Alumni AwardsBanquetMay 6, 2006

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PROGRAM

5:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception6:00 p.m. Dinner7:00 p.m. Presentation of Awards

Applied Engineering Sciences Distinguished Alumni AwardDaniel Brouse

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Distinguished Alumni AwardRobert J. Gustafson

Red Cedar Circle Award in Chemical Engineering and Materials ScienceJoon S. Moon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni AwardAlton L. Granger

Computer Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni AwardJames R. Von Ehr II

John D. Ryder Electrical and Computer Engineering Alumni AwardGregg A. Motter

Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Alumni AwardPatrick M. Miller

Green Apple Teaching AwardEileen M. Slider

Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumnus AwardJames R. Von Ehr II

MENU

Hors d’oeuvres – mini goat cheese and red pepper quiche, feta and sun-dried tomato in phyllo, currychicken phyllo cups, and Belgian endives with blue cheese and toasted walnuts

Harvester salad with spring mixed greens, toasted almonds, dried cherries, and diced pimientos

Petite filet mignon in a pinot noir sauce and breast of chicken in a boursin cheese sauce served with portobello potato cakes

Black Forest torte

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quently, for eleven years Dan owned QuantumMarketing, which grew from a small consul-tancy to a full-service strategic marketing andcommunications agency, reaching $10 millionin sales under his leadership. He helped solveunique marketing challenges for a variety oflarge and small clients across a wide range ofindustries, including automotive, manufactur-ing, health care, financial services, professionalservices, and sports and entertainment.

Dan serves his community as a mentor with both Covenant House Michigan and theMentoring Solutions “Winning Futures” pro-gram. He recently demonstrated his strongcommitment to supporting higher education atMichigan State University by becoming a mem-ber of the Presidents Club and contributing tothe Applied Engineering Sciences EndowmentFund. He has been a long-time supporter ofthe MSU Alumni Association and the MSUDetroit Area Development Council.

Dan lives in Novi, Michigan, with Michelle,his wife of eighteen years, and their two children, Patrick (16) and Courtney (14), who attend Walled Lake public schools. The Brouse family are avid Spartan footballand basketball fans. Dan enjoys reading, exer-cising, coaching baseball, traveling, watchingsports, and spoiling his daughter’s dog,Sedona.

APPLIED ENGINEERING

SCIENCES DISTINGUISHED

ALUMNI AWARD

Daniel Brousegrew up inHaslett,Michigan, andgraduated withhonors fromMichigan StateUniversity in1984 with a BSin engineeringarts/appliedengineering sciences. Heearned his waythrough school

as an orthopedictechnician at Lansing General Hospital andreceived academic merit scholarships to assistwith tuition.

He is the president and chief strategist forBrouse & Associates, Inc. a strategic marketingand business consulting firm servicing primari-ly construction, health care, sports and enter-tainment, and professional services clients insoutheastern Michigan and the Lansing area.He is also a member of the Adcraft Club ofDetroit and the Direct Marketing Association.

He began his career as a consultant withAccenture (formerly Andersen Consulting),then held executive and staff-level positions inclient services, marketing planning, and opera-tions with VSI and D’Arcy Worldwide. Subse-

Recipients of this award, established in 2004, must have a distinguished career, evidenced by significant accomplishments; possess high standards of integrity that positively reflect on the college and the university; be recognized for leadership in the community; and demonstrate support of the applied engineering sciences program (formerly engineering arts), the College of Engineering, and/or MSU. The winner is selected by theapplied engineering sciences alumni advisory board.

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2004 Philip L. Fioravante (BS ’84)2005 Jane E. Sydlowski (BS ’86)

Daniel Brouse, BS ’84,Engineering Arts/AppliedEngineering Sciences

Past Recipients

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Bob has servedon the board oftrustees and waspresident of thesociety for 2003-2004. He is afounding mem-ber of the educa-tion division ofASABE andserved as its firstdivision chair.He was also recognized by the societywith its YoungEducator Award and FIEI ElectrificationAward. He is a member of the ASABEFoundation Board. He is also a member ofIEEE, NCATA (North American College andTeachers of Agriculture) and CAST (Councilof Agricultural Science and Technology). Hehas been recognized with membership in thefollowing honorary societies: Alpha Epsilon,Gamma Sigma Delta, Sigma Tau, Sigma Xi,Omicron Delta Kappa, Texnikoi (honorarymember), and Tau Beta Pi.

