[Chronicle]

May 29, 1997
Vol. 16, No. 18

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    Nobel laureate Rowland tops list of alumni award winners

    A Nobel laureate, a foreign correspondent and a national leader in public school education will be among the University alumni honored this year at the Alumni Assembly, to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 7, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

    The assembly will include the first presentation of the Norman Maclean Faculty Award, which recognizes emeritus or very senior faculty who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and to the student experience of life on campus. (See story on this page.)

    After the assembly, a bagpipe band will lead alumni from Rockefeller Chapel to the Main Quadrangle. For a schedule of Reunion events that are free and open to the public, see page 4.

    The following awards will be presented at the Alumni Assembly.

    Alumni Medal The Alumni Medal is awarded for extraordinary distinction in one's field of specialization and extraordinary service to society.

    F. Sherwood Rowland, (S.M.'51, Ph.D.'52, D.Sc.(Hon)'89), winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on chlorofluorocarbons, has brought international attention to and increased scientific research on the deterioration of the stratospheric ozone layer. Rowland is the Donald Bren Research Professor in Chemistry and Earth System Science at University of California, Irvine, where he joined the faculty as the founding chairman of the chemistry department in 1964.

    In 1974, Rowland began studying the atmospheric fate of the man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This pioneering work led to the discovery that the atomic chlorine released by the destruction of CFCs resulted in the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, knowledge that has helped to shape far-reaching international prohibitions on the further release of ozone-destroying gases. He was recognized for this work with the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Paul Crutzen and Mario Molina.

    Taking his work beyond the lab, Rowland has spoken in many public forums and has been committed to the development and implementation of national and international policies to protect the ozone. He has been a diligent advocate for increased research on atmospheric changes.

    The author of more than 330 scientific publications, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, for which he is currently foreign secretary, and has served as president and chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Rowland will present the Helen Harris Perlman Lecture at 4 p.m. Friday, June 6, in Max Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall.

    University Alumni Service Medal The University Alumni Service Medal is awarded for extended, extraordinary service to the University.

    Ferdinand Kramer (Ph.B.'22) has contributed for more than 70 years to the vitality of the University community and to the re-creation of American cities. As head of the real estate firm Draper & Kramer Inc., he has used his skills in urban development and his firm commitment to economic and racial integration to provide middle-income housing on a nondiscriminatory basis. The development of Prairie Shores, Lake Meadows and Dearborn Park and the stabilization of the Kenwood/Oakland community are just a few examples of what Kramer has accomplished in Chicago. Nationally, he has served on the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity Housing.

    Beginning in the 1940s with volunteer work for the Alumni Foundation, Kramer has consistently contributed his time, experience and knowledge to helping the campus community and maintaining the University's academic prestige. As a fundraiser, he volunteered on the National Development Council, the Chicago Alumni Task Force and the Major Gifts Committee for several capital campaigns. In 1963, he was founding chairman of the President's Fund.

    He has served on the Committee on Campus Planning and the Neighborhood and the Visiting Committee on Student Programs and Facilities. He also was instrumental in the founding and early success of the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies. A Life Trustee of the University, Kramer has provided for the campus' horticultural beauty through the Stephanie Shambaugh Kramer Memorial Fund in honor of his late wife. The Julia Kramer Library Fund honors his present wife.

    Professional Achievement Citations The Professional Achievement Citations recognize alumni who have achieved distinction in their careers and have brought credit to the University through their vocational work.

    Rex Bates (S.B.'47, M.B.A.'49) has reshaped investment strategies within the insurance industry. As financial vice president at State Farm Automobile Insurance Company from 1972 until his retirement in 1991, Bates positioned the firm to be among the country's leading property and casualty companies.

    Catherine Cleary (A.B.'37) earned a degree in law from the University of Wisconsin and went on to become the first woman officer at First Wisconsin Trust Company (now Firstar Trust Company). She forged new territory for women in the banking industry and in business in general, serving as assistant U.S. treasurer and assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury.

    George Gloeckler (S.B.'60, S.M.'61, Ph.D.'65) is internationally recognized for his research on the physical composition of the solar system and the universe. A professor of physics at the University of Maryland since 1967, Gloeckler has contributed to the field of space plasma physics through pioneering discoveries and the invention of instruments carried on satellites and deep space probes.

    John Hockenberry (X'79) has earned a stellar reputation as a broadcast journalist, foreign correspondent, author, stage performer and spokesman for the disabled. He is currently the host of MSNBC's "Edgewise" and a correspondent for "Dateline NBC." During the 1990 Gulf War, he was one of the first Western broadcast journalists to report from Kurdish refugee camps in Northern Iraq. His powerful 1995 memoir, Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence, has been described as the "Invisible Man for the disabled."

    Dorothy Patton (Ph.D.'67), executive director of the EPA's Science Policy Council, has served the EPA in many capacities over the past 20 years. As the agency's chief counsel, she waged successful legal battles against makers and distributors of dioxin-containing herbicides. In the 1980s, she participated in work to regulate toxic substances and to establish air pollution standards.

    Judith Stein (A.B.'62, A.M.'64) has been hailed nationally for her dedication to the education of public high school students and teachers. For nearly three decades, she taught and chaired the English department at Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park. Her talent and enthusiasm has inspired generations of students and won her both local and national recognition, including the prestigious Golden Apple award in 1992.

