Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients 2025

That same year, Rusty joined his father at Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, where he served as Vice President. In 1988, he took the helm of the company, becoming Chairman and CEO, a position he still holds today. Under Rusty's leadership, Walter Oil & Gas restructured its exploration and engineering departments, strategically positioning the company to capitalize on advancements in 3D seismic data and emerging subsea development technology. Walter Oil & Gas has long held a respected reputation as a skilled oil finder and operator, and Rusty has inherited and expanded upon this legacy. Rusty's own reputation as a leading CEO in the oil and gas industry is widely recognized. He is known for his passion, talent, and innate gift for the business. Rusty was inducted into the All-American Wildcatters in recognition of his work in exploration.

Rusty has played a key role in the philanthropic endeavors of Walter Oil & Gas Corporation. The company, under the leadership of Rusty and his father, has prioritized giving back to the community, investing significantly in numerous educational, medical, civic, and Christian causes both locally, nationally, and internationally.

Rusty has dedicated considerable time, energy, and resources to sharing their success. Their philanthropic focus includes substantial support for Houston Methodist Hospital, where he has served in various board capacities. Walter Oil & Gas has generously funded numerous clinical, research, and educational initiatives at the hospital, including the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, the Emily Herrmann Cancer Research Center, and the Coordinated Stroke Intervention and Stroke Stem Cell Research Program.

Rusty's community involvement extends to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where he has served on numerous boards and committees. Walter Oil & Gas has generously supported the museum, notably contributing to the WISE Energy Hall and the Moran Hall of Paleontology.

Today Graham is the CEO and Co-Founder of VRChat, an immersive social platform that empowers users to create and connect in virtual worlds. He began his career at Zynga before founding VRChat in 2015. Under his leadership, VRChat has grown to a team of over 120 employees and has raised $100 million in funding to date.

Outside of work, Graham enjoys spending time with his wife, Gina, their one-year-old daughter, Sevi, and their many cats.

At that time, Kinkaid decided to require biology, chemistry, and physics, and students had the opportunity to pursue an AP course as seniors or, if taking honors physics concurrently, as juniors. In addition to teaching physics, Linda became co-director of the Kinkaid-HISD Math Science Institute (later known as EMSI) for the summers of 1981 to 2005. Two years after arriving at Kinkaid, she began a 14-year stint grading AP Physics exams as a reader, then table leader, then exam leader. She served on the AP Physics Development Committee for three years during that time. Also during her time at Kinkaid, Linda served as Upper School Department Chair, SOK sponsor, racquetball coach, and Science Club sponsor.

Linda semi-retired in summer 2018 and from then on taught AP Physics until finally retiring in June 2024.

Linda attended Mount Holyoke College for two years and then transferred to the University of Chicago, graduating two years later with a degree in physics. She then obtained an MAT in physics from Northwestern University. After teaching in Chicago and New York and taking some time to raise her children, Linda was fortunate to have been hired by Glenn Ballard, then Kinkaid Head of School, who was a fantastic mentor during their time together.

...where she majored in elementary education. She then began her career teaching first and second grade in HISD. In 1969, she returned to Kinkaid, this time as a teacher, hired by then Head of School John Cooper. For four years, she shaped the minds of first graders at her alma mater.

During this time, Adrian became a Kinkaid parent herself, as her sons, Rusty ’91 and Brian ’95, entered preschool, beginning their own Lifer journeys in the Yellow Door. Today, her connection to Kinkaid continues with her grandchildren, Savannah ’27 and Turner ’29.
Adrian's involvement with Kinkaid extended far beyond her roles as student, teacher, and parent. She embraced the Kinkaid community, participating in the usual volunteer activities and contributing to many significant events. She served on the committee for the first Kinkaid Auction, co-treasured the Kinkaid Book Fair, and bravely chaired the "rainiest, muddiest Field Day ever" in 1985. From 1990 to 1991, she served as co-president of the Mothers' Club (now the Parents' Association).

Her interests within the school were diverse. She was involved with theatre productions and enthusiastically supported varsity baseball, helping plan the yearly travel for the team from 1993 to 1995. Adrian was a member of the inaugural Alumni Association Board and later served as its second president. For over 40 years, she has been a dedicated class correspondent and Reunion organizer, maintaining connections within her graduating class. She also co-chaired the first Alumnae & Friends Luncheon.

