Phil
Adams ’70
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Year Awarded: 2019
Bryan, TX
Phil Adams ’70 is serving his third six-year term as a regent of The Texas A&M University System and previously served as vice chairman of the Board of Regents from 2011 to 2013 and chairman from 2013 to 2015. First appointed by Governor Rick Perry ’72 in 2001 and again in 2009, he was reappointed to the board by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015. He has chaired the Audit, Finance and Buildings and Physical Plant committees of the Board.
Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Texas A&M in 1971 and was a member of the football team, coached by Gene Stallings ’57.
After graduation, he launched a career in insurance and is the founder and president of Phil Adams Company, which provides insurance products and services throughout Texas. He has attained membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, Top of the Table and the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.
Adams serves on the board of directors of American Momentum Bank, with banking operations in Texas and Florida, and has served on the boards of many civic organizations, including the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the Brazos Valley Estate Council and past chairman of the Brazos County Republican Party.
With many years of service to Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System, Adams is an active member of the Chancellor’s Century Council and the Mays Business School Development Council and recently completed a three-year term on the board of UTIMCO, The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company. He is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 41 years of giving, and supported the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center building enhancement campaign. His generosity is recognized on the Loyalty core value wall at the Williams Alumni Center which reads: “It was here that our lives were forever changed, and loyalty to one another and to a cause greater than self-filled our hearts.”
Adams’ Aggie family includes his father, the late Lester D. Adams ’53, and nephews, Jared Kennedy ’02 and Joerdan Ken¬nedy ’07.
“It was here that our lives were forever changed, and loyalty to one another and to a cause greater than self-filled our hearts.”
- Phil Adams '70
Anthony J. "Tony"
Best ’72
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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
Richard A.
Box ’61
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Year Awarded: 2019
Austin, TX
As commanding general of the Texas State Guard from 2000 to 2006, Dr. Richard A. Box ’61 helped lead the state’s response during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Box earned a B.S. in Zoology from Texas A&M in 1961, and while a student, was a member of Company H-2, on 2nd Brigade staff in the Corps of Cadets. He lettered in varsity tennis and was in the Pre- Medical/Pre-Dental Club and Brush Country Hometown Club.
After graduating from A&M, he completed a doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Texas Dental Branch-Houston and served as an Army dentist during the Vietnam War. Recently retired from dental practice in Austin, he is a Fellow in both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists and currently serves as a trustee of the Texas Higher Education Foundation.
His service to the state of Texas also includes having served on the Texas Real Estate Commission and as chairman of the State of Texas Aircraft Pooling Board.
Box is a chairman emeritus of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, having chaired the board from 2011 to 2013, when he helped lead A&M’s transition to the Southeastern Conference. He is a member of the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association board of directors, and has served on the President’s Council of Advisors. He is a longtime member of the Corps of Cadets Association and was inducted into the Corps Hall of Honor in 2017. Box is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 19 years of giving.
He has also served on the Austin Symphony Board and the Boy Scouts Capitol Area Council.
Box and his wife, Lynn, reside in Austin, and their Aggie family includes his brother, James E. Box, Jr. ’52, and nephews, Ted Boriack ’85, Clark Boriack ’90, Paul Boriack’15 and Andrew Davis, M.D. ’16.
"Dr. Box will go down in history as one of our great leaders at Texas A&M, leading this great university through one of the most expansive periods in our history. His selfless service as Chair of the Board of Regents has made a huge impact on our students and faculty across the university and The Texas A&M University System."
- Jim Schwertner
T. Randall
Cain ’82
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Year Awarded: 2019
San Antonio, TX
Randy Cain ’82 retired as vice chair and Southwest Region managing partner at Ernst & Young in 2019. His 36-year career with Ernst & Young included 26 years as a partner and several leadership positions, including San Antonio office managing partner and Southwest Region tax managing partner.
Cain graduated cum laude with a BBA in accounting from Texas A&M in 1982. As a student, he was active in intramural athletics, the College Republicans and served as a Brazos County precinct chair.
He is a member of Texas A&M’s Mays Business School Dean’s Advisory Council and the Benjamin Department of Accounting Advisory Council. In 2013, he was named a Mays Outstanding Alumnus.
Cain is a past chair of the 12th Man Foundation board of directors, where he is on the Champions Council. A member of the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees, he served as chairman of the board in 2017.
He is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 14 years of giving. He and his wife, Jyl, have also created an Aggie Ring Scholarship and established an Accounting Education Excellence Fund at Mays.
Cain’s civic leadership includes his current service as treasurer for the board of trustees for the Southwest School of Art and past roles as chairman of the Valero Alamo Bowl, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, Junior Achievement of South Texas and the American Heart Association of North Texas. He was appointed by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry ’72 to serve on the Texas Tax Reform Commission and Texas Emerging Technology Fund.
