PJC names Dr. Robert Houston as 2018 Distinguished Alumnus

Published or Revised October 23, 2018

W. Robert “Bob” Houston, Ed.D., has been selected as the 2018 Paris Junior College Distinguished Alumnus. “Dr. Houston has been recognized as an innovator and pioneer in the field of education during a prestigious career at the University of Houston’s College of Education and we are honored to celebrate his accomplishments,” said Dr. Pam Anglin, PJC President. The award will be presented on Saturday, November 10, during the Homecoming Luncheon at Love Civic Center. “I loved my time at PJC and I got a good education which prepared me for a wonderful life,” He credits his English instructor, Mrs. Myra Fuller, for his passion and love for writing. Houston, along with the Academic Hall of Honor Class of 2018, who will be announced in the coming weeks, will be added to an elite group of PJC alumni recognized for professional distinction and achievement. Retiring in 2012 as Professor Emeritus from the UH College of Education, he has been lauded as one of the creators of Competency Based Education, a national model adopted by nearly 400 universities in the United States and still the basis for state standards for teacher education. A member of PJC’s Class of 1947, Houston was involved with the Collegiate Players and Royal Order of the Green Dragon, and was on the Debate Team. “At PJC I received a good, quality education with supportive instructors,” Houston said. “I developed my love for writing at PJC with Mrs. Fuller as my writing instructor.” At the University of Houston, the honoree served as Associate Dean, Executive Director of the Texas Center for University School Partnerships, and Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Education. From 1996 until his retirement, he was recognized as a John and Rebecca Moores Professor. During his career, Houston consulted with institutes of higher education in 18 countries, delivered addresses in 42 states and wrote or edited 40 books while authoring or co-authoring dozens of research reports and more than 100 chapters and articles. He was part of a $3.9 million, five-year grant, Partnership for Quality of Education, through the United States Department of Education involving four universities, six school districts, the Houston Annenberg Challenge and Houston Community College. He served as President of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and was the first recipient of the Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teacher Education, presented by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Houston earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Texas State University, now known as the University of North Texas, and his educational doctorate from the University of Texas-Austin. Houston and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Houston, Texas and have three adult children, John (Minneapolis, Minn.), Ann (Boston, Mass.), and Alan, Durham, England, as well as six grandchildren. Tickets for the Nov. 10 Homecoming Luncheon may be purchased from the Office of Institutional Advancement/Alumni Affairs at PJC in the Rheudasil Learning Resource Center. For more information, contact Derald Bulls, (903) 782-0276 or by email, dbulls@parisjc.edu.