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   from the issue of May 3, 2007

     
 
General, author to address graduates

 UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Alumnus Claude Bolton Jr., assistant secretary of the Army for acquisitions, logistics and technology, will address graduates and receive an honorary doctor of science degree at UNL's spring commencement exercises May 5.

 
Bolton
 Bolton

Chancellor Harvey Perlman will preside at the ceremonies, which begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. UNL will award degrees to approximately 2,175 individuals, including the first four to earn the university's new doctor of audiology degree. The doctor of audiology degree was created in 2004 as part of a cooperative agreement between UNL and the Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha.

William Dana, CEO of Dana Magid Development LLC of Omaha, will receive the Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Alumni Association, and B. Keith Heuermann of Phillips will receive the Nebraska Builder Award from UNL.

In addition, lawyer and bestselling author Scott Turow will address College of Law graduates in the college's separate commencement exercises beginning at 3 p.m. May 5 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Steven Willborn, dean of law, will preside.

A retired U.S. Air Force major general, Bolton earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at UNL (1969) and received his military commission through the UNL Air Force ROTC program. During a distinguished Air Force career of 33 years, he served as a combat pilot in more than 230 missions, a flight instructor, a cutting-edge test pilot who flew a dozen different types of newly developed aircraft, deputy program director for the B-2 Bomber System Program, and director of the Advanced Cruise Missile System Program Office. At the time of his retirement, he was director of the global supply system for the Air Force Materiel Command, where, among other responsibilities, he managed $90 billion in weapons sales to 80 foreign countries. He completed the Boston Marathon in just under four hours last April.

Dana has been a friend of the university and the alumni association since graduating with honors from the College of Engineering in 1979. Dana served on the alumni association's board of directors for 12 years, most recently as past president, and in 2006 he and his wife, Charlotte Conner, were instrumental in financially supporting the renovations of the Wick Alumni Center.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually and honors individuals with exemplary records of service to the Nebraska Alumni Association and the university.

Heuermann is president of BKH Popcorn Inc., which markets popcorn throughout the world. Heuermann became interested in corn breeding and genetics while attending UNL and established Prairie Valley Hybrid Seed Co., now owned by Syngenta. After retiring from the firm in 1990, he worked full-time developing popcorn. Heuermann received a bachelor of science degree in agriculture from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 1957. The Nebraska Builder Award is given annually to individuals who have literally been a "Builders" of UNL or for the state of Nebraska.

Turow
 
Turow

 

Turow is a Chicago-based writer and attorney. He is the author of seven best-selling novels: "Presumed Innocent" (1987), "The Burden of Proof" (1990), "Pleading Guilty" (1993), "The Laws of Our Fathers" (1996), "Personal Injuries" (1999), "Reversible Errors" (2002) and "Ordinary Heroes" (2005). Turow continues to work as an attorney. He has been a partner in the Chicago office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, a national law firm, since 1986, concentrating on white collar criminal defense, while also devoting a substantial part of his time to pro bono matters. In one such case, he represented Alejandro Hernandez in the successful appeal that preceded Hernandez's release after nearly 12 years in prison - including five on death row - for a murder he did not commit.

Recipients of doctoral degrees will be honored in a doctoral hooding ceremony beginning at 3:30 p.m. May 4 at Kimball Recital Hall. They will receive their diplomas at the May 5 commencement exercises.


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