Athens ISD honored four exceptional alumni at its Distinguished Alumni & Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on April 23 at the Athens Country Club. Approximately 135 people attended, making it the largest alumni induction event the district has held to date. The honorees are Dan Dwelle, Tommy Frizzell, Seth Murphy and Quinton Johnson, who are pictured left to right with Superintendent Dr. Janie Sims.
Daniel “Dan” Dwelle, Athens High School Class of 1965, returned home after college to help lead the family newspaper business. Over the years, he worked every position at the Athens Daily Review, helped launch the Athens Review Lake Shopper and the Cedar Creek Pilot, and later became division manager over seven newspapers. In a second successful career, he joined First State Bank in Athens, where he has served for many years in leadership and helped expand the bank’s lending work into New Mexico.
Tommy Frizzell, AHS Class of 1975, graduated with one of the most decorated football résumés in the region and signed a full scholarship with LSU. There he overcame major injuries and illness to become a starter and earn the LSU Booster Club’s “Mr. Year Round LSU Tiger” award. After college, Frizzell built a long career in business, including 25 years running his own ophthalmic equipment company.
Seth Murphy, AHS Class of 2000, went on to play collegiate golf at the University of Arkansas, where he remains listed among the Razorbacks’ top career performers. After several years in professional mini-tour golf and a long break from serious competition, Murphy returned to amateur golf in impressive fashion, winning multiple club championships and continuing to compete at a high level. He now teaches through the John Sikes Golf Academy at Eagles Bluff and is working toward Class A membership in the PGA of America.
Quinton Johnson, AHS Class of 2012, excelled in band, choir, theater and UIL academics before going on to the University of Texas at Austin, where he soon landed a role in Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!” He later made his Broadway debut in “Hamilton” and has since built a wide-ranging career across film, television, theater, music and production.