Distinguished molecular biologist John N. Abelson received the Washington State University Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award-the University's highest honor for alumni-on October 22, 2004. Presentation of the award took place on campus in Pullman at the Board of Regents meeting on October 22.

Dr. Abelson, a 1960 WSU physics graduate, is a pioneer in determining how the information in DNA is translated into the language of proteins and is co-founder of the company that developed one of the first three drugs that slashed the death rate among AIDS patients in the mid 1990s.

After receiving his WSU degree, Dr. Abelson earned a doctorate in biophysics at Johns Hopkins University in 1965. He completed postdoctoral studies in biochemistry at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge, England, prior to accepting his first faculty post at the University of California, San Diego in 1968.

In 1982, Dr. Abelson joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. He chaired Caltech's Division of Biology and became the George Beadle Professor of Biology in 1991. Retired since 2002 and now living in San Francisco, he is Beadle emeritus professor at Caltech.

Dr. Abelson and several colleagues founded the non-profit research organization, Agouron Institute, in 1978. Six years later, they entered the business world by creating Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a small San Diego firm that used a new idea, rational drug design, to develop Viracept, the leading drug used for controlling HIV infections. The company, now owned by Warner Lambert, successfully brought the drug to market and also developed cancer and common cold drugs. Today Dr. Abelson serves as president of the institute, now an endowed charitable foundation.

Dr. Abelson was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in 1985. He received the 1993 Washington State University Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Sciences and the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in 1995. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985 and to the American Philosophical Society in 2001. He delivered the Sinsheimer Distinguished Lecture in Biology at University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2001. He is a past president of the RNA Society.

Dr. Abelson's uncle, Philip Abelson, who was longtime editor of Science magazine and recipient of the President's National Medal of Science, and aunt, Neva Martin Abelson, who was co-developer of the Rh-factor blood test, were the first and 23rd respective recipients of the WSU Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award. Abelson Hall is named for them. His grandparents homesteaded in Pullman and built their first home where the University's Fulmer Hall now stands. His father, Harold Abelson, and brother, LeRoy Abelson, civil engineers, are also WSU graduates. His sister, Dorothy Wibbenmeyer, spent one year at WSU and lives in Eugene, Oregon where she works as a therapist.

In 2000, John Abelson and his wife, geneticist Christine Guthrie, American Cancer Society professor at the University of California, San Francisco and National Academy of Sciences member, created the Abelson Family Lecture at WSU in honor of his extended family. In the late 1990s Dr. Abelson served WSU by helping the College of Sciences develop the reorganization plans that created the Schools of Molecular Biosciences and Biological Sciences.

34, B.S. Chemistry, co-developer of a widely used blood test for the Rh or rhesus factor, a test which has saved the lives of many babies, was honored in 1989. Her research at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a professor of clinical pathology, involved blood group antibodies, blood diseases of infants, and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The author of the book, Topics in Blood Banking, she has received the Emily Cooley Memorial Award from the American Association of Blood Banks.

33 B.S. Chemistry, '35 M.S. Physics, known as the father of atomic submarine for his designs of a first workable nuclear sub, was honored in 1962. A long-time editor of Science Magazine, he also was director of the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C., and later was the Institution's president. Among his many honors is the 1992 Public Welfare Medal, the highest honor from the National Academy of Science, of which he is a member. A native of Tacoma, he was named one of "100 Washingtonians who've changed the world" during the state's centennial.

Award-winning poet, author, screenwriter and film director Sherman Alexie received Washington State University's highest honor for WSU alumni on October 10, 2003.

Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane. He received his B.A. in American studies from WSU in Pullman in 1994. Two of his poetry collections - The Business of Fancydancing and I Would Steal Horses - were published just one year after he graduated from WSU.

His poetry books include One Stick Song (2000), The Man Who Loves Salmon (1998), The Summer of Black Widows (1996), Water Flowing Home (1995), Old Shirts & New Skins (1993), First Indian on the Moon (1993), I Would Steal Horses (1992), and The Business of Fancydancing (1992).

He is also the author of several novels and collections of short fiction including his latest, Ten Little Indians (2003); The Toughest Indian in the World (2000); Indian Killer (1996); Reservation Blues (1994), which won the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award; and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993), which received a Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and is now required reading on many college campuses.

In 1999, The New Yorker named Alexie as one of the top writers for the new millennium, listing him among "20 Writers for the 21st Century" in its Summer Fiction Edition. Alexie's other honors include poetry fellowships from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award and Sundance Film Festival awards.

Known as a poet and writer, Alexie made his debut as a screen writer with the script for the movie Smoke Signals based on a story from his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Smoke Signals was honored with two awards at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. The Business of Fancydancing, which is now available on DVD, marks Alexie's directorial debut. The Business of Fancydancing won awards last year at several Film Festivals including Victoria, San Francisco and Durango.

Established in 1962, the Regents' Distinguished Alumnus/a Award is for alumni "who shall have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, shall have brought distinction to Washington State University."

Alexie was nominated for the award by the College of Liberal Arts, and nominators included professor and poet Alex Kuo, Alexie's friend and mentor during his student years at WSU. In nominating Alexie, faculty members detailed not only his achievements, honors and awards, but also the importance of his Native American voice to a broad audience.

Alexie is the 33rd recipient of WSU's top award for its alumni.

WSU Class of 1974, College of Engineering & Architecture, Microsoft co-founder, investor and philanthropist, was honored in 1999. After attending WSU 1971-1974, he left to work in the computer industry in Boston and then founded a small software company, Micro Soft, with his friend Bill Gates. He left Microsoft in 1982, but is the company's second largest stockholder and is a former member of its board of directors. His "Wired World" vision has been advanced through numerous investments in technological companies and the Paul G. Allen Virtual Education Foundation, which supports innovative technological projects. In 1996, he built a $3.1 million state-of-the-art house for his WSU fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta, and wired all of WSU's 41 sororities and fraternities for the Internet. Through the Virtual Education Foundation, he has supported the development of online courseware at WSU.

41, M.S. Chemistry, founder of the modern school of isotope chemistry, was honored in 1983. He was a member of the Manhattan Project in 1943 and, for 20 years, did research at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He later served as vice president for research, dean of Graduate Studies and a leading professor of chemistry at State University of New York at Stony Brook. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he received the E.O. Lawrence Award for Isotope Chemistry Research.

