The University of Arkansas College of Engineering honored 16 prominent professionals at the annual Alumni Awards, Banquet and Ball at the Fayetteville Town Center on April 9.
The evening began with dinner and remarks, followed by a presentation of Distinguished Alumni Awards, which went to seven alumni and six early career alumni, and the induction of three individuals to the Hall of Fame.
In attendance were Chancellor Emeritus John White; Katy Nelson, assistant vice chancellor for development; UA Provost Ashok Saxena; Mark Cochran, vice president for agriculture in the UA system; and Mike Vayda, dean of Bumpers College.
Also present were former Hall of Fame inductees Hugh Brewer, owner of Upchurch Electrical Supply; Jack Buffington, retired engineering research professor; Buck Johns, founder of Trane Co. Home Comfort Centers of California; and Neil Schmitt, UA College of Engineering dean emeritus.
Newly appointed University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz addressed the crowd.
“When I came here, I expected to find world-class faculty, and I have,” Steinmetz said. “Many are here tonight … As I’m learning every day, our graduates are going on to do tremendous things — particularly our engineering graduates — and it’s great to see their accomplishments recognized in a meaningful way.”
“Our alumni are among our college’s biggest strengths,” said John English, dean of the College of Engineering, in a press release following the event. The college offers research opportunities, undergraduate and graduate degrees in nine engineering fields and is the largest engineering program in the state. “Their accomplishments speak directly to the quality of our academic program.”
The UA College of Engineering Hall of Fame was established in 1965 as its highest honor. It goes to engineering professionals making contributions to their industry and community.
Inducted this year were Troy C. Alley Jr., EVP and COO of Texas company Con-Real Inc; and David D. Foust, retired VP and General Manager of the Americas for the Bekaert Corporation. Charlene Berner accepted a posthumous award on behalf of her husband Stanley Reed, owner of Reed Family Farm.
Alley began Con-Real, a construction and real estate business, with his brother in 1979. He established the Troy and Gladys Alley Information and Public Safety Center as a resource for UA at Pine Bluff and the surrounding community and founded the UA Engineering Career Awareness Program, a popular recruitment and retention program for underrepresented engineering students on the Fayetteville campus.
Foust started operations in Van Buren for the Bekaert Corporation, was elected vice president and eventually established the Bekaert USA headquarters in Atlanta. He was named president and CEO of Seneca Wire and Manufacturing Company following his retirement.
The late Stanley Reed spent his life practicing law, farming and advocating for agriculture and rural Arkansas. The Reed Family Farm is a 5,500 acre operation in soybean and cotton production. Reed spent 21 years on the Arkansas Farm Bureau board of directors, 10 years on the UA board of trustees and was co-chairman of the UA Campaign for the Twenty-First Century.
UAMS and the Arkansas Farm Bureau established memorial positions in Reed’s honor. In recent years, he was also posthumously inducted to the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.
The Distinguished Alumni Award honored Jerry W. Martin, retired chairman for Engineering Services Inc.; David Humphrey, VP of investor relations for ArcBest Corporation; Jack Murders, VP of Arkansas facilities for Marshalltown Company; Jon Michael Russ, director of power delivery for AECC; Sharon Booth McGee, VP for Albemarle Corporation; Joseph Michael Roblee, CIO for U.S. HealthRecord Inc.; and Michael D. Jones, retired principal for PQR Inc.
Early Career Alumni Awards went to Matthew C. Loach of ExxonMobil Chemical Company; Steven M. Karp of Juniper Networks; Jared Hornberger of Cree Fayetteville Inc.; Kevin Oden, partner at ImPro Advisors; Chris Pixley, head of production for Novozymes; and Keith M. Britton, CEO of Iconic Consulting Group Inc.
“We are proud of all of our alumni,” English said. “This group shows how talented individuals use engineering education to benefit Arkansas and the world.”