Henry B. "Hank"
Paup ’70
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2023
Fort Worth, TX
Henry B. “Hank” Paup ’70 believes that “a person’s word is their bond, and a handshake is a contract.”
Paup commonly sums up his time in Aggieland with “the three S’s: soldiering, studying and swimming.” He was a member of the Corps of Cadets, serving as first sergeant, the company commander of his outfit and a Ross Volunteer. A varsity swimmer and three-year letterman, he set the Texas A&M record for the mile swim in 1969. He graduated from A&M with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a commission in the U.S. Army, and he would later earn a law degree from SMU and his CPA certification.
Specializing in estate planning and probate, Paup has served the Fort Worth area as a lawyer for 50 years. He founded his own practice, Law Offices of Henry B. Paup, in 1982. Although it was created after his student days, he has been a strong supporter of the Texas A&M School of Law, establishing an endowed dean’s scholarship and law faculty chair.
Paup reinvests in his passions. He and his wife, Anne, have been significant supporters of the Texas A&M swim team, including as the lead donors of the team’s newest indoor facility, Paup Pavilion. They have established seven academic and athletic scholarships at A&M, and are Endowed Century Club members.
In 2019, the couple gave the lead gift on a new sanctuary pipe organ for their church. He has also given of his time, serving as president of the Fort Worth A&M Club, president of the First Methodist Church of Fort Worth Foundation and a member of the 12th Man Foundation board of trustees. In recognition of the Paups’ exceptional giving, they were recognized as the 2019 Distinguished Philanthropists of the Year by the Fort Worth chapter of Fundraising Professionals.
The Paups have two children, Spivey ’01, married to Brooke ’01, and Robbie Jane ’07, and five grandchildren.
“He exemplifies the core values of Texas A&M in how he conducts his business, lives his life and deals with every person.”
- James A. Creel ’69
R. Sam
Torn ’70
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2020
Houston, TX
For 36 years, Torn and his wife, Susan ’13, have owned and operated Incomparable Camp Ozark, one of the largest residential summer camps in the nation, where they have impacted over 200,000 children and thousands of staff.
Torn is also developer and owner of Camp OTX, executive director of Camp War Eagle for underserved children, and founder and chairman of Ozone Ministries and Ozark for All camp. He is a member of Texas’ Higher Education Coordinating Board.
As a student, he was head yell leader, in charge of building A&M’s largest Bonfire, and a member of the Corps’ Company F-2, the varsity baseball team and the Student Senate.
Torn is a past chair of the 12th Man Foundation, cochaired the Kyle Field Redevelopment Committee and $485 million campaign and coordinated the redevelopment of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
The Torns received the 12th Man Foundation’s E. King Gill Award in 2016. Torn is a member of the Corps Hall of Honor and Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association Hall of Honor. He has been a Class Agent for the Class of ’70, an Association area representative and past president of the Association of Former Yell Leaders.
Torn is an Endowed Century Club member of The Association of Former Students, with 28 years of giving.
His Aggie family includes his late father, Roland S. Torn ’38. The Torns have three children, Scott ’95 (married to Secily ’95), Chris ’97 (married to Ceci ’98) and Angela ’02 (married to Stephan ’02), and 13 grandchildren including two Aggies, Sam ’23 and Caroline ’24.
“To me, Texas A&M means legacy, the necessity of being thankful for the opportunity afforded by the efforts of those who came before and the responsibility to make it an even better opportunity for those who come after.”
- R. Sam Torn '70
Joseph V.
Tortorice, Jr. ’70
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2019
Beaumont, TX
Joe Tortorice, Jr. ’70 founded Jason’s Deli in 1976. The Beaumont-based restaurant chain has since expanded to 294 delis in 28 states and was the first national chain restaurant to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate and artificial dyes from its menu. Its Career Path program helps employees learn life skills and pace their own growth.
Tortorice earned a BBA in marketing from Texas A&M in 1970 and an MBA from Lamar University in 1971. As a student at Texas A&M, Tortorice was a Ross Volunteer, member of the RV Firing Squad and on 1st Group staff. He was also a business manager for Town Hall and a member of the American Marketing Society and Alpha Delta Sigma.
As a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force, he earned the National Defense Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.
Tortorice has been honored by Texas A&M as a member of the Corps Hall of Honor and an Outstanding Alumnus of the Mays Business School. He has served A&M on development councils and as a guest lecturer at Mays.