1959 Ph.D. Sociology, nationally-known sociologist is a leading scholar in the areas of minorities in higher education and social movement in black communities, was honored in 2002. A national study ranked him No. 5 among "black sociologists - (living or dead) who made the most significant contribution in the field." At the University of Massachusetts in Boston, he chaired the department of sociology and is now professor emeritus. Before coming to WSU to earn his doctoral degree, he received his bachelor's and master's degree in sociology at Case Western Reserve University.

29 B.A. & '33 M.A., Economics, a distinguished economist and educator, was honored in 1965. He served as chancellor of Claremont University, as well as president of the University of Iowa, Grinnell College and the American Association of Higher Education. He researched and wrote extensively on the economics of higher education, and was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to chair his National Commission on Technology, Automation and Economic Progress. He ia a native of Spokane.

A nationally recognized authority in investment management, Gary P. Brinson, CFA, is the 2010 recipient of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award. Considered among the most influential people in the institutional investing world, Brinson was founder and head of Brinson Partners Inc., a major asset management firm that represented some of the nation’s largest institutions and had offices in Chicago, London, and Tokyo.

He earned a master of business administration degree from WSU in 1968. His leadership in the field of global asset management is widely acknowledged, and he is a frequent lecturer and contributor to educational and professional investment forums.

“Although Gary Brinson’s success as a money manager contributed to his fame, he is most renowned for his intellectual contributions to the investing world,” said Eric Spangenberg, dean of the WSU College of Business. “He is credited with developing the field of international investing by questioning the conventional wisdom that international investing was ‘too risky.’”

Brinson received the CFA Institute’s highest honor, the Award for Professional Excellence, whose previous winners include John Bogle, founder and retired CEO of Vanguard, Sir John Templeton, founder of Templeton Funds, and Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the “Oracle of Omaha,”

“The fact that Gary Brinson’s honors are on a par with those of Warren Buffet, John Bogle, and Sir John Templeton is a testament to his tremendous contribution to the money management industry,” Dean Spangenberg said. Brinson helped fundamentally shape “the way people think about risk, asset allocation, and global investing.”

The son of a bus driver and a sales clerk, Brinson worked ten years as a portfolio manager for an East Coast insurance company after graduating from WSU. He recognized the growth and diversification potential of international markets and move to a Chicago bank to start a fund focused on global asset allocation. Eventually, he and his colleagues purchased the bank’s asset management business and formed Brinson Partners, which by 1994, managed more than $36 billion in assets. After Brinson Partners was purchased by Swiss Bank and merged with the Union Bank of Switzerland, Brinson managed a record $1 trillion in investments.

Brinson is currently president of GP Brinson Investments, a private investment company, and the Brinson Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides grants in education, science, and public health. He also serves on the advisory councils of the Financial Analysts Journal and the CFA Centre for Financial Market Integrity. In April 2008, Brinson was inducted as a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

“It is impossible to estimate the impact of Mr. Brinson’s work on the world,” said Dean Spangenberg. “One can argue, however, that the internationalization of investments has affected millions of lives as it has encouraged international capital flows. I can think of no one who better meets the criteria of making a significant contribution to society and bringing attention to the quality of a Washington State University education.”

22, Civil Engineering studies, Washington director of highways from 1949-63, was honored in 1980. Named national Highway "Man of the Year" in 1961 by the American Public Works Association, Bugge was project director for design and construction of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System in San Francisco. The Hood Canal Floating Bridge was named in his honor. He was born in Hadlock, Washington.

41 B.S. Agriculture, '48 M.S. Agriculture & '49 D.V.M., educator, scientist and humanitarian, was honored in 1987. While dean of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine from 1973-83, he placed WSU in leadership positions in many areas of veterinary medicine nationally and internationally. The nation's first regional veterinary curriculum, headquartered at WSU and including Idaho and Oregon, was founded in 1979. Committed to animal well-being, Bustad was also a pioneer in the international human-companion animal bond movement. He is a native of Stanwood.

"Phyllis Campbell is the perfect choice for this award," said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins. "She has a distinguished career and gives back to society and WSU in exemplary ways. This award recognizes the most distinguished and accomplished alumni; Phyllis belongs in this class."

Campbell was appointed to her current position at the Seattle Foundation in July 2003. Prior to that she served as president of US Bank of Washington from 1993 to 2001, where she was known for her innovation and ability to develop the businesses for which she was responsible. She holds an MBA from the University of Washington's Executive MBA Program, and received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington State University in 1973. She also graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington, and from Stanford University's 1997 Executive Management Program. She holds honorary doctorates from Whitworth College and Gonzaga University.

Campbell's civic efforts have focused around education and human services issues. Currently she serves as chair of the board of trustees of Seattle University and is on the boards of Puget Sound Energy, Alaska Air Group, and Nordstrom. Previously she chaired the boards of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Washington Business, and she served as a WSU Regents' board member from 1991-2003. The Regents' Distinguished Alumnus/a Award is the university's highest honor granted to its alumni. Campbell is the thirty-sixth recipient of the award. ***

Internationally renowned inventor and practitioner in orthodontic treatment, Dr. Dwight Damon is the 2009 recipient of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor Washington State University confers upon its alumni.

“Dwight Damon exemplifies the spirit of innovation and discovery that we always hope to develop in our students,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “He is a leader in his field, a great friend of our University, and a most worthy recipient of this important award.”

Dr. Damon is especially recognized in the field of orthodontic dentistry for his development of the “Damon Bracket,” a passive self-ligating dental brace system that allows low-friction, low-force treatment in aligning teeth more comfortably and in less time than by previous procedures. His innovative device “has literally transformed” the way orthodontists practice and the results they can achieve, said Dr. Thomas R. Pitts, associate clinical professor at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry. “By utilizing his new technology, orthodontists all over the world are now able to deliver magnificently better aesthetic results without compromising soft and hard tissue.”

