Lisa Kitten ME ’06Marshall Scholar

Spring 2007IMPACT

Kansas State Un ivers ity College of Eng ineering

n the State of the College address lastfall, I challenged our faculty and staffwith the following: “We are in a year

of transition, but not a year of a holdingpattern. Working as a coordinated and col-lective body, we will continue to move for-ward with previously identified initiativesand consciously develop the framework fornew ideas.”

And move forward we have! We’veadded Marshall, Goldwater, and Udallscholars to our already impressive record ofproducing the best and brightest students.You can read more about the accomplish-ments of Lisa Kitten, Emily Voigt, andBrad Lutz, respectively, as you continuethrough this springissue of Impact.

You’ll also note com-ings and goings—theapproaching retirementof long-time assistantdean, Ray Hightower,and the arrival of adirector for the newlyestablished UniversityTransportation Center,Brian Coon.

The college has identified four focusareas of research, interdisciplinary innature, not only crossing multiple depart-mental boundaries in the college but alsopositioning our research faculty to bemajor collaborators with researchers inother disciplines outside the college andwith partnerships beyond the university.

One of these areas, water resources,deals with the quality and availability ofground and surface water. The work ofcivil engineering associate professor DavidSteward, highlighted in the “Focus onResearch” section, definitely exhibits col-laborative research with other colleges aswe move forward to play a leading role inthe sub-areas of surface and ground waterquality, water-based economics, groundwa-

ter modeling and measure-ments, and development ofnational hydrological and eco-logical research stations. TheGRoWE group has initiatedactivities utilizing geospatial technology toestablish the modeling framework forgroundwater flow that may eventuallyinvolve all Big 12 institutions.

You’ll notice changes in our develop-ment staff. Over the past year, we haveassembled an outstanding team that hasaggressively sought philanthropic supportfor the college and our special programsand facilities. The college has met andexceeded its Changing Lives Campaign

goal as well as itsoverall fiscal year2007 financialgoals. Thanks toa great effort byour student vol-unteers, we evenexceeded ourTelefund goal.This endeavor, inaddition to pro-

viding scholarship money, sees 20% of itstotal dollars go toward support of our stu-dent competition teams, which are greatambassadors for our programs and the col-lege.

We’ve been pleased to welcome distin-guished alumni back to the college in vari-ous capacities this past semester. GregTucker, ME ’78, in his role as 2007Alumni Fellow, inspired students and fac-ulty alike during his time on campus.ExxonMobil, a strong supporter of ourengineering programs, was honored as theTau Beta Pi Company of the Year, alongwith two of its employees, Wayne Harms,ChE ’76, and Ron Thomas, CE ’81,named as Co-Leaders of the Year.

Rhea, EE ’60, and Pat Serpan were hon-ored guests in February for ribbon-cutting

ceremonies highlighting the dedication ofthe newly renovated G. Rhea and PatSerpan Lobby. The Serpans’ generosity infunding this project has added a wonderful“presence” to the east entrance of our engi-neering complex atrium. It is the firstplace many of our past, present, andfuture students will enter and say, “Ibelong to this, and I’m proud!”

Visitors to our 85th College of Engineering Open House were also greet-ed by a newly renovated and landscapedfront plaza area—a fitting welcome to anannual event where exhibits on displayhighlight the opportunities our curriculaprovide for students as they prepare forsuccessful professional careers. K-Stateengineering students experience an activelearning environment that blends essentialelements of academics, diversity, leader-ship, and teamwork.

This year’s Open House theme fittinglydescribes us—“K-State Engineering:Better, Smarter, Faster, Stronger”—a pro-gram definitely not in ‘a holding pattern.’

Richard R. Gallagher, Interim Dean

“We are in a year oftransition, but not a

year of a holding pattern.”

I

Message from the Dean

1

IMPACT is publishedtwice a year by the

Kansas State UniversityCollege of Engineering,Manhattan, KS 66506.

It is available on the Web at

www.engg.ksu.edu.

Issue No.18 Spring 2007

EditorMary Rankin

Art directorRich Gardner

Graphic designerBob Davis

PhotographersDan Donnert

Al RankinBob Davis

l l l l l l Focus on research2

l l l l l l l l Scholarships5

l l l l l l l l l Open House6

l l l l l l Serpan Lobby14

l l l l l l l l Noteworthy8

l l l l l l l Retirement ahead12

Inside this Issue

he Consortium for GlobalResearch on Water-BasedEconomies—GRoWE—at Kansas

State University, understands the worth ofwater.

Led by facilitator, David Steward, associ-ate professor of civil engineering, this col-laborative organization is dedicated tohelping people understand and manage therelationships between water resources andhuman consumption for agricultural pro-duction and livelihood.

Steward came to Kansas State in 1998with a background in mathematical andcomputer modeling tools to understandgroundwater flow and transport, applica-tion of geographic information science(GIScience) to water resources, and inte-grated modeling approaches to understandnatural/social systems’ response tohuman/climate-induced changes ingroundwater use and availability.

“The GRoWE group came together in2001,” Steward said, “when then-depart-ment head Stu Swartz gave me the keys tothe departmental van and I spent twomonths driving the state trying to under-stand what I could do to help in the areaof groundwater resources management.”

The common thread in response to histravel-related inquiries was concern overdepletion of the High Plains-OgallalaAquifer region, which led him to recognizethe need, as a society, to understand andmanage use of water resources.

“I went across campus looking for helpto build a ‘K-State community’ to developthe scientific information necessary to sup-port decision making and policy manage-ment in the area of water resource sys-tems,” Steward said.

From this process came the executivecommittee of GRoWE—a group from fivedifferent departments in four colleges at K-State that meets weekly and brings togetherpeople related to water: Jeff Peterson, agri-cultural economics; Eric Bernard, land-scape architecture; Steve Welch, agronomy;Laszlo Kulcsar, sociology; and Steward.

“This team unites people related towater,” Steward said, “—people who canunderstand water resources from a newperspective and view it as an ecosystemthat is part of the fabric of our world.”

The committee’s early focus was learningto accept the different approaches necessaryfor developing the research, education, andoutreach to support a program on water-based economies.

“GRoWE is a three-legged stool ofresearch, education, and communityengagement. If you’re weak in one of theseareas,” Steward said, “your program willnot succeed to its full potential.”

And the GRoWE group realized youcan’t plan for future water needs withoutunderstanding the entirety of the waterresource system.

They began to address some of the fol-lowing questions:

n Does water availability drive the farmeconomy, or do national and globalmarkets drive water use on farms?

n How does global climate impact thelongevity of the finite aquifer resource?

n How could the farm bill and energypolicy improve long-term economicvitality in the High Plains Aquiferregion and maintain water security?

n Who is the workforce in a region, andhow do they impact community deci-sion making?

n What are the migration patterns andage distribution of a community, andhow does that impact policy and deci-sion making?

