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Braly, Furgeson, Ligon Named Distinguished Alumni
From leading health organizations to practicing law, Texas Tech alumni honored at the Distinguished Alumni Dinner this year.
Written by Jean Ann Cantore
Alumni Highlights
The Texas Tech Alumni Association will honor Angela Braly, Royal Furgeson, and Richard Ligon as Distinguished Alumni at its annual reception and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion.
Angela Braly
St. Louis Business Journal selected Angela Braly as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business.
Angela Fick Braly could be called a trailblazer in the business world. During her impressive career, she has held several high-level positions in the health care field, often the only woman to have done so. Her storied career path has been one of hard work and dedication.
Since June 1, she has served as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of WellPoint, the nation’s largest health insurer, based in Indianapolis, Ind. WellPoint is also the largest publicly traded health insurance company in the country and is an independent licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It has been ranked by Fortune Magazine as 35th in the Fortune 500 company listings and ranked 1st overall in Health Insurance and Managed Care on Fortune Magazine’s List of America’s Most Admired Companies. Braly is the only woman currently heading up a top 50 company.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas Tech University in 1982, the native of Richardson, Texas, completed a law degree at Southern Methodist University. Braly went on to practice law and to become a partner in the firm of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh in St. Louis, Mo.
Her next career move was serving as general counsel for RightCHOICE Managed Care Inc. (Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri) from 1999 to 2003, where she worked to resolve numerous legal issues affecting the company. She also oversaw the Missouri plan’s government relations efforts. Her work resulted in the establishment of The Missouri Foundation for Health, which now with more than $1 billion in assets, serves the health care needs of underinsured and uninsured people in Missouri. She then became president and chief executive officer of the Missouri plan, managing all aspects of the business and setting strategies to meet customer needs. For the next two years, she was chief executive officer and president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri, then a subsidiary of WellPoint.
In 2005, Braly moved into a new role for WellPoint, the parent company, becoming executive vice president, general counsel and chief public affairs officer. In 2007, she was chosen for the company’s top position upon her predecessor’s retirement.
Despite her busy career, Braly finds time to serve in the community. She is involved with United Way of Central Indiana, where she is a board member and serves on the Women’s Initiative Committee. She also serves on a number of other community organizations.
Her accomplishments and contributions have not gone unnoticed. In 2000, she was selected by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business. She was named one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare in 2007 by Modern Healthcare Magazine.
Royal Furgeson
Royal Furgeson has had a distinguished legal career both in private practice and in his career as a judge.
Royal Furgeson has been president of the El Paso Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the El Paso Bar Association.
A native of Lubbock, Furgeson graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1964. He earned a law degree, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967.
After completing law school, Furgeson served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, attaining the rank of captain. He served one year in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service upon his Honorable Discharge.
Once finishing his military service, Furgeson became a clerk for the Hon. Halbert O. Woodward, U.S. District Judge in Lubbock. After two years, he became a shareholder in the law firm of Kemp, Smith, Duncan & Hammond, P.C., in El Paso, Texas. After joining Kemp Smith in 1970, he practiced in the trial and appellate courts throughout West Texas for the next 24 years before his appointment to the federal bench.
From 1994 to 1995, Furgeson served as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division. He began serving as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Midland Division in 1995 and continues to serve as such. He moved from the Midland Division in April 2003 to the San Antonio Division.
Furgeson’s affiliations include numerous legal organizations. He has been a member of the American Law Institute since 1982 and the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1987. He is a member of the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation. He is a member of and has been president of the El Paso Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the El Paso Bar Association. He has been board certified in civil trial law with the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Being active in the community is important to the civil-minded Furgeson. He has served as president of El Paso United Way, El Paso Cancer Treatment Center and the Keep El Paso Beautiful Association. In addition, he has served as president of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, El Paso Chapter. He has been a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas since 2000.
For his accomplishments, he was named Outstanding Young Lawyer of El Paso in 1973. He received the Faculty Award and the Community Service Award from the University of Texas Law School and the Leon Green Award, from the Texas Law Review at the University of Texas Law School. He has been named an Outstanding Jurist by the El Paso Bar Association.
