Purdue News
Purdue News
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April 29, 1999
Purdue to bestow 20 honorary doctoratesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University will award honorary doctoral degrees to 20 persons during May commencement ceremonies at Purdue campuses in West Lafayette, Fort Wayne and Hammond."The honorary doctorate is the highest honor Purdue can bestow on alumni and friends of the university," said Purdue President Steven C. Beering. "We are most pleased to salute these outstanding men and women by recognizing the significant accomplishments they have made in their professions and the lasting contributions they have made to their communities." Honorary-degree recipients will be cited during four commencement ceremonies May 15 and 16 in Elliott Hall of Music on the West Lafayette campus; at a commencement ceremony for Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on May 12; and at Purdue University Calumet's commencement May 23.
The 1999 recipients at the West Lafayette campus are:
At Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne:
At Purdue Calumet:
Biographical SketchesRONALD M. ANDERSENDoctor of Social Sciences Andersen is internationally recognized for his contributions to national health policy and health-care utilization. He is the Wasserman Professor of Health Services in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a professor in the UCLA Department of Sociology. He resides in Los Angeles. A Council Bluffs, Iowa, native raised in Sebastopol, Calif., his undergraduate work in sociology was at the University of Santa Clara. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees in sociology, both from Purdue, in 1962 and 1968, respectively. Prior to his current appointment, Andersen had a long tenure as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Chicago, both in the Graduate School of Business and the Department of Sociology. For a decade, he was director of the Center for Health Administration Studies and the Graduate Program in Health Administration at the University of Chicago. While Andersen's work has had great significance for health-care policy, he is best known in the academic community for his pioneering theoretical and empirical investigation of access and equity issues regarding national health care. He developed the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, which has been used extensively worldwide as a framework for utilization and cost studies of general populations as well as special studies of minorities, low-income persons, children, women, the elderly, the homeless and the HIV-positive population. In his 30-year academic career, he has written or co-written 125 journal articles and 20 books and monographs. Andersen is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards given to medical sociologists. In 1994, he received the Leo G. Reeder Distinguished Medical Sociologist Award from the American Sociological Association. In 1996, the Association for Health Services Research honored him with the Distinguished Investigator Career Award, often described as the Nobel Prize in health-services research. The association also named him a Distinguished Fellow in 1997.
CALVIN E. BELLAMY Bellamy has had an impact on the economic and cultural life of northwest Indiana. He is chairman and chief executive officer of Bank Calumet, based in Hammond, Ind., the community where he was born and raised. He is a resident of Munster, Ind. He graduated from Indiana University in 1964, then earned his law degree from the University of Michigan. He continues his scholarly work in law and is nationally recognized for his writings on constitutional questions, such as impeachment and line-item and pocket vetoes. He entered the banking business in 1969 in Chicago, and began his affiliation with Bank Calumet, then Calumet National Bank, in 1975. Bellamy has devoted his time to a range of community activities, reflecting his interest in youth and human services, and the economic and cultural well-being of the Calumet region. He is a past president and board member of both the Hammond and the Munster Education foundations. He is a Boy Scout volunteer and serves on the Central States Region Board of Directors. He was instrumental in linking United Way, the Boy Scouts and the Northwest Indiana Food Bank to form Scouting for Food the United Way, a 12-year-old initiative that continues today to secure thousands of food items for those in need. He is a co-founder of the Northwest Indiana Forum and serves on its executive board. He is a board member of the Legacy Foundation, an organization that manages permanent endowments in support of charitable programs in Lake County. Bellamy also has been active as a president and board member of the Hammond Public Library, the Hammond Historical Society, the Lake County Community Development Committee, the Northwest Indiana Trade Council and the Indiana Humanities Council. He is a friend of Purdue Calumet with work as an adviser, part-time teacher and consultant. His professional service includes memberships on the Indiana Board for Depositories, which oversees the trust fund that insures bank accounts, and the Community Bank Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
