News Release
NC State Alumni Association Honors Distinguished Alumni, Friends
Media Contact(s)
Kathy Hart, Alumni Association, (919) 515-8394
Nov. 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The North Carolina State University Alumni Association honored 18 distinguished alumni and friends during its fourth annual "Evening of Stars" at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary.
The event recognizes alumni and friends who have given back to their professions, their communities and their alma mater as chosen by each of NC State's 10 colleges, the Wolfpack Club and the Alumni Association.
"Each of our honorees is a talented, extraordinary individual, who adds value to an NC State diploma and serves as an inspiration for others, as well as being a worthy role model for our current students," said Chancellor James Oblinger. "They are achievers of the highest order - alumni who are making a difference in their communities, in our state and in the world."
Following is a list of the award winners, their hometowns, the college granting a distinguished alumni award or the type of Alumni Association award granted, and the years their degrees were earned.
Raymond A. Bryan Jr. of Goldsboro, N.C., (College of Engineering, Class of 1953) is the chair of T.A. Loving Company, one of the nation's top-ranked contractors. Providing construction and engineering services for eastern North Carolina, T.A. Loving acted as lead contractor for the Fayetteville Street Renaissance project in Raleigh and the USA Baseball Training Center in Cary. At NC State, T.A. Loving constructed the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center as well as the Wendell H. Murphy Football Center at Carter-Finley Stadium. Bryan has served on Campbell University's board of trustees and on the board of the Independent College Fund of North Carolina.
Natalie S. Chanin of Florence, Ala., (College of Design, Class of 1987) worked in the United States and abroad for 22 years as a costume designer and stylist before returning to her native Alabama to film a short documentary, Stitch. During the documentary's filming, she co-founded Project Alabama, launching a couture line that produced hand-sewn garments using Depression-era quilting and stitching techniques. Project Alabama earned national accolades for its creativity, beauty and celebration of the past. In 2006, Chanin launched Alabama Chanin, where she continues to create limited-edition, handmade jewelry, clothing, home furnishings, and textiles made with recycled and organic materials.
Dr. Steven R. Clark of West Jefferson, N.C., (College of Veterinary Medicine, Classes of 1987, 1989 DVM) is recognized by the poultry industry as an expert clinician in turkey health and production and disease treatment and prevention. He is a member of the National Turkey Federation and the U.S. Animal Health Association as well as a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. At NC State, Clark holds a position as an adjunct professor. He has been instrumental in the college's distribution of information on turkey coronavirus and in support and development of the poultry health management program.
Wayne T. Day of Potomac, Md., (College of Engineering, Class of 1965) is the past president and CEO of John J. Kirlin Inc., a Rockville, Md., mechanical contracting business. Under Day's leadership, Kirlin grew tenfold and completed an impressive array of projects in the nation's capital, including the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Nationally, Day served on the board of directors of the Mechanical Contractors of America, leading the organization as its president in 1998. At NC State, Day and his family gave $5 million to name the football field at Carter-Finley Stadium.
William C. Friday of Chapel Hill (College of Textiles, Class of 1941) has left an indelible mark on our state's history after serving 30 years as president of the University of North Carolina System. He supported rigorous academic standards, the development of an accomplished faculty and the expansion of the university system from three to 16 campuses, building the University of North Carolina into one of the most respected consolidated systems of higher education in the country and earning accolades from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as the most effective public university president in the nation in 1986. In 2005, NC State's College of Education honored Friday and his wife, Ida, by dedicating The William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.
J. Patrick Gavaghan of Raleigh (Ronnie Shavlik Award of Merit, Class of 1967) is a former All-American swimmer and five-time ACC Champion in the 200- and 400-yard butterfly as well as the 1,650-yard freestyle. In 1970, he joined the Wolfpack Club as its first assistant director. Nine years later, he left to become owner, president and CEO of the Keystone Corporation, an office, industrial and real-estate development company in Research Triangle Park. At NC State, Gavaghan has contributed to the Caldwell Fellows Scholarship Program, the Entrepreneurial Education Initiative and the College of Natural Resources. He is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and a donor to the Wolfpack Club.
Linda R. Harrill of Morrisville (College of Education, Class of 1984 M.S.) has served for 18 years as president of Communities in Schools in North Carolina, a program dedicated to providing community resources to public schools to help young people learn, stay in school and prepare for life. In North Carolina, Harrill has served on the leadership team for Reading First, the Family Literacy Commission, the High School Reform Task Force and the Council for After-School Programs. In recognition of her contributions to education, Harrill received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the state's highest civilian honors, in 1992.
F. Neal Hunter of Durham (College of Engineering, Class of 1984) co-founded Cree Inc., a company destined to be a world leader in the use of semiconductors to power everything from traffic lights to broadband amplifiers. As its former president, CEO and chair, Hunter was instrumental in building Cree's revenues to more than $400 million before leaving the company in 2005. He then co-founded LED Lighting Fixtures Inc., a company dedicated to bringing economical, eco-friendly, high volume LED lighting to world markets. Hunter is also a residential real estate developer, and, philanthropically, he supports his alma mater, the UNC Hospitals and the Food Bank of North Carolina.
