Honoring the 2017 Distinguished Alumni

By Sofia Sokolove in TXEX on November 13, 2017 at 3:05 pm | No Comments

Each year, some of UT’s finest return to campus for a weekend to celebrate their accomplishments and receive the highest honor awarded to UT Austin alumni: The Distinguished Alumnus Award. At sunset on Friday, the tower turned orange for this year’s six recipients—a class that includes a police chief, a Vice Admiral, a heart surgeon, and business leaders—as nearly 500 attendees filed into the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center for a ceremony in their honor. On Saturday, during the Texas vs. Kansas game, the recipients, sporting their new orange jackets, graced the football field at halftime.

The 2017 recipients are: John L. Adams, BBA ’66, JD ’69, Life Member; Vice Admiral (Dr.) Raquel Cruz Bono, BA ’79, Life Member; David O. Brown, ’83; Michael L. “Mickey” Klein, BS ’58, JD ’63, Life Member; David A. Ott, BA ’68, Life Member; Sonia Pérez, BJ ’78, Life Member.

Read more about them here. Watch the tribute videos played for each recipient at the ceremony and see social media highlights of the evening below.

Photo by Eileen Wu