October 14, 2008

ISE department names distinguished alumni

The Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State has announced its Distinguished Alumnus Award Winners for 2008.

Winners were chosen based on contributions to their professions, community and NC State. The award is the highest honor the department bestows upon an alumnus.  

The winners, along with brief biographies, are listed below.

Henry Booke is vice chairman and board member of McNeary, Inc., an insurance consulting and risk management firm.   He has co-hosted many student-recruiting events for NC State in Winston-Salem.   He has also been a continuous participator in the Engineering Dean's Circle and Chancellor's Circle.   He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1956.

Larry A. Bowman is a consultant with LAB Partners.   He was recognized as the North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year in 1995 by the U.S. Small Business Administration and has served in a number of community involvement positions.   He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1973 and completed his MBA degree from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University in 1983.

Thomas E. Cabaniss , managing partner of McGuire Woods LLP, oversees a 900-attorney international firm with offices in 17 cities worldwide.   He has served NC State as former president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and as a member of the Lifetime Giving Society. He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1972 and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.

Ed Gerken is general manager of Tiffin Loader Crane, a subsidiary of Palfinger USA, Inc., an Austrian-based manufacturer of heavy equipment.   He is the winner of the 2002 Distinguished Service Award from the American Furniture Manufacturers Association.   He received his BSFMM degree from NC State in 1974 and his MBA from Tennessee Tech in 1983.

J. Phillip Kennett is former owner and president of Wood Armfield Furniture, a furniture retail business he founded in 1975.   He was the 1986 NC Furniture Retailer of the Year.   He and his wife, Gloria, endowed a College of Engineering undergraduate scholarship, which began in 2000.   He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1962.

Thomas K. Laundon is president and chief financial officer of Phase Bioscience, Inc.   He has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the Laundon family has endowed a Caldwell Scholarship.   An office in the Park Alumni Center was named to honor the memory of his wife, Dr. Caroline Laundon.   He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1974 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1978.

Kenneth A. Stevens is chairman of the board and secretary of Heat Transfer Sales of the Carolinas.   While a student at NC State, he served as editor of The Southern Engineer , the magazine of the Engineer's Council of the College of Engineering.   He has participated in numerous NC State recruiting events within Guilford County.   He received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from NC State in 1972.

Kathleen McKinney Wynegar is Facilities and Equipment Upgrades Manager for B&W Y-12.   She serves as director of the Smokey Mountain Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and is an alumnus volunteer in Knoxville high schools.   She is the 1986 valedictorian graduate of the ISE department at NC State and earned a B.A. in French at Purdue University and an M.A. in Romance Languages from the University of Missouri.

-watson-

/ News Index / News Archives Index /