Development & Alumni Relations Awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards
2008 Distinguished Alumni (l to r): Carter Smith, Glenn Schur, Marvin Cepica, Jerry Bigham, Keith Hansen, Sean Davis and not pictured: William Lyle
The measure of a college's distinction and influence depends greatly upon the achievements of its alumni and the positions they attain in their respective communities and fields of endeavor. The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established to recognize some of the most outstanding alumni of Texas Tech University's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR).
2007 Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalists
Texas Tech University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources named three individuals as the 2007 Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalists. The honorees were named at the college’s 80th annual Pig Roast on Thursday (Nov. 8) in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Banquet Hall.
The annual award, established in 1969, honors individuals for their contributions to Texas agriculture in the areas of agribusiness, production and public service. The award is named for Gerald W. Thomas, who served as dean of Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences from 1958 – 1970.
This year’s honorees are:
Kenneth R. Bell – Bell graduated from Texas Tech in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. After working for the General Land Office of Texas and Frost National Bank, Bell purchased Quick Line Service Company in 1981. He continues to serve as president and owner to this day. Bell serves on the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s Wildlife Committee, the Texas Wildlife Association and the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.
William F. Bennett – Bennett joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1968 where he taught courses in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, founded the Ambassadors for Agriculture and the Agri-Techsans, and later became the college’s director of development – where he worked to raise the college’s endowment to nearly $10 million. This was the largest endowment on campus at the time of Bennett’s retirement in 1997.
Mark Williams – Williams graduated in 1974 with honors from Texas Tech with a degree in agricultural economics. Williams has served as president for several organizations, including the Parmer County Farm Bureau, the Plains Cotton Growers and the Southwest Council of Agribusiness. Williams has served on the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, the Farmer’s Cooperative Compress, and the National Cotton Council.