Kyle Dotson ’79

How One McMurry Graduate Turned Curiosity into a Life of Impact

Growing up in Abilene, just across the street from the Hardin-Simmons University band hall, Kyle Dotson ('79) describes his childhood as "uneventful", filled with afternoons spent outdoors and a simple expectation to be home by sunset. Yet, looking back, he realizes those early years laid the foundation for a remarkable career defined by curiosity and service.

His family didn't have many luxuries, but they had everything that mattered. Working alongside his father in the family furniture repair business from first grade through high school instilled a lifelong work ethic, while his mother nurtured his love of reading, encouraged him to explore his interests, and grounded him in faith. Together, they inspired a fascination with the natural world that would ultimately shape his life's work.

When it came time for college, McMurry University made higher education possible. Through a combination of scholarships, grants, work-study, and student loans, Kyle was able to pursue a degree he otherwise couldn't have afforded.

"I couldn't decide between chemistry, physics, biology, or geology," he recalls. "The Natural Science program allowed me to study all four."

That broad scientific foundation would become one of the greatest advantages of his career. While McMurry gave him the technical knowledge to succeed, it also taught him something even more valuable: how to learn.

"A corporate manager once told me they didn't hire college graduates for what they already knew; they hired them because a college degree demonstrates that you know how to learn. I think that's right. McMurry taught me how to keep learning."

One professor, Dr. Clark Beasley, left a particularly lasting impression. Kyle remembers wearing a science T-shirt featuring the Krebs Cycle and confidently telling Dr. Beasley that he understood how it worked. Rather than correcting him with words, Dr. Beasley quietly walked him over to a massive laboratory chart that revealed just how much more complex the process truly was.

"In one moment," Kyle says, "he taught me both humility and awe of the natural world."

Those lessons followed him throughout a career that would span more than four decades and take him to 30 countries around the globe. While he visited world-renowned cities like London, Paris, and Sydney, it was the more remote places: a mountaintop in Peru, a mile underground in Zimbabwe, and the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, that left the deepest impression.

Before graduating from McMurry, Kyle had never even been on an airplane.

"Traveling opened my eyes to everything there is," he says. "But it also taught me that the most important parts of life can still be found in places like Abilene."

After earning his master's degree in environmental science from The University of Texas at Dallas, Kyle began his career as a loss control engineer, investigating environmental health and safety risks for major insurance companies. While he originally envisioned protecting ecosystems from industrial pollution, witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of workplace hazards on people transformed his purpose.

His passion shifted from protecting the environment alone to protecting the people working within it.

Kyle became an expert in occupational safety, industrial hygiene, and toxicology, eventually leading safety and health programs for two of the world's largest mining companies. His work carried him across six continents, where he helped develop national and international safety standards before launching his own industrial safety and hygiene consulting firm.

For decades, he has also served as an independent expert witness in asbestos litigation, using clear, evidence-based scientific testimony to help deliver justice for victims and their families while also improving workplace safety standards across industries.

Despite an extraordinary career, Kyle believes success comes down to a few simple principles.

"Be interested in something," he advises today's students. "Learn all you can about it, and get really good at it. Humility is important, too. If you're humble, people will help you along the way, and everyone needs help."

His faith has remained the constant thread throughout his life and career.

"My belief in God as the creator of the wonders of nature, science, human thought, animals, plants, earth, water, space, and time has guided me," he says. "Some people think you can't believe in both God and science. I think that's crazy."

Today, Kyle continues giving back by investing in future generations. Having once relied on scholarships himself, he established multiple endowed scholarships through the American Industrial Hygiene Association and created the Dotson Safety Leadership Award through the National Safety Council. His hope is to help aspiring environmental health and safety professionals discover meaningful careers that improve the lives of others.

Reflecting on his own journey, from a modest upbringing in Abilene to an internationally respected leader in environmental health and safety, Kyle remains deeply grateful for the opportunities McMurry provided.

His story is a testament to the power of curiosity, lifelong learning, humility, and faith. It is also a reminder that even the simplest beginnings can lead to an extraordinary legacy of service and impact.

Do you or an alum you know have a great post-McMurry story? We'd love to feature YOU! Contact the Alumni Office at [email protected] to schedule an interview.