TAMIU Spring Commencement May 9 at LEC

Texas A&M International University will hold its Spring 2008 Commencement Exercises at the Laredo Entertainment Center, Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m.

More than 450 candidates for graduation are scheduled to participate.

Commencement guest speaker will be businessman and philanthropist, Hank Sames III.

Sames is the president of Sames Auto Group, the oldest dealership in Texas, which operates six automobile dealerships in Laredo and one in Corpus Christi. The product of Laredo public schools, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.B.A. in finance.

Sames is also the director of the Ford Salute to Education Scholarship Program that has helped hundreds of Laredo high school graduates pursue higher education. In 2002, Sames and his wife, Elizabeth, established the Sames Scholars Program at TAMIU, a unique mentoring and scholarship program founded to encourage first-generation college students.

The Harley Davidson motorcycle-riding enthusiast and hunting and wildlife photographer serves as director to the Greater Laredo Community Foundation and served as president for the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association (WBCA) and the Laredo Country Club. He is also a founding member of the Jalapeño Festival and past director of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association.

For his contributions, Sames was honored by the WBCA which named him Mr. South Texas 2006. The State of Israel Bonds awarded him the Texas Freedom Award in 2004 and in 1999, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce named him the Laredo Business Person of the Year.

Rehearsal for Commencement starts at 1 p.m., but students may begin to check in starting at 12:30 p.m.

Candidates must be lined up no later than 6 p.m. in the designated areas of the LEC.

For more information, visit tamiu.edu/commencement or contact an advisor at the Office of the University Registrar at 326.2205.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu