Virginia's Outstanding Scientists and Virginia's Outstanding Industrialists
Contents
Outstanding Scientists
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Outstanding Industrialists
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Life Achievement in Science
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Life Achievement in Industry
1988 1990 1991 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2001 2003 2004 2005
Beverly Orndorff Award for Exceptional Service to Public Understanding of Science
Virginia's Outstanding Scientists
1985
James S. McCarthy, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
An experimental nuclear physicist, McCarthy was honored for his involvement with the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility that studies how the forces of an atomic nucleus interact.
Michael O. Thorner, M.D.
University of Virginia
Thorner isolated the hypothalamic hormone, ultimately leading to identifying the structure of the brain substance that stimulates the body’s pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone.
1986
Robert V. Coleman, Ph.D. (deceased)
University of Virginia
Through his research in solid state and low temperature physics, Coleman used a scanning tunneling microscope to magnify an image 100 million times for a clear view of closely packed atoms.
Barry Wolf, M.D., Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Wolf discovered the cause of a preventable form of neurologic damage that includes mental retardation and is related to a deficiency in an enzyme. He developed a simple test for this genetic disorder that saved many children from mental retardation and death.
1987
Joel S. Levine, Ph.D.
NASA Langley Research Center
After quantifying the rate of production of several environmentally significant trace atmospheric gases, Levine developed a theoretical computer model to assess the impact of the production of these gases on the composition and chemistry of the atmosphere. Levine is an internationally recognized expert on the "greenhouse effect."
Francis L. Macrina, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Macrina is an international authority on the genetics of virulence and drug resistance in microorganisms. He was the first to apply the tools of recombinant DNA research to explore how bacteria causes tooth decay.
1988
Judith S. Bond, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Bond was recognized for her pioneering work in the field of cell protein degradation. Her discovery of the enzyme meprin and the genetic basis for its production has led to important discoveries about the aging process and potential applications related to kidney disease, diabetes and organ transplantation.
1989
Johannes D. Veldhuis, M.D.
University of Virginia
Veldhuis was recognized for his significant work in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. His research led to the discovery that the body's hormone-producing glands signal certain target tissues by releasing bursts of hormones into the bloodstream. This pinpoints how messages are relayed between the body’s distinct systems.
1990
John B. Delos, Ph.D.
The College of William & Mary
Delos is known worldwide for his work in theoretical atomic and molecular physics. Delos provided insight into the molecular relationship between classical and quantical behavior in atomic systems.
1991
Roger A. Chevalier, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
One of the leading theoretical astrophysicists in the country, Chevalier’s studies of the interactions of supernovae contributed profoundly to our understanding of the violent phenomena of these stars.
Phillip B. Hylemon, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
An internationally known researcher in cholesterol biosynthesis and bile acid metabolism, Hylemon’s work plays an important role in regulating the amount of cholesterol the body produces and in understanding the development of colon cancer.
1992
Donald F. Hunt, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Hunt developed a highly sensitive methodology that enabled him to isolate and sequence processed antigens, which are fragments of cellular proteins displayed on the surface of both healthy and virus-infected cells. His research enhanced future development of improved vaccines and other therapeutic agents.
1993
Gerald V. Gibbs, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
As a nationally recognized educator and internationally prominent research scientist, Gibbs transformed the way mineralogists look at the crystal structures and properties of minerals. He devised computer models that accurately simulate the behavior and reproduce the properties of a number of important materials.
Albert E. Munson, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
With his innovative approach to the treatment of chronic and malignant diseases, Munson is widely regarded as the founder of a new field of research — immunotoxicology. His research has led to a more defined treatment of persons infected with HIV prior to the onset of overt symptoms of AIDS.
1994
Daniel E. Sonenshine, Ph.D.
Old Dominion University
Internationally renowned for his investigations of the biology of ticks, Sonenshine has extended the boundaries of this research field by uniting the disciplines of biochemistry, ecology, endocrinology, ethnology and physiology in his pioneering research into the chemical ecology of arthropods.
James P. Wightman, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wightman’s research focuses on numerous aspects of surface chemistry, with particular emphasis on gas-to-solid and liquid-to-solid interfaces and the analysis of the surfaces of solids. Dr. Wightman’s current research is to develop a predictive model for the lifetime of adhesively bonded structures.
