Initiated in 1992, the Hall of Distinction recognizes and honors those alumni who have demonstrated distinguished engineering professional accomplishments, outstanding character and commitment to community service. This recognition serves to encourage exemplary achievements by current students and others. It is a symbol of the respect and admiration held by the University of Kentucky College of Engineering for these esteemed individuals.

Click on a name below to learn more about our 2010 inductees.

• Paul F. Boulos, BSCE 1985, MSCE 1986, Ph.D. 1989
• John R. (Dick) Lyon, BSME 1958
• Fred T. May, BSEE 1958
• Roosevelt (Red) Maynard, Jr., BSME 1958

B.S. ’68 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering

Deane Blazie founded two companies, Maryland Computer Services and Blazie Engineering, that became world leaders in producing low-cost computing devices for the blind.

Blazie started his career path when, as a high school junior, he joined a ham radio club and became friends with a blind member. His friend thought of problems to solve and Blazie would help engineer a solution.

Upon graduation from UK, he served in the Army and then was an engineer at the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory in Maryland. He also earned a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Delaware. He later was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America by the U.S. Junior Chamber, better known as the Jaycees, for designing a calculator with a unique audio tactile display for the blind.

In 1976 he co-founded Maryland Computer Services, specializing in software design. It created the first synthetic speech device, the Talking Telephone Directory. MCS later became the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic speech products and Braille printers. The company was sold in 1986 and Blazie founded Blazie Engineering. It later became the world’s largest producer of products for the blind. It introduced the Braille ‘n’ Speak, a pocket note taker along the lines of Personal Digital Assistants. Blazie Engineering was sold in 2000.

In 1990 he was named Humanitarian Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. magazine.

Now retired, Blazie is active as a consultant to organizations for the blind and is on several boards of directors. He also is a member of the Center for Braille Innovation, which hopes to put Braille in the hands of every child and young adult who needs it.

Blazie and his wife, Marty, reside in Hobe Sound, Fla. They have three sons, Bryan, Chris, and Stephen, and three granddaughters.

Lt. Gen. John H. Campbell, USAF (Ret.)

B.S. ’69 – Computer Science, College of Engineering
M.B.A. ’71 – Gatton College of Business & Economics

Lt. Gen. John H. Campbell, U.S. Air Force (retired), is executive vice president, government programs, at Iridium Communications in Bethesda, Md. He manages Iridium’s $70 million government sector and is responsible for providing Iridium global satellite communications services for U.S. government customers around the world. Campbell joined Iridium in 2006 from Applied Research Associates of Alexandria, Va., where he served as principal, Defense and Intelligence.

He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2004 after a 32-year career in which he served in a variety of operational and staff assignments around the world.  Between 1997 and 2004 he served as deputy director for Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon; vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and commander of the Joint Task Force – Computer Network Defense; and associate director of Central Intelligence for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Va.

Between 1971 and 1997, Campbell served around the world in a variety of operational assignments as an F-15 and F-16 fighter pilot and wing commander. He is the recipient of numerous military and intelligence community awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal, the CIA Donovan Award, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency Award, the National Reconnaissance Distinguished Medal, and the National Security Agency Award.

A native of Henderson,  Campbell is a member of the UK College of Engineering Hall of Distinction.

He is married to Marky McDaniel Campbell, a 1970 UK graduate, and his parents, brother and sister are also UK grads. The Campbells reside in Alexandria, Va.

Mark E. Davis

B.S. ’77 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
M.S. ’78 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
Ph.D. ’81 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering

Mark E. Davis is the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the City of Hope.

Davis also is the founder of two companies, Insert Therapeutics Inc. and Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc. A major focus of his research efforts involves the invention of new treatments for cancer. Two of his nanoparticle therapeutics are currently in human clinical trials.

Davis began his career as assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. Davis was the first engineer to receive the Alan T. Waterman Award in 1990, the government’s prestigious scientific award that each year recognizes a single outstanding researcher who is 35 years old or younger in any area of science or engineering supported by the NSF.

He became a member of the faculty at the California Institute of Technology in 1991.

Davis also is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. In 2009, he received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from UK.

When Davis was an undergraduate student at UK, he was a full scholarship athlete in track and field. He continues to run today and has achieved All American Status for Masters Track and Field in both the 400 meter and 200 meter dashes.

He grew up in Pennsylvania and now resides in Pasadena, Calif., with his wife, Mary.

Paul E. Patton

B.S. ’59 – Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

Paul E. Patton was the 59th governor of Kentucky and is currently president of Pikeville College in Pikeville.

After graduation from UK in 1959 he began his professional career in the mining industry in Floyd County. Throughout 20 years he built a successful coal business and was a leader in the industry. He was on the board of directors of the Kentucky Coal Association, a member of the Kentucky Deep Mine Safety Commission and chairman of the Board of the National Independent Coal Operators Association.

In 1979 Patton turned to public service. He served briefly as the deputy secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and then was the chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party from 1981 to 1983.