This system-wide approach is also hownational funding agencies now addresstheir allocations, Steward said, listing thefollowing investors as financial sources forGRoWE’s collaborative research linkingwater resources and human systems:

Institute for Inland Water Managementand Wastewater Treatment in theNetherlands, National Science Foundation,United States Department of Agriculture,United States Geological Survey, KansasWater Resources Institute, and KansasState University Provost’s TargetedExcellence Program.

“GIScience is the technological under-pinning for the research,” Steward said.“Water resource systems are spatial innature, which allows storage, analysis, andmodeling of the natural and social systemscomprising a water resource system in ageographic information system (GIS), aswell as thematic mapping, remote sensing,and telemetry data and methods.”

An example of this is the team’s develop-ment of a computerized mapping system ofall authorized water-use sites in Kansas(gis.ksu.edu/ogallala). The identified wellsare drawing water from either river basins

2

Steward of water“When the well is dry, welearn the worth of water.”

— Benjamin Franklin

T

Focus on research

in eastern Kansas or the Ogallala Aquiferin the west, and the system shows howmuch water is being pumped from thewells. Other data sources include real-time

data for stream levels, agricultural data,population data, and ecological regions.

“This data set provides a public recordfor other groups to use in their decision-making processes—groups like localgroundwater management districts andwater boards,” Steward said.

“We’ve leveled the playing field. EveryKansan now has access to the same data

that Topeka had before. We’re building thetools necessary for leaving water-use deci-sions up to people in their local districts.”

The GRoWE team is working with alinked-models approach—models that werepreviously separated, in order to make pre-dictions.

“We want people to understand howprecipitation models affect water tablemodels, and water table models affect plantmodels, and plant models affect produc-tion models, which, in turn, impact eco-nomics and people,” Steward said.

“Scarcity of water resources poses risks tothe economic, social, and environmentalwell being of communities, regions,nations, and ultimately the world. In thewestern Kansas region, the High PlainsAquifer provides the primary source ofwater for agriculture and municipalities.

“However, groundwater declines threatenboth short- and long-term viability of the

water resource, the economy, and theregional population,” he said. “It is ofnational and international interest to iden-tify and evaluate economically viable,socially acceptable, and environmentallyconscious water management strategies tosustain this important region, as well asother world water and agriculturalresources.”

GRoWE creates and disseminates knowl-edge related to the adaptation of limitedwater resources. Team members are cur-rently collaborating on four interrelatedtasks: collaborating with stakeholders andagencies to identify potential water man-agement strategies; developing a commondata model that assembles hydrologic,environmental, economic, and socio-demo-graphic data collected at multiple geo-graphic scales; analyzing current and pro-jected trends in groundwater use and possi-ble impacts of different groundwater man-agement strategies on environmental, eco-nomic, and social systems; and creatingeducation materials that utilize the newestinformation technologies.

A “first of its kind” at K-State has comefrom this program, when in fall 2006 pro-fessors from four colleges combined todevelop and teach a new course, Water andSociety. Students from the Colleges ofEngineering, Agriculture, Arts andSciences, and Architecture—both graduateand undergraduate level—enrolled in theclass and were successfully able to achieveinterdisciplinary collaboration and under-stand water resources as a system. Thecourse will be offered again in fall 2007.

A future goal also, Steward said, is tosynergistically leverage the combinedefforts of nearly 120 faculty members onthe K-State campus who are interested inthe potential use of ecoforecasting—look-ing into the effects of climate change onecology using the models strategy alreadydeveloped by GRoWE.

In spreading this interdisciplinaryapproach beyond Kansas and the U.S.,Steward plans a sabbatical at DelftTechnical University in the Netherlands forthe spring 2008 semester where he willparticipate in cross-research activities withfaculty there who are working on similarmodeling and water resource managementissues for the European Union’s WaterFramework Directive.

“. . . groundwater declines threatenboth short- and long-term viabilityof the water resource, the economy,and the regional population . . . .”

–by Mary Rankin

3

David Steward, assoc. professor of civil engineering

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• • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • •

With a 20 percent increase in companyparticipation and a 15 percent increasein student involvement over last year,the Engineering Career Fair, Feb. 13 inthe engineering complex atrium, wasdeemed a resounding success by allinvolved. Despite adverse weather condi-tions, strong attendance dominated theday-long event allowing engineering andcomputer and construction sciencemajors to make contact with potentialemployers from business, industry, andgovernment.

Below left, members of the StructuralEngineers Association of Kansas andMissouri (SEAKM) stack canned goods aspart of a construction model effort rep-resenting the Petronos Towers ofMalaysia. The completed project, left,was on display in the engineering com-plex atrium in November.

SEAKM members, all ARE/CNS majors,solicited funds from alumni and corpo-rate sponsors, raising $1200 to purchasethe more than 3,100 cans of food need-ed to construct the towers. Studentsdrew plans for the model on Autocad,selected the cans used by size and color,and practiced building parts of thestructure at least three times before theactual 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. publicbuilding day in the atrium.

All canned goods used to build thetowers were later donated to theManhattan Bread Basket as part of anannual college-wide food drive spon-sored by the engineering honorary, TauBeta Pi.

Can-Struction

Career fair

4

Brad Lutz, senior in electrical engi-neering and computer engineering, isamong 80 students nationwide toreceive the $5,000 Morris K.UdallScholarship, a congressional scholar-ship honoring the former Arizonacongressman for his legacy of publicservice. Lutz was selected from 434candidates nominated by 221 collegesand universities.

He is vice president and photo-voltaic system design lead for ProjectSolar House, the solar house K-Stateis entering in the U.S. Department ofEnergy’s 2007 Solar Decathlon inWashington D.C. He is also workingon the UFM greenhouse restoration

project, designingthe photovoltaic system that is to beadded.

At K-State, Lutzhas been a memberof Eta Kappa Nuand Students forEnvironmentalAction. He also

works as an undergraduate researchassistant in the K-State S.M.A.R.T.—Semi-conductor Materials AndRadiological Technologies—Lab andas a tutor for the MulticulturalEngineering Program. At K-State hehas received the John G. EllisScholarship and a College ofEngineering Scholarship.

K-State is tied for third with PennState among state universities inUdall Scholarship competition. TheUdall Foundation seeks future leadersacross a wide spectrum of environ-mental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education,urban planning and renewal, busi-ness, health, justice, and economics.

Lutz wins Udall

Brad Lutz

-State President Dr. Jon Wefaldcalls her “a first-team, All-American scholar.”

She says, “I have an insatiable—andsometimes frustrating—drive to do excit-ing things.”

Combine the two, and you have K-State’s latest Marshall Scholarshiprecipient, Lisa Kitten, recent graduate inmechanical engineering.

One of about 40 students awarded theprestigious scholarship annually, Kitten isK-State’s 12th Marshall recipient overall,and the 11th since 1986, tying the uni-versity for second in the nation produc-ing Marshall Scholars from 1986–2007.

With the approximate $70,000 valueof the Marshall—full funding for twoyears study at any university in theUnited Kingdom, Kitten’s scholarshipdollars over her academic career havetopped $140,000.

