Fall 2002
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Fall 2002 |
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Recipients of the 2002 Honor Alumni Award have had a positive
impact on Rose-Hulman’s development through their service in the classroom, as
alumni volunteer leaders, by helping students begin their careers, as advisers
to the institute’s strategic planning, and through support of educational and
scholarship programs. Receiving the award during the Homecoming Alumni Awards Brunch
Oct. 12 were Don Dekker, Rose-Hulman emeritus professor of mechanical
engineering, Bradenton, Fla.; Gene Glass, retired engineering partner, Colley
Associates, Corpus Christi, Texas; Bernie Vonderschmitt, chairman of the board,
Xilinx Corp., Jasper, Ind.; and Roger Ward, vice president, Great Lakes
Division, HNTB Corp., Indianapolis. Roger Ward: Ward has served as an alumni volunteer in numerous capacities, most recently as president of the Rose-Hulman Alumni Association in 2000. He currently serves on the Department of Civil Engineering Advisory Board, and has been an adjunct professor in the department teaching introduction to environmental engineering. Ward has been an effective volunteer assisting the college's career services staff and providing employment opportunities for Rose-Hulman students. He has served for nearly 15 years as a class agent. Ward received a B.S. degree in biological engineering from Rose-Hulman in 1971. He is vice president of HNTB which is a global architectural, engineering, planning and construction organization. Ward is principal-in-charge of environmental engineering for the company.
As an alumnus, Vonderschmitt has brought national recognition to the college through his pioneering work in solid state electronics and integrated circuits. He has been dedicated to helping make a Rose-Hulman education available to talented students through his continued support of the college's scholarship fund. Vonderschmitt is volunteer co-chair of the successful Vision to be the Best fund-raising campaign. He also served on the Commission on the Future of Rose-Hulman, an important strategic planning process that has guided the college to unprecedented successes. In 1979, Rose-Hulman presented him with an honorary degree for his commitment to the college and his outstanding achievements in the field of engineering and entrepreneurship. A 1944 electrical engineering graduate of Rose-Hulman, Vonderschmitt holds 13 patents for design activities conducted during an illustrious career at RCA. He is the recipient of the prestigious David Sarnoff Outstanding Achievement Award in Engineering. Vonderschmitt co-founded Xilinx, an international company that is a leading innovator of complete programmable logic solutions.
Dekker retired last year, concluding a 36-year teaching career at Rose-Hulman. He taught courses in creative design, internal combustion engines, thermal design and design methods. He served as chair of the 40th reunion of the class of 1961 last year at Homecoming. During his teaching career at Rose-Hulman, he served on numerous campus committees that focused on service to students. These ranged from committees that advised student organizations to the graphical communications committee and the admissions and standing committee. He was also an adviser to the campus chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity. His talents as a teacher were recognized when he received the Ralph Teetor Award in 1975. The award is presented by SAE International, an engineering society of professionals involved in the design, manufacture and development of land, sea, air and space vehicles. The award is presented annually to one of the nation’s top young engineering educators. In 1986, his faculty colleagues elected him to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Engineering Education. Dekker received the bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Rose-Hulman in 1961. He earned the M.S. degree and Ph.D. degrees from the University of New Mexico and Stanford University respectively.
Glass has been a long-time supporter of the astronomy program and the observatory at Rose-Hulman. Through his commitment, students studying astronomy have had the annual support to continue their work. His generosity enabled the college to purchase a CCD camera for taking astronomical images. He made it possible to refurbish an historic Clark telescope that is now housed at the Oakley Observatory on campus. He is a frequent visitor to the observatory and has teamed with students to learn more about the solar system. In a surprise announcement at the awards presentation, Glass learned that an asteroid discovered by Rose-Hulman graduate student Chris Wolfe at the Oakley Observatory has been named in his honor. Wolfe discovered the new asteroid in August, 2001. The presentation was made by Oakley Observatory Director Richard Ditteon, professor of physics and optical engineering, who recommended Glass for the honor. Glass was a member of the Rose-Hulman Commission on the Future Task Force on Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. He earned bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering from Rose-Hulman in 1949.
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