Texas State honors 2007 Distinguished Alumni

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
October 20, 2007

 

Texas State University-San Marcos honored five former students with the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2007 on Oct. 20 during Homecoming festivities.

The 2007 Distinguished Alumni are Herbierto “Berto” Guerra ’84,  Steve Kemble '82, Marilyn McReavy Nolen '66, Wyatt Payne '80 and Michael R. Young '71.

About the 2007 Distinguished Alumni

  • Herbierto “Berto” Guerra of San Antonio, a 1984 Texas State interdisciplinary management graduate, is chairman-CEO of Avanzar Interior Technologies in San Antonio, the supplier of interiors for Toyota’s Tundra pickup trucks. Prior to joining Avanzar, he served as a top executive with SBC Communications and director of Cinemark USA, Inc.
  • Steve Kemble of Dallas, a 1981 public relations graduate, is founder of Steve Kemble Event Design, one of the most successful special events operations in the nation. Kemble has built a sterling reputation by planning events for presidents and celebrities, and is in high demand as a television media personality.
  • Marilyn McReavy Nolen of Killeen, a 1966 education graduate, won the gold medal in volleyball in the 1967 Pan American Games, competed on the 1968 Olympic team and served as an assistant coach on the Sul Ross State University volleyball squad that won the first two women’s national championships in 1970-71. She was an inaugural inductee into the American Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.
  • Wyatt Payne of Seminole, Fla., a 1980 chemistry graduate who earned his masters in 1982 from Texas State, is a leading authority on the science of wound healing. The plastic surgeon has devoted his career to researching ways to heal chronic injuries associated with vascular disease, diabetes, burns and other persistent, non-healing wounds.
  • Michael R. Young of Austin, a 1977 geography graduate, co-founded the popular Chuy’s Tex-Mex restaurant chain and now presides over a company that boasts 18 restaurants--including seven Krispy Kreme franchises--and is primed for a major expansion throughout Texas and the southwest. In 1995 he was recognized as a Geography Distinguished Alumnus by the Department of Geography for personal and professional achievements.