Trini Perez named Nelda McQuien Laney Award recipient
3/9/2018
Following a vote by the PHS student body, Plainview High School graduating senior Trini Perez was named as the first recipient of the Nelda McQuien Laney Award.
The award, established this year in memory of the “First Lady of West Texas” Nelda McQuien Laney, recognizes a senior girl who is in good standing at PHS, exhibits the traits of leadership and good citizenship, and is involved in student organizations at Plainview High School.
Nelda Laney, a graduate of Plainview High School and Texas Tech University, was married to former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives James “Pete” Laney. She served as National President of the Texas Tech Alumni Association and Chair of the Merket Alumni Center expansion. She created a series of collectible Texas Capitol ornaments for the continued preservation and educational programming of the Capitol. Between 1996 and 2002, Nelda handled all phases of the project and sold more than 300,000 ornaments generating more than $2 million for the Texas Statehouse. She served on the boards of The Texas Book Festival, Friends of Texas Library and Archives, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Greater Texas Community Partners.
Nelda involved in numerous organization including Kappa Alpha Theta, the Omega Delphi Study Club, and Caprock District Women's Club. She served as co-chair of the Capitol Fund Drive, which raised private funds for furnishing the renovated Texas Capitol, and as vice chair of the Texas Capitol Restoration Celebration. Nelda was honored with the Lauro F. Cavazos Award by the Texas Tech Alumni Association, was a Texas Tech University College of Education Distinguished Alumni and was the first recipient of the Woman of Achievement Award from the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. She also received a Special Recognition for her work on the Capitol Restoration by the Texas Women's Alliance and was a recipient of the Star of Texas Preservation Award for Capitol Restoration. She was named Woman of the Year in Plainview and Hale Center, inducted into the Future Homemakers of America Texas Hall of Fame and honored as a Lifetime Member of the Girl Scouts.
Trini Perez, the daughter of Johnny and Carmen Perez, plans to attend college and major in mass communications and public relations with a minor in education. She is a member of the PHS band where she serves as a color guard captain and is the reporter for the band leadership team. She serves as captain of the softball team and played on the volleyball team as a freshman. She is a Symphony Guild debutante, 2nd vice-president for Student Council, Public Relations Officer for FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America), and an active member of St. Alice Catholic Church.
Nominees for this year’s award, in addition to Trini Perez, were Jaylee Campos, Dareli Chavez, Anahi Cordero, Bethany Gamez, Lucy Hernandez, Mahogany Nails, Lauren Pritchard, Tabbatha Riojas, and Yasmine Soto. Nominees were selected by vote of the senior class.
