Emcee of WT Distinguished Alumni Celebration announced; RSVP deadline Oct. 2

WTAMU Newsroom
·2 min read

CANYON — A West Texas A&M University graduate and Amarillo television mainstay once again will help the University celebrate its latest class of honored alumni.

Andy Justus, co-anchor of KAMR’s Studio 4 and Local 4 News, will serve as master of ceremonies at The Phoenix during Homecoming Week. The event will begin at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 in Legacy Hall inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus. Tickets are $75. Reservations are due Oct. 2.

To purchase, visit wtamu.edu/phoenix or call the WT Alumni Association at 806-651-2317.

Justus will assist the WT Alumni Association in honoring this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients: Gary Barnes, WT’s former vice president of finance and business, and the late William E. “Bill” Semmelbeck, a WT MBA graduate and professor emeritus of business.

The 2023 Distinguished Alumni for West Texas A&M University are Gary Barnes, left, and William E. “Bill” Semmelbeck.
The 2023 Distinguished Alumni for West Texas A&M University are Gary Barnes, left, and William E. “Bill” Semmelbeck.

Semmelbeck died Aug. 20 after the 2023 distinguished alumni were announced.

Justus graduated from Boys Ranch and then with honors from WT where he was named Man of the Year. He joined the KAMR Local 4 News team in 1997. After spending 4 years as sports director, he moved to the news desk in October 2003.

Andy Justus, co-anchor of KAMR’s Studio 4 and Local 4 News, will serve as master of ceremonies at The Phoenix during Homecoming Week.
Andy Justus, co-anchor of KAMR’s Studio 4 and Local 4 News, will serve as master of ceremonies at The Phoenix during Homecoming Week.

His work in local schools earned him the AISD Warren Kincaid Award in 2007 and the Hero for Children State Education Award in 2006. His reporting earned him a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award. Andy’s accomplishments on the news desk and in the community landed him a spot in WT’s Communication Hall of Fame.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor given by the WT Alumni Association and has been given annually since 1970. In that time, 124 alumni have been honored, including this year’s inductees. Each has gained distinction through their professional achievements in career or military service, leadership and impact in their communities, and support to WT.

Accomplished alumni such as these help WT reach the goals of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Emcee of WT Distinguished Alumni Celebration announced