“Those numbers always bring a bit ofshock,” Kitten said. “Beyond that,though, I recognize the tremendous gen-erosity of both the people who madethem available through their financialcontributions and those who helped mewin them by serving as references oradvisers.”

Kitten attributes her Clare BootheLuce Scholarship ($36,000), her largest

undergraduate award, to the efforts ofthe Women in Engineering and ScienceProgram.

“It was only available for two years atK-State, and I was fortunate to be eligi-ble,” she said. “I add to that the evengreater good fortune of having Dr.Richard Gallagher’s encouragement. Hadhe not pulled me aside at an honor socie-ty induction and strongly encouraged meto apply, I wouldn’t have. And had I notwon the Luce, I certainly wouldn’t havebeen as strong a candidate for theMarshall two years later.”

A student’s extracurricular activitiesoften play a key role in scholarship selec-tion, and Kitten has built an impressiveresume in that area as well. She currentlyadvises the Freshman Leadership

Committee of Engineering StudentCouncil and has served as the council’ssenior member, president, director ofpublicity, director of development, andFreshman Leadership Committee presi-dent. She has chaired the Mechanical andNuclear Engineering Student AdvisoryCouncil, sits on the CoordinatingCommittee for People with Disabilities,and was a member of the Engineering inMedicine and Biology Society. She servesas a mentor for new engineering stu-dents, is a member of Women MentoringWomen, and was an EngineeringAmbassador. She studied at CzechTechnical University in Prague, CzechRepublic, in spring 2005.

Lisa Kitten–K-State’s 12th Marshall Scholar

“K-State offers more than a top-notch education at an

affordable price . . . . It offers a top-notch education with no qualifiers attached . . . .”

continued on page 12

Lisa Kitten

K

Emily Voigt, senior in chemical engi-neering, is among 317 students national-ly to win a 2007 Barry M. GoldwaterScholarship. Selected on the basis of aca-demic merit from a field of 1,110 math-ematics, science, and engineering stu-dents nominated by the faculties of theircolleges and universities, recipientsreceive up to $7,500 annually for theirfinal one or two years of undergraduatestudies.

Voigt plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemi-cal/biological engineering. Her goal is towork at a university and to conductresearch in biofuels and teach. She con-ducted research at Pennsylvania StateUniversity on transgenic protein produc-

tion in plant cells insummer 2005 andagain in 2006 on algaebiofuels.

This past semester,she began research inbiofuels productionunder Keith Hohn andJohn Schlup, K-Statechemical engineering

professors. Voigt is the editor and cata-loguer-elect for Tau Beta Pi, an engi-neering honor society, and secretary andpublic relations coordinator for Mentorsfor International Experiences. Also pur-suing a minor in German, she studiedabroad in Giessen, Germany, duringsummer 2006.

She is a member of the AmericanInstitute of Chemical Engineers,Engineering Ambassadors, Society ofWomen Engineers, The Navigators, andWomen Mentoring Women. Voigt is arecipient of numerous scholarshipsincluding being named a Clare BootheLuce Scholar in 2005 and also a PutnamScholar. She is a member of Omega ChiEpsilon, Golden Key, and Phi KappaPhi honoraries.

K-State students have won 60Goldwater Scholarships, making K-Statefirst in the nation among state universi-ties. Among all universities, public andprivate, K-State is tied for third placewith Duke.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Goldwater scholar

Emily Voigt

5

Open House ’07Open House ’07EngineeringEng ineering

6

Outstanding department . . . . . . . . . . IMSE Yellow Brick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMSEFreshman/sophomore display. . . . . . . CNSMCurriculum display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMSE Limited class display. . . . . . . . . . . . . IMSE Technical class display . . . . . . . . . . . . ChE Open class display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARE

St. Patricia . . . . . . . . . . . . Clare Seip, ARESt. Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josh Lipscomb, CE

Engineering Banquet AwardsW. Leroy Culbertson/Steel Ring LeadershipScholarship Award . . . . Jennifer Bolton, IE

Clair A. Mauch/Steel Ring Adviser of theYear . . . . Asst. Prof. Julia Keen, ARE/CNS

Honorary Steel Ring Memberships forMeritorious Service to the College ofEngineering:*

n Ray Hightower, Asst. Dean for Student Services, 31 years as adviser to Steel Ring Professional Honor Society

n Prof. James Goddard, ARE/CNS, 30 years as adviser to CNSM Open House Student Committee

n Prof. Walter Walawender, ChE, 14 years as adviser to ChE Open House Student Committee*Only 10 honorary members have been inducted into Steel Ring since it was formed in 1929.

Nuclear Engineering 50th

7

Clockwise from right, above: Richard Gallagher, interim dean, is joined by LiefKoepsel, left, EE ‘82, back for open house activities and to announce the naming

of a scholarship to honor his father, W. W. Koepsel, right, former departmenthead of EE at K-State; John Dollar, former assistant dean, visits with current fac-ulty and alumni guests at a Saturday reception in Fiedler Library; robotics com-

petition is a popular stop for visitors touring the engineering complex atrium;IMSE students perform their award-winning ‘Super Heroes’ skit; members of the

steel bridge construction team explain their design to attendees; and anotherpopular skit, MNE’s take-off on NASCAR enthusiasts, amuses the crowd.

“Engineering: Better, Smarter, Faster, Stronger”—thetheme of the 85th Annual Engineering Open House,featuring all the traditional events of St. Pat and St.Patricia, parade and skits, and department displays,April 13–14—rain or shine, the show must go on!

Below, a highlight of the weekend was the 50thanniversary celebration of the nuclear engineeringprogram at K-State. Faculty emeritus and alumnigathered from across the country to commemoratethe event. In 1958, the College of Engineering wasone of the first institutions in the country to estab-lish a separate department of nuclear engineering.In 1964, K-State’s program became the first in thenation to gain accreditation.

St. Patricia and St. Pat2007 Open House Awards

New transportation centerdirector

Brian Coon has been nameddirector of the UniversityTransportation Center, housedin the department of civil engi-neering. He will overseeresearch and outreach efforts intransportation engineering,which will be organized andcoordinated through the feder-ally funded center.

Coon holds a B.S. inmechanical engineering, anM.S. in civil engineering, aswell as a Ph.D. in engineering.Awarded a FulbrightScholarship in 2000, he stud-ied European standards forroadside safety testing at theSwedish Road and TransportResearch Institute (VTI) inLinköping, Sweden. He islicensed in both civil andmechanical engineering inNebraska, and is licensed inKansas.

He earned a law degree atthe University of NebraskaCollege of Law, where he wason the Nebraska Law Review.A past summer associate at theconstruction law firm ofWoods & Aitkin, he is licensedto practice law in Coloradoand Nebraska.

After completing his bache-lor’s degree at the University ofIowa, Coon was elected as staterepresentative for Iowa HouseDistrict 89 in 1996. He servedone term, which included seatson the Judiciary and Law

8

Index, and Tucker & Co.“Greg Tucker is an outstand-

ing candidate to honor in thiscapacity,” said RichardGallagher, interim dean of theCollege of Engineering. “Hisleadership and innovation arean inspiration to our studentsand faculty, as well as his fellowengineering alumni at K-State.”

