Colorado State University’s Alumni Association Honors Outstanding Graduates and Friends at Annual Dinner April 29
Outstanding Colorado State University graduates and friends will be honored at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on April 29.
The Alumni Association’s top award, the William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award, will be presented to Frederick Andersen, a 1954 forestry graduate and an international entrepreneur who’s had success in the sportswear business and who is a pioneer in bringing telecommunications to Russia. Andersen will be recognized as an alumnus who has attained extraordinary distinction and success at the national or international level and whose achievements have brought credit to Colorado State and benefit to fellow citizens.
Thomas M. Sutherland, former Colorado State professor and international educator, will receive the Charles A. Lory Public Service Award for demonstrated exceptional and sustained leadership in the Fort Collins community and for his significant contribution of time and talent to the university. Sutherland returned to Fort Collins in 1991 and has devoted his time to building the community and campaigning for the benefits of education as well as understanding of the Middle East after being taken hostage and held for six years by the Islamic Jihad while teaching at the American University of Beirut.
The recipient of Colorado State University’s Jim and Nadine Henry Award is the president and chief executive officer of Smith Investments and an outstanding supporter of the university’s athletic and academic programs. Jim Smith, who graduated with an MBA from Colorado State in 1971, will receive the award, which is given to a recipient who exemplifies extraordinary service to Colorado State and its athletic, academic and alumni programs. Smith has continued his involvement with Colorado State since graduating and has made many significant contributions, including serving as chairman of the board of Colorado State Development Council and co-chairing the Proud Futures Campaign that raised $8.6 million for Colorado State athletic facilities.
Travis "T.C." Ritz, president of the College Council for the College of Liberal Arts, will be honored with the Albert C. Yates Student Leadership Award in recognition of his leadership efforts and contributions. Ritz is a Boettcher Scholar, President’s Scholar, finalist for the Truman Scholarship and Rhodes semi-finalist. He has been president of the Liberal Arts College Council since 2003. Ritz is associate senator of Associated Students of Colorado State University, the president of both the Philosophy Club and Philosophy Honor Society and is a participant in the university’s Honors Program. During the summer of 2003, Ritz had the opportunity to intern for Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., in Washington, D.C.
Jennifer Anderson, one of the state’s most well known nutrition educators, has been awarded the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Cooperative Extension Award. A graduate of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State, Anderson has served the department, college and university in a Cooperative Extension role since 1976. As a professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition as well as a Cooperative Extension specialist, Anderson balances teaching and advising students, collaborating with other faculty members on research projects and reaching out to the community through activities that include La Cocina Saludable, or the Healthy Kitchen, designed to use grandmothers to teach Spanish-speakers and limited resource audiences to improve their health and the health of their preschool children through nutrition.
An alumna who in just five years has made her mark in the apparel industry will be honored as the Distinguished Graduate of the Last Decade. The GOLD award, which recognizes recent graduates for accomplishments that have brought honor to Colorado State, will be presented to Lindsay Gill. Gill, who earned a bachelor’s from the Department of Design and Merchandising in the College of Applied Human Sciences in 2000, is a product development manager at Boulder-based Spyder Active Sports. In that role, Gill spearheaded the development of a technical product line, including outerwear, knits and accessories. Spyder is one of the most recognized and respected brands of high-performance, technically-oriented skiwear and outerwear in the world. It is an official supplier to the U.S. alpine, Austrian, Canadian alpine and Canadian freestyle ski teams.
Neil Grigg, a long-time professor of the College of Engineering, will be honored with the Distinguished Faculty Award. Grigg began his career with Colorado State in 1972 as an associate professor until 1974, when he took a position at the University of North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute. He re-joined the university as a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in 1982 and has served as director of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, director of the Water Center and as department head of Civil Engineering. Grigg has been instrumental in the success of the renowned College of Engineering.
The Distinguished Athletic Award is being given to Lewis J. Nelson, a 1949 civil engineering graduate who has supported the university in numerous ways, including forming the Lew and Jean Nelson University Greatest Need Fund which provided funding for the Bridges to the Future speaker series. Nelson has enthusiastically supported Colorado State athletics more than 30 years and, with his late wife, Jean, formed the Lewis J. and Jean Nelson Endowment Scholarship Fund within the Department of Athletics. Nelson recently supported the continuing renovation of Hughes Stadium in the name of his late wife.
The vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Space Based Radar program has been named the 2005 Honor Alumnus in the College of Natural Sciences. Donald G. DeGryse will receive the honor. DeGryse received his doctorate in mathematics from Colorado State in 1975. He joined Lockheed Martin in 1981 and has held numerous positions, including his current position as vice president and program manager for the Space Based Radar program in Denver. From 2000-2002, DeGryse served as vice president of business acquisition and vice president of flight systems, both with the space systems line of Lockheed Martin. In 2002, he served as vice president of business development and advanced programs for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
Dr. Robert A. Taylor, one of television’s most popular veterinarians, will be honored as the 2005 Honor Alumnus for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Taylor, who received a master’s degree in surgery from Colorado State in 1977, has been seen by millions of viewers on Animal Planet’s "Emergency Vets." Taylor is owner and director of the Alameda East Veterinary Teaching Hospital, one of the first model specialty clinics in North America for veterinary medicine. He is internationally recognized for his work on sports injuries in dogs, including rehabilitation and physical therapy. He is an affiliate faculty member in the university’s Department of Clinical Sciences, volunteering to give lectures and conducting laboratories. He is also a member of the advisory committee for the Animal Cancer Center and recently helped the Veterinary Teaching Hospital complete a $10 million addition.
Gregory Osberg, executive vice president and worldwide publisher for Newsweek magazine, will receive the College of Business Honor Alumnus award. Osberg, who earned a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Colorado State in 1979, is responsible for advertising sales, marketing, corporate communications and brand development for Newsweek’s four worldwide editions. He also manages the online business operations of Newsweek.com on MSNBC. Under Osberg’s leadership, Newsweek made Advertising Age’s annual list of top 10 magazines in 2002, receiving praise for its ad page gains and editorial excellence. He has also helped accelerate the development of integrated content and marketing programs with Newsweek’s strategic media partners including NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, A&E, the History Channel, The Discovery Channel and MSN. He has been a member of the university’s Global Leadership Council since 2003, which advised the College of Business.
Longtime environmental steward Susan Alden Weingardt will receive the Honor Alumna award for the College of Natural Resources. Weingardt, acting communications group leader at the Albany, Calif.-based Pacific Southwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, earned a bachelor’s in landscape design and construction in 1986 and a master’s in recreation resource planning and management in 1993 from Colorado State. Weingardt has played a central role in major Forest Service programs and initiatives since 1994 and is helping shape its new National Partnership Office. Weingardt also played a significant role in the Salt Lake Olympics by coordinating the 2002 Olympic Environmental Champions program, a fund-raising and marketing program for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, as well as managing five urban forestry programs that were the cornerstone of the Olympics’ environmental program.
The health systems coordinator for Columbine Health Systems, which encompasses 14 businesses in Northern Colorado, has been selected as the Honor Alumna for the College of Applied Human Sciences. Yvonne Myers will receive the award. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from Colorado State in 1982 and also received a certificate in gerontology. Myers has devoted her career to the field of aging, moving up through the ranks to her position as health systems coordinator for Columbine Health Systems, which offers skilled nursing facilities, independent living, assisted living, home care, pharmacy services, medical equipment and supplies, and rehabilitation and therapy services. Myers also has been an active supporter of human development and family studies and social work programs at Colorado State.
Thomas H. Bradbury, a 1958 farm and ranch management graduate, will receive the College of Agricultural Sciences Honor Alumnus award. Bradbury, owner and manager of Byers-based Bradbury Land and Cattle Company, has been a prominent leader in the livestock industry and a strong supporter of Colorado State. Bradbury has mentored students in the animal sciences program at Colorado State and supported the university through his time and gifts. These include two Legacy scholarships to support a football player and a women’s basketball player and a contribution to a new locker room in memory of Bradbury’s oldest daughter. Bradbury and his wife are members of the 1870 Club, the Ram’s Club and the Beef Club and regular donors to the Department of Athletics and the Alumni Association. Bradbury has served on the Alumni Association Board for many years and is on the development council board.
A successful alumnus and longtime supporter is the College of Engineering Honor Alumnus. Robert L. Walker, who graduated from Colorado State in 1956 with a degree in mechanical engineering, has continued to be a productive engineer and successful businessman, founding a number of aerospace businesses that have now grown to achieve national and international stature. At the same time, he’s been a strong supporter of Colorado State’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, enhancing educational opportunities for students. Walker was a founding member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Panel, a support group of alumni and industry representatives who provide leadership and financial support for the Colorado State engineering programs. Walker provides $20,000 in undergraduate student scholarships through the Walker Scholars awards for mechanical engineering students with high academic achievement.
Bill Shuster, an outstanding staff member and student mentor alumnus of the College of Liberal Arts, counsels business students and student-athletes at Colorado State, will be presented with that college’s Honor Alumnus award. Shuster graduated from Colorado State with a history degree in 1987 and received his master’s in business administration from the university in 2000. He is the career counselor for the College of Business and an adjunct professor within the college. Shuster also is a member of the Goal Oriented Leadership Development, or GOLD, team, which provides counseling to student athletes. He attends numerous sporting events and is the faculty adviser for the women’s club lacrosse team.
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