James M. Singleton IV ’66
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2018

College Station, TX

Practicing architecture for over 40 years, Singleton has specialized in educational facilities for more than 100 districts in Texas with over 300 K-12 projects; his work also includes medical buildings, banks, office buildings, athletic centers and pro bono work such as the Brazos Valley African American Museum, Bryan’s Queen Theatre and the Boys and Girls Club of the Brazos Valley.

Attending A&M on a football scholarship, he earned dual degrees: a bachelor of arts degree in architecture and a bachelor of science degree in architectural construction. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Corps of Cadets and president of the Lettermen’s “T” Association. During his military service in Vietnam, he was an Army helicopter scout pilot, “Gambler 00.”

A founding member of the Lettermen’s Association and member of its board of directors, he was inducted in 2002 into its Hall of Honor for his leadership in completing the original A&M Sports Museum. He is an Outstanding Alumnus of A&M’s College of Architecture. In 2015, he was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. He currently sits on the advisory council of A&M's College of Architecture.

He has mentored dozens of aspiring Aggie architects; in 2016, he endowed the James M. Singleton IV ’66 FAIA Educational Architecture Professorship.

Singleton is a Silver Century Club member of The Association with 31 years of giving and a member of the A&M Legacy Society; he has also created endowments for MSC OPAS and is a member of the 12th Man Foundation and Corps of Cadets Association.

He has served on boards for the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, Boys and Girls Club of the Brazos Valley and Brazos Valley Symphony Society.

His family includes wife Stephanie Sale; four children, including Tanner Singleton ’06; grandchildren; siblings W. Jeff Singleton ’66, Jill Singleton ’76 and Hollee Singleton ’78; his late father, James M. Singleton III ’42, and late grandfather D.E. Singleton, Class of 1918.

Ronald L. Skaggs ’65
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 1998

Dallas, TX

Skaggs received a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Design in 1966 and later earned a master’s degree. He serves as Chairman and CEO of HKS Architects where he has assisted in creating buildings and sports venues in the Dallas area The Ballpark in Arlington and Dallas’ Reunion Area.



His firm designed Texas A&M’s Architecture Building, Richardson Petroleum Engineering Building, Large Animal Hospital and Research Facility, and the Texas A&M Foundation Building. He serves on The Association of Former Students Board of Directors. Skaggs and his wife have established the Skaggs Professorship in Health Facilities Design and have endowed five scholarships at Texas A&M.

"Ron Skaggs is a humble man, fun and non-pretentious, a nice fellow; as we would hope all of our former students would be. He represents the very best of us, in a league of his own, an example and an inspiration."

  - John Only Greer ’55

Harwood K. Smith ’35
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 1988

Chicago, IL

Smith received a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Design in 1935. Starting with a one-man office in 1939, he has built Harwood K. Smith and Partners, Inc. into a firm that has placed his mark on skylines across the country. He has designed more than 60% of the Dallas buildings over 15 stories tall between 1973 and 1988.



Smith has received award recognition for his designs of Reunion Arena, One Main Place, Taylor Publishing Company, Texas Instruments office and manufacturing plant, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School in Dallas. He also holds numerous art awards from the Southwestern Watercolor Society.

RADM Robert Smith ’61
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2006

Dallas, TX

Rear Adm. Robert Smith III received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University in 1961 and is a graduate of Louisiana State University’s School of Banking of the South in 1977. As a student at Texas A&M, Smith was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Agricultural Economics Club and the Dallas Hometown Club.



Smith was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 1962. He is a graduate of the Naval War College and also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, completing a course in national security in 1991. During his 35 years of service, he participated in assignments in the Pacific, Washington, D.C., and the Atlantic, and retired in 1996 as chief of staff to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 1987 Smith was selected a Rear Admiral (lower half) and later earned his second star in 1991. The U.S. Navy recognized his distinguished military career with honors including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Unit Commendation Award. Smith began his civilian career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in 1968. Smith has served as secretary to the bank’s board of directors and to the Federal Reserve System’s Conference of Presidents. In 1975, Smith served as assistant secretary to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Today he is senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank, responsible for its Houston’s branch.



