Purdue electrical and computer engineering honors alumni

"While we are proud of all our alumni, this is an honor annually bestowed on just a few individuals," said Mark Smith, head of electrical and computer engineering and the Michael J. and Katherine R. Birck Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "These alumni have contributed much to society through their professional and personal endeavors."

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has more than 22,000 alumni, and 154, including this year's recipients, have received outstanding alumni awards.

This year's award recipients are:

• Arthur Baggeroer of Westwood, Mass., who received a bachelor's degree in 1963. He earned a doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Baggeroer is the Ford Professor of Engineering in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering and its Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has served as a consultant to the chief of naval research at the NATO SACLANT Center and as a Cecil and Ida Green Scholar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has been chief scientist on 15 oceanography cruises with seven in the Arctic Ocean. Baggeroer is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Acoustical Society of America. Baggeroer was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and awarded a Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair in Oceanographic Science.

• John Chiminski of Watertown, Wis., who received a master's degree in 1987. He received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's of business degree from Northwestern University. Chiminski is vice president and general manager of the Global MR Business of GE Healthcare, an international diagnostic imaging division and a $17 billion unit of the General Electric Co. He joined GE Medical Systems in Milwaukee, Wis., in 1988 in the manufacturing management program. Previous to his Global MR role, Chiminski held several management positions, including global manager of vascular systems engineering in Buc, France and general manager of global CT engineering in Wisconsin.

• Lawrence Kessler of Buffalo Grove, Ill., who received a bachelor's degree in 1964. He received a doctorate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kessler is president and chief technical officer of Sonoscan Inc., a high-tech firm he founded in 1974. Sonoscan specializes in acoustic microscopy, a technique of nondestructive inspection widely used for quality control of semiconductor devices. Previously he worked as a research scientist by Zenith Radio Corp. from 1968-73 where he developed new methods of ultrasonic visualization. Kessler holds 11 patents in the area of ultrasonic imaging system technology and applications. He is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and a distinguished alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kessler is past president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Ultrasonics and Ferroelectrics Society.

• Craig Overhage of Beaverton, Ore., who received a bachelor's degree in 1983. He received a master's degree from Oregon State University. Overage is senior vice president and general manager of the Instruments Business for Tektronix Inc. with executive responsibility for the company's general-purpose and video test products. As general manager, Overhage oversees product and licensing, strategy, product development, marketing, sales, service and technology development of all instruments products. Additionally, he serves as the executive staff sponsor for Tektronix's operations in India and Japan. He holds three patents. Overhage began his career with Tektronix as a design engineer for the logic analyzer product line. He has held various other roles including vice president of the digital systems business and vice president of the instruments business unit.

• Paul Shirley of Albuquerque, N.M., who received bachelor's and master's degrees in 1981 and 1985, respectively. Shirley is an entrepreneur, technologist, and business leader who has led the development of multiple businesses that specialize in the fielding of advanced technology products and services. Shirley drove the rapid growth of numerous high-tech startup companies, including SVS Inc. (now Boeing-SVS) and Qynergy Corp. He has more than 30 years experience in the design, integration, field test and performance analysis of aircraft, balloon-borne missiles and satellite systems. Shirley also has been involved with academia and taught electrical engineering courses and did advanced research at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He co-founded and served as chairman of the board of the Directed Energy Professional Society.

• Donald Thompson of Burr Ridge, Ill., who earned his bachelor's degree in 1984. He is president of McDonald's Corp. USA. In this role, he oversees the nation's entire McDonald's system, including 13,700 restaurants. Prior to this, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for McDonald's USA and was instrumental in establishing and executing its strategic U.S. growth plan. Thompson has served as executive vice president for McDonald's restaurant solutions group, where he led global innovation orchestration. Previously, he served as president of McDonald's West Division, leading an organization of 4,000 restaurants in 16 states, and president of the former McDonald's Midwest Division, overseeing 2,200 restaurants. Before joining the Midwest Division, Thompson was regional vice president for the San Diego Region and was responsible for more than 350 restaurants in Southern California.

• Kensall Wise of Ann Arbor, Mich., who received a bachelor's degree in 1963. He received master's and doctorate degrees from Stanford University. Wise is the William Gould Dow Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan, where he now directs the Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems. Before joining the faculty at Michigan, he worked as a research associate and lecturer in the Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering. From 1963-65 and from 1972-74, he served as a member of the technical staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Wise organized and served as the first chairman of the Technical Subcommittee on Solid-State Sensors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Electron Devices Society.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Source: Mark Smith, (765) 494-3539, mjts@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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