The University of Texas at Arlington
Office of Media Relations
13 distinguished alumni to be honored Oct. 27
News Release — 21 September 2001
The executive vice president for Southwest Sports Group, which oversees the
Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, KXTX-TV and the Mesquite Rodeo, a retired Major
General of the U.S. Air Force and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force
Nurse Corps are among 13 UTA graduates to be honored by the Alumni
Association at the Distinguished Alumni Gala Saturday, Oct. 27 in the
Rosebud Theatre of the E.H. Hereford University Center.
Receiving the 2001 Distinguished Alumni Awards are: John McMichael, college of business administration; Major General Walter H. Baxter, department of military science; Sandra Lyn Bruce, school of nursing; Robert Meckfessel, school of architecture; Gary Henson, department of intercollegiate athletics; F. Thaddeus Arroyo, college of science; Heloiza Novaes-Carman, school of education; J. Royce Lummus, college of engineering; T. Keith Alcorn, college of liberal arts; Colleen McCall, school of social work; and David R. Gattis, school of urban and public affairs. State Senator Royce West will also be recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, while Tom Cravens will be honored with the Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award.
McMichael, who earned his Master's degree in business administration from
UTA in 1979, is the executive vice president of business operations for
Southwest Sports Group (SSG), which oversees all ballpark and arena
operations for the group's companies. McMichael joined the group as the
controller for the Texas Rangers in 1984, a position he held until being
named executive vice president in 1996. McMichael is also active with the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Baxter, who attended North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) in 1944
before earning his Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, was involved in aviation for more than 40 years, including tours as a
fighter pilot in Korea and Southeast Asia. He commanded Air Force units at
every organizational level prior to his retirement in 1982. Since then, he
has served with the Texas Aviation Board, the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of
Commerce, founded the Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse and is a member of the
Texas State Bank Board.
Bruce, who graduated from UTA in 1991 with a Master's degree in nursing,
currently serves as chief of Air Force nursing education at Randolph Air
Force Base near San Antonio. She is also a member of the editorial board
for the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development and serves on the board of
the Army Nurse Corps Continuing Health Education Program. Last year, she
was named the Air Force medical Service Field Grade Nurse of the Year.
Meckfessel, who earned both his Bachelor's (1975) and Master's (1979)
degrees in architecture from UTA, is the founding principal and president of
the Dallas Office of Design, which offers architecture, interior design and
graphic design services. Owner of 19 awards for design excellence,
Meckfessel's company was named the 1999 winner of the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) Dallas Firm of the Year. He currently serves as president
of the Dallas Architecture Forum and is a past president of the AIA Dallas
chapter and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Henson, a former Maverick basketball player while earning his degree in
psychology in 1975, serves as the executive vice president for manufacturing
and oversees assembly, stamping, powertrain and component manufacturing for
all Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth products worldwide. Henson began is
career working at the General Motors plant in Arlington while still
attending UTA. In 1992, he served as president and managing director of GM
de Mexico.
Arroyo, a 1986 mathematics graduate with a computer science option, is the
chief information officer with Cingular Wireless of Atlanta and is in charge
of more than 3,000 information technology professionals. He is also
responsible for the company's internal information technology
infrastructure, including both Intranet and Internet services, as well as
end-to-end infrastructure operations and applications. Arroyo has also
worked for IBM, Southwestern Bell and SABRE, where he was the senior vice
president of product marketing and development.
Novaes-Carman, who came to UTA from Sao Paulo, Brazil and earned her
Master's degree in education in 1992 and a midmanagement certification in
1994, is the liaison for the Arlington Independent School District's (AISD)
ESL Partnership Project. The project works to provide English as a second
language course to classroom teachers to meet the needs of an increasingly
diverse student population. Also an adjunct professor at UTA, Novaes-Carman
is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English as well as being familiar with
Italian.
Lummus, a 1972 Master's degree recipient in aerospace engineering and member
of the UTA College of Engineering Hall of Achievement, returned to campus to
earn a Ph.D. in 1980. He is now the director of cross-product integration
operations and advanced development programs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics,
Co. He supervises a staff of between 600 and 800 personnel at three
different locations, is the president and partner of Consulting Services
International of Ft. Worth and is an adjunct professor of engineering at
both UTA and UT-Dallas.