Smith is actively involved as a Texas A&M former student as an ardent supporter and past president of The Association of Former Students and the Dallas A&M Club and past chairman of the Texas A&M Foundation. He is a past member of the 12th Man Foundation Board of Directors and Chancellor’s Century Council. He is a member of the Corps of Cadets Development Council, vice chairman of the Presidential Board of Visitors and chairs the President’s Council of Advisors. In 1999 he received the Jimmy Williams Distinguished Service Award from the Dallas A&M Club and the Houston A&M Club named him “Outstanding Houston Aggie of the Year” in 2002. Born in Dallas, Smith and his wife, Mary Sue, reside in Houston and Rockwall, Texas.

"He always does what is right- the hallmark of a good Aggie."

  - Joe B. Mattei ’53, Distinguished Alumnus, 2004

Travis Logan Smith ’98
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2022

Travis L. Smith Jr., Class of 1898, enrolled at A&M when he was only 15, after personally petitioning then-president Lawrence Sullivan Ross for admission into the sophomore class. Smith honored Ross’s generosity by earning a degree in civil engineering in only three years, just short of his 18th birthday. Smith led in the Corps of Cadets as a first lieutenant and staff adjutant. He became one of the original Ross Volunteers, both serving Ross during his lifetime and presiding over Ross’s 1898 funeral.

After graduation, Smith embarked on a prolific career. It is thought that he founded 18 companies in his lifetime. Whether as a civil engineer, surveyor, airplane engine manufacturer, oil driller, aerial crop-duster or anything else, Smith served those around him, especially those in financial need.

He was generous to a fault, even when it wasn’t in the best interest of his business. When developing real estate, Smith would often sell lots for less than they were worth to make them more affordable to prospective land owners. He once constructed student housing near campus, employing primarily students and World War II veterans. He then deeded it to The Association of Former Students, stipulating that when it was sold, the profits would go toward scholarships. Smith also created two Presidents’ Endowed Scholarships.

Aggie community was important to Smith. He served as a Class of 1898 Class Agent. He founded the Sul Ross Group, originally composed of Aggies who had been students during Ross’s tenure, and served as the group’s permanent president until his death in 1972. Smith is remembered by many former cadets as a generous benefactor and mentor.

Smith’s Aggie legacy has continued in his 11 direct descendants who are Aggies and many other family members who attended Texas A&M.

“For a number of years I have known of his unbelievable energy, diversified interests, great achievements and, most of all, his enormous generosity.”

  - Maj. Gen. Thomas G. Darling ’54

Charles W. "Bill" Soltis ’55
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2010

Houston, TX

Soltis received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University and went on to attend the Engineering Training School in Syracuse, N.Y. During his time at Texas A&M, he was in the Corps of Cadets, the Houston Club, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Pi Tau Sigma.



Following his military service, Soltis began a successful career in commercial heating and air conditioning with the Carrier Co., and then in air-filtration technologies and cleanroom design and construction for industrial and medical fields. Today he is the president and managing partner of Soltis Enterprises in Houston.



Soltis’ passion for the preservation of the Costa Rica rain forest spurred his late wife, Wanda, and him to donate a research and education center in San Juan de San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica, to Texas A&M University to provide students with international experiences and to study topics related to sustainability in the tropics and community development. In addition to this state-of-the-art center, Soltis has given Texas A&M the long-term right to access and study a 250-acre rain forest adjacent to the Center.



Soltis was inducted into Texas A&M’s Department of Mechanical Engineering Academy of Distinguished Graduates in 1994 and he received the Cleanroom Hall of Fame Award in 1991.

Soltis is a member of the Houston A&M Club and The Association of Former Students Century Club.

"A&M taught me to conduct myself with integrity in business and in life. The leadership skills that I learned in the Corps of Cadets gave me the confidence and ability to open and run my own business. The Aggie Spirit taught me the importance of loyalty and fair play."

Eugene C. Stallings ’57
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2000

Tuscalossa, AL

Stallings received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1958. He coached collegiate and professional teams for Texas A&M, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Phoenix Cardinals. In 1992 he led the University of Alabama football team to a national championship.



He was awarded the Humanitarian Club Award by the Lion’s Club of Huntsville Alabama, and because of his instrumental fund raising for the RISE Program building and devoting an unregulated amount of time with families of individuals with disabilities the building was named the Stallings Center in his honor.

