CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois announced today (Oct. 13) the recipients of its annual LAS Alumni Achievement, LAS Young Alumni, and LAS Humanitarian Awards.
The awards will be presented by LAS Dean Jesse Delia on Friday (Oct. 13) at the Urbana campus to chemists Philip Horwitz and Seemon Pines, and Eugene N. Hamilton, chief judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The young alumni award is being given to public information officer Steven Kulm. The humanitarian award is being given to medical missionary Susan Nagele.
The awardees were selected from more than 100,000 alumni for their outstanding leadership and service, having demonstrated the values derived from a liberal arts and sciences education by significantly improving or enhancing the lives of others.
The winners:
Philip Horwitz (M.S. ’55, Ph.D. ’57, chemistry) developed a chemical separations technique that is used worldwide in such diverse applications as analyzing the lunar surface to cleaning up nuclear wastes. His technique reduced, by a factor of more than 100, the amount of radioactive waste that has to be disposed of in geologic repositories.
Seemon Pines (M.S. ’49, Ph.D. ’51, chemistry) made it possible to commercially synthesize a staggering number of life-enhancing therapeutic drugs, such as cortisone. His work not only eased the suffering of millions but also rewrote the definition of what is achievable in chemical synthesis.
Eugene Hamilton (A.B. ’55, general curriculum), chief judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and social welfare advocate, has created domestic violence units, streamlined adoption systems, and been a foster parent to more than 40 children.
Steven Kulm’s (A.B. ’92, political science) passion for politics already has won him an elected township position and the gratitude of his community for such projects as the local social service fund he organized that aids youth, seniors, the disabled and the economically disadvantaged.
Dr. Susan Nagele (B.S. ’78, biology) is a Maryknoll medical missionary in Africa, where for 16 years she has cared for thousands of the world’s poorest citizens, often in the midst of civil war. She has rebuilt bombed medical outposts and, at one point, was the only doctor for more than 30,000 refugees.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest UI college; more than half of all UI students are enrolled in the college. The UI has long ranked among the nation’s most distinguished teaching and research institutions. Its diverse, world-class programs reflect the mission of a comprehensive, land-grant university.
The largest public university in Illinois, the UI was chartered by the state in 1867 as the Illinois Industrial University and opened its doors to students in 1868.
