Five Will Receive U of M Alumni Association's Highest Honor March 22
For release: Mar. 5, 2003
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

Five individuals will receive the University of Memphis Alumni Association's highest honor at a gala March 22 at The Peabody. Frank Flautt and Allie Prescott III will be recognized as Distinguished Alumni; Gene Cashman will receive the Distinguished Friend Award; and Eric Jerome Dickey and the late Christie Watts Kelly will be named Outstanding Young Alumni.

A reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program. The evening also will feature a silent auction. Proceeds benefit scholarships and programs of the Alumni Association.

Flautt is president of Flautt Inc. and co-founder of Florida-based Sandcastle Resorts. Formerly with Holiday Inn, Flautt has been instrumental in fundraising efforts for the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management. Under his leadership, the school has raised more than $2.8 million in pledges. A loyal booster of the Tiger Clubs, he also spearheaded a $2.5 million effort for the Athletic Office Building addition.

Prescott was president and CEO of the Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball team from 1997 to 2001. He has been a practicing attorney and has served in several community service roles, including executive director of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) from 1989 to 1997. Allie Prescott & Partners manages the executive and administrative functions for the YES (Youth Education through Sports) Foundation.

Cashman is president of LHS Inc. (formerly Le Bonheur Health Systems), a grant-making organization formed after the 1995 merger of Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and Methodist Healthcare. He was a leading force behind a $5 million grant from LHS Inc. that created a partnership to develop educational programs for Methodist and Le Bonheur employees at The U of M.

Dickey is the author of popular novels featuring romance gone awry. His books include Thieves' Paradise, Between Lovers, Cheaters, Milk in My Coffee, Liar's Game, Sister, Sister and Friends and Lovers. After graduating from The U of M, Dickey landed a job as a software designer in the aerospace industry. He also worked as a middle school teacher, actor and standup comedian before becoming a full-time novelist.

Kelly, a devoted wife and mother, author and yoga enthusiast, died from injuries she sustained in a car accident last November. She was active with the U of M Campus School, where her daughter Arabella is a student, and the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School, attended by her son Graham. Kelly had been a yoga instructor and had written or co-authored six books on parenting and health. She was a co-founder of the Memphis chapter of Attachment Parenting International.

For reservation information, call 901-678-5314.

More News Releases