A 1962 graduate of WSU, Dr. Damon has maintained an active orthodontics practice in his native Spokane for more than 30 years. He attended the University on an athletic scholarship and served as a three-year starter on the Cougar varsity basketball team and played varsity baseball, before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in zoology. He earned numerous honors while attending WSU, including election to the Crimson Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. He subsequently graduated from the University of Washington Dental School, where he also received his orthodontic training.

A frequent lecturer at courses and forums on orthodontic dentistry treatments and techniques, both in the United States and abroad, Dr. Damon has received numerous professional honors, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

“I come from a humble background,” he said. The athletic scholarship that allowed him to attend WSU also required him to work on campus. His job sweeping floors in Bohler Gymnasium often meant his studies were delayed until late in the evenings, but the foundation and experience he received were invaluable, he said. “I am so grateful for my start at WSU.”

Through his public address “Creating Innovation through the Pursuit of Excellence,” for delivery at the RDAA presentation, Dr. Damon hopes to inspire WSU students and community members to achieve their greatest goals and dreams.

26 B.A. Education, pioneer in working with music and Braille, was honored by WSU in 1988. She developed the first and only detailed, comprehensive teaching text on transcribing musical compositions into Braille for blind musicians, a volume used worldwide. She joined Pearl Buck, Bob Hope and others as a recipient of the American Overseas Association's International Humanity Award. Raised in Yakima and Spokane.

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, was the first Cougar astronaut as mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger II in July, 1983. He was honored by WSU in that same year. He also flew aboard Discovery in 1985 and was the first space scientist to release a satellite from a spaceship and retrieve it after an orbit. Fabian, who grew up in Pullman, has retired as president of ANSER, a not-for-profit research corporation in Virginia, and is living in Washington state.

14 B.S. & '17 M.S., Horticulture, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, 1957-59, was honored in 1963. He headed a prominent Washington, D.C., investment firm, was a member of the Board of Governors of the New York Stock Exchange and president of the Investment Bankers Association of America, and chaired the GOP National Finance Committee. Born in Sheldon, Iowa and raised in Pullman where his family were long-time residents.

'38 B.A. Business Administration, influential executive vice president of Stanford Research Institute, was honored in 1979. He played a major role in building the independent, nonprofit organization and expanding its international reputation and clientele. SRI performs contract research for business and government. Co-author of books world economic and political geography, Gibson also played a key role in the establishment of the WSU Foundation. He is deceased.

Nancy A. Gillett (DVM, ’78), an acclaimed pathologist, scientific leader, research manager, and global business executive, will be honored Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Animal Disease Biotechnology Facility. She will also deliver a free address, "The Business of Science: Experiences of a Nontraditional Veterinarian." Everyone is welcome.

Gillett is corporate executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Charles River, the market leader in both providing animal models for research and conducting in vivo studies necessary to support the discovery and development of new drugs. Gillett has established the scientific roadmap for Charles River’s global portfolio strategy and is responsible for spearheading technological and scientific research and development throughout the company and ensuring the excellence of the science across all products and services.

“When I interact with young women and men aspiring to a career in veterinary medicine I regularly point to Dr. Gillett as a role model,” wrote Roger O. McClellan (DVM, ’60), past president of the Lovelace Inhalation Center, in nominating Gillett for the award. ”Her accomplishments have brought her personal distinction and, moreover, brought distinction and honor to her alma mater, Washington State University and its College of Veterinary Medicine.”

In addition to rising through the corporate ranks and serving as an adjunct professor at Purdue for 21 years, Gillett has been involved in numerous national organizations. She has served as president of the Society of Toxicologic Pathologists, board member of the National Center for Toxicological Research, and member of the Education Committee of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and Editorial Board of Toxicologic Pathology, among other professional activities.

Former Cougar and NFL standout Steve Gleason, the world’s spokesperson for the effort to find a cure for the neuro-muscular disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), will receive the 2017 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award—the highest honor the University confers upon alumni.

Steve Gleason epitomizes the essence of “Cougar Spirit.” His passion to persevere—and succeed—despite life’s challenges, has inspired thousands, not only in the United States, but worldwide.

Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2011, Gleason famously said then “There will be no white flags.” He has kept his promise. His Team Gleason Foundation has raised awareness of ALS and millions of dollars to fund research and technology.

In 2015, Gleason was the inspiration behind a bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Steve Gleason Act makes critical technology available to ALS patients through Medicare and Medicaid.

Gleason was named 1 of 2 Sports Illustrated’s Inspirations of the Year in 2014 and has served as a keynote speaker for Microsoft and at 2 United Nations-sponsored Social Innovation Summits. He also partnered with Microsoft to develop a software program so people like him can drive vehicles with their eyes.

As a WSU student athlete from 1995 to 1999, Gleason was a four-year letter winner in both football and baseball. He also earned academic honors in management information systems and entrepreneurship.

On the football field, Gleason was a two-time captain, earned All-Pac-10 honors three times, and finished his career with the ninth-most tackles in school history. He was a key member of the defense and helped lead WSU to the 1997 Rose Bowl for the first time in 67 years. He captained the Cougar baseball team as a senior.

Gleason reached the NFL after graduation, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2007. He provided New Orleans with its first public moment of joy after Hurricane Katrina when, at the beginning of the Saints’ first game back in the Superdome, he blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown. The blocked punt became so symbolic of New Orleans’ resilience in the face of disaster that a statue, “Rebirth,” depicting Gleason’s play of the game, was installed outside the Superdome.

46 D.V.M., '47 M.S. Veterinary Medicine, a renowned researcher in slow virus diseases, fur animal diseases, and animal models of human genetic diseases, was honored in 1993. Among his best known work was the co-discovery of the microorganism responsible for salmon poisoning in dogs and foxes. Born in Puyallup and raised in Sumner, he headed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Diseases Research Unit at WSU for many years. He has received numerous awards including 1987 Washington Veterinarian of the Year, was named to the National Academy of Practice and was the first veterinarian inducted into the USDA Research Hall of Fame.

1956 M.S. Animal Sciences, 1958 Ph.D. Animal Sciences, a National Academy of Sciences member recognized for his discovery of the estrogen receptor in the mid-1960s as the first molecular characterization of a steroid hormone receptor, was honored in 2001. He was recognized for his outstanding contributions as a scientist and as a mentor to approximately 100 graduate students and postdoctoral students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is professor emeritus of biochemistry.