In 1981 he was elected county judge executive of Pike County where he served for 10 years. Patton successfully secured the adoption of the first universal mandatory county-wide solid waste collection program in Kentucky. He also concentrated on the construction of rural roads, recreation facilities, county buildings, and economic development efforts.

In 1991 he became Kentucky’s lieutenant governor and also served as secretary of Economic Development. He spearheaded a redesign of Kentucky economic development efforts, securing the adoption of four economic development incentive programs and establishing the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership.

Patton was elected governor in 1995. An advocate for higher education, he led the Higher Education Reform Act and Bucks for Brains funding for endowed chairs and professorships. He helped the state make progress on many fronts including worker’s compensation, juvenile justice, domestic violence and child abuse prevention, historic preservation and infrastructure construction.

Patton is a member of the UK College of Engineering Hall of Distinction. He is married to Judi Conway Patton and they have four children and two grandchildren.

Reese S. Terry Jr.

B.S. ’64 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
M.S. ’66 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering

Reese S. Terry Jr. is recognized internationally for his work in biomedical engineering and holds numerous patents. He began his professional career in 1967 at Cordis Corporation, a heart pacemaker manufacturing company. In 1976, he joined Intermedics Inc., in Freeport, Texas, a medical device and electronics company and was vice president of engineering, vice president of corporate technical resources and vice president of quality. Throughout this period, he pursued his interest in the research and development of pacemakers. He co-developed the first programmable heart pacer in 1973 and co-developed the first programmable dual chamber pacer in 1980.

In 1987, Terry co-founded Cyberonics Inc. in Webster, Texas, to develop, manufacture and market neuromodulation therapies for patients with epilepsy and other inadequately treated neurological disorders. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy using the Cyberonics NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis (NCP) System was developed and heralded as a breakthrough treatment for epilepsy, reducing seizures. Terry was CEO of Cyberonics until 1991 and for periods during 1995 and 2006 and remains on its board.

In 1993, Terry received the Industrial Research Inc. 100 Award for the Cordis Omnicor Programmable Pacemaker.

Terry served as board member of the South East Texas Chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the National Epilepsy Foundation of America. Through his efforts, Cyberonics Inc. helped establish the J. Kiffin Penry Patient Travel Assistance Fund to pay for travel expenses to help needy epilepsy patients and their families reach appropriate treatment centers.

Terry is a UK Fellow, funded the Reese Terry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering for Stephen D. Gedney, and is a member of the UK Gill Heart Foundation Advisory Board. He is currently on the Board of IDEV, a cardiovascular device company.

He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Jerrilyn Brown Terry. They have three children, Angela, Richard, and Reese III and four grandchildren.

The UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni was established in 1965 in celebration of the university’s centennial year. Every five years the UK Alumni Association recognizes a select group of outstanding alumni and honors them with induction into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. This honor acknowledges UK alumni who deserve recognition for personal and professional endeavors and community leadership. A complete list of past Hall of Distinguished Alumni recipients can be found at www.ukalumni.net/hoda

The award, named after Andrew T. Boggs, ASHRAE executive vice president emeritus, recognizes past recipients of the Distinguished Service Award for continuing, unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service to the Society.

Colliver received the Distinguished Service Award in 1995. Seven years later, he became president of ASHRAE, serving in 2002-03. In choosing his theme for this year, Building a Better World, Colliver said: “We must build on our successes and use our passion to take us to the next level. We must set goals that have a higher purpose.” During his 2002-03 presidential year, ASHRAE focused on the four cornerstones of energy, environment, education and empowerment that give us E to the 4^th power.

Colliver then took on a new role, serving as chair of the Steering Committee for the Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) projects since its inception in 2003, after identifying this beyond-code energy efficiency guidance in his presidential year. Under his guidance, the Steering Committee has overseen the development of 30 percent guides for six different building types (small office, small retail, warehouse, K-12 schools, highway lodging and small healthcare).  Over 250,000 copies of these books have been distributed. Work on 50 percent guides starts this year.  The books have been some of the most successful and most broadly distributed publications in ASHRAE’s history. The Steering Committee has also overseen the initiation of a series of guides on existing buildings, the first of which was published in 2010, Business Case for Building Owners and Managers.   The next in the existing building series is a technical guide.

Colliver also chaired the Society’s 2007 Solar Decathlon Committee, leading decisions about ASHRAE’s involvement in the event that attracts students from around the world in designing, constructing and living in sustainable homes on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Colliver is a professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2010) – University of Kentucky has been awarded nearly $2.5 million by the U.S. Deptartment of Energy to help educate the next generation of power engineers, the specialists urgently needed to handle the technical challenges of generating, transmitting and distributing electric power in the age of the carbon footprint, the race to develop alternative energy resources and goal of creating a national “Smart Grid.”

The funding will be used to provide education and certification in power engineering to undergraduates, graduate students and working professionals through creation of the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK), based in UK’s College of Engineering.