Beyond Kinkaid, Adrian has been actively involved in her community, volunteering and assisting with events for various causes. She volunteered at Yellowstone Academy from its founding for five years, demonstrating her commitment to education beyond Kinkaid's gates. Additionally, she served on committees for projects at UTMB Galveston, reflecting her dedication to broader community health and well-being. Adrian's life is a testament to service, marked by her dedication to Kinkaid and her broader community.

At Jersey Village, she earned all-district honors in basketball her junior and senior years. Her senior year, she also was honored as all-state and named to the Texas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star team. As a pitcher and shortstop in softball, she earned all-district honors her junior and senior years. In soccer, she was an all-district player her senior year (1983) at Jersey Village during the inaugural season for public schools in Houston.

She went on to play at the next level, starting at Howard Junior College. She led her team in scoring, assists, and steals for two seasons, earning all-conference honors her freshman and sophomore seasons. Her sophomore year, she was honored as a JUCO All-Star. In 1985, she transferred to the University of Louisiana, where she played basketball and softball, earning all-conference honors as a center fielder. She graduated from U of L in 1988.

Molly was fortunate to be hired at The Kinkaid School by former Athletic Director Jan Braden and Head of School Glenn Ballard in 1989. Her first week, she traveled to Irish Hills, MI with the varsity field hokey team to Sauk Valley to learn the sport. She was a varsity field hockey assistant for 25 years, winning titles in 1992, 1997, 1999 and 2017. Her winter sport is basketball, a favorite, and she has coached at all levels, including program head for nine years. She has been an assistant varsity coach for the past 10 years and has won championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She works closely with Head Coach Stacey Marshall to plan practices and takes on the role of leading the shooting drills, planning SPC Thursdays, post player development, choosing the quote of the day and, most importantly, passionately tracking the pulse of the team. While working in the Middle School program, she initiated the MS 101 basketball clinics, which had the high school players come to middle school practices to run skills clinics. It was a successful mentoring and leadership program for the student-athletes. The spring season initially involved softball for Molly, as she was a successful college player. Not long into her tenure, she was asked to become a varsity lacrosse assistant as an offensive coordinator. For years, she was the head middle school softball coach and varsity lacrosse coach simultaneously. In lacrosse, she won a state title in 1996 and 2001, while also winning an SPC title in 2019. Molly has a passion for developing skills and coaching high-level strategies in her sports. She has won numerous HJPC titles in field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse.

Teaching physical education brings Molly joy each day. She has taught all ages, pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, but the last 20 years have focused on developing early childhood students. She became director of the Teacher’s Academy in pre-kindergarten 15 years ago, which mentors teachers with classroom management skills, lesson planning, and understanding the physical development of children. The physical education curriculum was developed by Molly, using a spiral theory to enhance the physical development of each child. You can see her every morning during carpool, greeting each child by name with a smile. She has been a staple on KLS’s Wellness Wednesday segment for the past 20 years. During her tenure, she has been a fifth and seventh grade adviser, Lower School Wellness Coordinator, and founder of the Kinkaid Faculty Cookie Exchange, which brought children and parents together to support each other in the community. Molly is in her 31st year of coordinating Field Day and looks forward to the 100th celebration this spring. She has given 30 years of service as an Admission’s Committee member and to this day is still enthusiastic about the prospect of a child becoming a member of the Kinkaid community. Additionally, she currently serves as the DEI Council Co-Chair. Molly was honored in 2007 with the Columbiana Award. She was the first non-classroom teacher to receive this prestigious honor for her pedagogical knowledge and passion for students. In 2016, the Kinkaidian was dedicated to Molly. 

Molly has been married to husband Kirk for 32 years, and they have one son Tyler '15 who is a Kinkaid alumnus. Her passion is her family and faith. She loves all sports, playing and watching them in her spare time. Her quiet time is spent in nature, doing yard work or tending to her plants. Her newest hobby is pickleball, and she looks forward to introducing it to the Kinkaid faculty.