Purdue's mechanical engineering honors 2006 outstanding alumni

"Through their professional and personal contributions, these alumni epitomize what it means to be a graduate of Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering," said E. Daniel Hirleman, professor and the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering. "They have each made the world a much better place through their life's work and achievements, and this is an honor that is bestowed on few individuals.

"Of the nearly 24,000 School of Mechanical Engineering alumni, only 195, including this year's recipients, have received outstanding alumni awards."

This year's award recipients are:

* James Allen of Albuquerque, N.M., who received a doctorate in 1981. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas. He has held a variety of leadership responsibilities, ranging from team leader and department manager in the micro-electro-mechanical systems device technology area of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. He served in the U.S. Navy's Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and served aboard three different fast-attack nuclear submarines. He is an inventor on 10 patents on micro-electro-mechanical systems device technology, or MEMS. He was project leader for the first space-qualified, active-MEMS device that was designed into a NASA nanosatellite launched in March.

* John Atwood of Houston, Texas, who received a bachelor's degree in 1951. He was a member of the 1946 football team and the 1947 baseball team. He played professional football for the New York Giants while a student at Purdue and could only attend classes for the spring terms of 1949, 1950 and 1951. During his career, he served as chairman-CEO and president of Atwood Oceanics Inc., an international offshore drilling contractor in Houston. After leaving Atwood, he worked as a consultant and in offshore rig management. He received the Purple Heart for his service in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He began his career in offshore drilling with Sohio Petroleum Co., a subsidiary of Standard Oil Co. He then worked with the Union Oil Co. of California. Atwood and four employees of Union Oil formed Global Marine Inc. in 1964, and the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1968, he formed Atwood Oceanics.

* Patricia Bishop of Winter Springs, Fla., who received her master's and doctorate degrees in 1971 and 1976, respectively. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. She is vice provost and dean of graduate studies for the University of Central Florida. She began her career in academia as an assistant professor at Clemson University before returning to the University of Central Florida as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering. Bishop has earned international recognition as a researcher and educator in the areas of thermal sciences and laser machining. She has received three Excellence in Research Awards and three Excellence in Teaching Awards from the University Central Florida. She also has been project leader for the Florida Space Grant Consortium and the Florida Space Fellowship Program.

* J. Douglas Field of Bedford, N.H., who received a bachelor's degree in 1987. He earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering and in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is chief technology officer and vice president of design and engineering for Segway LLC in Bedford, N.H. His team at Segway is responsible for the development of the Segway Human Transporter and he is named on 18 patents. Earlier in his career, he served as the manager of process development for Johnson & Johnson Medical Inc. and as a vehicle development engineer and team leader at Ford Motor Co. In 2004, he was named "Old Master" by Purdue. In 2005, he was awarded the Purdue Outstanding Band Alumnus.

* Roger Gatewood of St. Petersburg, Fla., who received a bachelor's degree in 1968 and was a member of the Phi Tau Sigma, the national mechanical engineering honor society. He received a master's degree in finance from the University of Chicago. He is president of Westbay City Homes LLC in St. Petersburg, Fla. Westbay is known for affordable communities in downtown locations. He founded Westfield Homes Inc. in 1980, a nationally recognized builder of upscale residential communities in Illinois, Florida and the Carolinas. The company received the Global ReLead award from the American Forestry Association and the National Association for Homebuilders for environmentally sensitive land planning. The company also received two Best in American Living Awards for neighborhood developments in Tampa Bay, Fla.

* John Grimmer of Trafalgar, Ind., who received a bachelor's degree in 1952. He is founder and chairman emeritus of Grimmer Industries Inc. in Franklin, Ind. The Grimmer company produces compact monoblock air compressors. He holds seven U.S. patents and additional foreign patents. Grimmer began his career with Cummins Inc., where he held the positions of director of field services and general sales manager of special products. During his career, he also served as president and chairman of the Compressed Air and Gas Institute. He is a former member and chairman of Purdue's Technical Assistance Program and Alumni Foundation Board. He also has served on several charitable boards and has donated land to the city of Franklin to be used as a park.

* Michael Kelly of Redlands, Calif., who received his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1978 and 1983, respectively. He is vice president of operations for X-Prize Cup and X-Prize Foundation in Santa Monica. The company is a partnership between the X-Prize Foundation and the state of New Mexico that began in 2004 with plans to build the world's first true rocket festival. In 2006, Kelly co-founded the Personal Spaceflight Federation, an industry trade association for companies in the human spaceflight industry. Earlier in his career, he worked for TRW's ballistic missiles division. In 1993, he founded Kelly Space & Technology Inc., a technology development and system engineering and integration company with an international reputation in the emerging private space industry.

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

Source: E. Dan Hirleman, (765) 494-5688, hirleman@purdue.edu

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

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