Alma Matters & 2006 Grand Awards

REGIONAL CLUBS

CENTRAL OHIO—Sep. 17:  Two dozen area Spartans gathered at Champps All-American Grill, Lennox Square, to watch the Notre Dame game.   Oct. 1:  Some 50 alumni from UM and MSU gathered at Champps to watch the Michigan football game.

COASTAL GEORGIA—Oct. 1:  About 30 area Spartans from the area, ranging from Columbia to Jeckyll Island, attended a football party at B&D Burgers, Southside Savannah, to watch the Michigan football game.  Money was raised for the club’s treasury.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX—Oct. 1 & 15:  About 210 area Spartans gathered at Big Johnson’s, Dallas, to watch the Michigan game.  Some 115 came for the Ohio State game.  Special guest was Sam Vincent, former MSU basketball star and now coach of the Ft. Worth Floyers.  Altogether $1,800 was raised for the club’s scholarship fund.

DAYTON, OH—Sep. 24:  Some 16 area Spartans gathered in the home of Larry Legault to watch the Illinois game.  About $70 was raised for the club.  Oct. 8-9:  Two dozen area Spartans attended the 4^th Annual Lefty McFadden Hockey Invitational at the Ervin J. Nutter Center, Fairborn, OH, for a weekend of fun and fellowship.  The MSU hockey team notched wins against Wayne State and North Dakota.  Oct. 29:  A small group gathered at the home of Tim Missall, Germantown, OH, to watch the Indiana game via satellite. 

GRAND TRAVERSE—Nov. 27:  Some 60 area Spartans and friends gathered for the annual reception at the Elks Lodge, Traverse City.  J. Bruce McCristal, retired General Motors executive and former member of the MSUAA National Alumni Board, gave a presentation about MSU’s history.  He signed copies of his tome, The Spirit of Michigan State.  Rick Coats of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner’s Association gave a presentation about wine-making in the region.

MID-MICHIGAN—Oct. 12:  The club presented a check for $10,000 to the St. Vincent Home for Children.  The proceeds came from the Steve Smith Charity Challenge at Walnut Hills CC, East Lansing, on July 18.  More than 300 area Spartans and friends had attended the club’s golf and dinner charity event. 

N.E. OHIO—Sep. 24:  More than two dozen Spartans and friends gathered for a clambake at the lakefront home of club president Rick Rennell in Bay Village, OH, to celebrate the arrival of fall.  They enjoyed food, fellowship, a euchre competition and watching MSU beat Illinois 61-14 in football.

OREGON & SOUTWEST WASHINGTON—Oct. 1:  About 70 area alumni gathered at the Ram’s Head Brewing Co. to watch the Michigan game.  The Ram in Lake Oswego, OR, opened just for the group at 9 a.m.

SEATTLE, WA—Oct. 1:  Some 35 area Spartans and friends gathered at Slugger’s in Kirkland, WA, to watch the Michigan game. 

SOUTH WEST VIRGINIA—Oct. 22:  Area Spartans gatheredat Oldenacres Farm near Lynchburg, the home of Crofton, '63, and Patricia Held.  The group enjoyed shrimp on the grill along with steak and bake while watching the homecoming game against Northwestern.  

SPARTANS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN—Sep. 11-24: Jodie Ruthrauff, '55, Lou, '60, and Mary Schimmel, '61, Katherine Gingrass, '55, and Ann Wilson, ’63, were among the Spartan travelers in the MSUAA’s Civilizations of the Western Mediterranean tour.  The Gohagan cruise aboard Le Diamont visited small ports in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, from Lisbon to Rome. 

SPARTANS IN PRAGUE—Liz and Gerry Spry, and Shirley Richardson posed inside of St. Nicholas Church in Prague, Czech Republic, during a Central European musical tour last summer.  Liz, choir director of Royal Oak Presbyterian Church, led 38 choir members on a musical performance tour. Gerry is president of the MSU Alumni Band.

