Hank Sames to receive Texas Freedom Award

Laredo auto dealer Hank Sames, noted as a forward thinker for his contributions to scholarship and education for Laredo college students, is the 2004 recipient of the Texas Freedom Award conferred by the State of Israel Bonds .

Sames will be honored with a reception and dinner Wednesday, December 8 at the Laredo Country Club. Yehuda Avner, who has served as Israeli ambassador to Ireland , Australia , and Great Britain , will deliver the evening's address. Dr. Ray Keck, president of Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has chaired the public tribute to Sames.

Sames, the owner of the oldest auto dealership in Texas , is the principal of Sames Auto Group, which operates six dealerships in Laredo and one in Corpus Christi .

Sames' Ford dealership, in cooperation with Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit, has helped thousands of Laredo high school graduates pursue higher education at colleges, universities, and trade schools since 1997. Scholarship matches are available to students who choose to attend Laredo Community College or Texas A&M International. The Salute to Education also confers Excellence in Education awards to eight Laredo educators nominated by the scholarship recipients.

With his wife Elizabeth, Sames has established the Hank and Elizabeth Sames Mentors Program at TAMIU, a program that allows four university faculty members to meet with 12 high school freshmen twice a semester to check on their academic progress. The mentorship continues for four years, and at the end of their senior year, students who have stayed the course will attend the university on a complete scholarship supported by the Sames. An additional group of 25 students are selected from area high schools to participate in the program.

Members of the Hank Sames Tribute Committee include Mr. and Mrs. Jack Avigael, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Avigael, Mr. and Mrs. Russell L. Deutsch, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar M. Ehrenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Epstein, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Greenblum, Mr. and Mrs. Conrado Hein, Mr. and Mrs. Gary G. Jacobs, Mr. and Mrs. David Kalisz, Dr. and Mrs. Ray Keck, Mr. and Mrs. Luis Lidsky, Greg Mautz, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Nixon, Mr. and Mrs. Les Norton, Miriam Norton, Evelyn Selig, Bill Stang, Mr. and Mrs. Abe Wilson, and Bill Wolters.