Southern Methodist University (SMU) has announced that Jackson Walker partner Albon O. Head, Jr. will receive its Distinguished Alumni Award which is “the highest honor the University can bestow upon its graduates.” Each year, the award recognizes four alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in business and the community.
Albon is a four-year Mustang football letterwinner. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1968 and his juris doctor in 1971. As an undergraduate, Albon was a cornerback, helping the Mustangs to the 1966 Southwest Conference Championship, and was co-captain of the 1968 Bluebonnet Bowl win over OU. Albon began his studies at the Dedman School of Law while serving as a graduate assistant coach in 1969 and 1970.
Based in the firm’s Fort Worth office, Albon is an accomplished trial lawyer who has practiced in federal and state courts in Texas and numerous other jurisdictions for over 45 years. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Throughout his career, he has represented some of the state’s most prominent businesses including major oil companies and the Texas Rangers Baseball Club.
A major highlight of Albon’s career is his representation of the court-appointed receiver in all litigation matters related to the recent sale of the historic W.T. Waggoner Ranch. At 510,000 acres, the ranch is the largest under one fence in the United States. That litigation was responsible for securing the resolution of decades of disputes between the Waggoner heirs to ensure the success of the sale.
In the community, Albon contributes his time to several organizations. He has served as Chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Opera, Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, and YMCA Camp Amon G. Carter. He currently serves as Director of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate and the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation.
Albon also remains deeply involved with SMU, serving on several of the university’s executive boards. He is a current member of the Executive Board of the SMU Dedman School of Law. Albon is also an Executive Board member of SMU-in-Taos, the university’s 423-acre campus at Fort Burgwin, New Mexico. He formerly served as Chairman of the SMU Alumni Association and as a member of the SMU Board of Trustees.
Albon will receive the award during a ceremony on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at SMU’s Historic Main Quadrangle.