Bob and his wife, Dr. Yvonne Gustafson, have two children—Amanda of Minneapolis,Minnesota, and Andrew of Columbus, Ohio.Yvonne is a parent educator and consultantwith the Elizabeth Blackwell Women’s Centerof Ohio Health in Columbus. They are activemembers of Worthington Presbyterian Churchin Worthington, Ohio.

BIOSYSTEMS AND

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Robert Gustafson of Columbus, Ohio, has beenassociate dean for undergraduate educationand student services in the College ofEngineering at Ohio State University since1999 as well as a professor of food, agricultural,and biological engineering. Prior to 1999, heserved as department chair of the Food,Agricultural, and Biological EngineeringDepartment for eleven years.

He received his BS and MS in agriculturalengineering from the University of Illinois,Urbana-Champaign. Upon receiving his PhDfrom MSU, Bob began his academic career byjoining the agricultural engineering faculty atthe University of Minnesota; then in 1987 hemoved to Ohio State University.

His scholarship includes work in grain qualityas affected by drying and storage, finite elementmodeling, and electrical power applications inagriculture. He is a known expert in the area ofneutral-to-earth voltage as related to livestockfacilities. He conducted original work on animalsensitivity to electrical current, source identifica-tion procedures, and designs for problem miti-gation and prevention. He authored the text-book Fundamentals of Electricity for Agriculturepublished by the American Society ofAgricultural and Biological Engineering. He hasbeen recognized twice with the McQuigg Awardfor outstanding teaching by Ohio State Collegeof Engineering students. He has been instru-mental in the growth of the college’s nationallyrecognized first-year engineering program.

A Fellow of the American Society ofAgricultural and Biological Engineers,

Robert J. Gustafson, PE, PhD ’74,Agricultural Engineering

Established in 2004, this award is given to an alumnus who has distinguished himself/herself as a leader inthe biological/agricultural engineering profession through professional contributions, public service, andpersonal accomplishments. Alumni who have graduated at least ten years ago with an undergraduate and/orgraduate degree are considered.

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2004 Bill A. Stout (MS ’55, PhD ’59 )2005 Benson J. Lamp (PhD ’60)

Past Recipients

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RED CEDAR CIRCLE AWARD IN

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND

MATERIALS SCIENCE

Initiated in 2000, this award recognizes MSU chemical engineering and materials science alumni for their dis-tinguished service to the profession and outstanding commitment to the community. The Red Cedar River, whichpasses through the center of the MSU campus, is a favorite gathering place. This award is named in recognitionof the importance of this landmark to MSU alumni.

Joon S. Moon is aninventor, an entre-preneur, a visionary,and a philanthropist— a Renaissanceman who knowshow to turn dreamsinto reality. Jooncame to MSU fromhis native SouthKorea on the rec-ommendation of anAmerican GI, andhe became a U.S.citizen in the 1960s.

He earned his PhD (’63) in chemical engineering at the University of California–Berkeley, where he was awarded a fellowship by the U.S. Atomic EnergyCommission. Since then, he has formed and lednumerous successful companies, through which hedeveloped the chemicals used in several popularhousehold products. In 1991 Michigan GovernorJohn Engler appointed him to the Michigan Interna-tional Trade Authority. Joon has served on the boardsof numerous universities and corporations. He isdescribed as being “possessed of the highest standardof personal integrity” and capable of backing up anopinion “with strong logic, a sense of history, andknowledge that could only be obtained from researchof each and every subject.” Joon currently focuses onstart-up capital ventures and investment managementthrough Mt. Rose Capital, his investment holdingcompany in Vancouver, Washington.

