Joel Allison, Honorary Co-Chair of the Russell Perry Dinner
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(From left to right) Joel Allison, Honorary Co-Chair of the Russell Perry Dinner Committee; Ebby Halliday Acers, Honorary Co-Chair of the Dinner Committee; Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, 2009 Award Honoree; and Dr. Jim Denison, Chair of the Dinner Committee. 2009 Russell Perry Award Recipient Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, along with his wife, Laura, and their son, Ryan, who is a current DBU student. The Lepperts also have two other children, Christian and Catherine. allas Baptist University named Dallas Mayor Convention of Texas, was this year’s dinner chair and Tom Leppert as recipient of the 2009 Russell master of ceremonies. DH. Perry Free Enterprise Award during the The annual gala event marked its 22nd anniversary annual award dinner held on November 23 at the as it continues to honor Texas leaders whose lives are Hilton Anatole Hotel. testimonies of achieve- Ebby Halliday Acers, ment in free enterprise founder and chairman and service to the com- of the board of Ebby munity. The event is Halliday Realtors, and named in memory of Joel Allison, CEO of Dallas leader and phi- Baylor Health Care Sys- lanthropist Russell H. tem, served as the hon- Perry, whose life of ser- orary co-chairs of the vice to Dallas impacted dinner, which saw over many lives. Mrs. Rus- 1,100 in attendance. Dr. sell H. (Phoebe) Perry Jim Denison, founding continues to be a friend president of the Center of the city of Dallas and for Informed Faith and especially DBU. She theologian-in-residence Over 1,100 individuals attended the gala event held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel and Mr. Perry began of the Baptist General in downtown Dallas on Monday, November 23. their support of the in- The DBU Report is a quarterly publication of Dallas Baptist University. DBU Report, 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211-9299. President-Dr. Gary Cook; Director of Development-John Clem; Editor-Blake Killingsworth. Co-Editor-John Turnage. Photos-Emily Garner, Julie Gorski, Josh Harbor, Blake Killingsworth, and Jennefer Wilson. Phone: 214-333-5168; E-mail: [email protected]. stitution in the 1960s. policies that have dramatically improved the quality Over the past 22 years, the dinner has honored of life in Dallas. The crime rate has been reduced by many North Texas leaders, and in doing so, has raised double digits, major firms like AT&T and Tenet Health- over $3.3 million in scholarship funds for over 1,450 care have moved to Downtown Dallas, and construc- DBU students. tion is underway on the Convention Center Hotel, Dr. Gary Cook, DBU president, welcomed those Main Street Garden, the Woodall Rogers Deck Park, gathered and and the Calatrava- thanked them for designed Margaret their support of Hunt Hill Bridge over this special fund- the Trinity River. raising dinner over In addition, the the years. He also city is celebrating introduced a video the opening of the taken from a CBS 11 AT&T Performing newscast concern- Arts Center, more col- ing a mission trip lege football games undertaken by the have found a home DBU Patriot Basket- at the Cotton Bowl ball team. in Fair Park, and The team, along new manufacturing with the cheerlead- plants in Southern ers, headed to Korea Dallas and at the over fall break as a Inland Port have cre- part of the Univer- The DBU Grand Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Holcomb, DBU director ated hundreds of new sity’s “Global Sports of choral studies and professor of music, performed a medley of songs highlighting the jobs. And with his enduring American spirit. Ministry Initiative.” successful initiative Over the past three years, DBU athletic teams have to create green commercial and residential building traveled to Peru and Guatemala. The trip to Korea codes, Mayor Leppert has also helped move Dallas saw the Patriots taking on two Korean university closer to being one of the top sustainable cities in the teams, as well as a group of United States soldiers country. stationed at OSAN Airforce Base. The team also held Additionally, the Mayor has pursued a strong trade basketball clinics and spent time in ministry and wor- agenda, leading delegations to China, Taiwan, Mexico, ship along with Korean Baptist churches. and Canada. In November, Mayor Leppert will be the This year’s award recipient, Tom Leppert, was first Dallas mayor to lead a trade delegation to Korea, elected mayor of Dallas in June 2007. Since taking of- one of the region’s largest trading partners. fice, Mayor Leppert and the City Council have pursued He has also pursued a strong education agenda. Sheila Cook, wife of DBU President Dr. Gary Cook, along with Janet DBU President Dr. Gary Cook welcomed those in attendance and high- Denison, wife of dinner chair Dr. Jim Denison. lighted some of the ongoing ministries of Dallas Baptist University. DBU