Ruth & Ken Altshuler Callier Care Award

The Callier Center was honored to present the Moody Foundation with the Ruth and Ken Altshuler Callier Care Award for their esteemed history as advocates and supporters of children and adults facing communication disorders. As part of this legacy, the Moody Foundation has been instrumental in growing Callier’s pediatric programs, including the Innovation Hub for Pediatric Care and advancing Alternative and Augmentative Communication for children without verbal speech. Jamie Williams, Moody Foundation Director of Regional Grants – North Texas and Moody Medical Research Institute Chief Executive Officer, accepted the award on behalf of the Moody Foundation. Jamie shared the symbol that resonates with her when she thinks of the Callier Center, quoting from Emma Lazarus’ poem, The New Colossus, “‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… ‘For Callier, it’s not so much about the masses; it’s about individuals. For Callier, it’s… Give me your young, your old, your silent ones in need, yearning for the liberty of language.”

Through a generous gift from the David Bruton Jr. Charitable Trust, the Bruton family established the David Bruton Jr. Endowed Lecture Series on Communication Disorders at the Callier Center in 1981. For 40 years, the series has provided continuing education and furthered professional development for students, clinicians, researchers and healthcare practitioners at Callier and in the community.

The Brutons’ generosity has advanced patient care through the dissemination of cutting-edge research by renowned local, national and international speech, language and hearing scientists. Please join us to recognize this remarkable family and honor the memory and legacy of David Bruton Jr.

Betsy and Bennett Cullum share an esteemed history of serving others in their beloved native Dallas.

A trustee on the Foundation for the Callier Center since 2008, Bennett served as president from 2014 to 2015. Under his leadership, the foundation raised essential funds to help build the Callier Center Expansion on the UT Dallas campus. The foundation also generously dedicated the Bert Moore Courtyard to honor the memory of Dr. Bert Moore, former dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The courtyard connects the Callier Center Expansion to the Callier Clinical Research Center.

Betsy’s connection to Callier hails back to its predecessor, the Pilot Institute for Deaf Children — the first center for deaf children in Dallas. In the 1940s, Betsy’s great uncle, Roy Munger, and his wife, Fay, contributed significantly to the Pilot School. In 1962, the Pilot School merged with other Dallas centers to form one cooperative program: the Callier Hearing and Speech Center. In 2014, Betsy co-chaired the Callier Cares Luncheon with her sister Sissy. Together, they led the event to a record fundraising level and are being recognized as honorary chairmen this year.

Bennett is a graduate of St. Mark’s School of Texas, Stanford University and The University of Texas School of Law. During his 45-year law career, Bennett focused on estate planning, probate matters and on civil litigation arising from estate and trust cases. In retirement, he serves as a substitute history teacher at The Hockaday School. He also serves on the Southern Methodist University Libraries Executive Board and on the advisory councils of The Dallas Foundation and Southwestern Medical Foundation.

Previously, Bennett was vice chairman and campaign coordinator of the 1979 bond election campaign for the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. He served as president or chairman of the advisory board of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the Lamplighter School and Educational Opportunities, among others. In 2010, Bennett received the St. Mark’s Alumni Service Medal.

Betsy graduated from The Hockaday School and The University of Texas at Dallas. She holds a master’s degree from Texas A&M University at Commerce in special education and is certified as an educational diagnostician. Betsy has devoted much of her life to children with a focus on early childhood education. She currently serves as the board chair of ChildCareGroup, a 120-year-old organization that is the largest provider of professional day care service in Dallas. Previously, Betsy served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, The Hockaday School, Educational First Steps and Bryan’s House.

Betsy and Bennett have two children and two grandchildren.

Barbara and John Stuart are distinguished Dallas citizens and community volunteers, as well as ardent ambassadors of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at UT Dallas, The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas System.

For over a decade, John has served on the Foundation for the Callier Center board of trustees. He held the office of president from 2016 to 2017. Barbara generously made her mark as chairman of the Callier Cares Luncheon in 2013 and is an honorary chairman this year.

The Stuarts’ passion for education stems from their college days at UT Austin, their alma mater. Barbara was an education major. John graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1958 and subsequently graduated from Southern Methodist University’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

A UT Austin advocate, Barbara was the first woman president of the Dallas Texas Exes. The group honored her as an Outstanding Alumnus, and she received the Top Hand Award, which recognizes an individual who provided extraordinary service to the Texas Exes and UT Austin. In addition, the Barbara White Stuart Centennial Professorship in Texas History was established in her honor.

John served as chair of the Chancellor’s Council for the UT System. He also chaired the UT Austin McCombs School of Business Advisory Council and the Longhorn Foundation. The university honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and he was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame.

