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Distinguished Alumni to be Recognized During Homecoming

By: Kelli Childre

One of the many highlights and traditions that will be observed during the coming weekend of Homecoming activities at Lubbock Christian University will be the presentation of the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards.

The Office of Alumni Relations will once again host the dinner and awards ceremony that are designed to recognize and honor alumni who have made significant contributions toward furthering Lubbock Christian University and its mission through outstanding accomplishments, careers, and/or through extraordinary measures of service. The dinner will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday in the Baker Conference Center on the LCU campus.   To make reservations, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 806.720.7237 or by emailing katy.roberts@LCU.edu.  Tickets are $12 per person.

The recipients of the 2012 Alumni Awards are Linda Gaither (’72), Distinguished Alumnus Award; Dr. Jean Hines (’82), F.W. Mattox Award; Marcelino Banda (’99), K.C. Moser Award and Amanda Hale (’98), Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Also recognized will be 2011 Young Alumnus of the Year, Kimberly Davis Futrell (’93), who was unable to attend last year’s event.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD: LINDA GAITHER (’72)

The recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus Award for significant personal or professional achievement is popular Lubbock realtor and civic leader Linda Gaither. Linda, a West Texas native, attends the Broadway Church of Christ and graduated in the first four-year class from Lubbock Christian College with a Bachelor of Science in Education.  She went on to receive her Master’s in Special Education and Guidance and Counseling from Texas Tech University, where she also earned her Diagnostician Certification.

After completing her education, Linda taught in the Lubbock Independent School District for 20 years and is currently a realtor at WestMark Realty. Linda serves as a notable civic and professional leader in the Lubbock community and is active in the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. She has also participated on several boards and committees, including Leadership Lubbock, the Texas Boys Ranch, the Children’s Home of Lubbock, the Covenant Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and the CitiBus Advisory Board.

Her outstanding contributions to the Lubbock community are well documented and the impact she has on the entire city is nothing short of amazing.

“Linda serves our community as a woman of integrity and as an outstanding communicator,” said Eddie McBride, Lubbock Chamber of Commerce president, in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche Journal in 2009.

One of Lubbock’s top entertainment and civic leaders, Don Caldwell, told the Avalanche Journal in 2009 that he had known Linda for at least 15 years.  “Her generosity and love of the community is obvious in all of her endeavors,” said Caldwell, who has worked with Gaither on many civic projects. “She is a true community leader and brings a spirit of cooperation to any project she chairs or is part of.  Her objectivity is beyond reproach. I can’t imagine life in Lubbock without Linda Gaither.”

As a sophomore on the campus of LCC in 1970, Linda was witness to the devastation that was caused by the horrific killer tornado that ravaged Lubbock on May 11, 1970.  “I was still on campus, so I volunteered to help J.O. Bell in the (LCC) kitchen cook donated food to feed the volunteers and victims of th storm,” she recalled. “Although I received valuable degrees from LCC and Texas Tech, I gained firsthand knowledge of a community that pulled together during difficult times.  Looking back, I believe that was when I knew I was home.”

Linda says that the greatest lesson she learned as a Lubbock Christian University student is that strong foundations are vital for every aspect of our lives. Regardless of our circumstances, a Godly foundation will support us through the good, the bad, and the ugly times.

F.W. MATTOX AWARD: DR. JEAN HINES (’82)

Dr. Jean Hines is the 2012 recipient of the F.W. Mattox Award.  This award is presented for excellence and outstanding service to the university. Jean currently lives in Lubbock where she is a member at Sunset Church of Christ with her husband, Terry Hines. They have three children: Kenneth Hines (’87), Tammy Turner, and Kerri Greer.

After graduating from Lubbock Christian University first in 1982 with her Bachelor of Science in Education, Jean continued to receive her Master’s in Education in 1988. In 1996, she graduated from Texas Tech University with her Doctorate in Education. Dr. Hines has worked as a teacher at Lubbock Christian School and in the Lubbock Independent School District and has served as a faculty member of Lubbock Christian University since 1989.

Jean says that the greatest lesson she learned while at LCU is to value people and to do whatever you can to help them be successful in their lives. She says that we are all children of God and are here to change lives for the better, something that LCU has always strived to do.

K.C. MOSER AWARD: MARCELINO BANDA (’99)

This year’s recipient of the 2012 K.C. Moser Award for excellence and outstanding service to the church is Marcelino Banda. Marcelino lives in Lubbock and is the founder and preaching minister of the Lubbock Bilingual Church of Christ. He has been married for 35 years to his wife Orphila Banda, and they have three daughters: Yvette Banda Perez (’01), Yvonne Banda (’03), and Christina Banda Ramirez (’08). Marcelino received his Certificate of Graduation in Preaching and in Missions in 1982 from the Sunset International Bible Institute. In 1999, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Bible and Ministry from Lubbock Christian University, where he also earned his Master’s in Bible and Ministry in 2002.

He has been involved in preaching and ministry for 33 years and has worked as the Bilingual Minister at the Denver City Iglesia de Cristo, the Brownfield Church of Christ, the Church of Christ in Edinburg, the Church of Christ in Mineola, and the Broadway Church of Christ. Since becoming the Preaching Minister at the Lubbock Bilingual Church of Christ,

Marcelino has been involved in vacation bible school and community outreach programs at the Parkway Church of Christ. He also visits local hospitals, adult community centers, the local Montford Prison, and the Lubbock County Jail. Marcelino says that what he enjoyed most during his time at LCU were his Bible classes as a non-traditional student.

YOUNG ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR: AMANDA HALE (’98)

Amanda Hale has been selected to receive the 2012 Young Alumnus of the Year Award. The Young Alumnus of the Year award recognizes an individual under the age of 40 for distinguished service to the university and/or professional achievement.  Amanda currently lives in New York City where she recently celebrated her 10^th anniversary at Deloitte LLP and serves as the Senior Manager of the U.S. Global Office.

Amanda graduated from Lubbock Christian University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a minor in Foreign Languages. She went on to receive her M.B.A. with an emphasis in Marketing from Texas Christian University in 2001. Amanda is a member at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City and has been involved in many community outreach programs including one to teach and mentor underprivileged and first generation college students in ethical decision-making for their future careers.

Her most important role model at Lubbock Christian University was her mother and former International Student Counselor in Admissions, Sharon Hale (’91). Amanda says that her mother always took international students under her wing and went out of her way to make them feel at home, something that Amanda still remembers and admires today. Amanda says that the greatest thing she learned while at LCU was to cultivate strong friendships. Many of the friends she made during her time on campus still bring her immense happiness and support. To her, that is what LCU is all about, with God in the center of it all.