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Sul Ross Hall of Honor
About the Awards
The Hall of Honor awards recognize distinguished athletes, alumni, and friends of
Sul Ross State University.
Individuals are awarded for distinguishing themselves through their professional
and personal achievements and contributions, thereby bringing honor and distinction to Sul Ross State University.
The Athletic Hall of Honor recognizes former Lobo athletic standouts, coaches,
sports administrators and boosters for their outstanding contributions to athletics;
their sportsmanship and character.
The Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service recognizes individuals for exceptional service and support to the University. The award is named for
legendary collegiate and professional quarterback, Sammy Baugh, a generous
friend whose fundraising helped provide scholarships to many Sul Ross students.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor that the University and
Alumni Association can bestow upon an alumnus, and recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of notable graduates and alumni.
Sul Ross State University
Distinguished Alumni
1981
Jack Fletcher
Gene Hendryx
2000
Dr. Russell Long
Mark Wood
1982
Norma Young
Dr. Barton H. Warnock
Virginia Duncan Madison
2001
James O. Aplan
Lorenzo G. LaFarelle
1983
Don Jobes
2002
Roy T. McBride
Clete B. Buckaloo
1987
Dan Blocker
Harley May
2003
Jeff Henderson
David Moore
1991
Paul Patterson
James F. Wittenburg
Dr. Jack L. Ruttle
2004
Morris Cranmer
Robert and Laura Eaves
Hall of Honor Program
Welcome and Introductions
Dr. Quint Thurman,
Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Invocation
Don Sugarek, President, Sul Ross Alumni Association
Dinner Buffet
Aramark Dining Services
Award Presentations
1993
John G. Prude
Daniel Bustamante
1994
E. H. “Al” Donaubauer
Rev. Monte Jones
Ray McNeill
1995
Becky Terry
Dr. E. Julius Dasch
1996
Dr. Franklin W. Daugherty
Phil Wayne Ebensberger
Dick Ronald “Ronnie” Sizemore
Dr. Raymond Van Cleef
1997
Pete P. Gallego
Fred W. Davis
1998
Kenneth Batchelor
Jim Cauble
Victor “Vic” Villarreal
1999
Dr. Bobby G. Wixson
Dr. David L. Amsbury
2005
Nellie Morales
Bill Golden
2006
Sam Sparks
Lt. Jerry Byrne, Jr.
Dr. Paul Weyerts
2007
Robie Golden
Gary Painter
2008
Dr. Abelardo “Abe” Baeza
Dr. Roberta L. Rudnick
2009
Dr. Bryan Hobson Wildenthal
Dr. Kern Wildenthal
2010
Dr. James Scudday
Dr. A. Michael Powell
2011
Dr. William F. McDonough
Athletic Hall of Honor Inductions
Don Bandy, accepted by Carla Bandy
Presented by Dr. David Watson, School of Arts and Sciences
Natalie Whitewood Johns
Presented by Kay Whitley, Athletic Director
Victor Villarreal, accepted by Evangelina Villarreal
Presented by Steve Lang, Director of News and Information
Metha and Bill Sprinkle, accepted by Metha Sprinkle
Presented by Dr. Chet Sample, School of Professional Studies
Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service
Peggy and Dan Allen Hughes, Jr.
Presented by Dr. Louis Harveson, Director of Borderlands Research Institute Distinguished Alumni Awards
Dora Alcala
Presented by President Ricardo Maestas
Gary Dunshee
Presented by Chance Campbell, Sul Ross Rodeo Coach &
Liz Jackson, Director of the Museum of the Big Bend
J.T. Rutherford, accepted by Ann Rutherford
Presented by Larry Francell, Jeff Davis County Commissioner &
Marilyn McGhee, Director of Sponsored Programs
Closing and Thanks
Dr. Ricardo Maestas, President
Victor Villarreal
Athletic Hall of Honor Inductees
Victor Villarreal, of Horizon City, TX,
was a 1953 Sul Ross graduate and in
1998, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Sul Ross Ex-Student
Association.