After completing his education, John served in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of captain. For more than 50 years, John worked as a banking executive at First Republic Bank and Guaranty Bank. He is the managing partner of Little Elm Investment Company LTD. As a volunteer, John served two terms as chair of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Council and is a life director.  For the Boy Scouts of America, he was a two-term president of Circle Ten Council, president of the council foundation and a regional and area vice president. John is also an Eagle Scout.

Barbara serves on the board of directors for Children’s Medical Center Foundation. A proven fundraiser, Barbara is a former chairman of The Crystal Charity Ball and has chaired events for many important causes including Senior Source’s Spirit of Generations Luncheon, UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Women’s Health Symposium and Baylor Scott and White Dallas Foundation’s Celebrating Women Luncheon, among others.

John and Barbara have two children and four grandchildren.

Brent Christopher is a model of philanthropic leadership, devoted to the betterment of the North Texas community.

Since 2016, Christopher has served as president of Children’s Medical Center Foundation, which supports Children’s Health. For 11 years prior, he was president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT).

Christopher led CFT’s “impact for good” movement to better the lives of people in North Texas and beyond, while the foundation’s asset base grew from $647 million to $1.1 billion. Also, CFT’s total grant-making crossed the cumulative $1 billion mark with a new strategic focus on education and low-income working families.

In 2009, Christopher spearheaded the team that launched North Texas Giving Day –– the nation’s largest day of communitywide giving –– which has infused more than $240 million into the community since its inception. North Texas Giving Day has contributed to the Callier Center’s fundraising efforts, resulting in gifts of more than $400,000 that have benefited patients in need.

While at CFT, Christopher served as a national strategy committee member of the Alliance for Charitable Reform, which educates policymakers about the role of philanthropy in America. In this capacity, he testified before Congress regarding the value of the charitable deduction.

Prior to joining CFT, Christopher was director of development at Children’s Health. His career began as a trial attorney with Cowles & Thompson and later as general counsel at Dallas Baptist University.

Christopher serves on the Austin College board of trustees and is membership chair on the board of The Woodmark Group. Among other volunteer roles, he is a member of the Leadership Council for Commit!, education chair of the YPO Gold Dallas chapter and an active member of The Dallas Assembly.

The Meadows Foundation is a model of servant leadership. The foundation exists to assist the people and institutions of Texas in improving the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations. By serving as a catalyst to help solve the difficult issues of the day, The Meadows Foundation has contributed significantly to enriching the lives of countless Texans.

In 1948, Algur and Virginia Meadows established The Meadows Foundation, a private family philanthropy, to benefit the people of Texas. Since its inception, the foundation has disbursed more than $1.1 billion in grants to more than 3,500 institutions and agencies across the state.

One of the first grants bestowed by The Meadows Foundation was for $500 to the Pilot Institute for the Deaf in 1950. The Pilot Institute was the first center for deaf children in Dallas and later merged with the Dallas Speech and Hearing Center, the Dallas Council for the Deaf and the Callier Hearing and Speech Center to form one cooperative program, now known as the Callier Center for Communication Disorders.

In 1998, The Meadows Foundation contributed to the construction of the Callier Advanced Hearing Research Center in Dallas. The gift helped to expand research laboratories devoted to the study of hearing aids, speech and language of individuals using cochlear implants, and central auditory system processing.

The foundation also furthered the expansion of the Callier Center on The University of Texas at Dallas campus. Their support aided in providing facilities to conduct research, educate students and treat patients in Collin County.

The support of the Callier Center from The Meadows Foundation has helped to shape the future of care for patients with communication disorders in North Texas and beyond.

Dr. Kern Wildenthal is a health care luminary who has inspired generations of administrators, educators, clinicians, researchers, patients and philanthropists throughout his career in medicine.

As president of UT Southwestern Medical Center from 1986 to 2008, Dr. Wildenthal helped build the institution into one of the foremost medical centers in the world. During his tenure, UT Southwestern more than quintupled in size; endowments rose from $40 million to over $1.3 billion; and the quality of the institution’s biomedical research enterprise rose in global rankings to among the top 10 research institutions internationally, including four Nobel Prize winners.

Dr. Wildenthal nurtured a relationship between UT Southwestern and the Callier Center that resulted in collaborations including the Callier Child Development Program, the Cochlear Implant Program, and a joint program to evaluate and treat children with autism.

Upon his retirement from UT Southwestern, community leaders, faculty and staff donated more than $20 million in his honor to establish the “Kern Wildenthal Endowment Fund,” along with an endowed Distinguished Chair and two Professorships in his name. He was also elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame –– the first leader of a non-profit organization to be so honored.

Dr. Wildenthal has served on non-profit boards including the Dallas Citizens Council, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Dallas Assembly, Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony, Dallas Museum of Art and Dallas Center for Performing Arts Foundation. He is a trustee of the Moncrief Cancer Foundation, Hamon Charitable Foundation, Hoblitzelle Foundation, Reves Foundation and Southwestern Medical Foundation.

