Dr. Stephen A.
Holditch ’69
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Year Awarded: 2014
Bryan, TX
Dr. Stephen A. Holditch '69, received bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from A&M, all in petroleum engineering. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets, serving as Second Battalion commander and as a Ross Volunteer. Holditch is a former head of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering and former director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute. He also founded S.A. Holditch and Associates, which had a worldwide reputation for being able to solve the most difficult petroleum engineering problems. Holditch has been honored as a member of the Petroleum Engineering Academy of Distinguished Graduates and as an Outstanding Alumnus of the Dwight Look College of Engineering. He and his wife, Ann, have funded multiple scholarships in petroleum engineering, as well as a Sul Ross Scholarship. They are Endowed Century Club donors to The Association of Former Students, and their many gifts to the 12th Man Foundation and Texas A&M Foundation have earned them recognition as Eppright Distinguished Donors and members of the Legacy Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1995 and has been honored with most of the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ top technical honors, including the Legends of Hydraulic Fracturing Award, which he received in 2014. He is former president of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas; and a board member of the Research Valley Partnership and of the National Petroleum Council. He and Ann have been married 43 years and have two daughters, Katie Rowe ’97 and Abbie Walsh ’01, and five grandchildren.
"You will look back at your years at Texas A&M as one of the best periods in your life. Your classmates will be lifelong friends, so keep in touch with them and the university as your career takes you to various parts of the world. Always remember the Aggie Code of Honor."
LTG James F.
Hollingsworth ’40
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Year Awarded: 1980
Sanger, TX
Hollingsworth received a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 1940. Hollingsworth’s 36-year military career touched the sands of North Africa, spanned the length of Europe, and contributed to the stability of a volatile situation in the Far East.
Hollingsworth was assigned to Korea in 1973 and served as Commanding General of the I Corps which is the largest field army command in the world. He also directed 13 divisions of Republic of Korea and United States Troops. He changed the strategy of defense for Korea and developed the now famous short-war concept which has become the example for the United States forward defense concepts. His decorations include Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star and Purple Heart with five Oakleaf Clusters.
"He is truly a legend—truly an American Aggie Hero."
- Frank M. Muller, Jr. '55, Distinguished Alumnus, 1992
General Hal M.
Hornburg (USAF, Ret) ’68
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Year Awarded: 2012
Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
General Hal M. Hornburg (USAF, Ret), Class of 1968, graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of business administration degree in finance, and earned a master’s degree in human resource management from the University of Utah in 1978. In between his degrees, he attended Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. Afterward, he went to the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., in 1986, and completed the Seminar XXI for Foreign Political and International Relations at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National and International Security Program at Harvard University in 1994. While at A&M, he was a Ross Volunteer, Distinguished Student, Outstanding Military Student, Commanding Officer, 2nd Group Staff in the Corps of Cadets, as well as a member of MSC Town Hall Committee, MSC Great Issue Committee and the Apollo Club.
Hornburg entered the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1968 and commanded all levels—flight, squadron, wing, numbered air force and major command. While on active duty, he fought, participated in or commanded forces in four wars, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. He was also awarded three Legions of Merit, 10 Air Medals, two Air Forces Distinguished Service Medals and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal. In 2004, he was made an honorary Tuskegee Airman in honor of his efforts in developing and mentoring minority officers and airmen. General Hornburg commanded a composite fighter wing during Operation Desert Storm and the first Air Force composite wing during the services reorganization in 1991. He directed air operations over Bosnia, commanded the Joint Warfighting Center, served on the Joint Staff, and directed operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He also has served as Tactical Air Command's F-15 demonstration pilot for the East Coast, Air Force Liaison Officer to the U.S. Senate, Chief of the Air Force Colonels' Group, and he commanded Air Education and Training Command. He retired as commander, Air Combat Command in 2005 after 36 years of service to the USAF and more than 4,400 flight hours. He continues to serve the aerospace field as an Aerospace Industry Consultant.
In retirement, Hornburg has served as director of the Armed Forces Benefit Association, an insurance company founded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower to assist military members. He is a trustee of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, director of the Fisher House, a foundation that assists military families, and is a senior advisor for Segs4Vets, a program that provides Segways for American disabled veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a senior advisor to the Sierra Nevada Corporation, the Camber Corporation, Environmental Tectonics Corporation and Conceptual Mindworks, Inc.
He has served as member and Chairman of Strategic Planning and Fundraising for the President’s Board of Visitors for the Corps of Cadets since 2003, and he has served on the President’s Advisory Council Strategic Planning Committee since 2010. He is a past chair of The Association of Former Students and an Endowed Century Club Member. He led the Texas A&M Commandant Search Committee in 2010 and is a member of the Aggie Real Estate Network.
Hornburg and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Fair Oaks Ranch. They have two sons, who are both USAF pilots, and five grandchildren.
"A&M re-wove the fabric of my being. It somehow altered my DNA. The entire experience didn't make me what I became, but actually molded me into what who I became. While it may not have fundamentally affected others as much, I would not trade the benefits of my Aggie experience for anything. I owe A&M more than I can ever repay."