SUSAN BULKELEY BUTLER Butler is a key figure among women executives in America. A resident of Tucson, Ariz., she is the managing partner in the Office of the Managing Partner/Chief Executive Officer of Andersen Consulting, Palo Alto, Calif., a $6.6 billion global management and technology consulting organization with more than 59,000 associates in 46 countries. She was admitted to the partnership in 1979, becoming the firm's first female partner. Butler was born in Galesburg, Ill., and reared in Abingdon, Ill. She joined Andersen Consulting in Chicago after earning her bachelor's degree in industrial management from Purdue's School of Management in 1965. Her more than 30-year affiliation with Andersen Consulting has included a variety of leadership roles and locations, most recently as the managing partner of the firm's Philadelphia office and the global managing partner for Change Management in the SAP/Enterprise Business Solutions Line of Business. She was instrumental in the development of the company's Change Management practice, as well as the development of standard practices and procedures for large multiyear contracts with federal agencies. She has a commitment to community service, having served as a board member and vice-chairperson of the Finance Committee of the National Board of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and as a fund raiser for both the American Cancer Society and Arthritis Foundation. Her range of professional affiliations include Women's Way, the American Society of Women Accountants, the Forum of Executive Women and the Committee of 200, an executive businesswomen's organization. Butler also has given her time and expertise to her alma mater and the Krannert School as a member of the Dean's Advisory Council, past president of the Krannert School Alumni Association, advisory board member for the Center for International Business Education and Research, and campaign cabinet member for the Vision 21 Purdue fund-raising campaign. She has been a guest lecturer in the Krannert Executive Forum, participated in the Purdue Old Masters program, and was named a Krannert Distinguished Alumna in 1990. Butler also endowed a Krannert award, named in her honor, which is presented annually to an undergraduate or graduate female or minority student in the school who demonstrates academic excellence and leadership qualities.
WILL D. CARPENTER Carpenter is widely regarded for his scientific efforts that have helped feed a growing world population and for his sensitivity on the environmental impact of agriculture and chemical use. A Chesterfield, Mo., resident and native of Moorhead, Miss., he is retired vice president and general manager of the Monsanto Agricultural Co. New Products Division. He began a 34-year career with the company as a research biochemist in 1958 after earning his doctorate from Purdue in plant physiology. He held a range of administrative posts with Monsanto, and his efforts led to the development and commercialization of such successful products as Roundup. As an executive in the company's environmental arena, he was Monsanto's principal spokesman on environmental issues in the late 1970s and 1980s. Active since leaving Monsanto, Carpenter served as chairman of the board of directors of Agridyne Technologies Inc. and was executive-in-residence at Mississippi State University, his undergraduate alma mater. He is an advisory board member for Quality Chemical Co. and is vice chairman of the Science Advisory Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, having been nominated by the U.S. government as its representative. In 1992, he was awarded the Hilliard Roderick Prize and Medal in Science, Arms Control and International Security, and the Rene Dubos Environmental Award. He has participated in Purdue's Old Masters program and is a 1991 recipient of the School of Science Distinguished Alumni Award. He was a founding member of the Alumni Advisory Committee for the Department of Biological Sciences and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the School of Science. Carpenter has lent his expertise to a range of professional organizations, including the Weed Science Society of America, having served as president and treasurer, as well as chair of the International Conference on Weed Control. The society has honored him as a Society Fellow and Outstanding Industry Member Award winner. Other current and past affiliations include the Industrial Research Institute, the Council for Science and Technology of Agriculture, the St. Louis Academy of Science and the Industrial Biotechnology Association.
RONALD E. CHANCE Chance is known for a research career that has had a worldwide impact on insulin and diabetes. He is Lilly Research Fellow with Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, the latest appointment in a 36-year tenure that began as a senior scientist in 1963. Born in Lapeer, Mich., he grew up in Westfield, Ind., where he resides today. Chance holds three Purdue degrees: a bachelor of science in biochemistry (1956), a master's in animal nutrition (1959) and doctorate in biochemistry (1962). He did post-doctorate work in biochemistry prior to his Lilly appointment. Chance has made major contributions to the scientific understanding of insulin biochemistry and therapeutics, revolutionizing the treatment of diabetes. Early in his career he was involved in the sequence analysis of porcine insulin, the major source of injectable insulin until the 1980s, and was active in the preparation of highly purified porcine and bovine insulins. His research led to the successful development of recombinant DNA-derived human insulin, Humulin, and the initiation and successful development of a new rapid-acting human insulin analog, Humalog, that can be used at mealtime. The developments addressed the serious problem of some diabetics ultimately becoming immune to porcine insulin. Humulin came to market in the mid-1980s as one of the first protein pharmaceuticals developed by the new technology. It has now passed the $1 billion mark in annual sales and is the dominant insulin preparation worldwide. For his work on Humalog, now past clinical trials and on the market, Chance and his colleagues received the American Chemical Society's Award for Team Innovation in 1998. Chance has published widely in scientific and medical journals, and holds nine patents on insulin and insulin-related technology. He has made presentations throughout the U.S. and in 13 other nations and is the author or co-author of 36 book chapters. He holds memberships in the American Chemical Society, American Diabetes Association, American Peptide Society, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, European Association for Study of Diabetes, Indiana Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Federation and the Protein Society.
