The Alumni Fellows Association names Hank Conn ‘Alumnus of the Year’

As part of the 2009 Homecoming celebration, the University of Louisville Alumni Association will recognize J.B. Speed School of Engineering alumnus Hank Conn 64S, 69GB, 72GS as the 2009 Alumnus of the Year. Also honored will be this year’s 10 Alumni Fellows. The Alumnus of the Year and Alumni Fellows awards dinner and ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 830 Phillips Lane in Louisville. Admission is $50 per person ($400 for a table of eight) and includes a 5 p.m. cocktail hour followed by the 6 p.m. dinner and ceremony.

Jimmy Ford, executive director of the Alumni Association, says this is the first year the association will host a dinner along with the awards ceremony. “Our honorees are among the university’s most exemplary and inspiring representatives,” Ford says. “In recognition of this, we wanted to turn this event into something truly memorable.” Hank Conn and his wife, Rebecca, recently made a bequest to fund a sustainable and renewable energy center at the university. (Read the cover story on the Conns) In honor of this commitment, the dinner will feature locally grown cuisine. Tickets may be purchased online at louisville.edu/alumni/calendar or by calling 502-852-6186. To view the full Homecoming schedule, visit louisville.edu/homecoming.

2009 Alumni Fellows

The Alumni Fellows awards are presented annually to graduates who have proven themselves to be exemplary ambassadors for their UofL schools or colleges through their contributions to their professional fields and their communities. Alumni Fellows are nominated by their respective UofL schools or colleges, and final selection is made by the Alumni Association.

Mitzi B. Friedlander 52A, 71G (College of Arts and Sciences)

A well-known figure in Louisville’s theatrical world, Mitzi B. Friedlander has performed with Actor’s Theatre Louisville, the Kentucky Opera Association, the Louisville Children’s Theatre and the Louisville Ballet. She has taught theater arts at UofL and Indiana University Southeast. Friedlander is best known for her outstanding work as a Talking Book narrator at the American Printing House for the Blind, for whom she has worked for more than 45 years. She has narrated more than 1,500 titles for the program, which serves the visually impaired worldwide. In 1971 she became the first person to earn a master’s degree in theater arts at UofL.

Charles P. Denny 75B, 80GB (College of Business)

Charles “Chuck” Denny was named regional president of Kentucky, Tennessee and Southern Indiana banking during the recent acquisition of National City by PNC. Before this, he served as president of National City–Kentucky Banking. In his 29 years at the bank, Denny held numerous positions, including executive vice president and chief credit officer. He has been chair of the board of Greater Louisville Inc., chair of UofL’s board of overseers and chair of the Every1Reads and 2007 Metro United Way capital campaigns. He has served on the board of directors of the College of Business and Baptist Hospital East.

John N. Williams 80DMD, 87GB (School of Dentistry)

Dr. John N. Williams has served as the dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry since 2005. Prior to this, he served as the dean of the UofL School of Dentistry from 1999 to 2005 and as a faculty member in the Department of Community Dentistry. He has worked in private practice and part-time at the Louisville Memorial Primary Care Center and the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women. He was a co-principal investigator for Kentucky’s first statewide study on oral health. He is a lifetime member of the School of Dentistry’s Second Century Society and is a recipient of UofL’s Distinguished Alumni award.

Constance Unseld 70E (College of Education and Human Development)

Constance “Connie” Unseld is the founder, owner and director of Unselds’ School. The private school, located in Baltimore, Md., educates children ages nine months through eighth grade. It has been acclaimed as a “School of Excellence” and has made a considerable impact on education in the Baltimore community. Unseld’s professional affiliations include Maryland Society for Sight, McDaniel College, Coppin State Foundation Board, Independent School’s Association, Maryland Childcare Association and Children’s Home Advisory Council. She is a former member of the University of Maryland Medical System’s board and the University of Maryland’s board of regents.

