W. Mike Baggett ’68
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Year Awarded: 1998

Waco, TX

Baggett received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 1968 from Texas A&M. Following graduation, Baggett spent two years as a U.S. Army First Lieutenant, earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam. After his service, he earned a degree at Baylor University School of Law and was a briefing attorney for Texas Supreme Court Justice Price Daniel, Sr. In 1974, he joined Winstead, Sechrest & Minick. Named to his current position of Chairman and CEO with the firm in 1992, he directs more than 200 attorneys with offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Mexico City.



Mr. Baggett has served his profession in a number of ways, including terms on the Dallas Bar Association and on various committees of the State Bar of Texas. His legal publications have been cited as authority by 10 appellate courts and he has tried more than 50 commercial trial court cases, recovering almost $600 million for his clients. He has been on the boards of the Dallas Citizen’s Council, The Central Dallas Association and the North Texas Commission. He was Chairman and CEO of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and is a former member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.



His contributions to Texas A&M include service as a Texas A&M yell leader, class agent, President of both the Dallas A&M Club and The Association of Former Students, Chairman of the Texas A&M Foundation, and President of the Texas Aggie Bar Association. He serves on the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business Development Council and is on the board of the 12th Man Foundation.

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

Dr. Joe R. Fowler ’68
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Year Awarded: 2022

Houston, TX

“The essence of Texas A&M is the Aggie Spirit,” said Dr. Joe R. Fowler ’68. “In my mind, this means competence in your chosen work, a desire to get the job done correctly, caring deeply about others, and being willing to pitch in and help others who need your help.”

Fowler holds three degrees in mechanical engineering, all from Texas A&M, and all earned with honors. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Student Engineers’ Council. As a graduate student, he discovered a love for engineering consulting, which would eventually become his life’s work.

After earning his doctorate, Fowler co-founded Stress Engineering Services Inc. In 1984, he was named president of the company, and would continue to hold that title until 2016. Stress Engineering was twice named to the Aggie 100, and won “Best Place to Work” awards in Texas, Ohio, Houston, New Orleans and Cincinnati. In 2012, Fowler was selected by Ernst and Young as a regional winner in their Entrepreneur of the Year contest.

When he was an undergraduate, Fowler relied on a scholarship from a former student to assist with his expenses; and it is now important to him to pay that investment forward. He and his wife, Linda, have supported 35 Aggies through endowed scholarships. In addition, they have given a number of scholarships to students at their local church who are pursuing higher education. Joe and his brother, Don Fowler ’66, endowed the Fowler Lecture series in 2001, and Joe himself has returned as a guest lecturer for many different engineering classes.

All three of Joe and Linda’s children are Aggies who met their spouses at A&M: Jodi Malanga ’90 (John ’89), Rob Fowler ’92 (Barb ’92) and Amy Shawver ’96 (Robert ’95). Five grandchildren and Joe’s two older brothers are also Aggies.

“Joe is unique in his gifts and talents, in his humility, and in his quest to build up all those around him.”

  - James M. Donnell '82

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."

James R. "Jim" Thompson ’68
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Year Awarded: 2013

Kaufman, TX

James R. “Jim” Thompson, Class of 1968, graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in architectural construction. During his tenure at Texas A&M, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and Ross Volunteers and was named a distinguished Military Graduate.



Following graduation, Thompson joined the United States Air Force and served as an instructor pilot until 1973. After gaining 10 years of construction experience, Thompson founded James R. Thompson, Inc., a commercial general contracting firm. The company, which now is headquartered in Dallas, has received dozens of awards for construction excellence. Thompson is a member of Texas A&M’s Construction Industry Advisory Council, the College of Architecture Advisory Council, the Chancellor’s Century Council, the Presidential Board of Visitors, the A&M Legacy Society, the Corps of Cadets Association; the 12th Man Foundation’s Advisory Board and served on the Board of The Association of Former Students from 2006 to 2010. As a multi-term Chair of the Building Enhancement Committee, Thompson played an integral role in the 2008 enhancement of the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center. Thompson helped lead the effort to fund and construct the Freedom from Terror memorial on the Texas A&M campus—a gift from the Classes of 1968 and 2003—that honors the many Aggies who have given their lives for their country. In 2000, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of Architecture and he was inducted into the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor in 2011. Thompson has also funded a President’s Endowed Scholarship, a Corps 21 Endowed Scholarship, two Sul Ross Endowed Scholarships, and a Construction Science Endowed Scholarship.



In addition to serving Texas A&M, Thompson is involved in his community. He served 15 years on the Kaufman ISD School Board and helped found the Kaufman ISD Scholarship Foundation. He is a former trustee of the Texas Association of School Boards as well as the Kaufman County Appraisal District. Thompson is a member of the Kaufman County A&M Club and serves as a Class Agent for the Class of ’68. He currently serves as chairman of the Citizens Facility Advisory Council.



He and his wife, Donna Beth, live in Kaufman and have three sons, two of whom graduated from Texas A&M.

Texas A&M provided a strong foundation for me to continue to mature, develop, and prepare myself for the challenges of the Air Force and eventually my career in the construction industry.

Dr. Eddie Joe Davis ’67
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Year Awarded: 2018

College Station, TX

As president of the Texas A&M Foundation for 23 years, 1993- 2016, Davis led three major fundraising campaigns that brought more than $2 billion in support to A&M. He also served as Texas A&M University’s interim president in 2006-08 after Bob Gates’ appointment as U.S. secretary of defense.