1995
Gary D. Hodgen, Ph.D.
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Hodgen conducted groundbreaking research in the areas of contraception, menopausal therapy and infertility, resulting in some 20 patents. He headed the research team that developed pre-implantation genetic diagnosis used to screen for Tay Sachs disease, which will lead to genetic screening for other diseases, including cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia, and Down's syndrome
Robert K. Yu, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Yu’s recent research focuses on developing treatment for spinal cord injuries. His studies have provided the foundation for an immunotherapy to destroy melanoma cells, and his research has led to a better understanding of the causes of many neurological disorders, including mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and brain tumors
1996
Sidney M. Hecht, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Hecht has attracted both national and international recognition for his work in cancer research. His most significant contribution in the fight against cancer is the identification of new strategies for the action of anti-cancer agents. Hecht identified DNA topoisomerase I as a target for anti-tumor therapy and directed the synthesis of a new anti-tumor drug. He recently discovered that RNA is a more efficient target for bleomycin than DNA and probably contributes to its anti-tumor effects.
1997
Thomas F. Gallagher, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Gallagher is one of the world’s leading experts on autoionization and its inverse process, dielectronic recombination — a key mechanism in nuclear fusion. His groundbreaking studies of highly excited atomic states have led to understanding absorption of energy by atoms in intense laser fields.
James E. McGrath, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Recognized worldwide as one of the premier scientists in polymer science and engineering, McGrath is director of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for High Performance Polymeric Adhesives and Composites and a University Distinguished Professor.
1998
Hermann A. Grunder, Ph.D.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News
As director of the Jefferson Lab, Grunder has built a world center for nuclear physics research into the inner most part of the atom — the quark. His vision led to a more cost efficient accelerator with many scientific advantages, and the facility is now the world’s leader in superconducting technology.
1999
Donald J. Abraham, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Abraham, chairman and professor of medicinal chemistry at VCU’s School of Pharmacy, has an international reputation for his groundbreaking work in drug discovery through regulating the basic chemistry and biology of allostery, a complex system by which protein function and activity is controlled.
Billy R. Martin, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Martin is director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse Center on Drug Abuse Research and the Louis and Ruth Harris Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology. He is world renowned for his research into the biological basis of drug addiction and is advice is sought nationally and internationally from people who are setting policy for marijuana control.
2000
Neal Castagnoli, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Castagnoli is the Harvey W. Peters Professor of Chemistry, co-director of the Harvey W. Peters Research Center for the Study of Parkinson’s Disease and Disorders of the Central Nervous System, and Eminent Scholar of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Castagnoli is a world-renowned researcher whose work has brought us closer to finding the cause of Parkinson’s disease.
John Christian Herr, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Herr is a professor of cell biology with the University of Virginia Health System. He is founder and director of the Lymphocyte Culture Center and director of the NIH Center for Recombinant Gamete Contraceptive Vaccinogens at UVA. Herr’s research focuses on the cell biology of the male reproductive system. He is internationally recognized for his discovery of a unique sperm protein. This led to development of the first patented home tests for male fertility.
2001
Richard O. Claus, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Claus is the Willis G. Worcester Professor at the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founder and director of Virginia’s first technology development center, the Fiber and Electro Optic Research Center. He is one of the founders of the fields of fiber optic sensing and smart structures and materials. Claus is also one of the foremost researchers in the area of nanotechnology or building devices on a molecular level.
Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health
As director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Collins leads a team of more than 1,000 scientists around the world. A working draft of the human genome sequence was announced in June. Understanding the genetic instructions embedded in the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome will transform medicine, providing new insights into diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
2002
David G. I. Kingston, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The first chemist to study the chemical qualities of what is now the world’s best-selling anticancer drug, Kingston is a University Distinguished Professor in the Chemistry Department at Virginia Tech. Paclitaxel or Taxol™ is used to treat breast and ovarian cancer. It fights cancer by inhibiting cell division. Originally the only source of the drug was the Pacific yew tree. To treat one patient required the harvest of six 100-year-old trees. Dr. Kingston’s studies paved the
way for developing a semisynthetic process to create Taxol. Dr. Kingston is also involved in the search for other anticancer agents that may be found in nature. His investigations have created a foundation for what is now an international scientific effort.
