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President's Letter |
 The Alumni Association Spring Reunion Banquet and Awards program was held on Thursday, May 4, 2006 at the Big Rapids Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center. The annual event is an important part of spring activities on campus. Taking place just before commencement, Spring Reunion celebrates the successes of alumni while looking forward to the next generation of Ferris leaders. Alumni returning to represent the class of 1956 were inducted into the “Society of Golden Eagles,” and those returning from ’66 also received special recognition. Highlights included special recognition for Opal Fullerton (P’36), who celebrated 70 years as a Ferris graduate, and a memorial for Clare Johnson (P’56), who was an outstanding alumni leader and contributor. In addition to recognizing the Distinguished Alumni and Pacesetter Award Recipients for 2006, the Alumni Association also awarded the John and Sue Bradac Above and Beyond Award to graduating seniors Abby Lund and Bret Muter.
Pacesetter Awards William E. Davis (EHS’94), vice president of security services for Wachovia Corporation, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris in 1994. Davis designs and develops innovative security technology for future application at Wachovia, the fourth largest U.S. bank, at its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. Davis’ pursuit of education led him to earn an MBA degree from Elon University in 2003. He has also taught personal and professional goal-planning to groups in Durham and Chapel Hill. The many volunteer and humanitarian activities Davis has undertaken include work at the Chapel Hill, N.C., Ronald McDonald House, as well as Operation Christmas Child in Charlotte. He helped with organizing the Friday Football Classic and GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament, which raised approximately $100,000 annually to benefit the Triangle Educational Scholarship Foundation. He and his wife, Kathryn, have completed five marathons and numerous running and biking fund- and awareness-raising events for disease prevention and natural resources preservation. A member of the American Society of Industrial Security and Toastmasters International, Davis has served in leadership positions in both organizations. Davis and his wife have a four-year-old daughter, Eva. As principal of Lakeview (Mich.) High School, Michael Travis (EHS’96, ’00) is lead teacher for the school and works to expand the leadership capacity of both his students and staff. He especially stresses the importance of reading to instilling a life-long love of learning. Travis works closely with student placement coordinators from Ferris and other universities in the placement, education and evaluation of student teachers. He is a regular guest speaker in the Teacher Education and Administrator Education departments at Central Michigan University. As an undergraduate at Ferris, Davis served as vice president of the Weight Lifting Club. He has taken that interest forward into both his personal and professional life. At the 2006 West Michigan Open Push/Pull Power Lifting Championships, Travis placed first in the deadlift and second in the bench press in the 200-pound class. As director of an alternative education program for non-traditional and troubled learners at LHS, he arranged a unique work-based program with Lakeview Community Wellness Center, which allows students use of facilities in exchange for work at the center. Davis’ community leadership includes a commitment to recognizing and eliminating discrimination and barriers to learning experienced by the less fortunate. His belief that education is the path out of poverty underlies his conviction that understanding and meeting the needs of economically disadvantaged students is a moral and cultural imperative.
Distinguished Alumni Terry Gohl (T’84), vice president of Visteon’s global manufacturing operations, quality, MP&L and business practices, leads the drive for quality and streamlined business processes for a company with more than 170 manufacturing sites across 24 countries and its 50,000 employees. Gohl prepared well for his position beginning with his studies at Ferris, where he finished first in his class in Manufacturing Engineering both for his associate and bachelor’s degrees. He began his professional career with General Motors’ Fisher Body Division as a tooling engineer after his graduation in 1984. By 1998 he was vice president of Lear Corporation’s transnational division, becoming vice president of North American operations in 2004 before joining Visteon in 2005. Throughout his career, Gohl has remained a steadfast supporter of Ferris’ Technology program through the establishment of co-op and post-graduate programs with the various companies he represented. He has also served on Ferris’ Technical Advisory Board. Gohl’s community service includes his participation in the Visteon Bingo Program at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The program annually has given away as much as $50,000 worth of toys as prizes to raise the spirits of young patients and make them feel like winners. Kenneth G. Lawless (T’76, B’78), vice president and chief operating officer of Clark Construction Company, has overseen the building of many award-winning projects during his nearly 30 years with the company. They include Oldsmobile Park minor league baseball stadium in Lansing, which won the 1996 AGC Build American Award; Bay Harbor Marina in Petoskey, winner of a 1999 Build Michigan Award; and the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark in Boyne Falls, which won another Build Michigan Award in 2005. Also in 2005, Lawless became part-owner of Clark Construction Company, and the Engineering News Record selected the company as one of the top 100 Construction Management firms in the nation. In his 28 years with the company, it has grown from three project managers to 40, and from $10 million annual revenue to $250 million. Lawless has been very active in his industry. He is past president of both the Lansing Builders Exchange and Construction Specifications Institute, and past business manger of the Construction Managers Association of America. He is a frequent speaker for the National Association of Women in Construction and is a member of the Affirmative Action Committee at Clark Construction. Many members of Lawless’ family have attended Ferris, including his grandfather, John, and his brother, Steve. His son, John, is a current student at Ferris. |
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(L-R): President David Eisler with William Davis; Opal Fullerton and Pharmacy Dean Ian Mathison; President Eisler, Terry Gohl and Alumni Association President Toby VanEss; Abby Lund and John Bradac; 2006 Class of Golden Eagles. 