Published: October 13, 2007 01:19 am            

SHSU to honor five during homecoming

Five Sam Houston State University graduates who have brought pride to the university through their contributions to business, humanitarian efforts, the medical profession, and public service will be honored as Distinguished Alumni on Oct. 19 as part of the university's 2007 homecoming festivities.

The honorees include Kemper Crabb, Melinda Estes, Roger Lawrence and Cecil Neely, and Peter Bell, the recipient of the university's Young Alumnus Award.

The Distinguished Alumni Gala will take place at 6 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.

Tickets are $60 each or $750 to sponsor a table.

For more information about the event, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 936.294.1841.

Kemper Crabb received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1954 and his Master of Science degree in education three years later, both from Sam Houston State.

He spent 30 years in education as a coach, athletic director, and professor of kinesiology.

However, at a time in life when most people are reflecting upon their past accomplishments and settling into a time of relaxation, something unexpected happened to Crabb. After a mission trip to India, he felt called to return to the impoverished streets of that country to try to make life better for its needy citizens.

Although he was a member of a Baptist congregation, he became an ordained Episcopal minister when he had to get an official sponsor for his work, and in 1994, he organized the Order of Servants of the King, a charity organization that builds churches, schools, orphanages and hospitals in remote areas of foreign countries. His primary emphasis has been in India, Nepal and Uganda.

San Antonio native Melinda L. Estes, M.D., has served as president and chief executive officer of Vermont's Fletcher Allen Health Care, a 562-bed facility whose 6,000 employees provide care to nearly one million people in Vermont and northern New York, since 2003.

She also serves as a clinical professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.

Estes received the Bachelor of Science degree from Sam Houston State University in 1974, majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. She received her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1978, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Prior to joining Fletcher Allen, Estes served as chief executive officer, chief medical officer, and chair of the Board of Governors of Cleveland Clinic Florida.

She was honored with the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award and was recently given the American College of Healthcare Executives-Vermont Regents' Special Recognition Award.

Roger D. Lawrence's name is synonymous with the highly acclaimed banking program at Sam Houston State University.

Lawrence received a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology with a minor in business from Sam Houston State in 1969, and later graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University.

Lawrence's career in banking for over 40 years has spanned positions from clerk to chairman.

In addition to his experience in suburban banks, he has almost 15 years of experience in larger holding company banks.

He retired from Citizens Bank as chairman of the board/president/CEO at the end of 2001 after 15 years of service. During his time at Citizens Bank, he took a small rural bank of approximately $20 million in assets to over $125 million in assets in three locations.

Today he serves as chairman and CEO of Texas Community Bank — a bank he chartered in 2002 along with three other individuals — in The Woodlands. The bank began operations on Sept. 10, 2002, and has since grown into a $210 million institution. He also formed TCB Holding Company in 2005.

Cecil Neely came to Sam Houston in 1953 from Madison County.

After completing approximately 90 hours at Sam Houston State, he joined the United States Army as a private and rose to the rank of brigadier general during the 29 years he served. He was recognized on many occasions for the service he provided that went above and beyond the call of duty.

He holds the nation’s highest peacetime award, the Distinguished Service Medal. He also received the Bronze Star for valor in Vietnam, as well as the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutists’ Badge and numerous other U. S. and foreign awards. He has also been inducted into the Infantry “Hall of Fam”" at the United States Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Ga.

He was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and served as Nation's Duty Officer for the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense.

During the time he was enlisted, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska and earned the Master of Arts degree in history from Sam Houston State in 1971.

After his retirement from the military, Neely began a second career in public service. In 1995, he returned to his Texas roots and took the role of county judge for Madison County.

During his term he improved hospital service, resolved a long-standing redistricting problem to the satisfaction of the Justice Department, and helped reduce property taxes by 43 percent in two years, taking the county from the seventh highest taxed county in the state to approximately the 150th.

He was also instrumental in establishing Madison County's own District Attorney's office to help solve legal problems within that county.

Peter Bell is a young entrepreneur who took a small company and developed it into a major corporation and helped life return to normal for victims following a catastrophe.

He has been named the Outstanding Young Alumnus for Sam Houston State University.

Bell, of Houston, received the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from SHSU in 1993.

At the age of 26, while working in the restoration industry, Bell had the opportunity to start his own company. His plan was to modernize the old services, which were being used in the restoration business while focusing on improving customer service at the same time.

The new venture was named Cotton USA and has evolved into a national disaster recovery business that specializes in catastrophe management, fire and water restoration services, commercial construction, and environmental remediation.

Bell’s company began with a staff of four employees in Houston. Today, Cotton USA has offices in eight states and conducts business throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, and employs more than 400 people. In its brief history, Cotton USA has twice been named one of the top 100 privately held companies making the greatest impact on Houston.

In March 2007, Charys Holding Company purchased the company; however, Cotton retains its name and brand as well as its leadership, and Bell continues to serve as president.

He and his wife Jill Miller-Bell, also a graduate of Sam Houston State, support a number of philanthropic causes. They created the Cotton Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children restore their lives after illness, injury or catastrophic events. The organization has also reached out to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

        

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