Tomnitz to speak Saturday at Westminster graduation

The featured speaker to the 2013 graduating class at Westminster College in Fulton Saturday will be Don Tomnitz, president and CEO of D.R. Horton, Inc., of Dallas, America's largest home construction firm.

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Corey and Erica Riddle

Tomnitz has been named three times as one of the best chief executive officers in the United States by Institutional Investor magazine. He also has been included in the Associated Press CEO "Winners" list. Tomnitz was listed as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Real Estate by Bloomberg Business Week in 2010.

When Westminster President Barney Forsythe asked him to speak at this year's commencement, Tomnitz said he agreed because he has many positive memories of his time in college at Westminster. He is a 1970 graduate of the college.

"Westminster was and still is a great place for someone to be all they can be. Westminster gave me the opportunity to participate in many activities. Most importantly, students were able, if they desired, to visit with professors on almost a daily basis," Tomnitz said.

At most large universities, he said, many classes are taught by graduate assistants, not professors. At Westminster the class sizes are small and the professors are available to students.

"At Westminster," Tomnitz said, "students have every opportunity to learn if they choose to do so."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.