Distinguished Alumni Honored at ‘Evening of Stars’ Ceremony

The North Carolina State University Alumni Association honored 17 distinguished and two honorary alumni during its annual “Evening of Stars” ceremony held on Jan. 26 at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center.

In applauding the winners, NC State Chancellor James Oblinger said, “Tonight we will act on the words of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, who said ‘it is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.’

“Among tonight’s award recipients, we have educators, inventors, entrepreneurs, visionaries and philanthropists. Some shape the communities we live in; others shape the ways we live our lives. Some solve problems for those close to our hearts; others generate big ideas that will shape our future. Each of our honorees is a talented, extraordinary individual who adds value to an NC State degree and serves as an inspiration for others.”

The awards included:

2006 Meritorious Service Award

Ed Vick, former chair of Kimley Horn and Associates, a nationally ranked engineering and planning firm based in the Triangle, and Lynn Eury, former executive vice president and board member of Carolina Power and Light Co., served as co-chairs of the Alumni Association’s Campaign for Excellence. The fund-raising drive paved the way for the association’s new 58,000-square-foot home on Centennial Campus.

Honorary Alumnus and Alumna

Curtis and Jackie Dail rank as two of the university’s largest donors, having given more than $10 million to NC State’s athletic programs. The Dails began a Hardee’s franchise in 1975 with two locations that grew to 24 before it was sold in 1988. Currently, they are involved in commercial real estate in the Carolinas and are co-owners of five Batteries Plus stores. The Alumni Association has awarded honorary membership on just seven previous occasions.

Outstanding Young Alumnus

Marcus Belvin is immediate past president of NC State’s Black Alumni Society and a member of the chancellor’s African American Advisory Council. He graduated magna cum laude from NC State with a degree in computer science, and is now pursuing a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School while on leave of absence from his role as an IBM software engineer.

Ronnie Shavlik Award of Merit

Bobby Speight played basketball for NC State from 1949 to 1953, earning both All-Southern Conference and All-American honors. He remains fourth in school history in rebounding and 12th in scoring, and his jersey has been retired. After two years in professional basketball and two years in the Army, Speight began a trucking company, E&S Contract Carrier, which he led for 40 years before retiring.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Distinguished Alumni

Kendall Hill, co-owner of Tull Hill Farm in Kinston, has been involved in pioneering research into the micropropagation of the sweet potato. He was instrumental in the creation of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Specialty Crops Program, as well as establishing the program’s home in the Cunningham Research Center in Kinston.

Dr. David Thompson, co-founder of the North Carolina Orthopedic Clinic in Durham, has also served his country as a National Guardsman, earning both North Carolina and Southeastern National Soldier of the Year awards. In 2005, Thompson was called to active duty at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, where for a year he treated active duty troops, including those wounded in Iraq, while also maintaining his private practice.

College of Design Distinguished Alumnus

Charles Flink, founder and owner of Greenways Inc., has completed greenway and open space plans for more than 100 communities in 32 states. He is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and has received the group’s Merit Award for his Grand Canyon Greenway Project. He has also been honored by the Federal Highway Administration for developing the nation’s first greenway built from recycled trash.

College of Education Distinguished Alumnus

Thomas Houlihan, an educational consultant with the International Center for Leadership in Education in Albany, N.Y., is a former state Superintendent of the Year who served as senior education advisor to Gov. Jim Hunt. More recently, Houlihan led the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, D.C., where he advocated for public education with Congress, the White House and the Department of Education.

College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni

Bill Angelo spent much of his 40-year career as a chemical engineer serving with S.E. Massengill, a pharmaceutical company in Bristol, Tenn., where he provided oversight for major projects such as such as the relocation of the company’s penicillin compounding-and-packaging facilities, the remodeling of its animal vaccine plant and the design and construction of a Bristol office building.

Charles Manning is founder of Accident Reconstruction Analysis Inc., an engineering consulting firm that performs failure analysis and accident reconstruction. Manning headed the Materials Engineering Group in NASA’s Langley Advanced Materials Research Program from 1958 to 1967, and taught at NC State for nearly a decade before leaving to create his firm.

Barbara Mulkey, president and CEO of Mulkey Engineers & Consultants, was one of the first women to earn a civil engineering degree from NC State. She now leads one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing full-service engineering firms, a company respected for both its growth and its flexible, family-friendly work environment. She is a past president and national director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumnus

Benny Suggs, director of field service operations for Harley Davidson Motor Co., spent 30 years serving in the military, rising from ensign to rear admiral before retiring as deputy commander in chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command. He then went to work as director of Harley Davidson University, which was recognized by Fortune magazine during his tenure for its excellence, particularly in e-learning.

College of Management Distinguished Alumnus

Gary Massey, a principal with LarsonAllen specializing in health-care accounting, reimbursement and financial analysis, has amassed more than 25 years of experience working with acute care and long-term care facilities as well as home care providers. In 1994, Massey was appointed by the governor to the N.C. Health Planning Commission. He currently serves on the Maryland National Capital Homecare Association. 

College of Natural Resources Distinguished Alumnus

Earl Deal, who enjoyed a 25-year career on the NC State faculty, helps manage more than 250,000 Christmas trees as president of Cranberry Tree Services and owner of Smokey Holler Tree Farm. He is a member of more than 10 professional and civic organizations. In 2005, Deal had the honor of providing the official White House Christmas tree.

College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Distinguished Alumnus

Donald Johnson, chair and director of DuPont Japan, combined his undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and his graduate degrees in mechanical engineering to build a highly successful 32-year career at DuPont. Johnson has held numerous management positions associated with several of the company’s key product lines, and, in 2004, earned the position of group vice president for global operations and engineering.

College of Textiles Distinguished Alumnus

Steve Zeis, a native of Istanbul who came to the United States in 1957 to pursue a degree in textiles, has spent his career representing some of Europe’s most prominent textile and plastics machinery manufacturers. In 1983, he and his wife, Frosene, founded their own company, ZTM Sales and Service Inc., which represented a diverse mix of textile-machine companies.

College of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Randy Jones was part of the first class of veterinary students at NC State, earning his degree in 1985. After serving for 10 years as an assistant veterinarian, Jones opened his own swine-only practice, Livestock Veterinary Services, in Kinston in 1995. He has been named Veterinarian of the Year by the N.C. Veterinary Medical Association and National Swine Practitioner of the Year by the American Association of Swine Producers.