The Distinguished Alumni of the University of Texas
On June 17, 1885, 34 graduates of the University of Texas organized the University of Texas Alumni Association, later renamed Texas Exes. In 1919, the Association became a separate entity from the University. Since then, the Association has worked hard on the behalf of UT in the Texas Legislature. For example, the Association worked with Texas A&M to help pass legislation to use the Permanent University Fund to issue building bonds for both schools. Since then, the Texas Exes has fiercely protected this vital source of funding for the University of Texas.
In addition to protecting UT’s interests in the government, the Texas Exes does its fair share of fundraising. The Association has led fund-raising campaigns for the Memorial Stadium, the Texas Memorial Museum, the Longhorn Band, several gyms, and the Hogg Auditorium. The UT Alumni Association is also quite active in awarding scholarships to deserving students. The Association awards more than $2 million dollars in scholarships a year.
Distinguished Alumni
The Association began giving its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumnus Award, in 1958. The first recipients were US Treasury Secretary Robert Anderson, legendary Texan politician and US House Speaker Sam Rayburn, newspaper director Ramon Beteta, and history professor Dr. Walter P. Webb.
The prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award is a veritable Who’s Who in Texas and American history. The Distinguished Alumni include great Texas politicians such as Governors John Connally, James Baker, Allan Shivers, former Lt. Gov. of Texas Ben Barnes, and Senator Lloyd Bentsen, writers and journalists such as William S. White, Bill Moyers, and Walter Cronkite, and captains of industry such as John P. Harbin and Jere W. Thompson. Great philanthropists such as Ima Hogg and Nancy Lee Bass (wife of oilman Perry R. Bass) have also been honored.