NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2004

Contact: Eric Gerber
713/743-8189 (office)
713/617-7130(pager)
egerber@uh.edu

GOLD MEDALIST, FORMER TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR AMONG THOSE HONORED
AT HOUSTON ALUMNI ORGANIZATION’S 46th AWARDS DINNER

A five-term lieutenant governor of Texas, an Olympic gold medalist and a prominent philanthropist are among those who will be honored at this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner presented by the Houston Alumni Organization (HAO) at 8 p.m. Friday, May 21.

The 46th awards dinner saluting University of Houston alumni and others will be held in the Legends Ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel, 2222 West Loop South. HAO will be honoring 10 notable alumni and community leaders for their contributions to the university’s development.

Recipients of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards are Leroy Burrell, UH head coach of track and field and an Olympic gold medalist; Rose Cullen, philanthropist and community volunteer; and noted attorney Charles Matthews, vice president and general counsel for ExxonMobil Corporation.

In addition to those alumni honors, HAO will present its Distinguished Service Awards to Richard Coselli, a Houston attorney; Graham Painter, senior vice president of corporate communications for Sterling Bank; and Matthew Provenzano, president of Pro Broadcasting, and his wife, Shirley.

Both William P. Hobby, former lieutenant governor of Texas and former UHS chancellor and regent, and Tilman Fertitta, president/CEO and chairman of the board of Landry’s Restaurants will be presented the HAO’s Chair Award.

The Outstanding Volunteer Award will be given to Becky Hyatt, vice president of J&B International Supply.

Founded in 1940, HAO represents more than 160,000 UH alumni and supports 34 college and department constituent associations and 11 geographically based area clubs. HAO provides a variety of programs, including career services, scholarships and faculty awards, community service projects, and alumni and student programs.

For event information, contact Amy Bailey at 713-743-0828. For more information about HAO visit the Web site at http://www.houstonalumni.com/.

WHAT: Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, May 21
WHERE: Legends Ballroom
InterContinental Hotel
2222 West Loop South
WHO: Houston Alumni Organization (HAO)

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.