2021 Outstanding Young
San Antonian Award

Emma Faye Rudkin

Founder and Executive Director
Aid the Silent

The Outstanding Young San Antonian award has been presented every year since 1931.  Recent recipients include Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, Lorenzo Gomez, April Ancira Thompson, Rey Saldana and Brandon Logan.  Click here for a complete list of the recipients:  OYSA

Emma Faye went profoundly deaf at the age of three and has spent her life turning a disability into an ability. Emma Faye is an internationally known role model and public speaker for the (D)deaf and hard-of-hearing (HOH) community and Founder and Executive Director of Aid the Silent.

Aid the Silent is a system of support for the four main programs of: deaf ministry, deaf education, deaf awareness and deaf resources. The overall mission of the non-profit is to aid economically disadvantaged deaf children and teens to reach their full potential and to live life more richly by providing funds to receive hearing and speech resources (hearing aids, FM systems, speech therapy), ASL lessons, ministry-related activities and education enrichment programs.

Emma Faye created the campaign called #ShowYourAids to encourage the (D)deaf/HOH to be proud of who they are. The campaign went viral with 10,000s of people posting their hearing aids and implants all over the world – giving Aid the Silent a global presence.

During the Covid 19 pandemic, Emma Faye was featured on Cosmopolitan magazine, Fox Los Angeles, Fox Houston, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express, San Antonio Magazine, Yahoo News, Yahoo.com, Yahoo Style and many more for her advocacy work of #CleartoBeClear masks campaign promoting and selling clear face masks for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. What started as an injustice for Emma Faye of not being able to navigate life under the Covid mask mandate and being denied service – turned into a national movement for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Emma Faye’s non-profit has sold over 35,000 clear masks.

Read Emma Faye’s bio to learn more about her accolades and impact on the community.  Emma Faye is also a proud member of our club. Click here:  Emma Faye Rudkin

Previous Recipients

2021 – Emma Faye Rudkin
2020 – Ryan Lugalia-Hollon
2019 – Lorenzo Gomez
2018 – April Ancira Thompson
2017 – Rey Saldaña
2016 – Brandon Logan
2015 – Jon Marek
2014 – Shannon Sedwick Davis
2013 – Rev. Gavin Rogers
2012 – Jennifer Paquette
2011 – Armen Babajanian
2010 – Bruce Bowen
2009 – Rebecca Brune
2008 – Mark Larson
2007 – Lanham Napier
2006 – Dr. Fernando Lopez
2005 – Josh Davis
2004 – Leslie Mouton
2003 – Tim Duncan
2002 – Mark Mays
2001 – Mayor Ed Garza
2000 – Justice Wallace Jefferson
1999 – Pat Frost
1998 – David Robinson
1997 – Ron Barshop
1996 – Lyle Larson
1995 – Richard H. Cavender
1994 – T.J. Connolly
1993 – Robert G. Marbut, Jr.
1992 – Richard P. Ojeda
1991 – Judge Carleton B. Spears
1990 – Judge Bonnie Reed
1989 – Karyne Jones Conley

1988 – Thomas Yantis
1987 – Cyndi Taylor Krier
1986 – Dr. Louis Agnese, Jr.
1985 – Gilbert F. Vazquez
1984 – Roy Barrera, Jr.
1983 – Paul Rush
1982 – Gary Short
1981 – James Dublin
1980 – Carl D. Newton, III
1979 – Frank Tejeda
1978 – Dan Loveland
1977 – Tom Vickers
1976 – W.W. McAlllister, III
1975 – Henry G. Cisneros
1974 – Bernard M. Brooks, Jr.
1973 – Reese L. Harrison
1972 – Nelson W. Wolff
1971 – Bob Lee
1970 – Segal V. Wheatley
1969 – Charles S. Nelson
1968 – Douglas Mitchell
1967 – Boone Powell
1966 – James L. Hayne
1965 – Lloyd Jary, Jr.
1964 – Charles L. Smith
1963 – W. Don Tiner
1962 – Franklin S. Spears
1961 – Tom Frost, Jr.
1960 – Jack Pitcluk, Jr.
1959 – Porter Loring, Jr.
1958 – Jack Cones
1957 – John Daniels
1956 – Hubert Green, Jr.

1955 – Walter Corrigan
1954 – Bob Hollingsworth
1953 –  Bill Southwell
1952 – Sam Riklin
1951 – Bill Camp
1951 – Sam Jarle
1951 – Sam Riklin
1951 – Phil Willis
1951 – Forres E. Wood
1950 – William Bellamy
1950 – John W. Fielder
1950 – Jack C. Hamilton
1950 – Paul K. Herder
1950 – Henry J. Sebastian
1949 – James V. McGoodwin
1948 – Tom Slick
1947 – Dan Gates
1946 – Lou Riklin
1945 – Angus Cockrell
1944 – Carl Stromberger
1943 – Willis Tate
1942 – Harold Risener
1941 – Walter Thomas
1940 – Jake Tiner
1939 – Albert Buss
1938 – Jesse Fletcher
1937 – Theo Weiss
1936 – Fred Felty
1935 – Joni Jones
1934 – Bailey Peyton
1933 – Guy Bonham
1932 – Arthur Pfeil
1931 – Youngs Crook