photo by John Glowczwski University of Houston-Clear Lake held its annual Alumni Celebration in October and recognized its 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award honorees. Pictured (l to r) are UH-Clear Lake President William A. Staples; award recipient Preston Johnson Jr.; award recipient Katherine Keys Reeves; award recipient Michael L. Landolt; award recipient Dilhar Mhidu De Silva; and UH-Clear Lake Associate Vice President for University Advancement Dion McInnis. Also recognized at the event with a posthumous Distinguished Alumni Award was The Honorable Russell P. Austin. .

UH-Clear Lake distinguished alumni, prof honored

Five University of Houston-Clear Lake alumni and one professor were honored during the 2008 UH-Clear Lake Alumni Celebration Saturday, Oct. 25, in the university’s atria. Those recognized included the late Honorable Russell P. Austin, Dilhar Mihidu De Silva, Preston Johnson Jr., Michael L. Landolt and Katherine Keys Reeves. UH-Clear Lake Associate Professor of Biology Richard Puzdrowski received the 2008 Outstanding Professor award.

“Our event does more than honor great people who are part of the UH-Clear Lake story,” said UH-Clear Lake Associate Vice President for University Advancement Dion McInnis. “Proceeds benefit the alumni association scholarship fund. Everything that alumni and friends do in support of scholarships is important.”

Puzdrowski received the first award of the evening – the Outstanding Professor Award, which honors the role that professors play in the lives of students. His work with the university includes designing the prehealth/physiology specialization for the Bachelor of Science in Biology and the Biology Scholars Plan for the bachelor’s and master’s programs in biology. He was nominated by students for the Minnie Stevens Piper Award in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

His research allowed him twice to receive two research grants from the National Science Foundation and one research grant from the National Institutes of Health. Puzdrowski has served on the School of Science and Computer Engineering Policy and Advisory Committee and the Post-tenure Performance Review Committee.

“Dr. Puzdrowski’s goal in the classroom is to give students opportunity – opportunity to see, learn, experience and express things they haven’t before,” said McInnis. “He compares it to taking a student to a mountaintop to see things unlike they have ever seen before.”

The Honorable Russell P. Austin earned a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning through the then university’s School of Business and Public Administration, after earning a Doctor of Jurisprudence from University of Houston. Austin served as an attorney in private practice for 24 years before being elected as a judge in 1995 for the Harris County Probate Court No. 1.

Austin, who passed away in June 2008, served as an adjunct professor for UH-Clear Lake’s School of Business and Public Administration during the late 1970s and as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center during the late 1990s. He was awarded the Professor of Excellence Award four times by the South Texas College of Law; the Judge of the Year Award in 2006 by P.O.L.I.C.E. Inc., the Special Faculty Contribution Award from UH-Clear Lake in 1990 and the University of Houston Law Center Faculty Award in 1997. He co-authored more than 38 articles and made numerous presentations on the legal aspects of probate, guardianship and elder law.

“Our distinguished alumni were chosen because of how they have brought honor and recognition to UH-Clear Lake by their professional accomplishments and service to the university and to others,” said McInnis. “Sadly, our first honoree of the evening becomes our first posthumous award. The Honorable Russell P. Austin passed away shortly after the UHCL Alumni Association leadership made their selections for honorees, of which he was one, of course.”

Dilhar Mhidu De Silva received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UH-Clear Lake in 1991 before returning to attain his master’s degree in 1994. After serving as the chief operating officer for Atlantis One Technologies, De Silva founded AtLink Communications Inc. where he also serves as chief technology officer. He served as a member of the Unified Modeling Language team, which is a standardized visual language used to design, analyze and construct software and is supported by major software companies.

During his free time, he remains active in the community having served as past president of the Sri Lankan Association of Houston and the International Foundation for Revitalization, Empowerment, Education and Development, an association that helps underprivileged people in Sri Lanka. In addition, De Silva mentors computer science and computer information systems students in UH-Clear Lake graduate capstone projects.

“For a man who chose to come half way around the globe to accomplish his goals, his personal compass has guided him well on his journey,” remarked McInnis. “His North Star is the desire to ‘do the right thing’ whether it is presenting to 25,000 attendees at a conference, having to lay off 15 employees because of a business downturn, or guiding one of his children on his or her journey, his primary concern is to do the right thing.”