Tucker is the incoming presi-dent for the Kansas-StateCollege of EngineeringAdvisory Council and is a SanFrancisco Bay area committeemember for the ChangingLives Campaign. He also workswith the Stanford UniversityAlumni Association, perform-ing pro bono work for localnon-profits in the Bay area.

He and his wife, Sara, whocurrently serves as U.S. UnderSecretary of Education inWashington, D.C., live in SanFrancisco and St. Helena,Calif.

ExxonMobil—Company ofthe Year

ExxonMobil was named2007 Company of the Year atthe Tau Beta Pi SpringBanquet, April 17. Wayne A.Harms, 1976 K-State graduatein chemical engineering andvice president, Asia Pacific andPower with ExxonMobil Gas &Power Marketing Company,was named co-leader of theyear. He shares that title with1981 K-State civil engineeringgraduate, Ron Thomas, reser-

Greg Tucker

Enforcement, NaturalResources, and StateGovernment committees. Healso served as vice-chair of theAdministration and RegulationAppropriation Committee,before leaving public service topursue graduate education inengineering.

As a research engineer at theMidwest Roadside SafetyFacility, Coon worked on theSAFER barrier used atNASCAR and Indy racetracksthroughout the nation.Additionally, he developedaccident reconstruction tech-niques for impacts with longi-tudinal barriers and guardrailend terminals.

He is a member of theAmerican Society ofMechanical Engineers, theAmerican Society of CivilEngineers, and serves on theMechanical Engineering ExamCommittee of the NationalCouncil of Examiners forEngineering and Surveying(NCEES), which writes thenational licensing exam formechanical engineers.

Tucker named Alumni FellowGreg A. Tucker has been

named the 2007 College ofEngineering Alumni Fellow inrecognition of his distinguishedcareer. Tucker, a 1978 K-Stategraduate in mechanical engi-neering, also holds an M.B.A.from the Stanford UniversityGraduate School of Business.

Serving as vice president ofbusiness transformation for theCalifornia State AutomobileAssociation, Tucker leads majorsystems and organizational andprocess-based programs focusedon achieving a competitiveadvantage in the insurance andtravel industries. Prior to thisposition, he had been a man-agement consultant at MercerManagement Consulting, CSC

voir adviser working with Shellon offshore Joint Venture fieldsin the central North Sea withprimary focus on high-pres-sure/high-temperature reser-voirs.

ExxonMobil is the world’sleading publicly traded interna-tional petroleum and petro-chemical company. Under thenames Exxon, Mobil, Esso, andImperial Oil, the company hasoperations in nearly 200 coun-tries and territories. At 4.2 mil-lion oil-equivalent barrels aday, ExxonMobil is the world’slargest non-government pro-ducer of oil and natural gas. Itsnetwork of reliable and effi-cient manufacturing plants,transportation systems, and

distribution centers provides clean fuels, lubricants, and other high-value products andfeedstocks to customers aroundthe world.

Harms joined the ExxonCompany, U.S.A. in 1976.After holding a variety of posi-tions in ExxonMobil manage-ment, planning, engineering,and technical operations in theUnited States, in 1997 hebecame executive director ofExxonMobil Energy Limited,Hong Kong. He also served asdirector, China Light & PowerCo., Ltd. and as director,Castle Peak Power Co., Ltd.He moved to Doha, Qatar, in2000 to become president andgeneral manager, ExxonMobilQatar Inc. In August 2006, he

Brian Coon

Wayne Harms

Noteworthy

returned to the United Statesand assumed his current role inHouston, Texas, which focuseson gas pipeline and NGL busi-ness in Asia Pacific, the MiddleEast, and Russia as well aspower sales and purchases forall ExxonMobil affiliates.

Harms is a member of theAsia Society-Texas Board andthe Society of PetroleumEngineers. He is a registeredprofessional engineer. In addi-tion, he is a member of theKansas State University

Presidents Club and the K-State Engineering Hall ofFame. He is past vice chairmanof the Qatar InternationalChamber of Commerce and aformer member of theAmerican School Board ofTrustees in Doha, Qatar.

Thomas first began withExxonMobil as a subsurfaceengineer in Oklahoma Cityand then transferred toHouston in 1985 to work as areservoir engineer. He has alsohad assignments in theExxonMobil asset managementgroup, joint interest group, andaudit group, all in Houston.

Throughout most of hiscareer, Thomas has been highlyinvolved with recruiting activi-ties at K-State and is an activealumni supporter. AnExxonMobil interviewer formore than 22 years, he was alsoteam captain of K-State’srecruiting team for 13 yearsand participated on the

Ron Thomas

Multicultural EngineeringProgram Advisory Council.

Thomas is registered profes-sional engineer and an activemember of the Society ofPetroleum Engineers. While inHouston, he served as chair-man on the Spring TexasSpecial Olympics Board andthe Northwoods PresbyterianChildren’s Ministry Team. Ayouth sports coach for morethan 20 years, he also regularlyentertained children atHouston area hospitals as“Roscoe the Clown.” Favoriteactivities are playing the guitarand hiking the ScottishHighlands with his wife andthree children.

Foundation staff appointments

Kelly Levi Sartorius has beennamed senior director of devel-opment for the College ofEngineering and will oversee alldevelopment activities.Previously she had been direc-tor of development for the col-lege with a combined total offour years service.

Prior to joining the founda-tion, Levi Sartorius worked inthe Kansas Statehouse as legisla-tive director for the Speaker ofthe House of Representatives.Her development experiencebegan at the Kaw Valley GirlScout Council where shedirected public affairs andmanaged annual giving proj-ects. She was one of 35 persons

selected for the KansasChamber of Commerce andIndustry 2004 LeadershipKansas Class and is a formerRepublican PrecinctCommitteewoman.

Levi Sartorius earned a bach-elor’s degree in journalism fromKansas State University in1993 and a second bachelor’sdegree in United States historyfrom Wichita State Universityin 1994. She earned a master’sdegree in American studiesfrom the University ofMaryland, College Park, in1996 and is pursuing a Ph.D.in American history at K-State.She will assume duties previ-ously held by Mitzi Richards,who was named senior directorof corporate and foundationrelations for the K-StateFoundation in September 2006.

In another promotion, Liz Townsend has been nameddevelopment officer for theCollege of Engineering, previ-ously serving as a developmentcoordinator. Prior to joiningthe foundation, Townsend wasthe director of external rela-tions for the College of HumanEnvironmental Sciences at theUniversity of Missouri,Columbia. She holds a bache-lor’s degree in textile andapparel management from theUniversity of Missouri,Columbia.

Townsend will travel bothKansas and the nation, meetingwith alumni interested in

philanthropic support of thecollege.

Also joining the College ofEngineering development teamis Tracy Robinson, newly hireddevelopment coordinator.Robinson will be in charge ofcoordinating alumni events.