Aaron I. Vinik, M.D., Ph.D.
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Dr. Vinik is recognized around the world for discovering INGAP — islet neogenesis associated protein — a naturally occurring gene that stimulates immature pancreatic cells to produce insulin.
Contrary to the theory that pancreas transplants may be the ultimate cure for diabetes, Dr. Vinik believes the cure lies in finding a way to stimulate the growth of new insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. The discovery of INGAP by Dr. Vinik and Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg may stop or reverse the progression of diabetes and prevent onset of the disease in people who are genetically at risk for developing the disease.
2003
Dr. Gordon D. Ginder
VCU Massey Cancer Center
Ginder's major research centers on understanding mechanisms involved in regulating genes. Ginder is credited with discovering that a tagging of specific base pairs of DNA by methylation is associated with gene inactivation. Tagging of tumor suppressor genes by DNA methylation is now thought to be a common mechanism causing human cancer. Ginder's laboratory has also provided the first evidence that the naturally occurring molecule butyrate could activate a silenced gene in normal blood cells. Clinical trials have demonstrated that butyrate can be effective in treating sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. Ginder joined Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center in 1997.
Dr. Cynthia M. Jones
Old Dominion University
Jones is known internationally as a pioneer in fisheries ecology. Jones has developed two important laboratory techniques. One analysis uses layers in fish ear bones, which grow in tree-like rings, to accurately determine the age of a fish. The other technique, which analyses the chemical make up of fish bone, accurately predicts locations in which the fish developed. Because of her work, scientists can now identify essential fish habitats and determine which ones provide better living conditions.
2004
Dr. Anatoly Radyushkin
Old Dominion University and Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Radyushkin is an internationally recognized nuclear theorist in the field of quantum chromodynamics. Radyushkin is a pioneer in developing generalized parton distributions, sets of mathematical equations that allow physicists to obtain three-dimensional snapshots of the inner structure of nucleons. Experiments measuring and testing generalized parton distributions are conducted at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News and are an essential part of the long-term physics program at Jefferson Lab.
Dr. Harvey Schenkein
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry
Dr. Schenkein is at the cutting edge of understanding relationships between oral health and the general health of the whole body. His work focuses on gum diseases, and how the immune system responds to gum infections and how gum diseases promote other chronic inflammatory diseases. Schenkein has discovered that gum diseases, which are the leading cause of adult tooth loss, are not explained totally by exposure to bacteria. There is a genetic aspect to these diseases. He has also found that smoking can depress certain immune functions and actually promote periodontitis. He has also found immunologic links between periodontal diseases and atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and low birth weight.
Dr. John J. Tyson
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dr. Tyson is a world leader in the newly emerging field of computational cell biology. Using his expertise in the dynamics of complex chemical reactions, he seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that control cellular decision-making. Tyson builds mathematical models of genes and proteins and their chemical interactions, and then simulates the changing patterns of molecular activity in time and space. These calculations can be compared to observations of living cells’ behavior to determine how well the equations simulate life. This approach to cell biology promises to lead a major shift in scientific understanding of the molecular basis of life.
2005
Dr. Michael Hochella Jr. is a professor of geochemistry at Virginia Tech. Through his work, it is now clear that interactions of Earth materials at the atomic level with living things, water and the atmosphere control many of Earth’s most important processes. These include soil formation and movement of toxic substances, in addition to water pollution and purification.
Dr. Hochella is the first person to recognize important differences in the behavior of Earth materials at the atomic scale. He calls this developing field of study nanogeoscience. Dr. Hochella discovered a new mineral responsible for transporting toxic heavy metals in soil, streams and rivers more than 100 miles from an old copper mine in Montana. Scientists are following Dr. Hochella’s lead in studying the role small atomic scale particles and forces play, for example, in the movement of bacteria in the subsurface and in triggering lung disease.
