Dean's Circle Awards honor accomplishments of SFA fine arts students, faculty

Dr. A.C. "Buddy" Himes, left, dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts, and Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn, right, recognized sponsors of the 2012 Winner's Circle awards, including Travis Clardy, who hosted the reception and fundraiser in his home, Kayla Rhodes, mortgage lender for Region's Bank, Jan Dawley, branch service leader with Regions Bank, and Gary Stokes, CEO of Nacogdoches Medical Center. Other sponsors were Cal-Tex Lumber Company, First Bank and Trust and Flashback Café.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Members of the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts Dean's Circle recently recognized its 2012 Winner's Circle award recipients at a reception held in the home of newly elected District 11 state Rep. Travis Clardy and his wife, Judy.

This year's award recipients, announced and honored in April, were re-introduced at the reception. Winners were Emily Grogan, who received the Cole Dean's Award in Art; Joshua Zinn, who received the Ledbetter Dean's Award in Music; Brady Weldon, who received the Sidnell Dean's Award in Music; and Grace Hartke, who received the Schmidbauer Dean's Award in Theatre.

Also receiving special recognition was Regents Professor of Art William E. Arscott, who was presented with the Dean's Circle Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for his work in cinematography.

Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn recognized program sponsors Cal-Tex Lumber Company, Nacogdoches Medical Center, Regions Bank, the law firm of Clardy Davis & Knowles, First Bank and Trust and Flashback Café. The Clardys were also presented with a gift for having opened up their home for the program, and Clardy was commended as having been elected as the new state representative representing Nacogdoches, Cherokee and Rusk counties.

The event also served as a fundraiser for the Dean's Circle with current and former students, faculty and supporters of the College of Fine Arts donating items for a silent auction.

The Dean's Circle is an auxiliary group of community members founded in 2008 and dedicated, in part, to nurturing potential young artists within the College of Fine Arts, according to College of Fine Arts Dean Dr. A.C. "Buddy" Himes.