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Today@Sam Article

SHSU To Honor 2011 Service Award Recipients

April 4, 2011
SHSU Media Contact: Julia May

Seven individuals who have displayed outstanding commitment not only to Sam Houston State University but to their respective communities as well have been selected as the 2011 SHSU Alumni Association Service Awards.

Doris Hebert Gimpel, Karen Bain Gray, John and Nancy Hoyt, Scott McCarley, Cindy Pierce, and Billy A. Smith, Sr., will be honored at a luncheon on April 15, at 11:30 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom, for their fulfillment of the university's motto, "The measure of a Life is its Service."

Tickets for the event are $25 for Alumni Association members and $30 for non-members. Reservations can be made by contacting the Alumni Relations Office by phone at 936.294.1841, by e-mail at alumni@shsu.edu., or online at alumni.shsu.edu.

Doris Hebert Gimpel

Doris Hebert Gimpel, a 1959 graduate of Sam Houston State University, was a Texas educator for more than 30 years, teaching pre-school, first, second and third grades at Port Neches – Groves, in the Beaumont ISD, in Houston at the Chapelwood Day School, and in the Richardson ISD.

Among her accomplishments and honors are the Richardson Outstanding Teacher Award, an Honorary Life Member of the National PTA, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Richardson Optimist Cub.

In 1996, she was named Outstanding Elementary Teacher of Year for the State of Texas.

Since moving to Huntsville, she has been active with the Walker County Chamber of Commerce. She has been honored with the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year Award in 2009 and the Volunteer of the Year Award in 2010.

Gimpel has been active through involvement and leadership as a past board member and current volunteer with the Wynne Home Arts Center and a board member of the Friends of the Huntsville Public Library. She is also a member of First United Methodist Church of Huntsville, a past board member of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum board of directors, and a member of Alpha Chi Omega social sorority.

She has been a loyal volunteer and supporter of Sam Houston State University and an active participant with the SHSU Alumni Association. She is a Life Member of the association and has served as a member of the board of directors.

Karen Bain Gray

Karen Bain Gray earned a Bachelor of Science degree in teaching in 1980, a Master of Education degree in administration in 1990, and mid-management certification in 1991, all from SHSU.

She served as an elementary and middle school teacher for the Crosby, Goose Creek and Huntsville Independent School Districts; a pre-K through sixth grade campus administrator in the Willis and Huntsville school districts; and an education leadership coordinator at Region VI Education Service Center.

She was the director of the SHSU Office of Alumni Relations during 2005 and 2006. Under her leadership, the Alumni Association grew in membership, increased events, introduced the online community and alumni directory, and established the first alumni chapter.

After her retirement, Gray continued to work with the Alumni Association, serving as a board member and, along with her husband Bobby, supporting events and making contributions to SHSU. The Grays are Alumni Association Life Members.

Through the years, Gray has been involved with such community endeavors as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Lamb Committee and the PTO and PTA, both as a parent and educator.

She has also been a member of University Women and the Walker County Heifer Scramble Association and a supporter of the Walker County Go Texan Scholarship committee and CASA of Walker and San Jacinto Counties. She is a member of Northside Baptist Church.

Nancy and John Hoyt

Nancy and John, of Hewitt, met at SHSU in 1974 when John was a senior majoring in political science and Nancy was a freshman.

They married in 1977 and moved to Nacogdoches when John was hired by Holly Farms. After several years, Hudson Foods hired John as vice president of sales and marketing, and the Hoyts moved to Rogers, Ark.

In 1988, the Hoyts returned to Texas, where they had the opportunity to reconnect with their alma mater.

Following the tragic death of Nancy’s brother in a skiing accident, the Hoyts established the Greg Lundgren athletic scholarship in his memory at SHSU. They became Life Endowed Members of the Alumni Association and have sponsored numerous association events statewide through the years.

John served as a member of the association’s board of directors for seven years. During the past two years of his term, he served as vice president and in 2009 served as president.

Nancy has served on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Central Texas and numerous committees for the United Methodist Church.

John served as a member of the Executive Leadership Council for SHSU’s recent “Share the Vision” capital campaign and has been a member of the President’s Circle for five years.

He has also served as a member of the championship athletic committee, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum board of directors, and the most recent SHSU presidential search committee.

Scott McCarley

A former member of the Alumni Association board of directors, Scott McCarley
earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science and chemistry in 1973 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 1975.

He has actively participated in or led such alumni initiatives as the Alumni Association membership committee; the board of directors membership phone drive; and the Alumni Association canned food drive for the SHSU Tree of Light ceremony.

In addition to being a Life Member of the SHSU Alumni Association, McCarley has served as a member of the Sam Houston Rodeo Alumni board of directors and has been the Sam Houston Southern Region Rodeo announcer for seven years.

He and his wife, Mary, have established four endowed scholarships at SHSU for students in business, environmental science, the performing arts, and to recognize community service.

McCarley is a member of The Mixed Review, a local band that has played for and participated in benefits, raising over $500,000 in the past 10 years for such organizations as the Good Shepherd Mission; Christmas Cheer Club; M. D. Anderson; SAAFE House; Huntsville firefighters; and Relay for Life.

He has been involved in the Fair on the Square, Sam Houston Folk Festival, 4-H Horse Club, the Audubon Society, Huntsville Community Theater, Texas Outlaw Music Festival, Main Street Huntsville Advisory Board, Walker County Fair Association, and the Airing of the Quilts.

McCarley also supports the Huntsville Rainbow Room, SAAFE House, YMCA and the Grandpersons Center.

Cindy Pierce

Born and raised in Walker County, Cindy Pierce is the owner/operator of Heartfield Florist in Huntsville.

She has been a loyal supporter of and activist for SHSU and the community for many years. Through her business, she has provided hours of planning and decorating for numerous university events.

A Century Club member of the Alumni Association, Pierce supports Bearkat athletics and the agriculture department, as well as the university as a whole through her participation in SHSU activities and programs.

To provide financial assistance for deserving students, she and her husband, Danny, established the Danny and Cindy Pierce Family Scholarship Endowment for agriculture and industrial sciences.

Her community involvement includes serving as past president and current board member of the Walker County Fair Association; current vice president of Walker County Special Utility District; past president of the Junior Service League; and current board member of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce.

She is a graduate of the Huntsville Leadership Institute, and she supports many local organizations including the Pregnancy Care Center and SAAFE House.

Billy A. Smith, Sr.

Billy A. Smith, Sr., a 1979 graduate, founded Midway Oilfield Constructors, Inc., in 1981. With the help of his wife Kathy, four children and many loyal and long-time employees, MOCI has grown with offices now in four states and approximately 250 employees.

The Smiths have given back to SHSU through scholarships in athletics, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Education. They have funded many events at Sam Houston including Let’s Talk, Letterman’s golf tournaments, football auctions, and other events.

Smith is a former Bearkat letterman in football, has been on the Hall of Honor Selection Committee, and is an endowed member of the Letterman’s Association.

He has been instrumental in helping out in area communities through supporting numerous county 4-H fairs and auctions in Madison, Walker, Leon and Robertson counties. The Smiths have also been avid supporters of Madisonville ISD athletic programs and school projects for over 20 years.

The Smiths are members of the First Baptist Church of Madisonville and have been active in the church supporting numerous building projects and the Pathway of Light project each year.

 

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