Report 3 U. S. Congresssman Pete Sessions, repre- Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Dr. Wright Lassiter, chancellor of the senting the 32nd District of Texas, led the provided the invocation for the dinner. The Lepperts are Dallas County Community College Dis- audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. members of First Baptist Church of Dallas. trict, provided the benediction. The Mayor’s Intern Fellows program just completed Prior to becoming mayor, Leppert led major corpo- its second year placing high school students from rations in the areas of construction, financial services, challenged schools in corporate offices for the sum- and real estate. As CEO of Turner Construction, he mer. Operation Front Door has transformed the curb moved the Fortune 500 firm’s headquarters to Dallas. appeal for several campuses. The Ready to Read pre- He also chaired the Greater Dallas Chamber of Com- literacy program has reached thousands of children, merce and still serves on its Executive Committee. and the Mayor’s Chesapeake Energy Scholarships A lifelong community volunteer, Mayor Leppert has continue to provide financial support for students. served numerous community groups and charitable Demonstrating his personal commitment to educa- organizations on both the local and national levels. tion, Mayor Leppert donates all of his mayoral salary He has also served as a White House Fellow in both to scholarships. the Treasury Department and in the White House. Mayor Leppert is on the Executive Committee for Mayor Leppert holds an M.B.A. with Distinction the U. S. Conference of Mayors and recently served on from Harvard Business School and graduated cum the White House Fellows Commission. D CEO Maga- laude from Claremont McKenna College. zine named Mayor Leppert the CEO of the year. He and his wife, Laura, live in Dallas. Their son, Former Russell H. Perry Award recipients Dr. Kenneth Long-time friends and supporters of DBU Ann Quest (left), along with her husband, Cooper (center) and Forrest Smith (right), along with Bill Quest, and LaNeil Wright Spivy. Ann has been an active member of the DBU Forrest Smith’s daughter, Candy Smith. Women’s Auxiliary Board and received the Ruth Award in 2002. 4 Winter 2009-10 DBU Report 5 Dr. David Hasan (left), DBU alumnus who currently C. T. “Sparkey” Beckham serves as a neurosurgeon in Iowa, along with Mark provided personal reflections Cook, son of Gary and Sheila Cook. about Mayor Leppert. Christian, and twins, Catherine and Ryan, are all in husband, watching a movie, and making sure to vote college. They are members of First Baptist Church of Tom Leppert for Mayor the following morning. Dallas. Ryan is a current student at DBU. According to Beckham, “That is the kind of deter- During the dinner, C. T. “Sparkey” Beckham, gave a mination that Tom Leppert inspires and deserves— brief testimony of the character and service of Mayor his ability to inspire others to be their best, to lead Leppert. Mr. Beckham’s daughter, Sara, who passed by example. He is committed to work tirelessly in away in January of this year, had been a supporter of the face of difficult circumstances and honors God in Leppert during the mayoral election. In the midst of everything he does.” the campaign, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid Following the presentation of the award to Mayor leukemia. However, the disease only spurred her on Leppert, the DBU Grand Chorus sang the song, “God to work for the campaign. After months of treatment of this City,” as a testimony to the work of what God and a diagnosis of remission, Sara received a troubling has done and will continue to do in Dallas, as well as result from a blood test. The cancer had returned, and a challenge for those present to join in service to the immediate treatment was needed. But Sara delayed community, taking care of the sick, lost, and afflicted for one night, opting to spend a quiet evening with her in this city. Former award recipients J.L. Sonny Williams (center left) and Gretchen Dr. Bob Dean (left), DBU trustee and executive director of the Dallas Minyard Williams (center right), along with their daughter, Claire, and Baptist Association, and wife Ellen, along with Dr. Bill Pinson, executive Sonny Williams’ sister Mary Barber and her husband, Perry Barber. director emeritus of the BGCT, and wife Bobbie, a former DBU trustee. 4 Winter 2009-10 DBU Report 5 UNDERWRITER CHAIRMAN’S BOARD Arnold Stone Excel Commercial Painting Co. Andy and Joan Horner Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Altshuler Art of Masonry by Robear Exelon Power Texas J. Miles and Allison Arnold Bank of America Robert and Margaret Fanning BENEFACTOR AT&T Dr. and Mrs. Duane Barnett Mr. and Mrs. Brian Fant Mrs. Ebby Halliday Acers BMA Architects Baylor Oral Health Foundation Curt and Donna Dee Floyd The Dallas Morning News The Bolick Foundation Berger Engineering Company Sally and Herschel Forester Granville C.