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Three to Receive Distinguished Alumni, Rising Star Honors During Homecoming

KINGSVILLE (October 14, 2009) —Three alumni of Texas A&M University-Kingsville will be honored Saturday, Oct. 24, when the Javelina Alumni Association meets for its annual Homecoming Luncheon at the Grand Ballrooms in the Memorial Student Union Building. Tickets to the luncheon are $25 with tables of eight going for $200. RSVPs are due by Friday, Oct. 16, by calling 361-593-4176.

Each year a number of alumni are chosen for special recognition not only for their professional achievements, but also for their exemplary service to both their alma mater and their communities. This year two alumni will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award and one will receive the Rising Star Award.

Distinguished Alumni are:

Randall A. Odom, Class of 1957, of San Antonio
Dr. Demarious Keller Frey, DVM, Class of 1959, of Corpus Christi

The Rising Star Award goes to:

Howard A. Garig, Class of 1994, of Conroe

About the Distinguished Alumni and Rising Star Award recipients

Randall Odom

Randall A. Odom, a native of Three Rivers, earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&I University in 1957. He was a four-year recipient of the Central Power and Light Scholarship and was in ROTC. Upon completion of his degree program, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve.

After spending a year working for Humble Oil and Refining Company and two years in the Army, Odom began working for Exxon Company USA where he would remain for 20 years. He served in various geophysical engineering, research and operations positions.

In 1980, Odom joined Geosearch Seismic Processors as partner and shareholder in Geosearch Corp. His next position was as vice president for Daniel Geophysical Company, responsible for designing, building, staffing and managing large mainframe seismic data processing computer centers.

In 1986, Odom began a career with Geco/Schlumberger that would take him to England and Germany. He started as vice president and manager of seismic exploration and soon was named president of Computer Systems Service Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geco U.S. While working in London, Odom conceived, designed and installed Geco/Schlumberger’s first Mega Computing Center using the world’s largest and fastest Fujitsu main-frame computers. He also helped negotiate with the Russian Ministries of Geology and Minerals and won the bid for the first supercomputer center installation in Russia.

In 1997, Odom took early retirement to work with two of his sons in the management of TCS Corporate Services where he is currently vice president and manager of Houston and San Antonio sales and services offices.

Demarious Keller Frey

Dr. Demarious Keller Frey earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&I University in 1959. The Austin native went on to become the first female veterinarian from the university and one of the first from the state. She had to leave the state to pursue her vet degree because the only veterinarian school in Texas at the time did not accept women. Frey received her vet degree from Oklahoma State University in 1963 as one of only four women in the program.

After spending two years as a volunteer in the veterinary service in Ethiopia, Frey and her husband, Dr. Martin R. Frey, opened Padre Animal Hospital in Corpus Christi. She also was the first woman appointed to the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and was appointed to the Texas Racing Commission where she helped spell out minimal standards for horse and greyhound racing in Texas.

She takes pride in helping young people realize their dreams of becoming veterinarians by giving many part-time jobs at the veterinary hospital.

“Texas A&I enabled me to be a better student and realize my dream to become a veterinarian,” she said. “I have always given Texas A&I credit for excellent professors, small classes and a caring administration.”

Frey has received many honors including the YWCA Women in Careers Award, Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of America, Outstanding Alumnae from the Oklahoma State University Women’s Council, Woman of the Year from the National Greyhound Association and a Recognition of Service Award from the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

Howard A. Garig

Howard A. Garig received his bachelor’s degree in natural gas engineering in 1994. Based in Houston, he is the drilling engineering manager for ExxonMobil World Wide Ventures Drill Team.  He is responsible for supervising the engineering design and operational support of the exploration well drilling activities in West Africa, Brazil, Libya, Ireland and Madagascar with a budget of over $3 billion.

His first assignment with ExxonMobil was as a drilling supervisor on a semi-submersible rig in Norway. Garig was the youngest senior operations supervisor in the company in 2001-02 working on a semi-submersible rig in 3,800 feet of water in Angola. Prior to his present role in Houston, he was stationed in Aberdeen, Scotland where he was the North Sea drilling engineering manager, supervising company drilling engineering functions in the North Sea.

Garig is a member of the university’s department of chemical and natural gas engineering Industrial Advisory Board for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) certification. He is an ExxonMobil in-house Drilling Supervisor School instructor and developed the Rig Equipment and Inspection portion. Garig is a member of a three-man ExxonMobil Well Control Taskforce that was appointed to develop a training course to highlight and focus on critical well control issues and implement a global implementation plan.

He completed ExxonMobil’s Global Leadership Workshop at the Thunderbird School of Business in Paris and the Enterprise Leadership Workshop at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business.