Of the six alumni given the Distinguished Alumnus Award--the highest alumni award at UT-- three this year are McCombs alumni. I. Jon Brumley, BBA '61, James R. Huffines, BBA '73, and Jodie L. Jiles, MPA '79, will each be honored at a ceremony in Austin Oct. 14.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award was created in 1958 by the Texas Exes. Recipients are chosen by a special Texas Exes committee from a group of nominations that can be submitted by alumni or members of the university community.

I. Jon BrumleyBrumley, a resident of Fort Worth, is chairman and CEO of Bounty Investments, LP. He was named, along with his son, as "Entrepreneurs of the Year" in 2005 by Forbes magazine. Brumley has worked for, founded and acquired several companies in the energy business, including eight companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, most notably Southland Royalty Co., Cross Timbers (XTO) and Mesa Petroleum.

Like the other honorees, Brumley is still actively involved with the University of Texas and McCombs. He was the keynote speaker at the 6th Annual McCombs Alumni Business Conference on Feb. 25, where he described his career in the energy industry and the importance of having a strong business plan.

James HuffinesHuffines is president and COO of PlainsCapital Corporation in Dallas. He has dedicated countless hours to the betterment of UT since first being appointed to the University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Rick Perry in February 2003. After completing his initial six-year term he was reappointed for a second term, which will expire Feb. 1, 2015. He currently serves on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee and the Student, Faculty and Staff Campus Life Committee and has also been both chairman and vice chairman of the board.

Other service groups Huffines has participated in include Austin Caritas, Child Care Parternship of Dallas and the March of Dimes. He is married to the former Patty Hayes Shepherd, a 1977 graduate of UT. He was a 2008-09 inductee into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame.

Jodie JilesJiles is managing director at RBC Capital Markets, LLC. in Houston. He is on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership and was chairman in 2005.

Jiles has also served on boards including the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center Development Board. He is also very involved with UT, currently serving on the University of Texas at Austin Development Board and was appointed by Gov. Perry to the Interim Commission on Higher Education.

Previous awards Jiles has received include Scenic Houston's Visionary Award, HISD's Trail Blazer Award and the Texas Southern University's Jesse H. Jones School of Business Alumnus of the Decade award.

Bill McCausland, COO of the Texas Exes, emphasized the strength of this year's recipients:

"The accomplishments of this group once again validate the university's vision of 'What starts here changes the world,'" McCausland said. "Each of our six deserving recipients has proven yet again the lifelong benefits of an education from the University of Texas at Austin."