UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TO HONOR DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas Alumni Association will honor eleven award recipients at the 59th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House.

The six awards to be given are the Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award, the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award, the Alumni Community Service Award, the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, the Honorary Alumni Award and the Young Alumni Award.

This year's Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award honors Major General (retired) William P. Bowden, Jr., BSA ’54 of Oklahoma City. After receiving a degree from the University’s College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences in 1954, he earned an MBA from The George Washington University and a Masters in Public Administration from Auburn University. The Swifton, Arkansas native served 35 years of distinguished active duty with the United States Air Force—retiring as commanding general at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

Since his retirement, Bowden has given extraordinary service to his alma mater. He helped reorganize and then served as the president of Central Oklahoma Alumni Chapter. He continues to serve on its board. His work with the chapter garnered him the Alumni Heart Award in 2000.

     The Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award will be given to four recipients this year. Among them is Lee Bodenhamer, BSBA’57, MBA’61, president of Centennial Consulting Company in Little Rock, AR. Following his time at the University, Bodenhamer entered the business world working for Participating Annuity Life Insurance Company. After spending seven years with the company, he resumed his graduate studies earning a Doctorate of Business Education from Harvard Business School. Following his graduation in 1968, he joined the finance faculty there as a lecturer.

Dr. Bodenhamer’s financial expertise propelled his career in the industry. After leaving his Harvard position, he organized First Variable Life Insurance Company—a company that developed and sold the first variable policies of their kind in the United States. He later founded Meridian Management Company, an investment management firm.

Another recipient of the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award is Margaret McEntire BSE’75, president and CEO of Candy Bouquet International in Little Rock, AR. She put her degree to work as a speech pathologist and educational specialist. Her work as a director of the Brighton Day School—a school for the handicapped—equipped her with a business foundation. With dreams of future possibilities and $1,000, McEntire’s company, Candy Bouquet, was founded in 1989.

Working in her garage, McEntire’s family helped to make the candy arrangements until a tiny shop was opened. Determination and perseverance brought the business through tough economic times, and her company continues to maintain a focus founded on principles of fair prices, quality product, and mentoring. With more than 600 stores in 49 states and 44 countries, Candy Bouquet is the largest candy franchise in the world.

Kirk Pond, BSEE’66 of Cape Elizabeth, ME, president, CEO & chairman of the board of Fairchild Semiconductor International has also been named for the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award. Upon Pond’s graduation from the University, the defense business and advancements in technology were flourishing. He held senior management positions for companies such as Texas Instruments and Timex Corporation, which were making great strides in incorporating semi-conductors into daily life.

Joining Fairchild as vice president of Logics in 1984, Pond contributed to the success and growth of Fairchild. The conductors that Fairchild builds help support a trillion-dollar electronic manufacturing industry. His leadership has positioned Fairchild as the leading global supplier of high performance broad based power components critical to managing, distributing and conditioning power in today’s electronics. Semi-conductor components can be found in major applications including computing, communications, industrial, automotive, and aerospace.

Considered to be the premier football play-by-play man in network television, George Allen "Pat" Summerall, BSE ’53, will also be honored with the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award. Summerall expected to become a teacher, but the Detroit Lions made him their fourth-round draft choice in 1952. Before playing a single game, he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals and eventually completed his career with the New York Giants—playing in three NFL Championship games.

Departing professional sports, he began working at CBS where he worked with many announcers, including John Madden. The duo continued to work for CBS until 1994, when they transferred to FOX after that network bought broadcasting rights to the NFL. Recently retired from FOX Sports, Summerall is heavily involved in humanitarian causes. He has dedicated his time to the "Champions of Industry" series, which recognizes companies that make a positive contribution to corporate America. He is from Southlake, TX.

This year’s Community Service Award will recognize Brad Friess, BA’83, founder and director of Arkansas Athletes Outreach in Fayetteville, AR. A former Razorback basketball player, Friess help found Arkansas Athletes Outreach (AAO) in 1990 with the support of Director of Men’s Athletics, Frank Broyles. AAO is a non-profit athletic organization that seeks to build champions for life through the influence of athletes.

Through a variety of programs, athletes connect to the community by developing relationships with youths. These are programs of high quality that foster Christian growth, leadership skills and personal responsibility, while providing positive role models.

