Criminal Justice Center to Honor Service, Scholarship

A former criminal justice dean and a former director of the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice are among those who will be honored at the Sam Houston State University Criminal Justice Center's annual recognition day on April 27.

Activities for the day begin with a Leadership Luncheon in the Center to recognize student leaders and present the 2006 Defensor Pacem Medal and the Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Charles Friel

Charles Friel, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former dean and director of the College of Criminal Justice, will be awarded the Defensor Pacem Medal.   This award is the most prestigious award given by the faculty and staff, and it is presented each year to an individual or organization that has provided invaluable assistance to the criminal justice field.  

Friel began his career with SHSU in 1967 as the first professor hired to teach criminal justice in the Institute of Contemporary Corrections and the Behavioral Sciences, now the College of Criminal Justice.   In 1986, he was appointed dean and director of the College of Criminal Justice, and during his five-year tenure, he oversaw new developments such as the CJ alumni association, a series of practitioner-oriented books, new endowment and scholarship programs, and specialized credentialing programs for undergraduate students.   He retired in 2005 after 38 years of service.

Janie Cockrell, who received the Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and corrections from SHSU in 1977, will be recognized as the 2006 Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumnus.   She is the first female to hold the position of director of the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, managing 73 facilities and overseeing the security requirements of approximately 145,000 offenders.   She retired from the department in 2003, after 27 years of service.

At   1:30 p.m., the annual Sundial Ceremony will be held at the Criminal Justice Center's main entrance to honor those CJ alumni who serve "the cause of justice throughout the world," as well as remember those who have perished in service this year.   The ceremony is open to the public.

The day's activities will conclude with the Honors Convocation at 7 p.m. in the Killinger Auditorium of the Center.   Vincent Webb, the newly selected dean of the College of Criminal Justice, will be the guest speaker, and approximately 50 students will be presented scholarship awards.

The scholarships and recipients include: Alpha Phi Sigma Scholarship - Haley Gummelt; Brandon Ashley Memorial Scholarship - La Sheria Nance; Shane Bennett Memorial Scholarship - Krystal Cox; James C. Boswell Memorial Scholarship - Brandee Cuffee; Tom Broussard, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship - Kim Bitna; Sarah Janine Cleary and Michael Griffin Cleary Scholarship - Ana Cordova, Lee Eun Ho and Wendy Smith; Diane Cochran Criminal Justice Scholarship - Patricia Decker and Minh Tran; Stacy Countz Memorial Scholarship - Courtney North; Rolando, Josefa and Jocelyn del Carmen Endowed Scholarship - Hector Esparza; and Rolando V. del Carmen Criminal Justice Scholarship - Anna Leggett.

Also, Justin DeSpain Memorial Scholarship - Heather Liner; Clay Dyer Graduate Scholarship - Virginia Wilson; Clay Dyer Undergraduate Scholarship - Cheryl Chisenhall; Michelle Edwards Scholarship - Alaina Grimm; O.B. Ellis and J. Philip Gibbs Memorial Scholarship -   Deirdre Warren; Jared Grant Memorial Scholarship - Elke Horn; Kelly Harris Memorial Scholarship - Jeremy Hale; Lt. Colon E. "Tate" Jordan Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Lydia Richard; Merlyn D. Moore Criminal Justice Scholarship - Jake Nelson; Steve Moore Memorial Scholarship - Lindsey Fulton; National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship - Melissa Heselmeyer; Justin Perdue Memorial Scholarship - Diane Brawley and Mark Patterson; and Wayland D. Pilcher Memorial Scholarship - Ruben Carrera.

Also, LTC Michael A. Lytle Prize Scholarship - Nicole Taylor; Michael Schulze Scholarship - Jonathan Dean and Chang-Bae Lee; Melissa Renee Sinclair Scholarship - Maria Delgado; Jason Stachey Criminal Justice Scholarship - Bryce Lippitz; and Donald J. Weisenhorn Memorial Scholarship - Wendi Sanders.

Recipients of The 100 Club Scholarships are:   N. M. "Mack" Brown Scholarship - Jennifer Pope; Gordon Edge Scholarship - Christina Mitchell; Fred Gebhardt Scholarship - Patricia Decker; Robert T. Herrin Sr. Scholarship - Tatiana Gonzalez; H. Stuart Lang Jr. Scholarship - San Juanita Garcia; Leroy D. Melcher Scholarship - Emily Miller; and Charles F. Milstead Scholarship - Jennifer Rask.

Also, Howard D. Moon Scholarship - Glasey Capuchina; David H. Morris Scholarship - Mark Wilson; T. C. Morrow Memorial Scholarship - Natalie Cinco; E. A. "Bud" Olson Memorial Scholarship - Mike Chaney; Charlie D. Worthen Sr. Scholarship - Robert Howard; and The 100 Club Doctoral Scholarship - Andy DiMambro.

Recipients of the College of Criminal Justice Deans' Scholarships include: George J. Beto Memorial Scholarship - Napoleon Reyes; Margaret Farnworth Graduate Scholarship - Kathleen Born; Victor G. Strecher Scholarship - Hyunseok Jang; Charles M. Friel Scholarship - Alicia Deal; and George G. and Grace M. Killinger Memorial Scholarship - Tamara Wyckoff.

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SHSU Media Contact: Julia May
April 21, 2006
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