FIRST PITCH FOR WHITE SOX—Aug. 16:  For the 3rd consecutive year, the MSU Alumni Club of Metro Chicago beat all of the other Big Ten schools in selling the most number of tickets (200) for Big Ten Night at US Cellular Field. As a reward for his hard work and dedication, Ryan Jewett of Chicago threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Chicago White Sox.  “We had a great turnout,” notes club president Keith McGorisk.  “Though the White Sox battled for 17 innings with the Twins, they came up short.”

SPARTANS AT SUGAR LOAF—Oct. 11:  Wolfgang Bauer, MSU chairperson of physics and astronomy, and Eduardo N.A. Barreto, senior counselor at A.T. Kearney and a member of the MSUAA’s Rio de Janeiro Alumni Club, posed for a photo in front of the famed Sugar Loaf.

POLAR BEAR MIGRATION—Oct. 15-20: Elaine Magnan, '77, Jill Robinson, Mildred Robinson, '54, and Dick Cregar, ’58, took part in the MSU Alumni Association’s Polar Bear Migration Trip to Churchill, Manitoba, on the Hudson Bay.  Cregar served as chairperson of the MSUAA’s National Alumni Board during its first two years from 1982-84.

NEH CHALLENGE GRANT FOR MSU SYMPOSIUM

By Linda Dunn

            The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded Michigan State University a challenge grant in 2004—a first for MSU—to create an endowment for the Symposium on Science, Reason and Modern Democracy.  MSU was one of only 17 institutions, and one of only two universities, to receive such a grant that year.  Additionally, MSU was one of only four to earn the We the People award, a unique recognition for model programs that advance the study and teaching of American history and culture.

            The symposium—also known as the LeFrak Forum—was established in 1989 in the College of Social Science’s Department of Political Science.  As a center for research, debate, and education on the theory and practice of modern democracy, the symposium has sponsored more than 200 campus lectures, hosted more than a dozen international conferences, funded fellowships, and overseen many publications.

            “The NEH award is a challenge, however,” notes political science professor Arthur Melzer, who founded the symposium along with Richard Zinman, University Distinguished Professor of political theory in James Madison College, and Jerry Weinberger, professor and former chair of political science.  Emphasizes Marietta Baba, dean of the college, “we have only until January of 2008 to raise the $1.5 million to match 3:1 the $500,000 offered by the NEH.”

            Initial goals have been met.  Michael Stein, ’72, CEO of Peach Corporation in Bingham Farms and a member of the symposium’s board of advisors, made the $100,000 gift that, alone, fulfilled the first year’s goal.  During the second year, the Pittsburgh-based Sarah Scaife Foundation provided $100,000.  With its mission to support policy programs addressing major domestic and international issues, the foundation had assisted the symposium before.  An additional $25,000 came from Alan Ackerman, ’68; MLIR ’71, partner of the Detroit-area law firm of Ackerman & Ackerman.  Donald Bowersox, ’54, MBA ’58, & Ph.D. ’60, the McConnell Professor of Marketing and Logistics in The Eli Broad College of Business, gave $15,000.  Hundreds of alumni and friends who are making gifts through the college’s annual fund campaign and the Essential Edge are helping complete the second year’s $350,000 goal.

            President Lou Anna K. Simon invites others to join in.  “The NEH award is the most prestigious given nationally for programs of this kind,” she notes.  “It is path-breaking for MSU and exemplifies the academic strength of Team MSU.  We will meet the challenge set for us—with your help.”

            For information about supporting the Symposium,  contact Sarah Blom, director of development for the College of Social Science, at (517) 432-1802 or blom@msu.edu

ALUMNI, FRIENDS HONORED AT GRAND AWARDS CEREMONY

By Robert Bao

            Many MSU alumni go on to extraordinary achievement.  Others help their alma mater in extraordinary ways, through service, financial support and other means.

            The MSU Alumni Association has four special awards to honor these achievers—the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Alumni Sevice Award, the Philanthropist Award, and the Honorary Alumni Award.

