October 26, 2001

NC State College of Engineering Names Outstanding Alumni

Dean Nino A. Masnari (far left) of the College of Engineering congratulates the 2001
Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award recipients (left to right): Edward P. Fitts,
Joseph S. Colson, Jr. and Dade W. Moeller.

The North Carolina State University College of Engineering has named Joseph S. Colson Jr. of Cary, Edward P. Fitts of Exton, Pennsylvania, and Dade W. Moeller of New Bern as Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award winners for 2001.

The awards were announced by Nino A. Masnari, dean of the College of Engineering, at a banquet held October 25 at the Capital City Club in Raleigh as part of the annual NC State Alumni Weekend activities.  The awards honor alumni whose accomplishments further their fields and reflect favorably on the university.

Joseph S. Colson Jr.

Colson, a native of Oxford, retired from Lucent Technologies in 1998, where he served as president of the International Regions and Professional Services Division.  Since retiring he has worked with Lucent as a consultant, primarily training new managers.  He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from NC State University in 1968 and his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1969.

He began his career with Bell Laboratories as a member of the technical staff and served in numerous positions in AT&T Bell Labs and AT&T Network Systems, leading to his becoming president of the AT&T Affiliates sales division in 1993.  He was one of the founding leaders of Lucent Technologies, where he served as president of the AT&T Customer Business Unit and ultimately president of International Regions and Professional Services.

Colson’s career has involved creation of new technologies and business strategies to facilitate application of changes in the telecommunications industry.  Under his leadership, Lucent has become one of the leaders of the industry.

Colson has remained active in engineering at NC State.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the NC State Engineering Foundation and has established the Dr. Joseph S. Colson Engineering Scholarship in his father’s memory.  He has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate of humanities from North Carolina A&T State University, selection by Black Enterprise magazine as one of “The 25 Hottest Black Managers in Corporate America,” and selection by Black Engineer magazine as Black Engineer of the Year for Professional Achievement.

Edward P. Fitts

Fitts, a native of Littleton, is chairman and chief executive officer of Dopaco.  He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1961. 

He began his career with Sonoco Products Company, where he remained for 18 years, eventually becoming vice president of paperboard packaging.  In 1979 he led a management team that purchased a paperboard packaging operation from Sunoco and renamed the company Dopaco.

During Fitts’ 23-year tenure as chairman and CEO, Dopaco grew from a company of 115 employees to a company of 1,500 employees across nine plants, with sales of more than $300 million annually.  Headquartered in eastern Pennsylvania, Dopaco is well known in the industry for its strong commitment to environmentally friendly packaging and processes.  In 1993 and 1999 Dopaco received McDonald’s prestigious Earth Effort Award.  Burger King, Hardees and Taco Bell have also recognized Dopaco’s contributions numerous times over the years.  Dopaco became a leader in the industry under his guidance.

Fitts serves on several boards, including the company’s joint ventures with Gulf States Paper Company, Detmold Packaging in Australia and Union Packaging, a minority business enterprise.  He is an active supporter of the Department of Industrial Engineering at NC State; in 1999 he endowed the Edward P. Fitts Scholarship, one of the department’s largest scholarships.

Dade W. Moeller

Moeller, a native of Malabar, Florida, is president of Dade Moeller & Associates Inc.  He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1948.  He received a doctorate in nuclear engineering from NC State in 1957.

Moeller served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) from 1948 to 1966.  His duty stations included the Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories and the headquarters offices of the PHS in Washington, D.C.  In 1966 he accepted a faculty appointment at the School of Public Health, Harvard University, where he chaired the Department of Environmental Health Sciences for 12 years and was associate dean for continuing education for 15 years.  He retired in 1993 as professor of environmental health engineering, emeritus.  An internationally recognized expert in radiation safety and environmental health, Moeller is the author of the widely used textbook Environmental Health and has published more than 200 articles in the scientific literature.

Moeller is a former chairman of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards and the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  He also served on the Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, National Research Council, and as a consultant to the World Health Organization.  For eight years, he represented the United States on Committee 4 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.  He is past president of the Health Physics Society and a fellow in the American Nuclear Society and the American Public Health Association.  He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1978.  Moeller is a registered professional engineer, is certified by the American Board of Health Physics and is a diplomate in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.  He is an honorary member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.  He was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the Health Physics Society and the Meritorious Achievement Award by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

-- rudd --