Sort by: Class Year Year Awarded Name
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George D. Keathley, Class of 1937, studied agriculture at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas after graduating from Cameron State School of Agriculture and Junior College in 1930 with an associate degree in agriculture.
He worked for the Soil Conservation Service in Lamesa supervising soil-erosion projects for the Civilian Conservation Corps before entering the service in 1942. In 1943, he was assigned to the 338th Infantry Regiment, 85th Division, where he was promoted to staff sergeant and was one of the leading noncommissioned officers in the 1st Platoon, Company B. Atop Mount Altuzzo, Italy, in 1944, Keathley volunteered to take command of two additional platoons whose officers had been killed in action. He led Company B in fending off an enemy counterattack, even after he sustained a mortal wound from an enemy hand grenade. He was the third Texas Aggie awarded the Medal of Honor.
Keathley and his wife, Inez, had two daughters. He passed away on September 14, 1944.
"I believe [he would tell students] to use their time there to learn and grow; to use the tools presented to you to make a difference in something that you are passionate about (as was his goal with farming), and because you never know what circumstances you might find yourself in, or where life might lead you, to take advantage of this opportunity to prepare yourself to make a difference somehow, somewhere.
- Dana McBee, George Keathley's granddaughter
Year Awarded: 2012
Turney W. Leonard, Class of 1942, graduated from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas with a bachelor of arts in agricultural administration. While at A&M, he was involved in the Scholarship Honor Society, Marketing and Finance Club, Dallas A&M Club, and was awarded the Best Drilled Sophomore Award and the Distinguished Student award.
He was first commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular Army, and later assigned to the Tank Destroyer Center at Camp (later Fort) Hood as an instructor. In the Huertgen Forest at Kommerscheidt, Germany, Leonard repeatedly braved intense enemy fire to direct the fire of his tank destroyers, which enabled his battalion to destroy six German tanks. He went on reconnaissance missions alone to discover what opposition his men faced, reorganized confused infantry units whose leaders had been killed, and continued to fight until he was disabled by a high-explosive shell which shattered his arm.
Leonard was reported missing in action on November 7, 1944—his body was recovered in November 1949 and identified in January 1950. He was the fifth Texas Aggie to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
"You can't put Turney's life and courage into just a few words. He was, indeed, a true Aggie, and his life and courage still inspire Aggies today. Two of my granddaughters (Classes of '06 and '08) attended A&M because of the same feeling of 'being home' that Turney felt.
- -Karen Leonard Anderson, Turney Leonard's niece
Year Awarded: 2012
Tommie E. Lohman, Class of 1959, earned a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas and worked toward a doctor of jurisprudence degree at South Texas School. While at A&M, he was first lieutenant “B”-AAA in the Corps of Cadets and a Ross Volunteer. He was a member of Tau Beta Phi, the engineering honor society, as well as AIME Petroleum Engineering Club and Shreveport Hometown Club.
Lohman began his career as a petroleum engineer at Amoco Production Corporation in 1958. In 1962, he moved to Texas Oil & Gas Corporation, where he worked his way up from a district engineer to manager of Gas Gathering & Processing, while concurrently serving on the Board of Directors and president of the Delhi Gas Pipeline until 1988. The same year, he founded Taurus Energy Corporation, and a year later founded TELCO Investments.
He received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Texas A&M College of Engineering in 2004 and the honor of Distinguished Graduate from the Department of Petroleum Engineering in 2002. He was a member of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, served as vice president and director of the Gas Processors Association, and was an inducted into the Hall of Honor by A&M Lettermen’s Association in 2010.
Lohman endowed the Tommie E. Lohman Laboratory for Gas Engineering, established the Carolyn S. and Tommie E. Lohman ’59 Professorship in Engineering Education and an Engineering Graduate Fellowship, funded the “Shaping the Future” statue at the College of Education, and was instrumental in establishing the Lohman Learning Community in the College of Education. He was involved in several organizations, including the Engineering Advisory Council, Chancellor’s Advisory Council, College of Engineering External Advisory and Development Council, A&M Legacy Society and Texas Aggie Bar Association. A long-time Endowed Century Club member, he served as past president of the 12th Man Foundation, as well as the executive committee.
