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Michigan State University Alumni Association
National Board
Grand Awards Ceremony
October 14, 2004
The
Kellogg Center of Michigan State University
HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD
This award is granted to friends of Michigan State University
who have demonstrated continuing outstanding volunteer service to Michigan
State University on a local, state, national or international level.�
Recipients possess the highest standards of integrity and character, positively
reflecting, impacting, and enhancing society and the prestige of Michigan
State University.
George A. Brown
George A. Brown, an engineer in the paper and pulp industry and retired
businessman, has been awarded an Honorary Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni
Association.
A resident of Richardson, TX, Brown enjoyed a 33-year career in the paper
and pulp industry, including stints with the Georgia Pacific Company and
the Spartan Bonded Manufacturing Company, retiring from both as director
of engineering.� He then embarked on a 12-year golf business in Florida.
Brown is a member of the Frank S. Kedzie Society and his
commitment to and interest in MSU remains significant.� In 2004 he created
two endowed chairs in the College of Natural Science.� The Harry L. Brown
endowed chair in chemistry is named for George�s father, who was active
with the MSU Alumni Association, while the George A. Brown Endowed Chair
in Physics is named for his late uncle, former faculty member and chair
of MSU�s animal husbandry department.
Donald and Phoebe Griffin
Donald and Phoebe Griffin, retired business persons in the Lansing area
and former owners of Schmidt�s supermarkets, have been awarded an Honorary
Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
For the past two decades, both have supported Michigan State University
in many ways.� Donald has volunteered to serve as an off-ice official
for MSU Hockey for 38 years.� Phoebe has contributed voluntarily to assisting
students, making our campus more beautiful, and supporting numerous projects
with MSU�s President and First Lady. The Griffins
are members of the Abbott Society.� Their contributions have spanned numerous
areas, including campus beautification, support for at least four colleges,
athletics, WKAR radio and TV, the Wharton Center and MSU Safe Place.�
They are frequent participants on MSU Alumni Association tours and events.
Frank �Bob� Perrin
Frank �Bob� Perrin, a conservationist and former politician with a half-century
relationship with MSU�s Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, has been awarded
an Honorary Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
For some 50 years, Perrin has volunteered to work with MSU professors
and students to improve and protect Michigan�s fish and wildlife assets.�
He helped to establish an MSU scholarship at the Ruffed Grouse Society.�
He worked tirelessly for Trout Unlimited, which named the Lansing chapter
after him.� As director of the Estes Palmer Foundation and the Hal and
Jean Classen Foundation, he has made a huge impact on young people.�
Perrin has served unofficially as an ambassador for MSU�s
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, helping recruit and mentor
students and playing major roles in advocacy, and championing scholarships
and endowments to MSU.
ALUMNI
SERVICE AWARD
This award is granted to alumni who have demonstrated
continuing outstanding volunteer service to Michigan State University
and/or meritorious public service on a local, state, national or international
level.� Recipients possess the highest standards of integrity and character,
positively reflecting, impacting and enhancing society and the prestige
of Michigan State University.
Thomas A. Dutch
Thomas A. Dutch, M.S.P. �52 (student personnel), former MSU residence
hall manager and personnel administrator, has been awarded an Alumni Service
Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Dutch worked at MSU for 52 years as director of student employment, director
of housing, residence hall manager and personnel administrator.� He has
run guest services for the MSU Athletics Department since 1954.� He served
as the faculty advisor for Evans Scholars from 1954-2002.� He was a member
of the board of the MSU Federal Credit Union when it voted to give MSU
$1 million to establish an endowed chair in financial institutions/investments,
and also when it gave a $2.5 million gift for Study Abroad student scholarships.
Dutch has won the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award.�
He has served his parish, St. Thomas Aquinas, in numerous capacities.�
He has also been active with the MSU Alumni Club of Mid-Michigan, MSU
Women�s Sports Booster Club, Volunteer Bureau of Greater Lansing, University
Club, and the Anti-Discrimination Judicial Board.