"Randy bleeds maroon and exemplifies Texas A&M's core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service. He continues to build a legacy that will support Texas A&M for years to come."
- Andrew Beakey III '84
Henry G.
Cisneros ’68
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Year Awarded: 2019
San Antonio, TX
Henry Cisneros ’68 served as mayor of San Antonio from 1981 to 1989 and was nominated to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by President Bill Clinton, a post he held from 1993 to 1997.
Cisneros earned a bachelor of arts in English from Texas A&M in 1968 and a master’s in urban and regional planning in 1970. He continued his education at Harvard University, earning a master’s degree in public administration in 1974. He went on to earn a doctorate of public administration at George Washington University in 1976.
While at Texas A&M, he was a combined band commander in the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, a member of the Ross Volunteers and treasurer of SCONA.
Cisneros was a member of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents from 1985 to 1986 and was named an Outstanding Alumnus of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture in 1998.
In 2018, Texas A&M University-San Antonio outlined plans for its Henry G. Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders, established with support from Cisneros, who is also chair¬man of the Texas A&M-San Antonio President’s Advisory Committee.
From 1997 to 2000, he was president of Univision Com¬munications. Cisneros is also founder and chairman of CityView, a Los Angeles-based urban development organization working to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods in major metropolitan areas. He also served as chairman of American Triple I, an infrastructure investment firm. Cisneros is a trustee of the American Assembly, based in New York and a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
His service to his community includes chairing the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.
He is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 14 years of giving, and funded a Gen. Rudder Corps Scholarship through the Texas A&M Foundation.
"If one is measured by the demonstrable imprint they have made, the impact they have made on others and for others, the doors they have opened for generations that follow, then Henry stands at great heights."
- Elaine Mendoza '87
David A.
Heath ’76
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Year Awarded: 2019
Bryan, TX
A 35-year veteran of the sporting goods, footwear and apparel industry, David Heath ’76 has provided strategic sales leadership to brands including Adidas, Fossil, Nike and Under Armour.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health and physical education from Texas A&M in 1976 and 1979. As a student, he was a trainer for the football and basketball teams, a resident advisor in Cain Hall and a member of the Phi Epsilon Kappa honor society.
Heath was Texas A&M’s first full-time assistant athletic trainer and, at age 25, was named head athletic trainer for all men’s and women’s sports.
His work at Nike included directing U.S. territory sales, managing the U.S. equipment division, directing commerce in the Americas and serving as vice president for U.S. sales. He retired from Nike in 2009 but returned to the industry briefly as senior vice president of sales for Under Armour.
Heath served as Chair of The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors in 2013 and is a past member and past chair of the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association board of directors. He is an Endowed Century Club member of The Association of Former Students, with 34 years of giving, and has supported the Class of 1976 Gift Fund and Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center building enhancement campaign. Heath has also been an executive professor at Texas A&M’s Mays Business School.
In 2018, he was honored by the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
He volunteered for 14 years with the Boy Scouts of America, worked with Habitat for Humanity in Portland, Oregon, and served on the National Sporting Goods Association Hall of Fame Committee.
"David is the consummate leader; a confident, calm visionary and consensus builder. In sum, he has always been the kind of person whom people respect and just want to follow."
- Jess C. "Rick" Rickman III '70
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
Dan Allen
Hughes, Jr. ’80
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Year Awarded: 2019
Alamo Heights, TX
With 39 years of experience in oil and gas exploration and production, Dan Allen Hughes, Jr. ’80 is the president of the Dan A. Hughes Co., as well as other oil and gas related companies.
Hughes graduated from Texas A&M in 1980 with a BBA in management. As a student, he was the outstanding freshman in the Corps of Cadets’ Squadron 7, commander of 2nd Group and a member of SCONA and Phi Gamma Delta.
After earning his degree from A&M and completing further studies in geology at Texas A&I University, Hughes joined his family’s oil and gas firm, learning the business from his father, Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus, Dan A. Hughes, Sr. ’51.
An Outstanding Alumnus of Texas A&M’s Mays Business School, he has served on many advisory boards at A&M and was on the university’s presidential search committee from 2013 to 2015. His support of A&M has included being a major donor for A&M’s Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems, Kyle Field redevelopment and athletic facilities, Corps scholarships and many other areas. He also serves on Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s advisory board.
He is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club, with 23 years of giving. He serves on the 12th Man Foundation’s Champions Council and A&M’s Lead by Example National Campaign Council.
From 2013 to 2015, he was chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, on which he served from 2009 to 2015.
Service to his community includes raising funds for children’s charities in Bexar County, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and the state’s purchase of Devils River State Natural Area.
"Dan has given of himself and his resources to not only support Texas A&M, but the entire state of Texas and his country. He is a man of integrity and vision. He is successful in business, but constantly looking for an opportunity to give back to the community and Texas A&M."
- Bill Jones '81
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
Joseph V.
Tortorice, Jr. ’70
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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