Pitt School of Engineering Honors Eight Alumni

PITTSBURGH—At the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet March 16, the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering will honor Gerald E. McGinnis as its 2005 Distinguished Alumnus. Six other alumni also will be honored by individual departments within the school, and one alumnus will be honored with the school's 2005 Young Alumni Award.

McGinnis, who earned the Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Pitt in 1960, is chair and founder of Respironics, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and distributor of innovative products and programs that serve the global sleep and respiratory markets. McGinnis guides the strategic direction of a growing international enterprise with annual revenue expectations approaching approximately $890 million. Under his leadership, Respironics has consistently appeared on lists of outstanding companies established by such national publications as Forbes and Business Week and was cited for outstanding product and service quality seven times by the American Association of Respiratory Care.

"Among the 25,000 alumni who we are proud to call Pitt engineers, Mr. McGinnis has had one of the most impressive records of professional accomplishment," said Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Pitt's School of Engineering. "Just as impressive have been his investments of time and financial support, for the school in general and specifically for the Department of Bioengineering."

McGinnis serves on the boards of Vascor, Inc., the Center for Young Musicians, Point Park University, Junior Achievement of Southwest Pennsylvania, and The Pittsburgh Symphony Association. In addition, he is on the Board of Visitors of Pitt and the University of Illinois' engineering schools. His awards include the Washington & Jefferson College Entrepreneur of the Year, the Carnegie Science Center Entrepreneur Award, the William Metcalf Award of the Engineer's Society of Western Pennsylvania, and the Distinguished Alumni award for Pitt's Department of Mechanical Engineering. He also has been inducted into the School of Engineering Hall of Fame. McGinnis has authored or coauthored a number of scientific papers and a chapter of a book on airway care. He holds more than 20 registered U.S. patents and contributed directly to the development of the design and manufacturing distinctions that differentiate Respironics products. McGinnis received the Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.

The 2005 Young Alumni Award, given to young alumni who make significant contributions to engineering in a short amount of time, honors Richard D. Schaub Jr., senior biomedical engineer for the Artificial Heart Program of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, adjunct assistant professor of bioengineering at Pitt, and cofounder of Vital Engineering. Schaub received the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in bioengineering from Pitt in 1989, 1993, and 1999, respectively.

The six individual departments and the alumni they will honor follow.

Pitt's Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering will honor Bruce M. Coull, professor and head of the Department of Neurology, professor of medicine, and director of the stroke program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. Coull received the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering and the M.D. degree from Pitt in 1967, 1968, and 1972, respectively.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will honor Wanda Austin, senior vice president of the National Systems Group of the Aerospace Corporation. Austin received the Master of Science degrees in civil engineering and mathematics from Pitt in 1977 and the Ph.D. degree in systems engineering from the University of Southern California.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will honor Kenneth F. Cooper, manager of process and control technology at Westinghouse Savannah River Company. Cooper received the Bachelor of Science and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Pitt in 1959 and 1980, respectively, and the Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The Department of Industrial Engineering will honor John Innocenti, senior vice president and chief operating officer of UPMC Presbyterian/Shadyside Hospital and an adjunct faculty member at Pitt. Innocenti received the Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and the Master of Business Administration degree from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business from Pitt, in 1972 and 1989, respectively.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering will honor Dennis McGlone, president and chief executive officer of the Copperweld Corporation. McGlone received the Bachelor of Science degree in materials science and engineering from Pitt in 1971.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering will honor M. Roger Eshelman, who retired as sector vice president of nuclear services and aircraft carrier overhaul at Northop Grumman Newport News in 2002. Since retirement, Eshelman serves as a consultant to Northrop Grumman Newport News on various projects. Eshelman received the Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Pitt in 1962 and the Master of Science degree in thermal engineering from Old Dominion University, and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management business program for senior executives.

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3/14/05/tmw