Distinguished Alumni Awards
 

ACHIEVEMENT:

Donald E. Bently, 49BSEE, 50MS

From learning calculus in the foxholes of World War II to building a groundbreaking corporation from scratch, Donald Bently embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship and invention. Through his company, the Bently Nevada Corporation, a world leader in the field of instrumentation that measures, monitors, and diagnoses the conditions of industrial machinery, he has contributed to safer operation and increased efficiency in industries around the globe.
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Norman B. Coleman, 76JD

Since his graduation from the UI College of Law, where he showed such promise that he received the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion for his achievements in academia and leadership, Norman Coleman has forged a remarkable career as an attorney and politician. He has served on the staff of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, presided as mayor of Saint Paul, and continues to represent his state as a newly elected U.S. senator. More >>

Kent P. Falb, 65BS, 65PT

Throughout more than 30 years as head athletic trainer for the Detroit Lions, Kent Falb has established himself as one of the most respected figures in sports medicine. From the early days of his career, as an assistant trainer with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the UI, he built such a strong professional reputation that he was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. More >>

Anne Hawley, 66BA

As director of Boston’s famous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and former chair of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, Anne Hawley is a leader on the national arts scene. Her outstanding museum direction and ability to broaden arts audiences wherever she goes have earned her recognition in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Christian Science Monitor. More >>

Ronald W. Roskens, 58PhD

From a boyhood on an Iowa farm, Ronald W. Roskens has gone on to excel in the global arenas of higher education and international relations. Throughout his career, which includes the presidency of the University of Nebraska and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, he has used his Iowa background and University of Iowa experience for the benefit of his community, his state, his nation, and the entire world. More >>

Edward J. Wegman, 67MS, 68PhD

A gifted visionary, Edward J. Wegman has been a major force in guiding and shaping the evolution of statistics into a modern computational science. Whether mentoring college students, publishing more than 160 academic papers, or contributing to national defense in his work with the Department of the Army and the Office of Naval Research, he demonstrates an inspiring combination of scholarship, leadership, innovation, global reputation, and a can-do attitude. More >>

SERVICE:

Orville W. Bloethe, 41BSC, 47JD

A nationally recognized expert on matters related to agricultural law, Orville W. Bloethe has never forgotten his Iowa roots. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he returned to his hometown of Victor, where he has practiced law for almost 60 years. In addition, he has served his community admirably through his civic and professional volunteer leadership, and his dedication to sharing the fruits of his success through philanthropic support. More >>

Elizabeth Sele Mulbah, 77MA

A dedicated nurse, educator, and peace activist, Elizabeth Sele Mulbah has used her University of Iowa education in tireless service to her war-torn and poverty-stricken homeland of Liberia. Through her work in education, in health care, on national and international committees, and in her selfless devotion to others, she clearly demonstrates the inseparable integration of personal, professional, and spiritual dimensions. More >>

FACULTY:

James A. Clifton, 51R

Two years after completing his residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa, Dr. James A. Clifton returned to campus and has never left, devoting his career to transforming Iowa’s medical college into a world-class center for biomedical research, education, and health care. He has also used his leadership talents for the benefit of other organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and the American College of Physicians.
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Ignacio Vives Ponseti, 44R

Professor emeritus of the university’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Ignacio Ponseti has earned an international reputation for having developed an innovative, nonsurgical treatment for clubfoot. A medical graduate of the University of Barcelona, he treated wounded combatants during the Spanish Civil War before coming to the UI in the mid-1940s. His kinder approach to treating clubfoot has earned him the grateful thanks of patients from around the world. More >>

YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD:

Mark S. Shapiro,92BA

In the little more than a decade since he joined ESPN soon after graduating from the UI, Mark Shapiro has risen to the position of executive vice president of programming and production. Responsible for development, acquisition, and scheduling of all programming for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and EOE, as well as production of ESPN Regions TV, ESPN radio, and the company’s international networks, his achievements have made his name well known throughout the sports entertainment world. More >>

FRIEND:

Ruby Voelkel Holden

Having lost her beloved husband, Roland, to cancer, Ruby Holden is determined to help find a cure for this devastating disease. A landmark gift of $25 million by Ruby Holden and her family provided the University of Iowa with unprecedented support for cancer research, education, and treatment. At the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roland and Ruby Holden Cancer Research Laboratories, researchers are working to fulfill Ruby’s dream of finding a cure for cancer, “the quicker the better.” More >>

LOREN HICKERSON AWARD:

Lee D. McMullen, 68BSCE, 72MS, 75PhD

Lee D. McMullen, 68BSCE, 72MS, 75PhD Chief executive officer and general manager of the Des Moines Water Works, L.D. McMullen came to national attention when he so ably responded to Iowa’s massive flood of 1993. A devoted graduate and advocate for the College of Engineering, as well as a former member of the UI Alumni Association board of directors, he has long exercised his remarkably positive leadership in those organizations and in the water industry profession he serves. More >>