Joon is best known to us as a member of the MSU

Joon S. Moon, BS ’60Chemical Engineering

family. Of his significant leadership of the MSUFoundation during the nineties, MSU Vice PresidentChuck Webb said, “Joon shaped MSU’s future aschairman of both the board and its technology com-mittee.” Joon has also served on the College ofEngineering Alumni Board. He and his wife, Zaiga(BA ’62 Communication Arts), whom he met at MSU,have provided generous financial support to manyfacets of MSU, as recognized by their membership inthe John Hannah Society. One of their prominentgifts established an endowment named for Zaiga’smother, Mirdza Kuze, that places MSU librariesamong only three libraries in the United States withnoteworthy Baltic collections. Another gift in 1991established the Joon S. Moon Distinguished Interna-tional Alumni Award, which each year honors aninternational MSU graduate who has brought specialcredit to MSU through outstanding international con-tributions. Additional gifts from the Moons includesupport for the Eli Broad College of Business andMSU’s International Music Festival.

Joon’s interests reach beyond business and philan-thropy. He won first place in the 1955 KoreanNational High School Judo Championship, OpenWeight, and 31 years later he won first place in the1986 U.S. Senior National Judo Championship.Vancouver is the Moons’ primary residence, but theyspend several months a year in Sonoma Valley,California, where their two-acre vineyard produces2,000 bottles a year of a blended Cabernet and Merlotwine, appropriately named Moonstar, which Joongives away to his friends. He and Zaiga have raisedfour talented children who are carrying on the Moonfamily values of hard work, respect, and integrity.

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2000 C. Robert Weir (BS ’42)2000 Wilfred G. Shedd (BS ’50)2004 Herb Kirby (BS ’56)2004 George E. “Ted” Willis (BS ’42)2005 John Ogren (BS ’65)2005 John W. Pridgeon (BS ’58)

Past Recipients2000 R. William Caldwell (BS ’38)2000 Edwin J. Crosby (BS ’50)2000 Michael H. Dennos (BS ’43)2000 Bernard A. Paulson (BS ’49)2000 William J. Hargreaves (BS ’46)2000 John D. Hetchler (BS ’35)

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Foundation. In2004, he receivedan honorary doc-torate of businessand industry fromFerris StateUniversity and aDistinguishedAlumni Awardfrom the MSUAlumni Associa-tion for outstand-ing volunteerservice, a highlevel of professionalaccomplishment, and personal integrity.

For 21 years, Al served as a member andpresident of the Holt Public Schools Board ofEducation, helping to guide the school districtin working through numerous issues, includingembracing diversity, educational excellence,staff development, and fund raising. Colleaguesspeak of his “infectious optimism and greatsense of humor” and his “focus on the GoldenRule as a guiding principle.” Al says, “My faithand my family are the most important things inmy life.”

He and his wife, Jan, a registered nurse(MSU College of Nursing 1980), raised fivechildren together. The couple now lives in aremodeled barn in Dimondale, Michigan, withtheir two Bichons, Jack and Jill. Al enjoysdownhill skiing, but says the hills are gettingbigger with each passing year.

Alton Granger is chairperson of GrangerConstruction Company in Lansing, Michigan,which he founded with his father and twobrothers in 1959. They have constructed morethan 32 facilities at MSU and many other well-known structures throughout Michigan, whichhave been admired for their endurance, safety,beauty, and innovation. Al and his companyhave won numerous state and national awards,including the AGC Build America Award, theAGC Build Michigan Merit Award, and the AGCMarvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Award.Al continuously reaffirms Granger’s commit-ment to its customers through routine jobsitevisits.

Al currently serves as chairperson of thelabor relations division of the mid-Michiganchapter of Associated General Contractors(AGC), on the Granger Foundation’s board oftrustees, as chairperson of the church councilfor Mt. Hope United Methodist Church, and asan arbitrator for the American ArbitrationAssociation. He is also a member of the presi-dent’s cabinet for The Campaign for MSU anda campaign consultant for the College ofEngineering. He has, in the past, been presi-dent of the board of directors of the AssociatedGeneral Contractors–mid-Michigan chapterand of the board of directors for the BuildersExchange of Lansing. He has also served onthe board of directors of Capital Area UnitedWay, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce,MSU University Development, Lansing GeneralHospital, and Lansing Community College

Alton L. Granger, PEBS ’54, Civil Engineering

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CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING DISTINGUISHED

ALUMNI AWARD

2003 Leo Nothstine (BS ’38)2004 Leroy R. Dell (BS ’66)

Past Recipients

Recipients of this award, first presented in 2003, must be: graduates of the department; national leaders in theirprofession; contributors to the department, the college, or the university in some meaningful way; and communi-ty leaders whose actions reflect favorably on Michigan State University. Nominations are made by faculty, alum-ni, and other supporters of the department. The department’s professional advisory board selects the winner.

