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Recognizing achievement, service to UB
Wilson Greatbatch, 18 others to receive awards from UB Alumni Association
By BARBARA A. BYERS
Reporter Contributor
Wilson Greatbatch, M.S. ’57, an engineer who is responsible for the conceptualization, refinement and production of the implantable cardiac pacemaker and battery, has been selected to receive the Samuel P. Capen Award, the highest honor awarded by the UB Alumni Association.
Greatbach will receive the award at a gala to be held April 5 in the Adam’s Mark Hotel, 120 Church St.
Heralded as a father of bioengineering, Greatbatch is a pioneer in the multibillion dollar medical device business. In 1984, the pacemaker was chosen as one of the 10 greatest engineering contributions to society during the past 50 years by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Greatbatch is the inventor or co-inventor on more than 300 patents, a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the founder of numerous companies and current president of GRI LLC.
The Alumni Association presents achievement awards each spring to alumni and friends of UB for bringing distinction to themselves and the university through outstanding professional and personal achievement, loyal service to UB and exemplary service to their communities.
In addition to Greatbatch, 18 other individuals will receive awards on April 5.
Chrysostomos L. “Max” Nikias, Ph.D. ’82, M.S. ’80, provost of the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, will receive the Clifford C. Furnas Award. The Furnas award is presented to engineering, natural sciences or mathematics alumni who have distinguished themselves in a field of science.
Cynthia Hoover, Ph.D. ’95, director of electronics research and development at Praxair Inc., will receive the George W. Thorn Award. The Thorn Award is given to alumni under 40 in recognition of outstanding national or international contributions to their career field or academic area.
Ying-Kit Leung, a former UB medical school faculty member who was instrumental in creating a UB Alumni Chapter in Hong Kong, will receive the Walter P. Cooke Award. The Cooke award recognizes nonalumni who have made notable and meritorious contributions to UB.
Four Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented in recognition of exceptional career accomplishments, community or university service, or research and scholarly activity. Recipients are John M. Canty Jr., M.D. ’79, Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Chair in Cardiovascular Disease and director of UB’s Center for Research in Cardiovascular Medicine; Patricia T. Castiglia, Ph.D. ’76, M.S. ’65, B.S. ’62, a former UB nursing faculty member who co-founded the first professional nursing corporation in New York state and worked with the State Legislature in an effort that successfully allowed nurse practitioners to practice in New York; Paul A. Mayewski, B.A. ’68, a glaciologist, explorer and an internationally recognized expert in polar glacier research and climate change; and Blair A. Rudes, Ph.D. ’76, M.A. ’74, B.A. ’73, a renowned linguist who specializes in the language of the Tuscarora Nation and compiled a comprehensive dictionary that has become an authoritative reference on the language’s vocabulary.
The Dr. Richard T. Sarkin Award for Excellence in Teaching will be presented to Michael F. Buckley, B.S. ’78, B.A. ’76, a lecturer and teacher in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Irene S. Snow, M.D. ’80, medical director of Buffalo Medical Group PC, clinical assistant professor in the UB medical school, and member of the new board that will govern the combined Erie County Medical Center and Kaleida Health systems, will receive the Community Leadership Medal.
The Dr. Philip B. Wels Award will be given posthumously to Northrup R. Knox, a banker, community leader and staunch supporter of the university for decades whose achievements have greatly enhanced the quality of life of the entire UB community.
Volunteer Service Medals recognizing outstanding volunteer contributions to the university will be presented to Richard L. Friend, M.B.A. ’70, B.S. ’68, who established a system that ensures the timely processing of medical bills for injured UB athletes; Alfred T. Caffiero, who has provided clinical internships for hundreds of UB physical therapy students; Jay R. Friedman, Ed.M. ’00, B.A. ’86, a member of the UB Alumni Association board of directors since 1996 who also is president of the UB Employee Alumni Chapter and chair of the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee; and Kaitsen Woo, M.Arch. ’92, principal of an award-winning New York City architectural firm who mentors UB students.
Four students will be awarded J. Scott Fleming Scholarships. They are Yasmin Adamy, B.A. ’06, a law student specializing in family law and child welfare; Przemyslaw Garbaczewski, a senior majoring in business administration in finance, international business and economics; Peter Grollitsch, a senior majoring in international business; and Rajavi Parikh, a senior majoring in international health with a minor in global gender studies.