    J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. (B.S.'40, M.S.'41, Ph.D.'42) received his Ph.D. in mathematics at age 19, the prelude to a distinguished career in mathematics, physics and engineering. Currently Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at Clark Atlanta University, Wilkins also has held research positions at Chicago and has worked to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

    Robert Winter (A.M.'72, Ph.D.'78) is a scholar, pianist, teacher and multimedia artist who uses cutting-edge technologies to make musical scholarship available, accessible and compelling to a general audience. Currently Presidential Chair of Music and Interactive Arts at the UCLA, Winter developed his popular multimedia music courses into CD-ROM programs that have won kudos from both scholars and the popular press.

    Public Service Citations The Alumni Public Service Citations honor those who have fulfilled the obligations of their education through creative citizenship and exemplary leadership in service that has benefited society.

    Heather Tobis Booth (A.B.'67, A.M.'70), a political activist for more than four decades, is the founder of Citizen Action. During her tenure as its national co-director, she organized for legislation on health care, environmental protection, voter registration and consumer rights.

    Kenneth Dunn (A.M.'70), a pioneer in resource recycling on Chicago's South Side, founded the non-profit Recycling Center in the 1970s. The center has recycled more than 25,000 tons of material while providing employment opportunities for scores of homeless and low-income citizens.

    Howard Landau (Ph.B.'24), together with his late business partner, Herbert Heyman (Ph.B.'31), created the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs' Community Ventures Program, which has provided more than $3 million in development grants and low- or no-interest loans to help finance 2,000 units of affordable housing in the Grand Boulevard, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Uptown, West Town and Woodlawn neighborhoods of Chicago.

    James McClure (A.B.'42, J.D.'49), president of the village of Oak Park from 1973 to 1981, provided leadership and vision when the community was challenged by fears about its changing racial and cultural character. Through his efforts, Oak Park developed integrated housing policies that inspired diversity while encouraging longtime residents to stay in the area.

    Eleanor Petersen (X'53), an advocate for equal employment and housing rights, helped organize the Kenwood Real Estate Committee to encourage integration in Hyde Park-Kenwood in the 1950s. With her appointment to the Illinois Fair Employment Practices Commission in 1973, she became the first woman to head a major commission in Illinois.

    Rafael Ravelo (A.M.'77) directs Erie Neighborhood House, an institution on Chicago's West Side that has served the social and economic needs of the area's immigrant and low-income population for 127 years. A Cuban immigrant, Ravelo strives to raise awareness of immigrant issues with city officials and the larger Chicago community.

    Anna Zellick (A.B.'41, A.M. '45) has used her training in history and her immense enthusiasm for Montana's heritage to preserve the state's past. The daughter of a Serbian father and Croatian mother, Zellick has published widely on South Slavic immigrants. Her research has produced a substantial archive of transcribed interviews with Slavic immigrants, which is now housed at the Montana Historical Society.

    Alumni Service Citations The Alumni Service Citations are awarded for outstanding service to the University.

    Irwin Askow (A.B.'36, J.D.'38) is one of the longest serving alumni volunteers and has supported University fundraising and programs for the past 60 years.

    Joan Feitler (A.M.'55), a member of the Women's Board Steering Committee and a strong supporter of the Smart Museum of Art, has worked diligently to serve the interests of the University and enhance its intellectual and cultural life.

    Thomas Heagy (A.B.'67, M.B.A.'70) has taken a leadership role in University affairs as an active and generous supporter of the Oriental Institute, the Renaissance Society, Centennial planning, reunions and the University Hospitals.

    Kenneth Kaufman (X'69, M.B.A.'76) has provided extraordinary volunteer leadership to the Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy and the Graduate School of Business.

    Thomas Lee (A.M.'90) has been a catalyst in the growth and success of the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies and, just a year after graduation, led the drive to create the Harris School National Alumni Association.

    Katherine Dusak Miller (A.B.'65, M.B.A.'68, Ph.D.'71) is a gifted and energetic innovator whose enthusiastic support of a range of programs has enriched the University over the past 30 years.

    Young Alumni Service Citations The Young Alumni Service Citations acknowledge outstanding volunteer service to the University by individuals age 35 and younger.

    Robert Boland (A.B.'83, M.B.A.'87) has served as a recruiter of prospective students and officer of the Boston alumni club.

    Jennifer Magnabosco (A.B.'85, A.M.'85) brings enthusiasm and energy to her many volunteer activities, including reunion, the NYC Alumni Club and the Alumni Schools Committee.

    Howell Murray Awards

    The Howell Murray Awards were established in honor of a distinguished alumnus and trustee to recognize graduating students for outstanding contributions to the University's extracurriculum.

    The winners of the Howell Murray Awards are:

    Marsha Bievre, co-founder of Sistafriends; Eleanor Burke, an active member of University Theater; Shay Feilen, All-American soccer player; Priti Kaur, who helped found the campus chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega coed service fraternity; Tasneem Khokha, chief executive officer of the Model United Nations of the University of Chicago IX; and Alpha Lillstrom, an active leader in student organizations and housing.

    Also, Samuel Park, co-founder of both the Asian Student Union and the Children's Advocates Network; Jennifer Parry, former editor-in-chief of the Maroon; Susan Popper, a member of the Prospective Students Admissions Committee for the past four years; Thomas Rhee, treasurer of the Council on University Programming; Jeffrey Streeter, who has served as vice president and president of the Student Alumni Association; Zandra Wells, a member of Unaccompanied Women and public relations chair of Alpha Phi Omega.