He was active in his church, serving as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Richardson Baptist Church and Fallswood Baptist Church for twenty years combined. Lohman and his wife, Carolyn, had two daughters and lived in College Station. He passed away on February 4, 2012.
"Tommie wanted to go to OU with his best buddy, but his Dad nixed that idea saying 'Jack will go there, pledge a fraternity, and flunk out the first semester, and you will be all by yourself. I want you to go to Texas A&M.' Sure enough, that is exactly what happened to Jack, but not Tommie because he was in the Corps at A&M!"
- -Mrs. Carolyn Lohman, Tommie Lohman's wife
Year Awarded: 2012
Abilene, TX
Bob J. Surovik, Class of 1958, received a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas and continued on to earn a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1961. While a student, he was president of the Student Senate and the Singing Cadets, Sophomore Class Secretary and he was listed among the Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities in 1958. He was on the Southwest Conference Sportsmanship Committee, Town Hall Staff, Election Commission, MSC Council, Arts and Science Council, Accounting Society and the Pre-Law Society. He was Adjutant in the Second Battalion, Second Regiment Staff in the Corps of Cadets, and a member of the Student Government Association.
After college, he was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves in Austin, and then a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss. In 1963, he earned an Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service and started practicing law. After working as an accountant for the Texas Department of Agriculture, he was an instructor of business law at the University of Texas at Austin, state representative aide in the Texas House of Representatives before becoming president and shareholder of McMahon, Surovik, Suttle, P.C.
Surovik has served many organizations in Abilene, including the Abilene Industrial Foundation, Abilene Chamber of Commerce, First Financial Bank-Abilene, The Community Foundation of Abilene, the Abilene YMCA, the Volunteer Council at Abilene State School, Hendrick Home for Children, and the Public Responsibility Committee of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, and the St. Paul United Methodist Church Foundation, among others.
He is an active supporter of Texas A&M through the A&M Legacy Society, Endowed Century Club at The Association of Former Students, the Former Student Body President Association, the Texas A&M Foundation Planned Giving Council and the Texas Aggie Bar Association. In 1973, he was named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the State Junior Bar of Texas, and he was the Texas Aggie Bar Association’s Aggie Lawyer of the Year in 2011. In addition, he is a past Chairman of the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees, past Chair of the Board of Directors at The Association, past area representative (West Texas) for The Association, and past president of the Abilene A&M Club.
Surovik resides in Abilene. Two of his three children graduated from Texas A&M.
"At Texas A&M, I gained discipline, a good work ethic, and the realization that all of us have special gifts and talents to share with others."
Year Awarded: 2012
Dr. Robert V. Walker, Class of 1945, studied pre-dentistry at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas before he was drafted into the army. While at A&M, he was named “Best Drilled Man” of H Battery Field Artillery during his sophomore year, 1st Sergeant in his junior year, earned a walk-on position on the freshman baseball team in 1942, and played the full 1943 season of baseball on the A&M varsity team, earning his “T” medal. He earned a doctor of dental surgery degree from Baylor University College of Dentistry in 1947, studied at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Medicine for a year in 1953, and won Honorary Fellowships from both the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in 1973 and England in 1984.
He was called back into the army in 1951, where he advanced from 1st lieutenant to captain at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio in 1953. During his tenure there he joined the BAMC Comets baseball team and played at the national championship level in 1951-52. It was here that he was introduced to oral surgery and was encouraged to continue his education, and he became a certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon in 1958. Walker was an assistant professor, and then professor as well as Chairman of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and ended his time there as Professor Emeritus.
Walker held leadership roles and remained active in many societies and associations around Texas, such as the American Trauma Society, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Dallas County Dental Society and the Southwest Society of Oral Surgeons, just to name a few. He won numerous honors and achievement awards, like the Texas Dental Association Gold Medal for Distinguished Service in 2003, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dallas County Dental Society in 2002, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Baylor College of Dentistry (now Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry) in 1999. He was a founding member, board member and past president of the Texas A&M Medical-Dentistry Society, past chair and vice-chair of the College of Science External Advisory and Development Council, member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association, The Association of Former Students, the Texas A&M Foundation and the 12th Man Foundation. In 1994, he established the Emily and Robert Walker Endowed Scholarship in Science at Texas A&M, followed in 1995 by the Emily and Robert Walker ’45 Endowed Lectureship in Biology. In 2004 he was honored with induction into the Texas A&M College of Science Academy of Distinguished Former Students.