Darrell Lynn Grace
Darrell Lynn Grace, D.O. �92 (osteopathic
medicine), a physician in private practice with Forum Health in Youngstown,
OH, and former director of Grace Place Medical Services, has been awarded
an Alumni Service Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Grace is currently the medical director at
Windsor Nursing Home and clinical assistant professor at Ohio University
College of Osteopathic Medicine.� She has won the Richard L. Alper award
for community service from MSU�s College of Osteopathic Medicine and an
award for community service during National Minority Health Month, along
with a key to the city of Youngstown for community service.� In
association with the Greater Youngstown Coalition of Christians, Grace
helped establish the Grace Place Medical Service, a clinic for the underserved,
uninsured and underinsured.� Phi Beta Lambda Sorority named her Business
Woman of the Year.� In 2003, she was awarded the Dean�s award for meritorious
service by MSU�s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Janice Thompson Granger
Janice Thompson Granger, B.S. �80 (nursing), a homemaker who has excelled
in numerous volunteer leadership capacities within mid-Michigan and MSU,
has been awarded an Alumni Service Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Granger worked as a student advisor in the College of Nursing and helped
develop the infrastructure of the board of the College of Nursing Alumni
Association.� An original member of the College of Nursing Board of Visitors,
she continues to serve and provide guidance in positioning the college
for the future.� She served as co-chair of the college�s 50th birthday
celebration in 2000 and chaired the college�s �It�s All About You�A Day
For Women.�� Granger and her husband, Alton, made
a gift to the Janice Thompson Granger Nursing Learning Center, which allows
students to practice their clinical skills in a state-of-the-art center.�
She is a charter member of the MSU Alumni Association�s national alumni
board, and currently serves as member of the President�s Campaign Cabinet
for The Campaign For MSU. �
Thomas P. Notarainni
Thomas P. Notarainni, B.A. �63 (accounting),
M.B.A. �64 (accounting), a former Exxon executive and member of the alumni
board of the Eli Broad College of Business who died February 5, 2004,
has been awarded a posthumous Alumni Service Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Notarainni volunteered to be a member of the inaugural class of Broad
Career Coaches, counseling students on their careers.� He tirelessly recruited
fellow Spartans to contribute to MSU.� In 1989 he and his wife, Cindy,
established an endowed scholarship in international business studies.�
They were members of MSU�s Snyder Society and donated generously to the
James B. Henry Center for Executive Development.� In
his 33-year career with Exxon, Notarainni spent 13 years working with
overseas affiliated companies.� He was elected to the Board of Finance
for Wilton, CT.�
Robert R. Rorich
Robert R. Rorich, B.A. �62 (science and arts), M.A.
�64 (educational psychology), semi-retired educational psychologist with
40 years of experience, has been awarded an Alumni Service Award by the
MSU Alumni Association.
A life member and former board member of the MSU Alumni Association, Rorich
has been active in regional club affairs, having re-activated the Calhoun
County club in 1963, he served as its first president, and helped nurture
it to a successful club.� After retiring in 1999, he became president
of the Manistee County Club and again developed it into an active club.�
He encouraged his daughter, Sarah, to organize a new club in Rochester,
MN, serving as its first president.� Rorich was
a speaker at the dedication of the Jack Breslin Student Events Center
in 1989 and spearheaded a plaque that honored Jack Breslin.� He is a member
of the MSU Presidents Club and life member of the Varsity Alumni S Club.�
For 30 years, he has been spotted during Homecoming football games wearing
a raccoon coat, participating as an alumni cheerleader.
Elizabeth Z. Schweitzer
Elizabeth Z. Schweitzer, B.S. �72 (multidisciplinary
studies in social science), director of administration of the St. John
Student Parish and former mayor of East Lansing, has been awarded an Alumni
Service Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Schweitzer has served MSU in many capacities, including as a board member
and past president of the College of Social Science Alumni Association,
as national board member of the MSU Alumni Association, as an Advisory
Board member of MSU�s Michigan Political Leadership Program, and as a
member of the MSU Museum Volunteer Committee.� She also served on the
search committee for the dean in MSU�s College of Social Science.
Schweitzer has served as a board member for numerous community
services, including the Capitol Area Transportation Authority, the East
Lansing Building Authority, Michigan Festival, the Red Cedar Community
Association, and the East Lansing Cable Commission.� She has also served
as co-chair of the Envision East Lansing Project.
PHILANTHROPIST AWARD
This award
is presented to an individual, family, association, corporation, or foundation
with a proven record of providing major, on-going financial support and
leadership to Michigan State University.� The candidates will have demonstrated
outstanding philanthropic responsibility toward MSU; their generosity
encourages others to take leadership roles toward MSU.
Randall and Mary Pittman
Randall Pittman, B.A. �76 (political science), M.B.A.
