Sort by: Class Year Year Awarded Name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34Year Awarded: 2015
San Antonio, TX
Carri Baker Coleman, Class of 1984, received a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Texas A&M, where as a student she served as tennis team manager, Diamond Darling and football recruiting hostess and was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority and Student Aggie Club (now the Student 12th Man Foundation).
She is Chief Operating Officer for the San Antonio office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, a firm she has helped lead to national recognition in serving governments at all levels in collecting receivables. She was the first woman chairman of the 12th Man Foundation and led projects such as Kyle Field’s successful Zone Club, a critical asset to raising funds for expansion. She chaired the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women and has been inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. She co-founded and chaired the San Antonio ISD Foundation, which invests more than $1 million annually to ignite innovation and excellence in inner city schools. She received the highest honor given by a Girl Scout Council, the Trefoil Award, and was recognized as a Girl Scout Great during the 100-year anniversary of Girl Scouts. She received the Women’s Legacy Award from the Women’s Former Student Network.
She served on the board of the San Antonio A&M Club, is a co-founder and board member of the A&M PAC and serves on the development council of A&M’s Mays College of Business.
Her Aggie family includes her late father, Bill Baker ’62, her brother, Will Baker ’92, and her uncle, Robert Baker ’64. She and husband Tullos Wells have a daughter.
"Carri Baker Coleman is selfless in her willingness to serve. I am not aware of her ever declining to participate when she has been asked to contribute her talents in a variety of ways to Texas A&M."
- Fred Palmer '59, Distinguished Alumnus
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
Year Awarded: 2015
Houston, TX
Lupe Fraga, Class of 1957, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas, where he played baseball from 1953 to 1957 and was a letterman. He was inducted to the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and won the T.W. Mohle Accounting Award for Excellence.
After serving in the Army, Fraga built Tejas Office Products into one of Houston’s largest minority-owned businesses. It has been named in the Hispanic Business Magazine Top 500 Companies. He has chaired the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank Dallas, the Greater Houston Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Fraga was appointed a Texas A&M University System regent by Governor Rick Perry ’72 and served from 2005 to 2011. He was honored by the Houston Aggie Moms’ Club in February 2015, and his company made the Aggie 100 both in the list’s inaugural year and in 2011. He was named a Texas A&M Mays School of Business Outstanding Alumnus in 2003 and was honored as one of 2004’s Fathers of the Year by Community Partners.
He has served as a trustee of St. Thomas University and a member of the Galveston-Houston Catholic Diocese development board as well as serving other organizations including the Metropolitan and National YMCA, Houston Hispanic Forum, Strake Foundation, Houston Urban League, Houston Proud, Sam Houston Area Boy Scouts, United Way of Greater Houston and Greater Houston Partnership.
Fraga and wife Irene have three children, including Stephen M. Fraga ’97, and five grandchildren, and his brother Thomas Fraga ’55 is also an Aggie.
"Very few people I know can demonstrate the power of the Aggie experience to the people of Texas, the nation and the world better than Lupe Fraga."
- John D. Schiller, Jr. '81
Year Awarded: 2015
Bryan, TX
Ray Hannigan, Class of 1961, received a bachelor’s degree in general business from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, a student manager for the baseball team and four-year letterman, a SCONA member and participant and a Distinguished Student inducted into Phi Kappa Phi.
Hannigan was president and CEO of Kinetic Concepts Inc. from 1994 to 2000, and before that, he was president of the international division of Sterling Drug and president of Beecham SmithKlein Canada. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry ’72 to the State Board of Health and served four years. In San Antonio, he has served on the board of directors for Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake University and Southwest Research Foundation. He is a Meals on Wheels volunteer in Bryan and has served on the leadership council of St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station.
His involvement with Texas A&M’s Mays School of Business has included serving on the advisory council to the Center for International Business Studies, serving as a guest lecturer and receiving the Outstanding Alumnus Award. He established in 1998 the Raymond R. Hannigan, Jr. ’61 Endowed Overseas Study Scholarship Fund. He and wife Patty have established three President’s Endowed Scholarships.
Hannigan has been a host and speaker for Aggie Musters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Caracas, Venezuela. Irish American magazine named him one of the Top 100 Irish Americans in Business in 1999.
His Aggie family includes his late brother Edward Hannigan ’67. He and Patty have three children, including Chris Hannigan ’92 and Rush Hannigan ’09.
"Ray Hannigan's actions have earned him the respect of businessmen, politicians, faculty, religious leaders, and most importantly, fellow Aggies. He exhibits the selfless spirit that makes Aggies one of a thousand points of light."
