At today’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting, Arlon Hermes, Betty Kyle, and Anne Miller were inducted into the Chamber’s Hall of Honor. Each will have their photo on permanent display in Honors Hall for future generations to follow. They will be further honored at the Chamber’s Annual Banquet to be held January 25, 2019 in the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center.
Following graduation from New Braunfels High School, Hermes, a fifth generation New Braunfelser, attended then-Southwest Texas State University and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. After college he worked in the oil industry, traveling the world and even working on the trans-Alaska pipeline. He returned home in 1983 and taught chemistry and physics at Smithson Valley High School before purchasing the Fiedler and Ferguson Insurance Agencies which served as the foundation of Hermes Insurance Agency, now in business 32 years.
A Senior Opa with the Wurstfest Association and current president of Hope Hospice, Hermes served as a Trustee and Board Secretary for the New Braunfels ISD and he received the Silver Unicorn Award, was past President of the New Braunfels Rotary Club and multiple Paul Harris Fellow, was past President of the Comal County Fair Association, and served on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the New Braunfels Downtown Association. An active member of the Chamber of Commerce, he has served on the Board of Directors, is a Senior Blue Coat, and for the past 30 years has served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Business Trade Show.
Kyle taught at Canyon High School for 29 years, and during that time established the At-Risk Program, coached cheerleaders, sponsored National Honor Society, was the advisor for Student Council for 24 years, coordinated and taught week-long summer workshops for high schoolers around the state, and was selected by the National Association of Student Councils to lead workshops at Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
For the last 14 years Kyle has served as a full-time office manager at The Kyle Law Firm while maintaining a very active volunteer calendar. She has been a board member of her church for nine years, served the Braunfels Foundation Trust as the Scholarship Chairman for the last seven years and New Braunfels Parks Cemetery Committee for seven years, is a board member of Circle Arts Theater, and of the American Cancer Society, and is a life member of The University of Texas Exes Association. Kyle has been honored with the Optimists Friend of Youth Award, the Friend of 4-H Award from the Comal County Extension Service Office, the Silver Unicorn Award in 1986 (also received by her mother in 1969 and her grandmother in 1973), the Masonic Lodge Outstanding Educator in 1994, the Canyon High School Teacher of the Year in 1982, and the Texas Association of Student Councils’ Distinguished Service Award in 1989.
Miller, co-owner and Customer Experience Advocate of Miller and Miller Insurance Agency, served in various leadership roles in the PTA during her children’s school years, was a host mentor at Memorial School and named the PTA Outstanding Volunteer at Memorial Elementary, co-chaired the Unicorn All-Sports Booster Club, served on the School Board of the New Braunfels ISD for two terms, and was presented the Silver Unicorn Award in 1999.
Miller is a Blue Coat, New Braunfels Chamber Life Member, 1992 graduate of Leadership New Braunfels, was named Small Business Person of the Year along with her husband in 2003, served on the Board of the New Braunfels ISD Education Foundation as a founding member for 14 years, is a member of the Braunfels Foundation Trust, was recently named a Pillar of the Community by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and currently serves as the Chair of the 175th Anniversary of New Braunfels.
Arlon Hermes’ photograph will be put on permanent display in Honors Hall as an example for future generations to follow.
Betty Kyle’s photograph will be put on permanent display in Honors Hall as an example for future generations to follow.
Anne Miller’s photograph will be put on permanent display in Honors Hall as an example for future generations to follow.