Bobby Lyle to receive 2014 Folsom award
Bobby Lyle, a member of the SMU board of trustees for more than 26 years, has been awarded the 2014 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award, The Methodist Health System Foundation has announced.
By Robert Miller
The Methodist Health System Foundation has announced that Bobby Lyle will be its 2014 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award recipient. The award will be presented at a dinner Sept. 25 at the Hilton Anatole.
 Bobby B. Lyle |
The foundation described Lyle as an “innovative engineer, educator, corporate executive, entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist.” Anyone who has known him any length of time would say, “Yep, that’s Bobby Lyle.”
His multifaceted career has spanned six decades. Lyle has served on the boards of more than 20 private and public companies — many of which he helped create — in industries as diverse as oil and gas, banking, ranching, computer software service, real estate, manufacturing, restaurants and green energy.
Lyle received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, a master’s degree in engineering administration from Southern Methodist University and a doctor of education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
After graduation, he returned to Dallas and began serving in leadership roles in the development of oil and gas fields such as the Bakken Shale, real estate projects such as the Dallas Galleria and business startups such as the InterFirst Bank-Galleria.
Lyle has been a member of the SMU board of trustees for more than 26 years, is past president of the SMU Alumni Association and has been vice chair of the executive boards of the Cox School of Business and the Lyle School of Engineering.
He is vice chair of the Salvation Army National Advisory Board and has been in leadership roles with Circle Ten Council-Boy Scouts of America, Communities Foundation of Texas and Volunteer Center of North Texas, among many others.
Past Folsom Leadership Award recipients are former Dallas Mayor Robert S. Folsom (2005), Nancy Ann Hunt (2006), Troy Aikman (2007), Laura Bush (2008), the late Norman Brinker (2009), Pat and Emmitt Smith (2010), Trevor Rees-Jones (2011), Mike Boone (2012) and the Rev. Mark Craig (2013).
“Bobby’s leadership and entrepreneurial approach have had a far-reaching and real impact on the Dallas community,” Methodist Health System Foundation president and CEO April Box Chamberlain said. “We are honored to celebrate his achievements.”
The Folsom event has raised more than $9 million over the last nine years to benefit Methodist Health System. Proceeds from the 2014 event will benefit Methodist Health System Foundation.