Rhodes College’s annual alumni awards will be presented on Nov. 14 during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend. This year’s honorees are:
Sally Jones Heinz, a member of the Class of 1981
Distinguished Alumni of the Year
Gunter Gaupp, a member of the Class of 2016
Young Alumni of the Year
Shayla Nicole Purifoy, a member of the Class of 2003
Black Student Association Distinguished Alumni of the Year
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have brought honor to Rhodes College through extraordinary achievement in their profession and community. Sally Jones Heinz ’81 retired as president and CEO of Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) in 2026, concluding a nearly 20-year tenure. Under her leadership, MIFA’s high-impact programs—including Meals on Wheels and rent and mortgage assistance—served more than 30,000 people annually across Memphis and Shelby County. She helped lead an endowment campaign that enhanced MIFA’s long-term sustainability and oversaw expanded services during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that more meals were delivered and more families remained housed during a time of unprecedented need. In 2023, she was recognized as CEO of the Year by Inside Memphis Business.
Heinz earned a bachelor’s degree from Rhodes and a master’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin, both in American studies. She returned to Memphis in 1983 and took on leadership roles in various organizations that have helped shape Memphis’ civic and cultural life, including Memphis Heritage, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and Rhodes College. Heinz has maintained a strong connection to Rhodes as a volunteer, donor, and trustee. In recognition of her service and achievements in the community, the college awarded her the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in 2014. Throughout her career, she has championed innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement to better serve the community.
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The Distinguished Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have not yet reached their tenth reunion but have brought honor to the college through extraordinary achievement in their profession and community. A composer, guitarist, and bandleader, Gunter Gaupp ’16 teaches music at Memphis Rise Academy High School. In 2025, he received The American Prize Charles Ives Award in Chamber Music, one of the nation’s premier honors for contemporary composers, for his composition Is This/This Is It written for two violins, viola, and cello.
While attending Rhodes, Gaupp performed as a member of the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble and was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music, he went on to earn a master’s degree in music from The University of Memphis. Gaupp’s works have been performed by ensembles throughout the United States and internationally. His accomplishments include a residency with Crosstown Arts in 2022, recognition in the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30,” and a composition featured on Ann DuHamel’s Prayers for a Feverish Planet album in 2026.
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The Black Student Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes African American alumni whose record of outstanding personal achievement and service to others has inspired Rhodes students and brought honor to their alma mater. Shayla Nicole Purifoy ’03 was sworn in as General Sessions Civil Court Judge for District Two in 2026. She hears landlord tenant, debtor collector, personal injury, emergency mental health commitments, and civil legal disputes. Prior to being elected judge, Purifoy had been a judicial commissioner (magistrate) since 2016.
After earning a degree in urban studies from Rhodes and a J.D. from The University of Memphis’ Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, she worked as a staff attorney for the Memphis Area Legal Services and the Family Safety Center. She has remained actively engaged in the community working with the Memphis and Shelby County Domestic and Sexual Violence Council, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services Family Law Task Force, Women of Achievement, Leo Bearman Sr. American Inn of Court, Rhodes College Mock Trial, and Central High School Mock Trial. Purifoy served as president of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association in 2020 and was presented the President’s Award from both the Ben F. Jones Chapter and Memphis Bar Association in 2023. In addition to mock trial, Purifoy supports Rhodes through the Black Alumni Chapter and through mentoring and professional development opportunities for students. In 2024, she received the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Leo Bearman Sr. American Inn of Court.