NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
Photos of the winners are available on the Web at http://www.egr.uh.edu/news/0504/?e=daa.
High-resolution versions are available by contacting Lisa Merkl.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS
AND ENGINEERING CONTRIBUTIONS
FOCUS OF UH AWARDS DINNER
Three Alumni, Decorated Professor and Community Philanthropist
Honored by Engineering Alumni Association
HOUSTON, June 3, 2004 – For nearly 20 years, the Engineering
Alumni Association (EAA) has recognized alumni, faculty and friends
of the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering
for significant contributions to society and the profession.
This year’s recipients all are being honored for lifetime
achievements and contributions to the field of engineering and include
three distinguished UH engineering alumni, as well as a well-known
philanthropist and long-time UH professor. The 17th annual Distinguished
Engineering Alumni Awards Dinner, held at 7 p.m., Friday, June 4,
at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Houston, also will feature
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels as the evening’s keynote
speaker.
Distinguished Engineering Alumni recipients are William C. Miller,
Jr., an independent oil operator, and John W. Rouse, a consultant
and former Transocean executive. The award for Distinguished Young
Engineering Alumna will go to Tanya Dugat Wickliff, a published
writer and motivational speaker. Dan Luss, a UH chemical engineering
professor, will be presented the Abraham E. Dukler Distinguished
Engineering Faculty Award, and Elizabeth D. Rockwell, a philanthropist
and community leader, will receive the Roger Eichhorn Leadership
Service Award.
Miller, a 1955 UH graduate in petroleum engineering, is receiving
one of the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards. Miller worked
for Texaco Inc. while in school and became a petroleum engineer
upon graduation. His career next took him to Blanco Oil Company,
where he became chief engineer, and then moved on to become an independent
oil operator and actively remains so today.
Rouse, a 1973 UH graduate in civil engineering, is receiving the
other Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. Rouse mostly spent
his career in the oil and gas industry, working nearly three decades
with Transocean, the world’s largest offshore international
drilling contractor. He recently retired as vice president of engineering
and construction from Transocean and is now owner of JR Consulting,
which provides technical expertise and project management to the
oil and gas industry. In addition to being a registered professional
engineer, Rouse also has received the International Association
of Drilling Contractors Special Service Award and was the first
recipient of the EAA’s Roger Eichhorn Leadership Service Award
in 1987.
Wickliff, a 1989 UH graduate in mechanical engineering, is receiving
the Distinguished Young Engineering Alumna Award. After finishing
a master’s in business administration from the University
of Texas in Dallas in 2000, Wickliff went on to pursue her doctorate
and currently is a Ph.D. candidate in engineering at Texas A&M
University, having completed all but her final defense. She is now
principal owner of Tancoe Resources Unlimited, a consulting firm.
Upon graduation, Wickliff started her professional career with Motorola
as a project engineer and was then promoted to the post of final
test production manager for digital signal processing. She also
has worked in management positions for Conoco and Texas Instruments.
Wickliff additionally is a published writer, with her debut work
appearing in “Keeping the Faith,” an inspirational book
by Tavis Smiley, a national radio and television personality. Wickliff
also is gaining popularity as a national motivational speaker.
Luss, the Abraham E. Dukler Distinguished Engineering Faculty Award
winner, joined the UH chemical engineering department in 1967 and
served as chair of the department for more than 20 years. Under
his leadership, the department was elevated to be one of the Top
10 in the nation and still maintains a high rank. Luss’ professional
accomplishments were recognized by his election to the National
Academy of Engineering in 1984. He also has received the Colburn
Award, the Professional Progress Award and the Wilhelm Award, all
from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Rockwell, a fourth generation Houstonian, is widely recognized
as an expert in retirement, estate, investment and tax planning.
Rockwell’s business career spanned leadership roles at several
Houston corporations, culminating with her position as executive
director of the Private Client Division of CIBC Oppenheimer Corp.,
from which she partially retired. Rockwell serves on the Board of
Governors Executive Committee for the Houston Forum, advisory council
of the Greater Houston Women’s Foundation, Houston Educational
Excellence Foundation Board, UH Cullen College of Engineering’s
Leadership Board, finance committee of the Houston Alumni Organization,
and the UH Foundation Board. Among numerous UH honors, she has received
an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and the Dean’s Circle
Award from the Cullen College of Engineering.
For event information, visit www.egr.uh.edu/alumni
or contact Janice Quiroz at 713-743-4215 or jquiroz@uh.edu.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
About the Cullen College of Engineering
UH Cullen College of Engineering has produced five U.S. astronauts,
ten members of the National Academy of Engineering, and degree programs
that have ranked in the top ten nationally. With more than 2,200
students, the college offers accredited undergraduate and graduate
degrees in chemical, civil and environmental, electrical and computer,
industrial, and mechanical engineering. It also offers specialized
programs in aerospace, biomedical, materials, petroleum engineering
and telecommunications.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
|