| February
18, 2004
“Growing by leaps and bounds” not
only describes the University of Oklahoma College of Arts
and Sciences, it is the theme of this year’s Kaleidoscope
Evening, Friday, Feb. 27. This annual fundraising event,
complete with reception, silent auction, dinner and award
presentations, begins at 6 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Oklahoma
Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave., Norman. The gala both honors
four distinguished alumni for their outstanding achievements
and raises scholarship funds for the college’s Leadership
Scholars program.
During the evening, alumni from each of the four areas of
the college -- humanities, professional schools, natural
sciences and social sciences – will be presented
with the College of Arts and Sciences 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award. The recipients
are Dwight E. Adams, Ph.D., of Fredericksburg, VA; Linda Larason Edmondson, of
Oklahoma City; Judge Robert Henry, of Oklahoma City; and Ambassador Jenonne Walker,
of Washington, D.C.
Dwight E. Adams, Ph.D., special agent and director of the
FBI Laboratory, graduated in 1982 with a doctorate in botany.
One of Adams’ most significant contributions
was his research that proved that DNA evidence is sufficiently reliable to stand
up under examination in court. In 1988, he was the first FBI agent to testify
in Federal Court about DNA evidence and his work helped the FBI Lab become the
first public crime laboratory in the United States to offer DNA testing in criminal
casework. Additionally, Adams has worked both violent crime and background investigations,
served as editor of Forensic Science Communications and is a member of the editorial
board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. He is also a member of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police Forensic Laboratory Services Advisory Group.
Former executive director of the Oklahoma Association for
Healthcare Ethics, Linda Larason Edmondson graduated with
a master of arts degree in social work
in 1985. She also managed the Oklahoma Alliance for Better Care of the Dying,
a statewide initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Edmondson
has been active in a wide range of non-profit organizations including the Oklahoma
City Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Previously she was the
first director of the Citizens League of Central Oklahoma and the first director
of social work at Muskogee Regional Medical Center, where she founded and chaired
the hospital’s Ethics Committee. While living in Muskogee, she helped lead
other organizations such as the Literary Council, the Mayor’s Task Force
on AIDS and Muskogee Cooperative Ministries.
The Honorable Robert Henry graduated in 1974 with a bachelor
of science degree in political science. Henry has served
Oklahomans for nearly four decades in
a variety of roles, including a member of the State House of Representatives
(1976-86) and state attorney general (1986-90). In 1994, Henry was appointed
to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Last Fall, Henry
was part of a six-member delegation, selected and led by Justice Sandra Day O’Conner,
that represented the United States Judiciary at the Arab Judicial Forum, where
he met with jurists and clerics from 17 Arab nations. In addition to government
service and private practice, Henry served as dean of the Oklahoma City University
School of Law (1991-94) and as visiting faculty at Oklahoma Baptist University
and University of Tulsa.
Former ambassador to the Czech Republic, Jenonne Walker,
of Washington, D.C. graduated with a bachelor of arts degree
in Letters and a master of arts degree
in philosophy, both in 1956. Walker served under President Clinton as special
assistant and senior director for Europe on the National Security Council. She
also served as a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace and has written extensively on the relationship between the United States
and Europe. After retiring as a diplomat, Walker served as vice president for
Europe of the World Monuments Fund. She currently is president of the Board of
the Washington Concert Opera an
d a member of the boards of the German Marshall
Fund, the Project on Ethnic Relations, the Friends of Czech Greenways, and
the American Friends of the Czech Republic. All four of this year’s recipients will give free, public presentations
on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave.:
- Dwight Adams, “Science in the Fight Against Terrorism,” 2
p.m., Scholars Room
- Linda Larason Edmondson, “Ethical
Issues at the End of Life: What Do You Need to Know?” 2
p.m., Regents Room
- Robert Henry, "Gods and Governments," 3:30
p.m., Scholars Room
- Jenonne Walker, “American Security
and American Power,” 3:30
p.m., Regents Room
For more information, or to purchase tickets to the Kaleidoscope Evening
at $100 per person, contact Vivian Glore at (405) 325-2347. |