Walker and his wife, Emily, had one daughter and two sons. He passed away on April 28, 2011.
"Dad really enjoyed the Corps and playing baseball. He was a walk-on player for the baseball team, and beat out a recruited player with a scholarship for shortstop. He was very happy to win the Best Drilled Man award for his unit, over students who had come from large city high schools with ROTC programs. It was a big disappointment when he was drafted at the end of his junior year, and he didn't get to wear his boots or take a position of leadership in the Corps as a senior."
- -Trey Walker, Robert Walker's son
Year Awarded: 2012
Eli L. Whiteley, Class of 1941, graduated from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas in three years with a bachelor of science in agriculture. He entered North Carolina State College before being drafted into the army, but returned in 1946 after he was discharged to earn a Master’s degree.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and later served as a training officer at Camp Wolters. He received orders for Europe and was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, where he joined Company L as a rifle platoon leader. In 1944, while leading his platoon in an attack at Sigolsheim, France, Whiteley was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder, but continued clearing hostile troops from strong points. He continued fighting, even though his eye was pierced by a shell fragment, and led an attack which cracked the core of the enemy resistance. He was the sixth Texas Aggie awarded the Medal of Honor.
Whiteley returned to A&M in 1946 as a lecturer in freshman agronomy classes before earning a Ph.D. in agronomy in 1959. He would remain a part of the Texas A&M faculty and was eventually named a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Whiteley and his wife, Anna, had two sons and three daughters—one of whom attended Texas A&M. He died of a heart attack on December 2, 1986.
"His training and experience as a member of the Corps of Cadets benefited him during the time he served in the U. S. Army during World War II. The values instilled upon him during his time at Texas A&M, the values of duty, honor, integrity, and service to others, ultimately led to his return to Texas A&M, where he obtained a doctorate degree, and then served Texas A&M for 31 years."
- -Alice Whiteley-Wiese, Eli Whiteley's daughter
Year Awarded: 2013
Dhaharan, Saudi Arabia
Khalid A. Al-Falih, Class of 1982, graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and went on to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals to earn an MBA in 1991.
Al-Falih’s time at Texas A&M was sponsored by Saudi Aramco — Saudi Arabia’s state oil company — which he joined in 1979. After graduation from Texas A&M, Al-Falih returned to the Kingdom, working his way up from senior project engineer to manager of business analysis by 1998. In 1999, he became president of Petron Corporation, a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company, and then leader of Saudi Negotiations Team for the Kingdom’s Natural Gas Initiative in 2000. He then transitioned from vice president to senior vice president and then executive vice president, overseeing various functions within Saudi Aramco from 2001 to 2008. In 2009, Al-Falih stepped into his current role as president and CEO for Saudi Aramco — the world’s largest petroleum company — where he also sits on the Board of Directors.
Al-Falih has remained committed to quality education and professional development. In 2009, he led Saudi Aramco’s successful effort to establish the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology — North of Jiddah, on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast. Al-Falih is currently leading efforts to create the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture — in Dhahran, near Saudi Arabia’s Arabian Gulf Coast.
Al-Falih is an advocate of creating a diverse economy fed by new businesses and the stimulation of job creation in the Kingdom. Under his leadership, Saudi Aramco has embarked on several mega projects including the development of Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical. Upon completion, Sadara will represent the largest petrochemical facility ever built in a single phase.
Al-Falih is the first Distinguished Alumnus to have graduated from Texas A&M in the 1980s, and he is the third former student to earn both the distinction of Distinguished Alumnus and also Outstanding International Alumnus, a title he received in 2010.
Al-Falih lives in Saudi Arabia with his wife and five children.
"The worldwide network of Texas A&M is a fellowship distinguished not just by the quality of its education, but by a lasting sense of identity and purpose."
