Highest Honor: The 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Awards
To anyone who frequents Texas Exes tailgates, the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center would have looked almost unrecognizable as special guests (and even a few celebrities) poured into the Connally Ballroom, which was dressed to the nines for the Texas Exes’ biggest night of the year. On Nov. 8, 2024, a rarefied crowd, many in orange jackets themselves, gathered to celebrate the newest recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the University’s highest honor.
“We know that what starts here at UT changes the world,” University President Jay Hartzell, PhD ’98, Life Member, remarked, “and this could be the largest group of world-changers assembled in any room at this moment.” Sadly, one of the recipients passed away prior to the celebration, so he was honored with a speech in memoriam by a friend and colleague. After the Longhorn legends at last earned their burnt-orange jackets, they shared some wisdom with their gathered loved ones and admirers. —Eliza Pillsbury
Photographs by Matt Wright-Steel
IN MEMORIAM (1938–2024)
Autry C. Stephens
BS ’61, MS ’62, Life Member
Founder, Endeavor Energy Resources L.P.
Midland, Texas
“Autry was a pioneer in many ways. Some people called him contrarian—I’d just tell you that he had a plan. But mostly he was a pioneer because he was smart enough to take his own advice. In doing so, he positioned himself to ride the wave of innovation and transformation that would change the trajectory of the oil and gas industry and the geopolitical landscape in ways unimaginable two decades ago.”
—Don Evans, BS ’69, MBA ’73, Life Member, Distinguished Alumnus
Sherryl Griffin Bozeman
BA ’64, Life Member
Executive Minister, A Samaritan Model
Houston, Texas
“There are three winds that have been driving forces in my life, and they are the wind beneath my wings, the wind of change, and the wind of the Holy Spirit … The wind of change brought me to The University of Texas in the 1960s, and the wind of God’s spirit enabled me to expand the work of social justice and help to uplift those who are marginalized in my professional career.”
David Cordell Lake
BS ’77
Founding Partner, Lake|Flato Architects
San Antonio, Texas
“UT maintains the highest academic standards, fostering an environment where students may strive and thrive in pursuit of their dreams. As a student, I took a circuitous route to my path. There were too many subjects to explore. I bounced between Mesoamerican Studies, business, and engineering … but in the School of Architecture, I found my sense of purpose.”
Todd Maclin
BBA ’78, Life Member
Retired CEO, Chase Commercial and Consumer Banking
Dallas, Texas
“I entered The University of Texas as a naïve, immature, undisciplined 18-year-old … The campus was there for me. It totally changed my horizons. The school and the people I met gave me the ambition and confidence that I could compete at the highest levels of banking.”
Cappy R. McGarr
BA ’73, BJ ’75, MBA ’77, Life Member
President, MCM Interests; Author
Dallas, Texas
“When Chuck Harris called me and said I got this award, I said, ‘Are you sure? Have the rural communities come in yet?’ But as I stand here, I remember UT’s motto, ‘what starts here changes the world,’ and it’s not my place to decide if that’s true. One thing is for sure: What started here changed my world. I met my mentors here. I developed my sense of humor here—and yes, that’s supposed to be a point in UT’s favor.”
Laura Thomas Starks
BA ’72, PhD ’81, Life Member
George Kozmetsky Centennial University Distinguished Chair
Austin, Texas
“What leads to the exceptionalism of the McCombs School and UT is the quality of the students, staff, and faculty. I’ve been very lucky to be able to engage in philanthropic efforts, and although for me, educational philanthropy has been about helping students, I’ve come to recognize how important it is to attract the best faculty to the University because, ultimately, the quality of our students depends on the quality of our faculty.”
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