She is a 1999 graduate of K-State in hotel and restaurantmanagement and prior to join-ing the K-State team served asassistant general manager of theFairfield Inn by Marriott, inManhattan, Kan. Robinson hasalso been an instructor in thedepartment of restaurant andhotel management at K-Statewhere she served on the depart-ment’s curriculum committee.She is active in the JuniorLeague of the Flint Hills andthe United Way.

Noteworthy

Kelly Levi Sartorius

Liz Townsend

Tracy Robinson

9

Plan now to attend!

Seaton Societya w a r d s c e l e b r a t i o n

November 3, 2007gh

gh

10

DIRECTOR - $10,000+

Tom and Marilyn BarrettDave and Virginia BraunKevin and Mary BurkeGene Carter and Rita RodriguezRon and Phyllis ChoateWright and Jaclyn CochranGib and Brenda ComptonRandy and Jacquie CoonrodRuth CoonrodDick and Mary Elizabeth CorbinDixon and Carol DollJoe and Sherry DowneyTerrence DunnMartin and Melodee Eby JrGary and Peggy EdwardsLarry and Holly EngelkenLarry and Laurel EricksonIke and Letty EvansGordon and Joyce GoeringJim and Carolyn Grier IIIBrent and Bonnie HeidebrechtJoe and Pamela HodgesKevin and Dianne HonomichlJim and Laura JohnsonBruce and Jeane JohnsonFaye KaulMary Lee KindSam and Mary Knecht JrDonna Kottwitz and Mark LarsonSamuel and Martha LoganDean and Lavon MortonLaree MuglerEd and Jeanne Mulcahy JrAl and Inger OlsenJustus and Alyce O'ReillyTom and Connie PaulsonPerry and Virginia PeineDoug and Becky ReidBret RoseRobin SawyerRhea and Pat SerpanRobert SextroHal and Mary SiegeleDean and Sharon SkaerD L and Suzy SmithDoug and Cindy SmithLloyd and Sarah SmithRobert and Peggy SmithDavid SmootVirgil and Jane SnellLouise StaffordCharles and Arlene SteichenErnest and Susan Straub IIIRobert and Ann SylerJames and Barbara TaylorTim and Sharon TaylorSteve and Kay TheedeBob and Betty TointonEdwin and Eunice WambsganssVernon and Loma WegererRichard WeidlerBradford and Cynthia WickWayne Wittenberger

EXECUTIVE - $5,000+

Walt BellairsMichael and Rhonda BrennanChuck and Linda BurtonWanda CulbertsonRich and Marilee DonaldsonDave and Tammy DouglassCharles and Jean EbyJudith Fan and Robert ReayL T and Eva FanGilbert and Jane FergusonRod and Sara FinkleDon GemaehlichPreston and Norma GoodwinRandy and Deborah GrovesMichael and Karen HaflingJerry and Rebecca HarkeyWayne and Barbara HarmsMark and Mary HuttonCarl and Mary IceIris KarlDavid and Nancy KaysRich and Hannah KerschenDrake and Eileen KnappKen and Ellen Lewis SrMary LipperScott and Karen LoveEdmond and Janice Murray JrRich and Sarah PorterDonald and June PrigmoreRoger and Sherry RiggertDennis and Merlene RuckertDan and Marsha RyserDoug and Jane SmithAllen SmollBob and Lila SnellWarren and Mary Lynn StaleyAlley StoughtonLarry and Eleanor StreckerMarlin and Peggy TaylorKeith WhiteDennis and Madelyn Yeo

PARTNER - $2,500+

Terrie and Arnold AllemangChris AlthoffJohn and Ethelyn BakerSteve and Deloris BerlandNadalie Bosse and Larry NettlesTerrence and Nancy BrennanBill and Genene BrungardtHoward ColemanJim and Patty DancerDoug and Caryn FirebaughEddie and Carol FowlerJim and Lisa GarrisonBill and Tina GoodmanLucile HawksRay and Marlene HightowerRex and Rebecca HillmanArt and Georganne HiserRodney and Kay Horn

Darrell and Nancy HoslerCleve HumbertKay HummelsNeal and Susan JohnsonGreg and Nicole KorteTodd and Julie KorteAaron and Renee LairdJeffrey and Joy LessmanSteve and Donna McKinnisPhil and Janice MorrisGur and Tej RanhotraMike RogersDennis and Andrea RottinghausRandy Sedlacek and Mary VenturaHoward and Patricia SherwoodBill and Susan StannardTom and Jan StegmannMatt and Dorothy Strahm Debbie and John SwinneyJim and Marty TadtmanNorman and Donna TetlowGordon and Lynette ThayerDel and Sharon ThielmanBob and Bernita ThornGreg and Sara TuckerHerb and Mary Sue WhitneyBob and Pat Zrubek

Jack and Dena AlbrightDavid and Diana AndrewsDuane and Mildred BabcockBill and Beth BarrettWalt and Mardi BelterJerry and Barbara BoettcherLyn and Gerri Boyer Arden and Karen BradshawFred and Teresa BrownTom and Rosaline CarlisleMarie and Robert CecilDo Sup and Okkyung ChungStan and LeAnn ClarkPeter and Helen CooperWarren CorbetKen and Patricia CouchMax and Linda DaMetzMatthew and Lynn DassowRay and Alycia Dempsey Gary and Rebecca DickLionel and Debra D'LunaScott and Deborah Dodge Charles and Joan DorganLes DotyJohn Downey and Shannan SeelyBob DuBoisTerry and Ann EcklundBlaine and Carolyn EnglundJohn and Mary EnszPatrick and Rita ErvinMark EvansWayne and Ellen EvansKeith Fager and ElizabethSchulenburg Scott and Susan FeldhausenDon and Signe FergusonGene and Genevieve FieldhammerKyle FranklinLynn and Sally FrickJerry and Donna FriesenRichard and Linda GallagherMark and Susie GalyardtTara and Matthew GazawayJerry and Janice GfellerMarvin Hachmeister and Marjory

MortvedtMartha and Jeff HamiltonMark and Betty HansonJanell and Todd HarmanJohn and Colleen HarrisonDavid and Susan HaverkampRichard and Barbara HayterDuane and Mary HendersonBarbara HengelfeltJames HengelfeltJim and Jada HillMark and Beth HodgesJoe and Nancy HollandPhil and Jeannie HollisJim and Betty HolmanJeff and Janet HopkinsEd and Ming Hsu

Henry and Chai-Chong HwangSteven and Diana JandaDiane Johnson Adamec and Thomas

AdamecJim and Judy JohnsonLois JohnsonGary and Helen JohnstonJane and Nelson JordanMichael KeeganRay KennedyGreg and Lori KernTerry and Kathleen KingCarol and Shawn KinkadeDoug and Jodi KirklandCraig and Deborah KoehnJim and Susan KoellikerLief and Paula KoepselPaul and Stacia KolbeckBrad and Joyce KramerDave and Hope KrugDennis and Carol KuhlmanMike and Vera LackeyTodd LakinDon LenhertJohn LeyDave Lichtenauer and Tara ThomasJohn and Mildred LindholmBob and Mardell MacKendrick Paul and Lynn MalirDebbie MaloneJerry and Lori MarrLarry MartinLewis and Marjorie MartinDana and Liz MathesWarren McElroyDoug McKinleyJamie Meeks and Betsy Sloan-

