Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison Points to Bishop Dunne Students as “Our Next Generation of Leaders” at Oak Cliff Lions Club March 18

Twenty seven Bishop Dunne juniors and seniors attended the Oak Cliff Lions Club Bill Melton Humanitarian of the Year Award ceremony to meet its 2015 recipient, Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. Senator and Texas Treasurer. The first award recipient was former legendary Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry, who received it in 1978.

A true trailblazer, Ms. Hutchinson was a UT law school graduate at a time when there were no women lawyers. She became a broadcast journalist covering politics after graduating from law school when no law firms would hire her as an attorney.

Now a distinguished former senator who recently considered a run for governor, she was quick to note the dignitaries in the room and had two groups stand up. One was “the future leaders of our city, the students sitting in the back,” for which the sold out crowd of 140 people cheered, and then the veterans in the audience, with about 30 standing to be recognized. Two veterans in attendance were from WWII.

A number of former Humanitarian of the Year recipients were in attendance, among them last year’s honoree Jody Grant, who will be receiving the esteemed Linz award next month, along with his wife, for their many contributions to the Dallas community; Michael Jenkins, the 2012 recipient, the President of the Dallas Summer Musicals; and Ruben Esquivel, 2011 awardee and chair of the State Fair of Texas.

Oak Cliff Lion Bill Melton, a former Dallas County Treasurer and “The Voice of the Cowboys” for many years, introduced Ms. Hutchison, a former UT cheerleader and personal friend of his for more than 50 years.

Ms. Hutchison, honored many times throughout her career, is a member of the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, and an author of a number of books. Her speech was directed to the leaders in the room, and she said, “Good behavior is necessary to help our country move forward. We can no longer sit back and ‘not judge’ when others do something inappropriate. We must stand up for each other.”

Bishop Dunne Senior Class President Bernadette Zuniga was moved by her speech. “Senator Hutchison is a true inspiration to women in society. She inspired me to keep moving forward, and not let anyone get in my way. She made me proud to be a part of the United States of America, and I know my senior class members were so thankful to hear her speak.”

Junior Hailey Krista was wowed by the event. “The award presentation was very well run. Everyone there had high spirits, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a significant female figure and hearing about her many accomplishments. Women have been underestimated for so long, especially in the political realm, so it was very empowering for me, personally, to see such a strong woman and hear about her achieving great success in politics. I hope to see more females following in her footsteps, taking a firm position on important issues and pursuing their goals and dreams, regardless of the trials they may face.” She added, “I absolutely loved it!”

Other attendees were equally impressed.

Senior C.J. Ramsey said, “I thought Kay Bailey Hutchison gave a great speech and I especially liked it when she asked all the men and women who had served – the veterans - to stand up and be recognized.”

Captain of the Falcons’ baseball team, senior Paul Lopez, said, “Kay Bailey Hutchison reminded us – the students – that we are the future leaders for not just Dallas, but for the nation.”

Junior Nick Cervenka said, “The talk was very educational. I saw a new side of Dallas and what others do in our community.” A student council volunteer, he elaborated, “I never realized the amount of care that went into making Dallas such a great place to live. As a kid, you sometimes don’t understand how much others do to help keep a community safe and running smoothly, but today I got a feeling of that.” Now he’s considering running for a position on the student council for his senior year.

The standing room only crowd stayed after to meet and greet the Humanitarian of the Year recipients and talk to the Bishop Dunne students who had filled three tables. The students waited patiently for a group photo after the luncheon ended, and each individually shook Ms. Hutchison’s hand and thanked her for her inspiring words. Darrion Daniels, an Oklahoma State University recruit, and A.D. Miller, an Oklahoma University recruit, took some gentle joshing from UT graduate Hutchinson. “Well - you two will be rivals next year!” she pointed out, to the delight of both athletes.

“Yes ma’am,” Darrion said with a nod.

“Not a problem,” A.D. said with a smile.

For more information on Bishop Dunne see the school's website: www.bdcs.org or www.Dunnesports.com. The school is hosting a Golf tournament Monday, April 6, the day after Easter, at Steven's Park Golf Course, and a Legends Dinner at AT&T Cowboy's Stadium featuring football legends Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Bob Lilly and "Mean" Joe Green on Wednesday, April 29, 2015. Information on both events can be found on  the school's website: www.bdcs.org or www.Dunnesports.com, or by contacting Tamishia Moats at tmoats@bdcs.org or call 469-291-1862.

Judith E. Porter, M.T.S., M.B.A.