Year Awarded: 2013
Houston, TX
Dr. Ray M. Bowen, Class of 1958, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M. After receiving a master’s degree in the same field from California Institute of Technology in 1959, he returned to Texas A&M to earn a doctoral degree in 1961, also in mechanical engineering. As a student at A&M, he was active in the Student Senate, Tau Beta Pi and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. As a member of the Corps of Cadets, Bowen was Deputy Corps Commander and Platoon Leader of the Ross Volunteers. He was also listed among the Who’s Who in American Colleges & Universities list in 1958.
After leaving A&M, Bowen served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1961 to 1964. His assignment was to teach graduate courses in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. In 1964, he studied a year at Johns Hopkins University as a post-doctoral fellow in mechanics. In 1965, he taught engineering mechanics at Louisiana State University, before joining the faculty of Rice University in 1967, where he taught in the mechanical engineering and mathematical science department until 1983. During that time Bowen served as director of the Division of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the National Science Foundation from 1982 to 1983. His academic career then lead him to the University of Kentucky, where he became dean of the College of Engineering, director of the Center for Robotics and Manufacturing Systems, and director of the Center for Applied Energy Research until 1989. From 1990 to 1991, Bowen returned to the National Science Foundation and served as deputy assistant director and acting assistant director for engineering. He then went on to Oklahoma State University to be provost and vice president for Academic Affairs until 1993. He served as interim president of OSU from 1993 to 1994.
It was in 1994 that Bowen returned to Aggieland to become president of Texas A&M—the fourth Aggie to hold the position. He served as President until 2002. During his time as president, Texas A&M initiated the Vision 2020 project and A&M was made a member of the Association of American Universities. He also initiated the process that led to the creation of a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at A&M. After serving eight years as president, he was appointed president emeritus and joined the faculty of Texas A&M’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2002, he was appointed for a six-year term to the National Science Board by President George W. Bush. He was reappointed to a second six-year term in 2008. He served as chairman of the National Science Board from 2010 to 2012. After teaching in mechanical engineering and in mathematics from 2002 until 2010, Bowen retired from Texas A&M and was named professor emeritus of mechanical engineering. He is currently a Visiting Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University.
Bowen has remained active at Texas A&M and he and his wife, Sally, have supported it in many ways through endowments of a Presidential Endowed Scholarship, scholarships for the Corps of Cadets and a scholarship for the Bush School of Government and Public Service. In addition, they have supported the Evans Library, MSC OPAS, The Association of Former Students and the 12th Man Foundation. He and Sally are especially proud of the scholarships and facilities that have been funded in their names by friends of the University.
Bowen and his wife, Sally, live in Houston. They are the proud parents and grandparents of a son, Ray, a daughter, Beth, and six grandchildren.
Take advantage of everything the modern A&M has to offer. Pursue a demanding academic program so that you will be prepared for a successful future career. Participate in the “other education” that is so strong at A&M. The leadership opportunities provided by the many student organizations will serve you well throughout your lives. Make friends. The people you meet while a student will become an important part of your lives. Our modern world is a global social and economic environment. Use your time at A&M to prepare yourselves to be competitive in that complex, diverse, world. A&M provides the opportunity to meet people from around the world, and it provides the opportunity to study abroad. Not all universities have this kind of opportunity. Finally, accept the generational obligation mentioned above and devote a portion of your future making A&M and even better place than it is today.
Year Awarded: 2013
Mount Vernon, TX
E. Ridley Briggs, Class of 1954, earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas while serving as Guidon Bearer, then First Lieutenant of Squadron 12 in the Corps of Cadets. He was involved in Aggie Christian Fellowship, the Physical Education Club and intramurals. After graduation, he entered the United States Air Force Flight School and served as a fighter pilot on active duty until 1957, and as a reservist until 1962. In 1958, he returned to A&M to earn a master’s degree in education while on fellowship as a physical education instructor.