RICHARD E. DAUCH Dauch is a leading figure in the automotive industry with a range of key executive appointments over his 35-year career. He is chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of Detroit -based American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., one of the top 50 automotive suppliers in the world. It was formed in 1994 when he and two investors purchased the axle, forge and propshaft driveline business from General Motors Corp. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., resident was born in Norwalk, Ohio, and reared there and in Ashland, Ohio. He is a 1964 Purdue graduate where he earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial management and played varsity football. Joining General Motors after graduation, he progressed from GM's entry-level college graduate training program to become the youngest plant manager in the company's history. In 1976, he joined Volkswagen of America to serve as group vice president of manufacturing operations, overseeing the first volume-automotive transplant in the United States. Lee Iacocca recruited him to Chrysler Corp. in 1980 to resurrect that company's ailing manufacturing operations, and as executive vice president of worldwide manufacturing, Dauch earned the reputation as the driving force behind Chrysler's manufacturing and quality renaissance. He retired from Chrysler in 1991, taking time to write the book "Passion for Manufacturing," now distributed in several languages in 80 countries and widely used as a college textbook. He was cited as Crain's Detroit Business Newsmaker of the Year in 1997, the same year he was named the Michigan Manufacturers Association Manufacturer of the Year. The Automotive Hall of Fame named him its Industry Leader of the Year in 1996. Dauch also is a Purdue and Krannert School advocate. He is chairman of the "Krannert at the Frontier" fund-raising campaign and served as its steering committee chairman last year when he and his family announced a major anchor gift for the initiative. He is a founding member of Krannert's Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises, now called the Dauch Center in honor of the family's support. He has served on the Krannert Dean's Advisory Council and has lectured in the Krannert Executive Forum. In addition, he has lent his expertise to manufacturing programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lehigh University.
ARTHUR J. DECIO Decio has a commitment to humanitarian and educational causes across Indiana, the nation and world. He is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Skyline Corp., a leading producer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, based in his hometown of Elkhart, Ind. A Marmion Military Academy and DePaul University alumnus, he is widely known for his support of education initiatives at all levels. He has received presidential appointments to three national commissions and has served on the boards of more than 35 civic, religious, educational, business and financial organizations. He is a fellow and trustee of the University of Notre Dame, trustee of Hillsdale College, life trustee of Marmion Academy, member of the board of governors of Independent Colleges of Indiana, past chairman and trustee of Holy Cross College, president of the Elkhart General Hospital Foundation and an advisory board member of Indiana University, South Bend. Decio has been a director of Special Olympics International and has volunteered his time to the Head Start program and United Way. He is a life member, chairman of the executive committee and past chairman of the national advisory board of the Salvation Army, which honored him in 1995 with admittance into The Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service and as a recipient of the Distinguished Auxiliary Service Cross for outstanding service rendered by a lay person. In 1991, he was the first recipient of the Indiana Special CAUSE (Commitment, Awareness, Understanding, Support and Empowerment) Award, presented by the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. In 1996, he was the first recipient of the Cross of Hope Award from the Brothers of Holy Cross and Holy Cross College. He further serves his community through active service on a range of boards and committees of organizations such as Regional Approach for Progress, Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Michiana Public Broadcasting Corp. and Elkhart County Community Foundation, in addition to corporate board service. For his many educational commitments, he has received honorary degrees from Notre Dame, Indiana State University, Vincennes University, St. Mary's College, Hillsdale College and Salem College.