Benjamin Streepey 78S, 79GS (J.B.Speed School of Engineering)

Ben Streepey is the vice president and general manager of Business Products at Lexmark International. He is responsible for worldwide research, development and general management of the monochrome and color laser business. He has been with Lexmark since its inception in 1991. He serves on the finance committee of St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Speed School Dean’s Industrial Board of Advisors, the University of Kentucky’s Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and the Lexington Catholic High School board of directors. In 2005 the Speed School honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Jay P. Davidson 91K (Kent School of Social Work)

Jay Davidson joined the staff of the Healing Place in 1991 as executive director and chief clinical officer before becoming president and chief executive officer in 2004. The Healing Place helps people gain freedom from homelessness, alcoholism and drug addiction and is a nationally recognized and award-winning model program. Davidson oversees finance and administration, fund development, public relations, facilities management, program administration of the recovery programs and supervision of the free healthcare clinic. He was selected from more than 1,000 nominees to receive the Civic Ventures’ 2008 Purpose Prize for “innovation and extraordinary social contribution in an encore career.”

Lisabeth Hughes Abramson 77A, 80L (Louis D. Brandeis School of Law)

Lisabeth Hughes Abramson was sworn in as a justice for the Supreme Court of Kentucky Sept. 10, 2007, after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the late Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. In November 2008 the voters of Jefferson County elected her to the 4th Supreme Court District. Abramson has served as a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge, a circuit judge for the 30th Judicial Circuit in Division Three of the Jefferson Circuit Court. She was named the Outstanding Graduate of her 1980 law school class. She is a past president of the UofL School of Law Alumni Council and is a Master of the Louis D. Brandeis American Inns of Court.

Dr. Lawrence E. Gibson 80MD (School of Medicine)

Dr. Lawrence Gibson is on the staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he is a professor of dermatology in the College of Medicine. He graduated from the UofL School of Medicine in 1980 cum laude and from Mayo Graduate School of Medicine Internal Medicine Internship Program, followed by residencies in dermatology and dermatopathology. Gibson is board certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and immunodermatology. He has authored more than 100 peer reviewed articles, published 25 book chapters, and authored numerous other articles on various dermatological topics. He is on the board of medical examiners in four states and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Dermatology.

Patrick L. Harbison 77M (School of Music)

Patrick Harbison is professor of jazz studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He previously served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has been on the faculty of Jamey Aebersold’s Summer Jazz Workshops since 1976 and has presented hundreds of jazz clinics and workshops around the world. Harbison has released four CDs as leader or co-leader and has appeared as jazz soloist on numerous recordings. He is a well-known jazz clinician and his books are used by trumpeters around the world.

Patricia B. Howard 79N (School of Nursing)

Patricia “Pat” Howard is a faculty member of the University of Kentucky’s College of Nursing, where she serves as an associate dean for the master’s and doctor of nursing practice programs. She is a founding board member of the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses. Howard’s numerous awards include the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses “Jeanette Chamberlain Award” for overall contributions to the advancement of psychiatric nursing. She also has received publications awards, including Editor’s Choice by the Council of Science and Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.

A Cardinal Red Square

University of Louisville President Jim Ramsey and his family were among a large group of “UofL travelers” who visited Russia in July. The group exlpored the beautiful parks and colorful churches of St. Petersburg and Moscow and toured such historic sites as the Red Square, the Hermitage, the Kremlin, Catherine the Great’s Palace, Peterhof and the medieval towns on the famous “Golden Ring” waterways.

Come back to campus for Family Weekend

UofL is hosting Cardinal Family Weekend 2009 over the Halloween holiday, Oct. 30–Nov. 1. Family members of current students are invited to the celebration. “This event will be a wonderful opportunity for students to share with family members their favorite places and activities on campus and help them learn more about their lives at UofL,” says Tim Moor, director of student activities and the Student Activities Center. The fun and tradition include the Family Weekend Tailgate sponsored by the UofL Alumni Association; the Cardinals vs. Arkansas State football game Oct. 31; a Family Weekend

Go Cardinal Bird!

University of Louisville President Jim Ramsey congratulates Cardinal Bird mascot Kyle Kessinger after the 22-year-old won the $1,000 first-place prize in the AT&T Mascot Spirit Program.