More than 300 UA athletes will be involved in at least one community outreach this year. AAO’s Speaker’s Bureau involves 20 athletes from eight different teams impacting between 10 - 15,000 persons. Participating athletes develop into leaders who will make a difference in the world.

Three UA faculty members will be honored with the Arkansas Alumni Association's Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.
    

The Arkansas Alumni Association salutes Dr. Mark Killenbeck, distinguished professor and Wylie H. Davis Professor of Law, for outstanding research and teaching.

Demonstrating a commitment to maximizing the students’ learning experience, he merges scholarship with teaching by incorporating his research into the classroom. Supplementing core material with a wide range of cases coupled with innovative use of technology has enriched the learning experience for the students.

The first UA law faculty member to be elected to the prestigious American Law Institute, Killenbeck has excelled in one of the most complex and important fields of the law profession—constitutional law. He has earned the distinction of being a nationally renowned expert in this area and has written recently on the topics of affirmative action, diversity and federalism.

The Arkansas Alumni Association honors Dr. Yanbin Li, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences, for research and service.

A UA faculty member for 10 years, Dr. Li has developed a world-class program and has become recognized as a pioneer in the general areas of biosensors for rapid detection of pathogens, models for microbial prediction and quantitative risk assessment, and antimicrobial technologies for food processing. His expertise has been recognized nationally and internationally.

Several patents have been either issued or are pending as a result of his research, and he has developed industrial collaborations with companies such as Tyson Foods, Johnson Food Equipment Company and Electrochemical Technologies. His research results are making significant contribution in the economic development of the state.

Also to be honored for faculty research is Dr. Charles Wilkins, distinguished professor of chemistry & biochemistry, Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences. Since joining the UA faculty in 1998, Dr. Wilkins has distinguished himself as a prolific and internationally recognized researcher. He specializes in the development of unique and innovative chemical analysis instrumentation, and is recognized internationally for his contributions to analytical chemistry—mass spectrometry in particular.

His research interests are varied extending from nuclear magnetic resonance, to infrared and mass spectrometry, and he has incorporated a wide variety of computer-assisted techniques. Dr. Wilkins was a leader in laboratory computer applications to chemical analysis, becoming involved in this as early as 1968. Dr. Wilkins co-developed the first analytical Fourier transform mass spectrometer (FTMS). This instrument is the highest performance instrumentation currently available to those interested in structural characterization of proteins and other biomolecules. Now there are three firms offering such instruments and over one hundred have been installed throughout the world.

The Honorary Alumni Award will go to John M. Lewis of Fayetteville—president and C.E.O. of the Bank of Fayetteville.

Beginning his investment career in Dallas, Lewis returned to his native home and soon became the president and C.E.O. of The Bank of Fayetteville—a community bank that he helped launch. Not only has he been instrumental in the progress of Fayetteville, he has played a vital role in the progress and future of the University of Arkansas. He currently serves as a member of the Steering Committee for the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century—a $900 million endeavor for the university. Additionally, he serves on several committees or boards including the university’s 2010 Commission, the National Development Council and the UA Technology Development Foundation.

The Young Alumni Award will be bestowed on Dr. Lisa R. Pruitt, BA ’86, JD ’89. Pruitt is acting professor of law, University of California-Davis. Graduating summa cum laude in journalism from the University in 1986, Pruitt traveled to England and began her legal profession. As her career flourished, she has practiced law in several prestigious international organizations including the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal at The Hague and the International Criminal Tribunal-Rwanda. As a British Marshall Scholar, she received her PhD from the University of London in 1997.

Having worked with lawyers in more than 30 countries, she has devoted her research interests to how law and legal institutions manage and respond to cultural difference and cultural change. This young alumna has earned international and professional distinction for her work.

     Award presenters at the event will include Andy Lucas, retired associate director of the Arkansas Alumni Association, Arkansas Alumni Association Executive Director Mike Macechko, Arkansas Alumni Association President C. Edward Bradford, and University of Arkansas Chancellor John A. White.

The Arkansas Alumni Association seeks to foster loyalty, lifelong relationships, commitment and communication among all alumni, future alumni and friends to advance the best interests of the University.