�78 (finance), and Mary Pittman, charter members of MSU�s William J. Beal
Society as well as scholarship level donors for intercollegiate athletics,
have been awarded the Philanthropist Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Randall is Chairman and CEO of Chatham Capital Corporation and Forest
Health Services Corporation in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Randall is also a
member of MSU�s Board of Trustees and co-chairperson of The Campaign For
MSU, and a member of the Eli Broad College of Business Campaign Advisory
Board.� He and Mary made a significant capital campaign leadership gift
to restore Marshall-Adams Hall, a move that significantly raised the profile
of the university�s Campus Heritage Project.� Mary
and Randall were married while he was in graduate school. They lived in
Spartan Village and she worked at the university while he pursued his
advanced degree.� Later, her career was in the banking and finance industry.�
Together, they not only have supported MSU and made crucial contributions,
but also encourage others to help as well.� They are also members of the
Ralph Young Inner Circle, Scholarship Level, Breslin Center Courtside
Seating, and Munn Arena Seats and have graciously hosted donor events.
Gary L. Seevers
Gary L. Seevers, B.S. �59 (animal science),
M.S. �66, & Ph.D. �68 (agricultural economics), retired financial
market specialist and limited partner of Goldman Sachs & Co., has
been awarded a Philanthropist Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
After working as a county 4-H extension agent for MSU while pursuing graduate
degrees, and later serving as assistant professor at Oregon State University,
Seevers was named a member of President Nixon�s Council of Economic Advisers.�
He was the youngest person and the only land-grant agricultural economist
ever appointed to the council.� He was also named by President Ford to
serve a four-year term on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.�
In 1979, he joined Goldman Sachs as a vice president and
in 1990 became the general partner in New York responsible for futures
brokerage business worldwide.� He has endowed the Guyer/Seevers Chair
at MSU and serves as co-chair of the President�s Cabinet in The Campaign
For MSU, remaining very active in his efforts to help MSU, specifically
the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Honors College.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
This is the highest award bestowed by the MSUAA and is
presented to MSU graduates who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer
service and who have achieved the highest level of professional accomplishment
including special honors or recognition and who demonstrate personal integrity
and character.
Bruce D. J. Batt
Bruce D. J. Batt, Ph. D. �76 (fisheries
and wildlife), chief biologist for Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and chairman
of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group, has been awarded a Distinguished
Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
A widely published conservationist, Batt worked at the Delta Waterfowl
Research Station, Manitoba, Canada, for 22 years, rising to director.�
He established the Marsh Ecology Research Program in 1979, a major effort
on wetlands management that trained more than 200 students.� He also led
the team that worked with 30 scientists to produce the 1992 reference
book, The Ecology and Management of Breeding Waterfowl. In
1989, Batt joined Ducks Unlimited as chief biologist supervising the National
Headquarters Conservation staff in Memphis, TN, and as science editor
of the organization�s magazine.� He oversees a national land protection
program and supervises operations in Mexico and the Caribbean.� His work
with the Arctic Goose group has led to unprecedented conservation measures
in North America.
Daniel C. Edson
Daniel C. Edson, M.S. �79 (clinical laboratory
science), president of American Proficiency Institute in Traverse City,
the world�s second largest proficiency testing provider, has been awarded
a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
As a graduate student at MSU, Edson developed the first blood test for
Legionnaires� disease.� After graduation, he established a virology and
viral serology laboratory at Sparrow Hospital, Lansing.� In 1980 he began
his career in laboratory proficiency testing with the College of American
Pathologists Computer Center in Traverse City.� He developed special computer
programs that helped to revise quality control practices in U.S. hospitals.�
His work helped hospitals save more than $50 million a year. In
1991 he co-founded API while working out of his living room, garnering
less than 100 customers.� Today API boasts more than 12,000 customers.�
Three years ago, API developed a proficiency testing program for the food
industry and its detection of such pathogens as Salmonella, Listeria and
E. coli.� In 2002, he was named adjunct instructor for MSU�s Medical Technology
program.
Alton L. Granger
Alton L. Granger, �54 (civil engineering), chairperson of Granger Construction
Co., Lansing, has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU
Alumni Association.
A business and civic leader on many fronts, Granger currently serves as
chairperson of the labor relations division, Associated General Contractors,
and as chairperson of the Church Council, Mt. Hope United Methodist Church.�
He has served as president of the board of Holt Public Schools, as director
of the Capital Area United Way, as trustee of Lansing General Hospital,
as treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Granger Foundation, and many
other such posts. In his 45-year career in construction,
Granger has made an indelible impact on the community with buildings for
schools in Charlotte, Dundee, Holt, Jackson, Lake Fenton, Lakeview, Saline,
and South Lyon, as well as MSU and Western Michigan University.� He has
received numerous awards, including the AGC Build America Award, the Innovation
Award from the Michigan Concrete Paving Association, and the Build Michigan
Merit Award, all in 2003.