- Richard Box '61
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
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
Year Awarded: 2015
Spring, TX
Lyle Lovett, Class of 1979, received bachelor’s degrees in languages and journalism at Texas A&M, where he wrote for The Battalion and, as a member of the MSC Basement Committee, both performed and booked acts on campus.
Lovett is a four-time Grammy Award-winning musician, composer and producer and has acted in 13 feature films. He was the 2011 Texas State Musician and received the Texas Medal of Arts in 2005. He has also received the Americana Music Association’s Trailblazer Award and the Texas Film Hall of Fame’s Soundtrack Award. He and Robert Earl Keen ’78 put on 2000’s Bonfire Benefit Concert soon after the 1999 Bonfire collapse, raising more than $90,000 to help victims’ families pay medical and other costs. He put on a 2004 concert celebrating The Association’s 125th anniversary and a 2010 concert that raised $50,000 to enhance the Clayton W. Williams, Jr., Alumni Center.
Lovett is a member of The Association’s Endowed Century Club, and has served on Texas A&M’s Liberal Arts development council and narrated a 2009 documentary on A&M’s history that is a fundraiser for the university’s Annual Fund.
He was inducted in 2012 into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame for his parallel career of more than 30 years with reining horses. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Houston for philanthropic work; he has supported UH’s architecture school and organizations including the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma and Houston Ride for Kids.
His fiancée is April Kimble ’97.
"In an industry that somehow or other cherishes its outlaws and loves its rascals, Lyle Lovett continues to be known as a man of high character whose music does not idealize alchoholism or drugs, or jail time or stealing another man's woman or his truck.
- Dr. R.J.Q. Adams, Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of History
Year Awarded: 2015
Houston, TX
William M. Peña, Class of 1942, received a bachelor of science degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in architectural design from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he served on Corps staff and as president of the Laredo Club.
As a U.S. Army infantry officer in World War II, Peña fought in battles including Huertgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Colmar and was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, French Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre and Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honor (France’s highest honor). He is one of five Aggies featured in the “Texas Aggies Go To War” exhibit in the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium.
Joining CRS Architects in 1948, Peña lectured worldwide and was part of more than 150 architectural projects in 39 states and nine countries. He is considered the “father of architectural programming” and he is the author of several books including “Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer” and “Ways of Thinking.” He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and recipient of Houston AIA’s Thomas Jefferson Award.
Peña is a member of The Association of Former Students’ Century Club and a colonel in the Corps of Cadets Association. He endowed a professorship in Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, of which he is an Outstanding Alumnus, and the college named CRS “Firm of the Century” for its influence. He has also served on the Board of Regents for the University System of South Texas.
Among his Aggie family were brothers Gustavo Peña ’38 and Augusto “Augie” Peña ’50.
"In the last 30 years, I have come to know Willie Peña as an eminent architect, author, teacher, scholar, mentor, war hero, and most importantly, as a generous, gentle, kind human being."
- Valerian Miranda '94, Director of the CRS Center
Year Awarded: 2015
Vail, CO
Dr. J. Richard Steadman, Class of 1959, received a bachelor’s degree in zoology at Texas A&M, where he played football during his freshman and sophomore years for legendary coach Bear Bryant. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and then served in the U.S. Army as the commander of an armored medical company.
As an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in knee injuries and disorders, Dr. Steadman developed a revolutionary approach to knee surgery including a microfracture procedure used to treat more than 500,000 patients a year that has been adapted to other joints such as the shoulder and hip. He is the founder and chairman emeritus of The Steadman Clinic and founder and co-chairman of the nonprofit Steadman Philippon Research Institute, a world leader in orthopaedic research and education, known for its clinical research database and study of orthopaedic injuries associated with the knee, shoulder, ankle, hip, and spine.
Dr. Steadman was the U.S. Alpine Team Physician at nine Winter Olympics, from 1972 to 2006. His success in returning many elite athletes to major athletic achievements following potentially career-ending injuries includes 26 athletes from professional soccer, 45 from the NFL, 23 from the MLB, eight in the NBA and 26 snow skiers. He served as consultant to the Denver Broncos football team and the Colorado Rockies baseball team. He has been elected to a wide variety of sports medicine associations and is a 2015 inductee to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Hall of Fame.
He and wife, Gay L. Steadman, have two children, Lyon and Liddy, six grandchildren, and three grandchildren.
"While Dr. Richard Steadman is highly acclaimed for his treatment of high-performing athletes, he prefers to be known as one who has helped average people resume active lives after debilitating illness or injury."
- Coach Gene Stalling '57
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.