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Texas Lutheran University this fall honored Llano resident Dr. Elizabeth Pfennig Knebel during its annual TLU Salutes dinner at the university’s campus in Seguin.

Knebel received the TLU Distinguished Alumni Award, which is given by the Board of Regents to alumni who have, in the Board’s judgment, established an outstanding record of professional achievement.

Knebel received her associate’s degree from Texas Lutheran in 1954 and completed her undergraduate education at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

She later earned an M.S. in maternal health nursing from Texas Woman’s University and an Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Houston.

For 13 years Knebel worked in maternal nursing at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, and then spent 23 years on the faculty of the University of Texas School of Nursing at UTMB-Galveston.

There she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in maternity, women’s health, pharmacology, and nursing administration.

She also held several administrative positions, including undergraduate curriculum coordinator, director of student affairs and associate dean of the nursing school.

During her tenure she was an active scholar, publishing articles and presenting papers at national and international conferences, and she participated in grant-writing and research projects. She served on many Medical Branch committees, including Long Range Strategic Planning and Student Affairs.

She retired from UTMB-Galveston as an associate professor with tenure.

Knebel has received several honors for her professional achievements, including the Distinguished Alumnae Award from the UT School of Nursing at UTMB-Galveston, and she was the school’s first recipient of the honor which bears her name – the Elizabeth Knebel Faculty Award for Excellence in Maternal/Child Nursing.

A lifelong member of the ELCA, Knebel has held many leadership positions at both the congregational and synodical levels. She has been especially active in music ministry and the Women of the ELCA, and serves as organist at her church, St. Peter’s Lutheran in Marble Falls.

The TLU Distinguished Alumni Award presentation was made by TLU President Ann M. Svennungsen. Texas Lutheran University (www.tlu.edu) is an exclusively undergraduate university of the liberal arts, sciences and professional studies.