Hildebrand will receive Maclean

Roger Hildebrand, the Samuel K. Allison Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics, will receive the 1999 Norman Maclean Faculty Award at the Alumni Assembly at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 5, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

For nearly 50 years, Hildebrand, a former Dean of the College, Director of the Enrico Fermi Institute, Associate Director of Argonne National Laboratory and Chairman of Astronomy & Astrophysics, has devoted himself to his students and to the University as a whole.

The Norman Maclean Award recognizes emeritus or senior faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and to the student experience of life on campus. It was named in honor of Professor Norman Maclean (Ph.D. ’40), who taught English at the University for 40 years.

Hildebrand has had a profound effect on students’ lives both intellectually and personally. A former student described his undergraduate physics class this way: “It was like having a guest lecturer every day. In lectures, he would give short glimpses into the work he was doing in astrophysics while integrating the topics being presented in class.”

A measure of his rapport with his students can be seen in the large numbers who have continued to collaborate with him long after they have left the University.

Hildebrand’s concern for students is not limited to those in his area of study. After he learned Bartlett Gymnasium was in need of improvements in locker room facilities for women, he took over as Chairman of the Athletic Facilities Committee and found a way to plan and fund the necessary upgrades.

Since his retirement, Hildebrand has remained as active as ever in the University. He still conducts research and advises doctoral students, and his relationship with his students continues to be strong and supportive.

One alumnus recalled, “In the years since leaving the University, I have always felt welcome when I visited, more like a family member than a former student. My high regard for Roger is the defining element in my continuing relationship with the University.”