Dr. Hadis Morkoç is Founders Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Electrical and Engineering Physics. Dr. Morkoç is responsible for inventing, developing and patenting in the area of compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide. These semiconductors allow higher frequency of operation, higher temperature of operation and light emission in devices such as cellular phones and mini satellite dishes. They also provide higher power transmitters for satellites and solid-state lasers used in medicine and home entertainment systems.
Another example of his work is the modulation doped field effect transistor or MODFET. Dr. Morkoç laid the groundwork for MODFETs, and he holds the fundamental patent for a strained layer quantum well MODFET. This device is used in cell phones and has permitted introduction of mini-dish direct-satellite television broadcasting systems. MODFETs are also used in automotive collision avoidance systems, automatic toll systems, base-to-base satellite communications applications and the Internet.
2006
John T. Povlishock, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. John T. Povlishock is professor and chairman of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine's Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. Dr. Povlishock is internationally recognized as an expert in traumatic brain injury - the leading cause of death and disability in young adults. This condition affects more than 2 million Americans each year. The National Institutes of Health says traumatic brain injury is a silent epidemic. Dr. Povlishock's work has revolutionized medical understanding of traumatic brain injury. Because of Dr. Povlishock's work, doctors now know that traumatic brain injuries do not stop after the initial damage - it can take several hours before a brain shows irreversible damage. Dr. Povlishock and his colleagues have devised several new treatments to block continuing damage. Some of those therapies are currently in clinical trials.
Dr. Povlishock has been at VCU for 33 years. In addition to his roles as professor and chairman, he is director of the Commonwealth Center for the Study of Brain Injury and a professor of surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery.
Cindy Lee Van Dover, Ph.D.
College of William and Mary
Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover is an associate professor of biology at the College of William and Mary. "When I was a child, I thought that all the world was known. I was taught so," says Dr. Van Dover at the beginning of her book "The Octopus's Garden." She thought the list of explorers was complete. Wrong. Dr. Van Dover has become an internationally known deep ocean explorer. She is the only woman certified to pilot the deep-sea submersible Alvin.
Dr. Van Dover's work has changed the way people view life on Earth. While examining specimens from a hydrothermal vent drive, she discovered an unusual eye in a deep-sea shrimp. That led her to associating geothermal light with hot springs on the ocean floor. Her explorations have led her and her colleagues to discovering photosynthetic microorganisms with previously unknown importance to the global carbon cycle. She has led nine major expeditions to deep-sea vents. Dr. Van Dover collaborates with experts in many fields - sensory physiologists, geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, engineers, planetary evolution scientists, astrobiologists and microbiologists.
2007
Steven Grant, M.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
Dr. Steven Grant is associate director for translational research and co-leader of the Cancer Cell Biology program at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. He holds the Shirley Carter and Sture Gordon Olson chair in oncology and is a professor of medicine, pharmacology, biochemistry and microbiology. Dr. Grant is an internationally recognized cancer researcher whose work has established a new approach to cancer treatment.
Dr. Grant has demonstrated that combinations of signaling inhibitors induce programmed cell death in cancer cells and that blocking pathways that cancer cells use to escape treatment causes them to activate a suicide program. His concepts are now in Phase I clinical trials at Massey and other National Cancer Institute-designated centers including those at Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Grant's focus has been on leukemias, lymphomas and other blood disorders, but much of his research has implications for new treatment strategies for solid tumors as well. Dr. Grant Joined Massey in 1988. He has had continuous funding from NCI and other sources for more than 24 years.
George Milton Hornberger, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Dr. George Milton Hornberger is the Ernest H. Ern Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. He’s an international leader in environmental science and hydrology. His research has led to better understanding of the impact of acid rain in the Blue Ridge, pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, what happens to agricultural chemicals in Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont water supplies. He has also worked with the National Research Council and the Department of Energy on issues including safe disposal of nuclear waste.
Dr. Hornberger studies how water moves underground and how hydrological and geochemical processes combine to produce stream dynamics. He does this by combining field observation with mathematical modeling. His supporters say he is known by his peers as the voice of hydrologic science. Dr. Hornberger is a presidential appointee to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. He is president of the American Geophysical Union Hydrology Section and chair of the National Research Council’s Earth Sciences and Resources Board.
