CYPRESS CREEK INDUCTS FIVE INTO 2016 WALL OF HONOR CLASS

The Cypress Creek High School Wall of Honor Class of 2016 stands in front of the Wall at the school after being inducted on May 18. Pictured, from left, are LTC Jason Colbert; Gerry and Leigh Mercado, parents of inductee Yehudi Mercado; Dr. Courtney Robertson; Dr. Kevin Beam; and TJ Farnsworth.

Five alumni were inducted into the Cypress Creek High School Wall of Honor during a recognition ceremony at the school on May 18.

The Wall of Honor recognizes outstanding lifetime achievements and significant contributions made by former students dating back to the opening of Cypress Creek in the 1976-1977 school year.

A Wall of Honor committee consisting of current and former principals, counselors and Cypress Creek staff selected the following five graduates to be inducted into the 2016 class:

• Dr. Kevin Beam, class of 1990;
• LTC Jason Colbert, class of 1984;
• TJ Farnsworth, class of 1996;
• Yehudi Mercado, class of 1992; and
• Dr. Courtney Robertson, class of 1985.

Dr. Kevin Beam, who went on to star for the Hardin-Simmons University football team, earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University, where he received the Most Outstanding Veterinary Student Scholarship. Since 2000 he has been a partner and owner of the Alvarado Veterinary Clinic in Alvarado, the largest multi-species veterinary hospital in Texas.

Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal, presents Dr. Kevin Beam, class of 1990, with his Wall of Honor plaque. 

Dr. Beam and his family were recently the subject of the feature filmMiracle From Heaven, based on the book written by his wife, Christy Beam, about their youngest daughter Annabel’s miraculous cure from an incurable disease.

“This is an amazing school, and the legacy you will take from Cypress Creek is going to follow you. And I will be the first to say you don’t know where your life will take you,” Dr. Beam said. “There have been some challenging things in my life that I had absolutely no control over. The only thing, ultimately, I had control over was who was I and what was my character? A lot of that was started and defined here at Cypress Creek.”

LTC Jason Colbert spent 22 years serving in the United States Army, enlisting in 1987 as an infantryman and joining the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Texas Tech graduate was soon commissioned in the Army as a second lieutenant in field artillery, and in 1995 was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he served as an artillery platoon leader, executive officer, battalion fire support officer and brigade staff officer. While there, he received the highest score for an annual external evaluation in division artillery history.

Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal, presents LTC Jason Colbert, class of 1984, with his Wall of Honor plaque.
He deployed to Iraq in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, serving as a fire support and operations officer at the battalion and brigade levels. He successfully led or participated in more than 200 combat patrols and raids, earning the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star. He later deployed to Afghanistan, earning his second award of the Meritorious Service Medal, and retired from active duty in the Army in 2014.

“I am thankful that my parents moved into Cy-Fair ISD, because I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow up,” LTC Colbert said. “Success is a team sport. My name is on the plaque but many people are responsible for my success. Failure has been one of the most persistent teachers I’ve had. For every accomplishment, there were probably 10-15 failures that preceded it. You’re going to encounter failure along the way, but with a little bit of strength of character and the will to succeed, that’s what’s going to carry you.”

TJ Farnsworth developed and grew Sightline, a highly successful health care company that specialized in radiation oncology. The company was recognized as Inc Magazine’s fourth-fastest-growing health care company in the country with more than 400 employees in cancer care facilities spanning seven states.

Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal, presents TJ Farnsworth, class of 1996, with his Wall of Honor plaque.
Prior to founding Sightline, Farnsworth was vice president of business development for Nydic Open MRI of America, helping grow the company to more than $175 million in annual revenue. His next venture, Inception Fertility, is planned to be the first national chain of fertility centers, providing clients with the ultimate benefits in pricing as well as state-of-the-art fertility results.

“This is an amazing honor. I have won a number of awards throughout my career, but there isn’t much of a better honor than to go back to the place where it all started,” he said. “I want to thank all the teachers I had here who truly gave me a solid foundation. The diversity of experiences I had as a high school student helped expand my view of the world.”

Yehudi Mercado has earned international renown as an award-winning animator, writer and director. He began his career in the video game industry, where he was recognized as one of the “Top 30 Interactive Stars Under 30” by Texas Monthly magazine. Building on his early success, Mercado founded an animation studio, Horseback Salad, which turned out nationally broadcast commercials and MTV music videos.

Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal, presents Gerry and Leigh Mercado, parents of 1992 graduate Yehudi Mercado, with his Wall of Honor plaque.

The Trevor Romain Series that was co-written and directed by Mercado ran on PBS. His “Buffalo Speedway” script won second place in the prestigious Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting competition, and his live action debut, “Monster Job Hunter,” garnered multiple awards and honors including “Best Comedy” at Dragon Con. Mercado’s graphic novel, “Pantalones Texas,” was highly acclaimed by the Texas Library Association and made the 2013 Maverick Award recommendations.

“I have reflected on the 24 years that passed since graduation, and I have been lucky enough to work professionally in animation, comic books and video games,” said mother Leigh Mercado, reading a speech from Yehudi, who was unable to attend the ceremony. “This award is for all the weird kids, the artists and the class clowns. I am proof that if you work hard at creating art, then it will never feel like work.”

Dr. Courtney Robertson is an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology/critical care medicine and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a pediatric critical care physician, she sees many children in the pediatric intensive care unit who have suffered various types of head trauma.

Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal, presents Dr. Courtney Robertson, class of 1985, with her Wall of Honor plaque.

Dr. Robertson has also become a nationally recognized leader in pediatric brain research, working tirelessly toward identifying interventions that would minimize the neurological deficits that can persist after traumatic head injury. She and her team have used a pre-clinical model to study potential mitochondrial function and alterations in cerebral metabolism and were published in numerous medical journals on “The potential role of mitochondrion pediatric brain injury.”

“I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the current and former inductees,” Dr. Robertson said. “Current students, you’re in a great place. I am thankful to have gone to Cypress Creek High School. My freshman English teacher was as strict as they come. At the time I thought it was almost impossible, but it taught me how important grammar and syntax are and it helps me daily. There was amazing STEM-based education here at Cy Creek, and the take-home tests I received in physics taught me more than any book ever could. This is a wonderful school, and it will take you very far.”