2005 Ben C. Maibach III (BS ’69)

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James R. VonEhr II, a 1972graduate in com-puter scienceand engineering,is a nanotechnol-ogy entrepre-neur and the co-creator of thepopular illustra-tion software,FreeHand. Hehas been astrong financialsupporter ofboth the college

and the department; he also served on theCollege of Engineering alumni board and theDepartment of Computer Science andEngineering strategic partners council for sev-eral years each. In 2004 he was recognized withthe MSU Distinguished Alumni Award, thealumni association’s highest honor.

He met his wife, Gayla, when they both start-ed working at Texas Instruments on the sameday in 1973. While working at TI, leading thedevelopment of three generations of CAD toolsfor integrated circuit layout, he earned an MSin mathematical science at the University ofTexas–Dallas. In 1984, he and a friend begancreating a font editor for the Macintosh. Thusbegan his software company, Altsys, which soonmoved into desktop publishing and the cre-ation of FreeHand and Fontographer. When

James R. Von Ehr II, BS ’72Computer Science

the sale of Altsys to Macromedia in 1995brought unexpected wealth, he started Zyvex—the first-ever molecular nanotechnology devel-opment company—in Richardson, Texas.

He was instrumental in the passage of the21st Century Nanotechnology Research andDevelopment Act, which authorized $3.7 bil-lion for R&D programs for four years, and hewas present in the Oval Office when PresidentGeorge W. Bush signed the bill into law. Since2003, he has served on the NanotechnologyTechnical Advisory Group to the U.S.President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Jim is the co-founder of the TexasNanotechnology Initiative, a nonprofit consor-tium of private and public entities. He estab-lished the NanoTech Institute of the Universityof Texas at Dallas, where he also endowed theJames Von Ehr Distinguished Chair of Scienceand Technology held by Nobel Laureate AlanG. MacDiarmid. He says, “I want to make aplace where we can bring together privateenterprise, the public sector, universities, andventure capitalists.” The Foresight NanotechInstitute, the leading nanotechnology thinktank, appointed Jim to its first board of direc-tors in 2005.

Business associates describe Jim as having“bottomless curiosity” and being “uniquely ethical and honorable,” with an “unwaveringsense of social responsibility.”

Jim is also this year’s recipient of the College of Engineering Claud R. EricksonDistinguished Alumnus Award.

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COMPUTER SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING DISTINGUISHED

ALUMNI AWARD

Established in 2004, this award recognizes an alumnus who has distinguished himself/herself as a leader in thecomputer science and engineering profession through professional contributions, public service, and personalaccomplishments. Nominations are made by faculty, alumni, and other supporters of the department. The win-ner is selected by the department chairperson and advisory committee.

Past Recipients2004 Kevin J. Ohl (BS ’78)2005 Julie Louis-Benaglio (BS ’79)

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JOHN D. RYDER

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER

ENGINEERING ALUMNI AWARD

He has servedas a member ofthe ANSI Z21.83Standards Com-mittee of theAmericanNational Stan-dards Institute,which wrote the initial stan-dard for fuel cell power plants during his tenure (1995-97).

He holds fivepatents related topolymeric reflec-tive materials and one for chemically pumped vacuum insulation. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, theDow Chemical Scientist Global Organization,and a member and co-founder of DowChemical’s Global Development ScientistOrganization. He has served MSU throughmembership on two alumni boards: theDepartment of Electrical and ComputerEngineering visiting committee (1995-2006)and the College of Engineering alumni board(1999-2003).