A member of The Association of Former Student’s Century Club with 31 years of giving, Tortorice established a Mays faculty fellowship and Gen. Rudder Corps Scholarships through the Texas A&M Foundation.
Tortorice was part of the Catholic Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He was also active with Beaumont’s St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica ACTS ministry, St. Mary’s in College Station and Kolbe ministry to prisons and has been a Bishop’s Faith Appeal director in Beaumont and a member of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors.
"Joe's service and support for Texas A&M has been both personal and philanthropic. When Texas A&M has called, he has answered. He is an extraordinary human being and one of my all-time heroes."
- Dr. Eddie Joe Davis '67
John D.
White ’70
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2020
College Station, TX
White is a former Air Force judge advocate with over 40 years’ experience as a fund manager and lawyer. He is a member of the American Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation, a charter member of the Houston Bar Foundation and has been board certified in civil litigation.
As a student, he was a member of the Ross Volunteers Firing Squad, First Wing commander in the Corps of Cadets and a committee chairman for SCONA (Student Conference on National Affairs).
He is a chairman emeritus of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, a trustee of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, a former board member of The Association of Former Students, a former board chairman for the Ed Rachal Foundation, a past director of the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Company (UTIMCO) and a former director of the Greater Houston Partnership, a fellow of the American Leadership Forum and a past chairman of the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
White is a Corps Hall of Honor inductee and a namesake of A&M’s John D. White ’70-Robert L. Walker ’58 Music Activities Center. In 2007, he was named the Texas Aggie Bar Association’s Lawyer of the Year.
He is an Endowed Century Club member of The Association, with 31 years of giving; he has supported the 12th Man Foundation and the Bush Foundation, and he and his wife, Daisy, created the Neva and A. E. (Buddy) White ’42 President’s Endowed Scholarship.
His Aggie family includes his late father, A.E. White ’42. He and Daisy have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Otway B.
Denny, Jr. ’71
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2016
Bryan, Texas
OTWAY B. DENNY, JR. ’71 received a bachelor’s degree in political science from A&M and a law degree, cum laude, from Baylor Law School; at A&M, he was in the Corps of Cadets Company B-1, served as a Ross Volunteer and was a Fish Camp Committee Chair.
He has been a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright in Houston since 1981 and served as president of the Houston Bar Association 1992-93. He is a fellow of both the American College and International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
He has served as a member and chair of the Board of Directors of The Association of Former Students and is on the Board of Trustees of the Texas A&M Foundation. He served as a Class Agent for the Class of ’71 for 20 years, from 1971 to 1991. He is a member of The Association’s Endowed Century Club and supported the enhancement of the Clayton W. Williams Jr., Alumni Center.
He has served as chair of the Houston Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation; as a volunteer with Veterans Legal Initiative; and as chair of Houston Volunteer Lawyers. He has led the Houston Young Lawyers Association and the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas. He was named Aggie Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Aggie Bar Association in 2000.
He has been a member of the Corps of Cadets Development Council, the College of Liberal Arts Development Council and the 12th Man Foundation’s Advisory Board, and he and his wife have created several A&M scholarships. He has been selected for “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Texas Super Lawyers” classifications.
His family includes wife Bonnie, daughters Amy Denny Stuber ’97, Lisa Denny ’98 and Stacey Denny Peavy; and three grandchildren. His father was Otway B. Denny ’39.
Dr. R. Bowen
Loftin ’71
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2020
Bryan, TX
Loftin served as the 24th president of Texas A&M University from 2010 to 2014 and 22nd chancellor of the University of Missouri in 2014-15. Previously, he served as A&M’s interim president; vice president of A&M and chief executive officer of Texas A&M University at Galveston; executive director of Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center; director of the University of Houston’s Virtual Environments Research Institute and chair of the UH Department of Computer Science.
As a student, he was active in SCONA (Student Conference on National Affairs) and worked 20 hours a week on campus, while graduating in three years with a bachelor’s degree in physics. He earned a master’s and doctorate in physics from Rice University.
His awards include the NASA Invention of the Year Award and the NASA Public Service Medal, but the one that gave him “the greatest sense of accomplishment,” he said, was the 1982 UH-Downtown Award for Excellence in Teaching, at that time the only teaching award given across the entire campus. He has served on boards and committees including Chief Executive Officers of the Southeastern Conference, the FBI’s National Security Higher Education Advisory Board and, currently, the MRIGlobal Research Institute board of trustees.
