Every year the Department of Management is honored to recognize one of its former graduates as Alumni of the Year. The honorees are chosen because of their record of distinction in the business community, to the University of North Texas and to the community of North Central Texas. The award winners, listed below, set an example of excellence that current university students can aspire to, and, we couldn’t be more grateful for their contributions or proud to call them Department of Management alumni.
“The list below recognizes only a fraction of the achievements of our former students. We take pride in knowing that the education they received provided a starting point for both successful careers and achievements of service to their communities.”
Nancy Boyd-Lillie, Interim Department Chair
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients:
- 2007 - Fred La Vail
- 2006 - Dr. Elvis Clay Stephens
- 2005 - Darryl G. Thornton
- 2004 - Charlie Bond
- 2003 - Jim McDonald
- 2002 - Carol L. Kyler
- 2001 - Chris Hill
- 2000 - Dr. Paula Ann Hughes
- 1999 - Eileen C. Resnik
- 1998 - Dr. John F. Baum
- 1997 - Kenneth W. Murphy
- 1996 - Sandra K. Stevens
- 1995 - Fred M. Lowery
- 1994 - Elizabeth Sartain
- 1993 - Robert D. Hawley, Jr.
- 1992 - Harris W. Miers, Jr.
- 1991 - William O. Hunt
- 1990 - Jack G. Youngkin
- 1989 - Robert E. Edwards
- 1988 - Gilbert Cuellar, Jr.
- 1987 - Mike R. Bowlin
- 1986 - Dr. Ed D. Roach
Fred La Vail, 2007 Distinguished Alumnus
Fred Stevens La Vail, C.P.M., A.P.P., President of Matt M. La Vail, Inc., is a 1968 graduate of the University of North Texas. He is a second generation OEM manufacturer of communications buildings, enclosures and support apparatus and general contractor for the telecommunications industry at the local, state and U.S. governmental levels. He began his career in purchasing in 1970 as a buyer, first for Gilbert X-Ray, then for Media Associates until 1974. He then joined Harris Corporation, where he moved through the organization, ultimately holding the position of Purchasing Manager for Harris Web Press and Harris Commercial Press Divisions until 1980.
In 1974, La Vail became actively involved in the National Association of Purchasing Management (N.A.P.M.) in Dallas, where he has served in many leadership positions, including President. He has received numerous awards for his efforts, including the Hubert Fuller Award as Outstanding Member in 1990; the Presidential Citation by the Institute for Supply Management National Office in 1999 for his contributions to the local and Forum memberships; and the Harold M. Cosgrove Award in 2004 by the Institute for Supply Management Southwest Forum as outstanding member for his contributions to his profession and to the membership throughout the five-state area.
La Vail currently serves as Chairman of Employment Services for both the Institute for Supply Management-Dallas and the Institute for Supply Management-Southwest Forum. In this role, he facilitates the distribution of information on employment opportunities, aiding individuals to find employment in supply management. La Vail also shares his expertise and experiences in business and supply chain management with students by speaking at universities, including UNT, and local area high schools.
Fred’s wife, Sharie, is a 1967 graduate of UNT and they have two daughters, Elizabeth and Kerri.
Dr. Elvis Clay Stephens, 2006 Distinguished Alumnus
Professor Emeritus Elvis Stephens is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a BBA in Personnel Management in 1958 (he was cited as the Outstanding Senior Student in Management that year) and an MBA in Management in 1959. After teaching at Austin College for two years, he attended the University of Indiana, from which he received the Doctor of Business Administration. He returned to UNT in 1963 as a faculty member in the Management Department. During his 36 years of teaching at UNT he served 9 years as Department Chair. He maintains a connection to UNT by serving on the Management Advisory Board and the President=s Council.
While at UNT he was active in the professional organizations serving as president and other positions in the Dallas Personnel Association, the Fort Worth Personnel Association, the American Society for Training and Development, and the Industrial Relations Research Association. At the national level, he helped develop the Management Practices Accreditation Test for the Society for Human Resource Management, and was the Chairman of the College Relations Committee for two years.
Although he taught several courses in Human Resources, his main interest was, and is, in labor relations. This interest led him to become a labor arbitrator in his spare time, proving that professors often do apply the topics they teach. A member of the National Academy of Arbitrators, he remains active in labor arbitration. Dr. Stephens’ arbitration work has served as an important source for UNT’s Oral History Collection. He has also published arbitration hearings.
He and his wife, Joyce, have two children, Daryl and Jennifer. Altogether the family has six degrees from UNT -- Elvis with two, Daryl with two and Joyce and Jennifer with one each.
