Distinguished Alumni Award

Bill Souder, BBA ’64 (reunion year ’43)

Awarded to a Texas Wesleyan graduate whose achievements have distinguished him or her in a broad (national or international) sense.

After graduating from Riverside High School, Bill Souder attended Texas Wesleyan, where he received the Guardian of the Golden Shears award. Souder left Wesleyan for the service just five hours shy of graduation. He served with the 103rd Infantry, 7th Army Division in France, Germany and Austria during World War II. He went on to finish his degree at Wesleyan in

1964.

Souder has lived in Hurst for 84 years. He has served the city in many capacities, beginning with his appointment as the first Postmaster of Hurst. During his 25-year tenure in that position, he was president of the Texas Postmasters and helped organize the National Association of Postmasters of the United States Federal Credit Union. He served as vice president of the Credit Union.

Souder was the first fire chief of the Hurst Volunteer Fire Department. He was elected to the Hurst City Council in 1975 and served five years before being elected mayor of Hurst, a position he held for 24 years. Beginning in 1989, Souder was the district manager of former U.S. Representative Pete Geren’s district office in Fort Worth for seven years. He was a founding member of the HEB Community Hospital in 1967, and was chairman of the Board when it became HEB Harris Hospital.

Souder has served on a number of different boards and business associations, including the Texas Wesleyan Board of Visitors, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce, the Hurst Masonic Lodge, and several bank boards.

He is currently a member of the HEB Chamber of Commerce, the Northeast Leadership Board, the HEB Rotarians, and has served several years on the Miss Texas Pageant Board. Souder lives in Hurst with his wife Dodie. They have a son (Danny), two daughters (Dixie and Billye), and five grandchildren.