University of Arkansas College of Engineering Recognizes Outstanding Alumni

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Juan Balda, electrical engineering interim department head; Alan Mantooth, professor of electrical engineering; William Sommers; James Davis; Jeff Sanders; and Samir El-Ghazaly, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering.

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas College of Engineering honored 11 alumni with College of Engineering Alumni Awards at its annual banquet on Saturday, April 16. The awards recognize graduates of the college who have demonstrated exceptional professional and personal accomplishments and made important contributions to their professions and communities.

The College of Engineering’s 2011 Alumni Awards banquet was at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers.

“Our alumni are one of our college’s biggest strengths and their accomplishments speak

directly to the quality of our academic program,” said Ashok Saxena, dean. “We are proud of all our alumni but this group is a sample of our very best.”

Robert Mitchell, who received a Master of Science in Mathematics in 1964 and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1965, was awarded the Hall of Fame medal, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Engineering. The Hall of Fame Award was established in 1965 to recognize prominent graduates and leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and to society as a whole. Mitchell works for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as program manager of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. .

The Distinguished Alumni Award honors College of Engineering graduates who have provided leadership in their communities and achieved distinction in their fields of endeavor. The recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award are:

• Kevin W. Brown, BSChE ’81
  Senior vice president, refining, LyondellBasell, Houston, Texas

• James M. Davis, BSEE ’79
  Co-founder and vice president of operations (retired), Celcore Inc. Fayetteville, Ark.

• Jack A. Giles, BSME ’65
  President (retired), Advanced Technology Group, COBHAM Sensor Systems
  San Diego, Calif.

• William A. Harrison, BSIE ’66
  President, Trane Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark.

• Richard M. Rorex, BSAGE ’79; MSAGE ’81
  Vice president – rice milling and engineering, Riceland Foods, Inc., Jonesboro, Ark.

• Jeffery C. Sanders, BSEE ’69
  Chief executive officer, Eclipse Electronic Systems, Richardson, Texas

• Garry Young, BSME ’74; MSME ’75
  Director of nuclear business development, Entergy Nuclear, Russellville, Ark.

The Young Alumni Award recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievements of College of Engineering graduates who are 40 years of age and under. The 2011 recipients are:

• Charles D. Jeffers, BSCmpe ’02; MBA ’03; MSIS ’06; MSOM ’09
  Technology consultant, Fayetteville, Ark.

• William T. Sommers, BSEE ’96; MSEE ’98
  Program manager, Northrop Grumman, Ellicott City, Md.

• James P. Strickland, BSME ’98
  Project manager, Garver LLC, Benton, Ark.