Presidential citations honor outstanding alums


Vol. 17, No. 12	Nov. 20, 1997

Presidential citations honor outstanding alums

A recognition ceremony honoring the newest recipients of the University of Delaware Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement was held Oct. 31 in Mitchell Hall.

Begun in 1992, the award recognizes UD graduates of the past 20 years who exhibit great promise in their professional or public service activities.

This year, 16 alumni were honored:

Eugene W. Bernosky, EG '80, of Watsonville, Calif., was president, CEO and co-founder of Applied Chemical Solutions, which provides unique systems for managing high purity process chemicals in the semiconductor industry. After selling the company in 1995, he established a technology investment banking practice in Silicon Valley, helping businesses finance, develop and expand their enterprises.
"I attended the University to earn a degree that would lead to a profession. Several years after graduating I realized that I had gained far more. I had learned the powers of shared knowledge, boundless collective thinking and teamwork. My experience at the University exceeded my expectations and made a significant impact on my life."
Marcia Bauer Capuano, ED '85M, of Carmel, Ind., has been principal of IPS-Harshman Middle School in Indianapolis since 1990, where she helped organize a student assistance program and a reading program recognized by the International Reading Association. For her work at Harshman, she received the Petra Foundation Award in 1992 for revitalizing an inner city school and the Milken National Educator Award in 1995.
"I enrolled in the University of Delaware at a time when I had reached a crossroads in my professional career.... The University of Delaware provided me with a solid academic foundation upon which I was able to build my career...and afforded me a chance to meet and interact with a variety of individuals whose expertise and diverse views encouraged and energized me in defining and refining my goals, beliefs and values.... I only hope that I have been as influential with all of my students as those University professors and students have been with me."
Nathan Erwin, AG '81, of Washington, D.C., manages the Insect Zoo, an interactive exhibit of live insects from around the world at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. He is in charge of the exhibit operations and volunteer and education programs, developing curriculum materials for teachers and appearing on television, radio and in print.
"My time at the University provided me with a solid foundation to be the lifelong learner I have become... [and} helped me develop my hands-on, object-based approach to teaching.... These experiences that I gained almost 20 years ago prepared me for my current position in a research and educational institution where my skills as an entomologist are just as important as my skills as a teacher and exhibit curator."
Kathryn Koch Fleming, EG '79, of Hong Kong, is president of Amoco Chemical China, a subsidiary of Amoco Corp. responsible for operating existing chemical business and developing new ones in China. She recently negotiated with Chinese high-level government officials for the construction and operation of a purified terephathalic acid (the raw material for polyester clothing) facility in Guangdong Province.
"My experience in the chemical engineering department, nearly two decades ago, was undoubtedly demanding, with tough competition. This experience provided not just meaningful career opportunities, but a foundation for reasoning which translates beyond just the technical arena.....[teaching] us to first imagine what might be, before moving toward what is a universal wisdom that life is science, in one form or another."
C. Scott Forbes, BE '79, of Summit, N.J., is a partner of Andersen Consulting, a global professional services firm which offers strategy, change management, process re-engineering and technology integration services. He has developed and sustained a $60 million per year client relationship, has led efforts for company support of regional charitable organizations and colleges and raised funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
"I look back on my four years at the University of Delaware with fond memories; but, there are four I recall often; my finance professor, who encouraged me to learn beyond what I was taught; my fraternity leadership role, which was a 'minor' in people and behavior change management; football weekends, which reinforced the value of spending time with the family; and community service, which grounded my values...."
Jane G. Govatos, HN '95M, of Lewes, was the first nurse practitioner for Milford Memorial Hospital's Georgetown Primary Care Center. Considered a pioneer in her profession, she was among the first to receive a degree in UD's Family Nurse Practitioner Program and to receive prescriptive privileges. A nurse for more than 20 years and a mentor for others in her profession, she is currently with Beebe Medical Center in the Millsboro Health Center.
"From general orientation through the entire educational process at the University of Delaware, I felt that each person I encountered was genuinely interested in helping me to succeed in my adventure of returning to graduate school as a mature student. The faculty in the department of nursing graduate studies provided outstanding scholastic and clinical experiences which prepared me to assume my new career as a family nurse practitioner...."
D. Charles Herak, EG '85, business and economics '94M, of Wilmington, has been a product manager for Hercules Inc. since 1997, starting as a research engineer. He now manages the CMC and HPC water-soluble polymers businesses that service a global customer base. He has had several publications in trade journals and holds two U.S. patents.
"My academic and athletic experiences at the University of Delaware provided me with an excellent foundation for my personal and professional growth. The faculty did an excellent job of teaching us how to approach and solve problems.... These problem-solving skills...have been essential to my accomplishments.
"My outstanding classroom education was complemented by my experience on the men's tennis team.....[learning] about competing, about winning and also about losing. Those on-court lessons have been surprisingly useful in dealing with many analogous challenges in today's highly competitive business world...."
John T. Huggard III, HN '80, of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., has been chief anesthetist for Halifax Memorial Hospital in Roanoke Rapids since 1981. He is responsible for the total operation of the anesthesia department. From 1988-91 he was assistant chief anesthesia service officer for the U.S. Air Force and received the Arthur B. Tarrow Award for outstanding academic and clinical achievement in anesthesia. He serves on the board of advisers for the Surgical and Medical Assistance Relief Team, volunteers who perform surgery on children with deformities around the world.