He is an Endowed Century Club member with The Association, with 30 years of giving. He and wife Karin created a 12th Man Foundation endowment in memory of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive supporting student-athletes, a Bush School international studies endowment and a scholarship honoring Dorothy and Richard Loftin.
He and Karin have two children and seven grandchildren.
“Texas A&M is not just a place, not just a university, not just the name on my diploma — Texas A&M is a body of shared ideals and shared beliefs that accompany one on their life’s journey.”
- Dr. R. Bowen Loftin '71
GEN T. Michael
Moseley ’71
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2013
Sumter, SC
General T. Michael Moseley, Class of 1971, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science from Texas A&M University. As a student, he was involved in the Corps of Cadets and served as Academic Sergeant of the 3rd Group, on 2nd Wing Staff and as 3rd Group Commander, and on the Cadet Court.
After graduating from Texas A&M, Moseley was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and entered the United States Air Force in 1972. He went through pilot training at Webb Air Force Base in West Texas and earned his wings in 1973. Moseley served there as an instructor pilot, and also at Holloman AFB near Alamogordo, N.M., and Kadena AB in Japan. He then attended the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Al., before becoming chief of the Tactical Forces Division for the United States Air Force in Washington, D.C. From there he went on to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nev., to attend Air Force Fighter Weapons School and serve as Commander of F-15 Division, 57th Wing, Tactical Air Command, before returning to Washington, D.C., to study at the National War College within the National Defense University. After graduation, he served as a faculty member and held the position of Chief of Staff for the Air Force Chair. He then went on to serve as a Fighter Group Commander in the Air Combat Command at Eglin AFB near Valparaiso, Fl., before becoming director of the Office of General Office Matters in the Directorate of Personnel for the U.S.A.F. in Washington, D.C. Moseley returned to Nellis AFB to serve as Commander of the 57th Wing, Air Combat Command, before returning to Washington, D.C., to become deputy director of Political Military Affairs in the Middle East and Asia as part of the J5 Joint Staff. After that he was the director of the Secretary of the Air Force’s Legislative Liaison for the U.S.A.F. From there he went on to Saudi Arabia to serve as Commander of the 9th Air Force for the U.S. Central Command Forces at Shaw AFB. In this capacity he was responsible for the planning and execution of all joint and coalition air and space operations against hostile Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), terrorist activities along the Horn of Africa and hostile Iraqi and insurgent forces in Iraq (Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom). In 2005, Moseley was appointed the 18th Chief of Staff of the Air Force, serving as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of more than 700,000 active-duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian personnel serving worldwide. As a career fighter pilot, he spent more than 3,000 hours flying the latest combat aircrafts.
During Moseley’s more than 38 years of honorable service, he served in the Air Force’s Security Assistance Program instructing student pilots from the Republic of Vietnam, in addition to a variety of Middle East and Latin American Air Forces. Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, he organized sponsorship of more than 120 Vietnamese refugees. As a Perot Distinguished Fellow at the EastWest Institute, he worked to improve relations with China, Russia, India and counties of the Middle East. He is a lifetime member of both the National Eagle Scout Association and the Order of Daedalians. Moseley was named a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty, the Queen of England, in addition to numerous awards from the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, the president of the French Republic and the Minister of Defense from the Republic of Singapore. He was awarded two Defense Distinguished Service Medals by the Secretary of Defense for his combat leadership against hostile forces. He was also awarded two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, as well as Distinguished Service Medals from the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Army, the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard. Currently, Moseley is director of the EastWest Institute and Chairman of Gulf Alliance, a Hillwood/Perot Company based in Fort Worth, Texas and Abu Dhabi, UAE. He serves on a variety of supervisory boards and civic organizations, and he is president and CEO of Moseley and Associates, LLC. He remains active in lecturing on leadership and the international security environment.
Moseley has given of his time and talents to Texas A&M in many ways. He has participated in lectures and discussions at Texas A&M University at Qatar, led Aggie Musters while deployed, both in combat and within the state of Texas, served as Muster Speaker for various A&M Clubs and has provided leadership and character seminars for the Corps of Cadets and the AFROTC. He supports The Association of Former Students, and he has participated in leadership events at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. In 2005, he was inducted into the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor.
Moseley and his wife, Jennie, live in Sumter, S.C. They have one daughter, one son and three granddaughters.
