Jack Catlin

Janet Fender

Rodney McKinley

W. DeVier Pierson

February 13, 2009

Norman - Four University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences alumni will be honored for their contributions at the local, national and international levels Friday, Feb. 20, during the college’s annual Kaleidoscope Evening. Recipients of the 2009 College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award are Jack Catlin, representing the humanities; Janet Fender, representing the natural sciences; Rodney McKinley, representing the professional programs; and W. DeVier Pierson, representing the social sciences.  Weiping Zha will be recognized for exceptional service to the college by receiving the Distinguished Service Award.

Catlin, representing the humanities, is professor emeritus of classics and letters at OU.  He joined the faculty in 1969 as an assistant professor, becoming director of the letters program in 1978.  From 1978 to 2006, Catlin also served as chair of the Department of Classics and Letters.  In addition to his service in the department, Catlin received many honors, including the Burlington Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, the OU Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching and the UOSA Award as the Outstanding Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Having received his undergraduate degree in classics from OU in 1958, Catlin went on to earn his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he wrote his dissertation, “Deception and Related Motifs in the ‘Histories’ of Herodotus.” 

While at OU, he served as a member of the advisory council of the School of Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome; state vice president for the Classical Associate of the Middle West and South; editorial advisory board for the Journal of Thought; advisory council of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens; president of OU’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; and chair of the Oklahoma Humanities Foundation.

Fender, who represents the natural sciences, is the scientific adviser to the commander and chief scientist of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.  As command chief scientist, she provides scientific expertise and technical guidance throughout the Air Combat Command.  Fender works to identify leading-edge technologies and uses them to create effective, rapid enhancements to warfighting capabilities. 

With her service to the Air Combat Command, Fender also is a member of the United Nations Space Surveillance Expert Group.  She also serves as an elected member of the executive committee of the board of directors for the American Institute of Physics; serves on the NASA Advanced Aircraft Program Blue Ribbon Panel; and is former chair of the board of assessment of the Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Science and Technology.

Fender graduated from OU in 1974 with a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Arizona.  She is the recipient of many awards, including the Special Act Award from the U.S. Air Force, International Commission on Optics Award, and American Defense Preparedness Association Crozier Prize.  She also was named New Mexico Federal Woman of the Year and a Fellow for the International Society of Optical Engineers and the Optical Society of America.  Her professional memberships include the American Institute of Physics, National Science Foundation Physics and Astronomy Board, NASA Blue Ribbon panel for the Advanced Aircraft Program and International Commission for Optics. 

McKinley, representing the professional programs, is chief master sergeant of the U.S. Air Force.  He serves as the personal adviser to the chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force.   He currently is stationed at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo College in Florida, McKinley completed his master’s degree in human relations at OU in 1999.  His assignments in the U.S. Air Force have taken him to North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, Italy and Germany.  He also was deployed to southwest Asia in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.  He was appointed chief master sergeant of the Air Force on June 30, 2006.  He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters.

Pierson, representing the social sciences, is a 1953 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of OU with a bachelor of arts degree in pre-law.  Following his undergraduate degree, Pierson attended the OU College of Law, where he earned his LLB and was named to the Order of the Coif.  Currently he serves as special counsel at Hunton and Williams, LLP, in Washington, D.C.  Prior to this position, he was a founding member of Pierson, Semmes and Bemis, where he served as the senior litigation partner in federal and state courts.  Additionally, Pierson worked with corporate clients on federal affairs, corporate governance policies, compliance with federal and state corporation laws, and many others.

He also served as special counsel to Lyndon B. Johnson and to the joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. Additionally, he served on the Task Force for the Organization of the Department of Transportation, Trade Advisory Group of the Council on International Economic Policy, Carter Energy Task Force, U.S. Delegation to the El Salvador Elections and delegations to the Peoples Republic of China in 2000 and 2005.

He is a member of the Atlantic Council of the United States, World Affairs Council and Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs.  At OU, he has served on the board of visitors for the College of Law, Honors College and International Programs Center.  The Pierson Professorship at the OU College of Law is named in recognition for his generous donation to the college.  He received the OU Regents’ Alumni Award in 1995 and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2002.

Zha served for five years as the education consul at the Chinese Consulate in Houston.  During that time, he donated much time and energy to assisting OU faculty and students and was instrumental in establishing the Confucius Institute.  He helped with the initial proposal, the preparation of documents for the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing and made several visits to the Norman campus and OU-Tulsa to learn about the goals and accomplishments in teaching Chinese to Oklahoma students from kindergarten to college level.   He also assisted in acquiring books and other teaching materials for the Oklahoma K-12 schools that have language programs teaching Chinese.