Award Recipients Announced for the 45th Annual Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence Luncheon benefiting the Dallas Historical Society
(Featured photo: Stewart H. Thomas giving the A.C. Greene Champagne toast at the 2025 Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence Luncheon.)
The Dallas Historical Society is excited to announce the 45th Annual Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence awards recipients and the luncheon happening on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at the Fairmont Hotel.
Karl Chiao, DHS executive director, along with Mary Suhm, board chair, announced these award recipients, listed below. The 2026 Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence will be the 45th annual award event held by the Dallas Historical Society. The awards were established on behalf of the Trustees of the Dallas Historical Society in 1981. The first Awards program was so well received it was decided to continue the idea of recognizing community service with an annual awards ceremony sponsored by the Society.
Outstanding individuals and organizations are selected for this honor from nominations solicited from the Dallas community. The recipients are chosen for their contribution to the quality of life in Dallas in multiple categories, including Arts Leadership, Creative Arts, Education, Health/Science, History, Humanities, Philanthropy, Volunteer Community Leadership and Jubilee History Maker. Recipients must be residents of Dallas County and willing to accept their awards in person. Awards are not voted posthumously.
At the luncheon, guests mix and mingle prior to a three-course luncheon, inspiring videos honoring the award recipients sharing their often untold stories and highlighting their contributions to Dallas, and awards presentations. The event is topped off with the traditional A.C. Greene Champagne Toast.
Arts Leadership – Jennifer Altabef
Honored for her dedication to the Dallas arts community. She exhibits commitment to our community through her involvement with Dallas Theater Center, KERA, Dallas Zoo, Meadows School of the Arts, TACA, AT&T Performing Arts Center, UTSW President’s Advisory Board to name a few.
Creative Arts – Irma Hall
Honored for her fifty year commitment to the theatrical arts. She is a co-founder of the Dallas Minority Repertoire Theater and has performed on stages across Dallas and the nation and appeared in more than 40 films and numerous television programs. She is a member of the National Association of Negro Women, Actors’ Equity Association, and the Screen Actors Guild.
Education – Dr. Joan Hill
Honored for her dedication to education and steadfast belief in the potential of every child. A champion of innovative and inclusive learning, she advocated for students and independent school education throughout her distinguished career. Head of School at Lamplighter School for 15 years, she left a legacy through a permanent fund that supports educators’ engagement with Dallas’s cultural institutions.
Health/Science Individual – Dr. Robert Gunby
Honored for a distinguished career spanning over 55 years in women’s health. Dr. Gunby has continually advanced the field while maintaining the high standard of excellence for every patient. His expertise in managing complex and high-risk cases has earned him many well-deserved honors.
Health/Science Organization – Mike A. Myers Stroke Center
Honored for its commitment to improving the lives of stroke and traumatic brain injury patients through pro bono speech therapy services. The Mike A Meyers Stroke Center continues to expand access to intensive rehabilitative care while conducting state-of-the art research benefiting both current and future patients.
History – ChildCareGroup Dallas
Honored for their vital service strengthening families, supporting neighborhoods, and helping to build a more resilient Dallas through early childhood education and family support. As the oldest and largest provider of comprehensive early childhood services in North Texas ChildCareGroup has made a lasting impact on generation of children and families.
Humanities – Judge Sam Lindsay
Honored for an illustrious career in public service. Judge Lindsay made history in 1998 as the first African American United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, following a distinguished career that included serving as the first African American Dallas City Attorney.
Philanthropy – Genesis Women’s Shelter
Honored for providing safety, shelter and support to women and children from abusive households for four decades. Genesis offers life-saving services including counselling, occupational therapy, legal services and childcare at no cost .
Volunteer Community Leadership – Linda and John McFarland
Honored for their longtime contributions to the Dallas Community through their volunteer service and leadership in areas of education, health and wellness, humanities, history, and volunteerism.
Jubilee History Maker – Kay Bailey Hutchison
Honored for her decades of public service and leadership she broke barriers as the first woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Throughout her distinguished career, she championed Texas interests, strengthened support for military and space programs, and later served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
Benefactor of the Year – Helen and Senator John Carona
The Dallas Historical Society would like to recognize Helen and John Carona for their generous support of DHS’s mission of preserving history for future generations of Texans.
Underwriting/Sponsorships: Table sponsorships begin at $1,500 up to $25,000 with different levels of benefits. Individual Sponsorship tickets begin at $600 and include one ticket to the Patron Party and preferred seating. A limited number of individual tickets are available at $300 and $175. Visit the website for information: https://www.dallashistory.org/support/dallashistorymakers/
Contact for more information: Ashlee Weidner Witcher, Director of Marketing and Development
ashlee@dallashistory.org or call 214-421-4500 x 107
About Dallas Historical Society
Established in 1922, the Dallas Historical Society is the preeminent organization of its kind in Dallas, collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the heritage of Dallas and Texas to educate and inspire future generations. Housed at the Hall of State in Fair Park since 1938, the Society presents these collections through education programs, exhibitions, tours, access to research materials and workshops. Each year, the Dallas Historical Society is visited by more than 160,000 people and serves more than 20,000 students through guided tours and educational programming at the Hall of State, as well as outreach programs at school locations. More information is available at https://www.dallashistory.org/.
About Hall of State
Built by the State of Texas for the 1936 Centennial Exposition in Fair Park, the Hall of State has hosted events honoring presidents, royalty, heads of state, and other dignitaries for over eighty years. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas, the Hall of State can be rented for private functions ranging from corporate dinners or meetings to weddings or gala social events. Rental fees support the operations of the Dallas Historical Society, which calls the Hall of State “home.”
IG: @dallashistory FB: @DallasHistoricalSociety
*Photos by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent the Dallas Historical Society and post this Philanthropy Lifestyles eBuzz.)