FRED M. FEHSENFELD SR. Fehsenfeld has combined engineering and entrepreneurial skills in a career spanning five decades. He is chairman of the board of The Heritage Group, an Indianapolis -based, family-owned business involved in petroleum marketing, oil refining, road building, aggregate production and environmental management with a strong emphasis on research and development. An Indianapolis native and resident, Fehsenfeld came to Purdue in 1942 to study engineering, but World War II interrupted his academic pursuits. After service as a decorated Mustang fighter pilot in Europe, he returned to West Lafayette to earn a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1948. He began his career as a petroleum engineering at the Rock Island Refining Corp., then joined his family's small business, Crystal Flash Petroleum, in 1952. He became the driving force in developing the business into The Heritage Group, an organization with annual revenues exceeding $800 million and more than 4,000 employees nationwide among its range of companies. Fehsenfeld has maintained an active role in research and development, and Heritage has been in the forefront of development of such products as gelled asphalt, multigrade asphalt and an insoluble copper salt used as an animal feed additive, made from waste circuit board etchant and industrial plating wastes. Additionally, he has taken on an international leadership role in studying the long-term health effects of asphalt fumes on workers. Committed to his hometown, he has served on city committees on transportation and solid-waste recovery issues and organized a new department of transportation at the request of then-Mayor Richard Lugar when Indianapolis and Marion County were organized in the UNIGOV form of government in the 1970s. In 1979, then-Gov. Otis Bowen cited him as a Sagamore of the Wabash, and in 1991 he was honored as a Purdue Distinguished Engineering Alumnus. Fehsenfeld has kept close ties to his alma mater, working to locate the North Central Superpave Center at Purdue. Milestone Contractors, a Heritage company, did major work on the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex upgrade. He was founding chairman of the School of Civil Engineering Advisory Council, and he is a member of the Purdue President's Council and John Purdue Club.
JOHN F. FELDHUSEN Feldhusen is a leader in the field of gifted and talented education. He is the Robert B. Kane Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education, having been the first person selected for the Purdue School of Education's key distinguished professorship. A Waukesha, Wis., native reared in Columbus, Wis., he earned his bachelor's degree from Carroll College in 1947, and master's and doctoral degrees in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1955 and 1958, respectively. His career in public education began as an assistant professor in educational psychology at Wisconsin State University, Eau Claire, in 1959. He joined the Purdue educational psychology faculty in 1962 and retired in 1997. Today he divides his time between West Lafayette and University Park, Fla. In 1978, Feldhusen founded the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue, which quickly became the key center for gifted education research and resources in Indiana, as well as a renowned national and international center for training and research. During his 19-year tenure as director, the institute earned a reputation for program and research excellence, and students he taught now hold key positions in gifted education nationwide. Institute programs such as Super Saturday and summer residential programs have brought thousands of young people to the West Lafayette campus for accelerated learning experiences, and, under Feldhusen's leadership, some $5 million in research funds came to Purdue. Through his work, he advanced a model of talent development for young people that incorporates teachers, administrators, parents and community members into the educational process. His efforts as institute director further exemplified the type of service learning that links higher education with kindergarten through high school. Feldhusen also has been a national and international leader in gifted education. As one of the early presidents of the National Association for Gifted Children, he helped increase that organization's growth, transforming it from a small practitioner-oriented association to a highly respected scholarly organization. He also has served as president of the Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association and as the editor of several journals in gifted education and educational psychology. He has written more than 400 refereed journal articles, books and book chapters.
EVA L. GOBLE Goble has devoted a lifetime of service to the educational needs of the people of her home state of Indiana. A West Lafayette resident, she is dean emerita of Purdue's School of Home Economics, now the School of Consumer and Family Sciences. She also is widely recognized as the founder of Consumer and Family Sciences Extension programs in the state, which have become models for the nation and have grown to become the largest and most effective programs in the United States. Born and raised in Jasonville, Ind., her career in education began as a rural school teacher after earning a bachelor's degree in home economics from Indiana State University in 1941. She then became an Extension home economist for Vigo County prior to her appointment in 1943 as Extension home management specialist at Purdue. She subsequently was named state leader of home demonstration agents, a position she held until 1957 when she was appointed assistant director for the Indiana Cooperative Extension Service in charge of the family living program. That same year, she received a Ford Foundation grant to continue graduate studies, and earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago in the Education Department, Division of Social Science. She culminated her career with Purdue as dean of the then-School of Home Economics from 1967 until her retirement in 1973. As dean, she is credited not only with building strong Extension initiatives, but also for enhancing the growth and development of teaching and research programs, while simultaneously doubling enrollment in the school. During her career, Goble lent her expertise as a board member or adviser to a range of organizations, including the National Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, the National 4-H Foundation, the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the Indiana Governor's Committee on the Status of Women and the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association. For her service to Hoosiers, she is the recipient of the Frederick L. Hovde Award of Excellence in Educational Service to Rural People of Indiana, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited her with its Superior Service Award.
