The Cal Aggie Alumni Association’s 2003 Alumni Award honorees include a national assemblyman of the Republic of Korea, a California Teacher of the Year and the first fe-male chair of the California Air Resources Board.
Honorees were recognized for their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments Oct. 3 during the annual ceremony, held in Freeborn Hall.
The awards and awardees are:
Jerry W. Fielder Memorial Award
Karl Gerdes ’73, Ph.D. ’84, earned the Jerry W. Fielder Memorial Award. A a senior staff engineer for ChevronTexaco, Gerdes has served on the CAAA board and UC Davis Foundation board. He has been a member of the Cal Aggie engineering alumni board since 1984 and serves on the advisory board to the UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. In 1999, Gerdes was awarded the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. He is an active volunteer for the College of Engineering and the Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
The award honors a graduate’s service to the alumni association, the UC Davis Foundation and the university. It was established in 1973 to perpetuate the lifelong interests of one of the university’s most esteemed and supportive alumni, Jerry W. Fielder, ‘39, (1915-1972).
Distinguished Achievement Award
This year, Augustine Gallego, M.A. ’76, and Richard ’49 and Evelyne ’51 Rominger were co-recipients of the Distinguished Achieve-ment Award.
Since 1990, Gallego has been chancellor of the San Diego Community College District. He has earned a reputation as a national leader in higher education and was named one of the 21 most influential senior higher education leaders in the United States by Change magazine. He recently completed a one-year term as chair of the American Council on Education, the largest higher education advocacy organization in the nation, representing 1,800 colleges and universities.
Richard and Evelyne Rominger are advocates for agriculture, land preservation and the arts. Richard served as the U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture for eight years and is a founding leader of the Yolo Land Trust. Evelyne has been a leader at UC Davis in the development of the Nelson Gallery. They are lifetime farmers in the Winters area, maintaining a successful farming operation that is now managed by their sons.
The award honors a graduate of UC Davis whose life since graduation reflects exemplary and outstanding performance and achievements.
Emil M. Mrak International Award
Currently serving as a national assemblyman of the Republic of Korea, Jay Kun Yoo, J.D. ’77, works to assist the disadvantaged and the young and campaigns for unity within Korea and throughout the world. He was the recipient of this year’s Emil M. Mrak International Award.
As a student, Yoo was known as a civil rights activist and leader for Korean American communities in the United States. He has also been awarded the Order of Civil Merit Mununghwa Medal, South Korea’s highest service medal.
The award honors a graduate of UC Davis who is distinguished in his or her career or in service outside the United States.
Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna Award
Meanwhile, the Outstanding Alumnus/ Alumna Award honors a UC Davis graduate who is in the midpoint of his or her career and who has displayed outstanding achievement, promoted innovative change and made outstanding contributions professionally to the community and to UC Davis. Jananne Sharpless was this year’s recipient.
From 1985 to 1991, Sharpless, a 1967 graduate, served as California’s secretary of environmental affairs and was appointed the first female chair of the California Air Resources Board. She presided over and guided California’s adoption of the historic zero-emission vehicle mandate.
Most recently, Sharpless served as an independent consultant and as a leading member of several nonprofit organizations and government advisory boards dealing with energy, air quality and transportation. She is also currently under contract to the UC Office of the President, developing a five-year environmental research plan for the Energy Commission’s Public Interest Electricity Research Program.
Young Alumnus/a of the Year Award
The Young Alumnus/a of the Year Award went to second-grade teacher Tamara Thornell, a 1993 graduate who earned credentials in 1994 and has also been named a 2003 California Teacher of the Year.
In addition to her job, Thornell is a Level III California Technology Assistance Project Certified Technology Mentor and presents workshops to educators throughout the country, demonstrating how easy it is to use technology in the classroom.
Thornell serves UC Davis as an alumni ambassador and co-chairs the CAAA Schol-arship Committee for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
The Young Alumnus/a of the Year Award honors a graduate of UC Davis who has received his or her first degree within the past 10 years and has made outstanding contributions professionally, to the community or to UC Davis.
Aggie Service Award
Gavin Di Mundo, recipient of this year’s Aggie Service Award, is helping the campus expand its reputation among Southern California’s college-minded students and their families.
Last year, Di Mundo, a 1997 graduate, served as a CAAA regional volunteer coordinator for Los Angeles County. His leadership and volunteer efforts contributed to UC Davis’ participation in 54 college fairs in Los Angeles County, helping the campus connect with more than 1,800 potential students and their parents.
The award annually goes to a UC Davis graduate who, during the previous year, demonstrated exemplary Aggie pride and dedication to UC Davis and furthered the alumni association’s and the campus’s goals through personal commitment of time and energy, volunteerism and leadership.
Citations for Excellence
Earned by some 20 individuals this year, citations for excellence go to alumni whose accomplishments have been recognized by their college, school or program. For a complete list of recipients, see the CAAA Web site, located at http://www.alumni.ucdavis.edu.