Gregg lives in Midland, Michigan, with hiswife, Amy. In his spare time, he enjoys wood-working, sailing, and kayaking.

Gregg Motter is currently a scientist and SixSigma Master Black Belt in the PerformancePlastics and Chemicals business unit of TheDow Chemical Company, with numerous ongo-ing projects in the Polystyrene, Automotive,Building Solutions, and Materials Engineeringbusiness units. He is responsible for the train-ing and mentoring of Black Belts and projectteams globally using Dow’s Six Sigma method-ology for new product development. Six Sigmais a statistical method that breaks down a cus-tomer’s requirements into tasks, pinpointsquality problems, reduces defects, and controlsthe process to sustain improvements. Gregghas responsibility to integrate best practicesinto the company’s constantly evolving DFSS(Design For Six Sigma) methodology.

Gregg joined Dow in 1973 after earning a BS in electrical engineering from MSU. Whileworking at Dow, he earned his MS in systemsengineering from Michigan State. In 2001, heearned his certification as a Six Sigma MasterBlack Belt.

Earlier in his career, he served as Dow’sglobal electrical industry scientist in Dow’sExternal Technology organization, seeking newbusiness opportunities in this rapidly changingindustry. He has also served as new productdevelopment project manager in Dow Plastics,Laboratory Process Automation, Optoelec-tronics, and Saran business units. Additionally,he was a new plant construction manager inAlberta, Canada.

Gregg A. Motter, BS ’73, Electrical EngineeringMS ’80, Systems Engineering

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Past Recipients2004 David A. Pahl (BS ’86)2005 Brian M. Kent (BS ’80)

Established in 2004, this award commemorates the outstanding professional contributions of John D. Ryder, formerdean of the College of Engineering and a professor in the department. Nominations are made by alumni, faculty, andstudents. The department’s advisory committee selects the award winner in consultation with the chairperson. Theaward is given on the basis of contributions in furthering the mission of the department—which is to provide under-graduate and graduate education characterized by quality, access, and relevance; and to develop distinctive researchprograms in electrosciences, systems, and computer engineering, with the promise of sustained excellence as measuredin scholarship, external investment, reputation, and impact.

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Patrick M. Millerfounded MGAResearch Cor-poration 29 yearsago with twoother engineers.The companyprovides testingservices and testequipment toover 400 indus-trial customers,primarily in theautomotiveindustry. As pres-ident, Pat isresponsible forlong-term com-

pany planning and growth. Through his tech-nical leadership, MGA has developed novelmethods for both repairing and evaluating theperformance of collision-damaged automo-biles. He is internationally recognized for hiswork in automobile crashworthiness and auto-mobile collision damage repair.

Earlier in his career, at Calspan Corporation,Pat was the project engineer for research projects concerned with how automobile structures absorb kinetic energy during high-way accidents. He was involved in the develop-ment and testing of configurations that result-ed in improved automobile crashworthiness.Many of those concepts are now used in modern automobiles.

He is a member of the Society of Automotive

Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Sigma Xi, and PhiKappa Phi. He was listed in American Men and Women of Science, 12th Edition, and Who’s Who in the East, 16th Edition. He is a former member of the Highway VehicleMaintenance Division of the Society ofAutomotive Engineers and of theTransportation Advisory Committee of the Federal Energy Administration.

Pat has been married for over 42 years toDolores (Dee) Anne Osterman, whom he metwhile they were students at MSU. They live inSilver Springs, New York. Dee taught highschool chemistry for about 40 years. Thoughretired, she is still active, working with youngteachers and participating in several communi-ty activities. Pat says, “This 48-year relationshipis the most important thing I got out of attend-ing MSU.”