A native of Edinburg, Victor was a U.S.
Navy veteran and attended Edinburg
Junior College and the University of
Colorado before enrolling at Sul Ross in
1951. He was a member of the Lobo
football team for two seasons and after
graduation, coached football, baseball
and boxing in Brownsville for seven
years. His boxing teams won six consecutive regional championships.
Villarreal was an instructor for the U.S.
Border Patrol, an athletic director for
the Department of the Army at Fort
Polk, La., and after moving to El Paso,
was active in boxing circles for many
years as a referee, judge, ring announcer, promoter and tournament director.
He helped promote establishment of the
El Paso Boxing-Karate Hall of Fame
and was later inducted as a member.
Villarreal was also inducted into the Rio
Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in
Edinburg in 2001.
Victor died in 2008 and is survived by
his wife, Evangelina, sons Victor L.and
Glenn Dale, eight grandchildren and
five great grandchildren.
Sul Ross State University Athle c Hall of Honor 1986
Frank Barton
Cuthbert Carll
Norman Cash
Dr. B.C. Graves
Gene Hendryx
H.L. Kokernot, Jr.
Ray McNeill
Mary Jo Peppler
W.H. Perryman
Dr. Paul E. Pierce
John G. Prude
Joe R. Sanchez, Sr.
Ted Scown
Dr. Barton Warnock
Drury Wood
1987
Marshall Bozarth
Jake M. Harrell
Bigham Luna
Otis Parks
Tom Tipps
Jack Fryman
Charlie Laffoon
Marilyn McReavy
Kenneth Stucke
Fuqua Younger
1993
Charles Boyles
Becky Ramos Espino
John Dow Harris
Joel Rance Smith
2003
Albert Garcia
Patricia Bustamante Lange
Bob Richardson
Dorothy Perryman
1994
Leland Caffey
Neville and
Virginia Haynes
Paul Pasqua, Jr.
Dr. A. Michael Powell
2004
Marvin Agnew
Jackie Harvey
Tami-Kajs-Haynes
1995
Freddy W. Davis
Frank Krhut
Glenn Lewallen
Kathryn Stucke
1996
Herb Biedermann
Nora Payne Geron
Dr. Jerry Hudgins
Hon. Pete P. Gallego
1997
Leticia Canales
Jerry Lynn Nixon
William Dudley Rogers
Burnett Williams
1988
Charles Brandon
Herman Hudson
Robert L. Mathis
Homer L. Morris
David Slaughter
John C. Waldrum
1998
Dan Blocker
Ricardo “Ricky” Enriquez
Vicky Vidaña Gonzalez
Bobbie McDaniel
1989
Don Bingham
William D. Cowan
Jacob Henry
Salvador Peimbert
1999
Ray Hendryx
Andrew Hill
Charles E. Prescott
Pete Swain
1990
Dr. Clifford Casey
Erich Hardaway
Earl Miller
Luz Pedraza
2000
Otis “Sonny” Coggins
Stephanie Edgar
Al Ogletree
Dee David White
1991
Alfredo Avila
Robert Cross
Samuel Fowler, Jr.