The need for these young engineers is urgent right now not only because of the size and complexity of the challenges the U.S. faces but because “a whole generation of experienced power engineers are reaching retirement age, and there aren’t nearly enough students majoring in this field,” says Professor L.E. Holloway, chair of the electrical engineering department at UK and leader of the successful faculty team that pursued the award. “Students these days are tremendously excited by the issues of climate change, sustainability, alternative energy, environmental impact, carbon footprint and so on. Power engineering is ground zero where all those issues come together, and we need to develop students to address these issues.” The PEIK, which he will direct, has a special mandate to communicate the exciting possibilities of this important field to potential students.

PEIK brings together faculty from traditional engineering departments as well as from UK’s Center for Applied Energy (CAER) and Center for Sustainable Manufacturing. They will work together on new labs and courses and on retrofitting existing courses to help meet the need for power engineers in the utilities and manufacturing sectors especially. Students will learn through hands‐on courses and labs for a real world understanding of the subject. Faculty will work closely with industry to design the most relevant curriculum. PEIK will also offer a rich variety of opportunities for internships and co‐operative education.

UK was one of only eleven colleges and universities nationally to win an award in the “STEPS” funding area. Thomas Lester, Dean of the College, says the winning PEIK proposal is another example of UK engineering at the forefront in addressing urgent national priorities. “Often it’s our R&D proposals that get all the recognition. This success is well-deserved testimony to how nationally competitive UK engineering education is.”

The college awarded 389 B.S. degrees, 136 M.S. degrees, and 25 Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering; biosystems & agricultural engineering; civil engineering; chemical engineering; computer engineering; computer science; electrical engineering; manufacturing systems engineering; materials science and engineering; mechanical engineering; and mining engineering. (A breakdown of degrees by major can be found at the bottom of this article.)

The commencement address was given by Kassy Lum, mechanical engineering.

Dr. James Fox, assistant professor in civil engineering, was the 2010 recipient of the Henry Lutes Award for Excellence in Teaching. The recipient of this annual award is chosen from the winners of the College of Engineering’s departmental outstanding teaching awards. Candidates are expected to be outstanding teachers and role models for other faculty over a sustained period of time.

“UK has all the opportunities of a large university and all of the familiarity of a small school,” she says. “The College of Engineering has provided me with a challenging curriculum, opportunities for undergraduate research, chances to present at professional meetings and a close-knit group of faculty and students.”

The challenging curriculum has paid off. In 2010 Shapiro was named a Goldwater Scholar, with a prestigious scholarship worth approximately $7,500 per year for up to two years of undergraduate study. “I credit my academic success to the dedication of my mentors and graduate students who encouraged me to pursue independent research,” she says.

Shapiro was one of 278 students nationwide awarded the scholarship, selected from among 1,111 mathematics, science and engineering students nationwide. She has also been accepted into Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs at MIT in the summer of 2010 and UK in the summer of 2009. Both REU programs covered ways engineering interacts with biological systems.

“Not only have I had an exceptional educational experience, but I have also been able to network with both peers and professionals,” Shapiro says. She’s involved with several campus organizations, serving as a committee chair for the UK Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in chemical engineering, focusing on biomedical applications. She would eventually like to conduct research to develop cancer treatments and teach at a research-intensive university.

“The campus is beautiful, the laboratories are well equipped, and the people are friendly and willing to help,” Shapiro says. “Professors are genuinely concerned about their students’ success and always provide excellent guidance.”

“I’ll earn invaluable work experience, get to experience teamwork building, and receive leadership training that will undoubtedly propel me into a career after graduation,” Bottom says.

Bottom says that the engineering program at UK offers many of the perks of a big university while providing the community feeling of a small school.”UK has a lot to offer undergraduate students from numerous organizations and activities to exciting sports,” Bottom says. “At the same time, you will get a strong education and be well prepared for your plans after graduation, whether in graduate school, professional school or industry.”

In addition to her internship with NASA, interdisciplinary research has been part of Bottom’s experience at UK. She has taken classes in the university’s College of Pharmacy, broadening her understanding of chemical processes by adding a medically-based perspective. “Professors have given me the knowledge and skills I need to succeed not only in the classroom but also in real world situations, which has set me apart from other students,” she says.

With her faculty adviser Dr. J. Zach Hilt, Bottom has researched biochemical engineering applications, including a thermosensitive material that can be used as a remote-control method for releasing drugs. Remotely controlled drug release is a growing area of research for its biomedical applications and ability to alter drug releasing therapy after implantation. Bottom helped author a paper which she presented at the American Institute of Chemical Engineer (AIChE) Southern Regional Conference. The paper won a prize. Bottom was also later selected as the Outstanding Chemical Engineering Junior by the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.

“The professors and advisors are very supportive and have worked hard to help me reach my individual goals,” Bottom says. “The smaller classes have given me an opportunity to become good friends with the other students and develop close relationships with my professors, allowing me to learn with and from my peers as well as being strengthened as a student and individual.”