Mr. M. Scott Taylor ’69 graduated with his B.B.A. in Finance from Texas A&M and his J.D. from the University of Houston Bates College of Law. He was a member of Company E-1 and was an officer in the U.S. Army. Mr. Taylor is a board-certified trial attorney and has a distinguished legal career of more than 36 years. In the legal community, Mr. Taylor served as President of the Angelina County Bar Association, Director and Vice-President of the East Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Chairman of the Area 2-B State Bar Grievance Committee. He is a Life Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Taylor is heavily involved in the 12th Man Foundation, serving on the Board of Trustees for seven years, acting as Chairman in 2012, and was a member of the Kyle Field Redevelopment Committee in addition to Athletic Ambassadors and Champions Council. Further, Mr. Taylor has served on numerous community boards including the Angelina County Child Welfare Board for Protective Services, Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), Hospice, and founded Lufkin’s Young Life. He has endowed two Sul Ross Scholarships and is a longtime member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association.
Hall of Honor Inductees
Colonel Robert D. “Danny” Barr ’68
by amy.thompson
Colonel Robert D. “Danny” Barr ’68 received his B.B.A. in Finance from Texas A&M and his Masters in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University in 1977. He was a member of Squadron 11 and served as Guidon Bearer. Upon graduation Col. Barr commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and attended undergraduate pilot training at Laredo AFB, TX. During four years of flying the C-141A, almost exclusively to Vietnam, he carried Bob Hope on two USO tours. Col. Barr flew three Operation Homecoming trips to Hanoi, Vietnam, repatriating POWs. After one year in Ubon, Thailand, he was assigned to the 89th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB, MD, where he remained for 23 years of his 29-year Air Force career. In 1980, he was assigned to the Presidential Aircrew as pilot and Deputy Presidential Pilot for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. In 1989, he was named the 10th Presidential Aircraft Commander for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He served as lead representative for the Air Force and White House Military Office for the acquisition of the current Air Force One Boeing 747-200 aircraft, 28000, and 29000. Col. Barr has not only flown four sitting presidents and first families, but also Queen Elizabeth II, King Hussein of Jordan, and many more dignitaries. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Atlanta High School. Col. Barr is a longtime member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association.
Mr. Richard Kardys ’67
by amy.thompson
Mr. Richard Kardys ’67 received his B.A. in Government from Texas A&M and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1970. He was Commanding Officer of Squadron 8, a Ross Volunteer, Distinguished Student, and Distinguished Military Graduate. He served as a JAG officer in the United States Air Force from 1970-1976 and is licensed to practice in Texas and Alabama as well as in the U.S. Military Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Since 1980, Kardys has been at Frost Bank in San Antonio as the manager of Frost Wealth Advisors. He is a past chairman of the Texas Bankers Association Trust Financial Services Division, a Certified Trust Financial Advisor, and a Certified Wealth Strategist. He was named the 2015 Aggie Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Aggie Bar Association. Kardys served as chairman of the board of the Association of Former Students in 2005 and chairman of the board of the Texas A&M Foundation in 2012. Kardys is past president of San Antonio organizations including the Federal Bar Association, Estate Planners Council, and Hospice San Antonio. He is a trustee of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the Oblate School of Theology. Kardys is a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus and a longtime member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association.
Dr. J. Malon Southerland ’65
by amy.thompson
Dr. J. Malon Southerland ’65 graduated from Texas A&M with a B.B.A. in Management. He was a member of F2, G-3, A-3, and the Fish Drill Team. After active duty in the U.S. Army he returned to A&M in 1968 as a counselor in the Commandant’s office. After completion of his M.A. (1974) and Ph.D. (1980), both in Education Administration, he was Assistant to the President of Texas A&M followed by Associate Vice President for Student Services. In 1986, he became Interim Commandant of Cadets. Southerland was named Vice President of Student Affairs from 1993-2003. He is a Vice President Emeritus and has served on numerous boards including Chairman of the Board of the Greater Texas Foundation and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation. Southerland has received over 15 awards including the Buck Weirus Spirit Award, the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Student Relationships, and the Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean from NASPA in 2003. Texas A&M and the A&M Foundation named him the namesake of the Southerland Aggie Leader Scholarships, funding over 100 student scholarships. Southerland was named an honorary member of the Ross Volunteers by the Class of ’88 and is a past AFS co-agent of the Class of ’65.
Mr. Paul A. Dresser, Jr. ’64
by amy.thompson
Mr. Paul A. Dresser, Jr. ’64 graduated from Texas A&M with a B.A. with Honors in History and Government. Dresser was a member of Company E-2, Cadet Colonel of the Corps, a Ross Volunteer, and a Distinguished Military Graduate. Upon graduation from A&M, he commissioned as a U.S. Army officer where he commanded a Special Forces camp in Vietnam and was appointed by the President to the White House as Army Aide to the President. In 1970, he earned his M.B.A. from Harvard and joined Badische Corporation. In 1981, Dresser was elected Chief Financial Officer of Chesapeake Corporation and promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Director in 1991 where he served until 1996. Dresser has served on numerous community boards, especially in the fields of healthcare and education. He is the Founding Director of the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation and served on various hospital boards for more than 30 years. A former Rector of the Board of Visitors of the University of Mary Washington, Dresser sponsors scholarships there along with Sul Ross Scholarships at A&M. He is currently involved in the Middle Plantation Club and Meals on Wheels. Dresser is a longtime member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association.