March 2, 2006

Purdue announces 2006 distinguished engineering alumni

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Ten graduates of Purdue University's College of Engineering will be honored Friday (March 3) during the 2006 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Convocation.

"Purdue has more than 76,000 alumni from its College of Engineering," said Linda Katehi, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "Individuals selected for this honor are being recognized for their professional accomplishments and for their contributions to society. Selecting our distinguished alumni is a very difficult process because we award so few each year, but it is always gratifying to see the number of outstanding Purdue graduates who have gone on to make an impact in their fields and in their communities."

The 2006 recipients are:

• Allen H. Alley of Lake Oswego, Ore., president, chief operating officer and chairman of the board of Pixelworks Inc. in Tualatin, Ore. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1976.

• David R. Boyd of Los Altos, Calif., chairman and co-founder of Webcor Builders in San Mateo, Calif. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1960.

• Robert N. Davis of Macungie, Pa., director of technology and commercialization for Air Products and Chemicals Inc. in Allentown, Pa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1968 and a MBA from the University of Chicago in 1974.

• Max C. Downham of Chicago, executive director of the International College of Surgeons in Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue in 1958 and a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1965.

• Keith Krach of Los Gatos, Calif., co-founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of Ariba Inc., and president of 3points LLC in Los Gatos. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1979 and a MBA from Harvard University in 1981.

• Roman J. Krygier Jr. of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., retired group vice president of global manufacturing for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1964.

• Aelred Kurtenbach of Brookings, S.D., chairman, president and co-founder of Daktronics Inc., in Brookings. He earned a doctorate degree in electrical and computer engineering in 1968.

• Allen S. Novick of Indianapolis, vice president of marketing intelligence and support for Rolls-Royce Corp. in Indianapolis. He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics in 1965, 1967 and 1972, respectively.

• Essam Abdel Aziz Sharaf of Egypt, professor of highway engineering for Cairo University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cairo University in 1975, and master’s and doctorate degrees in civil engineering from Purdue in 1980 and 1984, respectively.

• Dr. David A. Wolf of Houston, astronaut for NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue in 1978 and a medical degree from Indiana University in 1982.

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

Source: Linda Katehi, (765) 494-5346, katehi@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 online or by contacting Lisa Tally at (765) 494-2096, lisat@ecn.purdue.edu

Related Web site:
Purdue College of Engineering

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