|
 Some
of California State University, Fresno’s most-accomplished alumni will
be in the spotlight Oct. 10 for the annual Top Dog Alumni Awards Gala at
the Save Mart Center.
Nat DiBuduo (Class of 1972), president of Allied Grape Growers, will
receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Dr. Arnold Gazarian and
Dianne Gazarian will receive the Arthur Safstrom Service Award for their
many contributions to the university.
DiBuduo has been an active volunteer since he attended Fresno State and
was elected student vice president. His alma mater has been one of the
biggest beneficiaries of DiBuduo’s community service, including
membership on the boards of the Ag One Foundation and Fresno State
Alumni Association. And DiBuduo counts more than 50 relatives who have
attended Fresno State since the 1940s.
 The
Gazarians’ philanthropy has included gifts to Fresno State’s Smittcamp
Alumni House, the Friends of the Madden Library, the President’s Fund
and the Craig School of Business to establish the Arnold and Dianne
Gazarian Real Estate Center. They also provided incentives to attract
others’ gifts for the Haig and Isabel Berberian Endowed Chair in
Armenian Studies. Arnold Gazarian is an alumnus of Fresno State.
Their generosity doesn’t stop on campus. The Gazarians are benefactors
of the Berberian Community Hospice Patient Services Center and Homeless
and Transitional Living Center in Modesto.
Top Dog Outstanding Alumni Awards will be presented the same evening to
the following, who represent the university’s colleges, schools and
divisions:
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Dr. Robert C.
Cannell (1986), who is the supply chain director for McDonald’s USA
(NYSE: MCD), responsible for the quality and safety of the restaurant
chain’s beef and pork.
College of Arts and Humanities – Brad Lewis (1980), a Pixar
Animation Studios producer, whose “Ratatouille” received Oscar, Golden
Globe, Grammy and Clio awards. Pixar is a division of the Walt Disney
Co. (NYSE: DIS).
Athletics – Kerri Donis (1991), a Bulldog softball star who
played for two national titles and now is deputy chief for the Fresno
Fire Department.
Craig School of Business – Steve Heinrichs (1968), managing
partner of Bulldog Capital Partners, a venture fund that invests in new
business ideas and companies with potential to contribute to the central
San Joaquin Valley economy.
Kremen School of Education and Human Development – Darlene Spano
(1969), an elementary school teacher in Fresno for 32 years, who
embraced computer technology early and helped her students and teaching
colleagues learn.
College of Engineering – Dr. Vida Ilderem (1982), vice president
of physical and digital realization research at Motorola Laboratories,
the applied research arm of Motorola (NYSE: MOT).
Division of Graduate Studies – Mabelle Selland (1950, 1972),
whose community service includes preservation of the old Administration
Building at Fresno City College, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium
restoration and active participation in numerous organizations.
College of Health and Human Services – Pamela A. Loewen (1966),
who has followed a career in military and public health nursing with
extensive service to the university’s Department of Nursing as it
celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Henry Madden Library – Kendall Manock (1951), an attorney who has
been instrumental in obtaining materials for the Library’s Central
Valley Political Archive and on many other library initiatives.
College of Science and Mathematics – Dr. Roy James Shlemon
(1958), who has a consulting geological practice focusing on sites for
nuclear power plants and waste facilities, large dams and residential
developments throughout the world.
College of Social Sciences – Thomas L. Williams (1970), chairman
and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, part of the NBC Universal division
of GE (NYSE: GE).
Division of Student Affairs – Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez
(1957, 1972), retired as a newspaper publisher after government service
including two ambassadorships and directing the War on Poverty as the
nation’s highest-ranking Latino government official.
The Top Dog Alumni Awards ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 with a
no-host reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 and the presentation at
7:30. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert Oliver (1966) will emcee
the event.
Tickets to the gala are $100 each and sponsorship options ranging from
$500 to $5,000 are available through Sept. 8.
|
