T. Michael O'Connor ’77
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Year Awarded: 2023

Victoria, TX

The life of T. Michael O’Connor ’77 has been motivated by the desire to “champion for those who are not able to champion for themselves,” he said.

O’Connor has worked in law enforcement for over 40 years, beginning in 1973 when he was deputized with the Refugio County Sheriff’s Office. He studied range science at Texas A&M, in line with his family’s multi-generational heritage of Texas ranching. He has followed his passions by remaining involved with the O’Connor Ranch since 1977, but he has upheld his duty to his community through law enforcement.

O’Connor was elected sheriff of Victoria County in 2005. His motto was and continues to be “excellence in law enforcement.” At the Victoria College Police Academy, he taught law enforcement professionalism and ethics and sat on the board of directors.

He has also served on the Victoria Police Department Advisory Board, the University of Houston-Victoria Criminal Justice Board of Directors and a gubernatorial Commission for the Comprehensive Review of Criminal Justice Systems.

In 2020, O’Connor was sworn in as U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Texas. He is one of 94 presidentially appointed marshals currently serving across the nation. He leads multiple law enforcement organizations, including the South Texas Coastal Sheriff’s Alliance, Law Enforcement Alliance Project and Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

In addition to his professional affiliations, he has served on the boards of at least 15 other businesses and community organizations. He received a gubernatorial appointment to The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in 1993, serving as vice chairman 1994-99. He has also volunteered with The Association of Former Students, the Chancellor’s Century Council, the College of Agriculture Development Council and the AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Forum.

O’Connor and his wife, LuAnn, have two children, Jane ’05 and Thomas ’11.

“He has selflessly given to the people of Texas over 40 years of excellent leadership in law enforcement.”

  - Thomas K. Edwards ’87

Ray A. Rothrock ’77
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Year Awarded: 2016

Portola Valley, California

RAY A. ROTHROCK ’77 received a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering; he was a founding charter member of the Texas A&M Symphonic Band, chair of the MSC Radio Committee and a member of the MSC Directorate and Student Engineers Council.

He was a partner for 25 years (10 as managing partner) of Venrock, a diversified early stage venture capital firm, and lead investor for 53 startup companies. He is a past chair of the National Venture Capital Association, and his investment track record has earned him multiple listings on the Forbes Midas List.

He was chairman and CEO of RedSeal, a $25-million cyber-security analytics company. In his early career, after working as a nuclear engineer at Yankee Atomic, Exxon Minerals and Sagus Software, he worked at Silicon Valley startups including Sun Microsystems.

He has been a board member of The Association of Former Students and a trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation, served on development councils for the College of Liberal Arts and Dwight Look College of Engineering, and was named a Distinguished Engineer in 2013 and Distinguished Nuclear Engineer in 2011. 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 created a faculty research fellowship, a chair and an Endowment for Excellence in liberal arts.

He earned a master’s degree from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has been a member of the MIT Corporation, and MIT’s Nuclear Engineering and Science Department named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 2012.

He led efforts that raised $25 million for Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, Calif., and has met with U.S. leaders on the advanced nuclear industry’s potential.

His family includes wife Meredith and son Nathaniel.

Dr. Sue Rudd Bailey ’78
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Year Awarded: 2016

Fort Worth, TX

DR. SUSAN RUDD BAILEY ’78 received a bachelor’s degree in medicine and was one of seven women in the A&M College of Medicine’s charter class. As a student, she was the Student Government Association’s vice president for rules and regulations, participated in SCONA (Student Conference on National Affairs) and was a piano accompanist for the Century Singers and Aggie Players.

She is speaker of the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates and served as 2010-11 president of the Texas Medical Association, the largest state medical society in the U.S. She has been in private practice of allergy and clinical immunology at Fort Worth Allergy and Asthma Associates since 1988.

The first female former student to become a regent for The Texas A&M University System, she served on the Board of Regents from 1999 to 2005. She has served on the Board of Directors of The Association of Former Students, supported the enhancement of the Clayton W. Williams Jr., Alumni Center and has been a Muster speaker on numerous occasions, including for the Kentuckiana A&M Club, Central

Arkansas A&M Club, Bell County A&M Club, Rockwall County A&M Club, Parker County A&M Club and Ellis A&M Club. She is a Diamond level member of The Association’s Century Club, with 30 years of giving.