Upon completing his master’s degree, Briggs accepted a teaching and coaching job with the Sherman Independent School District, where he taught math and coached football and basketball. He then left coaching and went back into flying as a company pilot for Sherman Steel and Wire Corporation, and later became the physical director of the Abilene YMCA. In 1961, he moved to Bryan to become associated with the Recording & Statistical Corporation and, in 1963, he transitioned to Bryan’s First Bank & Trust as vice president, in charge of marketing and business development. He then became a senior vice president and commercial lending officer and remained in that position until 1972, when he became president of the Elgin National Bank. In 1973, he moved to Paris, Texas, to serve as president and member of the ownership of Paris Bank of Texas, where he remained until 1985. During that time, he served on the Legislative Committee of the Texas Bankers Association, chaired its 5th District in 1976, and was named Lamar County’s Boss of the Year in 1978. From Paris, Briggs moved to McKinney in 1985 to become president and chief operating officer of Texas American Bank and, in 1990, he returned to Paris as president of Bank of America until he retired in 1996. Over a 10-year period, he taught in the Southwest Graduate Schools of Banking at Southern Methodist University and Texas Tech University.
Briggs remained an active member of society, no matter where he lived. In 1964, he was president of the Bryan-College Station Jaycees, named Brazos County’s Outstanding Young Man in 1965, and president of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce in 1969. In 1971, he was instrumental in the effort to build Bryan’s first Industrial Park and he served on the Bryan Planning and Zoning Commission. Volunteering has been a way of life for Briggs, He taught at Central Baptist Church in Bryan, First Baptist Churches in Paris, McKinney, and Mt. Vernon, and served as president of the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce and the Lamar County United Way. He chaired the First Baptist Church of Paris campaign in 1980 to build a Family Life Center and he served on the Boards of the Paris Boys Club and Paris Education Foundation. After moving to McKinney in 1985, Briggs chaired the McKinney United Way and served on the Boards of the McKinney Boys Club, the North Texas Medical Center, the McKinney Airport, the Collin County Community College, and the original Board of Stonebridge Country Club. In 1990, he returned to Paris to lead a successful campaign to build a $1 million home for the Salvation Army and he later chaired that organization, and is now a Life Member of the Board. From 1990 to 2009, Briggs served on the Board of the St. Joseph Community Foundation, six of those years as Chairman, served as president of the Paris Rotary Club in 1998, and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. Since 1997, Briggs has served on the Board of Rotary’s Youth Leadership Awards program for Northeast Texas and Southeast Oklahoma, three of those years as chairman. In 2001, Briggs was named as one of 50 citizens to have the most impact on Paris and Lamar County in the past century.
Texas A&M continues to be near the center of Briggs’ activities. As a charter member of the Century Club of The Association of Former Students, he has continued that relationship since 1966, the year he was President of the Bryan-College Station Aggie Quarterback Club. He served on the School of Veterinary Medicine Development Council from 1969 to 1973, and was Class Agent from 1970 to 1975. In 1976, he was elected president of the Lamar County A&M Club and named to the Texas A&M Target 2000 Committee in 1981. He has made 31 Muster speeches and has chaired the Lamar County A&M Scholarship Foundation. In 1998, he was named to The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors and served through 2001. Briggs gave the memorial address at the Lamar County Bonfire Memorial in 1999. In 2001, he served on the Corps Development Council and, in 2002, was given the honor of namesake for Fish Camp, a freshman’s first tradition at Texas A&M. One of the first to purchase a gravesite in the Aggie Field of Honor, he is a member of the Corps of Cadets Association and the Sul Ross Group, of which he now serves as president.
Briggs and his wife, Shirley, live near Mount Vernon, Texas. They have four children, three of whom graduated from Texas A&M, and the fourth, a Baylor graduate, is active in the Longview A&M Mom’s Club. Out of their thirteen grandchildren, two have graduated from A&M and three others are soon-to-be graduates. His youngest son, Danny Briggs ’83, was inducted in the Texas A&M Letterman's Association Hall of Fame in 2012.
Make A&M’s core values your personal core values. You will never go wrong affirming excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service as a way of life.
Year Awarded: 2013
Houston, TX
Robert A. Epstein, Class of 1944, left the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas in 1942 to serve in the United States Army, and then returned to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in business. As a student in the Corps of Cadets, Epstein was First Sergeant and Battery Commander of G Battery Coast Artillery and a Ross Volunteer. In the Army, Epstein attained the rank of Captain in the Corps of Engineers in the U. S. Army in World War II and Korea, earning six Battle Stars and the Bronze Star Medal as a Combat Engineer Unit Commander and S-1. While serving in the Philippines in 1946, Epstein attended the 1946 Muster on Corregidor. He is pictured in the now famous portrait taken in the mouth of Malinta Tunnel.