M. Patrick McCormick, Ph.D.
Hampton University
Dr. M. Patrick McCormick is a physics professor at Hampton University and co-director of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. McCormick is an international pioneer whose experiments have produced what scientists consider the gold standard for measuring ozone in the stratosphere. His data has identified the impact of human activities on ozone.
Dr. McCormick’s work has also established whether procedures for controlling chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) releases into the atmosphere were having any positive impact on ozone depletion. Dr. McCormick also discovered and named polar stratospheric clouds in the polar regions. This work is critical to understanding how the hole in the ozone layer forms. His work has been instrumental in convincing chemical manufacturers to control emissions of CFCs. Dr. McCormick has also pioneered the use of lasers to study Earth’s atmosphere. His technique is called lidar. It is similar to radar, but uses laser frequencies. His experiments show how particles and clouds in the atmosphere affect global climate. Dr. McCormick joined Hampton University in 1996, coming from NASA/Langley Research Center where he helped build an atmospheric sciences program and led the science for several earth satellite missions.
Outstanding Industrialists
1985
Brent S. Halsey
James River Corporation, Richmond
Halsey founded James River in 1969 where he pursued an acquisition and operating strategy that significantly expanded the company’s business and product diversity. James River started as a one-machine specialty paper company; today, it is an integrated producer of pulp, paper and converted paper and plastic products.
1986
Edward J. Campbell,
Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News
Campbell led his company through a renaissance of technology by implementing state-of-the-art design and construction processes which resulted in significant productivity and quality improvements.
1987
T. Justin Moore Jr. (deceased)
Virginia Power, Richmond
Moore led Virginia Power from a relatively small company to the nation’s 12th largest utility. Through his leadership, the company brought its nuclear units on line at relatively low cost and, within a few years, became a top producer of electricity by nuclear power.
1988
Hays T. Watkins
CSX Corporation, Richmond
Watkins transformed CSX Corporation from essentially a railroad company to the world’s first integrated international freight transportation system, involved in "one-stop" shipping. He also provided valuable leadership in the creation of the Center for Innovative Technology and served as the chairman of its board of directors
1989
Robert H. Spilman
Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., Bassett
Spilman was recognized for his innovative foresight and outstanding leadership that propelled his company to a full-range manufacturer of a varied line of products. His abilities as a long-range planner helped offset some of the more erratic cycles in the industry and quadrupled annual sales.
1990
Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. and Bruce C. Gottwald
Ethyl Corporation, Richmond
This unique brother team was cited for its strong commitment to corporate research and development. Ethyl’s research efforts involve 450 scientists. Through their combined skill and entrepreneurship, they developed Ethyl into a major corporation.
1991
David W. Thompson
Orbital Sciences Corporation, Fairfax
Thompson is an innovative leader in an emerging commercial space industry. Under his guidance, Orbital developed into the nation’s fastest growing commercial space systems company and established Virginia as the nation’s center for low-cost commercial space activity.
1992
William O. Bourke
Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond
Bourke provided strong leadership in the innovative use of advanced manufacturing technologies, automation, new product development and the introduction of American products around the world. Reynolds is known for its quality of management, products and service, as well as its responsibility to the environment, and value as an investment.
1993
Charles W. Pryor Jr., Ph.D.
B&W Nuclear Technologies, Lynchburg
Under Pryor’s guidance, BWNT provides equipment, services and nuclear fuel to commercial nuclear power plants in the United States and abroad. He is a leader in Virginia for promoting cooperative programs between private enterprise and academia.
1994
John W. Roberts
Solite Corporation, Richmond
As founder and president of Solite Corporation, Roberts’ innovation, leadership, high standards, and commitment to testing and research have made lightweight-aggregate a product of choice in the building materials industry and have made Solite Corporation the world’s most recognized name in lightweight-aggregate products.
1995
James E. Ukrop and Robert S. Ukrop
Ukrop’s Super Markets Inc., Richmond
Ukrop’s Super Markets Inc. is recognized nationally and internationally for its customer and community service. James and Robert Ukrop have turned the supermarket business that their parents founded in 1937 into a 25-store chain, with 4,500 associates and more than 30 percent of the Richmond-area market share. James Ukrop serves as vice chairman and chief executive officer and Robert Ukrop is president and chief operating officer.