Pat and Dee are the parents of four chil-dren: Mary T. Stein, PhD, who is on the facultyof Oakland University; Brenda A. Power, PhD,who recently left the faculty of the Universityof Maine to form an educational publishingfirm; Suzanne L. Phillips, who is a corporateofficer-secretary for MGA and heads up majorprojects at the New York Operations; PatrickM. (Mike) Miller II (BS computer science andMS applied mechanics, MSU), who is a corpo-rate officer-vice president for MGA and headsthe Michigan operations, as well as other corporate activities. Pat and Dee have eightgrandchildren, ranging in age from 1 year to26 years.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

AWARD

Patrick M. Miller, BS ’57, MathematicsMS ’60, PhD ’66, Applied Mechanics

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Past Recipients2004 Kristin B. Zimmerman (BS ’87, MS ’90, PhD ’93)2005 Joseph C. Klewicki (BS ’83, PhD ’89)

Established in 2004, this award honors an alumnus of MSU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering who hasa minimum of 15 years of professional experience in an engineering or engineering-related field; provides leader-ship in engineering, engineering education, the related sciences, or technical management; contributes to thedepartment, the college, or MSU; and is actively involved in the community. The winner is selected in consulta-tion with the department’s advisory committee and board of visitors.

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Eileen Slider has been a secondary instructorin Webberville Community Schools since 1976.She serves as the Science Department Chairand is a member of a team that pilots innova-tive middle school programs. She coordinates adistrict-wide program for attaining and sharingscience equipment. Her secondary studentsmentor elementary students in a programtitled “Science Buddies.” In another program,Landscape Alliance, she and her studentsdesign, install, and maintain the school gar-dens. They also host district-wide science days.Slider has been instrumental in obtainingnumerous grants for the school district toenhance science education. As a result, withthe agriscience department, they were able toinstall a dock in their wetlands to facilitate wet-lands research. Slider and her students haveworked with the district and community onenvironmental projects to clean ponds, creeks,streams, and public grounds. They also builtbirdhouses to raise money for Habitat forHumanity.

Eileen received an Excellence in EducationAward from the Lansing Regional Chamber ofCommerce in 1993 and 1994; a LandscapeAward from the Detroit Free Press InnovationFund in 1999; a Tribute Award from theImpressions 5 Museum in 1999; RecognitionAwards from Webberville Community Schoolsfrom 1999-2002; an FSU Coach Award in theSpaghetti Bridge Competition in 2001; and wasnamed a finalist for Teacher of the Year in2003 by the Michigan Science TeachersAssociation.

She says, “Science is the perfect lens to place

before students,one that altersperspectives andsharpens percep-tions. A success-ful science expe-rience teachesfundamentalunderstandings,deepens mean-ing and clarity,and dispels mis-conceptions. Itpromotes owner-ship and futuresuccess.” To thisend, her studentsbuild models andmetaphors; teach each other processes; toilphysically; look for patterns that hold meaning;defend and criticize their own work; and con-struct and test ideas.

Eileen’s husband, Dan, is director of market-ing for PI Engineering of Williamston. AnMSU alumnus, he worked for a period of timeas a sound engineer at WKAR TelevisionStation. They have two sons—Robert, a fresh-man at Grand Valley State University, andJames, a junior at Williamston High School.Eileen enjoys landscaping and gardening,building rock walls and walks, and collectingantique science equipment and toys. She has aparticular interest in mechanical devices suchas model steam engines. She is an amateurornithologist with a soft spot for swamps andwoodlands.

GREEN APPLE

TEACHING AWARD

Eileen M. SliderBS ’75, Central Michigan

UniversityM A ’83, Michigan State

University

Established in 2006 at the suggestion of College of Engineering Alumni Board member Joseph M. Colucci (BS ’58 Mechanical Engineering), the Green Apple Teaching Award honors a K-12 teacher who has inspiredstudents to study math, science, and engineering. The Engineering Undergraduate Studies Office solicits nomi-nations from our graduating seniors; the final winner is decided by the Engineering Undergraduate StudiesCommittee, which is made up of faculty and students. The honoree receives a cash award, and book scholarshipsare given to selected students from that teacher’s school district who opt for engineering at MSU.

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Dean Lawrence Wayne Von Tersch established the Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1982.Claud Erickson, for whom the award was named, was the first recipient. Since then, it has been given annuallyto a College of Engineering graduate with a minimum of 15 years’ professional experience who has attained thehighest level of professional accomplishment; provided distinguished and meritorious service to the College ofEngineering and the engineering profession; and engaged in voluntary service at the local, state, national,and/or international level.

