10-12-94 Alumni Association will honor Ohio State graduates 10-12-94 OHIO STATE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONORS DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES COLUMBUS -- Max Fisher, the alumnus who recently gave $20 million to The Ohio State University College of Business, and John Tatgenhorst, the man whose gift of music to the university has earned him the nickname of "Mr. Sloopy," will be among 14 graduates honored Oct. 21 during Ohio State's annual homecoming activities. Fisher and Tatgenhorst will be recognized for their service to the community, to the university, and for exceptional professional achievement with two of the 1994 Alumni Awards being given by The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc. The 1994 Alumni Awards will be given in six categories: -- the Alumni Medalist Award for extraordinary distinction and honor in a field of specialization and exceptional service to humankind; -- the Professional Achievement Award for distinguished career accomplishment and outstanding contribution to a profession; -- the Alumni Citizenship Award for distinguished volunteer service beyond the call of business or professional duty; -- the Josephine Sitterle Failer Award for volunteer service to students of a campus of Ohio State; -- the William Oxley Thompson Award for superior career achievement by young alumni; -- the Ralph Davenport Mershon Award for service to Ohio State. The Alumni Medalist Award will be presented to Max M. Fisher '30, '71, Franklin, Mich., member of the boards of directors, Comerica, Inc. (Detroit) and Sotheby's (London). Fisher is being honored as an outstanding industrialist, diplomat, and philanthropist. His business career centered around Aurora Gasoline, for which he was chair until 1959, when it merged with Marathon Oil. He was successfully involved in real estate activities, such as the Irvine Ranch in southern California. As a diplomat, Fisher has counseled and advised Israel's heads of state since Golda Meir and has been a confidant and advisor to U.S. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush. He has been involved in many civic activities and has been awarded 11 honorary degrees. His current civic commitments include the Detroit Renaissance and the United Jewish Appeal. In November 1993, Fisher's $20 million gift to the Ohio State's College of Business (now renamed the Max M. Fisher College of Business) paved the way for a new multi-building academic complex and enhanced programs. Austin E. Knowlton '31, Delaware, Ohio, owner and chairman of the board of The Knowlton Company, will receive the Professional Achievement Award. His firm was responsible for constructing many buildings on university and college campuses around Ohio. A noted sportsman, he breeds thoroughbred horses and is an owner, director, and chairman of the board of the Cincinnati Bengals. Recipients of this year's Josephine Sitterle Failer Award will be Steven M. Carter '81, '83, Columbus, systems mamager of the State of Ohio Department of Youth Services and a longtime alumni volunteer with the Ohio Unions' student activities, and Carl D. Smallwood, '77, '80, Columbus, Ohio, partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, who is being honored for his outstanding contributions to law students at Ohio State. The Alumni Citizenship Award will be given to Richard N. Adams, '60, '64, '72, Troy, Ohio, Miami County commissioner and past superintendent of the Upper Valley Joint Vocational School District in Piqua, Ohio, for his extensive community work throughout Miami County; Thomas J. Eyerman, '63, Chicago, Ill., the head of Delphi Associates Limited (Chicago), for his work as a trustee, officer or member of civic, cultural, religious, and professional organizations, including the Chicago Symphony, the American Architectural Foundation, and the Committee for Economic Development in Washington, D.C.; Robert P. Liggett, '64, '68, Circleville, Ohio, optometrist, for his service to the community through the Circleville City School Board, Pickaway-Ross Vocational School, and organizations such as Kiwanis, Boy Scouts, and the Circleville Chamber of Commerce; and the late John K. Pfahl, '49, '53, Columbus, Ohio, who was honored at a special ceremony earlier this year for his 30 years of service as a volunteer and a leader, a donor to many causes, and a counselor and advisor to the University and the community. Receiving the William Oxley Thompson Award this year will be Mary Beth Foltz Arensberg '81, '93, Worthington, Ohio, manager of nutrition services, Ross Laboratories, who is the author of scientific and professional articles, workbooks, and programs, as well as a spokesperson and presenter for Ross; Yvette McGee Brown, '85, Gahanna, Ohio, Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court judge, who has the distinction of being the youngest elected judge in Ohio and the first African-American woman to serve on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court; and Kristine Noel Kunkle-Wilson, '90, Upper Arlington, Ohio, founder and president of Languages Unlimited, Inc., a firm specializing in providing foreign language, cross-cultural training, and assistance programs for Columbus-area businesses and families relocating into Ohio. The Ralph Davenport Mershon Award will be presented to Richard L. Furry, '60, Rocky River, Ohio, retired president of Day-Glo Color Corp., a member of the 1959-60 NCAA championship basketball team, and a tireless volunteer in serving Ohio State through the Alumni Association, Alumni Club of Cleveland, and the Presidents and Buckeye clubs; William Goldman, '34, Auburn, N.Y., attorney, who has energetically recruited central New York state high school students for Ohio State and has been an avid supporter of Buckeye athletics; and John J. Tatgenhorst, '70, Wilmette, Ill., composer and conductor, the man who arranged "Hang on Sloopy" and other songs for the Ohio State Marching Band and who has actively supported Ohio State as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association and Board of Governors of the Alumni Club of Chicago. The annual Alumni Awards are sponsored by The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc., one of the largest alumni organizations of its kind with nearly 110,000 dues-paying members. For more than 80 years, the association has been dedicated to developing and nurturing lifelong relationships between the association, the university, and its alumni and friends. # Contact: Linda Crossley, (614) 292-3811, fax (614) 292-7697. [Submitted by: STERRETT (sterrett@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu) Wed, 12 Oct 1994 09:12:06 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.