HARRY F. HIXSON JR. Hixson is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field of biotechnology. He is chairman and chief executive officer of Elitra Pharmaceuticals Inc., San Diego. He was president and chief operating officer and director of Amgen Inc., from 1988 to 1991. During his tenure, the firm commercialized Epogen and Neupogen, biotechnology products that stimulate red- and white-blood cell production, respectively, and have had a profound positive impact on persons undergoing dialysis or chemotherapy treatments. A St. Louis, Mo., native now a resident of La Jolla, Calif., Hixson received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue in 1960, then was on active military duty as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. He returned to Purdue in 1964 as a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and earned his doctorate in 1970. He then joined Xerox Corp., which at the time was investing in small companies whose expertise was in the isolation of antihemophylic factors from human blood. In 1978, he earned his master's of business administration degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Executive Program. He later was divisional vice president and general manager for Abbott Laboratories' Diagnostics Division, then president and chief operating officer of Quidel before joining the then-fledging biotechnology company Amgen as vice president of business development in 1985. As head of the new biotechnology company, Elitra, he oversees the firm's specialization in antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Hixson also has been widely honored in the San Diego area for his service on numerous boards of cultural, educational and scientific organizations. He is president of the San Diego Opera Association, a trustee of the Salk Institute, a member of the Purdue School of Science Dean's Council, and a past member of The Council, the advisory board of directors of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He also is founder of the Hixson Family Foundation, a charitable organization. He is affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society, and is a member of the Editorial Board of BioCentury, the Bernstein Report on BioBusiness.
BOB F. JESSE Jesse is a Purdue-trained engineer who has combined a successful career with decades of service to his alma mater and his community. The chairman and chief executive officer of Indiana Construction Corp., Jesse is the senior member of the Purdue Board of Trustees. Originally appointed in 1976, he was chairman of the board from 1989 until 1993. Currently the chairman of the board's executive committee, he is serving his eighth term as an alumni trustee. He is a native and lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Ind., and divides his time between there and in Placida, Fla. He is president of the Indiana University Purdue University Foundation at Fort Wayne, and is a member of the Purdue President's Council, John Purdue Club and the Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne Advisory Board, among a range of Purdue affiliations. Jesse enrolled in Purdue's School of Civil Engineering in 1945 after war-time service in the U.S. Merchant Marine. During operations in the English Channel to supply Allied troops in Normandy, his ship and, subsequently, his lifeboat were sunk by torpedoes. He was the sole survivor of the lifeboat sinking, and he received the Mariners Medal for his actions during the operation. Earning his bachelor's degree in 1949, he joined the Indiana Highway Commission as a bridge design engineer. A year later, he began an affiliation with C & C Construction Co. in Fort Wayne as a field engineer. He was elected executive vice president in 1959 and president in 1969 when the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric and was named Cebor Construction Corp. Specializing in environmental engineering, he expanded the firm's operations worldwide. After leaving Cebor, he acquired Indiana Construction Corp. in 1974. He is past president of the Associated General Contractors of Indiana. A registered professional engineer in Indiana, he also is a member of the National and Indiana societies of Professional Engineers. He is a member of Chi Epsilon national scholastic civil engineering fraternity, and recently received the Chapter Honor Member award from the Purdue chapter. He is a 1988 recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash. Jesse serves on the boards of directors of several corporations. He gives his time and talents to a range of organizations in his hometown, including United Way, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Fort Wayne Zoological Society and the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce.