As a student, Davis was cadet colonel (commander) of the Corps; a Distinguished Military Student and Graduate; a student senator; member of SCONA and Alpha Zeta; and co-editor of Agriculturalist magazine.

Davis was an Army paratrooper in Vietnam, and before joining the Foundation, held every key financial position, including CFO, at Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System, finally serving as executive deputy chancellor of the System. In 2012, he received the National Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Davis has been part of A&M’s 12th Man Ambassadors, Brazos County A&M Club president and a speaker at some 30 Musters. He has served on the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce board, as vice chair of the College Station Development Foundation, and with many other community efforts.

He is an Endowed Century Club member of The Association with 35 years of giving, is a Heritage member of the A&M Legacy Society and College of Education and Human Development and has given a Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship.

His family includes wife JoAnn; two children, including Michael Davis ’98 (wife: Annette Davis ’99); four grandchildren; and siblings-in-law Russ ’80 and Debbie ’80 Kellen and Phillip Meuse ’62.

“Growing up, as an Aggie student and as a young manager at A&M, I thought people who became Distinguished Alumni were giants. Guess I either lowered the average, or proved that keeping your nose clean and working hard actually pays off,”

  - Dr. Eddie Joe Davis '67

Patrick K. Gamble, General USAF (Ret.) ’67
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Year Awarded: 2016

Hemphill, Texas

PATRICK K. GAMBLE, GENERAL USAF (RET.) ’67 received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. As a student, he was an executive officer, a cadet lieutenant colonel and on Air Division Staff in the Air Force ROTC; won the Commandant’s Award at ROTC summer camp at Plattsburgh Air Force Base; participated in Bonfire and SCONA (Student Conference on National Affairs); was in Squadron 12; and played in a popular area rock band, the Yaks.

A former fighter pilot, he retired after 34 years with the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general in command of U.S. Pacific Air Forces. He flew O-1 “Bird Dog,” F-102, F-106, F-16 and F-15 aircraft; with 394 combat missions in Vietnam, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and 14 air medals.

He was president and CEO of the Alaska Railroad Corp., providing passenger, freight and oceangoing rail barge service. As president of the University of Alaska System, he headed 16 campuses with 34,000 students. As chair of the Alaska Aerospace Corp. board, he operated one of four U.S. satellite launch sites.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor and was honored as a “Legend of Aggieland.” He has spoken at Musters, been a commissioning speaker and final reviewing officer, and served on the President’s Corps of Cadets Board of Visitors, Bush School of Government and Public Service Development Council and board of the Texas A&M Private Enterprise Research Center. He has been a Double Diamond level member of The Association’s Century Club, with 31 years of giving.

He has served on boards for the University of Alaska Foundation, National Armed Services YMCA, USAF

Air University and Alaska Pacific University and on the Department of Defense Dependents Education Council.

His family includes wife Ailese Gamble ’69, son Jeffrey K. Gamble and three grandchildren.

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

Richard Kardys ’67
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Year Awarded: 2015

San Antonio, TX

Richard Kardys, Class of 1967, received a bachelor’s degree in government from Texas A&M University, where he was commanding officer of Squadron 8 and a Distinguished Student and Distinguished Military Graduate. He was a Ross Volunteer and member of the Ross Volunteers Firing Squad and groups including Town Hall and Election Commission.



He served as a JAG officer in the United States Air Force 1970-1976, and he is a 1970 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.



Since 1980, Kardys has been at Frost Bank in San Antonio as the manager of Frost Wealth Advisors. He is a past chairman of the Texas Bankers Association Trust Financial Services Division. He is a Certified Trust Financial Advisor and a Certified Wealth Strategist and was named 2015’s Aggie Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Aggie Bar Association. Kardys has served as chairman and member of the board of The Association of Former Students and is an Endowed Century Club donor and he served as chairman and member of the board of the Texas A&M Foundation and is a member of the Legacy Society. He served on the Vision 2020 Campaign Leadership Council in 1998 and he has supported enhancements to the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center with a core value wall focused on respect.



Kardys is a past president of San Antonio organizations including the Federal Bar Association, Estate Planners Council and Hospice San Antonio. He is a trustee of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the Oblate School of Theology.



His Aggie family includes brother Kenneth Kardys ’71. Richard and wife Jessie Mathis Kardys have two sons, Clark Michael Kardys, M.D. ’99 and Christopher Tobin Kardys ’97, and three grandchildren.

"Richard's selfless nature is one of the most distinguishing things about him. In every gift, in every position and with every achievement, he has given from the most genuine place in his heart-and for all the right reasons.

  - Buzz Miller '76

James R. "Randy" Matson ’67
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Year Awarded: 2001

Waco, TX

Randy Matson achieved worldwide renown as an athlete and gained nationwide respect while directing Texas A&M’s amazingly successful alumni organization. After Matson received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing in 1968 and working in investments and athletic fundraising, he joined The Association of Former Students in 1972 as the Director of the Annual Fund under the leadership of Richard “Buck” Weirus. Among Weirus’ retirement, Matson was promoted to Executive Director. During Matson’s 20 year tenure, the Annual Fund grew from $1.75 million to $5.5 million and the organizations budget more than tripled. He supervised the construction of the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center and directed the establishment of the Bonfire Relief Fund.



Matson won Olympic gold and silver medals in the shot put in 1968 and 1964 and was the first person in the world to throw the shot more than 70 feet.

"I never went anywhere in the country or world that there wasn’t an Aggie there to support me… That makes Aggies unique."