As a part of Homecoming Weekend, Lubbock Christian University will present the 2014 alumni awards during the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner. A new alumni award was established this year in honor of Dr. Gary Estep and his wife, Pat, to recognize an individual that has made outstanding contributions to the sciences. The dinner will take place on Saturday evening at 5pm in the Baker Conference Center. Dr. Estep joined the LCU faculty in 1971 as Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, and worked his way up to Dean of the College of Professional Studies from 1998-2009. He has continuously served as one of the Health Professions Advisors and as a member of the Texas Association of Health Professions Advisors. As chairman of the LCU Health Professions Committee, Dr. Estep has had a role in the development of physicians, dentists, therapists, veterinarians, nurses, and countless other health care and science related professionals. Because of the significant role Estep has had in the sciences during his 43 year career at LCU, the University has named him the inaugural recipient of the Pat and Gary Estep Award. “Students across the globe have benefitted by Dr. Estep’s high standards of excellence in the classroom and through his living example of Christ’s love,” says Dye. Other honorees at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner are: Dr. Evertt Huffard (’69), Distinguished Alumnus of the Year; Darrell and Anita (Mansell) Price (’69), FW Mattox Award; Dr. John Knox (’84), KC Moser Award; and Shane Shuttlesworth (’01), Young Alumnus of the Year. “We are pleased to recognize members of our alumni community for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions,” says Alumni Director Sheila Dye. “All are deserving and worthy of recognition. It is so gratifying for us to see these who are being recognized and so many of our other graduates and former students making a positive difference in their places of businesses, communities, churches, and other circles of influence.” The Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award is given to an alum who has had significant professional and/or personal achievement. This year’s recipient, Dr. Evertt Huffard, received his Associates of Arts degree from LCU in 1969, and has been teaching leadership and missiology for over 20 years. He specializes in Muslim-Christian encounter and has served a church in Nazareth, Israel and taught Bible at the Galilee Christian High School for five years. Dr. Huffard has served as a co-leader of a delegation of 12 theologians visiting the Israeli and Palestinian delegates in the peace process in Jerusalem. He currently serves as Vice President and Dean of Harding School of Theology at Harding University. The FW Mattox award is given in recognition of excellence and outstanding service to the university. This year’s recipients are Darrell and Anita Price, who were members of the last graduating class with Associate degrees from LCU in 1969. In his 38 years working for LCU, Darrell has served as head coach for men’s basketball, track, and cross country teams, winning 11 national track and cross country championships. He now enjoys full-time teaching. Anita served the university as staff from 1990 until her retirement in 2013. She worked in the Office of the President, making vital contributions to the successful administrations of Presidents Lemley and Jones, and ensured a smooth transition into the office for President Perrin. The Prices have been married for 45 years. The KC Moser award is given to an alum who has demonstrated excellence and outstanding service to the church. This year’s recipient, Dr. John Knox, graduated from LCU with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication in 1984. He is the minister of Granbury Church of Christ and Chaplain of the Granbury Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. He has 26 years of ministry experience and was inducted into the Granbury ISD Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012 for his service to community and education. The Young Alumnus of the Year award goes to an alum aged 40 years or younger for their distinguished service to LCU and/or professional achievement. This year’s recipient, Shane Shuttlesworth, graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology from LCU in 2001. Since then, he has experienced great success in his career at Osteogenics Biomedical, Inc. He worked his way up from Production Manager, to Director of Marketing and Operations, to his current position as president of Osteogenics Biomedical, Inc. Tickets for the Alumni Awards dinner are $15 each and can be purchased at the door.