Announcing The 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award Winners

By alcalde in Blog on May 10, 2010 at 4:26 pm | 7 Comments

The process for selecting this year’s University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Awards wrapped up last week, and boy did the committee pick a strong group.

The six winners include a top-flight attorney, a federal appeals court judge, an oil and gas magnate, an airline CEO, a civic leader, and a renowned philanthropist.

Here are this year’s recipients of the University’s highest honor for alumni:

*David Beck, LLB ’65, Houston, is a nationally recognized attorney and founder of Beck, Redden & Secrest, L.L.P., a Houston-based firm. 

*Ernest Cockrell, BES ’67, MBA ’70, Houston, is chairman of Cockrell Interests Inc. and president and director of the Cockrell Foundation.

*Hector De Leon, BS ’70, JD ’73, Austin, is founder of the Austin-based law firm of De Leon & Washburn, P.C., as well as a civic leader and past president of the Texas Exes.

*Gary Kelly, BBA ’77, Dallas, is president and CEO of Southwest Airlines.

*Elizabeth (Libba) Shatto Massey, BS ’61, Dallas, is a civic leader and philanthropist who has served The University of Texas and the Texas Exes through numerous committee, board, and council appointments.

*The Honorable Diane P. Wood, BA ’71, JD ’75, Chicago, is a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.

This year’s recipients will be honored at a presentation to be held in Austin on Oct. 22. The Distinguished Alumnus Awards, established in 1958, are among the highest awards the Texas Exes may bestow on behalf of the University.

Congratulations to all the recipients!