LTG Randolph W.
House ’67
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Year Awarded: 2020
College Station, TX
An Army officer for over 32 years, House commanded in peace and war at every level from rifle platoon leader to deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Command.
As a student in the Corps of Cadets, he was a member of A-3 Vets, B-1 Vets and a Distinguished Military Graduate, receiving a U.S. Army regular commission as an infantry second lieutenant.
He has served on the board and as president of the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial from 2003 to present, and is a mentor to the A&M student organization SCONA (Student Conference on National Affairs). He has also served on the board of visitors for A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service and for Texas A&M University at Galveston.
His awards for valor include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, 32 Air Medals and four Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry.
He is a Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor inductee and a member of the Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry in A&M’s Department of Agricultural Economics, and was inducted in 2001 as a “Legend of Aggieland.” He was part of 2016’s inaugural class of the U.S. Army ROTC National Hall of Fame and in 2007 was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Lamar High School in Houston.
House is a Diamond-level member of The Association’s Century Club, with 38 years of giving. He is a member of the Corps of Cadets Association, is on the Board of Directors of A&M's Private Enterprise Research Center and supports MSC OPAS.
He and wife Ellen Jean have two daughters and four grandchildren.
"Texas A&M instilled in me the importance of being dependable, and “taught me the value of being persistent.”
- LTG Randolph W. House '67
Billy Pete
Huddleston ’56
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Year Awarded: 2005
Iraan, TX
Billy Pete Huddleston received a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1957. During his time as a student, he was a member of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s “Junction Boys” Aggie football team and served as Team Captain in 1955. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force where he served from 1958-1960.
After beginning his career with Marathon Oil Co., he established Huddleston & Co., Inc., in 1967 where he continues to serve as Chairman. In 1971, he founded Peter Paul Petroleum Co., which manages joint venture and partnership interests in over 2,500 oil and gas producing properties and 525,000 mineral acres. Huddleston’s vast knowledge of petroleum engineering consulting and financial analysis has provided expert testimony to various government agencies and commissions. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Association of Petroleum Engineers, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Huddleston has given his time to Texas A&M as a co-founding member of the Texas A&M Letterman’s Association and a member of the Dwight Look College of Engineering Advisory Council. Perhaps his greatest contribution back to the university is his time as Visiting Professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering from 1981-1998, for which he received the Robert L. Whiting Professorship for Excellence in Teaching. Huddleston is an ardent supporter of the Corps of Cadets and the Dwight Look College of Engineering.
Born in Iraan, Texas, he and his wife, Flos, have three children, Peter ’80, Paul ’82 and Lisa ’85.
"Texas A&M builds the confidence that you can accomplish just about anything if you continue to push your limits. Current students and new graduates should aspire to the old Army slogan: “Be all you can be.” If a person aspires to this creed, they will be honored regardless of their station in life."
Samuel "Ray"
Huffines ’74
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Year Awarded: 2019
Plano, TX
Ray Huffines ’74 is the owner and CEO of Huffines Auto Dealerships. Under his leadership, the family business has grown to nine dealerships in the Dallas area and has been recognized by the Dallas Morning News for seven years as one of the “Top 100 Places to Work” in Dallas-Fort Worth based on employee surveys.
Huffines earned a BBA in management from Texas A&M in 1974. As a student, he was a member of Squadron 2, a founding member of the Corps of Cadets’ Parsons Mounted Cavalry and a member of the 1971 national championship Fish Drill Team.
He served on the Texas staff for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign from 1979 to 1980 and as personal assistant to Texas Gov. William P. Clements from 1981 to 1983.
Huffines is a member of the Board of Trustees for Texas A&M’s 12th Man Foundation and has served on the boards for Dallas Baptist University, Trinity Christian Academy in Addison and the Plano Salvation Army, as well as chaired the Plano Chamber of Commerce and Coaches Outreach ministry. He has been Muster chair for Collin County and is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 37 years of giving. In 2009, he and his wife, Ann, established the Ann and S. Ray Huffines ’74 Military Appreciation Scholarship through the Texas A&M Foundation.
He was honored as the 2018 Ambassador of Hope by Plano’s Hope Center for Christian ministries and in 2008 received the Legends of Service award from the Dallas Life Foundation homeless shelter.
"Ray is a successful business leader with a selfless service to society and is dedicated and loyal to Texas A&M University. He more than exemplifies the core values of Texas A&M through his excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service."
- Steve M. Jones '80
James L.
Huffines, Jr. ’44
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Year Awarded: 2001
Dallas, TX
J. L. Huffines has launched six auto dealerships in the Dallas area and founded two banks and a life insurance company over his career. Huffines received a bachelor’s degree from A&M in Economics in 1947.
Huffines was a charter member and President of the Aggie Club (now the 12th Man Foundation) and has endowed seven 12th Man Scholarships, and established a President’s Endowed Scholarship. He is a member of the Lettermen’s Association Hall of Honor and has served on the Chancellor’s 21st Century Council of Advisors. He was president of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and served on the board of the State Fair of Texas.