Alcorn, a 1981 art graduate, is now a partner in the Dallas-based DNA
Animation Company. Among several major projects DNA is working on, include
a $14 million feature for Disney. His company's first animated network
special, Santa vs. the Snowman, aired on ABC television in 1997. Since
1992, Alcorn has served as creator, writer, designer and director of an
on-going animated series of short features, which have appeared on Comedy
Central, Showtime and MTV.
McCall, a 1980 graduate in social work, is the regional director of the
Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in Amarillo. She has
been involved with children's welfare since 1976, after beginning her career
as a child protective services caseworker with the Texas Department of
Public Welfare. An adjunct faculty member at West Texas A&M University,
McCall is also worked with the local school district's regional education
program for the deaf.
Gattis, who earned his Master's degree in urban affairs in 1981, has served
as the assistant city manager and director of community development for the
city of Benbrook since 1988. A Ph.D. candidate, Gattis received the
distinguished service award from the City Planners Association of Texas in
1995 and has taught graduate courses as an adjunct assistant professor at
UTA.
Senator West displayed his political ambitions early in his collegiate career, becoming the first African-American president of the Student congress in UTA history. Owner of a Bachelor's degree in sociology in 1974, West completed work on a Master's degree in 1974 from UTA, and a law degree from the University of Houston. He then turned his attention to the district attorney's office in Dallas County before becoming the state's first African-American chief felony prosecutor. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, serving parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties. Following the 76th legislative session in 1999, Texas Monthly Magazine named him one of the "Ten Best Legislators in Texas." He is also a senior partner in the law firm of Robinson, West and Gooden.
A member of one of Arlington's founding families, Tom Cravens has worked his
way from bank teller to CEO and chairman of the board at First National
Bank. In 1994-95, he served as president of the Arlington Chamber of
Commerce, was named "Arlington's Citizen of the Year" in 1996, received the
Richard Greene Community Service Award in 1999 and was named an Arlington
High School Distinguished Colt in 1998. Today, Cravens serves as president
and CEO of Northwest National Bank of Arlington.
The Distinguished Alumni Gala is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour in the Palo Duro Lounge. At 6:45 p.m., activities will move into the Rosebud Theatre and at 8:15 p.m. a dinner and evening of entertainment will begin in the Bluebonnet Ballroom. Tickets for the Gala are set at $75 per person and can be reserved through the UTA Alumni Association by calling (817) 272-2594 or 1-800-687-8855.
(Steve Weller)
Receiving the 2001 Distinguished Alumni Awards are: John McMichael, college of business administration; Major General Walter H. Baxter, department of military science; Sandra Lyn Bruce, school of nursing; Robert Meckfessel, school of architecture; Gary Henson, department of intercollegiate athletics; F. Thaddeus Arroyo, college of science; Heloiza Novaes-Carman, school of education; J. Royce Lummus, college of engineering; T. Keith Alcorn, college of liberal arts; Colleen McCall, school of social work; and David R. Gattis, school of urban and public affairs. State Senator Royce West will also be recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, while Tom Cravens will be honored with the Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award.
