To mark a century of graduate education at Washington State University, nine alumni, one from each academic college, were honored with the Graduate Alumni Achievement Award at an April 16 recognition luncheon. The award was established in 2000 by the WSU Graduate School. This year’s recipients were Joseph Jwu-Shan Jen, Agriculture and Home Economics; Gary Brinson, Business and Economics; Herbert M. Berg, Education; Edmund O. Schweitzer III, Engineering and Architecture; Michael Yellowbear Holloman, Liberal Arts; Gary E. Isom, Pharmacy; Gordon D. Hager, Sciences; Janice M. Linehan, Nursing; and Travis C. McGuire, Veterinary Medicine.
Joseph Jwu-Shan Jen (’64 M.S. Food Science), Washington, D.C., is undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In that capacity, he oversees four agencies—the USDA Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, the Economic Research Service, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service. From 1962 to 2001, he was dean of the College of Agriculture at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. He was elected a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists in 1992.
Gary Brinson (’68 M.B.A.), Chicago, is founder and retired chairman of Brinson Partners, Inc. He is co-author of two books—Global Investing: The Professional’s Guide to the World Capital Markets, and Investment Markets: Gaining the Performance Advantage—with Roger G. Ibbotson. He was named the outstanding financial executive by the Financial Management Association in 1991. And in 1999, he received the Award for Professional Excellence from the Association of Investment Management Research.
Herbert M. Berg (’81 Ed.D.), Alexandria, Virginia, is executive director of the Association for the Advancement of International Education. The Washington, D.C.-based organization serves American/international schools and promotes intercultural and international education worldwide. He formerly was superintendent of schools in Alexandria and in Puyallup.
Edmund O. Schweitzer III (’77 Ph.D. Elect. Engr.), Pullman, was a member of the WSU faculty (1979-1982), then left the University to found Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. The company now has more than 630 employees, with 525 at its headquarters and manufacturing plant in the Port of Whitman Industrial Park, Pullman. SEL develops and manufacturers digital protective relays which identify, analyze, and respond in milliseconds to abnormal conditions on power lines or in electrical equipment.
Michael Yellowbear Holloman (’93 M.F.A.), Seattle, became director of the Center for Plateau Cultures at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, in June. Previously he was associate professor of fine arts at Seattle University for nine years. He has served as a lecturer for the Washington State Commission for the Humanities and served on the King County Department of Social and Health Services Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes.
Gary E. Isom (’73 Ph.D., Pharmacology/Toxicology), West Lafayette, Indiana, is vice president for research, dean of the Graduate School, and professor of toxicology at Purdue University. The primary focus of his research group in neurotoxicology is on selective vulnerability of the nervous system to neurotoxic chemicals.
Gordon D. Hager (’73 Ph.D. Chemical Physics, now Materials Science) is a physicist and technical advisor at the Directed Energy Directorate’s Chemical Laser Branch, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He is a leader in scientific innovation in the field of high-power airborne laser systems used by the U.S. military to defend against enemy missiles. Last August he was one of five scientists named Air Force Research Laboratory Fellow, the lab’s highest technical achievement honor.
Janice M. Linehan (’99 Master’s of Nursing), Benton City, Washington, is an acute care nurse practitioner for both Kennewick General Hospital and NW Practice Management, a Kennewick Public Hospital District subsidiary. She also serves as a preceptor for current graduate nurse practitioner students and has published a scholarly article on “Respiratory Synctial Virus: Understanding the Threat to Communities.”
Travis C. McGuire (’68 Ph.D. Vet. Pathology), Pullman, is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology at WSU. He is one of the top veterinary immunologists in the world. His research program has focused on infectious diseases of animals and host responses. A major component of his research has been on infectious diseases of horses. Since joining the WSU faculty in 1968, he has received more than $24 million in grants.