February 22, 2005

College of Engineering to honor 7 distinguished alumni

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Seven graduates from the Purdue University College of Engineering will be honored Friday (Feb. 25) during the 2005 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Convocation.

The distinguished alumni awards are given each year to Purdue engineering graduates for their professional and related accomplishments.

The 2005 recipients are:

• Paul M. Bevilaqua, of Santa Clarita, Calif., chief engineer of advanced development projects for Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, Calif. Bevilaqua earned master's and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue in 1968 and 1973, respectively.

• Arthur J. Bond, of Madison, Ala., dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Alabama A&M University in Normal, Ala. Bond earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue in 1968, 1969 and 1974, respectively.

• John A. Bratt, of Indianapolis, founder and CEO of Tenax Corp. Bratt earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1965 in mechanical engineering and a master's degree from Indiana University in 1972 in business administration.

• Charles D. Davidson, of Houston, president, CEO and chairman of Noble Energy Inc. Davidson earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1972 in chemical engineering.

• James Warren Hill, of Winnetka, Ill., president and CEO of Hill Mechanical Group in Chicago. Hill earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1963.

• Charles V. "Jack" Jakowatz Jr., of Albuquerque, N.M., distinguished member of the technical staff manager for the Radar Signal Processing Research Group of Sandia National Laboratories. Jakowatz earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue in 1972, 1973 and 1976, respectively.

• Cynthia A. Niekamp, of Birmingham, Mich., president and general manager of BorgWarner Torq Transfer Systems for BorgWarner Inc. in Auburn Hills, Mich. Niekamp earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue in 1981 and a master's degree from Harvard University in 1983 in business administration.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Source: Lisa Tally, engineering senior writer and managing editor, (765) 494-9996, lisat@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Complete biographies and publication-quality photos of the recipients are available on the 2005 Distinguished Engineering Alumni page or by contacting Lisa Tally at (765) 494-9996, lisat@purdue.edu

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