She is an elder and a member of the Chancel Choir at University Christian Church Fort Worth, served on the Board of Directors of Casa Manana Theatre and is involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Her husband is Doug Bailey ’67; their children are Deborah Bailey Michell ’88, Gregory Allen Bailey ’90,

Michael O’Hagan Wynn ’06 and Stephen Rudd Wynn ’10.

Her grandchildren include Bailey Nicole Michell ’15 and Mason Michell ’19.

Stephen F. Cooper ’78
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Year Awarded: 2015

El Campo, TX

Stephen F. Cooper, Class of 1978, earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M, where he participated in intramural sports and took part in numerous campus activities.



For 28 years, Cooper was president and owner of La Tierra de Esmeralda/Emerald Sod Farms, specializing in quality turf grass, sod and services in the Rocky Mountain region. He was the first sod producer to sod an entire golf course. He is involved in various businesses, from farming and ranching, real estate development and financing, investments to venture capital as owner and/or partner of Emerald Ag Investments, 2 Big Partners, New ICM, Rancho de los Amigos and Borrachos de Vino.



He served on the West Wharton County Hospital District board and helped form the El Campo Memorial Hospital’s 501 (c)3 operating entity, of which he is vice chairman. For the numerous entities involved with the El Campo Little League Project, he has served as organizer and advisor. He has helped A&M’s College of Agriculture as a mentor, speaker and guest professor and is a representative at large of The Association’s Leadership Council. He has chaired the Wharton County Agri-Life Leadership Advisory Board and serves on the Wharton County A&M Club’s board of directors.



Cooper is an Eppright Distinguished Donor and a member of the The Association’s Endowed Century Club, the Champions Council and Athletic Ambassadors of the 12th Man Foundation, the Chancellor’s Century Council, the A&M Department of Agricultural Economics’ Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry, the College of Agriculture development council and the Texas A&M Foundation Legacy Society.



He and wife Kimberley have two daughters, Alexis Anne Cooper ’12 and Shelby Suzanne Cooper ’13.

"Steve Cooper has been dedicated to Texas A&M since 1974 when he first walked on the campus. He embodies the true meaning of being an Aggie and his continued success to his profession, his university and his community is second to none."

  - Linc Lutrick '98

Robert Earl Keen ’78
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Year Awarded: 2018

Kerrville, TX

An award-winning singer/songwriter with 19 albums to his credit along with his most recognizable song, The Road Goes On Forever, he came up from the Texas folk scene to recognition as an Americana music pioneer, credited with bringing a new heyday to grassroots Texas music.

In 2012, he was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame; in 2015, he received BMI’s inaugural Troubadour Award for songwriting. He has raised, through more than a decade of benefit concerts, three-quarters of a million dollars for The Hill Country Youth Orchestras; he has returned to A&M to play benefits for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and the 1999 Bonfire collapse; and he has worked to support many other groups including the Make- A-Wish Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Kerrville’s Peterson Regional Medical Center, United Way- Hays County, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, The Boot Campaign, T.J. Martell Foundation, The Fisher House at Fort Sam Houston, Hill Country Alliance, Seton Fund, Carry The Load Foundation, TIRR Foundation, Texas Public Radio, Fine Arts Academy at Austin’s McCallum High School, BMI Foundation and many educational causes. He created the What Does Music Look Like To Me? art contest program in Kerrville schools.

Uniquely within the music industry, he provides his musicians and bandmates security by keeping them on salary year-round with insurance and retirement accounts.

Keen is a Diamond Century Club member of The Association with 29 years of giving.

His family includes his wife, Kathleen, and daughters Clara Rose and Chloe Grace, as well as his late uncle L.D. Puckitt ’44.

“I went into A&M under the impression that I was going to graduate and go into the oil business like my dad,” Keen said. “Instead, after having stolen my sister's guitar, I cultivated a group of friends within A&M, which nurtured my love and desire to create and play music.”

  - Robert Earl Keen

Shelley Eubanks Potter ’78
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Year Awarded: 2019

Dallas, TX

Throughout a life marked by service, Shelley Potter ’78 has been an active leader and trailblazer.