I believe my experience and education from A&M ideally prepared me to enter the United States Air Force and deliver on the professional demands expected of an American commissioned officer. My life in the Corps also ideally equipped me to have the confidence to assume greater levels of responsibility - in both peacetime and in combat. The benefits of the "leadership laboratory" of the Corps of Cadets cannot be under estimated.
Van H.
Taylor ’71
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2016
Bryan, Texas
VAN H. TAYLOR ’71 received a bachelor's degree with honors in mechanical engineering; he served as Corps Commander his senior year and as sergeant major of the Corps his junior year and was the first recipient of the Rudder Award. He was a member of the Ross Volunteers, the Student Engineers Council and both Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma engineering honor societies.
Taylor had a 34-year career with Southwestern Bell/SBC/AT&T, retiring as president of network services for the southwest region of AT&T. During his career, he also served as president and CEO of Technology Resources Inc., the research subsidiary of SBC Communications, from 1994 to 1997, and relocated the entire organization from St. Louis to Austin. His numerous officer-level positions at SBC/AT&T included engineering, operations and marketing positions.
Serving on the Association of Former Students Board of Directors from 2000 to 2007, he chaired the board in 2006. On the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2017, he served as chairman in 2014-2015. He is a member of the Association's Endowed Century Club and has been a Century Club member for 45 years. He and his late wife, Carole, supported the MSC OPAS permanent endowment and the enhancement of the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center, the MSC and Kyle Field; they also created both a President's Endowed and a Rudder scholarship.
He served on the Dwight Look College of Engineering Advisory Council from 1997 to 2012 and is now an emeritus member. He has served on the boards of the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, Habitat for Humanity and the Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Executive Council.
His family includes his late wife, Carole; daughters Suzannah Taylor ’97, Sally Taylor Reyes, Kaycee Taylor Crisp ’05 and Melissa Taylor; and six granddaughters. His father-in-law was the late James M. Cunningham ’42.
Dr. Josie R.
Williams ’71
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2001
Paris, TX
Dr. Josie Williams serves as Medical Director of the Texas Health Quality Alliance and specializes in gastroenterology and internal medicine. Williams received a bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 1971 from Texas A&M and a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. She has served in leadership positions within U.S. Air Force medical centers and currently is Medical Director of the Texas Health Quality Alliance. Williams also served as the Chief of Staff at McCuistion Regional Medical Center in Paris and headed medical management for an urban health system in Fort Worth.
She has served on the Lamar County Texas A&M Scholarship Foundation Board, Paris Education Foundation Board of Directors, and the Texas Board of Higher Education Task Force. Williams was named Winn Dixie’s Citizen of the Year in 1994 and Lamar County’s YMCA Professional Woman of the Year in 1988. She is the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Anthony J. "Tony"
Best ’72
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2019
College Station, TX
Throughout his 40-year career in engineering and leadership, Tony Best ’72 has served as President – Latin America for ARCO, President and CEO of Pure Resources and CEO of SM Energy. He is board chairman at Newpark Resources, a director at ProPetro, ExL Petroleum and Middle Fork Energy Partners and a senior advisor with Quantum Energy Partners.
Best earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M in 1972, and while a student was a Ross Volunteer, member of the RV Firing Squad and 1st Wing commander in the Corps of Cadets. His loyal service to Texas A&M and Corps of Cadets includes 15 years serving as president of the Corps of Cadets Association.
After graduating from Texas A&M, he served five years as an Air Force officer prior to entering the oil and gas industry.
Best has remained connected to Texas A&M throughout his career and was founder, president and Muster chair of the South Central Alaska A&M Club. He has served A&M on the Mechanical Engineering Advi¬sory Council and College of Engineering Advisory Council and as a 12th Man Foundation and Association volunteer leader. He is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 40 years of giving, and has established two Sul Ross scholarships.
Best has been inducted into the Mechanical Engineer¬ing Academy of Distinguished Graduates in the Texas A&M College of Engineering.
He has served on the American Heart Association’s South¬west Affiliate Board and on the Denver Junior Achievement Board. As chair of the Denver Heart Walk in 2014 and United Way-Midland’s board and campaign in 1997, he led record fun¬draising of $3.8 million and $3 million, respectively.
"Tony is a leader in his profession. More importantly, he is an Aggie's Aggie, and a loyal friend who lives a life dedicated to our core values."
- Tim Leach '82