MeeksRay MeisenheimerRobert and Betty MeyerTroy and Debbie MillerGene and Mary MingleTom and Joan MistlerAllen and Wendy MoonJoe and Donna MurphyKathleen NafusDave NallCraig and Dalene NelsonErnie and Betty NelsonWilliam NixonOtto and Ruth Oberhelman JrGerald and Arlene OppligerDavid and Deborah OrrBert and Jeanette OttoClair PalmerNelson ParrishJim and Linda Pearson Ken and Carol PecisVan and Sharon PoolerRobert and Chris PrinceAnita RanhotraRick and Kiran RanhotraJimmy RashDon and Lynne RathboneAl and Fern RectorKirk and Kimberly ReidJim and Sandra ReillyJerry and Margaret RobertsonDennis RogalskyHaven and Barbara RolanderWayne and Nancy RossFred and Barbara SachenDon SchmidtKevin and Polly SchoenGlenard and Linda SchumanDennis and Vicki ShanksChuck and Connie SheppardWilliam and Karen ShumpBob and Colleen Snell Loren SprouseAustin and Joan StedhamSteve and Diana StepsKarl StevensKeith SteyerFred and Lois StollerKen and Coleta SuiterGary and Lola SwansonBill and Betty SwensonAlan and Sharon SylvesterSpencer and Susan TholstrupJeffrey and Lisa Vander LaanTony and Denise VeithRex Vernon

Seaton Society members are recognized annually for their giftsof $500 or more to the College of Engineering. The followingcontributed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006:

Director–$10,000+ Executive–$5,000+

Partner–$2,500+

Leadership Circle–$1,000+

Harold and Olympia LonsingerPau and Janet LuMike and Cindy ManleyKenneth and Kay* MartinDean and Lavon MortonLaree MuglerElmer* and Vivian MungerPhillip* and Jean MyersMarjorie NortonCarl and Janet NuzmanDale and Marceline OlsonGerald and Arlene OppligerClair and Sara* PalmerPerry and Virginia PeineCharley Ponton JrKeith PughJohn* and Joan RansomDon and Lynne RathboneAlwin RectorVirginia RichardsonStan and Donna RiebDennis and Merlene RuckertJim and Linda SchroederGilbert and Debra SelsorRhea and Pat SerpanJoe Shepek*Hal and Mary SiegeleDean and Sharon SkaerDoug and Cindy SmithLloyd and Sarah SmithAllen SmollBob and Lila SnellVirgil and Jane SnellHoward SpainhourJohn and Martha StackWarren and Mary Lynn StaleyKeith SteyerCharlie* and Karen StrykerRobert and Ann SylerTim and Sharon TaylorSteve and Kay TheedeDel and Sharon ThielmanFrank and Barbara TillmanCharles TillotsonBob and Betty TointonEdwin and Eunice WambsganssRichard WeidlerChuck Wilson JrWayne and Mary* Wittenberger

Ray and Barbara AdeeClifford AlcornTerrie and Arnold AllemangDale and Betty AllenJames and Betty Allen JrStan* and Enid BarnettTom and Marilyn BarrettVonnie BatemanAlan and Karen BellWalt BellairsBill and Phyllis BinfordMarlin Breer and Joan RussellFranklin and Elizabeth BurkeChuck and Linda BurtonCharley CarterGene Carter and Rita RodriguezWright and Jaclyn CochranGib and Brenda ComptonRuth CoonrodDick and Mary Elizabeth CorbinRoger and Nancy CoulterTara and Terry CuppsStuart and Janie CurtisDixon and Carol DollRichard and Marilee DonaldsonJoe and Sherry DowneyLoring and Kathryn DuBoisGary and Peggy EdwardsLarry and Holly EngelkenLarry and Laurel EricksonIke and Letty EvansGordon and Joyce GoeringWilliam HauberLucile HawksChris and Kimberly HessKen and Mary HewsonVirginia HonsteadMark and Margaret HulingsCleve HumbertMeilang HwangBruce and Jeane JohnsonGary and Helen JohnstonSamuel and Mary Knecht JrRobert KountzLinda Lee and Joe MoffittMildred LeeDon and Anne* LenhertTW and Tzi LinSamuel and Martha Logan

Jim WalkerVirg WallentineMarcia WatkinsJerry and Robin WesthoffBrian and Cheryl WichmanJohn and Mary WilsonNaiqian and Yabao Zhang

COLLEAGUE - $500+

Scott and Dorine AberleDale and Betty AllenJoan and Anthony AmbroseLisa AndersonMary AndersonNorman and Malinda AndersonJohn AthertonP T and Tori BaehrChance and Donna BahadurJanice BaileyJack and Alberta BailiePaul Ballinger and Nancy RuffcornArnold BandelMarty and Ronda BarkerSue and Bill BarsamianLarry and Margaret BeilNorm and Jennifer BennettMarla and Wayne BenyshekMarty Berggren and Scott HallJim BlakelyMark and Terrie BoguskiJeff and Trixie BoneChris BoscoRonald BoydKyle and Holly BrewerKim and Conee BrownMark and Brenda BrownMike and Pamela BrownBob and Linda Brown Donald and Mary BroylesLoyd and Patsy BrumfieldWilliam and Barbara BucherWayne and Stephanie BuhrerAllan and Sonja BurkKent and Gitta BusterJoseph and Wilma ByersWendy and Richard CainMurray CampbellDavid and Kathy CarrBill and Ronda CaryKent and Kathy CaseyVirginia ChannellWalt and Ellie ChrismanChad and Alley ChristensonGary and Barbara ClarkStephen CmielRoger and Nancy CoulterJohn and Marianna CounterRick DeFriesRay and Nancy DeLongPete and Marcy DimondMichael and Ollie DoleTansukhlal and Savitri DorawalaJeff DouganRoger and Beverly DouthettLoring and Kathryn DuBoisFrank and Linda EisenbarthDonald EliasonDavid and Ellie EverittHelen FairbanksScott and Maryann FantyJoe and Nancy FarrarEllen FeldhausenJohn and Anastasia FimerellisVernon and Carol FishLarry and Janice FoulkePhilip FrazierSanjay and Renu GattaniJim and Nancy GieberPaul and Joyce GiovagnoliCalvin and Joy GoodenRobert and Kathleen GoodwinVance and Pam GreenDarwin and Beverly Guinn