1996
Shin-ichiro Nagashima
Canon Virginia Inc., Newport News
As chairman and chief executive officer, Nagashima developed Canon Virginia into an industry leader and one of the peninsula’s largest employers. Under his leadership, Canon Virginia has expanded many times, adding new product lines and increasing sales from $15 million in 1987 to $644 million in 1995.
1997
Hugh Stallard
Bell Atlantic-Virginia Inc., Richmond
Stallard led the transformation of Bell Atlantic-Virginia as a basic monopoly telephone company into a competitive communication and information services provider. He aggressively installed digital and fiber optic technology to position Virginia in the national forefront of the telecommunications infrastructure.
1998
Richard Tien-Ren Cheng, Ph.D.
Eastern Computers Inc., Virginia Beach
Growing from three people in 1980 to a payroll of 250 and operations in 26 states, Washington, D.C., Germany and China, ECI provides information systems services to federal agencies and private businesses. It was the first company worldwide to make multilingual microcomputers. As founder and CEO of ECI, Cheng also continues his long relationship with Old Dominion University, serving as an adjunct professor.
1999
Edward H. Bersoff, Ph.D.
BTG Inc., Fairfax
Bersoff is the founder, president and CEO of BTG Inc., which provides information technology services to government and commercial clients. BTG specializes in systems engineering services, information security integration and network solutions.
2000
John B. Adams Jr.
Mike Hughes
The Martin Agency, Richmond
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John B. Adams Jr. and President and Creative Director Mike Hughes have attracted more than 40 major clients to the Richmond-based agency. In the last 10 years, The Martin Agency has nearly tripled in size. Last year the company managed more than a half billion marketing dollars for its domestic and global clients. Adams and Hughes serve on many boards in the Richmond area and encourage agency employees to be active in community work, giving employees time off to participate.
2001
G. Gilmer Minor III
Owens & Minor
As chairman and CEO, Minor has transformed his Richmond-based Fortune 500 company into the nation’s largest distributor of national brand medical and surgical supplies. Under his leadership, sales at the end of 2000 rose to $3.5 billion from $205 million when he became president in 1981. A key to the company’s success is its emphasis on creating and implementing solution-based technology to help drive down costs. Owens & Minor developed an Internet-based tool that allows customers to have easy access to their own purchasing and inventory information. It is the only company in its InformationWeek 500 category to win gold medals for innovation in technology strategy, e-business strategy, business practices and customer knowledge.
2002
Stephen M. Case
AOL Time Warner
Steve Case is chairman of AOL Time Warner Inc., whose industry-leading businesses include interactive services, cable systems, publishing, music, networks and filmed entertainment. Mr. Case He is also chairman of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. Prior to the merger of AOL and Time Warner in 2000, Mr. Case was Chairman and CEO of America Online, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1985.
2003
David R. Goode
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Under his leadership, the Norfolk Southern Corporation has developed industry-leading technologies that promote safe and reliable railroad service for customers and communities. Goode led the company's efforts to develop technology and infrastructure that help divert freight traffic from crowded highways and onto rails. He championed the company's development of information systems to dramatically streamline railroad operations and improve transit times, including the development of the country's largest client-server application to manage the movement of railcars on the Norfolk Southern system. Goode also promoted the use of technology in the company's environmental efforts, ensuring the safety of the millions of carloads of freight the railroad carries each year.
2004
Dr. John S. Langford
Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
Under Dr. Langford's leadership, Aurora has become a world leader in robotic aircraft. Aurora develops high-altitude, unmanned aircraft for scientific and defense purposes. Aurora is also a major contributor to the Air Force's newest and most advanced long-endurance reconnaissance aircraft. Aurora is also working for NASA's Langley Research Center on MarsFlyer, an airplane to explore the atmosphere of Mars. Langford previously worked in the Lockheed "Skunk Works," home of the SR-71 Blackbird, where he worked on developing the F-117 Stealth Fighter.
Dr. Kent Murphy
Luna Innovations Inc.
