McMurry University, through the Alumni Association Board of Directors, annually presents the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Young Alumni Achievement Award. The Distinguished Alumni Award, established by the Alumni Association in 1971, honors alumni who have made a significant contribution to their profession, society and to McMurry University. It has been presented to 70 alumni previously. The Young Alumni Achievement Award (previously Spirit of McMurry) was established in 2011 and has been awarded to 10 alumni. This year’s presentation event, which was postponed in April, is being held on Saturday, October 17, 2020. It is closed to the general public but will be livestreamed for the McMurry Alumni Association.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Paul E. Stubbs, MS, D.D.S. ’61
Dr. Stubbs received his BA in Biology from McMurry College and his MS in Physiology from Wayne State University College of Medicine before receiving his DDS from Baylor College of Dentistry. Dr. Stubbs owned and operated family dental practices in the Austin and Georgetown areas for 50 years before celebrating his recent retirement.
Dr. Stubbs previously served on the faculty of McMurry College Biology Department and remains active in the Austin community, serving in numerous civic organizations and is an Elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He has been a volunteer dentist at Austin’s Manos de Cristo Dental Clinic and has participated in various dental mission trips to Mexico, Haiti and Nicaragua. He continues to participate with the Texas Mission of Mercy.
Dr. Stubbs served as President of the Austin District Dental Society and was the district’s nominee for Texas Dentist of the Year in 1981 and 1991; he served the American Dental Association as Chair of the Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations and served as President from 1990-1991 on the Board of Directors of the Texas Dental Association. Appointed by the Governor of Texas to the State Board of Dental Examiners, Dr. Stubbs became involved with the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB), he served as President of WREB in 2008 and was active as WREB Chief Examiner for both dental and dental hygiene board examinations until 2016. Dr. Stubbs received the Gold Medal Service Award from the Texas Dental Association in 2013. He is a Fellow in the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists (ICD), having served as President of the ICD in 2013 and receiving the award of Master Fellow in 2018.
Young Alumni Achievement Award: Shaun Martin ’99
Shaun Martin joined Atmos Energy in December of 2014 as the Manager of Public Affairs after serving as the Executive Director for Junior Achievement of Abilene for three years and serving in numerous capacities for 10 years with Hendrick Health System.
Shaun enjoys giving back and serving the community and the organizations that make Abilene great. He holds numerous community board positions and participates in economic development groups including the United States Air Force – Air Mobility Command – Civic Leader to General Maryanne Miller, Abilene Chamber of Commerce – Military Affairs Committee Vice Chair and Executive & General Board Member, Abilene Industrial Foundation – Board of Directors, Rotary Club of Abilene – Current President; Member & Board of Directors, Civic Abilene – Board of Directors and the Expo Center of Taylor County – Board of Directors to name a few.
Shaun earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Psychology (Summa Cum Laude) from McMurry University in Abilene followed by a Master of Science from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He has returned to McMurry several times to speak to students of various classifications regarding preparing for success after McMurry. He also enjoys following McMurry baseball, softball, and golf.
Outstanding Alumni Awards:
Rochelle McSherry Johnson ’86
Don Taylor ’56
Sarah Sheppard Shaver ’02
Tyler McCracken ’08
Sara von Ende Orr ’93
For a complete biography for each recipient and additional information on all Alumni awards including nomination criteria, visit alumni.mcm.edu/awards.