Jim and Pat GuthriePaul and Patricia HabigerNolan and Suzanna HakeDick and Imo HansonKip and Sheri HanzlicekKenneth and Martha HassJay and Therese HathawayPatsy and Michael HavensteinJim and Mary Anne HeiseSteve and Karen HennessEdward Hershey JrLinda and Tracy HesterDean and Susan HiebertDavid and Janet HolsingerJames and Mary HolubCarl and Terri HopkinsMohammad Hosni and Fakhralstadat

Mohamadizad Loyal and Jill HuddlestonRobert and Jeanette HuizengaSherry IrsikRoberta JakowatzBrian and Lynette JenningsDon and Donna JermainArmin and Laurel JohnsonEric Johnson and Pamela DlabalKenneth and Marilyn JohnstonByron and Melanie JonesJohn JurgensmeierThomas and Lisa KaneRonald and Merle Joan KellyWarren and Gisela KennedyJim and Mary Jane KentDennis and Kelli KerschenAlan and Karen KesslerDallas KibbeBrian and Lori KillenBruce and Linda KoeCharles and Linda KuhnRex and Janet LargentScott and Laura LauridsenDonna LeeAlan and Janice LevinThomas and Nancy LoganStephen and Dixie LongDoug LupherKristopher MailenMark and Yvonna McAfeeJonas and Diep McBrideRobert McGriffJim and Jo McKinnisThomas and Nancy McMillenChuck and Sharon MedvitzMarsha MeiliKirk and Teresa MillerMark and Jean MillerWilliam and Lee MonroeKyle and Betty MoranBob and Barbara MoyerKathleen MundhenkeChuck and Deanna MunsonKyle and Sharon MurdockCasey and Cheryl MussattoMark MyersKent and Trina NettleinghamKatherine NevinsLowell and Amy NewBrian and Deborah NewcomerRandy and Julie NewcomerDonald and Marilyn NicholsMary NixonSteven NoyesTracy OlivierPrice OmanRoss and Lise OstenbergLarry and Mary Alice OwenRaymond OwenJohn and Pamela PeckCurt PedersenMax and Judy PetersonLeroy and Mary PickettRussel and Lynne PinkertonRonald and Melody PlemonsKeith PughMarc and Jody Ramsdale

Kay RasmussenThatcher and Anne ReistSteve and Eleanor ReiterMary Rezac and Peter PfrommScott and Elizabeth RiekemanCathy and Tom RitterTom and Karen RobertsDon and Martha RossLeWayne and Linda RothersMichael and Nichole RottinghausKent and Donna ScarbroughAnn and Donald SchaechtelBrian and Patty ScheibmeirDeanna SchmidtJoe SchmidtLarry and Barb Schulte Donald and Phyllis SchultzJim and Barbara ShaneyfeltKrishna and Usha ShekarRichard and Marian ShimerJohn and Linda ShupeSamuel and Dorothy Sinderson JrMark SingletonRandall SmischnyBenjamin and Shanna SommersPaul SpainhourClyde and Evonne SpragueAshik SrinivasanRichard and Jane Steele

Christine SteichenCurtis and Jill StewartJohn and Gale StewartLarry and Martha StoverKen and Marguerite StuckeyDon StueweRich and Viki TeichgraeberKenneth and Karla ThomasGregory and Julia ThompsonEugene and Barbara ThorsonEd and Dorothy TravnicekLoren and Martha TregellasGary and Carol TurnerRobert and Janet VanAllenReuben and Helen Vanderwilt JrDoug and Daryl VarneyStephen and Debra VaughnChristian and Jenee VelasquezClarence and Jean WatersLloyd and Rene WellerNathan and Trina WestKerry and Donna WilliamsJames and Martha WinzelerClinton and Mary YoungCraig YoungDavid and Sharon ZimmermanJohn and Patricia ZimmermanRex and Kelli Zuel

Every effort has been made to produce a comprehensive listing of donors for the calendar year Jan. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2006. We apologize forany incorrect listings, misspellings, or omissions, and extend our sincere thanks for your support. Questions about the donor list should be directed toKelly Levi Sartorius, Senior Director of Development, College of Engineering, Kansas State Foundation, 2323 Anderson Ave., Suite 500, Manhattan, KS66502; 785-532-7500 or 800-432-1578.

Founder

Colleague–$500+

11

* = deceased

The Seaton Society awards lifetime membership to its founders, who have made a commitment in excess of $100,000 to engineering education excellence.

12

orty-eightyears ofcontinu-

ous employmentas a faculty mem-ber in the Collegeof Engineering atK-State—48 years

of accomplishments, changes, and memo-ries—this is what Ray Hightower willtake with him when his retirementbecomes official on Jan. 1, 2008.

What he will leave behind is a K-Staterecord of service that began in the depart-ment of nuclear engineering, included astint in the Engineering ExperimentStation, and that since 1976 has been inthe Dean of Engineering Office, where hepresently serves as Assistant Dean ofStudent Services.

Hightower’s primaryresponsibilities as assistantdean have been to servestudents, faculty, and staffin enhancing their abilitiesto perform tasks and reachtheir respective goals, asrelated to the academicpolicies and proceduresof the college and the university.

“My most satisfying accomplishment,”he said, “has been observing students whohad been dismissed and later returned toK-State and succeeded in earning theirengineering degrees. It’s been especiallygratifying when these alumni visit andexpress their appreciation for the guid-ance I gave them.”

The greatest changes Hightower hasobserved have been in technology.

“In my first nuclear instrumentationclasses, I taught theory based onvacuum tube circuits, which Ilater taught using the theory oftransistors, and even later usingintegrated circuit chip theory,”he said. “I have seen faculty gofrom using hand-cranked cal-culators and slide rules tohuge mainframe computersthat were eventually replacedby desktop computers.”

While listing his mostmemorable event as

“viewing the cerenkov blue glow in thecore of the TRIGA MARK II NuclearReactor when its power was first pulsed,”Hightower said his most enjoyable eventswere coaching and playing on the engi-neering faculty basketball team that wasthe league champion six years in a row,and playing shortstop on the administra-tive softball team with K-State PresidentJon Wefald as pitcher.

“We beat the student leadership teameach of the three years they challengedus,” he said.

Planning an active retirement thatincludes completion of four books he iswriting on topics ranging from tornadoesto his experiences as a Scoutmaster to hisyears at K-State, Hightower will miss hiswork with the college.

“I will miss most working with ourengineering students andvisiting with them aboutall their accomplishmentsas alumni. I am very proudof them,” he said. “Theyhave represented theCollege of Engineeringexceedingly well.

“I will also miss workingwith my many valued friends in all posi-tion levels, from staff, faculty, deans, vicepresidents, vice provosts, provosts, to pres-idents of the university. I will haveworked under three university presidentsand eight College of Engineering deans.”

College of Engineering faculty and staffhave established the Ray and MarleneHightower Scholarship to honorHightower’s years of service.

“This is my greatest treasure,” he said.“All that I accomplished required a lot of

extra time that would not havebeen possible without the

patience, love, and under-standing of my darling wife,Marlene.”Contributions to the schol-

arship fund, which will bene-fit engineering students, canbe made through the KansasState University Foundation.