Long before climate change and sustainability were part of the American consciousness, Thomas Graedel was conducting pioneering research in these fields.

For his contributions to the understanding of atmospheric chemistry and his work to develop the field of industrial ecology, Graedel, professor emeritus and a senior research scientist at Yale University, will receive the 2019 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University’s highest alumni honor.

A reception and award presentation will be held starting 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in the Lewis Alumni Centre on the Pullman campus. Graedel will also give a seminar at 4 p.m. Monday, April 1, in Spark G45. Both events will also be available via videostream.

“Dr. Graedel has made exemplary and distinguished contributions in understanding the behavior of gases and particles in the atmosphere and the industrial ecology of critical materials and on how these scientific issues impact society,” said Roger McClellan, Graedel’s nominator and a WSU alumnus who previously received the award. “His scientific contributions have had global impact and brought distinction to his alma mater, which clearly warrants this special recognition.”

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Graedel received his B.S. in chemical engineering from WSU in 1960. He went on to receive a master’s degree in physics from Kent State University and a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Michigan in 1969.

Upon graduation, he went to work for AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey as a member of the technical staff. He later joined the faculty at Yale in 1997 as a professor of Industrial Ecology.

His research career has been widely varied, including conducting research in solar physics; chemical kinetic modeling of gases and droplets in Earth’s atmosphere; corrosion of materials by atmospheric species; atmospheric change; and industrial ecology and sustainability science. He is an author or co‑author of 18 books and nearly 400 technical papers. His work has been cited more than 25,000 times.

During his time at Bell Laboratories, he first became interested in industrial ecology. Several researchers were trying to ensure that the Bell system was meeting new environmental regulations and realized that in an industry that used a lot of energy and materials, they could find effective ways to increase manufacturing efficiency and minimize impacts, and doing so in a more sustainable manner.

Graedel and a few colleagues, both at Bell Laboratories and in other industrial laboratories, began developing the field of industrial ecology, in which one aims to design processes and manufacture products in such a way as to minimize materials use, energy consumption, and environmental impacts. Interest in their work grew. In 1995, he and a colleague, Brad Allenby, published a textbook on their work, Industrial Ecology. Later he published another textbook, Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Engineering, in 2010.

In their text, the researchers discuss how materials and energy are used, what gets re‑used, and what gets lost. Then they explained industrial product and process design to minimize impacts and promote recycling and re‑use. In particular, Graedel developed a simple matrix that improved the existing methods of life‑cycle analysis. Their work has become standard practice in industry.

For his contributions to environmental sciences and “the new discipline of industrial ecology,’’ he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1998. For his pioneering research and outstanding contributions to the engineering theory and practice of industrial ecology, he was named a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering in 2002.

Graedel also did pioneering work in atmospheric chemistry. He and colleagues at Bell Labs were the first to warn of urban methane and carbon monoxide increases in the late 1970’s. Both gases are now understood to be significant contributors to global warming. Along with Nobel Laureate atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen, Graedel wrote Atmosphere, Climate, and Change, published in 1994. The authors received the American Meteorological Society’s Louis J. Battan Author’s Award for their work in 1995.

“Dr. Graedel is a trailblazer in his field,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “His research not only has significantly improved industry efficiencies throughout the world, it has initiated an entire field of study in industrial ecology. His work promises to have a significant impact on saving energy and resources for future generations. We’re so pleased to honor Dr. Graedel’s contributions to society with the university’s highest alumni honor.”

23, B.S. Civil Engineering, a distinguished educator, was honored in 1962. He is credited with transforming the Ford Foundation, while its president, into one of the greatest philanthropic institutions in the world. He also served as president of New York University, Illinois Institute of Technology and the American Society for Engineering Education, and as chairman of the American Council on Education. Among his honors were the Hoover Medal and the Navy Award for Distinguished Civilian Service. Son of Frederick D. Heald, a distinguished WSU plant pathologist and professor, he grew up in Pullman.

B.S. Physical Education was All-American in 1930, All-Pro with the New York Giants eight times and National Football League Most Valuable Player in 1938. He was honored by WSU in 1983. Charter member of both college and pro football Halls of Fame, Hein was also a member of three other Halls of Fame as well as the WSU Crimson Circle. Selected in 1969 as greatest football center ever to play the game, he is now deceased.

1957 B.S. Pharmacy, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, his U.S. Navy career included serving as Navy Deputy Surgeon General and Navy Medical Corps chief, was honored in 2002. He is a past president of the Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians. A Uniontown, Wash., native and a Pullman High School graduate, his medical degree is from the University of Washington.

Distinguished architects David Miller, FAIA and Robert Hull, FAIA are recipients of the 2007 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University’s highest alumni honor.

The two men are founding partners in The Miller|Hull Partnership, LLP, a precedent-setting contemporary architecture firm based in Seattle. Business partners since 1977, Miller and Hull met as classmates at WSU, where each earned a bachelor of arts in architecture in 1968. Upon graduation, the values and education they acquired at WSU inspired them to join the Peace Corps. Miller served in Brazil while Hull served in Afghanistan, and both returned home prepared and committed to create socially responsible and humane public architecture.

Miller and Hull are Fellows in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), one of the highest distinctions given by the AIA. They have taught graduate design courses at the University of Washington (UW) and lectured nationally and internationally. David Miller is currently chair of the Department of Architecture at UW.

In 2003, Miller|Hull was named AIA Firm of the Year, virtually the highest honor an architectural firm can receive. The recognition acknowledges embodiment of the highest principals of architecture. The firm’s work has been published and referenced in more than 160 national and international publications.

The collaborative nature of David Miller and Robert Hull has provided inspired leadership and the partners have served as role models for many young architects, both regionally and nationally.

Miller recalled his days at WSU, saying: "We had great conversations about design in and out of the studio. People were trying new ideas, and we stretched our imaginations." Hull said: "If you can solve a problem in a poetic, artistic way, there’s your concept. If you come up with a strong conceptual idea, then it is a recipe for success. We learned that early on at WSU."

The Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award honors alumni "who shall have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, shall have brought distinction to Washington State University."