Nino A. Masnari of Raleigh (NC State Alumni Association Award of Merit) led the College of Engineering as its dean for 10 years, overseeing major growth in enrollments, research funding, private financial support for scholarships and professorships, and college facilities. Under his guidance, the College of Engineering became third in the nation in degrees awarded, research funding almost doubled, scholarship funding more than quadrupled and the college's endowment doubled to $51 million. Masnari increased programs for women and minorities, initiated a novel orientation program for new faculty, established a joint department of biomedical engineering with UNC-Chapel Hill and supervised the construction of three new buildings on Centennial Campus.
Burley B. Mitchell Jr. of Raleigh (NC State Alumni Association Meritorious Service Award, Class of 1966) is a current member of the NC State Board of Trustees, the past president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, a former chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court and a lead lawyer at Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice. He led the Alumni Association Board of Directors through the construction of the $26-million Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center and has served on the advisory boards of the Friends of the Library, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Graduate School. He is a past member of the NC State Board of Visitors and the NC State Foundation.
Donald E. Moreland of Raleigh (College of Natural Resources, Classes of 1949, 1950 M.S. and 1953 Ph.D.) worked 43 years as a plant physiologist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture at its research station in Raleigh while holding a simultaneous appointment as a research professor at NC State. Specializing in weed control, Moreland authored more than 100 scientific papers and earned induction into numerous scientific societies. Concurrently, he served in the U.S. Army Reserves and retired as a colonel after 38 years of service. Moreland and his wife, Verdie, established facility, staff and book endowments with the NCSU Libraries and fellowships and scholarships in three colleges.
David C. Morgan of Wake Forest (College of Management, Class of 1982) is executive vice president and chief banking officer of Capital Bank. He is responsible for all commercial and retail banking at Capital Bank, which is headquartered in Raleigh with 26 offices statewide and approximately $1.4 billion in total assets. At NC State, Morgan serves as chair of the College of Management's Advisory Board and as a board member of the Entrepreneurship Education Initiative, a project designed to mold students into entrepreneurial thinkers who can bring value to the workplace through personal growth and development.
Dr. L. Wiley Nifong of Greenville, N.C., (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 1985) is the director of surgical robotics and research at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He pioneered the use of robotics to perform minimally invasive cardiac surgery. In 2000, Nifong performed the first total heart valve surgery using robots and successfully led the Food and Drug Administration trials that approved the DaVinci procedure to repair mitral /'ma?tr?l/ Pronunciation Keyvalves. He is also working with faculty and students in NC State's College of Engineering to expand the capabilities of robot-assisted surgery.
Robert L. "Bobby" Purcell of Raleigh (NC State Alumni Association Special Citation, Class of 1977) has left an indelible mark on the face of NC State athletics. As executive director of the Wolfpack Club and senior associate athletics director, he has raised funds for unprecedented growth in NC State's athletic facilities and student-athlete scholarships. Since taking the helm of the Wolfpack Club in 1991, Purcell has secured donations for the construction of the RBC Center, as well as $100 million in improvements to Carter-Finley Stadium, including the Wendell H. Murphy Football Center, the C. Richard Vaughn Towers and the newly renovated A.E. Finley Fieldhouse.
Perry R. Safran of Raleigh (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Class of 1972) focused his legal career in the construction industry. He is a national expert on legal issues related to the industry and a registered lobbyist tackling legislative concerns key to its growth. His construction savvy earned him positions on the Raleigh City Council, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority and the Centennial Authority, where as vice chair Safran played a key role in the construction and continued maintenance of the RBC Center. Safran served two terms on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences' Board of Advisors and also led the board as president and served as co-chair of the college's Achieve campaign.
A. Tab Williams Jr. of Winston-Salem (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 1950) launched A.T. Williams Oil Co., which grew to become Wilco Travel and Fuel Plazas, comprising 120 gas stations and convenience stores, as well as 21 travel plazas in four states. By the late 1990s, Wilco was the largest independent gasoline retailer in North Carolina. In 2001, Williams sold half of his company to long-time supplier, Amerada Hess, forming WilcoHess. At his alma mater, Williams established a charitable annuity lead trust to support scholarships in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Caldwell Fellows Program and in athletics. In 2003, he received a Watauga Medal, the highest nonacademic honor bestowed by NC State.
L. Andrew "Andy" Willis of Apex (NC State Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumnus, Class of 1990) is the vice president for government relations for the 16-campus University of North Carolina system. Prior to joining the UNC system staff in 2006, Willis served three years as assistant to the chancellor for external affairs at NC State, where he coordinated the university's relationship with the city, county and state. He also spent seven years as a senior budget policy and fiscal analyst for the N.C. Senate, coordinating seven appropriations teams and subcommittees in the development of North Carolina's $26 billion budget.
Dr. Jun Zhu of Hangzhou, China, (College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Class of 1989 Ph.D.) is currently vice president of Zhejiang University, one of China's largest and most prestigious universities. In his academic career, he has also served as professor of agronomy and college dean. Zhu's research focuses on statistical and genetic models, analytical methods, quantitative genetics, gene mapping, bioinformatics and genetic analysis. In addition to his extensive publications, Zhu has developed software for quantitative genetics and bioinformatics. Zhu is also establishing collaborative initiatives with NC State.
- 30 -