In addition, Furgeson has been awarded the Humanitarian Award by the National Jewish Center for Immunology & Respiratory Medicine and the Hannah G. Solomon Award from the El Paso Section of the National Council of Jewish Women.
Furgeson lives in San Antonio, Texas, where his court is located. His wife, Marcellene, lives in Dallas, Texas, where she is executive director of an asbestos trust. Between them, they have nine children: Kelly, Houston, Joshua, Seth, Jill, Christina, Elizabeth, Katherine and Jonathan.
Richard Ligon
For Richard Ligon, agriculture has been a way of life. He has been involved in every aspect of the beef industry from ranching to beef processing to the consumer food industry.
Richard Ligon was named Plainview Man of the Year in 1990.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1958 and a master’s degree in animal science in 1960. He was a member of the Livestock Judging Team while a student and later was instrumental in establishing the Stanley Anderson Livestock Judging Team Scholarship.
After graduation, he served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air National Guard.
Ligon served in 1969 as the first apprentice manager on the JA Ranch for Montie Ritchie, the owner. The ranch is one of the largest ranches and the oldest private cattle company in Texas.
From 1960 to 1966, Ligon worked in the beef division of Wilson and Co. Inc. in Oklahoma City, Okla., and other Midwest cities. He was the beef processing manager from 1970 to 1973. He was president and general manager of Anderson Meats and Provisions Inc., in Oklahoma City, from 1973 to 1975; the company was a major supplier for McDonald’s. In 1975, he became executive vice president and general manager of Cattle Development Corp. Inc. in Amarillo, also a major supplier of beef to McDonald’s.
In 1982, Ligon purchased a McDonald’s Restaurant franchise in Plainview, Texas, which he owned for the next 20 years, until he retired. From 1984 to 1989, he also owned a McDonald’s franchise in Levelland, Texas.
Ligon always found time to help the community. He served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock from 1984 to 2007. His dedication prompted the establishment of The Richard Ligon Ronald McDonald House Service Award in 2002; he received the inaugural award. He was active in the McDonald’s Corp., serving as a member and chairman of the Regional Purchasing Committee. He received the Ronald McDonald Award in 1988.
While living in Plainview, Texas, he was president of the Chamber of Commerce. He served as United Way president, fund drive chairman and budget chairman. He was Hale County Stock Show president and sales chairman. He chaired the Wee Care Child Care Center Fund Drive in Plainview and was a board member of the Hospice of the Plains.
Organizations in which he was involved included Rotary Club International, being a Paul Harris Fellow. He served on the Plainview-Hale County Industrial Foundation and on the boards of Norwest Bank of Plainview and State National Bank of Plainview. He continues to serve on the board of Operators Reinsurance Company, which provides insurance to Texas McDonald’s operators.
He was named Plainview Man of the Year in 1990.
Other honors include the Francis Asbury Award for the Northwest Texas Methodist Annual Conference, the Ray J. Diekemper Lifetime of Community Service Award and the West Texas Spirit Award.
Since retiring and moving to Graham, Texas, Ligon is a member and trustee of the First United Methodist Church. He also serves on the board for the Texas Youth 4-H Development Foundation.
Ligon remains loyal to his alma mater. He has been president of the Texas Tech Alumni Association (1997) and served on the association advisory board for a number of years. He was president during the planning and construction of the Frazier Alumni Pavilion. He is a board member of the Texas Tech Foundation and a member of the Matador Society. He has served on the Texas Tech Wesley Foundation Board and the President’s/
Chancellor’s Council since 1993.
Ligon was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 1997. He received the Outstanding Texas Tech Animal Science Award in 1990.
He and his wife, Bobbie, live in Graham, Texas. They have two children, Greg and Tammy, both Tech graduates, and two grandchildren.
For more information regarding the Distinguished Alumni Dinner, please contact the Texas Tech Alumni Association at 806-742-3641.