"It always amazes me to realize the dramatic impact those four years had not only my professional life, but on my social and personal growth. I truly believe my success today is directly related to my experience at the University....
"I entered the University of Delaware just out of the military and after seeing much human suffering. I will always be grateful to the staff who reached out to a confused young student and helped guide [him] to adulthood. I am always proud to be called a graduate of the University."
Philip M. Jardine, AG '81 '83M, of Knoxville, Tenn., is a soil chemist/physicist for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and also an adjunct professor in geological sciences at the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on the experimental and theoretical aspects of subsurface solute transport at multiple scales. The author of more than 60 journal articles and book chapters, he has received several awards including the Department of Energy Young Independent Scientist Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers both in 1996.
Velda Jones-Potter, EG '79, of Wilmington, is the manager of contract manufacturing for the Du Pont Co., where she manages a $20 million asset base manufacturing operation. She served as an executive-on-loan to the city of Wilmington as city finance director from 1995-97 and directed it to achieve its first budget surplus since 1991. She has chaired the board of directors for the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering, and her accomplishments have been cited in the local and national press.
"Memories of my experience at the University of Delaware are fond indeed. Through that experience, not only have I been blessed with a quality education and lifelong friends; but also with a foundation upon which I've been fortunate to build a successful career and wholesome life. Inspired by professors and staff and encouraged by the students at the University, I gained the confidence to pursue my dreams. I am thankful to have lived to see so many of them come true."
Wayne D. Lord, AG '79, of Fredericksburg, Va., is a Federal Bureau of Investigation supervisory special agent. Assigned to the Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit, he is a nationally known expert in the field of forensic entomology. As an instructor of the FBI Evidence Response Team Unit, he was instrumental in developing the FBI's national crime scene response program and participated in investigations including the Oklahoma City bombing and the 1996 Olympic Games.
Teresa Mullett Ressel, EG '86 '87M, of Great Falls, Va., is vice president of national environmental, health and safety, for Kaiser Permanente. She joined the company in 1993 to establish programs in these areas. Through Kaiser Permanente International, she also has provided technical expertise on environmental management and work health and safety across the Asian Pacific. Prior to this she was environmental, health and safety manager for Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific Ltd., after working as an environmental program manager at the company's California headquarters.
"While recruiting at other highly competitive colleges and universities, I was able to compare and contrast curriculum and students. I have great pride in my education from the University of Delaware and would make the same choice again.
"I appreciate several relationships with former professors that have continued since graduation.... Most treasured of all is my friendship with my mother, Lee Mullett, who has worked at the University for almost 20 years...."
Marianne Richter, AS '90M, of Chicago, is curator for the Union League Club of Chicago where she is responsible for the management of the club's art collection. Currently, she is researching and writing a new catalog of the club's American art. She had been curator of American art at the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio and served as supervisor of education at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford.
"I had the opportunity to study under some of the finest art historians in the country. I will always be grateful to the faculty for their generous sharing of knowledge and time. The breadth and depth of the education I received has been of invaluable help in my work, and the University of Delaware's excellent program commands respect from others in the field...."
Lisa M. Salati, HP '78, of Morgantown, W. Va., is assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on how dietary fat regulates glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme involved in making fatty acids in the human body, with implications for understanding obesity and cardiovascular disease. She recently received a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health.
"The education I received at the University of Delaware has prepared me for the many things I have done since graduation and has truly stood the test of time.... I will always appreciate the insistence at Delaware that all students receive a well-rounded education and not merely technical training.
"My sincere thanks is extended to the faculty of nutrition and dietetics.... They challenged me to not only learn but think. Those critical skills have been invaluable in everything I have done.... I have the fondest memories of my time at the University of Delaware and am always proud to be a graduate of this institution."
Margaret Van Heek, HP '85, of Scotch Plains, N.J., is a principal scientist at the Schering-Plough Research Institute. Her research focuses on cholesterol-lowering drugs, and, more recently obesity and diabetes drugs. She received a National Institutes of Health fellowship while at Cornell University, has published a number of articles on her research and received several awards from Schering-Plough for her accomplishments.
"Midway though my undergraduate years at a large Ivy League institution...I decided to transfer to my home state school, the University of Delaware. I have never regretted that decision. Professors welcomed me with open arms; classrooms were small, intimate and lively; the educational choices and opportunities were boundless.... My nutritional science education at the University of Delaware has been the scaffold for all the work that followed.... All of this has been very gratifying and, perhaps more importantly, an incredible amount of fun...."
Melody L. Young, HP '80, of Montville, N.J., has been a retail buyer for more than 15 years and is employed by Toys 'R' Us as a senior buyer, after working in the children's clothing business and novelty candy business. Involved in the development of exclusive dolls for Toys 'R' Us stores, Young received the 1997 Barbie Retailer of the Year award in 1997, and, in 1995, the Merchandising Achievement Award for the Barbie Destination Centers.
"The four years I spent at the University of Delaware set the foundation for all I have accomplished in the past 17 years. My college experience was diversified both academically and culturally....as my career has progressed, I know that I have continued to take the most significant parts of those four years with me...."

-Sue Swyers Moncure