In addition to his position as President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at UT Southwestern, Dr. Wildenthal currently serves as a consultant for Children’s Health System of Texas and Past President of Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

Dr. Wildenthal and his wife, Marnie, have two daughters and five grandchildren.

Stuart Bumpas is a prominent attorney and an esteemed community advocate. He personifies the philanthropic spirit of Dallas. For more than 30 years, Stuart has influenced and contributed to the Callier Center’s growth through his service on the board of trustees of the Foundation for the Callier Center and Communication Disorders.

Stuart was invited to serve on the board in 1981 by the late Nelle Johnston. Nelle, along with UT Dallas co-founder Erik Jonsson and Callier founding director Dr. Aram Glorig, formed the visionary committee that established the Callier Hearing and Speech Center in 1963.
During his time on the foundation board, Stuart helped to secure a grant from the Crystal Charity Ball, which served as a catalyst in funding the cochlear implant program in 1993. He also engaged in the foundation’s efforts to collectively raise funds for significant capital projects, including the Advanced Hearing Research Center in Dallas, the Callier Richardson facility, the Callier Autism Center in Dallas, and the 50,000-square-foot Callier Center expansion on the UT Dallas campus that is scheduled for completion in the fall.

Stuart is a partner at Locke Lord LLP, where he focuses on tax, employee benefits, non-profit organizations and art law. He is listed in Who’s Who in America and Best Lawyers in America, which named him 2014 Lawyer of the Year for Non-profit/Charities in Dallas.

Stuart gives back to many organizations in the community, including serving as legal counsel for the Dallas Museum of Art, the President John F. Kennedy Commemorative Foundation and the Hockaday School. He also serves on the boards of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Meadows Museum, and chairs the Advisory Council of The Dallas Foundation.

Stuart has been married to his wife Diane for 39 years. Their son, Joe, lives in Dallas.

Mike McCullough is a distinguished attorney, an inspired community leader and a Dallas luminary. The Callier Center would not be where it is today without Mike’s quiet dedication and staunch advocacy of Callier’s mission since its inception in 1963.

Mike’s relationship with Callier began when he was a young attorney at Thompson & Knight. Under the tutelage of the late Sol Goodell, a senior partner, Mike was asked to help with legal work for the Callier Hearing and Speech Center. In 1968, Mike and Sol prepared the documentation for the facility constructed at 1966 Inwood Road, where Callier continues to operate its Dallas location. In 1975, when Callier became part of UT Dallas, Mike and Sol completed the transfer agreement.

Mike was instrumental in obtaining the IRS ruling when the Callier Hearing and Speech Center became the Foundation for the Callier Center and Communication Disorders. Mike joined the foundation board in 1987 and served as president from 2003-2004. During this time, trustees contributed $250,000 toward the construction of Callier’s satellite location on the UT Dallas campus. They also raised money to help build an extension in Dallas to provide additional space for the Callier Child Development Program. Mike continues to serve Callier in his current role as “Of Counsel” to the foundation board.

Mike is a recognized expert in estate planning and probate law, federal income tax matters, charitable planned giving, and the representation of tax-exempt organizations including private foundations. Woodward/White Inc. named him Dallas Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” in 2011 and among The Best Lawyers in America (Tax Law, Trusts and Estates) from 1987-2014.

Mike received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community Service from The University of Texas School of Law in 2008. He received the Dallas Historical Society Volunteer Leadership Award in 2007, the Children’s Medical Center Joe M. Dealey Award for Volunteer Leadership in 1998 and the Dallas Lawyers Auxiliary Justinian Award in 1994. He has served on The Crystal Charity Advisory Board, the Dallas Symphony Foundation Board, as chairman of the Baptist Foundation Board and as chairman of the Board of Regents at Texas Woman’s University. He serves on the advisory board of the DFW Metroplex Salvation Army, the board of the Meadows Foundation, The Marilyn Augur Family Foundation, The Goodell Foundation and The Murrell Foundation. He is an active member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and Park Cities Baptist Church.

Mike and his wife, Sharon, have two daughters, two daughters-in-law and two sons and two sons-in-law and thirteen grandchildren.

Sara T. Martineau is a servant leader, a consummate volunteer and a model citizen in a class all her own. The Callier Center is proud to call Sara a long-standing passionate advocate and a treasured friend. Sara’s dedication to Callier began over 20 years ago when she chaired The Crystal Charity Ball in 1993, the year that Callier received funding for the Cochlear Implant Program. Bringing hearing to the deaf captured Sara’s heart, and the following year, she became a member of the Foundation for the Callier Center Board. From 2006-2008, Sara served as the foundation’s president, and she continues to be an active emeritus member today. In addition, Sara served on the instrumental committee that created the Callier Cares Luncheon with the purpose of raising awareness and funds to benefit patients in need.

