KAY GRANGER AWARD
Award Background
The Kay Granger Award for Outstanding Community Service is given to a person or group who has made a lasting impact on the community. Award recipients do not need to be affiliated with Texas Blossoms. The award is presented at the annual Texas Blossoms fundraising gala.
The Kay Granger Award was not awarded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because Texas Blossoms' volunteer events and galas were slimmed down to allow for adequate social distancing. Now that things are returning to normal and our events are underway again, the Kay Granger Award will return to continue recognizing worthy recipients who have left a positive legacy on the community.
If you think someone should be nominated for the Kay Granger Award for Outstanding Community Service, please contact us.
2018 Recipient: Kay Granger
Quite fittingly, U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger was the recipient of the inaugural Kay Granger Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2018. Congresswoman Granger has represented the 12th Congressional District of Texas since 1997 and has vouched for the values and needs of the community for decades.
Born in Greenville, TX and raised in East Fort Worth, Kay attended Eastern Hills High School. Kay graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a major in education. In 1991, Kay was elected as the first female Mayor of Fort Worth. She also has served the Eastside as a Fort Worth Council Member. Kay has been instrumental in the acquisition and development of Gateway Park (the largest metropolitan park in the US).
Kay has received numerous awards and recognitions, including being named to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame and Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame.
Currently Kay Granger serves as the chairwoman of the Defense Appropriation’s Subcommittee where she works tirelessly to ensure support is readily available for our nation’s armed services around the world.
2019 Recipient: John & Jean Roach
John V. Roach was born in 1938 in Stamford, Texas, but moved to Fort Worth with his family at the age of four. Mr. Roach earned a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Math at Texas Christian University (TCU), then returned two years later to earn a Master's degree in Business Administration. John met Jean at TCU and they married in the mid-1960s, eventually raising their two daughters in Fort Worth.
In 1967, Mr. Roach joined Tandy Corporation as a Data Processing Manager. During the mid-1970s, Mr. Roach led Tandy in its emergence as a pioneer in the microcomputer industry. By 1981, Mr. Roach was one of the youngest CEOs in the country.
Mr. Roach was elected Chairman of the TCU Board of Trustees in 1990. Today, Mr. Roach serves as an Emeritus TCU Trustee and as Board Member for the TCU Neeley School of Business Board of Directors and the Van Cliburn Foundation. Mr. Roach is also the Chairman of the Fort Worth Executive Roundtable.
Jean Roach has served and chaired in a vast array of community organizations including the Fort Worth Symphony, Van Cliburn Foundation, and Jewel Charity Ball. Ms. Roach has also been involved with the Junior League, Fort Worth Garden Club, University Christian Church, and Texas Women in Arts.
For decades, John and Jean Roach have contributed their time, effort, and money towards making Fort Worth a better place. Their loyalty with family and friends and their love of Fort Worth is evident in every part of their life.