Alumni Awards
Since 1958, the Texas Law Alumni Association has proudly honored the remarkable achievements of its graduates through Alumni Awards. These awards celebrate the inspiring accomplishments of honorees, reflecting the strength and pride of our alumni community. Recipients, selected by the Alumni Association Executive Committee from peer nominations, are recognized at an annual gala in Austin.
2025 Alumni Award Honorees
Lifetime Achievement: JUDGE HILDA TAGLE KNEBEL ’77
Recognizing a graduate who has had a distinguished career and has brought honor to The University Texas School of Law.
Outstanding Alum: TALMAGE BOSTON ’78
Honoring a graduate who has made outstanding contributions to his or her chosen profession and to society as a whole.
Distinguished Alum for Community Service: ELLIOTT FONTENETTE ’09
Honoring an outstanding graduate who has made exemplary contributions in public, pro bono and/or community service.
Outstanding Young Alum: PAIGE DUGGINS-CLAY ’17
This award recognizes a graduate who has made significant achievements professionally and in their service to the law school.
2025 Alumni Awards
We will honor the award winners with a celebration gala in Austin on September 19, 2025.
Event details to be announced soon.
If you’d like to be among the first to receive event details,
please complete this brief form by June 27.
Past Alumni Award Recipients
View past recipients for each award:
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes an alum who has had a distinguished legal career.
2025 Judge Hilda Tagle Knebel ’77
2024 The Honorable Royal Furgeson ’67
2023 The Honorable Marilyn Aboussie ’74
2021 David Beck ’65
2019 Julius Glickman ’66
2018 Richard Mithoff ’71
2017 Frank Denius ’49
2016 The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison ’67
2015 John H. Massey ’66
2014 Terry O. Tottenham ’70
2013 The Honorable Robert M. Parker ’64
2012 Daniel C. Arnold ’53
2011 The Honorable Sam Sparks ’63
2010 Mark L. Hart Jr. ’68
2009 George C. Chapman ’62
2008 Jonathan S. Day ’65
2007 Rush H. Record ’40
2006 W. Howard Wolf ’59
2005 James B. Sales ’60
2004 Bernard O. Dow ’56
2003 E. William Barnett ’58
2002 J. Mark McLaughlin ’54
2001 The Honorable Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. ’42
2000 Charles Alan Wright
1999 The Honorable Barefoot Sanders ’50
1998 Wales H. Madden Jr. ’52
1997 The Honorable John L. Hill Jr. ’47
1996 Elton M. Hyder ’43
1995 Joyce Burg ’26
1994 The Honorable Jerre S. Williams
1993 C. Chris Marshall ’77
1992 George E. Seay ’32
Outstanding Alum Award
The Outstanding Alum Award honors a graduate who has made outstanding contributions not only to the legal profession, but to society as a whole.
2025 Talmage Boston ’78
2024 Arleas Upton Kea ’82
2023 The Honorable Ronald Kirk ’79
2021 Karen Seymour ’86
2019 Darren Walker ’86
2018 Sandra Phillips ’91
2017 JoAnn Lee ’83
2016 Patton G. Lochridge ’76
2015 Mike McKool ’74
2014 S. Jack Balagia Jr. ’76
2013 Kathryn S. Fuller ’76
2012 Gilbert I. “Buddy” Low ’60
2011 Thomas M. Susman ’67
2010 The Honorable Diane P. Wood ’75
2009 The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth ’67
2008 Linda L. Addison ’76
2007 Jack Ratliff ’62
2006 Ronald D. Krist ’62
2005 The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson ’88
2004 The Honorable Edith H. Jones ’74
2003 Shannon H. Ratliff ’62
2002 The Honorable Thomas G. Loeffler ’71
2001 Stephen D. Susman ’65
2000 David J. Beck ’65
1999 Larry E. Temple ’59
1998 Harry M. Reasoner ’62
1997 Morris Atlas ’50
1996 Joseph D. Jamail ’52
1995 The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison ’67
