Cross & Flame Award

FrIeNDS & FAMILY

Established in 2000 by the McMurry Alumni Association, this award is given to strengthen the relationship between McMurry University and the United Methodist Church by recognizing individuals for service to their churches and to the University.

Bob Gillette

robert s. “Bob” Gillette, Jr. ’72 and ’76, past president of the McMurry University Alumni Association and an active participant in McMurry life for many years, has been named the McMurry University Cross & Flame winner for the Northwest texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. After graduating from McMurry, Bob served as a dorm director in Gold star residence Hall. He also worked as a dorm director for Martin and taught as an instructor of media technologies in the mid-1990s. Bob worked for many years with the Abilene Library Consortium before taking over as Head Librarian at Jayrollins Library at McMurry, where he served for three years. He left McMurry to return to the Consortium in 2008. In addition to his regular work as executive Director of the Abilene Library Consortium, he is an Associate Pastor at st. Paul United Methodist Church in Abilene. He has served on many boards at McMurry and continues to take an active role in the alumni board and the McMurry Band.

Bob is one of the founding members of HeI men’s social club and has been a longtime sponsor for the organization. Last year he set up the Gillette Family scholarship for theatre students. 

Kathy Johnson

Through her work and devotion to the United Methodist Church and to McMurry University, Kathy Johnson has been named the 20082009 recipient of the Cross & Flame Award for the New Mexico Annual

Conference. Kathy joined st. Mark’s United Methodist Church in 1983 and became active in the United Methodist Women. Kathy later became the director of the then “Mother’s Day Out” program which operated 3 days a week. The program flourished, and as a result, was out of space and experiencing long waiting lists. she took this dilemma to their then new pastor, tom Nagle. His solution was to add tuesday and Thursday. In 1992 they expanded programming to 5 days a week, and continued to grow. The program experienced a change from a Mother’s Day Out environment to a preschool environment by adding curriculum, schedules and a more experienced staff. The name changed to early education Program. This program exposes children to Christian education on a daily basis. Through her work with this program, Kathy helps coordinate efforts with the church on joint projects/ bible studies to connect young families to the word of God. Presently the program has 160 children and 34 staff members. In addition, Kathy taught sunday school during her first seven years at st. Mark’s. Kathy’s affiliation with McMurry began when their son David graduated from high school in 1998 and was looking for a Christian college he would not get lost in. Through st. Mark’s they discovered McMurry University. she served as the McMurry Ambassador for st. Mark’s until 2005. 