FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dean Randall Woods has selected seven graduates of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas as distinguished alumni for 2001-2002, in recognition of outstanding achievements in fields ranging from the management of venture capital funds and international imports to social marketing and historic preservation.

"These alumni reflect the myriad contributions our graduates make to their communities through their research, leadership and service. Their accomplishments serve to inspire our current students, who look to such role models as they prepare to start their careers," said Dean Woods.

This year’s distinguished alumni are George M. Billingsley, Dan Cowling III, Charles Niquette, and four brothers, John Richardson, Fontaine Richardson, Joe Richardson and Davis Richardson.

George Billingsley, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1957, serves as chair and chief executive officer of Pacific Resources Export Limited and as president of International Tours of Northwest Arkansas. While working for the late John A. Cooper in the 1960s, he was instrumental in developing Cherokee, Bella Vista, and Hot Springs villages. The building housing the College’s music department was named after George and his wife Boyce in 2000, in recognition of their $1.15 million gift to the department. They have been generous benefactors to many organizations in Arkansas, including Bentonville schools, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and homes for battered women and abused children. In 2001, they pledged nearly $9.3 million to the U of A, to fund scholarships, support athletics, and endow chair positions, including one in the Department of History.

Dan Cowling III earned a bachelor’s in communication in 1971 and a master’s in 1973. A year after graduation, he was promoted to Vice President of S.M. Brooks Advertising. By the mid-1980s, he was a national consultant for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Church’s Chicken. He launched his own agency in 1987, The Communications Group in Little Rock, which he serves as CEO and president. The agency began as a marketing, public relations, advertising and strategic planning firm with no employees and no clients. By the end of its first year, the agency was representing clients in the manufacturing, food, tourism and healthcare industries. Mr. Cowling led the group that developed the original concept for a successful regional program known as the Campaign for Healthier Babies, which has grown into a national model noted for its unique approach to health education and outreach. His firm currently provides outreach and education project management for the administration of Governor Mike Huckabee.

Charles Niquette earned his master’s in anthropology from the U of A in 1981, and since 1983, has served as President of Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. in Lexington, KY, a highly respected historic preservation firm. A professional archeologist with 23 years of experience, Mr. Niquette is certified by the Society for American Archaeology and is president-elect of the national Register of Professional Archaeologists. Since 1977, he has conducted archaeological field work in Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Arkansas and Colorado, including inventory surveys and major excavations. He has presented papers at numerous national archaeological conferences and regularly publishes journal articles on North American prehistory. He has served on several state preservation boards and heritage councils, and in 1994, received the Sigfus Olafson Award of Merit for outstanding contributions to West Virginia archaeology from the West Virginia Archaeological Society.

A native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, John Richardson grew up in the shadow of the U of A campus. He was a drum major for the Razorback Band from 1967 until 1969, when he received his bachelor’s in mathematics. Since graduation, he has resided in Dallas, TX, with the exception of the three years he spent in The Netherlands, when he helped to install one of the world’s leading prototype supercomputers for seismic processing. He received an M.B.A from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1982. Working in various technical and managerial roles at Texas Instruments, he gained broad experience in geophysical data processing, semiconductor design processing, and manufacturing logistics processing. He moved into sales and sales management in information processing, winning numerous sales awards from companies such as Xerox, Qantel, Sequent, Data General, Filetek, and Yipes Communications.

Fontaine Richardson, who graduated with a bachelor’s in mathematics in 1963 and a master’s in mathematics in 1964, is a consultant and private investor. In 1968, he earned a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois. From 1983 until 2000, he was a General Partner of Eastech Management Company, a manager of venture capital funds that invested in early stage New England based technology companies. In 1969, Mr. Richardson co-founded Applicon Incorporated, an early provider of CAD/CAM hardware and software products. Mr. Richardson held a number of executive positions with Applicon before he left in 1981. He serves on the Board of Directors of Mentor Graphics Corporation in Oregon and ePresence Inc. in Massachusetts. He also serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Carlisle Conservation Foundation. He is a trustee of the First Religious Society in Carlisle, Massachusetts and is a director of the Emerson Hospital System in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1992, he received the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from the University of Illinois College of Engineering.

Joe Richardson was born in Fayetteville, where he spent his first 22 years. After graduating from Fayetteville High School, he enrolled at the U of A in 1952, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1956. While at the U of A, he was a member of Sigma Nu as well as President of the Arkansas Booster Club, Scabbard and Blade, and the American Chemical Society. For 10 years, he served in the Army Medical Service Corps and as an active reservist. Before joining Pfizer, where he was to work for 37 years in sales and management, he worked in the chemical industry for Monsanto, Ethyl Corporation, and Allied Chemical. He lives in Rogers now, where he is an active member of the Fellowship Bible Church and the Rotary Club, and has served on the senior advisory committee of the Rogers Chamber of Commerce.

Davis Richardson earned three degrees from the University of Arkansas, a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1951, a master’s in organic chemistry in 1955, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1956. From 1951 to 1953, he was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry. After working two years as a research chemist for E.I. duPont De Nemours and Company, he went on to spend 34 years working for Shell Oil Company, first on various research assignments, and in 1980, was promoted to Vice-President for Corporate Planning. In 1983, he was named President of Shell Refining and Marketing Company; in 1987, President of Shell Chemical Company; and in 1990, President of Shell Development Company. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

These alumni will return to campus this spring, to visit their departments, meet with students and faculty, and attend a special dinner the College will host in their honor. All members of the Fulbright College Distinguished Alumni Academy from 1998 through 2002 can be found on the College web site at http://www.uark.edu/~arsc/alumni/.