UB Alumni Association Sets Annual Awards Dinner for April 4

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A retired vice president of General Electric Co. who emigrated to the United States as a child will receive the University at Buffalo Alumni Association's most prestigious award at the UB Alumni Association's Celebration of Excellence Dinner on April 4. Nine other individuals, including 6 UB alumni, also will receive awards at the dinner.

UB President William R. Greiner and alumni association president Margaret Paroski (M.D. '80), who is UB's interim vice president for health affairs and interim dean of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will present the awards. Mark Scott, news director for WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB, will be master of ceremonies.

The dinner will be held at 6 p.m. in the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott, 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst. Corporate sponsors for the Celebration of Excellence dinner are National Fuel, The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care and the Amherst Industrial Development Agency. Tickets are $80 per person. Call 716-829-2608 for further information or to make reservations before March 28.

Henry E. Stone, (B.S. '49), retired vice president of General Electric, was chosen to receive the Samuel P. Capen Award, the alumni association's most prestigious award, which is presented for notable and meritorious contributions to the university and its family.

Stone's support of UB as a loyal alumnus has included establishment of a fellowship to benefit a graduate student in engineering who is a member of a minority group or an immigrant like himself. As a boy, Stone came to America from Germany with his family prior to World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the South Pacific during the war, and attended UB's School of Engineering on the GI Bill. He began his long and distinguished career at GE upon graduating summa cum laude from UB in 1949.

Stone, who lives in San Jose, Calif., in 2001 received the Dean's Award at the commencement ceremony of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Eli Ruckenstein, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will receive the Walter P. Cooke Award, presented to a non-alumnus for notable and meritorious contributions to the university.

Ruckenstein in 1998 was the first UB professor to receive the National Medal of Science, the highest honor awarded in the United States for scientific achievement. He is known the world over for his research in the fields of chemical engineering and science. Ruckenstein lives in Amherst.

Allison A. Campbell (Ph.D., '91) will receive the George W. Thorn Award, presented to UB graduates under the age of 40 who make outstanding national or international contributions to their career field or academic area. Deputy director of the WR Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Campbell is recognized nationally for her contributions toward materials development in the field of biomaterials. Her cutting-edge research already has resulted in five patents. Campbell lives in Kennewick, Wash.

George M. Bodner (B.A. '69) will receive the Clifford C. Furnas Award, which is given to a graduate of either the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or the disciplines of natural sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences who has distinguished himself or herself in a field of science, thereby bringing honor to the university. Head of the Division of Chemical Education at Purdue University, Bodner is nationally and internationally recognized for his excellence in chemical education. He has distinguished himself as an outstanding scholar and has received the two most prestigious awards in the field of chemical education. He lives in Lafayette, Ind.

Donald L. and the late Esther P. Davis will receive the Dr. Philip B. Wels Outstanding Service Award, given to an individual, or group of individuals, who have contributed to and advanced UB for a specific purpose or have served UB in a voluntary capacity for a significant period of time.

The Davises were selected for their support of three of UB's most important public service programs -- WBFO 88.7 FM, UB's National Public Radio affiliate; the mini-medical school program, a public service of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the Distinguished Speakers Series. They have channeled their lifetime of business success into giving Western New York access to public radio, insight into a deeper understanding of biology and medicine, and exposure to a dazzling list of public speakers including four past presidents of the United States. Davis lives in Williamsville.

The Community Leadership Medal will be awarded to Robert A. Milch (M.D. '68, B.A. '64). This award is given in recognition of and appreciation for outstanding contributions to the university community over an extended period of time or for a single, truly remarkable contribution.

Milch is medical director of The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, an organization he has been affiliated with since 1978. Formerly a Navy surgeon, Milch in 1975 entered private practice in general surgery and also joined the faculty of the UB medical school, an appointment he still holds. Milch is an expert in pain and symptom management, ethics and palliative care. His awards and professional involvement are legion, and his service to those in the terminal time of life, and their families, has been extraordinary. Milch lives in Williamsville.

Three alumni will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards for their exceptional career accomplishments, community or university service, research or scholarly activity. They are:

o Kenneth B. Forrest, (J.D. '76), a partner and litigator in the prestigious New York City law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Forrest has been a leader in corporate litigation, and his representation of clients has resulted in some of the leading decisions in that area of the law. He lives in Roslyn.

o Beverly Bates Wright (Ph.D. '77, M.A. '71), recognized internationally for her work as founder and director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, which has improved the quality of life for environmentally impacted communities across the United States. Wright lives in New Orleans, La.

o Tieh-Hsiung Wu (Ph.D. '79) deputy minister of education in the Ministry of Education for Taiwan. Wu oversees Taiwan's elementary and secondary education programs. An internationally recognized educator, he is responsible for implementing far-reaching educational reforms in Taiwan. Wu lives in Taiwan.

Several UB students also will be honored at the dinner as recipients of the J. Scott Fleming Merit Award, a scholarship recognizing the dedication of student leaders who have helped promote student involvement at UB.