Athens ISD inducts 4 into latest class of Distinguished Alumni

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By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Coordinator

Four outstanding graduates of Athens High School have been inducted as Athens ISD Distinguished Alumni. They are Jerry Rogers, Thelma Roberts Griffin, Freddie Paul and, posthumously, Derek D. Daniels.

Before more than 100 people in attendance at the Athens Country Club on April 27, the four individuals became the fifth class to be inducted as AISD distinguished alumni.

Jerry Rogers

In 1958, Rogers graduated from Athens High School with two $25 good-citizen scholarships from the Rotary Club. “Together, that was more than my father was making in a week, and I didn’t want to see them go to waste,” he said.

Rogers graduated from Texas A&M University and later taught math at Athens Junior High and High School campuses. He had a gift for making connections with students and even started a school tradition in the mid-1970s when he purchased (and was later reimbursed for) an old ranch bell that would become the first iteration of the beloved Hornet Victory bell.

Around 1975, Rogers was hired by Trinity Valley Community College to teach in their business department. Almost 50 years later, he continues to be an active member of the faculty.

He and his wife, Beth, have two children, Brad and Amy, and four grandchildren.

Thelma Roberts Griffin

Griffin (a former student of Rogers) graduated from Athens High School in 1973 with plans to be a teacher. Following two years at Trinity Valley Community College, she spent two more at Abilene Christian University and was hired a few years later to teach English at Athens Junior High. After a number of years at that campus, she taught English at Athens High School for several more.

In 2000, Griffin earned a master’s degree in school counseling and has worked as a counselor ever since. She continues working part-time as the lead district counselor and senior counselor at Athens High School.

“My passion is wanting students to see they can set dreams and get there, one step at a time,” Griffin said.

She and her husband, Guy, have two children, Gentry and Gray, and four grandchildren.

Freddie Paul

Paul (a former student of Griffin) graduated from Athens High School in 1996 and attended Trinity Valley Community College. Just two weeks after high school commencement, he took a job working the assembly line at a medical manufacturing business in Athens now known as Biomerics. He remains there today, in the position of medical engineer.

In addition to his job at Biomerics, Paul also owns a tree service, a limo service, works in the funeral home and private security industries, is president of the Athens Little Dribblers Association, is a member of the Athens ISD Board of Trustees, is chairman of the board of deacons at the Church of the Living God, and was the 2019 Athens Citizen of the Year.

“For my age, I’m blessed to be in the positions I’m in,” Paul said. “God has blessed me.”

He and his wife, CeCe, have two children, Kelcee and Kaden, and are raising a nephew, Jase.

Derek D. Daniels

After graduating from Athens High School in 1990, Daniels (a former student of Griffin) spent his first year of college at Brigham Young University before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, an institution to which he was fiercely loyal. He graduated there in 1993, the third consecutive generation of his family to do so.

Daniels returned to Athens and became a partner in the family business, where he expanded the family’s video rental business to include tanning beds and was instrumental in building the original Oak Wood Place Senior Living in Athens.

Up until his death in 2010, Daniels was a vital member of many local and state organizations. He was chairman of the Athens Central Business Association, served on the East Texas Medical Center Athens board of managers, and on the board of several assisted living associations. TORCH (the Texas Organization of Residential Care Homes) presents the Derek D. Daniels Legislator of the Year award each regular session to a state legislator instrumental in benefiting the assisted living industry. A scholarship in his name is also given to one or more Athens High School graduates each year who plan to attend the University of Texas.

Though never married, Derek was a loving uncle to his nieces and nephews. He also spoiled rotten his beloved dachshunds, aptly named Bevo and Smokey.

“Derek was a natural-born leader,” said his mother, Patricia Daniels. “He empathized. He stepped up and did things for people who needed help.”

The honor was received on his behalf by his siblings, Nicole Moore, and Blake Daniels.