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."

Richard W. Younts ’67
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Year Awarded: 2006

Temple, TX

Richard W. Younts received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1967 and attended business school at Arizona State University. During his time at Texas A&M, he was a student assistant in the Engineering Research Laboratory.



Prior to attending Texas A&M, Younts served from 1957 to 1960 in the U.S. Marine Corps. Following completion of his education, Younts joined Motorola’s semiconductor division in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1967. After several years of advancement within that division, he was appointed to operations manager of the rectifier businesses in 1974. In 1979, he moved to the semiconductor group’s MOS division in Austin as the group operation manager of logic and special functions. In 1982, he was appointed vice president of Motorola and director of operations for the MOS Memory Group in Austin.



In 1984, Younts moved to Japan as vice president and general manager of the semiconductor division of Nippon Motorola, Ltd. Three years later, he was made an elected vice president and president of Nippon Motorola, Ltd. Younts returned to the U.S. in 1991 to serve as executive president and executive director for the Asia and Americas Regions. In 1997, he was named as president of the Asia Pacific regions and appointed to serve on the management board of Motorola Inc. Today, Younts serves on several boards and as an advisor to the city of Tianjin, China. In 2001 he was given an honorary citizenship of China.



As a former student, Younts has been an integral part of Texas A&M’s success in its international programs. He was the co-organizer for the China-U.S. Relations Conference in 2003 and 2005, and established the Kyle R. Younts International Forum, in memory of his son, to support the International Programs Office and international awareness on campus. In 2003, he was appointed by Dr. Robert M. Gates to serve as the Lockheed-Martin World-Scholar-in-Residence for Texas A&M to provide advice to university administration on building Texas A&M’s presence in China. Born in Temple, Younts and his wife, Pat, have three children, Rhonda, Class of 1985; Marcy, Class of 1986; and Kyle (deceased).

"A&M is not just an institution that Rick supports and to which he gives his participation and resources. The Spirit and the values of A&M are, in large measure, who and what he is. Rick Younts is the Aggie we all hoped we would grow up to be."

  - Rick C. Smith ’62

Neal W. Adams ’68
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Year Awarded: 2008

Euless, TX

Adams received his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. As a student, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Student Senate, served as head yell leader, and was honored as a Distinguished Military Graduate and Distinguished Student. Upon graduation, Adams attended Baylor School of Law, receiving his juris doctorate in 1970.



He served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1972. He began his professional career in 1972 as president of Neal W. Adams, P.C. Since 1987, he served as president, principal attorney and co-owner of Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C.



In 2001, Governor Rick Perry appointed Adams to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where he served six years and, in July 2005, Governor Perry appointed him as vice chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a position he held through August 2007.



In October 2002 and 2007, Texas Lawyer magazine named Adams as the “Go-To Lawyer” for school law in the state of Texas. Each year beginning in 2003 through 2007, Adams has been honored as one of the Texas Super Lawyers in school and education law by Texas Monthly magazine. He is a past chairman of the State Bar of Texas School Law Section. A Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, Adams was named 1994 'Man of the Year’ by the Northeast Tarrant County Board of Realtors.



Adams is a loyal supporter of Texas A&M. He is a member and chair-elect of the Chancellor’s Century Council, a member of The Association of Former Students’ Leadership Council, the A&M Legacy Society, the Corps Development Council and the Corps of Cadets Association. Adams also serves as a member and past chair of the President’s Board of Visitors for the Corps of Cadets, a member of the 12th Man Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and a member and past president of the Former Yell Leaders Association. He is a regular Muster speaker and a life member of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County A&M Club. In addition, he is a frequent contributor of his time and talents to various civic, church and community organizations.



Adams and his wife, Sonja, have two daughters, Marti Morgan, Class of 1993, and Paige.

"Through a series of actions, I have been particularly impressed with Neal’s ability to work with cadets and other students. It is clear that he identifies and communicates effectively with them and is a remarkable mentor. Students could not have a better role model as they consider their own service to the University and to our society."

  - LTG John A. Van Alstyne '66

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