UW A&S College to Honor Outstanding Alumni and Former Faculty Members

By Molly Meeker, College of Arts and Sciences Writing Intern

May 23, 2003 -- The University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences will host its annual Outstanding Alumni and Former Faculty banquet Saturday, June 7. The banquet begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the Yellowstone Ballroom. Tickets cost $45 per person. For more information, call (307) 766-2755.

Sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors, these awards recognize alumni who have excelled in their fields and shown a strong commitment to the liberal arts and sciences. Former faculty members who powerfully influenced students, A&S programs and their academic disciplines also are honored.

A&S 2003 Outstanding Alumni are: Congressman Brian Baird (Washington state); Thomas A. Bell, founder of High Country News magazine; and Roy J. Shlemon, principal investigator for Roy J. Shlemon & Associates, Inc., Geological & Environmental Consultants.

A&S 2003 Outstanding Former Faculty are Hugh B. McFadden (Department of Psychology), Brainerd "Nip" Mears Jr. (Department of Geology and Geophysics) and the late William Mulloy (Department of Anthropology).

Baird in 1977 entered UW's clinical psychology graduate program. His primary interest was in helping under-served areas to benefit from psychological treatment and research. After completing his Ph.D., Baird received his clinical license in Washington state and later was a faculty member and head of the Department of Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University. Baird, serving his second term in Congress, is considered a champion in mental health and other health care issues in rural areas.

Bell received both his B.A. and M.S. degrees in zoology at UW. His love for Wyoming's natural wonders led him to become an environmental activist. He wrote columns for Wyoming Wildlife and the Wyoming State Journal and later founded High Country News. Bell taught science in the Lander school district.

California native Shlemon received his M.S. degree in geology at UW in 1959 and his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for his expertise in applied geology, particularly for siting nuclear power plants and waste facilities, dams and other large engineered structures throughout the world. Shlemon supports student scholarship in many ways, including the establishment of the Roy J. Shlemon Graduate Fellowships in the UW Department of Geology and Geophysics.

McFadden came to UW during the 1930s as a Department of Psychology faculty member. He was department chairman for 12 years, was director of UW's Summer School and later vice president of extension. He served as UW president during 1978-79.

Mears came to UW in 1949 as an assistant professor, receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1950. His research focuses on geomorphology and quaternary geology with interests in the paleoclimate of periglacial areas, especially in Wyoming, during the Pleistocene era. Mears received numerous professional awards and published many works throughout his career.

Mulloy came to UW in 1948 as its first anthropologist. An expedition to several Pacific islands led to a lifelong passion and a long-term study of Easter Island. He spent nearly five years there engaging in survey, excavation, restoration and research. He and his colleagues investigated and restored many great monuments and one ceremonial center on Easter Island plus a fortified village on Rapa Iti in French Polynesia.

Posted on Friday, May 23, 2003