Purdue News

April 29, 2004

22 to earn honorary degrees from Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will award 22 honorary doctoral degrees during May commencement ceremonies.

Eighteen honorees will be recognized at Purdue's West Lafayette campus during four commencement ceremonies on May 15 and 16 in Elliott Hall of Music. Four regional campus honorees will be recognized: one May 11 at Purdue North Central's commencement ceremony and three on May 12 at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne's ceremony.

• James F. Ackerman, Carmel, Ind., founder of Cardinal Communications and president of Cardinal Golf Club and Cardinal Ventures. His doctor of education degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 16.

• Lu Ann Aday, Houston, Texas, a distinguished professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health-Houston, located in the Texas Medical Center. Her doctor of social sciences degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 16.

• James B Beard (Note: no period after B), College Station, Texas, president and chief scientist for the International Sports Turf Institute. His doctor of agriculture degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• James O. Berger, Durham, N.C., the Arts and Sciences Professor of Statistics at Duke University. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

• George J. Brewer, Ann Arbor, Mich., retired emeritus professor in the departments of Human Genetics and Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Carl A. Burtis, Oak Ridge, Tenn., chief of clinical chemistry in the Health Services Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Jack E. Dixon, LaJolla, Calif., dean of scientific affairs at the University of California-San Diego. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Melvin J. Glimcher, Boston, Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of the Harvard Medical School. His doctor of engineering degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Sheng-Cheng Hu, Taipei, Taiwan, minister of economics in the cabinet of the Republic of China. His doctor of economics degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 16.

• Richard G. Lugar, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., U.S. senator and former two-term mayor of Indianapolis. His doctor of agriculture degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Margorie Magner, New York City, chairman and CEO of the Global Consumer Group for Citicorp. Her doctor of management degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 16.

• Eugene S. Meieran, Phoenix, Ariz., Senior Intel Fellow in the Technology Manufacturing Group of Intel Corp. His doctor of engineering degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Scott M. Niswonger, Greeneville, Tenn., chairman and CEO of Forward Air Corporation and majority owner of Landair Transport. His doctor of technology degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

• William J. O'Neil, Sierra Madre, Calif., formerly of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked on projects that included Mariner Mars, Viking and Galileo, and served as manager of JPL's Systems Management Office. His doctor of engineering degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Henry L. Roediger, III, St. Louis, chair of the Department of Psychology at Washington University. His doctor of social sciences degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 16.

• Simon P. Rosen, Rockville, Md., senior science adviser for the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Tang Wenjian, Nanjing, China, chairman and president of Jinling Holdings Limited, which operates 28 hotels across China. His doctor of hospitality management degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 16.

• Patrick Shui Chung Wang, Hong Kong, China, chairman and CEO of Johnson Electric. His doctor of engineering degree will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

• Harley W. Snyder, Valparaiso, Ind., real estate consultant and investor. His doctor of management degree will be awarded at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 11.

• Elizabeth W. Chapman, Fort Wayne, Ind., musician and pianist. Her doctor of letters degree will be awarded at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12.

• Howard L. Chapman, Fort Wayne, Ind., attorney and "of counsel" with the law firm Barrett & McNagny. His doctor of letters degree will be awarded at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12.

• Donald R. Willis, Fort Wayne, Ind., former president of Command System Inc. His doctor of engineering degree will be awarded at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12.

Writer: Jim Vruggink, (765) 494-2086, jvruggink@purdue.edu

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

Note to Journalists: Publication-quality photographs of the honorary degree recipients are available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2004/hondocs04/. Expanded biographies are available online.

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