Dale Garner
1992
Curtis Bozarth
Otto Carrick
Larry Hill
Ray Morrison
2001
Tom Chandler
John L. Higdon
James Mancill
Nanci Ortiz Saenz
2002
Tommy Brakel
Bob O’Day
Edna Ramos Parr
Dr. Wayne Sheehan
2005
Becky Granado
Albert “Flop” Parsons
James Miller
Jerry Sotello
2006
Kim A. Hughes
Leslie Martin Storer
Dr. Chet Sample
2007
Ruth Roman McWilliams
Dana Souter Pannell
Joe George
John Curry
2008
Isaac Beard
Missy Davis Miramontes
Amie Smith
Sanford and Maurine DeVoll
2009
Janna McHazlett
April Ramirez
Maurice Stephens
2010
Jesse Cordero
Victor Flores
Selena Moreno Vega
2011
John Fortenberry
Sam Sparks
Wayne Thorp
Sul Ross State University
Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award
for Outstanding Service
2002
“Slingin” Sammy Baugh
2004
Delbert Dyke
2005
Dorothy Leavitt
2006
Mrs. Paul “Teeby” Forchheimer
2007
John Martin Davis
2008
J. Travis Roberts, Jr.
2009
R. Keith Martin
2010
Barbara Richerson
2011
Lamar Urbanovsky
Don Bandy, of Buda TX, graduated
from Sul Ross in 1982.
Bandy attended Anderson High School
in Austin and Tyler Junior College before transferring to Sul Ross. He was a
member of the Lobo football team from
1980-82. During Don’s years at Sul
Ross, the Lobos shared the TIAA title
(1981) and were the outright champions
(in 1982).
A defensive standout, Bandy was a
three-time Texas Intercollegiate Athletic
Association Player of the Week, earned
all-conference honors, and was an
NAIA All-District 8 and All-American
selection. He served as team captain his
senior year.
In 1981, Bandy was named TIAA Defensive Player of the Week on Homecoming when his bride-to-be, Carla
Avant, was chosen as Homecoming
Queen. After graduation, he started a
service equipment company in Buda
and operated it until his death in May
2012.
“Don was so proud to be a graduate of
Sul Ross,” Carla Bandy said. “We both
loved Alpine and the University. Making lifelong friends from Sul Ross has
been a true blessing in our lives.”
The Bandys, who married in 1983, have
three sons, Kyle, R.J. and Brent, who is
a Sul Ross student.
Athletic Hall of Honor Inductees
2003
Tom Connor
Jesse Hatfield
Don Bandy
Natalie Whitewood Johns
The Harper High School graduate transferred to Sul Ross from Louisiana College and played basketball during the
1997-98, 1998-99 and 2000-01 seasons,
missing one year with an injury. She
was an All-American Southwest Conference selection in 1998-99 and was
named to the ASC All-West Division
first and second teams. She was a twotime team Most Valuable Player and a
three-time ASC Player of the Week.
Johns ranks third on the Lady Lobos’
career scoring list with 1,137 points and
holds five career records, including a
16.7 points per game average. Her 493
points in 1998-99 is a single-season
standard. During one game in 1998, she
and teammate Wendy Smith combined
for 66 points and outscored the entire
LeTourneau team, who were the defending national champions.
“My overall experience at Sul Ross is
something I will cherish the rest of my
life,” she said. “I came to Sul Ross and
it felt like a family and I was treated like
family. I always felt honored being able
to play two sports and it is an experience that will last a lifetime.”
Following graduation, Johns has taught
and coached at Comfort, McCamey,
Harper, Kermit and returned to Comfort
at the start of this school year. She
coached the first-ever softball teams in
McCamey and Harper and her Comfort
team won a district title. At McCamey,
she coached two state powerlifting
champions.
Johns has two daughters, Robin and
Jordon.
Peggy and Dan Allen Hughes,
Jr., of Beeville, established Sul
Ross’ first endowed position
with a $1 million gift earlier
this year. Their gift established
the Dan Allen Hughes, Jr., Endowed Director for Borderlands
Research Institute (BRI).
The couple has a deep commitment to wildlife and land conservation, and Dan Allen serves
Hughes Family: D.A., Peggy, Dan Allen, on the BRI advisory board. In
Elizabeth and Will
2009, Dan Allen was appointed
by Governor Rick Perry to a
six-year term on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
Dan Allen is president of Dan A. Hughes Company, LP; president of Hupecol Operating Company, LLC; and CEO of Maverick American Natural
Gas. He is a member of the Texas A&M University College of Geosciences 2 Advisory Council and is a member of the All American Wildcatters.
He is a 1980 Texas A&M graduate.