1994 The Honorable Reynaldo G. Garza ’39
1993 C. Kenneth Roberts ’51
1992 The Honorable Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. ’42
1991 The Honorable Robert S. Strauss ’41
1990 Dean John F. Sutton Jr. ’41
1989 The Honorable James A. Baker III ’57
1988 The Honorable Jack Pope ’37
1987 The Honorable Edward Clark
1986 Wales H. Madden Jr. ’52
1985 R. Preston Shirley ’33
1984 T. J. Gibson ’48
1983 Mark A. Martin ’37
1982 William O. Huie ’35
1982 M. Kenneth Woodward ’43
1981 Benno C. Schmidt ’36
1980 Kraft W. Eidman ’35
1979 Helen Hargrave ’26
1978 Albert P. Jones ’30
1977 The Honorable Joe R. Greenhill ’39
1976 Gus M. Hodges ’32
1975 The Honorable Allan Shivers ’33
1974 Dean W. Page Keeton ’31
1973 Thomas M. Phillips ’39
1972 The Honorable Robert W. Calvert ’31
1971 A. W. Walker Jr. ’23
1970 Tom Sealy ’31
1969 J. Leroy Jeffers Sr. ’32
1968 Charles W. Duke ’31
1967 The Honorable W. St. John Garwood
1966 The Honorable Ireland Graves ’08
1965 Elton M. Hyder Jr. ’43
1964 The Honorable Tom C. Clark ’22
1963 Rex G. Baker Jr. ’47
1962 Francis G. Coates ’20
1961 Hines H. Baker ’17
1960 Sylvan S. Lang ’14
1959 Dan Moody ’51
1958 Charles I. Francis ’17
Distinguished Alum Award for Community Service
Established by the Alumni Association in 1988, this award honors a graduate who brings conspicuous credit to the legal profession by exemplary service. The award recognizes superior educators, outstanding lawyers in government service, or those who have had a significant role as a community volunteer.
2025 Elliott Fontenette ’09
2024 David Hall ’69
2023 Barry Smitherman ’84
2021 The Honorable F. Scott McCown ’79
2019 Shawn Raymond ’99
2018 Carrin Patman ’82
2017 Janiece Longoria ’79
2016 The Honorable David Briones ’71
2015 Regina Rogoff ’73
2014 Nicole B. Cásarez ’79
2013 Joe R. Long ’58
2012 Nina Cortell ’76
2011 Ann Barnett Stern ’82
2010 Mike A. Myers ’63
2009 Catherine Lamboley ’79
2008 P. Michael McCullough ’63
2007 Franci N. Crane ’78
2006 The Honorable Preston M. Geren III ’78
2005 Laura Beckworth ’83
2004 The Honorable James DeAnda ’50
2003 The Honorable Sam A. Lindsay ’77
2002 Martha Smiley ’72
2001 William H. White ’79
2000 Scott Atlas ’75
1999 Charles A. Saunders ’45
1998 Ward R. Burke ’39
1997 The Honorable Tom B. Ramey ’51
1996 Neal S. Manne ’76
1995 Harry M. Reasoner ’62
1994 The Honorable Morris W. Hassell ’42
1993 The Honorable William C. Bryson ’73
1992 John W. Fainter ’63
1991 The Honorable Royal Furgeson Jr. ’67
1990 Harvey Weil ’39
1989 Tom Unis ’41
1988 The Honorable Ray Farabee ’61
Outstanding Young Alum Award
The Outstanding Young Alum Award honors a graduate, 40 years old or younger, who has made significant achievements in his or her career and service to the University. Texas Law honored its first recipient of this award, John B. Connally IV, in Spring 2014.
2025 Paige Duggins-Clay ’17
2024 Brittany Perkins Castillo ’13
2023 Sandra Gonzalez ’09
2021 Carlos Zaffirini ’06
2019 Amanda Tyler ’04
2018 The Honorable Oscar Longoria ’07
2017 Daniel Hodge ’04
2016 Scott A. Keller ’07
2015 The Honorable George P. Bush ’03
2014 John B. Connally IV ’97
Mentor of the Year
The Mentor of the Year—selected by the dean from student nominations—honors an alumnus/alumna who has gone above and beyond to provide academic support, personal direction, and professional guidance to a Texas Law student
2024 Kassandra Gonzalez ’19
2023 Kris Kennedy ’95
2021 Kerstin Arnold ’95
2020 Cynthia Akatugba ’13
2019 Ari Herbert ’17
2018 Karen Burgess ’96
2017 The Honorable Patrick Keel ’89
2016 Lisa Anderson ’88