chairman of the Board of First Bank & Trust of Bryan, and member of the Board of Directors of the General Telephone Company of the Southwest. He served as president of the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce, and twice president of the Greater Bryan United Fund. He and his wife, Martha, have four children, Ford, III ’69, Robert ’71, Sally, and John.
"Texas A&M University has made unparalleled progress in establishing itself as a center of academic excellence. To recognize this preeminent accomplishment, and to satisfy what has been a dream of mine for many years, I wish to contribute to the present and the future growth of Texas A&M University by constructing a tower housing a carillon of the highest order. This carillon will add an important dimension of dignity and integrity to Texas A&M University while serving as a constant reminder that the university is continuing to strive for an ever-increasing degree of academic excellence."
Harvey R. “Bum”
Bright ’43
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Year Awarded: 1991
Muskogee, OK
Bright received a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1943. His career spanned the oil, trucking and finance industries. After serving in World War II in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he joined Sun Oil Company as a field engineer. He and his roommate, Herbert Schiff ’43 began trading oil leases and in 1949 the two men sold half of their lease holdings and established their own exploration and production company.
Bright also built a nationwide trucking empire with East Texas Motor Freight as the cornerstone, was a principal stockholder in RepublicBank Corporation, and created BrightBanc. From 1984 through 1989 he was owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team. Bright served as Chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents from 1981-1985.
"He was a close friend and businessman that I respected and admired tremendously. With Bum, his word meant everything. He was one of the most honorable men that I have ever had the privilege of knowing and working with."
- Jerry Jones, Owner of Dallas Cowboys football team
Hal N.
Carr ’43
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Year Awarded: 1972
Kansas City, KS
At the age of 33, Hal Carr became the nation's youngest president of a scheduled airline when he was named President of North Central Airlines in 1954. He was elected chairman of the board of directors in 1965, is a member of the executive committee of the Company’s board, and as been a director since 1952.
Carr’s expert management and leadership over the past 18 years have been responsible for developing a small local airline in poor financial conditions into a major scheduled air carrier serving 90 cities in 13 states and two Canadian provinces and showing one of the most outstanding profit records in the industry.
A 1943 graduate of Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, Hal Carr continued graduate studies in industrial management and finance at American University, Washington, D.C. He is a councilor and former trustee of the Texas A&M Research Foundation and is a member of the Air Transport Panel Advisory Committee of the Texas Transportation Institute of the Texas A&M University System. He has assisted graduate students from Texas A&M and other universities through a program of summer employment at North Central.
In his business career, Carr has been an officer and director of over 20 corporations and has a record of 27 years of top-level management experience in the industry. He entered the airline business following service in World War II as assistant director of Route Development for Trans World Airlines, Inc. He also served as a consultant to the Secretary of the Navy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of the Air Force; chairman of the board and president of the United Capital Investors Corporation; professional lecturer of management engineering in the graduate school of Business Administration, American University, Washington, D.C.; organizational and management consultant on foreign airline operations to the Agency for International Development; and as president of T.L. & C. Company – to name but a few of his varied positions.
Hal Carr has received many awards for his contributions to the development of commercial aviation. In 1955, he was nominated by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce as a candidate for Ten Outstanding Young Men in America. Numerous magazine articles and several books have featured his outstanding business record and his career accomplishments. His biographical listing appears in “Who’s Who in America”, “World’s Who’s Who in Finance and Industry”, “Who’s Who in the Southwest”, “Who’s Who in the Midwest”, “Who’s Who in World Aviation”, and “Poor’s Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives.”