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Cypress Creek inducts three alumni into 2026 Wall of Honor class
Cypress Creek High School held its 11th induction ceremony for its Wall of Honor on May 11. This year, the Wall of Honor committee selected Chris Cartwright, Class of 1983, Michael Lattin, class of 1987, and Jack Tannous, class of 1998, as the three inductees.
The Wall of Honor was created by former Cypress Creek principal Jim Wells upon his retirement in 2012. It recognizes Cypress Creek alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their field or to society in general.
Tannous is currently an Associate Professor of History and Hellenic Studies at Princeton University, where he has worked since 2012. He originally graduated from The University of Texas in 2002 with a major in Arabic, History, Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy and Plan II Honors. He later earned a Masters Degree from Oxford University, England, and a Ph.D. from Princeton.
In addition to teaching, Tannous also won the James Henry Breasted Prize for his book The Making of the Medieval Middle East: Religion, Society and Simple Believers. The award recognizes the best English books that are written about any field of history prior to 1,000 C.E. It’s a lifetime of scholarship that Tannous can trace right back to the walls of Cypress Creek High School.
“When I was a student here at Cy Creek back in the 90s, I would’ve never thought in ten million years that I’d come back here 30 years later and be put on a wall with all these incredible people,” Tannous said. “For me, one of the most meaningful things was to reflect on what my Cy Creek education meant to me and to think about how much the teachers here gave me, how much I learned from them, how those lessons have carried me through my life and how I’ve tried to share those with other people, other students I’ve dealt with.”
Lattin has made his mark in the field of broadcasting. After graduating from the University of Southern California, he originally started as an associate news producer at KHOU in Houston. After two years there, he moved to Kentucky and never looked back. He worked at stations in Lexington and Louisville before starting BMB Productions in 2004 where he produces shows ranging from “Secrets of Bluegrass Chefs” to “Louisville Live.” He also serves as the voice of the Louisville Cardinals football team.
Lattin jokes that when he graduated, he may have been voted least like to be on the Wall of Honor, but years later, he can speak to how vital his Cypress Creek education has been to his career.
“When you got to college, you realized how prepared you were relative to the other students. College turned out to be a breeze,” Lattin said. “The challenges that we faced and overcame here, you could draw on those experience later in life and it made success all the more easier. A great foundation for success and happiness later in life.”
Chris Cartwright was the third inductee, joining the ceremony remotely. He is currently the President and CEO of TransUnion, which is a consumer credit reporting agency. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Public Accountancy.
“I want to humbly thank the Wall of Honor selection committee for selecting me for this tremendous honor,” Cartwright said. “My high school years were an amazing experience. I encountered so many awesome teachers, coaches and administrators in my years at Cypress Creek, and I feel fortunate to have grown up in a community that has great educational resources like that.”
All three inductees had plaques unveiled on the Wall of Honor following speeches in the school’s library. They also finished the evening off by offering advice and encouragement to seniors at the 2026 Cypress Creek High School Senior Awards Night. It was exactly the type of event that Wells envisioned when he began the Wall of Honor back in 2013.
“They’re all outstanding. People have gone out from this place and done remarkable things as a result of the many things they talked about today: the people, the influences, and the opportunities they had at this school and this district,” Wells said. “We’re proud that they represent Cypress Creek and the excellence here.”
Source: CFISD