After graduation in 1948, he began a career in insurance and attended both Basic Life Insurance School and Advanced Life Insurance School at the Aetna Life Insurance Company. His career in the insurance industry was interrupted when he was recalled to serve in Korea in 1950, but he returned to civilian life in 1952 to work as a self-employed life insurance and casualty insurance agent until 1981. He spent the final 15 years as partner and Chairman of the Board for The GEM Agencies, Inc., and Chairman of the Board for Insurance Agencies of the Southwest, Inc. During this time he held memberships and leadership roles in several professional organizations, such as The Society of Certified Insurance Counselors, for which he served as a member of the Board of Governors and a member of the National Faculty; the Certified Professional Insurance Advisors Society; The Insurance Fire Mark Society, for which he served as National President; the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, for which he served as State of Texas President, Texas National Director from 1978 to 1987 and National Vice President; the National Executive Committee from 1980 to 1982; the National Association of Insurance Management Consultants; the Kemper Agents Advisory Council; the Aetna Life and Casualty Million Dollar Group Club; and the Aetna Life and Casualty Group Leaders Club. From 1973 to 1979, Epstein served on the National Board of Governors for the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors, and also served as a member of the National Faculty for the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors and the National Faculty of the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.
Epstein holds three professional designations—Associate in Risk Management, Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Professional Insurance Advisor. He was named Insurance Counselor of the Year by the Professional Insurance Agents of Texas in 1976, and received a Distinguished Service Award in 1988 from both the Professional Insurance Agents of Texas and the Certified Professional Insurance Agents Society. He was regularly recruited as a speaker and educator for insurance certification seminars, and was instrumental in establishing the risk manager license for the Texas Board of Insurance. A retired insurance agent and risk manager, Epstein is in constant demand as a trial consultant and expert witness in the field of risk management. He developed seminars for training of candidates for the designation of Associate in Risk Management and pioneered the application of risk management practices into the agency production field. In 1981, Epstein left the GEM Agencies to found Risktech, Inc., an independent risk management consulting firm for which he served as CEO and operated until his retirement in 1991.
Epstein has been an active member of society, both in Houston and Galveston. He has served as president of both the Terramar Beach Property Owners Association in Galveston and the Raintree Property Owners Association in Houston. He is past president of Westwood Country Club, Houston Lighthouse for the Blind, and was a founding member of the Houston City Club. A member of The Houston Society, Epstein is a former regional Board member of the Anti-Defamation League, and a 50-year Master Mason, 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. He is a past president of the Brotherhood of Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, where he also served as a vice president and a member of the Board and Executive Committee. He has been active in La Confrérie des la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs—at the local, regional, national and international levels—and has served in many positions, including Grand Senechal d’ America. He was awarded the coveted Conseil d’ Honneur – Paris, Conseil d’ Honneur – Amerique, and he was a founding member of l’ Académie de Gastronomie Brillat-Savarin. Other wine society memberships include Les Amis d’Escoffier and Amici della Vite.
Epstein has remained active at Texas A&M over the years. He served on the Board of Directors for The Association of Former Students, as Class Agent and Class Agent Emeritus for the Class of 1944, president of the Sul Ross Group in 2003, on the Corps of Cadets Development Council, Texas A&M Hillel, the Houston A&M Club and the Ross Volunteer Association. He has supported a Class pillar within the Memorial Student Center, 12 scholarships from the Class of 1944, the Texas A&M Foundation, the 12th Man Foundation and the Corps of Cadets.
Epstein resides in Houston. He and his late wife, Carolyn, who passed away in September 2011, had three children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Epstein, his son, Ross ’70, and grandson, Evan ’03, are all Ross Volunteers.
I gained confidence while at Texas A&M. If I could make it through four years at Texas A&M in the 40's and survive, there is nothing that life could hand me that I could not handle. Of course, a degree from a highly acclaimed world class university certainly did not hurt. To present myself to the world as an Aggie opened all of the doors I wanted to open.