Peggy Gorden Hughes is a 1982 Texas A&M graduate, a member of the
Council of Athletic Ambassadors and the San Antonio Champions Council. She is a trustee of the 12th Man Foundation and a member of the San
Antonio Charity Ball Association, San Antonio Symphony, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and the Alamo Heights Methodist Church.
Borderlands Research Institute presently manages about 30 student research projects, totaling more than $2 million in grants. BRI seeks to provide land managers with the most current scientific information on the
management of the natural resources of the area through their research.
“Peggy and I are very pleased we are able to make this gift,” said Dan Allen. “BRI, with the assets of Sul Ross State University, is currently conducting and will continue to conduct much-needed research on the wildlife
of the Trans-Pecos Region. By endowing the director’s position, that person will be able to spend most of his or her time overseeing and growing
the institute.”
Both Dan Allen and Peggy enjoy hunting, fishing, diving and photography.
They are the parents of three children
Slingin' Sammy Baugh Outstanding Service Award
Athletic Hall of Honor Inductees
Natalie Whitewood Johns, a 2002 graduate, played basketball for three seasons
and softball for two years at Sul Ross.
Peggy and Dan Allen Hughes, Jr.
James T. (J.T.) Rutherford
Student, 1947-1948
James T. (J.T) Rutherford attended
Sul Ross from 1947-48, before going on to Baylor Law School and a
long career in public service.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Rutherford was the first chairman of
the House Subcommittee on National Parks and was instrumental in
the creation of the Fort Davis National Historic Site. In 1962, he was awarded the U.S. Department of Interior’s Conservation Service Award. He represented the old 16th District, which extended from Midland to El Paso and for
hundreds of miles along the U.S.-Mexico border.
From 1942-46, Rutherford served in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent 28
months in the Pacific Theatre (Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian) during World War II.
He was wounded in action and awarded the Purple Heart. During his years
of active and reserve service, he rose in rank from private to major. His belief in providing good care for military veterans led him to be active in the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and he served a two-year term as Texas state commander in the 1950s.
Even as a Congressman, Rutherford remained a prominent Sul Ross exstudent, twice serving as keynote speaker during Homecoming . Among the
friendships he made at Sul Ross were Dan Blocker, who starred as Hoss
Cartwright in the TV series “Bonanza,” and Gene Hendryx, Alpine broadcasting pioneer, and former state representative. While at Sul Ross, Rutherford also met his future wife, Sara Jane Armstrong.
Rutherford was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1921. He moved with his
family to Odessa in 1934. “He loved that part of the country and was very
proud of his efforts in establishing the Fort Davis National Historic Site and
Guadalupe National Park,” said daughter, Ann Rutherford.
Rutherford, who passed away in 2006, was preceded in death by his wife,
Sara, in 2004. They are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The couple
had three children, Ann, Charles and Jane.
“Daddy, a man of integrity and thoughtfulness, showed his love of God,
family and country in both word and deed,” said daughter Ann.
Athletic Hall of Honor Boosters
Bill and Metha Sprinkle
Bill Sprinkle served as director of the University Print Shop
from 1969 until his retirement in 1983. He also taught graphic
arts. Metha Sprinkle taught history, English and education
courses at Sul Ross from 1970 until her retirement in 1984. In
1983, she was honored with the first Sul Ross Outstanding
Teaching Award.
Bill Sprinkle, a native of Paris, Arkansas., worked in a number
of community newspapers before coming to Sul Ross. He received a B.S. from Sul Ross in 1967 and M.S. from the University of Arizona in 1969.
Metha Sprinkle, a native of Whitehouse, received a B.A. from
North Texas State University in 1941 and M.A. from Sul Ross
in 1972. Prior to her Sul Ross tenure, she taught 17 years in
public schools in Monahans, Pecos, Chandler and El Paso.
The Sprinkles were associated with Sul Ross athletics throughout their tenures and beyond. Bill died in 1994.
“We have always appreciated the administrators and coaches
for their character, interest in students and their abilities and
performance,” Metha Sprinkle said. “We are happy to claim Sul
Ross as ‘our university.”