FA record of service

Bob Clack and Ray Hightower

–by Mary Rankin

“I’ve spoken to a lot of high schoolstudents about K-State,” Kitten said,“and one thing I always tell them is thatK-State offers more than a top-notcheducation at an affordable price, as is sooften quoted in promotional materials. Itoffers a top-notch education with noqualifiers attached, and this applies to myexperience in the College of Engineering.

“I gained a solid education in the prin-ciples of mechanical engineering, and I’vehad the opportunity to perform under-graduate research—something that I’msure will benefit me when I’m conduct-ing my own research at Oxford. Throughmy extracurricular activities, I’ve beenable to develop leadership, interpersonal,and communication skills that I’ll rely ona great deal to succeed both at Oxfordand in my career.”

Kitten plans to begin attending OxfordUniversity next September, with herwork focusing on improvements to pros-thetic knees.

“My general plan is to work towarddevelopment of prosthetic knees that aremore suitable for young and/or activepatients,” she said. “Knee replacementshave come a long way but are still not asgood as they could be for anyone whowants to jog, ski, or participate in otherstrenuous activities.”

Post-Oxford,things get a lotmore unknown.

“For now,”she said, “bio-medical engi-neering is in thespotlight. I’mparticularlyinterested inlower-limb pros-

thetics, and I could see myself working atthe Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.They do unbelievable things there, andI’d love to be a part of it.

“A professorship is an option at somepoint, and I’ve also found myself sayingon more than one occasion, ‘Whoa! Itwould be awesome to be Dr. Wefald!’Whatever the future holds, it will beexciting!”

President Jon Wefaldand Lisa Kitten

Marshall Scholar

Ray Hightower

continued from page 5

–by Mary Rankin

Louis “Tex” Raymond (ME) retired in1980 after nearly 30 years in drillingand production of petroleum oil. Heand his wife, Lois, have four children.The couple now resides in Norman,Okla., where they raise horses and Texenjoys swimming at the “Y,” volunteerwork with developmentally disabledchildren, and writing books about hislife experiences. According to Tex, “Ifeel like this is a better world with mein it.” DaisyTex4@cs.com

Larry Loomis (IE) received an MBA in1971 from Arizona State University. Heretired to Manhattan, Kan., in 2003after working 33 years in banking.loomis@cox.net

Hermann J. Donnert,professor emeritus ofnuclear engineering atKansas State, died Nov.5, 2006, in Topeka,Kan. He immigratedto the U.S. in 1957

when the U.S. Department of Defense

recruited him from Austria to work ondevelopment and testing of nuclearweapons. He joined the College ofEngineering in 1961 and for 31 yearstaught the next generation of nuclearengineers. He was affectionately knownas “Mr. Purple Pride,” always wearingpurple and supporting Kansas State.Donnert was awarded the honoraryGolden Ph.D. in 2001 from his almamater, the University of Innsbruck,Austria, where he had received a doctor-ate in mathematics and theoreticalphysics in 1951 at the age of 22—theyoungest recipient in more than 50years. He was an honorary lifetimemember of the American NuclearSociety. Donnert is survived by his wife,Margarete, three sons, five grandchil-dren, and one great-grandchild.

Forrest A. Slief (ME) died Oct. 15,2006, in Pratt, Kan. He served in theU.S. Infantry and Air Force, and wasemployed in the chemical and pipelineareas of the petroleum industry beforejoining and later retiring from Boeingin Wichita. He operated a KiowaCounty farm throughout his lifetimeand is survived by two sons.

Charles R. Bissey(M.S., ARCH), profes-sor emeritus of archi-tectural engineeringand construction sci-ence at Kansas State,died Nov. 18, 2006, in

Manhattan, Kan. He had retired in2002 after 33 years service to theCollege of Engineering. He received theHollis Award for Excellence inUndergraduate Teaching in 1980 andthe University Amoco FoundationAward for Excellence in UndergraduateTeaching in 1982. Bissey was a licensedprofessional engineer in Kansas and afounding member of the ArchitecturalEngineering Institute. He is survived byhis wife Rose, one son, one daughter,and four grandchildren.

13

1964

19611950

Take a few minutes to send usyour job changes, births, deaths,professional or other activities, yourretirement, or remembrances you’dlike to share. Send your news toImpact by mail, e-mail, or fax.

Want your classmates to contactyou? We will include your e-mailaddress. You must indicate that youwant this information printed.

Send to:

IMPACT EditorEngineering CommunicationsKansas State University133 Ward HallManhattan, KS 66506

E-mail: impact@engg.ksu.edu

Fax: 785-532-6952

Alumni News

Deaths

Telefund

Calling between Feb. 4–8,efforts of 232 College ofEngineering students forTelefund 2007 generated 2,469alumni pledges worth$307,118. In the College ofEngineering, Telefund gifts aredivided among student schol-arships and student projects.

Overall, Telefund 2007 gen-erated 16,289 pledges worth$1,408,737 for all nine col-leges at Kansas State, with1,535 student volunteers mak-ing calls. This year’s event fea-tured a “007-License to Call”theme.

Keep Connected

1950

College of EngineeringKansas State University1046 Rathbone HallManhattan, KS 66506-5201

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the G. Rhea andPat Serpan Lobby took place Feb. 16 at the frontentrance of the engineering complex. K-State andCollege of Engineering administration and faculty,alumni, friends, and students gathered to recog-nize the generosity of the Serpans, who over theyears have provided significant support throughscholarships and faculty enhancement funds. Theirlatest contribution to the college, renovation of theeast lobby area of Rathbone Hall, included a refur-bishing of floors, walls, and lighting; wirelessInternet access; a flat-screen television; and newtables and chairs. Students and visitors are nowafforded a quiet place for study or socializing, withan opportunity to enjoy coffee and refreshmentsfrom the recently re-opened and adjacent “CaféQ” coffee shop.

SERPAN LOBBY DEDICATIONRhea, EE ’60, and Pat, BioSci ’59, are members

of the Presidents Club at K-State. Rhea serves onthe board of trustees for the K-State Foundationand is chairman of the K-State Alumni AssociationBoard of Directors. With Pat, he co-chairs thewest region of the K-State “Changing Lives”fundraising campaign. Rhea is a founding memberof the Seaton Society, a member of the College ofEngineering Hall of Fame, a former member ofthe college’s advisory council, and a previousDistinguished Service Award recipient. He retiredas president and CEO of the San FranciscoChamber of Commerce in 2001 and prior to thathad enjoyed a long and distinguished career withAT&T, retiring in 1993 as vice president of inter-national services operations.

422

Notice of nondiscriminationKansas State University is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex,national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or other nonmerit reasons, inadmissions, educational programs or activities and employment (including employment ofdisabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era), as required by applicable laws andregulations. Responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiriesconcerning Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975,and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, has been delegated to Clyde Howard,Director of Affirmative Action, Kansas State University, 214 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS66506–0124, (Phone) 785-532-6220; (TTY) 785-532-4807. 44519-5/07-23,090