Robert L. Green
Robert L. Green, Ph.D. �63 (educational
psychology), dean and professor emeritus at MSU and former president of
the University of the District of Columbia, has been awarded a Distinguished
Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
A nationally known scholar in urban issues, Green was the first African
American to receive tenure in MSU�s College of Education (1966) as well
as the first African American dean at MSU (College of Urban Development,
1973).� He has been a consultant and advisor to urban mayors, public officials,
college presidents and school superintendents.� He has worked with several
major school districts on reform issues.� He is currently chairman of
the board for The Piney Woods School in Mississippi. In
the 1960s Green was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as education
director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.� In 2002 he
received the Ghandi-King-Ikeda Award for Human Rights and Peace Initiatives
from Morehouse College.
Phung Thi Nguyet-Hong
Phung Thi Nguyet-Hong, Ph.D. �73 (biological
sciences), biologist and project coordinator in the International Collaboration
Office at Cantho University in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, has been awarded
a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Hong has an international reputation for research of algae.� She has served
as head of Cantho�s botany department, as vice dean of the faculty of
Biology and Chemistry, and as coordinator for several projects, including
the Cantho-MSU poverty reduction project that integrates school reform
with community development. Hong also has extensive
teaching experience, having developed and taught courses in biology, plant
anatomy, plant taxonomy, fresh water algae and scientific research methods.�
She has received the Medal of Education from the Ministry of Education
and the Certificate of Outstanding Contributions in the Sector of Pedagogy
in Vietnam.
Carole Leigh Hutton
Carole Leigh Hutton, �78 (journalism), publisher and editor of the Detroit
Free Press, the largest daily newspaper in Michigan, has been awarded
a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Hutton joined the Free Press in 1990 after a career in journalism that
included starting up a weekly in Boston, reporting and editing at the
Hammond Times (Indiana), and editing roles with the Detroit News.� At
the Free Press, she rose to become managing editor and executive editor.�
She now oversees the production of four daily and 13 weekly editions,
as well as Free Press Charities. She currently serves
on the board of directors of the Detroit-based Women�s Leadership Forum
and the Detroit Economic Club.� She is a trustee of the Community Foundation
for Southeastern Michigan; the Media Board of Ready to Succeed; and the
Women�s Advisory Group to Alternatives for Girls.� Crain�s Detroit Business
has named her one of the 100 Most Influential Women of southeast Michigan.
Kevin A. Kelly
Kevin A. Kelly, �79 (economics), managing director of the 14,500-member
Michigan State Medical Society for the past 17 years and head of MSMS
government relations for 8 years previously, has been awarded a Distinguished
Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
In his 25 years with MSMS, Kelly has achieved a number of political successes,
including a Michigan Patient�s Bill of Rights, funding stabilization for
the Medicaid program, nation-leading medical liability reform, increased
AIDS education, domestic violence education, and improved end-of-life
care.� He has also been instrumental in numerous public health initiatives,
including seat belt legislation, smoking bans, childhood immunization
and patient safety education. Kelly was very active
as an MSU student, serving on the student judiciary, the student-faculty
judiciary, and as chair of Olin Health Center�s Student Advisory Board.�
He serves on the Wharton Center�s advisory council and is a past president
of the Michigan Festival and past chair of the Green and White Political
Action Committee.� He has personally been involved in numerous community
organizations, including Ele�s Place, the Children�s Trust Fund, Michigan
Hospice Organization, Michigan Health Council, and the American Cancer
Society.
Purachai Piumsombun
Purachai Piumsombun, M.S. �75 (criminal justice), deputy
prime minister of Thailand and former minister of Justice and minister
of Interior, has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU
Alumni Association.
Piumsombun is a longtime academic researcher and professor who also boasts
a successful political career, being a co-founder in 1998 of the TRT Political
Party in Thailand and having served as TRT Secretary General from 1998-2002.�
TRT formed the current Thai government after winning the 2001 election.�
He is currently working on social policy, and among his tasks is the prevention
of human trafficking.� In 2002 he was named Outstanding Politician for
Innovating the Social Order Policy from Rajabhat Academic Institute.
Prior to his political career, Piumsombun served as professor
of the National Police Academy of Thailand. He also served as dean, vice
president and president of the National Institute of Development Administration,
establishing two NIDA campuses.� In 1997, he founded Shinawatra University
in Thailand, a research university that has since won the 2003 Asian Energy
Award for its efficiency and conservation practices.
