9 to Be Honored By UB Alumni Association

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Nine individuals, eight of them University at Buffalo alumni, will be honored when the UB Alumni Association holds its annual awards dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, April 30, in the Center for Tomorrow on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Recipients will include the president of a major Chinese university, a member of the crew who died aboard the space shuttle Challenger and three eminent Buffalonians.

The awards are presented annually to individuals who have distinguished themselves in their careers or in service to the university or the larger community.

Tickets for the dinner are $50 each. For further information and reservations, call 716-829-2608 by April 16.

UB President William R. Greiner; Jean C. Powers, president of the Alumni Association, and Donald C. Roberts, chair of the awards committee, will present the awards to:

Joseph T. J. Stewart, vice president of Advest Inc., will receive the Samuel P. Capen Award for notable and meritorious contributions to the university and its family. Stewart, an Amherst resident, has for decades given his time, expertise and financial resources to the university, endowing programs to fund honors scholarships and to provide financial resources for management faculty development. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UB in 1948.

John N. Walsh III, chairman and chief executive officer of Walsh Duffield Companies, Inc., will receive the Walter P. Cooke Award given to a non-alumnus who has made notable and meritorious contributions to UB and its family, influencing growth and improvement of the university. A Buffalo resident, Walsh has provided leadership through the UB Foundation and UB Council and working with the University Honors Program. His successes in fundraising for UB have impacted profoundly on the quality of education at the university.

Anoop S. Mokha, a distinguished structural engineer who lives in Fremont, Calif., will receive the George W. Thorn Award, given to a UB graduate under 40 who has made national or international contributions in his or her career field or academic area. Mokha has distinguished himself as a structural engineer at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of San Francisco, one of the world's foremost architectural engineering firms. He earned a doctoral degree in civil engineering from UB in 1990.

The Clifford C. Furnas Award for significant contributions by graduates of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or the former Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics will be awarded to Douglas P. Taylor, as well as posthumously to Gregory B. Jarvis. Taylor, president of Taylor Devices, North Tonawanda, has distinguished himself nationally and internationally for the design, production and application of damping devices used in building construction and by the military. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from UB in 1971. Jarvis, an astronaut who died aboard the Challenger, received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from UB in 1967. A UB flag he carried aboard the Challenger was returned intact for the dedication of Jarvis Hall. His widow, Marcia, will accept his award.

Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented to four alumni in recognition of their exceptional career accomplishments, community or university service, research or scholarly activity. They are:

Meryl S. Cohen of Los Angeles, who received a bachelor's degree in 1972, and is president of marketing for the Paramount Domestic Television Division of Viacom Inc., one of the world's top five entertainment and publishing conglomerates.

Ronald I. Dozoretz, M.D., of Falls Church, Va., who is founder, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of FHC Health Systems. It is the largest privately held company providing behavioral-health services in the U.S. and Canada and second-largest mental health managed-care company in the nation. Dozoretz received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958 and his medical degree from UB in 1962.

James J. Eberl, Ph.D., of Moylan, Pa., holds more than 50 U.S. and foreign patents for items used in settings ranging from home kitchens to surgical suites. He is a specialist in "real world" chemical applications that, among other things, reduce the number of post-operative abdominal adhesions, control microbes in hospitals and contribute to such well-known consumer products as Viva paper towels. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UB in 1938 and a doctorate in 1941.

Zhou Ji, president of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, one of China's top universities, has contributed his knowledge, talent and creativity to higher education in China. He is respected by academic communities in his country, as well as internationally. Zhou earned a master's degree from UB in 1981 and a doctoral degree in 1984.