            The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor an MSU graduate can receive, and indicates extraordinary achievement coupled with the highest possible character.  The Alumni Service Award goes to those who have been exceptional in their volunteer service to both MSU and society.  The Philanthropist Award is bestowed on donors who rise to a special leadership level.  And the Honorary Alumni Award goes to those who did not graduate from MSU, but who, through achievement and service, merit that designation.

            All these awards are given out at the annual MSU Alumni Association’s Grand Awards ceremony, which takes place on the Thursday evening of Homecoming Week.  In recent years, the gala event has become one of the  highlights in MSU’s social calendar, drawing a huge range of attendees, including MSU’s president, provost, and many deans and other VIPs.

            On Oct. 20 at Kellogg Center, the MSUAA awarded 20 Distinguished Alumni Awards, 2 Philanthropist Awards, 5 Alumni Service Awards, and 3 Honorary Alumni Awards.

            “We congratulate each and every one of the recipients,” says Keith A. Williams, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association.  “Every year we seem to have more nominations submitted to us for review, which is a great indicator of the level of achievement of our alumni.  Reading the bios of these people should really make all of us here at MSU proud to have produced such outstanding achievers.”

            Anyone can nominate candidates for these awards.  Just visit the MSU Alumni Association web site at www.msualum.com, then click on Programs, then Grand Awards, to see explanations of each award as well as downloadable nominating forms.

            This years award winners included people from all areas, ranging from education to engineering, communication to politics.  Here are some thumbnail sketches of the 2005-06 awardees:

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

• James Banks, M.A. ’67 (Education), Ph. D. ’69 (Education), Russell F. Stark professor and director of the Center for Multicultural Education, University of Washington, Seattle, perhaps the nation’s preeminent expert on multicultural education. 
• Jenny Taylor Bond, Ph. D. ’72 (Human Ecology), professor emeritus and graduate faculty, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, MSU College of Human Ecology, and a national leader in dietetic education.
• Donald Bowersox, B.A. ’54 (Political Science), M.A. ’57 (Management), Ph.D. ’60 (Business), the John H. McConnell University Professor, MSU’s The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, one of the nation’s foremost experts on supply chain management. 
• Robert Burgess, B.A. ’66 (Packaging), financial advisor for Long Point Capital and past president and CEO of Pulte Homes, Inc., Bloomfield Hills, MI, the nation’s largest home builder with $7 billion in annual revenue and more than 30,000 units built. 
• Michael Donoghue, B.S. ’76 (Natural Science), the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, a national expert on the diversity and evolution of flowering plants. 
• Gerald Elson, B.S. ’64 (Engineering), M.S. ’65 (Engineering), retired vice president of General Motors Corporation and general manager of General Motors Vehicle Operations, and former general manager of the Cadillac/Luxury Car Division.
• Kenneth Eskelund, Ph.D. ’51 (Veterinary Medicine), founder of Maine Biological Lab (MBL), Maine Poultry Services, and Maine Poultry Consultants, a leading innovator in the poultry industry.
• Mary Ann Gale, B.A. ’71 (Human Ecology), vice president of Product Supply Asia and Global Supply Chain Operations, Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH, and a community leader.
• Brian Hawkins, B.A. ’70 (Political Science), M.A. ’72 (Communications), Ph.D. ’75 (Communications), president and CEO of EDUCAUSE, Niwot, CO, a professional association of 2,000 colleges and universities dedicated to transforming higher education through information technologies. 
• David Hollister, B.A. ’64 (Arts & Letters), M.A. ’69 (Arts & Letters), director the Michigan Dept. of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) and former mayor of Lansing.
• Turner Isoun, B.A. ’63 (Veterinary Medicine & Honors College), DVM ’65 (Veterinary Medicine), Ph.D. ’70 (Veterinary Medicine), minister of Science & Technology, Federal Republic of Nigeria, launcher of Nigeria’s first land observation satellite. 
• Benjamin Maibach, III, B.S. ’68 (Engineering), chairman of the board, president and CEO of the Barton Malow Company, Southfield, MI, the world’s 21^st largest general contractor, with works in 37 states and annual sales of more than $1 billion. 
• J. Bruce McCristal, B.S. ’54 (Business) former director of Public Affairs, GM Hughes Electronics, Bloomfield Hills, MI, and author of The Spirit of Michigan State, a comprehensive history of MSU that took 12 years to research and write. 
• Patrick McPharlin, B.S. ’69 (Social Science), president and CEO of MSU’s Federal Credit Union, Okemos, MI, the largest university-based credit union in the world, boasting more than $1.2 billion in assets and 125,000 members. 
• Linda Nelson, B.A. ’63 (Human Ecology), professor emeritus, MSU Dept. of Family and Child Ecology, and a home economist for 16 years in Latin America.
• Charlotta Klein Ross, B.A. ’62 (Arts & Letters and Honors College), former principal cellist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Symphonette Conductor of the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, Pittsburgh, PA.
• I.C. Shah, M.B.A. ’64 (Business), founder, president and CEO of ICS Telecom, Inc., Rochester, NY, a leading provider of voice and data network services in Western New York.
• Willard Sparks (posthumous), Ph.D. ’61 (Agriculture), agricultural economist in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and founder of Sparks Companies, Inc., and widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading agricultural economists. 
• Rear Admiral (Lower Half) William Craig Vanderwagen, M.D. ’78 (Human Medicine), U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and Acting Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Indian Health Service, Rockville, MD. 
• Patrick Wilson, B.S. ’57 (Social Science), attorney in Traverse City, MI, and former MSU trustee, and member of MSU’s 1956 Rose Bowl team and the 1957 Final Four basketball team.

