Luncheon Honorees

Men of Distinction

Celebrating Our Honorees: Inspiring Leaders in Medicine

We have had the privilege of honoring men that have made exceptional contributions to Houston and our nation while making a lasting impact on medical research in our community.

Select a date below to view the honorees.

The Men of Distinction Include:

All photos are courtesy of Gittings. https://gittings.com/

The seventeenth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on May 1, 2024, and chaired by Steve Trauber. The luncheon honored…

  • J.P. Bryan
  • Joe Cleary
  • Frank Tsuru
  • Russell Ybarra

The sixteenth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on May 3, 2023, and chaired by John Cangelosi. The luncheon honored…

  • John Arnold
  • Jim Crane
  • Bill McKeon
  • Jim Muntz, MD
  • Dave Ward

The fifteenth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on May 4, 2022, and chaired by Tracy Dieterich. The luncheon honored…

  • Stanley Appel, MD
  • John R. Butler, Jr.
  • Keith Mosing
  • Jim Postl

The fourteenth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on October 6, 2021, and chaired by Michael Mithoff. The luncheon honored…

    • John “Scotty” Arnoldy
    • C. Kent Osborne, MD
    • Gary Petersen
    • Jesse Tutor

The thirteenth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on May 1, 2019, and was chaired for the first time in our history by a physician, Devinder Bhatia, MD  The luncheon honored…

    • David Ott, MD
    • Bobby Tudor
    • Welcome Wilson, Sr.
    • Stewart Morris, Sr.

The twelfth annual Men of Distinction Luncheon was held on May 2, 2018 and was chaired by Scott Schwinger.  The luncheon honored…

    • Rufus Cormier
    • David Poplack, MD
    • Craig Biggio
    • Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale

The eleventh annual Men of Distinction luncheon was held on May 3, 2017, and chaired by Joe Cleary. The event was a sell-out and broke all previous records for both attendance and money raised, honoring…

    • Berdon Lawrence
    • Alexander “Mike” McLanahan
    • Richard Mithoff
    • James Pool, MD

The tenth annual Men of Distinction luncheon was held on May 25, 2016, and chaired by Ric Campo and David Solomon. The luncheon honored…

    • Harry H. Cullen, Sr.
    • Gerald Hines
    • Mark Kline, MD

The 2015 Men of Distinction Luncheon was chaired by Bobby Tudor and held on May 6, 2015, at the River Oaks Country Club. The luncheon honored…

    • O.H. “Bud” Frazier, MD
    • Harry Mach, Jr.
    • H. John Riley, Jr.
    • David Weekley

The 2014 Men of Distinction Luncheon was chaired by Paul Murphy and held on May 7, 2014, at the River Oaks Country Club. The luncheon honored…

    • Ernest Cockrell
    • Charles Fraser, MD
    • Ned Holmes
    • Paul Loyd

The 2013 Men of Distinction Luncheon was chaired by Don Jordan and held on May 8, 2013, at the River Oaks Country Club. The luncheon honored…

    • James W. Crownover
    • Robert C. McNair
    • Charlie Thomas
    • James T. Willerson, MD

The 2012 Men of Distinction Luncheon was chaired by Paul Somerville and held on May 2, 2012, at the River Oaks Country Club. This year was a unique and memorable event honoring…

    • President George H.W. Bush
    • The Honorable James A. Baker

The fifth annual Men of Distinction luncheon was held on May 3, 2011 and chaired by John Eads. The luncheon honored…

    • Fred Burns
    • O. Holcombe Crosswell
    • James H. “Red” Duke, Jr., MD
    • George Mitchell
    • Marc Shapiro

The 2010 Men of Distinction Awards Luncheon held on May 5, 2010 was chaired by Jesse Tutor and honored…

    • Tom Barrow
    • Dr. John Mendelsohn
    • Mike Stude

The third annual Men of Distinction luncheon recognized this year’s outstanding honorees on May 6, 2009, at the River Oaks Country Club, chaired by Jack Kendall.

    • Dr. Denton Cooley
    • Drayton McLane, Jr.
    • Virgil Waggoner

The 2008 Men of Distinction Awards Luncheon was held on May 14, 2008 and chaired by Philip Bahr. The honorees were…

    • Michael E. DeBakey, MD
    • Ralph D. Feigin, MD
    • Walter E. Johnson
    • Don D. Jordan
    • Corbin J. Robertson, Jr.

The inaugural Men of Distinction Annual Awards Luncheon was held on May 9, 2007, at River Oaks Country Club. The 2007 honorees were…

    • D. Kent Anderson
    • Dan L. Duncan
    • Lester H. Smith
    • Dr. John P. McGovern