Pam Rast will receive the 2024 Wesleyan Flame Award at this year's awards ceremony. For nearly thirty years, she has not only supported Texas Wesleyan students academically but has also fostered lasting connections that extend well beyond their time at the university.

Dr. Rast earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from Baylor University. She began her career as an educator and athletic trainer in 1983 as athletic trainer and biology teacher at Clear Lake High School where she worked until 1991 when she left to move to Texas Woman’s University to complete her doctoral studies in biomechanics.

Rast began her journey at Texas Wesleyan University in 1994 as the university’s first full-time athletic trainer. Two years later, she accepted a faculty position as assistant professor and program director for athletic training education. She was promoted to full professor in 2002 and has served as Chair of the kinesiology department for 22 years.

Since arriving at Texas Wesleyan, Rast has contributed her time as a medical staff volunteer and involved her students in cocurricular educational activities including the Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon, Tarrant County Girl Scout Council and the Grand Prairie Police Department Cowboy Cops Rodeo fund raiser for Special Olympics. She enjoyed judging the Daggett Montessori School Invention Convention and engaging her students in afterschool programs at several area elementary schools. For the last 15 years she and her students have volunteered with the Region 10 Annual KID-NETIC Games hosting athletic events for children with physical disabilities.

As an avid scuba diver and certified divemaster, Rast was responsible for initiating Texas Wesleyan’s unique underwater graduation for students who minor in Recreation Diving Management. Most recently she developed a partnership between Adapt-able Scuba and Texas Wesleyan to bring together adaptive and able-bodied individuals to provide opportunities for people with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities to enjoy SCUBA diving. She and Texas Wesleyan alums Tammy Titlow and Bill Rucker have traveled with hundreds of students on annual dive trips to Roatan, Curacao, Cozumel, Bimini, wreck diving in the Florida Keys and too many Texas locations to remember.

During her 30 years at Texas Wesleyan Rast has taught 21 different courses and served as Faculty Athletic Representative to the NAIA for 19 years. She has given time to just about every faculty committee including serving as Chair of Faculty Council and Assembly three times. She has delivered over 100 professional presentations, served as officer or committee chair of seven different state and national organizations including as examiner for the Texas Advisory Board and the national Board of Certification for athletic trainers. She is a National Athletic Trainers Association Most Distinguished AT and a Southwest Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Famer.

She has been honored by her Texas Wesleyan family as Earl Brown Distinguished faculty, United Methodist Exemplary Teacher, Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching and is a Guardian of the Golden Shears.

About the Alumni Medal Awards 

Each year, Texas Wesleyan University honors distinguished alumni and friends. Their achievements and contributions are amazing reflections of the University, and we are honored to celebrate and recognize them each year.

This year’s Alumni Medal Dinner will be held at the Fort Worth Club on Friday, Nov. 1. The reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and program at 7 p.m.

The event is open to all alumni, friends and faculty and staff, and tickets are $75 per person. Register online to reserve your seat, and be sure to check out other homecoming weekend activities as well.

Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 817-531-6548 or alumni@txwes.edu.