WILLIAM P. MADAR In a career marked by a range of senior corporate leadership positions, Madar has accomplished the growth and development of international businesses. He is chairman of the board of Nordson Corp., Westlake, Ohio, a multinational manufacturer and marketer of systems that apply adhesives, sealants and coatings to consumer and industrial products during manufacturing operations. He joined the company in 1986 as president and chief executive officer and assumed the chairmanship in 1997. Born and raised in Warren, Ohio, now a resident of Cleveland, Madar graduated from Purdue in the Class of 1961 with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, earned in January 1962. He began his career as an engineering trainee at Delco Remy Division of General Motors in Anderson, Ind. He subsequently earned a master's of business administration degree from Stanford University in 1965, then joined Standard Oil Company (Sohio), now BP Amoco, as a senior financial analyst. His 20-year tenure there included a range of managerial and executive positions, culminating with his appointment as executive vice president. At Nordson, he is credited with positioning the company to tap the potential of the international market. Today, it has operations in 33 countries, employs 4,000 worldwide and has 10 manufacturing facilities around the world, as well as corporate, sales and research and development operations. As president and chief executive officer of Nordson, Madar was cited by Forbes magazine as one of the 200 best small-company executives, and Nordson was recognized as one of the 200 best small companies. Madar was named International Executive of the Year in 1990 by the Cleveland World Trade Association, and the company earned the President's E-Star Award in 1989 for excellence in exporting. Madar maintains a broad interest in corporate, community and educational activities as a director of National City Bank, Brush Wellman Inc. and Lubrizol Corp. He is an advisory council member of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, president of the board of Hawken School, trustee of The Cleveland Museum of Art and fellow of Harvard University's Center for Business and Development. He supports Purdue through Nordson-supported research in the School of Mechanical Engineering, and Nordson executives have served on industry boards within the Schools of Engineering.
JOHN F. McMILLEN John F. McMillen has a long record of community service in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. As president of the McMillen Foundation Inc., he focuses his efforts on the youth of community. He also has been a partner with Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne on initiatives that have benefited the community, such as IPFW's McKay Farm soccer complex. McMillen graduated from Indiana University in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in finance and economics, then held a position at Fort Wayne National Bank. From 1968 to 1973, he was a stockbroker with Walston & Co. He was executive vice president of DuCharme, McMillen & Associates Inc. from 1973 to 1994 and then was chairman of the board until 1998. DuCharme, McMillen & Associates is a state and local tax-consultant firm that specializes in industrial and commercial businesses. McMillen's volunteer work has had a lasting impact on the physical and social development of thousands of Fort Wayne-area youngsters. He is involved with the McMillen Center for Health Education, is a board member of the Girl Scouts of Limberlost Council Inc., is a director of Junior Achievement and is vice president of the Wildcat Baseball League. As president of the McMillen Foundation, he has provided funds to ensure that future needs of the Girl Scouts of northeast Indiana and participants in the Wildcat Baseball League are met. Additionally, McMillen has served his community as a member of the business forum and director of the Fort Wayne Parks Foundation.
MARWAN J. MUASHER Muasher has combined his expertise in computer engineering and skills as both a diplomat and communicator to become a key figure in the Middle East. He is ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States, a position he accepted in 1997. He is his nation's highest-ranking diplomatic official in the United States, and presents his government's official position on major issues to the president and cabinet of the United States, among a range of duties. In earlier government service, he was Jordan's minister of information, a cabinet-level post in the Jordanian government, and was Jordan's first ambassador to Israel. Muasher, a McLean, Va., resident, is a native of Amman, Jordan. He holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Purdue in electrical engineering, earned in 1977, 1978 and 1981, respectively. Shortly after concluding his doctoral studies and work as a teaching and research assistant at Purdue, he applied his knowledge of computer engineering as a research engineer at the Research Institute at the University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, then as director of the Computer Center of the Jordan Electric Power Co. He also is a founding member of the Jordan Computer Society and was senior consultant for the Special Systems Co. From 1982 to 1990, he was a political columnist for The Jordan Times, which led him into the political arena. He has served his government concurrently as head of the Computer Unit and Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Planning and press adviser to the prime minister. He was director of the Jordan Information Bureau in Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 1994, as well as a spokesman and member of the Jordanian delegation to the Middle East peace talks. In that role, he was co-master of ceremonies for the signing of the peace accord in October 1994, and was introduced President Bill Clinton. Despite the international demands of his career, Muasher has maintained ties with Purdue. He has visited the West Lafayette campus to meet with students in the humanities and a Jordanian student group to discuss Middle East peace negotiations. He gave public presentations on campus in 1993 and 1998.
