Luncheon Honorees

Men of Distinction

Celebrating Our Honorees: Inspiring Leaders in Medicine

For almost two decades, we have had the privilege of honoring these exceptional individuals whose contributions have made a lasting impact on medical research and our community.

Select a date below to view the honorees.

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 John Cangelosi. 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 event was a sell-out success, honoring…

    • 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. This year’s event was again a sell-out, honoring…

    • 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. This year’s event was again a sell-out, honoring…

    • 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. This year’s event was again a sell-out, honoring…

    • 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…

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

President Bush was not able to attend, but his son Neil Bush accepted on his father’s behalf.

The fifth annual Men of Distinction luncheon was held on May 3, 2011 and chaired by John Eads. The event was a sell-out success, honoring…

    • 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

For their leadership and contributions as businessmen, volunteers and philanthropists in the greater Houston community.

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