A storied and decorated military aviator first hailed as a national hero for his service during World War II as a renowned “Flying Tiger.” Tex was raised in San Antonio, where he attended San Antonio Academy as a boy and maintained connections to the community throughout his lifetime. During his years of service, he was also commander of the 412th Fighter Group (which eventually became the U.S. Air Force’s first jet aircraft unit) and was the youngest one-star general in the history of the Texas Air National Guard, which he joined in 1946. Hill, who died in 2007, will posthumously receive the foundation’s Aerospace Legacy Award.

A renowned industry executive who is currently President and CEO of GE Aerospace’s Defense and Systems. Previously, Gowder shepherded the ongoing modernization of what was then known as the Kelly Aviation Center and has since become one of the largest state-of-the-art aircraft engine sustainment programs in the world. The expansive facilities in the heart of the Port San Antonio campus formerly under Gowder’s purview are now operated by StandardAero and are where hundreds of personnel support a rapidly growing array of products that power military and commercial fleets around the world. She will receive the Impact Award.

She’s been intently focused since middle school on pursuing an academic path and eventual career in space science. Along the way, Raut has endeavored to encourage her peers to pursue similar futures. Among her accomplishments, she was among the first students to participate in the WEX Foundation’s Lunar Caves Analog Test Sites (LCATS) program. Raut then established the nonprofit SpaceTourist, which provides an information platform and resources for her peers, educators, and industry professionals to connect and collaborate. While still in high school, she has also embarked on advanced research projects as an intern for Baylor University’s Astrophysics and Science Theory Group. Raut will be the first recipient of the foundation’s newly minted Hope for the Future Award.