JOHN T. MYERS Myers has given three decades of public service to the people of west central Indiana and the nation. He retired in January 1997 after serving 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as Indiana's 7th District Congressman. A native and lifelong resident of Covington, Ind., he earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana State University in 1951 after service in the U.S. Army in 1945 and 1946. He maintained his affiliation with the Army Reserves through 1967. He divides his time between Covington and Punta Gorda, Fla. A farmer and banker in his hometown, Myers served in several senior positions in the Fountain Trust Co. before his election to Congress in 1966. He was a member of the House Appropriations Committee for 26 years, and held House appointments to the Congressional Ethics Committee, House Agricultural Committee, Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee and Congressional Post Office and Civil Service Committee. He also was chair of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Throughout his congressional tenure, Myers had a reputation as a fiscal conservative, never voting for a tax increase and routinely voting against higher spending. In 1994, the National Taxpayers Union named him Indiana's Number One budget cutter. In 1981, congressional redistricting made Myers the representative for Greater Lafayette and Purdue University, and he subsequently forged a record of support for a range of initiatives that have had a significant impact on the community and the West Lafayette campus. The Purdue-related projects he advocated included development of the Midwest Plant Biotechnology Consortium, expansion of Agricultural Research Service activities on campus, establishment of the Superconductivity Center, locating the headquarters of the National Disabled Farmers Program here, and cancer research project support. The community has benefited with Myers' support of flood control projects for the district, the 1995 Farm Bill and the Lafayette Railroad Relocation project. In appreciation of his long-standing commitment to secure federal funds for the relocation project, the city councils of Lafayette and West Lafayette unanimously voted to rename the Main Street Bridge the John T. Myers Main Street Bridge in 1996, when it became a pedestrian bridge and key element of downtown Lafayette's Riehle Plaza, which was developed after downtown railroad tracks were moved to a riverside corridor.
MANGINA VENKATESWARA RAO Rao is renowned as one of the most influential agricultural leaders in the world. Today he serves on several government and university committees as well as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He lives in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Born into a farming family in Perupalem, Andhra Pradesh, India, Rao earned a bachelor of science degree from Andhra University in 1948 and a master's in botany from Agra University in 1958. He earned his doctorate from Purdue in plant genetics and breeding and plant pathology in 1966. As a wheat breeder and researcher, he has contributed to the breeding of a number of new wheat varieties, and he is the author or co-author of more than 175 scientific or popular publications. As coordinator of the All-India Wheat Improvement Project from 1971 to 1981, Rao coordinated the interdisciplinary efforts of wheat improvement at 40 research stations in India and educational efforts on improved production practices. He also was a government adviser on agricultural policies that encouraged increased food production. His efforts in research, production and education helped his country increase wheat production from six million tons in 1952 to 68 million tons in the 1990s. He received the Norman F. Borlaug Award from the vice president of India in 1992 for his contributions and leadership in improving food security for India. From 1981 to 1986, Rao was deputy director general for crop sciences of ICAR, giving new impetus at the national level to all research pertaining to food, commercial and horticultural crops, and plant protection. In 1997, he received the ninth Srikantia Memorial Award from the Nutrition Society of India. He was cited for his success in improving the production of oilseeds and for making India self-sufficient in oilseed production during his tenure from 1986 to 1989 as the first director of the Prime Minister's Technology Mission on Oilseeds. Retiring from government service at the mandatory age in 1989, Rao subsequently served as an agricultural expert with the World Bank and has led agricultural delegations worldwide. From 1991 to 1997, he served two three-year terms as the vice chancellor (chief executive officer) of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University.