J. Wayne Stark ’39
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2011

College Station, TX

Stark, Class of 1939, graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later attended the University of Texas Law School but was unable to complete the program because he was drafted into service in World War II. While at A&M, he was associate editor of the student newspaper, club editor of the student yearbook, president of the Glee Club and the Biology Club and secretary for the Little Theatre. He was also a Ross Volunteer and a captain in the Corps of Cadets.



He served as an Army officer in World War II and then worked for Anderson Clayton Corp. before returning to A&M in 1947 as director of the Memorial Student Center. He conceived the mission of the MSC and oversaw construction of the MSC building, which serves as the campus’ “living room” and is dedicated to all Aggies who have died in all wars.



He served as the MSC director until 1980, when he retired and was named director emeritus.



Stark mentored thousands of young Aggies, encouraging both overseas travel and involvement in student organizations. He solicited millions of dollars in gifts and endowments for A&M and the MSC, increased the number of pieces in the University Art Collections and created numerous student organizations, including the Student Conference on National Affairs, the Opera and Performing Arts Society, the Black Awareness Committee and the Committee for the Awareness of Mexican American Culture. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from The Association of Former Students, and the J. Wayne Stark Galleries were named in his honor.



Stark and his wife, Jean, had two children. He passed away on Jan. 18, 1993.

“It was a very short step from the camaraderie of cadets and soldiers to the importance of helping Aggies, both graduates and students. He realized that by helping students, he would create relationships with people that would later help other students.”

  - Sallie McGehee, daughter of J. Wayne Stark, Class of 1939

Dr. J. Richard Steadman ’59
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2015

Vail, CO

Dr. J. Richard Steadman, Class of 1959, received a bachelor’s degree in zoology at Texas A&M, where he played football during his freshman and sophomore years for legendary coach Bear Bryant. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and then served in the U.S. Army as the commander of an armored medical company.



As an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in knee injuries and disorders, Dr. Steadman developed a revolutionary approach to knee surgery including a microfracture procedure used to treat more than 500,000 patients a year that has been adapted to other joints such as the shoulder and hip. He is the founder and chairman emeritus of The Steadman Clinic and founder and co-chairman of the nonprofit Steadman Philippon Research Institute, a world leader in orthopaedic research and education, known for its clinical research database and study of orthopaedic injuries associated with the knee, shoulder, ankle, hip, and spine.



Dr. Steadman was the U.S. Alpine Team Physician at nine Winter Olympics, from 1972 to 2006. His success in returning many elite athletes to major athletic achievements following potentially career-ending injuries includes 26 athletes from professional soccer, 45 from the NFL, 23 from the MLB, eight in the NBA and 26 snow skiers. He served as consultant to the Denver Broncos football team and the Colorado Rockies baseball team. He has been elected to a wide variety of sports medicine associations and is a 2015 inductee to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Hall of Fame.



He and wife, Gay L. Steadman, have two children, Lyon and Liddy, six grandchildren, and three grandchildren.

"While Dr. Richard Steadman is highly acclaimed for his treatment of high-performing athletes, he prefers to be known as one who has helped average people resume active lives after debilitating illness or injury."

  - Coach Gene Stalling '57

Roderick D. Stepp ’59
direct link to this listing

Year Awarded: 2007

Wichita Falls, TX

Stepp received a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Texas A&M University in 1959. As a student at Texas A&M, Stepp was the editor of the 1959 Aggieland. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Ross Volunteers and was named Distinguished Student and Distinguished Military Graduate.



Stepp began his career in 1959 with Pan American Petroleum. In 1961, he was called to service with the United States Army, where he served until 1963. In 1963, Stepp purchased interest in a small family-owned metal shop in Fort Worth with six employees. Under his business expertise, M&M Manufacturing Company has grown to become a major manufacturer of construction-related products utilizing leading edge technology to create state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with six manufacturing plants and over 700 employees. Stepp co-funded and introduced a very significant research project to the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University and co-funded a marketing project with Mays Business School.



As a former student, Stepp has generously served Texas A&M with his time and talent as member, president and Muster chair of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County A&M Club and vice president of The Association of Former Students. He served as president of the 12th Man Foundation, member and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Texas A&M Foundation, and member of the President’s Board of Visitors. Stepp has been Muster speaker and served on the Vision 2020 Council and One Spirit One Vision Campaign. Born in Wichita Falls, Stepp and his wife, Claudia, reside in Fort Worth and have two children, Randall and Rhonda, and four grandchildren.