Eastern Michigan University to Honor Seven Outstanding Alumni May 10

YPSILANTI - Seven alumni and benefactors will be honored at Eastern Michigan University's 42nd Annual Alumni Awards Dinner, Saturday, May 10, at the Ypsilanti Marriott. A cocktail reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.

Those being honored are:

Arthur Rockall ('95), a sculptor/artist; and Dagny Rude ('94), a sales representative in the women's health division of Watson Pharmaceuticals, will receive Outstanding Young Alumni Awards. This award is presented to alumni who have demonstrated the worth of their education through their post-college achievements. Rockall, a former design superviser at Ford Motor Co., is a founding member of the Stockbridge Area Artists Association. He received both the Schoolcraft Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996 and the Northville Society Key People Award in 1997. Rockall also has won several art show awards for his contemporary sculpture.

Rude co-founded and directed the first EMU Women's Center. She was a team member of the Cook County, Ill., State's Attorney Child Abuse Intake and Interviewing Task Force; Governor's State University Master of Public Administration Accredidation Task Team; and the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline Joint Management Team. Rockall resides in Stockbridge, while Rude comes from Flint.

Gayle Green ('85), assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction for Macomb Intermediate School District, will receive an Alumni Achievement Award. This award is given to alumni who have achieved distinction in their chosen field; clearly demonstrated the value of their college education; and maintained a continuing interest in Eastern Michigan University. Green, former superintendent of Willow Run Community Schools, teaches classes in EMU's department of leadership and counseling, and serves on committees and in advisory capacities at EMU as well. She is a member of the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA), and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Green lives in Canton.

Ken Bruchanski ('75), chief operating officer of CIT Systems Leasing; and Raymond W. Lombardi ('76), chief executive officer of Deloitte & Touche Tax Technologies, Inc., will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards. This award is given to alumni who have achieved extraordinary distinction in their chosen field; demonstrated unusual service to humankind; and maintained a continuing interest in Eastern Michigan University. Bruchanski was president of the EMU E-Club for four years and was an integral part of the development and completion of the EMU E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame. He also was the first student-athlete at EMU to be awarded an NCAA post-graduate scholarship. Bruchanski currently serves on the EMU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Lombardi has been employed at Deloitte & Touche Tax Technologies, Inc. since obtaining his bachelor's degree in business administration from EMU in 1976. Throughout his career, Lombardi has maintained ties to Eastern, serving on the department of accounting and finance advisory board; supporting programs in the College of Business; and bringing other EMU alumni into active participation with the College of Business. Bruchanski lives in Rochester Hills, while Lombardi resides in Lake Forest, Ill.

Paul Tucker Jr. ('75), president/CEO/principal, Tucker, Young, Jackson, Tull Inc.; and Roy Wilbanks ('70), retired president of the EMU Foundation and retired executive vice president of EMU, will receive Dr. John W. Porter Distinguished Service Awards. This award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Eastern Michigan University or its alumni association. Tucker, a Vietnam veteran, started his full-service consulting firm, which provides comprehensive environmental and civil engineering services, in 1984. He and his wife, Evelyn, established an endowed scholarship to benefit African American undergraduates in the College of Business in 2001. Tucker also has volunteered his time as trustee on the EMU Foundation Board of Directors since 1999.

Wilbanks established the EMU Foundation in 1990 and served as part-time president through its formative years. Before his retirement and permanent move to the Foundation, Wilbanks served as vice president for University Relations and executive vice president of EMU from 1985-1996. In 1989, he developed a Facilities Plan for Instructional and Support Programs, which addressed everything from a new library to McKenny Union renovations and campus beautification. Tucker lives in Ann Arbor and Wilbanks lives in Ypsilanti.

Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by calling EMU Alumni Relations, 734.487.0250.

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