James R. Von Ehr II is a nanotechnology entre-preneur and the co-creator of the popularillustration software, FreeHand. He has servedon the College of Engineering alumni boardand the Department of Computer Science andEngineering strategic partners council for sev-eral years each; he has also been a strongfinancial supporter of both the college and thedepartment.

He worked at Texas Instruments for 11years; then in 1984 he and a friend started a software company, Altsys, which developedthe well-known drawing programs FreeHandand Fontographer. After selling Altsys in 1995, Von Ehr started Zyvex—the first-evermolecular nanotechnology development company—in Richardson, Texas. In 2003,

he was instrumental in the passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research andDevelopment Act, which authorized $3.7 bil-lion for R&D programs for four years, and hewas present in the Oval Office when PresidentGeorge W. Bush signed the bill into law.

Jim is the co-founder of the Texas Nanotech-nology Initiative; his goal is to make a placewhere private enterprise, the public sector, universities, and venture capitalists can cometogether to advance nanotechnology. Businessassociates describe him as having “bottomlesscuriosity” and being “uniquely ethical and honorable,” with an “unwavering sense ofsocial responsibility.” (See page 6 for a morecomplete biography.)

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERINGCLAUD R. ERICKSON

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD

James R. Von Ehr II, BS ’72Computer Science

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drive continuously since the program beganduring World War II.

He was a delegate to the MichiganConstitutional Convention, chairman of theIngham County American Red Cross, and atrustee of St. Lawrence Hospital. He served atvarious times as president of the LansingRotary Club, the City Club of Lansing, theAmerican Public Power Association, theMichigan Engineering Society, and the GreaterLansing Area Safety Council.

He and his wife, Thelma, were the parents ofone son and four daughters. He was an avidstamp collector and was considered one of thenation’s top authorities on electric-poweredvehicles. He admired the simplicity of an elec-tric car. He said, “It has only eight movingparts, and four of those are wheels.”

Always maintaining close ties with MSU,Claud served on the MSU Foundation’s firstboard of directors. He was asked by PresidentJohn A. Hannah to oversee the construction ofthe Alumni Chapel. He also supervised thecompletion of 7,000 married-student housingunits in just five months to accommodate U.S.servicemen returning to campus after WorldWar II.

Claud always attended the spring commence-ment exercises of MSU’s College ofEngineering and the initiation ceremonies ofthe Chi Epsilon civil engineering honor socie-ty, and he kept close tabs on each alumnuswho won the Claud R. Erickson Award.

When asked by President Hannah at onepoint, “Why do MSU alumni come back tocampus year after year?” he responded,“Because they love the University that offeredthem the hand of friendship and the opendoor of opportunity.”

Claud Erickson,born inManistee,Michigan, livedfrom 1900 to1993. He had tohelp support hisfamily duringhigh school andtook a full-timejob immediatelyafter graduation.

At the urging of work associates who recog-nized his talents, Claud began college, but itwas a constant financial struggle. At times, fac-ulty members chipped in to keep him inschool.

Claud ultimately received four engineeringdegrees from MSU, beginning with a bachelorof science in 1922. He later earned degrees inmechanical (1927), electrical (1933), and civilengineering (1934) and held a consulting pro-fessional engineer’s license. He also studiedlaw and was qualified to practice before theUnited States Supreme Court.

He became the director and general manag-er of the Lansing Board of Water and Lightand spent more than 50 years making the utili-ty a strong, progressive force in the Lansingarea. He was a nationally respected figure inpublic works, and in 1971 the Board named anew power plant in Delta Township after him.

