Alumni Association Recognizes Four As Distinguished Alumni

The Baylor Alumni Association bestowed the Distinguished Alumni Award upon four Baylor University graduates in January. The prestigious award has been presented annually since 1965. This year's honorees are:

Paul L. Foster, BBA '79, chairman and CEO of Western Refining Inc. in El Paso. Foster has led preservation efforts in downtown El Paso and serves on numerous community boards. The Paul L. Foster Success Center was dedicated at Baylor in 2007, following his gift of $3 million to the University. Foster is an incoming member of the Board of Directors for the Baylor Alumni Association.

John Lee Hancock, BA '79, JD '82, a director and screenwriter in the movie industry. Hancock has written the screenplays for and directed a number of films, including "The Alamo," "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," "A Perfect World" and "Hard Time Romance." He also directed "The Rookie," wrote and directed the TV series "Falcone" and produced the movie "My Dog Skip."

Jerry Marcontell, BA '58, MD '63, a retired Houston obstetrician-gynecologist who served 31 years in private practice. The co-captain of the Baylor football team that won the Sugar Bowl in 1957, he was a consensus all-Southwest Conference player and Scholastic All-American. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of major and earning the honor of Flight Surgeon of the Year. Marcontell has engaged in conservation of the Big Thicket area in Hardin County.

Alma Rohm, BA '47, a retired Southern Baptist a missionary who now lives in Waco. Rohm served 54 years in Nigeria. Twice the Nigerian government gave her the title of chief, and in 2002, she received an honorary doctorate of divinity from Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary. Rohm served as a teacher at a men's teacher training college (now Bowen University) and at primary and secondary schools.