Sara has given decades of service in Dallas beginning with her involvement in the Junior League of Dallas and The Crystal Charity Ball, where she has supported the missions of many organizations throughout the city. Sara’s love of the arts is exemplified through her involvement on the Dallas Summer Musicals Board, SMU Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board and The Dallas Opera Women’s Board. Sara is a founding charter member of the March of Dimes, Texas Society-Dallas Division. She also serves on UT Southwestern Medical Center’s President Research Council. At The University of Texas at Dallas, Sara is a member of the University Campaign Council and a Life Member of the Development Board.

For her leadership, time and talents, Sara has received numerous honors and awards. In 2013, she was the “Meadows at the Winspear” Honoree presented by SMU Meadows School of the Arts. She received the Dallas Historical Society’s Volunteer Leadership Award in 2011. That same year, the Women’s Board of the Dallas Opera presented Sara and her husband, David, with the Juanita and Henry S. Miller Jr. Founders Award. In 2010, she received the Gifford K. Johnson Community Leadership Award from UT Dallas.

Sara and David have been married 52 years and have two children and three grandchildren.

Geraldine “Tincy” Miller is a longtime friend and ardent ambassador of the Callier Center. She has been a dedicated member of the Foundation for the Callier Center Board for more than ten years, and recently served as Vice President of External Relations. Tincy was instrumental in the founding of the Callier Prize which honors an individual for his/her significant contribution to the field of communication disorders, while increasing Callier’s visibility on the world stage.

Tincy Miller was re-elected in 2012 as the District 12 Representative on the State Board of Education after serving from 1984-2010. She was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve as Chair of the Board from 2003-2007. Throughout her tenure, Tincy distinguished herself as a passionate advocate for children with dyslexia. Her experience as a reading specialist in the Laboratory at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital allowed her to see firsthand what a difference appropriate instruction can make for children with dyslexia. Tincy helped pass the first dyslexia law in Texas and the nation for public schools.

Tincy has also been one of our community’s most avid champions of the arts as reflected in her service as President of The Women’s Board of the Dallas Opera and as founder of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball.

She was one of the first members of TACA and has worked with the organization in almost every capacity. Additionally, Tincy has chaired numerous major fundraising events and campaigns for The Dallas Opera, The Crystal Charity Ball, Dallas Historical Society and Baylor Health Care System.

Tincy is a licensed real estate broker and serves as vice chairman of her family’s company, Henry S. Miller Companies of Dallas. She and her late husband, Vance, have four children and eight grandchildren.

Ruth and Ken Altshuler received the inaugural award, named for them, to recognize the difference they have made and continue to make in the lives of patients and their families. Driven by their passion to help others, the Altshulers created the Callier Care Fund for children and adults who are unable to afford the treatment they need to overcome speech, language and hearing disorders.

Dr. Kenneth Altshuler was a Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University when he was recruited to Dallas in 1977 to chair UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry. During his tenure, Dr. Altshuler took a small, fledgling department and built it into one of national stature, growing it from five full-time faculty members to over 100, recruiting outstanding researchers, and raising funds for ten named Chairs, two Research Centers and several Professorships. Currently, he is the Stanton Sharp Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Altshuler also served as President of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and as President of the American Association of Department Chairs of Psychiatry. While he has written over 150 papers and books in genetics, geriatrics, and sleep—to name a few, his greatest contribution has been his work with the deaf.

When he served at Columbia, his group pioneered research in the development of psychiatric services for persons with early profound deafness. The models he developed were incorporated into the service-delivery system of New York, and were copied in England, Denmark, Israel, Yugoslavia and Texas. Though he has received many awards, the one closest to his heart is the Honorary Doctorate of Science degree awarded for these achievements from Gallaudet, the College for the Deaf in Washington, D.C.

Mrs. Ruth Altshuler, a philanthropist, chairperson, board member, trustee and volunteer, has contributed a lifetime of service to countless organizations, councils, boards and, most importantly, to people in need. Mrs. Altshuler was the first woman to chair Southern Methodist University’s Board of Trustees. She received the prestigious Linz Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Junior League of Dallas and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Junior League International. Mrs. Altshuler is in the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, and she is one of only three people in the nation to be a Lifetime Member of the Salvation Army National Advisory Board. Mrs. Altshuler also received United Way of America’s Alexis de Tocqueville Award. She is Vice Chairman of the Laura Bush Institute for Women, and President George W. Bush appointed her to the Library of Congress Trust. Finally, Mrs. Altshuler was honored with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service from the Smithsonian Institution’s Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Ruth’s indelible character, high integrity, and compassionate heart shine as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the people of Dallas, Texas and beyond.

Distinguished and honorable citizens in their own right, Ruth and Ken Altshuler, together, are a philanthropic force who have given of themselves to the betterment of society.