Community activism was a way of life forClaud. He was the Ingham County chairman ofthe U.S. Treasury Savings Bond Drive for 50years, beginning in 1941. He was honored in1991 at the age of 91 by the U.S. TreasuryDepartment for his 50 years of patriotic volun-teer service. He was the only person in theUnited States known to have directed a local

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CLAUD R. ERICKSON

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CLAUD R. ERICKSONDISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD

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Past Recipients

1982 Claud R. Erickson BS ’22, MS ’33 Electrical;

MS ’27 Mechanical; MS ’34 Civil

1983 R. William Caldwell BS ’38 Chemical

1984 Harold C. MacDonald BS ’40 Mechanical

1985 William J. Mottel BS ’51 Chemical

1986 John H. Busch BS ’51 Civil

1987 John D. Withrow BS ’54 Mechanical; MBA ’71

1988 Melville R. Barlow BS ’51 Mechanical

1989 Robert J. Schultz BS ’53 Mechanical; MBA ’69

1990 Harold F. Wochholz BS ’58, MS ’59 Electrical

1991 William B. Larson BS ’53 Metallurgy

1992 Gerald W. Pearson BS ’55 Chemical

1993 Paul H. Woodruff BS ’59, MS ’61 Civil

1994 Bernard A. Paulson BS ’49 Chemical

1995 Robert M. Fredericks BS ’67, MS ’68, PhD ’71 Electrical

1995 John C. O’Malia MS ’72 Sanitary

1996 Richard M. Hong MS ’67, PhD ’70 Electrical

1997 C. Robert Weir BS ’42 Chemical

1998 Raymond S. Colladay BS ’65, MS ’66, PhD ’69 Mechanical

1999 Leroy R. Dell BS ’66 Civil

2000 Michael H. Dennos BS ’43 Chemical

2001 Richard H. Brown BS ’71 Mechanical

2002 Roger L. Koenig BS ’76 Electrical

2003 Joseph M. Colucci BS ’58 Mechanical

2004 George E. “Ted” Willis BS ’42 Chemical

2005 John Ogren BS ’65 Chemical

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Past Recipients1947 Charles Edward Ferris BS 1890 Engineering1950 Jay Samuel Hartt BS ’15 Electrical 1951 Grover Cleveland Dillman BS ’13 Civil1953 Charles D. Curtiss BS ’11 Civil1953 Verne L. Ketchum BS ’12 Engineering1955 William Frank Uhl BS ’02 Engineering1957 Maurice J. Day BS ’34, MS ’35 Chemical1957 P. Edward Geldhof BS ’14 Engineering1957 Stanley B. Hunt BS ’29 Civil1959 Louis A. Carapella BS ’37 Engineering1959 Bernard F. Coggan, Jr. BS ’39 Engineering1959 Arthur F. Vinson BS ’29 Engineering1960 Christian F. Beukema BS ’40 Engineering1961 James H. Foote BS ’14 Engineering1962 Grayton F. Dressel BS ’24 Engineering1962 Stanley V. Gunn BS ’47 Mechanical1963 Richard W. Cook BS ’33 Engineering1963 Walter F. Patenge BS ’23 Engineering1965 John C. Mackie BS ’42 Engineering1976 Clare F. Jarecki BS ’33 Civil1978 William R. Barrett BS ’39 Engineering1979 John R. Hamann BS ’37 Engineering1984 John D. Withrow BS ’54 Mechanical; MBA ’711987 Robert J. Schultz BS ’53 Mechanical; MBA ’691991 Verghese Kurien MS ’48 Mechanical1998 Lloyd D. Ward BS ’70 Mechanical1999 Richard L. M. Lord BS ’53 Chemical2002 Roger L. Koenig BS ’76 Electrical2003 Joseph M. Colucci BS ’58 Mechanical2003 Paul H. Woodruff BS ’59, MS ’61 Civil2004 Alton L. Granger BS ’54 Civil2004 James R. Von Ehr II BS ’72 Computer Science2005 Gerald Elson BS ’64, MS ’65 Mechanical2005 Ben Maibach III BS ’69 Civil

Past Recipients1994 Richard M. Hong MS ’67, PhD ’70 Electrical1995 Samuel K. Nnama MS ’77, PhD ’79 Civil1999 Khaled M. R. Abdulghani MS ’78, PhD ’82 Civil2002 Lawrence Wong PhD ’70 Mechanical2006 Surinder Kapur BS ’64, MS ’65, PhD ’72 Mechanical

JOON S. MOON DISTINGUISHED

INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI AWARD

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

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