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  • Presenting the 2025 Baylor Alumni Award winners

    // Posted In Alumni, Faith, Honors, Service

    L-R: Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr., Elizabeth “BB” Sanford, Dr. Joel C. Gregory, and Judge Ed Kinkeade

    Baylor graduates truly do “fling their green and gold afar,” making an impact in virtually any field you can think of. This year’s Baylor Alumni Award winners are no different, with recipients leading the charge in areas ranging from the military and the ministry to the law and our nation’s legal systems.

    Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

    Alumnus of the Year: Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr. (BSE ’93, MSCS ’95), military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. Since graduating from Baylor’s Air Force ROTC program in 1993, Purdy has served with distinction in a variety of roles, including assignments at the Air Force Laboratory, Pentagon, Congress, Space & Missile Systems Center, and U.S. Space Force Headquarters. As military deputy, Purdy is responsible for research and development worth more than $24 billion annually.

    Young Alumna of the Year: Elizabeth “BB” Sanford (BA ’11, MDiv/JD ’17), a trial lawyer in employment-related legal matters with the Dallas-based Sanford Firm. The three-time Baylor graduate has found her calling in representing workers who are wrongfully terminated and protecting individual civil rights. Often recognized for her work (including D Magazine’s Best Lawyers Under 40, Super Lawyers’ Texas Rising Star, and the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40), Sanford continues to return to Baylor as a guest speaker and mentor for students.

    Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service: Dr. Joel Gregory (BA ’70, PhD ’83), emeritus professor at Truett Seminary and president of Joel Gregory Ministries. Gregory taught preaching at Truett for 20 years, including six years as director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching. He also served four student pastorates as well as pastorates at Travis Avenue Baptist, Fort Worth, and First Baptist, Dallas, plus two terms as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

    Pro Texana Medal of Service: Judge Ed Kinkeade (BA ’74, JD ’74), U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. After seven years of private practice, Kinkeade moved to the other side of the bench when he was elected as a Dallas-area judge. In 2002, Kinkeade was appointed to the federal bench as District Judge by President George W. Bush. He currently serves as a trustee with Baylor Scott & White Health and as Jurist in Residence at Baylor Law School, where he also teaches a course on professional responsibility for third-year law students.

    Sic ’em, Bears!