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Nov. 23, 2005

NC State Alumni Association Honors 18 as Distinguished Alumni

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The North Carolina State University Alumni Association honored 18 distinguished alumni and friends during its second annual “Evening of Stars” on Nov. 18 at the North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh.

The event recognizes alumni and friends who have given back to their professions, their communities and their alma mater as chosen by each of NC State’s 10 colleges, the Wolfpack Club and the Alumni Association.

Chancellor James L. Oblinger said the honorees were “achievers who make a difference.”

“Some shape the communities that we live in; others shape the ways we live our lives,” he said. “Some solve problems for those close to our hearts; others generate big ideas that will mold our future.”

Following is a list of the award winners, their hometowns, the college granting a distinguished alumni award or the type of alumni association award granted, and the years their degrees were earned.

John Atkins of Durham (College of Design, Class of 1966) is president and CEO of O’Brien/Atkins, one of the state’s leading design firms that offers architecture, interior design, landscape, planning and engineering services. He also serves on the board of the N.C. Biotechnology Center and as an advisor to the secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce. He is past president of the N.C. Board of Architecture and a member of the American Institute of Architect’s College of Fellows. Atkins has twice led the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and once piloted the N.C. Partnership for Economic Development. At NC State, he has served on the Board of Visitors, the Endowment Board, the Achieve! Campaign Steering Committee and the Design Guild. In 2003, he received the Watauga Medal, the university’s highest nonacademic honor. Earlier this year, the N.C. Chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented Atkins with the F. Carter Williams Gold Medal in recognition of his distinguished career.

Dr. June Atkinson of Raleigh (College of Education, Class of 1996) is the N.C. State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Atkinson, a former teacher, worked in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for 28 years before taking the helm of the agency this year. She is past president of the National Business Education Association, the Southern Regional Education Board’s High Schools That Work, and the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium. Atkinson has authored articles and books, made presentations in 43 states and led a host of educational initiatives.

Robert Barnhardt of Cary (Alumni Association’s Award of Merit given to a nonalumnus) was the dean of NC State’s College of Textiles for more than 12 years and has held a number of positions in textile organizations across the country and throughout the world. Barnhardt also served as both interim provost and interim chancellor at NC State, where he brought stability, decisive leadership, compassion and a sense of humor to the positions.

Dr. Robert Bryant of Durham (College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Class of 1974) is the J.M. Krepps Professor of Mathematics at Duke University. He has published six books and almost 50 papers, and is a fellow with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Mathematical Association of America. Bryant, whose research focuses on differential equations and geometry, has served as chair of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, and has held visiting faculty positions at 20 institutions across the globe and leadership positions in the American Mathematical Society and on the editorial boards of a number of scientific journals. He also directs the Chamber Arts Society of Durham and serves as a board member of the Vietnam Education Foundation. At NC State, he is a longtime supporter of the John W. Cell Scholarship and the Fund for Excellence in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Bill Burns of Durham (Alumni Association’s Special Citation Recipient, Class of 1950) is chair emeritus of Central Carolina Bank and honorary co-chair of the Alumni Association’s Campaign for Excellence. Burns, a former Watauga Medal recipient, is one of only 10 individuals to receive special citations by the Alumni Association, joining the likes of William Friday, Jim Valvano, NC State Chancellor Emeritus Larry Monteith, N.C. Sen. Marc Basnight and retired Gen. Hugh Shelton. Burns is a board member of the UNC Board of Governors and the NC State Foundation, and a trustee of NC State’s Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science. He previously led the NC State Board of Trustees and chaired the search committee that selected Larry Monteith as NC State’s 11th chancellor.

