Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources honored three Texas residents with Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalist Awards on Tuesday (Nov. 10) during its 88th annual Pig Roast at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Exhibit Hall. The Pig Roast also celebrates scholarship donors, recipients and intercollegiate judging teams.

The annual outstanding agriculturalist awards recognize individuals for contributions to various areas of agriculture. This year's recipients are Frank Price for agricultural production; Les Eubank for agribusiness; and Tom Sell for public service.

Frank Price - Agricultural Production. A fourth generation rancher, Price received a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis on ranch management from Texas Tech (1973). He is involved in raising sheep, goats and cattle, as well as in an extensive wildlife hunting program. His involvement in the sheep business has earned him multiple wins during national wool shows throughout the nation. In addition, his intensive style of grazing management has earned numerous awards for ranchland stewardship. Awards for Price include the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association's Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Environmental Stewardship Award. He is currently serving on the boards of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Society of Range Management, and Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association.

Les Eubank - Agribusiness. The West Texas native has more than three decades of banking experience. He joined Plains Capital Bank in 1993. He recently served as West Texas Region Chief Lending Officer and is now responsible for bank management and business development, as well as commercial and consumer lending, serving as President of the Lubbock market since 2007. He received his bachelor's degree in business with a minor in agricultural economics from Tech. Later, he attended the International School of Banking and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. Awards for Eubank include the Bankers Agricultural Credit Conference's Distinguished Service Award (2013). He served as past president of the American Cancer Society of Lubbock, and has been a board member of the Children's Home of Lubbock Foundation and Texas Boys Ranch Foundation.

Tom Sell - Public Service. A fifth generation West Texan, Sell is a principal in Combest, Sell and Associates, an agriculture-focused lobbying firm with offices in Lubbock and Washington, DC. He and his partner, the Honorable Larry Combest began their firm in 2005 to provide guidance for a consortium of national agriculture organizations on the Federal Budget Process. Sell received his bachelor's degree in agribusiness from Texas Tech (1995), and he earned a J.D. from the Tech's School of Law (2006). Following his undergraduate graduation from Tech, he moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. Sell currently serves as Board Chairman of Breedlove Foods focusing on international hunger relief, and sits on the LMHS Foundation Board for Covenant Hospital and the Southwest Little League Board of Directors.

The outstanding agriculturalist awards, established in 1969, are named for Gerald W. Thomas, who served as dean of Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences from 1958 to 1970.

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Jane Piercy, Director of Development and External Relations, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806)742-2802 or jane.piercy@ttu.edu

1111NM15 / PHOTOS: (top to bottom) Frank Price, Les Eubank, and Tom Sell