Joe M. Kilgore Award for Public Service

Kilgore Award Recipients

2009 Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison, United States Senate
2007 William Powers Jr., President, The University of Texas at Austin
2005 Hon. Antonio O. Garza Jr., United States Ambassador to Mexico
2003 Hon. John Cornyn, United States Senate
2001 Senior Captain Bruce Casteel, Texas Rangers
2000 Colonel Dudley M. Thomas, Director, Texas Department of Public Safety

The Joe M. Kilgore Award was established by the Crime Commission to honor persons for outstanding public service. Kilgore was a founding director and executive committee member of the Greater Austin Crime Commission. He was born in Brown County and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. Kilgore graduated from the University of Texas and its School of Law. In 1941, he joined the Air Corps and served during World War II, flying dozens of missions in the Mediterranean, and for his heroic efforts was awarded the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. Kilgore attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and later achieved the rank of major general in the Air Force Reserves.

Following World War II, Kilgore practiced law in Edinburg until his election to the Texas House of Representatives, where he served from 1947-1954. He was then elected to the United States House of Representatives, succeeding Lloyd Bentsen, and spent a decade representing the Rio Grande Valley's 15th Congressional District before relocating to Austin and joining the law firm that later became McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore. He was a regent of The University of Texas System from 1967-1973, president of the UT Ex-Students Association in 1994-1995. Kilgore was named a Distinguished UT Alumnus in 1982 and Austin's Distinguished Citizen in 1987. Kilgore married the former Jane Redman in 1945. The couple had four children. Kilgore passed away in Austin in February 1999.

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