September 9, 2025 - The Center High School Alumni Association is proud to announce the 2025 Hall of Honor recipients are Joe Neal Lacy, M.D., Class of 1975; David Swanzy, Jr, Class of 1955; and Judy Parker Brownlow, Class of 1965. Please join the CHS Alumni Association on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 10am at the First Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Center to honor these outstanding individuals and reuniting with fellow classmates and friends.
FUMC opens at 9am and the ceremony begins at 10am. Coffee and cookies will be served. Everyone is invited to attend!
Dr. Joe Neal Lacy, M.D., was a 1975 graduate of Center High School. He was class president and graduated fifth in our class. While at CHS, Joe was in the National Honor Society, Who’s Who, played football and got the Fighting Roughrider Award. He was also in the Photography Club, FCA, the Droogs, and coached Powderpuff football.
After high school, Joe graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Biology from Stephen F. Austin University and was selected as recipient of the S.W. McKewin Award at SFASU and was named Mr. SFA in 1978-1979. He then attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he completed a Surgical Infectious Disease Fellowship, General Surgery Internship and Orthopedic Surgery Residency – graduating in the top 15% of his class. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 1986.
Dr. Lacy then obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. After several years of healthcare consulting with a prominent firm in Dallas, Dr. Lacy returned to medicine, completing a Radiology Residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, followed by a Musculoskeletal Imaging Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
His real passion was his family and forming meaningful relationships with those he encountered. He was a friend to many and always generous with his time, willing to share his medical expertise with those having concerns. He grew up in First Baptist Church in Center. Prior to his death in May 2023, Dr. Lacy and his wife of 32 years, Jane, were members of Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth. Dr. Lacy had served on several missionary trips to El Salvador and Panama. The couple had 3 sons, Wilke, Grey and Luke and one daughter, Anna.
David Swanzy was a 1955 graduate of Center High School. He was class valedictorian and a trumpet/cornet player for the Roughrider Band. After graduation, he attended Centenary College in Shreveport, LA on a music scholarship. While there, he had the privilege of playing regularly with the Shreveport Symphony.
David continued his education at Michigan State University where he received both his Masters and Doctoral degrees in music. David pursued a career in teaching at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, Glenvill State University in Glenville, West Viriginia and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. This path led him to Loyola University in New Orleans where he spent two decades as Dean of the College of Music. New Orleans proved to be a prosperous time for David, between his involvement with the university, New Orleans Symphony Society, John Phillip Sousa Foundation, various national advisory boards, student/faculty exchange programs and writing academic textbooks in the birthplace of jazz and musical culture.
After retiring in 2006, David and his wife Maelinda moved back to Center and purchased on of Center’s most historic homes which they restored to full grandeur. David immediately involved himself in the community with civic clubs and church membership. Documenting the history of Shelby County became his passion. He published several papers on East Texas history as well as developing his own publication “We the People of Shelby County” featuring native writers telling stories of years past. David was instrumental in bringing several seasons of music and stage productions to center while remaining involved in college life as Interim Director of Performing Arts at UT – Tyler. David passed away in July 2024 and his works and efforts stand as a tribute to his devotion to Shelby County.
Judy Parker Brownlow is a 1965 graduate of Center Hall School. Mrs. Brownlow was a majorette for three years, Drum Major of the Roughrider Band, earned All-Region honors as a French horn player, served in countless clubs and organizations and maintained an All-A average, graduating with the 2nd highest grade point average in her class. Judy is a gifted pianist and vocalist; she often performed for her church, civic organizations and the school. She was a faithful member of the First Methodist Church and was an active member of the Methodist Youth Fellowship and Chancel Choir.
After high school, Mrs. Brownlow attended Arlington Court Reporting College, now Arlington Career Institute. Upon completion of her studies, Judy was a legal assistant for Texas State Senator Oscar Mauzy. In 1997, Mrs. Brownlow returned to her alma mater where she was a court reporting instructor and is currently serving as Assistant Director and Paralegal Program Manager at ACI, where she has made a lasting impact on both students and colleagues. For 33 years, Judy worked alongside her late husband, Jerry Brownlow, at his law firm as a paralegal.
Beyond her dedication to education, Mrs. Brownlow’s has given her talents in music to serve her church. She was a devoted member of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Grand Prairie for 49 years until its closing in 2024. She served as a lay reader and lay eucharist minister, the Women of St. Andrew’s choir, organist and even choirmaster. She is currently a member of St. Alban’s Anglican Church in Arlington, TX. Judy is the proud mother of 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