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Vice President Preston Johnson Jr. has a long history in management positions with Fortune 500 companies including having served for 23 years as the global director of human resources for The Dow Chemical Company. While with Dow in 1983, Johnson attained his Master of Business Administration. In addition to being a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Johnson also has memberships in the National Association of Black Accountants and the National Society of Black MBAs.

A very active member of the community, he has served on the Texas Southern University Business Advisory Board, the President’s Advisory Board of Sam Houston State University and the Texas Business and Education Coalition Board of Directors. Johnson’s honors include being named the Beta Gamma Sigma Outstanding Achievement Alumni Member and as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni award from Leon High School.

“Preston Johnson exhibits the blend of lessons learned at home, from his teachers and coaches, and from his mentors,” said McInnis. “He works hard, and expects hard work; he learns and expects others to learn; he teaches, and expects others to teach.”

Longtime university friend Michael Landolt has been actively involved with the university since earning his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from UH-Clear Lake in 1985. In addition to this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award, he has been previously honored with the President’s Cabinet Leadership Award. His talents and dedication has been recognized by other community organizations as well with Landolt receiving the 2005 Bay Area Turning Point Men & Women of Heart Award and the 2007 Boys & Girls Harbor Good Skipper Award.

Landolt has also offered strong financial support to four scholarship endowments including the Wismer Endowment, Lunar Rendezvous Festival Endowment, Betty Liebfrried Endowment and the Distinguished Alumni Endowment. His many community service activities include serving on the board of directors for the Clear Lake Emergency Management Corp. and, more recently, the Friends of Evelyn Meador Library.

“With all the ways that Mike has touched the lives of people in the Clear Lake area, he sees his imprint as other than service,” said McInnis. “‘Ann and I are focused on education,’ he says, which is a gross oversimplification of all the funding and fundraising they’ve done for scholarships. Education, of all types, matter to Mike; he wants others to have opportunity.”

Katherine Reeves received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from UH-Clear Lake in 1998. Since that time, she has been an active supporter of the university. A lifetime member of the UH-Clear Lake Alumni Association, Reeves has also served as a member of the university’s President Cabinet and the Art Task Force. Her many community efforts include serving as a volunteer for Boys and Girls Harbor and on the board of directors for the American Heart Association.

Professionally, Reeves is a member of the National Management Association where she has held a variety of executive positions including president of the organization. She has been active in the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership as well as the National Association of Female Executives. Reeves has received the NASA Johnson Space Center Silver Snoopy Award, the Johnson Space Center Special Professional Achievement Award and the university’s President’s Cabinet Leadership Award.

“She appreciates knowledge; she believes opportunity is to be tapped; and she believes in a very old wisdom: love one another,” said McInnis. “Kathy stands by what she believes. And we believe in her.”

Distinguished Alumni Awards honor UH-Clear Lake graduates who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and careers have brought credit to the institution. The UHCL Alumni Association has presented the Distinguished Alumni Award since 1984. Created in 2006, the Outstanding Professor Award honors professors who embody the fulfillment of learning and discovery by using innovative teaching methods to inspire students.

Guests at the event were entertained with live music and participated in a silent art auction featuring the works of UH-Clear Lake faculty, staff, alumni and students, with proceeds benefiting the UH-Clear Lake Distinguished Alumni Scholarship, created for descendents of UH-Clear Lake alumni. Other speakers at the event included university President William A. Staples and UH-Clear Lake Alumni Association scholarship recipient Debra Navarro.

For more information about the alumni association, visit http://www.uhcl.edu/alumni or call the Office of Alumni and Community Relations, 281-283-2021.

Photo by John Glowczwski
Five Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented during the annual University of Houston-Clear Lake Alumni Celebration. Among those recognized was the late Honorable Russell P. Austin. Presenting the award to Austin’s son, Russell E. Austin, was Austin’s friend and colleague UH-Clear Lake Associate Professor of Legal Studies James C. Benson. Pictured (l to r) are UH-Clear Lake President William A. Staples, Austin, Benson and UH-Clear Lake Associate Vice President for University Advancement Dion McInnis.