SHOJI TANAKA Tanaka has made numerous contributions to the fundamental understanding of the physics of semiconductors and superconductivity. His work as an experimental physicist in condensed-matter physics spans several decades, and he has had an influence on generations of students pursuing doctoral degrees. He is professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and vice president of the International Superconductivity Technology Center and director of the Superconductivity Research Laboratory, both in Tokyo, where he resides. He was born in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan. He earned a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics in 1950 and a doctorate in the faculty of engineering in 1960, both from the University of Tokyo. He was at Purdue from 1959 to 1961, working as a research associate in collaboration with Professor H.Y. Fan, a noted member of the Purdue physics faculty. It was a time of rapid development in the field of semiconductor physics, and Tanaka made significant advances in understanding the role of impurity conduction in p-type silicon at microwave frequencies. Upon returning to Japan, Tanaka established a flourishing research program at the University of Tokyo that focused on the range of problems in semiconductor physics. His research expanded to include a new class of materials now known as high Tc superconductors. The position Japan commands in this arena today has been enhanced by Tanaka's scientific expertise and contributions. Since his retirement from the University of Tokyo, he has continued to serve his nation and the superconductivity research community with his affiliations with the International Superconductivity Technology Center and the Superconductivity Research Laboratory. Further sharing his expertise with his nation, he holds memberships on the Industrial Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Science and Technology Conference Committee of the Science and Technology Agency, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. For his achievements, Tanaka was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal Prize from the Emperor of Japan in 1990. He also received the Superconductivity Award of Excellence, awarded at the World Congress of Superconductivity, and the Nippon Ceramics Grand Prize, both in 1988.
VARRO E. TYLER Tyler has had an impact on science, society and higher education through his career accomplishments. He is dean emeritus of the Purdue Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Lilly Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pharmacognosy. In senior administrative service to Purdue, he was executive vice president for academic affairs, the university's chief academic officer, from 1986 to 1991. The West Lafayette resident is considered one of the world's foremost authorities in the fields of pharmacognosy, the science of medicinal products of natural origin, and phytomedicine, the study of herbal products and remedies. An Auburn, Neb., native reared in Nebraska City, Neb., Tyler earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska in 1949 after U.S. Army service, then studied at Yale University. He completed master's and doctoral work at the University of Connecticut in 1951 and 1953, respectively. He then joined the College of Pharmacy faculty at Nebraska for a four-year tenure before becoming associate professor of pharmacognosy and director of the Drug Plant Gardens in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Washington. He came to Purdue in 1966 as dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences and professor of pharmacognosy. He served as the first president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy and is a former president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education and the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. He holds memberships or fellowships in several professional organizations. Tyler is the author of nearly 300 scientific and educational publications, and is the author or co-author of 20 books. His scholarly books include three editions of "Experimental Pharmacognosy" and five editions of the textbook, "Pharmacognosy," which is recognized as the authoritative such text in its field. One of his most recent popular books is a study of Indiana folk medicine, "Hoosier Home Remedies." He also has given long-term service on the editorial advisory board of numerous journals, including the Journal of Natural Products and Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Tyler has given scores of invited lectures on herbal medicine and has served as the academic authority for the news media on issues of herbal medicine. Also long active in community affairs, he has served on the boards of directors of Lafayette Home Hospital, North Central Health Services Inc. and the Greater Lafayette Community Foundation.
THOMAS E. WALTON JR. Walton has a distinguished record of research and administrative accomplishment in the field of veterinary medicine. He is associate deputy administrator of veterinary services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The agency is charged with protecting and improving the health, quality and marketability of the nation's animals and animal products by preventing, controlling and monitoring animal diseases. Born in Clairton, Pa., he grew up in Gary, Ind. Walton received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Purdue in 1964. He went on to earn his doctorate in microbiology with minors in pathology and biochemistry from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1968. Following an initial four-year assignment in Central America with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, he joined the USDA as a veterinary researcher. In his 27 years with the USDA, he has amassed a significant record of accomplishments that is recognized throughout the veterinary medical world. He is the senior author or co-author of more than 85 scientific publications, and he has given more than 150 presentations to scientists, administrators, industry representatives and university faculty and students. Among his more than 20 honors and awards are the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in 1996 and the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner's Special Citation and Harvey W. Wiley Medal in 1998. Walton has worked with upper respiratory viral diseases in cats and documented the importance of herpes virus infections in affected cats. His work with Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis in Central America has provided a base of knowledge on the epidemiology of the disease, which has led to an effective disease-control program. He has been cited for his leadership of USDA veterinary research programs, having guided efforts toward an increased emphasis on food safety and emerging infectious diseases. An internationally recognized authority on arthropod-borne viral diseases of livestock, Walton also is credited with strengthening communications with livestock commodity organizations.
Writer: Greg Zawisza, (765) 494-2086; greg_zawisza@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Black-and-white photos of each honorary degree recipient are available from Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2096, and at the Purdue News ftp site.
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