NEWS

Weatherford College has announced Bruce Wiggs as the 2026 Alumnus of the Year. He will be honored during the annual Alumni Awards Luncheon on Friday, March 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building, along with Distinguished Alumni Award honorees Robert Williams and Sierra Emerson.  

Wiggs' personal connection to Weatherford College spans more than seven decades. After graduating from Weatherford High School in 1953, he enrolled at WC and graduated in 1955. During his time on campus, he served as student body president, managed the basketball team and contributed to the yearbook. He credited Dr. Vernon Parrott for helping him find jobs, from painting the gym to picking peaches, so he could afford to continue his education.  

After WC, Wiggs completed his degree at the University of Texas at Austin in 1959, working multiple jobs throughout his studies, including as an assistant to a Texas legislator. He went on to build a distinguished career in banking and, by age 29, became the youngest bank president in Texas, leading Stonewall Bank in Corpus Christi.  

Over the decades that followed, he led or supervised banks across Texas and Louisiana, gaining a reputation for turning around troubled institutions. He eventually returned to Weatherford to serve as president of the former M&F State Bank, later TexasBank.  

After retiring from banking in 1991, Wiggs spent more than 30 years in a second career acquiring, renovating and selling homes across Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana before settling permanently back in Weatherford in 2025.  

The Wiggs family is an influential philanthropic champion for WC. In 2021, his son and daughter-in-law, Brett and Alesia Wiggs, made a $1 million gift to the college, the largest single cash donation in WC history at the time. Bruce and his wife, Laura, have supported WC through multiple endowments and ongoing scholarship gifts. In recognition of their commitment to advancing philanthropy at the college, the couple received the Carlos Hartnett Award in 2022, one of the WC Foundation’s highest honors.  

Williams is a decorated veteran, accomplished aviator and generous supporter of WC students. A WC graduate from the class of 1971, Williams first came to Texas for flight school at Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, where he met Sammie Gay Neill, a Weatherford native. The two married before he deployed to Vietnam, where he served as an Army helicopter pilot and completed two tours of duty.  

Following his military service, Williams and Sammie enrolled at WC, taking courses in both Weatherford and at Fort Wolters. He went on to earn a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Williams served 20 years in the U.S. Army, spending most of his career as a helicopter test pilot and retired as a chief warrant officer.  

After leaving the military, he continued his aviation career with Bell Helicopter and later launched his own helicopter-testing business. His lifelong commitment to aviation safety earned him the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, recognizing more than 50 years of continuous safe flight operations.  

The Williams have contributed more than $100,000 to WC Foundation scholarships over the past 15 years. The Sammie Gay Neill Williams Scholarship supports single mothers of non-traditional age, with the Williams personally following their recipients' progress and ensuring they have the resources needed to graduate.  

Emerson completed her cosmetology certification at WC in August 2011, where she was a dedicated student-athlete on the rodeo team. 
Since graduating, she and her husband moved to Marble Falls, where she has built an extraordinary professional career as a 15-time award-winning stylist, recognized for her technical expertise, innovation and influence in the beauty industry. She has leveraged her platform to mentor fellow hair professionals, helping them build financially independent careers.  

Emerson’s loyalty to WC is reflected in her establishing a scholarship in her name to assist cosmetology students who also pursue rodeo or other athletic endeavors. She remains engaged in her community, mentoring young women, advocating for Western heritage and supporting charitable initiatives.  

The Alumni Awards Luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 27, in the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building.  

Tickets are $20 in advance online and $25 at the door. For more information, contact Susan Sodek at ssodek@wc.edu or 817-598-8924.