54, B.A. Speech, internationally known ABC-TV sports commentator; was honored in 1978. Often called "Mr. College Football," he is the only individual ever chosen National Sportscaster of the Year five times. He also was the first sports announcer to receive the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award from the American Football Coaches Association. While helping lead the campaign for WSU's new alumni center in 1986, he gave the facility its popular nickname, "a place to come home to." In 1994, he was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame, and the next year won an Emmy as television's best play-by-play commentator.

18, B.S. Chemistry, recognized as the first to isolate pure crystals of Vitamin C, was honored in 1964. A leading authority on nutrition, he also identified Vitamin C as the anti-scurvy substance in citrus fruit. A professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University, he also served as executive director and president of National Nutrition Foundation. He was born in Entiat, Washington.

’74, PhD Educational Administration and Supervision. Over the course of her 40+ years in higher education, Connie (Constance) Kravas has worked at three different universities. She is credited with creating the integrated advancement model and leading numerous successful fundraising campaigns in addition to constructing the WSU Foundation. Most recently, Kravas exceeded a $5 billion campaign goal at the University of Washington, two years ahead of schedule and at the fastest pace of any public university in the nation. Kravas has held several volunteer roles within CASE, including conference chair, faculty member, commissioner, and district leader. Kravas has also shown an extraordinary commitment to the professional development of those around her, mentorship of emerging talent has resulted in over 50 people currently holding leadership positions in university advancement offices around the country.

72 B.A. Communications, internationally known cartoonist of "The Far Side," was honored in 1990. The Far Side has been carried in more than 1,900 newspapers. His 22 books have been immensely popular, making his name a permanent fixture on the New York Times Best Seller List. A traveling exhibition of his original cartoons has packed the halls of the nation's museums. While he ceased penning daily cartoons in 1995, he has continued to create books and animated videos. His latest book, There's a Hair in My Dirt: A Worm's Story, is true to his penchant for humor and for critters as characters.

Roger O. McClellan, a doctor of veterinary medicine and an expert in toxicology and human health risk analysis, is the recipient of the 2008 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor granted to Washington State University alumni.

Dr. McClellan is internationally recognized for his distinguished accomplishments and expertise in inhalation toxicology and human health risk analysis. He was instrumental in the development of renowned research institutes and educational programs, and has served as a scientific advisor to more than 100 public and private organizations, both national and international, on the evaluation of risks from environmental and occupational exposures, such as airborne chemicals, radioactivity, and vehicle emissions.

During his extensive career in pioneering research, Dr. McClellan has authored or co-authored more than 350 scientific papers and co-edited 10 books in the fields of inhalation toxicology, comparative medicine, and human health risk analysis. The research he and his colleagues conducted has expanded the knowledge base for understanding and assessing the adverse health effects of environmental and occupational exposure to radiation and chemicals, and greatly influenced regulatory decisions and control measures.

Dr. McClellan frequently lectures on risk assessment and air pollution issues throughout the United States and abroad. He is a strong advocate of risk-based decision-making and the need to integrate data from epidemiological, controlled clinical, laboratory animal, and cell studies to assess human health risks of exposure to toxic materials.

Dr. McClellan has been awarded numerous accolades for his contributions to his fields. A few of them are: two Distinguished Associate awards from the U.S. Department of Energy for outstanding scientific vision and research leadership in inhalation toxicology, radiation biology, and environmental health sciences; an International Aerosol Fellow Award from the International Aerosol Research Assembly for outstanding contributions to aerosol science and technology; an International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology Award for outstanding contributions to improving the science for risk-based decision-making; the Arnold J. Lehman Award from the Society of Toxicology for major contributions to the control of chemical agents; and election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences based on contributions to improving human health.

Dr. McClellan recalled his days at WSU, saying “I have had the good fortune of a supportive family, dedicated teachers, superb fellow students and colleagues from whom I have learned a great deal. These relationships all enriched my life. Most of all, I had wonderful mentors, starting in high school and continuing at WSU and beyond, who guided me without constraining me. They instilled in me confidence in my abilities and enthusiasm for taking on new challenges in science, management, and the public policy arena.”

The Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award honors alumni “who shall have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, shall have brought distinction to Washington State University.”

Distinguished architects David Miller, FAIA and Robert Hull, FAIA are recipients of the 2007 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University’s highest alumni honor.

The two men are founding partners in The Miller|Hull Partnership, LLP, a precedent-setting contemporary architecture firm based in Seattle. Business partners since 1977, Miller and Hull met as classmates at WSU, where each earned a bachelor of arts in architecture in 1968. Upon graduation, the values and education they acquired at WSU inspired them to join the Peace Corps. Miller served in Brazil while Hull served in Afghanistan, and both returned home prepared and committed to create socially responsible and humane public architecture.

Miller and Hull are Fellows in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), one of the highest distinctions given by the AIA. They have taught graduate design courses at the University of Washington (UW) and lectured nationally and internationally. David Miller is currently chair of the Department of Architecture at UW.

In 2003, Miller|Hull was named AIA Firm of the Year, virtually the highest honor an architectural firm can receive. The recognition acknowledges embodiment of the highest principals of architecture. The firm’s work has been published and referenced in more than 160 national and international publications.

The collaborative nature of David Miller and Robert Hull has provided inspired leadership and the partners have served as role models for many young architects, both regionally and nationally.

Miller recalled his days at WSU, saying: "We had great conversations about design in and out of the studio. People were trying new ideas, and we stretched our imaginations." Hull said: "If you can solve a problem in a poetic, artistic way, there’s your concept. If you come up with a strong conceptual idea, then it is a recipe for success. We learned that early on at WSU."

The Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award honors alumni "who shall have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, shall have brought distinction to Washington State University."

30, B.A. Speech, considered one of the top news analysts and reporters in the history of broadcasting, was honored in 1963. Famous for his "This is London" radio broadcasts during World War II, Murrow also was television's first "news personality" with programs such as "See It Now" and "Person to Person." Recognized for setting professional standards for broadcast journalists during his years at CBS, he was named one of "100 Washingtonians who've changed the world" during the state's centennial. Murrow also served as director of the U.S. Information Agency, 1961-65. He was raised in Blanchard, Washington.

