Sunday, October 11, 2009 10:32 PM CDT
Nine to be honored with EIU alumni awards during Homecoming
By the JG/T-C
CHARLESTON — Recipients of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association’s 2009 alumni awards will be honored Saturday in conjunction with Homecoming activities, according to a press release from the college.
“We are honored to recognize such an extraordinary group of alumni,” said Steve Rich, executive director of the alumni association. “Their accomplishments reflect well on Eastern Illinois University and serve as an inspiration for current and future Eastern students.”
Distinguished Alumni Awards will go to James Allen, ’79; Robert Corn-Revere, ’77; Ed Escalante, ’74; Lou Hencken, ’66, ’67; and Tim Manning, ’93.
Outstanding Young Alumnus Awards will go to Ryan Bailey, ’99 and Ellen Eardley, ’99. In addition, Tom McDaniel, ’69, will receive the Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award, and Cheryl Crates, ’70, will receive the Distinguished Educator Award.
Established in 1973, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the alumni association.
It is presented to people who have distinguished themselves in academic or literary fields, business, public service and/or service to the university, and who, through their accomplishments and service, have brought prestige to their alma mater. Past recipients have included an Illinois governor, Oscar-nominated actors, an NFL head coach, a nuclear physicist, CEOs, educators at all levels and many others.
Award recipients will be honored at a dinner, set to begin with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception on Saturday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. Union on campus. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m.
Anyone wishing to attend should call 581-3619 or 800-ALUM-EIU by Wednesday. Tickets are $25 per person.
Details of the award winners include:
Ryan Bailey, ’99 —
Outstanding Young Alumnus
An assistant professor in both the Department of Chemistry and the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Bailey was recognized with a teaching excellence award by the institution in 2008.
In 2007, he was one of only three chemists to receive the inaugural National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, which included a $1.5-million grant to support his research focused on developing new technologies for the personalized screening of genes and proteins for signs of cancer and other diseases.
He resides in Urbana with his wife, Maria, class of ’98.
Ellen Eardley, ’99 —
Outstanding Young Alumnus
An associate in the Washington law firm of Mehri & Skalet since 2007, Eardley is the lead associate for the Women on Wall Street project, which aims to ensure gender equality for women in the financial services industry.
In 2003, she graduated first in her University of Cincinnati law class of 140 students. She has received many honors, including the Simpson Thacher and Bartlett Equal Justice Works Fellowship at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, one of the most competitive women’s advocacy positions in the nation.
Notable courtroom accomplishments include securing a $24.4-million verdict in a ground-breaking lawsuit against an insurance company that had prohibited the sale of life insurance to African-Americans in the early to mid-20th century; prevailing in a Fair Labor Standards Act case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act; and writing an effective brief to the U.S. Supreme Court protecting her 8th Circuit victory.
She and her husband, Brett Cottrell, reside in Washington, D.C.
Tom McDaniel, ’69— Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award
In McDaniel’s nine years on the business advisory board, including two terms as chair, the board’s accomplishments included establishing and funding the Securities Analysis Center, which provides students with a state-of-the-art financial learning environment unmatched by many peer institutions.
Prior to his retirement as chief financial officer of Caterpillar’s building construction products division in North Carolina, McDaniel was instrumental in recruiting scores of fellow alumni to work at Caterpillar, joining the more than 275 currently employed in management positions.
He and his wife, Linda, live in Fishers, Ind.
Cheryl Crates, ’70 —
Distinguished Educator
Currently the chief financial officer for Community Unit School District No. 300 in Carpentersville, Crates has spent most of her career in administrative positions since entering the profession as a math, health and physical education teacher in 1972.
She also serves as an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University, where she earned her doctorate. The recipient of numerous awards throughout her career, including the 2008 Monarch Award from the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and the 2006 Those Who Excel award from the Illinois State Board of Education, Crates resides in Algonquin.
James Allen, ’79 —
Distinguished Alumnus
The lead engineer for the International Space Station payload and integration engineering groups for The Boeing Co. in Houston, Allen works closely with NASA officials as an expert on microgravity environments for ISS science experiments.
He is the recipient of multiple achievement awards from Boeing and NASA. He previously contributed to a number of projects related to the space station and the space shuttle programs, as well as training astronauts to conduct experiments aboard the space shuttle and the ISS.
Prior to joining Boeing in 1998, Allen served on the faculty in the physics department at EIU for four years. He and his wife, Anne, class of ’78, ‘79, reside in Seabrook, Texas.
Robert Corn-Revere, ’77 —
Distinguished Alumnus
Corn-Revere, a Mattoon native, is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Davis Wright Tremaine. He was named one of the Top Ten Communications Lawyers in the D.C. Area by Legal Times in 2007 and one of the Top 100 Outside Counsel Power Lawyers in the United States by The Hollywood Reporter in 2008.
He has successfully argued cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, including serving as lead counsel for CBS in challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s fine against the television network for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. In 2003, Corn-Revere successfully petitioned Gov. George Pataki to grant the first posthumous pardon in New York history to the late comedian Lenny Bruce.
He resides in Lovettsville, Va., with his wife, Sigrid Fry-Revere.
Ed Escalante, ’74 —
Distinguished Alumnus
Escalante serves as vice president and general manager McKesson Pharmaceutical, where he is responsible for the sales and distribution of ethical and proprietary drugs and equipment to clients in California and the Pacific.
A recipient of the McKesson President’s Award for service, he is a member of several task forces responsible for matching the company’s resources with the needs of today’s pharmacies. Escalante also served as a market president for Alliant Foodservice and the western vice president of distribution at Baxter International after beginning his career at American Hospitality Supply.
Escalante was a 2008 recipient of the EIU School of Business distinguished alumnus award. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
He and his wife, Susan, class of ’74, reside in Oakland, Calif., and Kapolei, Hawaii.
Lou Hencken, ’66, ’67 —
Distinguished Alumnus
Having worked in a variety of positions at EIU during his 41-year career at the institution, Hencken served his final six years as the university’s 10th president before retiring in 2007.
His EIU career included serving as a graduate assistant in student affairs; advancing through the housing ranks to being named director; and being named vice president for student affairs. Hencken, a former football official who worked five NCAA playoff games, including the 1989 Division III national championship, was also interim director of athletics from 1996 to 1997, when the Panthers won the Ohio Valley Conference All-Sports Championship.
He currently teaches part-time in the counseling and student development department at EIU and is an active member of the community.
He and his wife, Mary Kay class of ’81, ‘83, reside in Charleston.
Tim Manning, ’93 —
Distinguished Alumnus
Manning was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for National Preparedness in May 2009. He is charged with providing guidance and overseeing efforts to prepare the nation to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters resulting from all types of hazards, terrorist attacks, accidents and natural hazards, including the oversight of $4 billion in grants and assistance.
Prior to this assignment, he served as New Mexico’s secretary of homeland security and emergency management, as well as homeland security adviser to the governor.
He and his wife, Sarah, reside in Alexandria, Va., with their daughter.
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