Athletic Hall of Honor Boosters
Rutherford was elected to the Texas
House of Representatives from
1948-52; was a member of the Texas State Senate from 1953 to 1954,
and then served as a U.S. Congressman from 1955-1963.
Dora Alcala
Gary Dunshee
B.A. in Business Administration, 1978
B.S. in Animal Science, 1973
Dora earned a Master’s degree in Management
from Webster University in St. Louis, and
worked 37 years as a civilian for the Department
of Defense and the United States Air Force. In
1990, she received an appointment from President George H. W. Bush as the Deputy for
Equal Opportunity for the United States Air
Force at the Pentagon and attained the rank of
Senior Executive.
In 2004, Alcala was appointed to the Board of Regents of the Texas State
University System by Governor Rick Perry, serving a six-year term. Coincidentally, her swearing-in ceremony occurred on the Sul Ross campus in
Alpine.
“It was a wonderful honor to be sworn in at my alma mater,” Alcala said.
“My most memorable experience was serving on the Board of Regents and
being involved with Sul Ross during the building of new student housing,”
she said. “I enjoyed all my years on the Board, looking after the development of the campus as we were growing.”
Following her retirement from the Air Force, Dora formed Alcala & Associates, and worked as a management consultant, trainer and motivational
speaker for her firm.
Gary Dunshee, a 1973 graduate in animal
science, is known nationwide for his saddle-making skills. Dunshee has demonstrated his work at the Institute of Texan
Cultures in San Antonio and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
Dunshee purchased Alpine’s Big Bend
Saddlery in 1977. Brett Collier and Carla
Spencer later joined as business partners.
Big Bend Saddlery creates custom saddles
and specialty leather items for buyers
throughout the world, and maintains a
diverse client list including Tom Selleck,
Nolan Ryan, and Charlie Daniels.
Gary has also built World Championship saddles for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
While a student at Sul Ross, Dunshee competed in rodeo for two years. As
an alumnus, he served as president of the Sul Ross ANRS & Rodeo Exes
Association, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2008.
Gary helped organize several ranch rodeos and later worked with the
WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo to raise funds for Sul Ross
scholarships. He is a member of the School of Agricultural and Natural
Resource Sciences (ANRS) Advisory Board and an avid recruiter for the
University. Dunshee recently helped with the formation of the Sul Ross
Ranch Horse team in 2011.
Dora is the recipient of the Yellow Rose of Texas Award given by then
Texas Governor George W. Bush; the Distinguished Public Service Award
given by the governor of New Mexico; the California Hispanic Woman of
the Year, given by the Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation; and the
Woman of the Year Award from the National Council on Hispanic Women.
Dunshee is a founder of the University’s “Trappings of Texas,” and served
as its curator for 16 years. The event, now approaching its 27th year, is a
juried invitational exhibit that brings together the best contemporary cowboy gear and art. In 2011, Dunshee was presented with the Texas Cowboy
Poetry Gathering’s Heritage Award. The award is given to a person who
works to promote and preserve the cowboy way of life.
This May, Dora was selected as one of the recipients of the 2012 Woman of
Distinction Award given by the Texas Association of Mexican-American
Chambers of Council.
Dunshee, a native of Tucumcari NM, lives in Alpine with his wife Hillary
who is also a graduate of Sul Ross. The couple has two children, Wade and
Mattie.
She and her husband, Alfonso, live in Del Rio and have three daughters
(Diane, Monica, and Nora).
“We have always been proponents of Sul Ross and helped whenever we
could,” Dunshee said. “Sul Ross has been a part of me since I started out as
a student. It’s been good to us and we have tried to do what we can for the
University.” Distinguished Alumni Award
Distinguished Alumni Award
Dora Alcala, a 1978 cum laude graduate in business administration, was the first woman elected
Mayor in Del Rio’s history, serving three terms
until 2006. She also ran for State Representative of Texas House District 74 earlier this year.