The Pecan Park Eagle

Jose Altuve’
Houston Astros
2016 Houston Baseball Player of the Year

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Houston Major Athletes of 2016

Baseball: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

Basketball: James Hardin, Houston Rockets

Football: Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans

Collegiate Athlete: Ed Oliver, All American DT, UH Football

Olympian Gymnastics: Simone Biles

Olympian Swimming: Simone Manuel

Soccer: no clue. *

• Readers are invited to submit their own choices for these awards – and for the many categories, like Soccer, or any of the other many sports in which we simply are not qualified to make any picks at all.

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Politicians of the Year in 2016

Tie: Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston and Ed Emmett, Harris County TX Judge *

• We couldn’t choose between them. Turner has kept his promises about pot hole repair, represented Houston with the energy and caring of someone who really does place the interests of our people ahead of his own personal goals, and generally has served as the most honest leader we’ve had since Bill White. Emmett, to his credit, has exhibited the same strengths of character and is almost singlehandedly been the one local politician that has prevented the Astrodome from being erased from the rolls of important world architecture as Emmett and the Commissioner’s Court, who also deserve credit, keep working to activate a re-purposing plan that will assure the structure’s survival in an affordable, usable way.

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Media Person of the Year in 2016

Dave Ward, the 50-year employee and nearly that long principal anchorman at KTRK-TV, Channel 13, retired in December 2016 on the coincidental heels of some serious heart issues that we hope are now behind him. Thanks for giving us all you had, Dave. And, based upon all the accelerating technological changes that are going on today in the arena of digital media, we think it’s safe to say that there will never be another like you in anyone’s foreseeable lifetime.

Media Personality Death of the Year in 2016

Bob Allen, age 70, from cancer, on October 20,2016. Bob Allen did sports for Channel 13 for 38 years (1974-2012) and for two years at Channel 11 (2013-2013) before coming down with the disease that took his life. Allen was a smiling guiding light for the Houston Sunshine Kids for ages and will be missed by all of us. Rest in Peace, Bob!

Media Personality Retirement of the Year 2016

Dave Ward is the only name on our ballot. Dave retired in December 2016 after a national record-breaking 50 years on the job as the local anchorman for TV Channel 13. Bravo, Dave! And Bravo, Channel 13.

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University Leadership Tandem of the Year in 2016

The University of Houston wins this one hands down. With Chancellor/President Dr. Renu Khator continuing to lead UH in strengthening its Tier One academic status, Chairman of the Board Tillman Fertitta has joined heads and hands with Dr. Khator in fighting equally hard for the advancement of the school’s athletic programs to the equivalent Tier One levels in student intercollegiate sports. Khator and Fertitta. Separately they are each strong. Together they are collectively unbeatable. UH Alumni and all hard-core Houstonians support the both of you for your contributions to the transformation of UH into the most diversely populated first class university in America. Our thanks to the both of you for all you do.

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Who Else Shall We Add?

Houston’s role in world class medical research and treatment, its central role in the always dynamically changing energy field, its development of a broader economic  base that could have been imagined in 1983, and so much more. Absence of mention simply begs the broader question: Who else deserves a Houstonian of the Year 2016 award?

Please submit your own choices by category and person and we shall amend the base list to include them as nominations within the body of this column. Just because this is my blog-site, that certainly doesn’t mean that I’m right about everything – or anything. – Let us hear from you. The year’s almost done.

Thanks!

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 Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Tags: Houston People of the Year 2016

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