Blinn College Hall of Honor celebrates six new honorees

Don Adam, John Dujka, Joel Franke, Robert Giles, Charlie Matejowsky, and Lillie Ann Turner-Beatty are recognized

October 9, 2023

The Blinn College District and Blinn College Alumni and Friends Association welcomed six new members of the Blinn College Hall of Honor during a special luncheon Friday, Oct. 6, at the Blinn College-Brenham Campus Student Center.

This year’s Hall of Honor inductees were Don Adam, John Dujka, Joel Franke, Robert Giles, Charlie Matejowsky, and Lillie Ann Turner-Beatty. The Hall of Honor recognizes Blinn’s most distinguished alumni, local business leaders, and those who have made a significant impact in their communities or professions. Inductees are recognized at a luncheon during Blinn’s homecoming week each year.

Adam, of Bryan/College Station, is Chairman of The Board and CEO of The Adam Corporation/Group, a privately owned company headquartered in College Station, Texas, since 1969. He has provided time and financial support to American Heart Association, Health for All, Boys and Girls Club, The Opera and Performing Arts Society, Brazos Valley Food Bank, and to Texas A&M University for many years, and funded The Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Adam also was a charter member of the George H. Bush Presidential Library Foundation in College Station, serves as the Chairman and President of the F.W. Bert and Mae Dean Wheeler Foundation, and is the founder and director of the Donald and Donna Adam Family Foundation.

Dujka has taught at Blinn for more than 32 years and currently serves as a Professor of Piano and Music Theory and as a collaborative pianist on staff, performing regularly with students, faculty, and guests. He also maintains a private piano studio in Brenham and is a member of the Texas Music Teachers Association and Brenham Area Music Teachers Association. He regularly serves as an adjudicator for competitions and other area piano events. Dujka founded the annual Blinn College District Young Pianists Competition in 2002 and was honored by Mary and Larry Whigham in the spring of 2022 with the establishment of a Blinn endowed scholarship in his name.

Franke spent more than 32 years at Blinn, first as a Government Instructor on the Brenham Campus, then as Division Chair of the Division of Social Sciences, a role he held until his retirement in 2003.

Franke served as chair of the Council of Divisions several times and was a common sight at Blinn College functions and events. He sponsored the student organizations Circle K, College Republicans, and the Student Government Association. At the state level, the Texas Junior College Student Government Association honors his legacy every year with the Joel Franke Advisor of the Year Award given to the best student government advisor in Texas.

Giles taught 22 years at Blinn College and was the Phi Theta Kappa honor society sponsor for Blinn’s Beta Alpha Chapter.

Giles was instrumental in building a state, regional, and national reputation for the Beta Alpha Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and during his tenure, Beta Alpha students were recognized at the national level for 20 consecutive years. The Robert Giles Distinguished Advisor Award was named for Giles after his death, and his co-advisor Janis Sneed was the first recipient of the Giles Distinguished Advisor Award. Robert L. Giles/Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship was established in 1988 by the alumni and friends of the Blinn College Beta Alpha Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa in his memory.

Matejowsky is the Vice President of Financial Sales and Services at Van Dyke Rankin Insurance and formerly was the head football coach and athletic director at Brenham ISD. He has been with Van Dyke Rankin Insurance since 1981 and is a certified insurance counselor, life underwriter training fellow, and is on the national faculty for the National Alliance: Insurance Education and Research.

In 2016, Matejowsky received the Bruce Murray Award in recognition of his leadership in the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and his community service. Matejowsky and his wife Carolyn were named the Washington County Man and Woman of the Year in 2019. In 2020, Matejowsky was presented with the NAIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his long and meritorious service to his community and the State of Texas. He is a three-time Blue Blazer of the Year and has served on many Washington County Chamber of Commerce committees over the past 35 years, including one year as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Lillie Ann Turner-Beatty a distinguished alumna of Blinn College, where she obtained her associate degree and was named Homecoming queen in 1971. In 2022, she organized a 50th reunion of the Blinn College Ebony Club that donated an Endowed Scholarship on behalf of the organization. She also works diligently to support homeless veterans.

Turner-Beatty has worked in the insurance industry for 43 years and currently owns and operates Duncanville Insurance Services, an independent insurance agency.