Marcella Gast Schalon
Marcella Gast Schalon, B.A. �46 (social work), M.A.
�47 (social work), longtime advocate for education, family and children,
has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
A social worker with the Lutheran Church, Schalon has made strong commitments
to higher education with her support of many MSU initiatives, including
the School of Social Work�s Chance at Childhood Program.� With her support,
the Chance at Childhood Social Work and Law Clinic was launched in East
Lansing in 2003.� In 2001, she and family members provided key funding
for an outpatient service in St. Joseph. Schalon
was instrumental in the successful restoration of Silver Beach, a historical
park near St. Joseph.� Other behind-the-scenes efforts include such projects
as the library expansion, increased symphony activities and visibility,
soccer fields, expansion of a local art center, buildings for a community
center, and special education programs.
Rachel A. Schemmel
Rachel A. Schemmel, Ph. D. �67 (nutrition), MSU professor
emeritus in food science and human nutrition, has been awarded a Distinguished
Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
During her 45-year career of teaching, research and service, Schemmel
never missed one day of work.� She was the major professor for 45 graduate
students and countless undergraduates.� Her research focused on obesity
and accounted for some 200 publications in scientific journals.� She edited
the book, Physiology, Nutrition and Obesity.� She served as past president
of the Michigan Dietetic Association and was active in many professional
societies. Schemmel is the recipient of numerous
awards, including the Dietetic Educator Award from both the Michigan and
American Dietetic Associations, a Leader Award and a Borden Research Award
from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, the MSU
Distinguished Faculty Award and the Research and Outreach Awards from
the MSU College of Human Ecology.�
Michael B. Serling
Michael B. Serling, �66 (history), J.D. �70 (MSU College of Law), an attorney
in Birmingham, MI, specializing in environmental and product liability,
has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Serling taught in Detroit public schools while attending law school and
began private practice in 1972.� He now employs 25 people and specializes
in environmental law with a focus on asbestos contamination.� His clients
include more than 300 school districts, including Detroit, building owners
and individuals from 20 states, Europe and Israel.�� He has frequently
served as guest lecturer at MSU. Serling has been
chair of the MSU Jewish Studies Advisory Board since 1998 and helped raise
approximately $3 million.� He has also served on MSU�s Development Board
and currently serves on the President�s Cabinet in The Campaign For MSU.�
He is also on the board of directors of the Jewish Community Council and
the Michigan Region Anti-Defamation League.
Mitsuaki Shimaguchi
Mitsuaki Shimaguchi, M.B.A. �68, Ph.D. �77 (marketing), professor of marketing
in the Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University, Japan,
has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
Shimaguchi has established himself as one of the leading marketing faculty
in the world.� He does extensive teaching and lecturing in Western Europe
and other Asian countries, and is a consultant to major Japanese corporations.�
He serves on the board of some 20 public and government organizations
and has published more than 20 books.� He has served as chief editor of
the Japan Marketing Journal, the Journal of Marketing and Distribution,
and the Journal of Health and Society.� Shimaguchi
is considered the leading marketing professor in Japan and an expert on
the Japanese distribution system.� He was selected by several of Japan�s
top corporations�such as Toyota, Seiko, Suntory, Mitsubishi and Dentsu�to
lead assessment tours of various countries in Asia, Africa, the U.S. and
Europe.� He has also participated actively with the activities of MSU
alumni in Japan and been very helpful to the Eli Broad College of Business.
James R. Von Ehr II
James R. Von Ehr II, �73 (computer science), founder, chairman and CEO
of Zyvex Corp., the world�s first molecular nanotechnology company, has
been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the MSU Alumni Association.
One of the nation�s leaders in nanotechnology, he made a personal contribution
of $3.5 million to establish the University of Texas NanoTech Institute,
Dallas, where he has also endowed the James Von EhrII Distinguished Chair
of Science and Technology.� He was instrumental in the passing of the
21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act and was in the
Oval Office when President Bush signed the bill into law in 2003.� He
serves on the U.S. President�s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Before founding Zyvex in 1997, Von Ehr was founder, president,
chairman and CEO of Altsys Corp., which developed FreeHand and Fontographer,
the first commercially available postscript-drawing program.� He has lectured
widely on several continents and remains a member of the Senatorial Trust�a
small group of business and political leaders named by the U.S. Senate
to meet regularly with the highest-ranking members of the government,
such as the President and Senators.
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