Chris Corchiani of Raleigh (Alumni Association’s Outstanding Young Alumnus, Class of 1991) played basketball at NC State and holds the Wolfpack record for the most career assists and steals. He was a third-team All-America selection during his senior year and was selected by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft. He played professional basketball with the Orlando Magic, the Washington Bullets, the Boston Celtics and overseas before returning to Raleigh to pursue a career in real estate and mortgage lending. Today, he presides over DNJ Mortgage. At NC State, he serves on the Athletics Council, the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the College of Management’s Entrepreneurship Education Initiative Board of Advisors; and he chairs the grassroots campaign for the Dorothy and Roy
Park Alumni Center. He is a former member of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board.

William Culpepper of Carmel, Ind., (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 1966) is president and CEO of SePRO, an Indiana-based company that specializes in aquatic and horticulture products used to manage ponds and to promote and regulate the growth of trees, turf grass and ornaments. He also serves as the co-chair of the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s “Windows of Opportunity” fundraising campaign, slated to raise $275 million as part of NC State’s $1 billion Achieve! Campaign. He also endowed the William H. Culpepper Jr. Aquatic Faculty Award and was inducted into the W.C. Riddick Lifetime Giving Society.

Vincent Fang of Hong Kong (College of Textiles, Class of 1967) is the CEO of the Toppy Company and managing director of Fantastic Garments as well as a member of the legislative council of Hong Kong. He has served as an advisor to the Hong Kong Retail Management Association and the board of directors of the Federation of Hong Kong Garment Manufactures. Fang presides over the governing committees of the Princess Margaret and Kwai Chang hospitals and serves as a member of the Hospital Authority. He also chairs the Quality Tourism Services Association and was selected to serve on Hong Kong’s Tourism Board, the Academy for Performing Arts and the Airport Authorities. After graduating from NC Sate, Vincent and fellow swim team member, Pat Gavaghan, became financial partners in the Keystone Corporation, a major developer of office, industrial, retail and residential space in the Research Triangle as well as California. In 1999, Fang named the largest conference room in the College of Textiles after his father, S.C. Fang.

Herbert Fishel of Ann Arbor, Mich., (College of Engineering, Class of 1963) is the CEO of the Business of Motorsports and has been recognized repeatedly by Racer magazine as one of the dozen most influential people in racing. Fishel began his career at General Motors and then joined the Chevrolet Product Performance Group, where he was responsible for the design of high-performance engines. In 1991, he was named executive director of GM Racing. Under his guidance, GM became the first automaker in more than three decades to win the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the same year. Throughout his career at GM, the company won 21 NASCAR driver championships, 25 manufacturers’ championships, and 12 Indy 500s. In 2003, he was awarded the Spirit of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l’Quest and drove the pace car in the Indy 500.

Barbara Goodmon of Raleigh (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Class of 2000) has served 21 years on the board of the Salvation Army and nine years on the board for Wake County Human Services, including one term as its chair. She also led the effort to establish The Healing Place, a substance-abuse treatment center for homeless men, and is working to open a second center for women. While earning her master of liberal studies degree at NC State, Goodmon planted a seed that took root and grew to become the Institute for Nonprofits, which was funded through a $1 million grant from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. She has served as president and executive director of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation since 2003, and has fulfilled terms on the board of trustees at Meredith College, Ravenscroft and the Achievement School. At NC State, she is a past member of the College of Humanities and
Social Sciences Advisory Board and of the N.C. Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Stan Kelly of Winston-Salem (College of Management, Class of 1980) serves as president of wealth management for Wachovia Corporation. From estate planning to charitable services, Kelly’s team helps clients increase their net worth. He also serves on the board of visitors of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and on the board of trustees for Forsyth Country Day School. He co-chaired the capital campaign of the Winston-Salem’s Children’s Museum and the Forsyth County Heart Gala. At NC State, Kelly is chair of the College of Management’s Achieve! Campaign and a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Mac Lupold of Camden, S.C., (College of Natural Resources, Class of 1959) has worked for Milliken Forestry and Holly Hill Lumber Company and served as president and CEO of Holly Hill Forest Industries. He has also acted as a consultant for Federal Paperboard, International Paper and other wood product companies; served as president of the National Particleboard Association and chair of the Southern Forest Production Association Industrial Committee; and sat on the boards of the Clemson School of Forestry and the S.C. Forestry Association, which awarded him the Charles H. Flory Distinguished Service Award in 2004. At NC State, Lupold, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, has chaired the N.C. Forestry Foundation, the Wood Products Task Force, the marketing efforts for Hoffman Forest and the College of Natural Resources’ Achieve! campaign.