36 B.A. Political Science, judge, legislator and faculty member, was honored in 1979. He served as Federal District Court judge in Spokane, as a member of the Washington State Supreme Court, state senator and state representative from Whitman County; as well as legal advisor and business law faculty member at WSU for 22 years. Grandson of Judge Thomas Neill, a Pullman pioneer influential in the establishment of WSU, Marshall Neill also served as president of the WSU Alumni Association.

Practicing physician, renowned dermatologist, esteemed professor, and former professional baseball player, John E. Olerud, MD, is the 2011 recipient of the Regents Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor Washington State University bestows on its alumni.

Dr. Olerud was born in a small North Dakota town, and grew up with the dream of becoming a doctor. While studying zoology at WSU, he played baseball under Coach Chuck "Bobo" Brayton. In 1965, as team captain and catcher, he helped take the Cougars to the College World Series and was named to the All-American Team.

That same year, he graduated from WSU with a bachelor of science degree and embarked on a dual-career path as a medical student at the University of Washington (UW) and as a professional baseball player. In the 1965 Major League Baseball draft, he was selected in the fourth round (67th overall) by the California Angels and signed to their AAA Seattle club.

For the next seven years, during his summers off from medical school, he played professional baseball for a number of clubs, including the Seattle Angels, San Jose Bees, El Paso Sun Kings, Tulsa Oilers, and Winnipeg Whips.

After graduating from medical school in 1971, Dr. Olerud retired from baseball to pursue a career in dermatology. From 1972 to 1975 he served the U.S. Navy at a medical research laboratory in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After completing medical residencies at Harborview Medical Center, UW, and University Hospital in Seattle, he was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1977 and the American Board of Dermatology in 1980.

During his distinguished medical career, Dr. Olerud has become a celebrated dermatologist and professor of medicine. A prolific researcher, he has published 92 refereed articles since 1974. He has served his profession in many prominent roles, such as the George F. Odland Professor of Medicine and head of the Division of Dermatology at UW, president of the Association of Professors of Dermatology, and principal investigator for numerous federal grants, including a training grant for physicians and scientists in skin biology.

Dr. Olerud has received numerous notable honors, including the UW School of Medicine Resident Teaching Award, named in his honor, and placement among Seattle Magazine's Top Doctors (2005, 2009), Seattle Metropolitan Magazine's Top Doctors (2006, 2008), WA Magazine's Best Doctors (2011), and the Best Doctors in America® (2011-2012). He was named to the WSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

"John Olerud leads by inspiration and example," says nominator Bobo Brayton. "We can be proud of his exceptional service to the medical profession."

63 Ed.D., noted writer-teacher, lecturer, and psychologist, was honored in 1980. A co-author in 1969 of the international best seller, "The Peter Principle: Why Things Go Wrong," he also wrote three sequels, The Peter Prescription, The Peter Plan and The Peter Pyramid. A leading researcher on teacher competency, he was on the faculty of the University of British Columbia and the University of California and wrote five textbooks on teaching.

George R. Pettit, an organic chemist who pioneered the search for anti-cancer compounds in marine organisms and terrestrial insects and plants, has been awarded the 2012 Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award, WSU's highest alumni honor.

The 1952 graduate (B.S., Chemistry) will be honored on Sept. 20 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Compton Union Building (CUB ) Auditorium at WSU Pullman, where he will deliver a free public address: "From the Indian Ocean to Global Clinics: Discovering new paths to improve cancer treatment."

"Those who know of Bob Pettit consider him a pioneer, innovator, and simply a giant in the field of cancer drug discovery," says Cliff Berkman, a WSU organic chemist who also works on anti-cancer agents. "More than anyone, Bob successfully translated his early fascination with nature's creations to a professional career devoted to discovering and developing new drugs to battle nature's most grievous of diseases."

Over six decades, Pettit, 83, secured more than five dozen U.S. patents and several hundred foreign patents for anti-cancer compounds, while publishing more than a dozen books and about 800 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Writing for Pettit's nomination, Michael Boyd, director of the Mitchell Cancer Institute at the University of Southern Alabama, said Pettit "is at, indeed has established and defined, the cutting edge of his field. There is no other individual in the world who can claim anywhere near a comparable number of new anticancer compounds discovered and placed into preclinical or clinical drug development."

Pettit's fascination with potential natural cancer fighters dates to his days as a teenager on the New Jersey shore. He worked in a hospital pathology lab, where he first saw the ravages of cancer, while observing sea life in tide pools and noting that various creatures never seemed sick, let alone afflicted with cancer. Somewhere in those creatures, he reasoned, could be anti-cancer compounds evolved over millions of years.

After earning master's and doctoral degrees at Wayne State University, Pettit launched systematic searches for anti-cancer substances in marine animals, plants, and microorganisms, beginning with fungi when he was on the faculty at the University of Maine. Over a quarter-century, he and colleagues at Arizona State University, where he is a Regents' Professor, collected more than 3,000 plant species, some 1,000 insect species, and more than 14,000 marine species. In lieu of vacations, he, his wife and five children collected specimens from Mexico to Alaska. One of his sons was his diving partner on expeditions to such places as Micronesia, the Coral Sea and the coast of Papua New Guinea.

A dozen drugs discovered by Pettit and his Arizona State colleagues are currently in phase 1 to phase 3 of human cancer clinical trials. One is also in trials in ophthalmology, another is in a trial against Alzheimer's disease, and trials are planned for a drug to fight pregnancy preeclampsia.

One of Pettit's early marine-based leads, bryostatin 1, has undergone nearly 100 trials. It received FDA orphan drug approval for esophageal carcinoma in conjunction with Taxol.

Some of his discoveries have involved major innovation. Early clinical trials for dolastatin would have required some 700 tons of the source material, the mollusk sea hare. Pettit developed a process to synthesize the material so enough of it could be developed for the trials.

"Bob Pettit's career arc and achievements are truly phenomenal," WSU's Berkman says. "Now here at WSU, where his academic career began, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to both celebrate his remarkable accomplishments and share his story to inspire a future generation of scientists primed to tackle the most important issues facing human health."

