UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 33, Page 12 May 26, 1994 21 alumni recognized for professional excellence Twenty-one University alumni, all graduates within the last 20 years, were awarded the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement. Begun in 1992, the award program honors graduates who exhibit great promise in their professional careers or public service activities. The awards ceremony, held in Mitchell Hall, included remarks by John L. Burmeister, the University's newest Alumni Distinguished Professor. After the ceremony, a reception honoring the awardees was held at the home of University President and Mrs. David P. Roselle. Honored were Arthur W. Boswell, Class of 1988-Throughout his career, Arthur Boswell has worked to improve opportunities for minority and low- income residents of Wilmington and the state of Delaware. As a member of the state Board of Education, a number of governor's task forces and as chairperson of the Coalition to Save Our Children, he has helped strengthen educational opportunities throughout the state. Currently Boswell serves as administrative assistant to the mayor of the city of Wilmington, Del., where he is responsible for the daily operational direction of numerous city departments. Stephen J. Ceci, Class of 1974-As a recipient of a National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Award that funded his research from 1988 through 1992 and as a two-time recipient of the Senior Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship, Stephen Ceci has amassed a list of awards that includes some of the most prestigious honors in science. His research, which focuses on the areas of intelligence and cognitive development in children, has been featured in such publications as Time and Newsweek, and the television programs "Frontline" and "Discover: The World of Science." Mark J. DiNardo, Class of 1983-As the director of electronic media, Mark DiNardo is the man behind the lights, camera, and action at The Spectrum, Philadelphia's premiere sports and entertainment arena. Currently, DiNardo serves as vice president of IDEA, a national association for arena and electronic media professionals, and he recently has been involved in designing lighting, sound systems, video walls and interactive-video kiosks for Philadelphia's upcoming Spectrum II. Theopalis K. Gregory, Class of 1974-In his third term as a city council member-at-large for the city of Wilmington, Del., Theopalis Gregory serves as chairperson for the Community 7 Economic Development Committee, as well as the Housing Committee. Gregory is currently a private attorney in Wilmington. He also provides legal services to the poor and senior citizens statewide as a member of the Community Legal Aid Society Inc. Frank W. Hatch, Class of 1977- Frank Hatch received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Villanova University in 1971, and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1977. Hatch serves as director of the Analytical Sciences Department for the McNeil Consumer Products Company in Fort Washington, Pa. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing and supporting all analytical requirements for the development and registration of new OTC pharmaceutical dosage forms. Laura Lee Hickman, Class of 1979-Laura Lee Hickman, a resident of Bethany Beach, Del., is an accomplished artist and instructor. She earned a bachelor of arts from Hood College in Frederick, Md., and a master of fine arts from the University of Delaware in 1979. Charles R. Lewis III, Class of 1975-From 1977 to 1988, Charles Lewis was an investigative reporter for two national television networks, ABC and CBS. Most recently, he was a producer for the award- winning program 60 Minutes, where he was twice nominated for an Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1988, Lewis became the founder, chairman and executive director of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C. The goal of this nonprofit organization is to combine the substantive study of government with investigative reporting and to bring vital, previously inaccessible information to the attention of the American people. Valerie Zingler Martin, Class of 1978-In the heart of Wilmington, Del., within easy walking distance of four different homeless shelters, the Ministry of Caring operates its Child Care Center for homeless children. The $1.2 million center, which can accommodate 90 children between the ages of 4 weeks and 4 years, has been heralded for the invaluable service that it is giving to its community. Much of the credit for this success is attributed to Valerie Zingler Martin, the director of the center since its opening in 1992. H. Dean McSpadden Jr., Class of 1976-Dean McSpadden, a resident of Wilmington, became the first doctor in the state of Delaware to participate in Doctors with a Heart, the largest doctor-sponsored charity in the world. Founded in 1986, the organization has more than 15,000 members who perform acts of charity in their local communities. Mary Ann Mieczkowski, Class of 1975-For the past several years, Mieczkowski has been teaching a community-based functional program to students with moderate and severe disabilities, with an emphasis on integration into regular education at the H.B. du Pont Middle School in northern Delaware. In 1993, Mieczkowski was named Teacher of the Year by the Association for the Rights of Citizens with Mental Retardation on both the state and national level. She also serves as a member of the Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens. Linda Justice Myrick, Class of 1977-Linda Myrick has spent most of her career with the FMC Corp., where she is currently serving as hydrogen peroxide business director. Throughout her career, Myrick has been one of the pioneers in integrating management techniques, chemical and life-science principles and