Departments
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Week of 31 October 1997 |
Vol. I, No. 10 |
Feature
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Five alumni were presented with the highest honor bestowed on BU graduates at the Homecoming/Parents Weekend Welcome Breakfast and Alumni Awards Ceremony on October 25. Pictured are (front, from left) Robert H. Clark, Jr. (SMG'64), Colonel John W. Pershing (CAS'64), Eugene P. Grisanti (LAW'53); (back, from left) Nancy L. Lane (COM'62) and Caroline J. Chang (CAS'62). Photo by Fred Sway |
High-achieving alumni honored
The highest accolade conferred on Boston University alumni was presented during the Homecoming/Parents Weekend Welcome Breakfast and Alumni Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 25. The event took place at 9 a.m. in Metcalf Hall at the George Sherman Union. This year's winners are:
Caroline J. Chang (CAS'62) Distinguished Service to the Community
After graduating from BU in 1962, Caroline J. Chang worked as an associate scientist at Avco Corporation until 1970, when she became the first manager of Chinatown's Little City Hall in Boston. From 1974 to 1979 she was an equal opportunity specialist in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' regional civil rights office in Boston. During this period she also earned a J.D. degree at Suffolk University Law School. Since 1982, she has served as regional manager of the Boston civil rights office.
Chang is cofounder and president of the Asian Community Development Corporation and sits on the boards of the Chinese Historical Society of New England, the Executive Service Corps of New England, Inc., the American Repertory Theatre, and the Roxbury Community College Foundation. Her previous honors include a 1983 Distinguished Alumni Award from CAS.
Robert H. Clark, Jr. (SMG'64) Distinguished Service to the Profession
Following his graduation from BU in 1964, Robert H. Clark, Jr., has had a distinguished career in gold mining, oil and gas exploration, and development of commercial real estate. In 1993 he became chief executive officer of Case, Pomeroy & Company, where he had served as president since 1983.
Clark was an University Trustee from 1984 to 1987 and served on the School of Management's International Campaign Committee to build its new home. Clark is both the son and father of University alumni. A plaque outside SMG's alumni office commemorates his hard work for Boston University and the loyalty of the Clark family -- particularly Robert, Sr. (SMG'36) and Clark's daughter Hilary (CAS'91) -- to BU.
Eugene P. Grisanti (LAW'53) Distinguished Service to the Profession
After graduating from LAW in 1953 and earning a master's of law at Harvard Law School, Eugene P. Grisanti practiced law in New York City and was instrumental in the merger of the companies that became International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (IFF), the world's leading manufacturer of flavor and fragrance products. He was named the firm's secretary and general counsel and in 1985 became its chairman, president, and CEO. Under his direction, IFF's growth has been exponential. Its increase in foreign sales to 72 percent of its annual total demonstrates the wisdom of Grisanti's championing of international trade.
Grisanti is board chairman of the New York City Ballet, vice chairman of the New York Botanical Garden, and a board member of the Metropolitan Opera, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Rockefeller University. Additionally, he is board chairman of the Rockefeller University Hospital, the largest private clinical research hospital in the United States.
Nancy L. Lane (COM'62 ) Special Distinction Award
After graduating from BU in 1962 and completing a master's degree at the University of Pitts-burgh, Nancy L. Lane served as deputy personnel director for the National Urban League and later was a vice president at Chase Manhattan Bank. In 1975 she joined Johnson & Johnson, where she became the first woman vice president of the corporation's Ortho Diagnostic Systems, Inc., division and the first African-American on its management board. At present, she is a vice president in Johnson & Johnson's office of governmental affairs.
Lane is a governor of Rutgers University and a board member of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the NAACP, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her previous honors include a Distinguished Alumni Award from COM in 1987.
Colonel John W. Pershing (CAS'64) Distinguished Service to Alma Mater
John W. Pershing commands the 77th Infantry Division, a reserve training unit based at Fort Totten in Flushing, New York. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army after graduating from BU's Army ROTC program in 1964, then served in a Special Forces group stationed in Germany. In 1967 he joined the Army Reserve, where he has held key command and staff positions. As a special assistant to Army Chief of Staff General Gordon R. Sullivan, he helped define a new role for the Army Reserve as the active military was downsized.
Pershing, who is a longtime friend of BU's Army ROTC program, is the grandson of General John Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I. His previous honors include a Meritorious Service Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, and a National Defense Service Medal with One Bronze Service Star.