’57, B.S. Sciences. Orrin Pilkey is a renowned author and speaker who focuses on the conservation of beaches and barrier islands in the face of sea-level rise, shoreline stabilization, and over-development of the coast. His research covers both basic and applied coastal geology. Pilkey’s career began with the study of abyssal plains on the deep-sea floor, but after Hurricane Camille destroyed his parents’ house in Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969, he switched to studying coasts. He founded and is currently the Director Emeritus of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) at Western Carolina University. Pilkey has published over 250 technical publications and authored, coauthored, or edited 45 books. His works cover a range of topics, including the limitations of mathematical models in predicting natural processes, the global threat from sea level rise, the principles of beach evolution, and the future threats to the world’s beaches. Pilkey’s latest book, The Last Beach, co-authored with Andrew Cooper, warns that recreation on many of the world’s beaches is going to be a thing of the past.

Brigadier General John L. Poppe (’81 BS; ’86 DVM), Chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, will receive the 2015 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University’s highest alumni honor.

“As Chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps with oversight of Veterinary Services throughout the Department of Defense, you have provided animal health, food protection, and support of research and development activities worldwide. Your leadership and many contributions have enhanced the lives of millions of people and the readiness of those who bravely defend our country,’’ said the late WSU President Elson S. Floyd in a letter congratulating Poppe on the Award

Poppe graduated cum laude from WSU with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in 1981. He continued his education at WSU at the College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating cum laude in 1986. Following graduation, he practiced in Seattle as an associate in a small animal practice prior to entering the US Army as a First Lieutenant in 1987. Since then, he has served in positions of increasing responsibilities, culminating with his promotion to Brigadier General as one of only 15 Brigadier Generals since the inception of the Veterinary Corps in 1916.

The Veterinary Service has more than 3,000 employees worldwide, and currently employs 25 veterinarians who graduated from the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine (WSU CVM). The Corps is the single largest employer of WSU CVM graduates, as well as the largest provider of scholarships to WSU vet students.

General Poppe leads an organization that provides care for more than 4,000 military working dogs, as well as Navy marine animals, military mascots, ceremonial and working horses, installation wildlife, and the privately owned pets of service members.

General Poppe continues a long WSU history of military vets, including the most decorated Army Veterinary Corps officer, Captain Clayton Mickelson (’39) and the first female Veterinary Corps officer, Lt. Thais deTienne (’38).

Since 1962, the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award has been given to alumus/a who has made significant contributions to society and, through his or her accomplishments, has brought attention to the quality of a Washington State University education.

Previous winners include broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, author Sherman Alexie, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, cartoonist Gary Larson, astronaut John Fabian, sports broadcaster Keith Jackson and wheat researcher Orville Vogel. Poppe is the award’s 46th recipient.

The award was presented on Friday, October 16 in the Animal Disease Biotech Facility, room 1002 on the Pullman campus. Following the award presentation, General Poppe presented a lecture entitled "From the Dairy Farm to the Pentagon.”

The archived video stream is available at mms://69.166.45.60/MMR/EducationalPublicMedia/101615rdaa.wmv

Irwin "Ernie" Rose, winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, received Washington State University's highest honor for its alumni. He is the 35th recipient of the Regents' Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

Dr. Rose has had a distinguished career in the field of biochemistry and is one of the nation's leading scientists. He served on the Yale University Medical School biochemistry faculty for nine years and then moved to Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia in 1963. He served there as senior scientist until his retirement in 1995. Dr. Rose's primary research thrust is on the mechanisms of enzymes.

The work for which he won the Nobel Prize was initiated at Fox Chase in the late 1970s and concerned "how cells control a number of central processes by breaking down certain proteins but not others. Examples of processes governed by ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation are cell division, DNA repair, quality control of newly produced proteins and important parts of the immune defense."

The award-winning work was done with two scientists from Israel, Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko, who are co-recipients of the Nobel Prize. Their joint discoveries may lead to the development of drugs to combat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, and cervical cancer.

Dr. Rose was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in 1979. In 1997, after retiring from Fox Chase, he accepted a special appointment as emeritus researcher at the University of California at Irvine, where he continues to have research responsibilities.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1926, Dr. Rose grew up in Spokane, graduated from Lewis and Clark High School there in 1943, and studied at Washington State University (then named Washington State College) between 1943 and 1947, interrupted by service in the Navy during World War II. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and went on to earn his Ph.D. in biochemistry there.

Dr. Rose noted that his years at WSC were influential in his path toward a scientific career, especially citing pre-medicine advisor Herbert Eastlick. He remembers Dr. Eastlick as an inspiring teacher who introduced him to the world of research. He also admired Orlin Biddulph of the WSC Department of Botany whose grasp of biochemistry Dr. Rose found impressive.

55 B.A. Business Administration, who retired as the senior ranking four-star general in the United States Air Force in May 1991, was honored in 1992. During the last six years of his service, he was commander of Tactical Air Command, which provided the most of the air power for Operation Desert Storm. General Russ's quality management initiatives led to significant increases in productivity and were subsequently adopted as Air Force standards. He received Distinguished Service Medals from the Army, Navy and Air Force. Born in Portland and raised in Wapato.

16, B.S. Agriculture, one of the world's foremost radiation biologists and geneticists, was honored in 1966. A long-time professor of botany at Harvard University, Sax was a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He made important contributions to knowledge of the evolution of wheat early in his career, pioneered research on radiation damage to cells, and also was an authority on world population problems. Born in Spokane and raised in Colfax, Washington.

29 D.V.M., director of the San Diego Zoo for 19 years, was honored in 1979 for his success in making the zoo into the world's finest. At the time of the honor, the zoo had the world's largest collection of wild animals. Particularly well known for creation of the zoo's adjunct, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Schroeder was respected internationally for his work in zoo planning and management.

Internationally renowned pioneer of electric power systems protection, Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, is the 2014 recipient of the Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor Washington State University confers upon its alumni. Dr. Schweitzer earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from WSU, where he also served as a faculty member before starting his own business.

In 1982, Dr. Schweitzer founded Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc., to develop and manufacture digital protective relays and related products and services. Based in Pullman, Wash., home of WSU, SEL is an employee-owned company that serves the electric power industry worldwide.