Gene Langley of Raleigh (Alumni Association’s 2005 Meritorious Service Award, Class of 1962) is the president of Resource Management Associates and the past president of the Alumni Association. While president of the Alumni Association, the association grew in the number of members, increased its programming, and grew in stature on campus and among its peers. He also provided a strong representative voice for fellow alumni to the NC State administration, mentored a new director and led a board that was at a crossroads.

Dr. Jerry Punch of Knoxville, Tenn., (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 1977) completed medical school at Wake Forest University and worked as a trauma physician in Florida for 14 years before becoming a NASCAR analyst and commentator for ABC Sports and ESPN. While providing race and pit analysis, he has helped save the lives of two NASCAR drivers after life-threatening crashes. Punch, who was a walk-on quarterback and played for coach Lou Holtz at NC State, has also worked as a sideline reporter during college football games. The Alumni Association named him its Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1989, and he delivered the fall 1996 commencement address.

Dr. Jimmy Tickel of Halifax (College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 1987) is the central region veterinary specialist with the Emergency Programs Division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and helps veterinarians and farmers across the state prepare for the worst possible disasters. He has trained more than 500 veterinarians and students in foreign animal disease response, and has authored manuals, response plans and papers, and spoken at numerous conferences and workshops. He is also a national trainer for the State Animal Response Term, an organization that emerged in North Carolina after Hurricane Floyd
to develop response and recovery strategies for animal emergencies. Tickel was part of a team that traveled to Mississippi to help state officials process displaced animals after Hurricane Katrina.

Steve Warren of Greensboro (Wolfpack Club’s Ronnie Shavlik Award, Class of 1968) was the co-captain of the 1967 Wolfpack football team that won the Liberty Bowl and was an academic All-American selection as well as a National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete. After graduating from NC State, he received his MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill and worked in the textile industry, eventually becoming division president of two large companies of CMI Industries. Today, he operates the chain restaurant Steak and Shake in the Triad region, and is active in his church, supports Young Life of Greensboro, and will lead the Old North State Council of the Boy Scouts of America as president in 2006.

Dr. Turner Whitted of Carnation, Wash., (College of Engineering, Class of 1978) is a senior researcher and area manager at Microsoft Corporation and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003. Whitted, who began his career in the computer systems research laboratory at Bell Labs, is regarded as one of the pioneers in three-dimensional computer graphics and the originator of the use of ray tracing for global illumination. In 1983, he co-founded NDL, a company that provides 3-D graphics tools and engines for developers of video games, online 3-D applications, and simulation and training modules. He served as president of the company until 1996 and continued to serve as a director until NDL’s recent merger with Emergent Game Technologies. A named inventor on eight U.S. patents for Microsoft, Whitted participates in the College of Engineering’s graduate research seminars and Microsoft recruiting efforts at the school.

Robert Wright of Raleigh (College of Engineering, Class of 1968) is chair of Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., a Raleigh-based engineering consulting firm. After graduating from NC State, Wright served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, pursued his MBA and worked as an accountant before joining Kimley-Horn and Associates as its controller and vice president of finance. In 1992, he was named president of Kimley-Horn, which employs 1,900 people in 55 offices across the nation, and was selected by CE News in 2004 as the “Best Engineering Firm to Work For.” At NC State, Wright served as president of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors and was instrumental in reorganizing and streamlining the board and its committees, restructuring the nomination process, and significantly increasing the giving levels of the Dean’s Circle and Director’s Fund.

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