PHILANTHROPIST AWARD

• Audrey Leslie, B.A. ’50 (Philosophy), M.A. ’60 (English), retired teacher, and John Leslie, retired fundraising consultant, Potomac, MD, who established the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Scholarship in MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, and pledged $2.5 million to establish the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies in the English department. 
• Milton Muelder, former vice president for Research and Graduate Studies, Michigan State University, donor of the Japanese Garden and the Demonstration Platform in the Children’s Garden, both part of the MSU Gardens complex. 

ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

• Molly Brennan, B.S. ’82 (Engineering and Honors College), engineering group manager, Truck & Bus Division, General Motors Corporation, Farmington Hills, MI, a two-time All American in track and was MSU Sportswoman of the Year in 1982, as well as one of the top two students academically, winner of a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, England, and setter of four world records in solar car racing. 
• Eugene Farnum (posthumous), B.A. ’61 (Social Science), former chairperson of the MSUAA’s National Alumni Board and executive director of the Michigan Association of Health Plans, Okemos, MI. 
• Phil Hickey, Jr., B.A ’77 (Business), CEO and Chairman of RARE Hospitality International, Inc., Marietta, GA, which operates 300 restaurants, employs 17,000 people and will serve more than 40 million guests this year. 
• Michael McDonald, B.S. ’87 (Engineering), supply chain leader for New Business Development, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI. 
• Gary Mescher, B.A. ’75 (Arts & Letters), Michigan business development manager for BDO Seidman Accounting Firm and former president of MSU’s West Michigan Alumni Association, Grand Rapids, MI, a very effective MSU alumni leader.

HONORARY ALUMNI

• Raleigh Barlowe, MSU professor emeritus of education, East Lansing, MI, author of the landmark Land Resource Economics, which is still used after 47 years and 4 editions, and author of five historical novels.
• Margaret Bubolz, professor emeritus in MSU’s Dept. of Family and Child Ecology, East Lansing, MI, an expert of the Paolucci school and a widely published author.
• Jeanette Wrona Klemczak, Chief Nurse Executive, Michigan Dept. of Community Health, Lansing, MI, and member of the MSU College of Nursing’s Board of Visitors.