Dr. Schweitzer holds 100 patents pertaining to electric power system protection, and has written dozens of technical papers on the subject. A Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Schweitzer in 2012 received the Medal in Power Engineering, the highest honor awarded by the IEEE. Dr. Schweitzer is a global leader in revolutionizing the performance of electrical power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment.

WSU President Emeritus Samuel H. Smith nominated Dr. Schweitzer for the Regents' Distinguished Alumni Award, saying, "He has truly made exceptional contributions to society and clearly brought great distinction to WSU. He is truly a national and international figure."

Since its inception in 1962, WSU's Regents' Distinguished Alumni Award has been granted to U.S. ambassadors, doctors, educators, business leaders, scientists, journalists, athletes, artists, authors, and more—those individuals who have made significant contributions to society and, through their accomplishments, brought attention to the quality of a Washington State University education.

64 B.A. Humanities, an internationally recognized news correspondent and veteran political reporter, was honored in 1991. He has anchored ABC news broadcasts and often reports for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings on environmental issues, including a recent look at the long delay in cleaning up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. He has covered presidential election campaigns and international situations including the Persian Gulf War. He won an Emmy Award for his part in the CBS News Special Report, "Watergate: The Whitehouse Transcript."

Former Special Forces combat medic Ron Shurer ’01, now serving as a member of the U.S. Secret Service, returned to his alma mater a national hero.

Shurer did two tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, and his valor during the 2008 battle of Shok Valley earned him the Medal of Honor, bestowed last October during a White House ceremony where the gratitude of a nation was draped literally around his neck. Not a single U.S. soldier died in the six‑hour battle, despite multiple casualties, as Shurer scrambled through heavy enemy fire to treat and evacuate the wounded while helping hold the attackers at bay and being wounded himself.

At the 2018 Apple Cup, he hoisted the Cougar flag and was recognized during the annual rivalry game. He also added another honor to his impressive list of accomplishments, the WSU Board of Regents Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He’s humbled by the recognition but is still uncomfortable with the title hero. “I look at it as I was doing my job, doing what I was trained to do and was there to do,” Shurer says. “The reason I wanted to be a medic is because I thought what better way to serve than looking out for my fellow soldiers.”

Shurer had joined the Army in 2003 and, two years later, he was accepted for Special Forces training and donned the elite green beret as a medic. In the Special Forces, medics are part of the offensive fighting capability of their units. Their medical training is considered a secondary skill similar to how others in the unit might have demolitions expertise or are trained in radio operations. Because of that, they receive no special protections that are supposed to be afforded medical personnel in war zones.

Shurer left the Army a little over a year after the Shok Valley battle and was hired by the U.S. Secret Service, where he serves as part of the Counter Assault Team, which protects the president from possible attacks. He and his wife Miranda, along with their two sons, live in Virginia.

B.A. Economics, Allis-Chalmers' chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board, was honored in 1983. He was appointed to the executive board of the National Export Expansion Council by President Lyndon Johnson. He served as a trustee of Carroll College, and was chairman of the board of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He was also a director of Northwest Mutual Life Insurance Company, Marshall & Ilsey Bank, and Universal Oil Products Company. A native of Seattle who grew up in Spokane, he is now deceased.

39, Ph.D. Agronomy, a gifted wheat breeder whose findings sparked the world's "Green Revolution" and aided Washington farmers, was honored in 1977. He led the research team that produced the first commercially successful semi-dwarf wheats, including Gaines and Nugaines, and was known for his inventions of scientific research equipment. He received the National Medal of Science, presented by President Ford in l975, as well as the State of Washington Medal of Merit in 1987. Named as well to Washington's Hall of Honor.

Biochemist James A. Wells, a pioneering engineer of proteins, antibodies and small molecules that target cell sites to thwart disease and enhance drug therapies, is the 2016 recipient of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Wells’ research lab designs proteins and small molecules that trigger cellular processes in order to better understand and treat cancer and inflammation. By identifying, activating and inhibiting critical signaling nodes in cells, the scientists seek to better understand how these drive responses such as cell death and differentiation.

He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from WSU in 1979. He did research in protein engineering at Genentech, was a founder, president and chief science officer at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals and is professor and former chair of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Wells has authored more than 190 peer-reviewed papers and is an inventor on over 60 patents. Several of his protein engineered products are sold by biotechnology companies, including Avastin for treating cancers and Somavert for treating the growth hormone disorder acromegaly. He is a founder of Warp Drive Bio and Calithera biosciences companies.

“He is a visionary, an entrepreneur, a brilliant scientist and a strong supporter of WSU,” said Michael D. Griswold, WSU Regents professor of molecular biosciences and one of Wells’ nominators. “When I was dean, Jim served on several advisory committees and offered invaluable advice on building our science faculty.”

Wells is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and National Academy of Inventors. He has won awards from the American Chemical Society, Protein Society and American Peptide Society.

Following the award presentation, Wells spoke about “Attacking Cancer from the Outside.”

57 M.S. Zoology, a foremost molecular evolutionist, was honored in 1990. Dr. Wilson's work, based on comparisons of mitochondrial DNA from people around the world, has reset the clock of human evolution. His conclusion that all people living today trace back to one woman who likely lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago has generated excitement and controversy. His research on proteins from different species dramatically changed our estimate of when the lines of humans and apes diverged. Wilson won two prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships, a McArthur Prize and was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A long-time member of the University of California, Berkeley, faculty.

66 Ph.D. Sociology, nationally prominent sociologist and author, was honored by WSU in 1988. Known for his research and scholarship on the black underclass, Wilson has authored many important articles and books including "The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass and Public Policy" and "The Declining Significance of Race." He has been on the faculty at the University of Chicago and more recently at Harvard. In 1998, he was one of nine Americans to receive the National Medal of Science from President Clinton for creativity, resolve and innovation.

37, B.A. Home Economics, a distinguished home economist in Japan, was honored in 1967. She pioneered home economics extension work in that country, serving as the first chief of the Rural Home-living Improvement Section of Japan's Agricultural Extension. The program she established eventually benefited rural women and families in more than a dozen Asian countries. She is also former chief, Education and Training Section, Home Economics Branch, Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, of the United Nations in Rome.