chemical engineering fundamentals in order to develop efficient yet environmentally sound chemical processes. Cynthia Nachtmann Opderbeck, Class of 1981-In January 1993, Cynthia Opderbeck became the first certified nurse-midwife in New Castle County, Delaware, to be granted hospital privileges of performing normal childbirth delivery procedures. Her leadership in women's health and obstetrical nursing has been recognized as an example of reform in the current health-care system. Opderbeck serves as an instructor in women's health for the prerelease program at the Women's Correctional Institution of New Castle County. A. Douglas Rothwell, Class of 1978-Doug Rothwell was appointed by Michigan Gov. John Engler to serve as chief executive officer of the Michigan Jobs Commission, the state's new economic development agency. In this capacity, Rothwell directs all aspects of state business development, community development and job-training programs, including a 900-member staff and $400-million budget. Richard W. Schneider, Class of 1985-In 1992, Richard Schneider was named the 23rd president of Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., thereby becoming the first alumnus of the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Delaware to serve as a university president. From 1985 until his appointment at Norwich University, Schneider served in numerous capacities at Drexel University, including vice president for research, treasurer and chief financial officer and senior vice president for administration. In 1992, Schneider received the Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement from the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Delaware. Timothy E. Shanahan, Class of 1980-Timothy Shanahan is professor of urban education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also serves as director of the University's Center for Literacy and as coordinator of Graduate Programs of Reading, Writing and Literacy. Shanahan has received the Milton D. Jacobson Readability Research Award for Outstanding Teaching, the UIC Silver Circle Award for Teaching and the Amoco Award for Outstanding Teaching. Shanahan serves as co-director of Project FLAME, a federally supported family-literacy program in Chicago's Hispanic community. Wayne A. Smith, Class of 1984- Wayne Smith was elected to the Delaware General Assembly as a representative from the Seventh District in 1990, and again in 1992. During those terms, he was the youngest member of the legislature and was named chairperson of the House Revenue and Finance Committee and the House Republican Policy Committee, the only freshman chair of a house committee in 1990. In 1992, he was appointed as a board member and chief financial officer for George & Lynch Inc., a major general contractor based in New Castle, Del. John T. Trumble, Class of 1974- John Trumble is a professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, and currently serves as president of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America. He has been a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Competitive Grants Panel, as well as the Governing Board and National Executive Committee of the Entomological Society of America. In 1993, Trumble received the Bussart Award for Research Excellence from the Entomological Society of America. Susan E. Trumbore, Class of 1981-Susan Trumbore is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of California, Irvine. She is a pioneer in applying isotopic tracers to understand the flow of matter in terrestrial ecosystems. She has published more than 50 articles and abstracts and has been awarded numerous grants and fundings, which have supported her research. In 1993, she was the recipient of the NSF National Young Investigator Award, for which she will receive funding through the year 1997. Ann Shepard Visalli, Classes of 1987 and 1990 -Ann Visalli is the director of the President's Youth Service Awards, sponsored by the American Institute for Public Service. The institute provides a personal award from the president of the United States to more than 10,000 young volunteers throughout the country. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the economics departments at the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical and Community College. Linda C. Whitehead, Classes of 1976, 1984 and 1989 -As the executive director of MBNA America's Great Expectations Children's Learning Centers for the past four years, Linda Whitehead is responsible for overseeing three employer-sponsored child care centers, which serve approximately 400 children and their parents. Whitehead is currently involved in the start-up activities for two new centers to be opened in Camden, Maine, and Wilmington, Del. In 1992, she was awarded one of four company-wide Parent Partnership Awards for service to parents of children in child care. Whitehead currently serves as a member of a number of volunteer organizations, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the School Improvement Committee at Baltz Elementary School. Deborah A. Ziegler, Classes of 1975, 1977 and 1988 -Deborah Ziegler is director of the Delaware Early Childhood Center in Harrington, Del. Since 1982, Ziegler has served on the Delaware Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Children, where she has served as chairperson of the Early Childhood Committee and as a member of the Executive Board of Directors. She has held many different offices on the International Council for Exceptional Children, the Delaware Council for Exceptional Children and the Delaware Association for School Administrators. Ziegler is also a member of the federal Interagency Coordinating Council for Part H Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Highly respected in her field, Ziegler has conducted more than 45 symposia, workshops and seminars throughout the country.