FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — J. Thomas “Tommy” May of Pine Bluff has been named by the University of Arkansas as this year’s recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal. Coleman “Cole” H. Peterson of Rogers has been named the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award.

“This year’s honorees have made a significant difference at the University of Arkansas,” said UA Chancellor John A. White. “Their legacies will be admired, and those who follow will strive to match their accomplishments. We are pleased to recognize two extraordinary individuals for their dedication to the mission of the university and to the welfare of the UA community and the world around them.”

The Chancellor’s Medal, first awarded in 1993, is presented to individuals whose service to higher education and society at large has been truly extraordinary. Previous Chancellor’s Medal recipients include George and Boyce Billingsley, Jim Blair, Frank Broyles, Lawrence Davis, Dan Ferritor, Willard Gatewood, Lewis Epley, Pat and Willard Walker and Helen Robson Walton.

Tommy May, chairman and chief executive officer of Simmons First National Corp. and Simmons First National Bank, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas in 1972, followed by his Master of Business Administration one year later.

May’s love for the University of Arkansas is evident through his unyielding involvement and support. During the successful Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, May served on the Campaign Steering Committee and the Central Arkansas Regional Committee. He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2003 and is currently a member of the 2010 Commission, The University of Arkansas Foundation Board of Directors, The Dean’s Advisory Board in the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the university’s Board of Advisors.

In 2003, he established the Tommy and Kathryn May Endowed Library Fund for the benefit of the University Libraries. Also in 2003, Simmons First National Corp. together with the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield made a gift to name a Sam M. Walton College of Business auditorium in honor of former UA Trustee Louis Ramsay. Because of his philanthropy to the Arkansas Alumni Association, May holds a place in the Alumni House Hall of Honor.

May’s other volunteer interests include the United Way of Jefferson County and Southeast Arkansas, Habitat for Humanity and the Pine Bluff Downtown Development. He also serves on the board of directors for the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Baptist Health and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

May and his wife, Kathryn, a former teacher in the White Hall School District, live in Pine Bluff. They have four children: Chris May (B.A. 1995, J.D. 1998); Chad May (B.S.B.A. 1997); Mary Kate Chambliss, a senior in the UA Eleanor Mann School of Nursing; and John Daniel Chambliss, a freshman at the University of Arkansas, majoring in agricultural business.

White said: “Tommy is a generous, dedicated member of the UA community. We appreciate his involvement in securing a bright future for the university and for offering much of his time to help us along the way. We would not be where we are without leaders like Tommy. He has made an incredible impact on the University of Arkansas of today while preparing us for the future.”

The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes extraordinary loyalty, service and leadership to the University of Arkansas and its programs.

Cole Peterson

Cole Peterson served on the Campaign Steering Committee and the Student Affairs Committee during the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. He also served as co-chair of the Silas Hunt Legacy Award Celebration committee. He is currently a member of the 2010 Commission and the newly developed Board of Advisors. In 2003, Peterson, with Shirley Peterson, his wife of 32 years, committed to establish the Coleman and Shirley Peterson Endowment in Student Affairs. The volunteer efforts of Cole Peterson extend far beyond his involvement with the University of Arkansas. He serves as vice chair of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees, and he is a board member for the National Academy of Human Resources. He is a member of the NAACP Board of Trustees and a former board member of the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation. Peterson also serves on the Board of Directors for J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., The ServiceMaster Company of Chicago and Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc.

In 2004, Peterson received the National Conference for Community and Justice’s Humanitarian of the Year Award. He was also named one of the Top Ten Executives on the Rise by CNBC in 1996. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. He is also member of the National Council of La Raza.

Cole Peterson is the president and chief executive officer of Hollis Enterprises LLC, a human resources consulting firm founded in 2004 following Peterson’s retirement from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as its executive vice president of the People Division. Prior to joining Wal-Mart, he spent 16 years with Venture Stores.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature as well as a master’s degree in industrial relations, both from Loyola University in Chicago.

Peterson, a native of Birmingham, Ala., grew up in Chicago. He and Shirley have two children, Rana and Collin. They reside in Rogers.

Chancellor White said: “Cole’s direction throughout the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century was first-class and he chose to continue his volunteer service as a valued member of the Board of Advisors. Cole played a significant role in launching the highly successful Silas Hunt Legacy Award celebration. His volunteer efforts have inspired others to get involved and help to take this university to a new level. It is always an honor to recognize individuals who truly make a difference. Cole is one of those people.”

The first Volunteers of the Year, E.J. Ball and Charles Scharlau, were recognized in 1989. Other previous recipients are Lee Bodenhamer, Sylvia Boyer, Tommy Boyer, Jim Faulkner, Irma Giffels, Gerald Jordan, Lawson Hembree, Kaneaster Hodges, Jack King, Charles Kittrell, Mary Trimble Maier, Vernon Peppard, Harriett Phillips, Reynie Rutledge, Curtis Shipley, Julian Stewart, Charlie Whiteside and Lee Williams.

The recipients will be recognized at this year’s Towers of Old Main dinner on April 27 at the Fayetteville Town Center. Membership in the Towers of Old Main is a singular honor bestowed upon individuals whose cumulative giving or commitment to the University of Arkansas has reached or exceeded $100,000.