Alumni
1996-1997 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the most prestigious honor bestowed by Texas State University and the Texas State Alumni Association. The award recognizes graduates who have achieved prominence and distinction in their chosen business, profession, or life work on a national or international level. The leadership shown by these alumni inspires all members of the Texas State community.
1997 Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees
Richard Castro ('70)
Founder of the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources Scholarship Program in 1985; introduced the breakfast burrito to the McDonald’s system; owner/ operator of 23 McDonald’s; former city manager of the city of Del Rio
Teresa Ross Leclercq ('68 & '70)
National legal language expert and author; award- winning professor; prison reform advocate
Eugene Lee ('74)
Stage, film, and television actor; producer; playwright; plays produced at theaters throughout the United States and in London
Mary-Agnes Taylor ('40)*
One of the most respected authorities on children’s literature in the U.S.; board member of the Children’s Literature Association; author
Erv Woolsey ('69)
Helped shape the early careers of artists including George Strait, Barbara Mandrell, Lee Greenwood, and the Oak Ridge Boys
1996 Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees
Charles Austin ('91)
Olympic gold medalist; set an Olympic record in the high jump; won several world championships; U.S. championship; NCAA championship
Bill Krueger ('57 & '61)
Compiled a record of 1,096-250 in 31 years as basketball coach at Clear Lake High School; named to state and national high school halls of fame
Richard Phillips, Jr. ('65)
Inventor and helped develop improved biostable materials for cardiac surgical devices; vice president Technology; Founder and Partner in BioStable Science and Engineering, Inc.
John Sharp ('76)
State of Texas comptroller; the model he developed for performance review accounting in government is used nationwide
Fred Wagner ('62)
Holder of numerous national and international biomedical patents; president and founder of BioNebraska, Inc.
Barbara Guinn Tidwell ('62)*
Founder, choreographer, and director of the Strutters, who have performed across the nation and overseas
J. Randal Tombliln ('65)
President of Cedar Chemical Corporation, which introduced a family of environmentally safe herbicides
*Deceased