SHSU To Recognize Alumni Achievements, Service

Sept. 26, 2014
SHSU Media Contact: Julia May

Sam Houston State University will honor seven individuals who have brought pride to the university through their achievements, examples of good citizenship, and their contributions to society at the Distinguished Alumni Gala on Oct. 10 as part of homecoming activities.

The honorees include Distinguished Alumni Charles Beckner, Hiram L. “Doc” Jones and Robert Sterling Steele; the Outstanding Young Alumnus Carlos Rainer; and the Alumni Association Service Award recipients James B. “Jim” Bexley and Jon and Barbara Bright.

The gala will begin at 6 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom with a cocktail reception, followed at 7 p.m. with a dinner and program. Tickets are $100 each and reservations are requested by Oct. 3.

For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 936.294.1841 or go online to alumni.shsu.edu.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Charles Beckner

Charles L. “Chuck” Beckner

A leader in the steel construction industry, Charles Beckner, ’71, is respected by those who know him for his admirable character, determination, strong work ethic, and honorable reputation.

Among the construction projects in which he has be involved are: Nokia Center, Dallas; Toyota Center for the Houston Rockets, Houston; Hobby Performing Arts Center, Houston; Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine; Infomart USA, Dallas; University of Miami Basketball Arena, Miami; Century Link Center, Bossier City; Flour Enterprises Complex, Sugar Land; and numerous power plants, refineries, manufacturing plants and bridges throughout North America. His vision, business acumen, leadership and partnering with others have been instrumental to mergers and acquisition of strategic business units.

"Chuck, his wife Wanda, and their two sons, Austin and Lance, continue to be an inspiration to all of us,” said Felton S. Dengler III, ’71. “His genuine, honest, hard-working approach to business and life is an example of what the university, state and country should base their success on.”

Hiram Jones

Hiram L. “Doc” Jones

Hiram “Doc” Jones, ’59, has a long history of service to others, going back to when he was a student pastor at Montgomery United Methodist Church while still a student at SHSU.

He was ordained as a minister of the United Methodist Church in 1963 and pastored several churches in Texas before he found his calling as a chaplain in the United States Air Force. For 30 years he served all over the world, focusing on marriage and family counseling and grief recovery for servicemen and women, in addition to his regular duties as chaplain. At his retirement in 1999, he was at the highest level of service in his branch of the non-combatant military and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal to add to his other major awards and decorations.

“Even though he has retired, ‘Doc’ Jones continues to take a lead role in caring for the needs of persons who are suffering from illness, accident, loneliness, aging, and
bereavement,” said Leonard Keeling, ’63. “He accomplishes this through personal calling, visitations to homes, hospitals and care facilities…Though he is not a wealthy man in the financial sense of the word, he is wealthy in experience, wisdom, respect, and faith.”

Robert Sterling Steele

Robert Sterling Steele

Robert Sterling Steele, ’80, was an industrious student who earned a degree in physics at Sam Houston State while simultaneously earning an engineering degree from Texas A&M.

Before his retirement, Steele focused his career on developing the family business, Texas Honing, Inc., which produced precision tools for work in the oil and gas industry. Today, he and his wife, Erin, are successful entrepreneurs, owning and operating Sterling Country Club and two 18-hole golf courses at Houston National; co-owning Sterling Golf, a management company that operates four additional golf courses: Texas A&M campus course, Red Wolf Course in Houston, Golfcrest Country Club, and Pearland Golf Club at Country Place, the latter two in Pearland; and co-owning Turf Technologies, the local distributor of Floratine—a line of products designed to maintain the “finest turf grass surfaces in the world.”

Not only is he active in his community, but he and Erin have generously provided academic scholarships for students through their company and at SHSU, and contribute annually to scholarships provided by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“He is always trying to help people so their lives will be better,” said Carolyn Faulk, ’70. “Robert looks for the best in others and gives the best he has.”

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS

Carlos Rainer

Carlos Rainer

Carlos Ray Rainer, ’96, a partner with the distinguished law firm Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, has consistently been recognized as a leading attorney in matters of business litigation, corporate governance and compliance, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions and proceedings.

He was a member of the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College at SHSU and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in history. He then attended the University of Texas School of Law and graduated in 2000. During his practice, he has represented major insurance carriers, brokers, oil and gas producers, waste management companies, energy service providers, and contractors, among others.

“Carlos is one of the finest, most promising young attorneys in the United States,” said James Olson, Distinguished Professor of History at SHSU and Texas State University System Regents Professor. “His gifts—intellectual acuity, verbal clarity, and clear expository prose—have taken him to the pinnacle of legal success for a young attorney. I am confident that SHSU will someday claim him as one of its most influential alumni.”

SERVICE AWARDS

James Bexley

James Bexley

James B. “Jim” Bexley, chairholder of the Smith-Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking and professor of finance at SHSU, has given service in numerous capacities relating to banking and finance.

He is a former member of the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank for the 11th District in Dallas and served the Fed District as chairman of the audit committee and as a member of the executive committee.

Yet he still finds the time to invest in his students at SHSU. He has developed a banking curriculum that now includes the only four-year accredited BBA degree in banking and financial institutions in the United States and an accredited, web-based MBA degree, also in banking and financial institutions. He teaches banking courses and directs an internship program that produces approximately 40 banking interns each semester.

“With his leadership, Sam Houston State has the nation’s only accredited banking degree, which is highly regarded throughout the state and nation. Through his service on the board for the Federal Reserve Bank, 11th District, and international consulting activities, he has helped others while elevating the stature of our university,” said Frank Holmes, vice president for University Advancement at SHSU. “Dr. Jim Bexley epitomizes our university’s motto that ‘The measure of a Life is its Service.’”

Jon and Barbara Bright

Jon and Barbara Grady Bright

Jon and Barbara, both members of the class of ’61, are often the ones “behind the scenes” of some of Sam Houston State University’s most recognizable activities.

They were active in their Seabrook community when they were raising their children, and they’ve been active with SHSU since their return to Huntsville 20 years ago.

From furnishing meals for the football players after each home game to throwing parties in their back yard to celebrate the recipients of SHSU alumni awards through the years, the Brights have earned the reputation of being the best Bearkat hosts around.

A teacher before her retirement, Barbara also served on the City of El Lago council. Since living in Huntsville, she has served on the Children’s Protective Services board and volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club. She also served 10 years as secretary of the SHSU Alumni Association board, as well as on the association’s scholarship, golf, awards, and gala committees.

Jon continues to commute to Houston for work as a financial planner. On weekends, he can be found feeding approximately 150 football players following home games at Bowers Stadium.

In addition, the Brights are active members of First United Methodist Church in Huntsville, where they served as a mentoring couple for Warren Methodist Chapel in Walker County.

“’The measure of a Life is its Service,’ is not only the motto of our grand old university, but exemplifies the lives of Jon and Barbara Bright,” said Susan S. Lenamon, ’73, 2013 Alumni Association president. “They were active college students and that has continued, particularly with SHSU activities. The bottom line is Jon and Barbara are pure orange.”

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