Referred to as the “singer’s singer” and called “The most awesome voice in gospel music” by Billboard Magazine, Cynthia Clawson will headline the Hardin-Simmons University Round Table Scholarship Luncheon next month.
Clawson has received a Grammy and five Dove awards for her work as a songwriter, vocal artist, and musician. With a career spanning more than four decades, she has 22 recordings to her credit. She won the Grammy for the Best Gospel Performance in the contemporary/inspirational category in 1981 and performed on the Grammy Awards show that year.
Clawson has performed with award-winning contemporary Christian singers/songwriters, Bill and Gloria Gaither, and is a frequent guest on the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Series. She has also performed in a variety of prestigious venues, including a concert at London's Wembley Stadium.
In 1985, Clawson’s rendition of “Softly and Tenderly” was included in the soundtrack of the Academy Award winning movie The Trip to Bountiful.
Clawson was born in Austin, Texas, and was just three years old when she performed in the small church her father pastored. As a child, she continued to sing in neighborhood churches and performed on the Hour of Power broadcast from Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
Leading to Clawson’s first recording contract, she appeared on the CBS Newcomers, a summer replacement show for The Carol Burnett Show.
She has reached millions throughout the world with her music. Although winning the Grammy for Best Gospel; she has never been considered a southern gospel singer by her fans or music critics, according to her publicist.
A graduate of Howard Payne University, she won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show her senior year. Graduating with a major in vocal performance and a minor in piano, Cynthia has since been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from HPU and received a similar honorary degree from Houston Baptist University.
She is married to singer and songwriter Ragan Courtney and lives in Houston, Texas. Children, Lily and Will, have released their own Indie rock CD called Brothers and Sisters.
Clawson Honors
- 2005 Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame (July 2005)
- 1982 Dove Award Recorded Music Packaging of the Year, Finest Hour
- 1981 Dove award Female Vocalist of the Year
- 1981 Dove Award Inspirational Album of the Year, You're Welcome Here
- 1981 Dove Award Recorded Music Packaging of the Year, You're Welcome Here
- 1981 Grammy Award Best Gospel Performance for the song, The Lord's Prayer
- 1980 Dove award Female Vocalist of the Year
About the Scholarship and Virtue Award
During its centennial year celebration, Round Table members established the annual luncheon event as a fundraiser for the scholarship that is awarded to a female student during the event.
In addition to the scholarship, The Virtue Award is presented to a woman who has demonstrated support of Hardin-Simmons and reflects the service principles and virtues of the founders of the Round Table organization.
About Supporting the Event
The HSU Round Table gratefully appreciates the following luncheon underwriters and sponsors whose names and honorees will be recognized at the event.
Gold Star Underwriters:
Dodge Jones Foundation honoring Mrs.Lucile Sandefer, founder of Round Table and former First Lady of Simmons College,
Rosa Lee Prichard honoring her mother Lunelle Nix Hemphill, former longtime Round Table member and wife of Dr. Lee Hemphill, who served HSU as Vice-President for Development and as Vice-President Emeritus.
Purple Iris Underwriters:
Pollye and Neal Lowry honoring Pollye’s mother, Virginia Clark
First Financial Bank honoring Guinn and Janice Smith, as they retire from years of faithful service to FFB.
Heritage Sponsors:
Mike and Marsha Hammack honoring former HSU First Lady, Ruth Skiles,
Salta Pipe Company honoring Tina Hunter, 2012 Virtue Award recipient
Hendrick Medical Center Foundation honoring Dr. Virginia Boyd Connally
The Shelton Foundation honoring Ruby Shelton
Table Sponsors:
Dorothy Barnes honoring former HSU professor, Dr. Lena Bradley Ford; Diane Cole honoring her son and daughter in-law, Anjani and Jimmy Cole; Carol Hall honoring her mother, Faye Bardin; Nancy Jones honoring her mother, Chere McNair; and Jolene Sollivan honoring her mother, Alma McIntyre;
Underwriters receive seven luncheon tickets, priority seating, an invitation to attend a pre-luncheon reception with Clawson at the HSU president’s home, as well as publicity in event promotion and program materials, with table recognition in honor of a woman of their choice. Table guests are invited to attend the reception and will receive a gift.
Sponsors receive seven luncheon tickets, an invitation to attend the pre-luncheon reception with Clawson at the HSU president’s home, as well as publicity in event promotion and program materials, with table recognition in honor of a woman of their choice.
Those interested in participating as an underwriter or sponsor, please contact Luncheon Chair, Carol Hall at (325) 660-5279.
About the Event
On Tuesday, February 26, 2013, doors of the Van Ellis Theatre will open at 11:30 a.m. The program will begin at noon and conclude by 1:00.
Table reservations for seven are available, as are individual tickets at a cost of $20 each. The reservation deadline is Tuesday, February 19, 2013. Reservations can be made online at www.hsutx.edu/hsuroundtable, or on campus at the HSU Office of Advancement in the Dyess Welcome Center, Room 115. To purchase by phone, or for more information, call Andrea Cross at (325) 670-1489. Checks should be made payable to:
Hardin Simmons Round Table
HSU Box 16120
Abilene, Texas, 79698
Hardin-Simmons University
Round Table Scholarship Luncheon
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Van Ellis Theatre, 2410 Cedar Street, HSU campus