2024 Distinguished Award Recipients Honored at founders Dinner

The Dunham School honored 2024 distinguished award recipients Claudia and Gary Phillips, Brad Watts ’87, and Kelly Hornsby ’89 at the Founders Dinner on April 27. The evening also paid tribute to the school’s founders, volunteers, milestone donors, and current and former board members, including Taylor Bennett, Gerrit Dawson, and John Miller, who will retire from the board in June. 

The Founders Dinner is an annual event designed to celebrate God’s faithfulness and express gratitude to members of the Dunham community for their service, generosity, and dedication to the school’s mission.

2024 Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award
Claudia and Gary Phillips

Since they first stepped onto campus in the 1990s, Claudia and Gary Phillips have been champions for The Dunham School. Together, the Phillips have set a high standard for serving and welcoming others into the Dunham community. 

Gary served on the board of trustees from 1996-2004, utilizing his financial mind and business acumen to advance the financial position of the school. 

He continues to be a trusted guide and resource for our board, most recently by reviewing the plan for debt reduction and elimination. An avid volunteer, Claudia served on countless committees and worked behind the scenes at many events. She remains a steadfast prayer warrior for the school and many of the families she has come to know over the years. 

Throughout their association with The Dunham School, the Phillips have been servant leaders as well as faithful and joyful givers. It is difficult to find a philanthropic effort that the Phillips family has not supported at Dunham. From Carnival draw down ticket sales to capital projects, their influence and generosity has been significant. 

Claudia and Gary’s three children, Liz Phillips Hargis ’13, Robert Phillips ’10, and Andrew Phillips ’08 graduated from Dunham. As parents of alumni, they understand firsthand the impact a Dunham education can have on a family and a community. Their heartfelt desire to support our mission to educate the mind and the heart for Christ has ensured that future generations of Dunham students will have an extraordinary experience. It is our honor to recognize Claudia and Gary Phillips as the 2024 recipients of the Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award.

The Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award was established to recognize donors who have demonstrated, through direct financial support, outstanding charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles at The Dunham School. Motivated and dedicated to seeing The Dunham School succeed, they have championed fundraising for the school. Recipients exemplify the same heart of giving demonstrated by Mrs. Dunham, a heart of thoughtfulness and sacrifice grounded in a desire to see The Dunham School’s mission endure.

2024 Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award
Brad Watts ’87

Brad Watts has been a part of the Dunham community since the 1980s. Following his graduation from Trafton Academy in 1987, he became a successful businessman but never lost touch with the school and continued to encourage other Trafton, Chapel Trafton, and Dunham alumni to stay involved. 

In 2009, Brad was one of only a handful of alumni who played in the first Dunham Cup Golf Classic hosted by the school’s newly formed Alumni Association. Based on that experience, he joined the Alumni Council and served as co-chair of the golf tournament committee for nearly 15 years. As co-chair of the event, Brad not only helped plan and organize the tournament, but also was instrumental in recruiting more alumni to play each year. Thanks to his leadership and service, The Dunham Cup Golf Classic has raised more than $150,000 in funding used to grow alumni outreach programs.

After his son, Lawrence ’22, and daughter, Helen ’24, enrolled at Dunham in 2018, Brad stepped forward as a parent volunteer to support their participation in and love for sports. In 2022, he led the efforts to recognize retiring teacher Sherry Swanner on Alumni Giving Day, noting the impact she had on his own life as well as the lives of his children.

Brad’s devotion to his alma mater, his service to the Alumni Association, and his desire to grow the Dunham Cup Golf Classic have left an indelible mark on the Dunham community. It is a great honor to present him with the 2024 Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award.

The Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award recognizes and celebrates an outstanding volunteer who has gone above and beyond by using his or her time and talents to better The Dunham School. So many volunteers have made such an amazing impact on our community but perhaps none more so than Mary and Donald Tabb. Without their influence, prayers, sacrifice, and determination, The Dunham School would not be here today.

2024 Distinguished Alumna Award
Kelly Hornsby ’89

For more than three decades, Kelly Hornsby has had a passion to serve others and to share the love of Jesus with those around her. After graduating from The Chapel Trafton School in 1989, Kelly attended Louisiana State University where she studied education. She began her teaching career with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System before moving to Dallas to teach at Trinity Christian Academy.

Kelly’s faith and her desire to serve others intersected during a mission trip to Romania. The experience was so powerful that she returned to the Eastern European country five times before finally being asked to serve permanently in a group home for orphans. Following the call God placed upon her heart, Kelly left her teaching job at the age of 33 to focus on raising the funds she would need to cover her basic necessities as a missionary and provide additional support for the group home.

In September of 2004, Kelly moved to Romania where she changed the lives of countless children through her work at Livada Orphan Care. Many of the children she served had experienced great trauma, and the group home became a place to show them God’s love. Kelly spent five years in Romania and became the assistant director of the orphan ministry before returning to the United States.

After her return, Kelly became the children’s pastor at The Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas and spent the next seven years building a team of pastors and helping people find Jesus, community, and places to grow and serve. Kelly is currently the discipleship pastor for Fellowship Dallas. 

For her service to others and her desire not only to share the love of Jesus but to teach the next generation of compassionate Christians and leaders, it is our honor to recognize Kelly as our 2024 Distinguished Alumna.

The Distinguished Alumna Award recognizes a graduate who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored the mission and legacy of The Dunham School.