A summa cum laude graduate of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, Potter earned a B.S. in landscape architecture in 1978. As a student, she chaired MSC OPAS, served as a Fish Camp counselor and served as vice president and president of A&M’s Xi Kappa chapter of Chi Omega, which she founded.

After graduating, she worked as a national con¬sultant for Chi Omega, then as a City of Longview park planner. Today, she is president of design firm POTTER, co-founded with husband Jeff Potter ’78, with offices in Dallas and Longview. As a landscape architect, she has enhanced the built environment with landscape design reflecting beauty and sense of place.

An active mentor and volunteer in the Chi Omega fraternity, Potter is the national president of Chi Omega and a past presi¬dent of the national Chi Omega Foundation.

In 2009, she became the second woman to chair The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors. During her time on the Board, she co-chaired The Association’s building enhancement task committee during the $17 million renovation of the Clayton W. Williams, Jr., Alumni Center. She is an Endowed Century Club member, with 22 years of giving. Her volunteer positions with The Association have also included area repre¬sentative, president of the Deep East Texas A&M Club and vice president of the Greek Former Student Network, which she co-founded.

In 2009, Potter was recognized by Texas A&M’s College of Architecture with the Outstanding Alumnus Award and in 2011 was honored by the Aggie Women constituent network with the Aggie Women Legacy Award.

"Leaders of character have been produced for generations by their experiences and education at Texas A&M. I have served with, worked with, and volunteered with many of them and hold Shelley Potter at the top of the list."

  - Jim Thompson '68

Jeff Potter ’78
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Year Awarded: 2023

Dallas, TX

Growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, Potter was drawn to A&M both by the architecture program and the opportunity to compete on the Texas A&M rifle team. An Olympic small-bore rifleman, he was a three-year letterman at A&M and was on the 1976 winning Southwest Rifle Association Championship team. He received both his bachelor’s of environmental design and master’s of architecture at A&M.

In his work, Potter integrates design with community engagement, especially regarding school safety. He and his wife, Shelley ’78, founded their own architecture firm, POTTER, in 1983, which specializes in educational facilities. The firm has received six design awards from the American Institute of Architects. Potter participated in the Texas governor’s 2018 School Safety Roundtable, the only architect to receive an invitation.

Highly involved with the AIA, Potter was elevated to their College of Fellows in 2010, a distinction given to only 2.5% of all AIA architect members. He served a term as AIA president in 2012, sat on their board of directors and was repeatedly an international delegate. He has also held leadership in the Texas Society of Architects and The National Architects Foundation. In 2023, he received the Edward C. Kemper Laureate from the AIA, honoring a lifetime of leadership and significant service.

The Potters recently completed work on the new Distinguished Alumni Tribute in Aggie Park, which they consider a consummate career highlight. They have supported students by establishing an endowed scholarship for nonresident architecture students and by joining the Endowed Century Club through The Association of Former Students.

The Potters are the first married couple to each receive the honor of Distinguished Alumnus; Shelley received the award in 2019.

“He models the values and behaviors that give us hope that others will … actively participate in making our towns, cities, states and the country a better place for all.”

  - R. Steven Lewis

Mark W. Albers ’79
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Year Awarded: 2022

The Woodlands, TX

Mark W. Albers ’79 believes, “We are all put here for a purpose, and that purpose is not ‘all about us.’” Rather, he says, our purpose “is found in the One who put us here in the first place.”

From the beginning, Albers knew he wanted a career in oil. He studied petroleum engineering at A&M, participating in Student Engineers’ Council, Engineering Honor Society, Campus Crusade for Christ and even walking onto the football team. After graduating summa cum laude, Albers soon found a job with Exxon. It was the perfect fit. Albers remained at ExxonMobil for over 38 years, eventually working his way up to corporate senior vice president over the upstream at the company’s headquarters in Irving, Texas. Albers’ career took him from Australia to Africa, bringing on new supplies of energy.

While excelling in industry, Albers also found the time to stay involved in his local community. Albers is an area advisor to Men’s Bible Study Fellowship over Houston and East Texas, providing leadership for about 2,500 participants. He has served on the boards of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, CEO Forum and the Grace School of Theology.

