October 31, 2002

College of Engineering at NC State University Names Outstanding Alumni

Collins

Dr. Fraker

Mann

The North Carolina State University College of Engineering has named Keith Vann Collins of Raleigh, Anna Clyde Fraker, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Gerald (Jerry) Davis Mann of Indianapolis, Indiana, as Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award winners for 2003.

The awards were announced by Nino A. Masnari, dean of the College of Engineering, at a banquet held October 30 at the Capital City Club in Raleigh. The awards honor alumni whose accomplishments further their fields and reflect favorably on the university.

	Dean Nino A. Masnari of the College of Engineering congratulates the 2003 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award recipients. Left to right are Keith Collins, Dr. Anna Clyde Fraker, Dean Masnari and Gerald (Jerry) Mann. (Photo: Sheri Thomas)

Collins is senior vice president and chief technology officer of SAS Institute Inc., the largest privately held software company in the world. A North Carolina native, he received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from NC State in 1982. Collins joined SAS Institute in 1984 as a research and development liaison for the Technical Support Division. He then held a series of leadership positions, including manager in the research and development host division, the first research and development strategist for the company and vice president of research and development. As chief technology officer for SAS Institute, Collins oversees operations within three divisions: global research and development, customer support functions and corporate information systems. As a member of the executive management team, he plays an essential role in planning SAS Institute corporate strategy.

A frequent speaker at industrial and academic conferences and student association meetings, Collins is interested in encouraging students and future leaders. He has had a strong relationship with North Carolina State University in the years since his graduation and is a tremendous supporter of college and university endeavors. A former NC State Engineering Foundation Board member, Collins is currently chair and a founding member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Department of Computer Science. He devotes time to co-sponsoring recruiting events and has been a guest speaker at the Computer Science graduation ceremony. He has coordinated contributions from SAS Institute to NC State over the years and was instrumental in establishing the Center for Knowledge Discovery at NC State. In 2001 he assisted in recruiting a top faculty member from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at NC State.

Fraker has the distinction of being the first woman to receive a doctorate in engineering — as well as the first woman to receive a master’s in engineering — from NC State University. A native of Greeneville, Tennessee, she received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Furman University in 1957 and began her career at NC State in the Department of Engineering Research. She received her master’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1961. During 1962-63 she pursued studies and research at the Institut für Allgemeine Metallkunde und Metallphysik, Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Germany. Fraker’s doctoral studies involved equilibrium and structural characterization of ternary nitrides, borides and carbides of transition metals. The results of these studies were seminal in the field of alloy development, production and processing.

After receiving her PhD in ceramic engineering from NC State in 1967, she worked until 1996 as a research metallurgist at the National Bureau of Standards — now the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) — where she investigated microstructures, surface films and electrochemical and mechanical properties of surgical implant materials, titanium alloys, steels, zirconium alloys and rapidly solidified magnesium alloys. After retirement she served as a contractor providing technical support to NIST and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1996 to 2000. During her years with NIST, she was active in promoting the careers of students and other scientists, especially women and minorities, and used every opportunity in her career to do so.

Fraker has published more than 50 professional articles, produced numerous technical reports and edited two books. She is acknowledged as a leader in the field of biomaterials and was a founding member of the Society for Biomaterials. Her honors include the United States Department of Commerce Bronze Medal in 1984 and election as Fellow of the American Society for Metals, ASM International, in 1993.

Mann is the senior partner of Mann Properties, LLP, a commercial and residential real estate development company. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State in 1952 and his master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University in 1956.

A native of Newport, Carteret County, he began his career in 1956 as chief geotechnical engineer for Moble Drilling and Engineering Company, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1958 he purchased the engineering and drilling services division of the company, which became the basis for American Testing and Engineering Corporation (ATEC Associates, Inc.). He served as founder, owner, president and chairman of the company from 1958 until the company was sold in 1996. Under his leadership, ATEC expanded internationally to include 52 office and laboratory locations, 1,500 employees and more then $120 million annually in fees by 1990. In 1972 he founded Mann Realty and Development Company, now known as Mann Properties, LLP.

Mann is a dedicated sponsor of NC State, devoting his time as a member of the External Advisory Board for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He also serves as chair of the newly formed Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Alumni Outreach subcommittee and co-chair of the Industry University Partnership committee of the advisory board.

Mann served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1954. His awards and accomplishments include Outstanding Young Man of America in 1965, Purdue University Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1974, Inc. Magazine Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1991, Rotary International of Indianapolis President and Paul Harris Fellow in 1981-82. Over the years, he has been active in many professional, political and community organizations.

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