McMichael, who earned his Master's degree in business administration from
UTA in 1979, is the executive vice president of business operations for
Southwest Sports Group (SSG), which oversees all ballpark and arena
operations for the group's companies. McMichael joined the group as the
controller for the Texas Rangers in 1984, a position he held until being
named executive vice president in 1996. McMichael is also active with the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Baxter, who attended North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) in 1944
before earning his Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, was involved in aviation for more than 40 years, including tours as a
fighter pilot in Korea and Southeast Asia. He commanded Air Force units at
every organizational level prior to his retirement in 1982. Since then, he
has served with the Texas Aviation Board, the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of
Commerce, founded the Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse and is a member of the
Texas State Bank Board. Bruce, who graduated from UTA in 1991 with a Master's degree in nursing,
currently serves as chief of Air Force nursing education at Randolph Air
Force Base near San Antonio. She is also a member of the editorial board
for the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development and serves on the board of
the Army Nurse Corps Continuing Health Education Program. Last year, she
was named the Air Force medical Service Field Grade Nurse of the Year. Meckfessel, who earned both his Bachelor's (1975) and Master's (1979)
degrees in architecture from UTA, is the founding principal and president of
the Dallas Office of Design, which offers architecture, interior design and
graphic design services. Owner of 19 awards for design excellence,
Meckfessel's company was named the 1999 winner of the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) Dallas Firm of the Year. He currently serves as president
of the Dallas Architecture Forum and is a past president of the AIA Dallas
chapter and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Henson, a former Maverick basketball player while earning his degree in
psychology in 1975, serves as the executive vice president for manufacturing
and oversees assembly, stamping, powertrain and component manufacturing for
all Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth products worldwide. Henson began is
career working at the General Motors plant in Arlington while still
attending UTA. In 1992, he served as president and managing director of GM
de Mexico. Arroyo, a 1986 mathematics graduate with a computer science option, is the
chief information officer with Cingular Wireless of Atlanta and is in charge
of more than 3,000 information technology professionals. He is also
responsible for the company's internal information technology
infrastructure, including both Intranet and Internet services, as well as
end-to-end infrastructure operations and applications. Arroyo has also
worked for IBM, Southwestern Bell and SABRE, where he was the senior vice
president of product marketing and development. Novaes-Carman, who came to UTA from Sao Paulo, Brazil and earned her
Master's degree in education in 1992 and a midmanagement certification in
1994, is the liaison for the Arlington Independent School District's (AISD)
ESL Partnership Project. The project works to provide English as a second
language course to classroom teachers to meet the needs of an increasingly
diverse student population. Also an adjunct professor at UTA, Novaes-Carman
is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English as well as being familiar with
Italian. Lummus, a 1972 Master's degree recipient in aerospace engineering and member
of the UTA College of Engineering Hall of Achievement, returned to campus to
earn a Ph.D. in 1980. He is now the director of cross-product integration
operations and advanced development programs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics,
Co. He supervises a staff of between 600 and 800 personnel at three
different locations, is the president and partner of Consulting Services
International of Ft. Worth and is an adjunct professor of engineering at
both UTA and UT-Dallas. Alcorn, a 1981 art graduate, is now a partner in the Dallas-based DNA
Animation Company. Among several major projects DNA is working on, include
a $14 million feature for Disney. His company's first animated network
special, Santa vs. the Snowman, aired on ABC television in 1997. Since
1992, Alcorn has served as creator, writer, designer and director of an
on-going animated series of short features, which have appeared on Comedy
Central, Showtime and MTV. McCall, a 1980 graduate in social work, is the regional director of the
Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in Amarillo. She has
been involved with children's welfare since 1976, after beginning her career
as a child protective services caseworker with the Texas Department of
Public Welfare. An adjunct faculty member at West Texas A&M University,
McCall is also worked with the local school district's regional education
program for the deaf. Gattis, who earned his Master's degree in urban affairs in 1981, has served
as the assistant city manager and director of community development for the
city of Benbrook since 1988. A Ph.D. candidate, Gattis received the
distinguished service award from the City Planners Association of Texas in
1995 and has taught graduate courses as an adjunct assistant professor at
UTA. Senator West displayed his political ambitions early in his collegiate career, becoming the first African-American president of the Student congress in UTA history. Owner of a Bachelor's degree in sociology in 1974, West completed work on a Master's degree in 1974 from UTA, and a law degree from the University of Houston. He then turned his attention to the district attorney's office in Dallas County before becoming the state's first African-American chief felony prosecutor. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, serving parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties. Following the 76th legislative session in 1999, Texas Monthly Magazine named him one of the "Ten Best Legislators in Texas." He is also a senior partner in the law firm of Robinson, West and Gooden. A member of one of Arlington's founding families, Tom Cravens has worked his
way from bank teller to CEO and chairman of the board at First National
Bank. In 1994-95, he served as president of the Arlington Chamber of
Commerce, was named "Arlington's Citizen of the Year" in 1996, received the
Richard Greene Community Service Award in 1999 and was named an Arlington
High School Distinguished Colt in 1998. Today, Cravens serves as president
and CEO of Northwest National Bank of Arlington. The Distinguished Alumni Gala is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour in the Palo Duro Lounge. At 6:45 p.m., activities will move into the Rosebud Theatre and at 8:15 p.m. a dinner and evening of entertainment will begin in the Bluebonnet Ballroom. Tickets for the Gala are set at $75 per person and can be reserved through the UTA Alumni Association by calling (817) 272-2594 or 1-800-687-8855.
(Steve Weller)
The University of Texas at Arlington is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