Service to Texas A&M has remained a priority to Albers. Albers served on the boards of The Association of Former Students, the A&M System’s University Lands Board, and the Engineering Advisory Board. Albers and his wife, Cindy, are Endowed Century Club members. They have funded an endowed scholarship, an endowed faculty fellowship, and classroom improvements in the new Zachry engineering complex.

Three of Mark and Cindy’s four children attended A&M with their spouses: Byron ’06 (Sharla ’06), Amanda ’11 (Scott ’11), and Amy ’15 (Tony ’11). Their son David (Marin) graduated from Rice University. They have 12 grandchildren.

“Mark is a steady influence with the rare gift of raising the level of accomplishment of all those with whom he works.”

  - George N. Harris, Jr. '85

Gregory Cokinos ’79
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Year Awarded: 2022

Houston, TX

“The core values embraced by the student body and stressed in the Aggie culture have built and guided me to a more virtuous and fulfilled life, which is essential to maintaining the traditions of this great country,” said Gregory Cokinos ’79.

Cokinos earned his bachelor of business administration degree from A&M, quickly followed in 1982 by his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law. In 1989, he cofounded Cokinos Young law firm, specializing in construction, engineering and real estate law. Cokinos is the firm’s president and CEO. Under his leadership, the firm has grown from three lawyers to over 85 across three states.

Cokinos has been repeatedly recognized for his contributions to his field. He was the first Houston lawyer to be inducted into the American College of Construction Lawyers, a group considered the top 1% of U.S. construction lawyers. Thomson Reuters has named Cokinos a Texas Super Lawyer every year since 2005 and one of The Top 100 Super Lawyers in Texas every year since 2007. He was awarded 2018 Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers and is the 2022 chair-elect to the Texas State Bar Construction Law section. In 2021, Cokinos was named Houston Business Journal’s most admired CEO.

Never far from his beloved alma mater, Cokinos is an avid fan of all things Aggie. In 2017, Mays Business School named him an Outstanding Alumnus. Cokinos has served on the board of The Association of Former Students and was chair of the board of the 12th Man Foundation. Since 2019, Cokinos has returned to campus as a professor of construction law.

Cokinos comes from a large Aggie family — more than 30 Cokinoses have graduated from A&M since 1939. He and his wife, Page, have six children, four of whom have attended A&M: Kyle ’16, Katherine ’17, Carter ’19 and Mary Kristen ’24.

“I’ve never seen him back down, even in the face of long odds and tremendous adversity. He will not be outworked. He will not be outmaneuvered. He will not be discouraged.”

  - Russell W. Smith '03

Fred W. Heldenfels IV ’79
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Year Awarded: 2015

Austin, TX

Fred W. Heldenfels IV, Class of 1979, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Texas A&M University, where he was chapter proconsul (vice president) of Sigma Chi fraternity and served on the Student Body Judicial Board and Moore Hall council.



Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry ’72 in 2006, he served as chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from May 2010 to September 2013. He has served as chairman of the 12th Man Foundation board of trustees and twice as a member of its executive committee. He is the current chairman of the A&M PAC Board. He is founder, president and CEO of Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc., an Aggie 100 award recipient in 2005, 2006 and 2010. He chaired the industry’s national trade organization, the Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute, and was inducted into the Corpus Christi Business Hall of Fame in 2010.



Heldenfels has chaired both the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Foundation and the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, where he helped initiate support for tort reform in the Coastal Bend and creation of a four-year university within the Texas A&M University System. He has long taught Sunday school classes at Hyde Park Baptist Church and serves on the Austin Chamber of Commerce board as vice chair of state advocacy.



His Aggie family includes brothers Ken ’82 and Gil ’85, father Fred III ’56, grandfather Fred Jr. ’33 (also a Distinguished Alumnus) and great-grandfather Fred W. “Fritz” Sr. , Class of 1909. Frederick and wife Elizabeth Pfaff Heldenfels ’79 have three children, including Amy Heldenfels Jerke ’05 and Holly Heldenfels ’09, and two grandchildren.

"Fred Heldenfels has taken our core values and applied each and every one of them in his career, his family, his service to country, state and school, and in every area of his personal life. His selfless service is, indeed, a model for all Aggies."

  - Sam Torn '70, Past Chair, 12th Man Foundation