College of Arts and Sciences 2002 Distinguished Alumni

This year, the College of Arts and Sciences will honor five of its alumni, each of whom are recognized as an exceptional representative of one of the four academic divisions of the college. This year's recipients are outstanding leaders in their fields who have made a difference at local, national and international levels. The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at the college's Kaleidoscope Evening on Friday, March 1 in the ballroom of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. In addition, four of the recipients will give lectures on Friday afternoon and meet with students and faculty while on campus.

The 2002 College of Arts and Sciences distinguished alumni recipients and the 4 divisions they represent are: Carole Brookins, social sciences; Neal F. Lane, Ph.D., natural sciences; Alphonso Maldon Jr., professional schools; Rick Rescorla and Barbara Thompson, humanities.

Brookins received a bachelor of arts degree cum laude in history and international relations in 1965, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After leaving OU, she did graduate studies in Houston. Brookins began her career in 1967 as a municipal bond underwriter for A.G. Becker and Co. in Chicago, moving to the commodity field with the Chicago Board of Trade in 1972, and then serving seven years as vice president in the commodities department of E.F. Hutton and Co. Inc. in New York. In 1980, she founded World Perspectives, a Washington-based strategic advisory group that provides information, analysis and consulting services to international commodity, financial and government clients. In that capacity, she assisted clients around the world in her capacity as a policy and trade strategist and is recognized for her expertise on global political economy and its effect on agricultural and food markets. This past fall, she was named the United States executive director to the World Bank in Washington D.C. Brookins' public presentation on "Global Challenges, Global Responsibilities: The Challenges of Leadership In Today's World" will be presented at 3:30 p.m. in the union's Scholars Room.

Lane is one of the Department of Physics and Astronomy's "triple degree" alumni, having earned a bachelor of science degree in 1960, a master of science in 1962 and a doctorate in 1964. Before entering government service, Lane held several academic appointments, beginning in 1966, when he joined the Department of Physics faculty at Rice University. In 1984 he accepted the position of chancellor of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Returning to Rice as provost in 1986, he served in that capacity until his appointment in Washington in 1993, where he served as director of the National Science Foundation until August of 1998. Lane then served as assistant to the president for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from August 1998 until January 2001. Lane currently is the Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly University Professor and Senior Fellow of the James A. Baker III Institute of Public Policy in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. Widely regarded as a distinguished scientist and educator, Lane's many writings and presentations address topics in theoretical atomic and molecular physics, as well as science and technology policy. Among his many affiliations, he is fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and the Association of Women in Science, and is a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He earned Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1960, serving as its national president in 1993. While at Rice, he has also been the two-time recipient of the university's George R. Brown Prize for Superior Teaching. He is a prolific writer and a highly sought speaker. His public presentation, scheduled for 2 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium, is titled "Science, Policy and Politics: The Three Body Problem."

After completing a distinguished 21-year military career in the U.S. Army, Maldon, the distinguished alumnus from the professional schools, has continued to affect world affairs by serving in key political positions. With a bachelor of arts degree (1972) in business administration from Florida A&M University, and a master of arts degree in human relations from OU (1975), Maldon's educational background provided a springboard for a unique and remarkable career. Holding posts that include serving as executive officer at the Armed Forces Staff College, admissions and public liaison officer at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point and finally, deputy director for Army Legislative Affairs to the U.S. House of Representatives, Maldon's military career alone is impressive. However, after leaving the service in 1993, he continued serving his country by accepting several presidential appointments, including deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Military Office, where he managed and directed a staff of over 1,900 personnel, providing operational, logistical and state-of-the-art communication support to the president. He also served as deputy assistant to the president for Legislative Affairs and White House Congressional liaison to the U.S.Senate and House of Representatives, where he was directly responsible for legislative issues involving trade, defense, international affairs, intelligence, banking, and Veterns Affairs. In 1999, he was sworn in as assistant secretary of defense for Force Management Policy, the highest ranking African-American in the Department of Defense, where he was responsible for policies, plans and programs for military and civilian personnel management. Since February 2001, Maldon has served as executive vice president and executive director of Corporate Administrative Services for FleetBoston Financial Corp. Maldon's public presentation, scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Scholars Room, is titled "American's Faith in the Future."

Thompson, representing the humanities, earned her bachelor of arts degree in French in 1961 and also holds teaching certificates in both French and history. Thompson is a community and civic volunteer, giving generously of her time and energy to Oklahoma's children, the Oklahoma City community and OU. She currently serves as the honorary consul of France for Oklahoma. Over the past two years, she has been instrumental in bringing two French consul generals from Houston to the OU campus for a day of activities with students, faculty and the greater community. In addition to serving on the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors, she also serves on the College of Education Board of Advocates. This fall, she was named one of the University of Oklahoma's 2001 Regents' Alumni Award recipients. Thompson's service has been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including OU's Chi Omega sorority Alumni Acheivement Award and the Oklahoma City's Panhellenic Woman of the Year Award. In 1995, she was selected as Oklahoman's Mother of the Year and subsequently honored as the National Mother of the Year. She has served in the leadership of the Junior League of Oklahoma City and currently is in her 12th year on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society. She is married to Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph G. Thompson, an OU graduate and grandson of OU's fifth president, William Bennett Bizzell. Thompson's public presentation, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room is titled "The End Depends on the Beginning: The Importance of Foreign Languages Learned from Childhood."

This year's fifth distinguished alumni award will be given posthumously to Rick Rescorla (BA '70 with distinction and MA '71, both in English). Rescorla was employed as vice president for security at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was instrumental in evacuating nearly 3,500 company employees spread between the 43rd and 66th floors of the World Trade Center. At his post to the end, Rick was one of the six of Dean Witter employees who did not make it out of the building to safety. Members of his family will accept Rescorla's award during the Kaleidoscope Evening.

Tickets for the Kaleidoscope Evening are $100 each. A donation of $1,200 will sponsor a Leadership Scholarship in the name designated by the donor and provide the donor with two dinner tickets. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Vivian Russell at (405) 325-2347. Also contact Russell for information or accommodations on the basis of disability.