Five ECpE alumni were honored at this year’s Iowa State University Alumni Association (ISUAA) Honors and Awards Ceremony at Homecoming. The 2011 Honors and Awards Ceremony, which was held on Friday, October 21, marked the 80th year the event has been held at Iowa State University.
Richard E. “Dick” Horton (BSEE ’62; MSEE ’63; PhDEE ’67), and his wife, Sandra Hart Horton (BS Child Development ’62) were awarded the Alumni Medal by the ISU Alumni Association. The Hortons have been honored many times over the years for their dedication to Iowa State University, its programs, and its alumni. Dick, a Professor Emeritus in Electrical and Computer Engineering, retired from Iowa State University in 2004. He is a trustee of the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation and a past Memorial Union board member. Dick and Sandy have also been loyal supporters of their respective Greek organizations, Theta Delta Chi Fraternity and Delta Zeta Sorority, over the years, and they are active in such organizations as the Ames Chamber of Commerce, both Ames Rotary Clubs, Collegiate Presbyterian Church, and most importantly – countless groups at Iowa State University. The Hortons reside in Ames. More information.
Tracy L. Summers (BSEE ’94) received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the ISU Alumni Association. Summers is a senior program manager for the medical device company Medtronic, where she is responsible for all Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Brady Product Development. Among her accomplishments with Medtronic, she worked with a “wafer fab transfer project” team whose work earned them both the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Star of Excellence and the Medtronic Star of Excellence awards. In addition to her great technical ability, Summers is known throughout Medtronic for her outstanding leadership qualities, and she has been recognized for her community service with organizations such as the Phoenix Heart Walk, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Arizona Animal Welfare League, Diversity Leadership Alliance, Hands on Greater Phoenix, and the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition. Summers lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, fellow alumnus Jerry Summers (BSChE ’93). More information.
David J. Miller (BSEE ’75) received the Impact Award from the ISU Alumni Association. Miller is the associate vice president for facilities planning and management at Iowa State University. When the floods of last August devastated several buildings on campus, Miller’s leadership was invaluable in the efforts to handle the crisis. In all, Miller managed flood recovery efforts in 114 Iowa State facilities. He established processes for handling cleanup and for bringing utilities back on line. He worked with multiple campus entities, contractors, subcontractors, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)–including managing FEMA’s detailed documentation requirements. Miller is active in the community with Ames Morning Rotary, the Northcrest Inc., board, and the Story County Board of Adjustments, as well as an officer in ISU’s 25-Year Club. Miller lives in Ames with his wife, Laura Miller (MS Mass Communications ’93), a fellow alumna. More information.
Thomas J. Bluth (BSEE ’89) was awarded the Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering from the College of Engineering. Bluth is a vice president of Caterpillar Inc,, responsible for their earthmoving division. Since joining Caterpillar in 1995, Bluth has held several different positions that have taken him all over the world. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Bluth is a life member of the ISU Alumni Association and is on the College of Engineering’s Dean’s Advisory Council. Bluth resides in Peoria, Illinois. More information.
Leo “Lee” Edward Ott (BSEE ’64; MSEE ’68; PhDEE ’71) was awarded the Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering by the College of Engineering. Ott is currently chief scientist at Fugro, where he works on GPS applications for agriculture, oil exploration, forestry, map-making and aerial surveying industries. Previously, Ott worked on positioning technology based on inertial navigation, the previous technology used before GPS. Ott has also been a coach and board member for the Spring Branch Little League Association, and has organized many golf charity events to benefit cancer research. Ott lives in Houston, Texas. More information.