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 Larry
Dickenson, Boeing Company’s (NYSE: BA) Commercial Airplanes Group senior
vice president for sales and a 1965 graduate of California State
University, Fresno, is the 2007 Top Dog Alumni Awards’ Distinguished
Alumnus recipient.
The announcement of the Top Dog Alumni Award winners was made by the
Fresno State Alumni Association. The awards will be presented at the Top
Dog Alumni Awards Gala at 5 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Save Mart Center on
campus. The gala is part of Homecoming Weekend activities.
Distinguished Alumnus Dickenson is a Bakersfield native who received a
bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fresno State in 1965.
His long career in aviation includes work with McDonnell Douglas Corp.
and Texas Air Corp. before he started his association with career at
Boeing in 1986 as vice president of Asia/Pacific for the Commercial
Airplanes Group.
His expertise in the market helped Dickenson win major contracts that
helped assure the launch of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft,
designed to be fuel efficient and large enough accommodate 200 to 330
passengers more comfortably. He also helped Boeing consolidate sales of
cargo jets in the Pacific Rim market and interest airlines in the
company’s more-efficient new 747-8 jumbo jetliners.
The June 1997 issue of World
Trade magazine named Dickenson as one of “World Trade’s 25 Most
Influential U.S. Global Visionaries" and Investor’s Business Daily
featured him in its “Leaders & Success” column.
Dickenson has long been
active in service to Fresno State, serving on several boards, including
the National Board of Visitors.
Each year, the Top Dog Awards
honor alumni from Fresno State’s various schools, colleges and divisions
for their accomplishments after leaving the university and for their
participation in alumni affairs. This year’s other honorees are:
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Athletics: Rod
Kraft (1977), a family and sports medicine physician with a practice
in Fresno, who has helped Fresno State student-athletes for many
years. He played football while attending the university.
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College of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology: Ernest A. Bedrosian
(1955), Krikor Y. Bedrosian (1957) and J. Kenneth Bedrosian (1967),
brothers and partners in raisin industry leadership and benefactors
of Fresno State.
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College of Arts and
Humanities: Dennis Woods (1969), founder, president and CEO of
United Security Bank.
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Craig School of
Business: John E. Horstmann (1958), president of Horstmann
Financial and Insurance Services in Fresno. He has been an agent of
New York Life Insurance Co. for nearly 50 years.
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Division of Graduate
Studies: James Finley (1974), who is a deputy undersecretary for
acquisition and technology in the U.S. Department of Defense.
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Kremen School of
Education and Human Development: Larry Powell (1971), elected
the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in 2006. He has served
on numerous Fresno State advisory boards.
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College of Engineering: Charles “Frank” Markarian (1962), who has
worked in assessment and development of advanced technologies for
air-launched weapons. He was awarded the Navy’s highest award for
civilian service.
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College of Health and
Human Services: Dr. Bette Rusk Keltner (1972 and ’74), dean of
the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University.
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Henry Madden Library:
Dr. Marlene Dong Wong (1969), director of Crisis Counseling and
Intervention Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District
and considered an expert on school safety programs.
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College of Science and
Mathematics: Dr. Joan Otomo-Corgel (1972), a former California
State University trustee, who is a dentist and a UCLA adjunct
professor. She serves on the Fresno State National Board of
Visitors.
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College of Social
Sciences: Steve Magarian (1972 and ’74), a former Fresno County
sheriff.
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Student Affairs:
Gerald Tahajian (1963), a Fresno State student body president and
prominent lawyer.
This year’s Arthur
Safstrom Service Award will be presented to Rosellen Kershaw (1947),
whose volunteer service and financial support has benefited numerous
community organizations, including the university.
Tickets to the Top Dog Alumni Awards Gala cost $85 per person, and
tables for 10 are available for $850. They are available by calling
559.278.2586.
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