"This man truly carries the A&M ‘Banner’ with him in every corner of commerce, industry and academia."
- Thomas A. O’ Dwyer '47, Distinguished Alumnus, 1984
William M. "Bill"
Huffman ’53
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Year Awarded: 2017
College Station, TX
WILLIAM M. “BILL” HUFFMAN ’53 received a bachelor’s degree in poultry science. As a student, he was a battalion staff captain in the Corps, received the College of Agriculture’s Distinguished Service Award and Faculty Achievement Award and graduated with the highest grade point average in the College of Agriculture.
He was on active duty in the U.S. Army 1954-56. After making the highest grade on the March 1959 Texas bar exam, he was in full-time private legal practice in Marshall from 1959 to 1998. He was president of the Harrison County Bar Association.
He is a 2016 inductee into the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor, and since 2013 has served as a Class Agent for the Class of ’53; in 2014, he compiled a directory of his classmates. Since 1986, he and his wife, Barbara, have been members of the A&M Legacy Society and A&M Heritage Society and have made gifts including support for the College of Medicine, Corps of Cadets, MSC, Kyle Field, Fish Camp, the new band hall/music activities center, and numerous scholarships, including a President’s Endowed Scholarship and and two Corps 21 Scholarships. They have also given more than 600 individual students their first-year active memberships in The Association of Former Students. He is a Diamond level member of The Association’s Century Club, with 52 years of giving.
He served on the board of Good Shepherd Health System from January 2009 to February 2017 and has chaired the board since October 2015. He was chair of the city commission of Marshall 1971-78. He has also served in the Marshall Lions Club and on boards for the Harrison County Hospital Association and Harrison County Airport.
His family includes wife Barbara, son William Marion Huffman, Jr. ’88, daughter Gay Lynn Huffman ’92, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dan A.
Hughes ’51
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Year Awarded: 2011
Beeville, TX
Hughes received a bachelor’s degree in geology from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas. While a student, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, vice president of the Geology Club and a member of the Dallas and Palestine hometown clubs.
After college, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and earned a Bronze Star in Korea. He went to work for Union Producing Co. of New Orleans as a geological scout in 1953 and has continued to work in petroleum exploration and production. In 1963, he formed a partnership with his twin brother, Dudley Hughes, Class of 1951, to create Hughes & Hughes Oil and Gas. In 1982, Hughes & Hughes was dissolved and he formed Dan A. Hughes Company and has offices in Beeville, San Antonio and Houston. In 1996, he formed Hughes Petroleum Colombia, with offices in Bogota, Columbia.
Hughes was awarded membership in 1978 in the exclusive All-American Wildcatters Club. He has also been honored with the M.B. “Duke” Rudman Outstanding Wildcatter Award and as Outstanding Citizen of Bee County, Texas.
He has been a member of The Association of Former Students Century Club for 35 years and is also a member of the A&M Legacy Society, the 12th Man Foundation and the Geosciences Development Council. He was awarded the Michael T. Halbouty Geosciences Medal in 1997. He endowed the Dan A. Hughes ’51 Chair in Geosciences as well as the Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems. He also funded the restoration of A&M’s Military Walk, a historic path in the heart of campus.
Hughes is also active in service to his community. He donated an oil and gas building at Coastal Bend College and has supported the Coastal Bend Community Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club, the Junior Service League, and numerous scholastic athletic programs, among many others.
Hughes has three children and nine grandchildren, four of which attended Texas A&M. He and his wife Brenda reside in Beeville.
“I would recommend that freshman students consider entering the Corp of Cadets. The discipline and leadership that they gain will give them an advantage throughout their lives.”
Dudley J.
Hughes ’51
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Year Awarded: 2010
Jackson, MS
Hughes graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology. As a student, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Geology Club and the Palestine Hometown Club.
Hughes served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant and was awarded the Bronze Star for his meritorious service in Korea. Afterward, he established a highly successful career in exploration geology, operating more than 10 different oil and gas exploration companies during his 40-plus year career. He is currently the president of Hughes Oil Inc. and Hughes South Corp.
Hughes was recognized by Texas A&M with the Geosciences and Earth Resources Distinguished Achievement Award and received the All American Wildcatters’ Rudman Outstanding Wildcatter Award. He also received the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Outstanding Explorer Award and was named the 2009 Philanthropist of the Year by the state of Mississippi.
Hughes has been a loyal supporter of the University and the College of Geosciences. In 1998, Hughes and his wife, Robbie, created the Dudley J. Hughes ’51 Chair in Geology and Geophysics, and he contributed to the Robert R. Berg Professorship in Geology and the William R. Bryant Oceanography Chair for Teaching, Research and Mentoring Excellence. He was instrumental in the endowment of the Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems. Hughes is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club and remains active as a volunteer and contributor to dozens of charitable organizations.
"My career has been very successful thanks to a great extent to Texas A&M. My training at A&M was superior to that of geologists from other schools, and eventually led my brother and I to start our on oil companies."