2010 Alumni Awards Recipients
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Rhys Best (’69 BBA Accounting) has had a distinguished business career that includes serving as Chairman and CEO of Lone Star Technologies, Inc. from 1998 until that company’s merger with the United States Steel Co. in 2007. Currently, Rhys is a consultant with Seren LLC, a company that provides executive coaching and strategic planning facilitation services.
Mr. Best has served on numerous public and private corporate boards, including the UNT College of Business Board of Advisors.
Kristin Farmer (’95 MEd. Special Education) founded Autism Comprehensive Educational Services (ACES) in 1996 to provide comprehensive, professional services to maximize the potential of individuals with autism from birth to adulthood.
ACES has served thousands of children with autism and conducts trainings and lectures on autism nationally and internationally. ACES currently has over 500 therapists and highly skilled professionals providing ABA interventionist, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, school psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapy, recreational therapy and credentialed teachers.
Kristin serves on the UNT Autism Initiative Task Force.
John Robert (Bobby) Ray (’69 BBA General Business) grew up in Denton and graduated from Denton High School. After graduating from UNT, he went on to a career at Texas Instruments which included serving as International Computer Operations Manager. He left to enter the homebuilding industry and eventually became president and partner of one of the top homebuilding firms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Governor George W. Bush appointed Mr. Ray to the UNT Board of Regents in 1995 and in 2001 Governor Rick Perry re-appointed him to another term which he completed in November 2007.
Green Glory Award
Cragg Hines (’67 BA Journalism) worked for 35 years as a correspondent, bureau chief and columnist with the Washington staff of the Houston Chronicle, Texas' largest-circulation newspaper. In 2001, Washingtonian magazine named Mr. Hines one of the top 50 journalists in the nation's capital, and the top-ranking representative of a regional publication. He reported from virtually every state and more than 40 nations, including Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War of 1991.
E. Douglas McLeod (’65 BBA General Business) played an integral role in the design and creation of the 400 million dollar Moody Gardens project in Galveston, a major tourist destination that also—in keeping with Mr. McLeod’s commitment to others—offers a variety of rehabilitation and vocational programs for individuals with disabilities. He has provided leadership to a variety of companies headquartered in Galveston and associated with the famous Moody family.
Mr. McLeod is an attorney, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Moody Gardens, Inc. and Director of Development for the Moody Foundation. He was an alected official for 14 years and serves on numerous corporate and civic boards.
Outstanding Alumnus Service Award
John Moranz (’71 BBA General Business) has had a career dedicated to the computer industry, with companies such as IBM, Oracle and NC4. He has also successfully operated his own information technology consultancy for several years.
Mr. Moranz understands the value and role that technology plays in public and private sector organizations. His vision is to bring state-of-the-art technologies to communities to enable a profound improvement in their ability to prepare for and respond to crisis. He sees the path to achieving his vision in the ability to provide students in our higher education system with the knowledge and skill set to be successful in their careers of protecting lives and safeguarding property.
Ulys Knight Spirit Award
Global Interact (Chair, Mike McMillen) is a community organization that fosters friendship with international students at the Univeristy of North Texas and Texas Women's University. Its members are area residents who have a deep interest in international students and their cultures.
The organization was founded by the late Dr. James Riddlesperger, a professor in the government department at North Texas State College, in the early 1960s. Global Interact provides students the opportunity to witness and experience U.S. culture at the most meaningful level while opening the doors of diversity to the Denton community.
President's Citation Award
Delva Cotton King ('72 BA Psychology), along with her husband, Johnnie, has maintained a close relationship with UNT administrators to address diversity issues on campus. The journalism department has had Dr. King as a frequent lecturer on advertising and as an instructor of a diversity class. She has also provided internships at her advertising firm.
Dr. King is a member of the UNT Foundation Board and both she and her husband serve on the advisory board of the Mayborn School of Journalism.
Judith Segura ('70 BA English, '77 MA Art) is a writer and private consultant in history and archives projects, historical exhibits, and fine art acquisition and installation. After a 24-year career at Belo Corp., she retired as president of The Belo Foundation in 2004.
She is chair of the advisory council of the Briscoe Center for American History at University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the executive board of the Central University Libraries at Southern Methodist University.