Murphy is chief executive officer and founder of the Blacksburg-based, employee-owned corporation, which is responsible for bringing more than $125 million in Small Business Innovation Research awards, venture capital, large corporate partnerships and product revenue to Virginia . Luna is a business development company that identifies significant market opportunities, builds promising intellectual property portfolios and prototypes, and delivers them into highly differentiated commercial applications.
2005
Richard Fairbank is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Capital One Financial Corporation. Mr. Fairbank began his career with Strategic Planning Associates (SPA).
Based on his belief that information and technology would transform consumer marketing, Mr. Fairbank developed the idea that would ultimately become Capital One’s hallmark — its Information Based Strategy (IBS). IBS combines information, technology and testing to bring customized solutions to consumers.
Mr. Fairbank recruited fellow SPA consultant, Nigel Morris, to help find a sponsor for IBS in the credit card industry. In 1988, Richmond, Va.-based Signet Bank agreed to implement the strategy. In 1994, Signet spun-off its credit card business as Capital One Financial Corporation, and Mr. Fairbank became chairman and CEO of Capital One.
Capital One rapidly became one of the largest credit card issuers in the United States, and has expanded into new products. Today, Capital One is a diversified Fortune 200 company with more than 48 million accounts worldwide.
2006
Jack L. Ezzell, Jr.
Zel Technologies LLC
Jack L. Ezzell, Jr. is CEO of Zel Technologies LLC - a company that may be impacting your life more than you know. ZelTech describes itself as "providing customers with knowledge, tools and solutions needed for correct and timely decisions and effective actions to help ensure U.S. national security." Mr. Ezzell's Hampton, Va.-based company has responsibilities that range from supporting current military operations around the world to leading the effort to provide security upgrades for the Virginia Port Authority. The company has also been selected to play a major role in building an Air Force command and control system for the 21st century. Mr. Ezzell is a retired Air Force colonel. He founded ZelTech as a small consulting firm. Today it is a multi-faceted engineering and information technology corporation with employees at 30 locations throughout the U.S. and overseas. To give back to the community, Mr. Ezzell established an innovative technology laboratory called KidTech, providing free access to computers and information technology children from kindergarten through fifth grade and to senior citizens.
2007
Ernst Volgenau, Ph.D.
SRA International Inc.
Dr. Ernst Volgenau is founder and chairman of SRA International Inc. He founded the technology services company in the basement of his Reston, Va., home in 1978. Today the company has more than 5,000 employees and revenue exceeding $1 billion. SRA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company has grown every year and has been profitable since its founding. SRA is known for its ethic of Honesty and Service. It has been chosen by Fortune magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for eight consecutive years. Dr. Volgenau spent 20 years in the Air Force, retiring as a colonel. He helped develop space boosters, satellites and computer systems and taught astronautics. He was a team leader for the secretary of defense, conducting large-scale analyses of weapon systems and command structures. He has also been director of inspection and enforcement for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dr. Volgenau is on the George Mason University Board of Visitors. He also serves on the INOVA Health Care Services Board, the Darrell Greet Youth Life Foundation Advisory Board and the Virginia Economic Bridge Board.
Life Achievement in Science
1989
Robert M. Berne, M.D. (deceased)
University of Virginia
Working in cardiovascular physiology, Berne discovered that adenosine, the major component of the body’s energy source, is a key element in regulating blood flow to the heart. His innovative research on the biochemical control of blood vessels paved the way for new methods of treating cardiovascular diseases.
1990
William T. Ham Jr., Ph.D. (deceased)
Virginia Commonwealth University
Ham was honored for his five decades of sustained and significant contributions to vision, ophthalmology and laser biotechnology. He is an international expert on the biomedical application of lasers and light-induced vision problems.
1991
John Cairns Jr., Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Considered by his peers to be the "father of restoration ecology in North America," Cairns is internationally recognized as a pioneer and a major contributor to several areas of environmental studies and has introduced new methodologies for environmental research.
1992
Joseph Larner, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Larner has made major contributions in the areas of enzyme regulation, hormonal control mechanisms and diabetes research. His continuing research on insulin mediators attracted international attention.
1993
John W. Mitchell, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Mitchell has been at the forefront of solid-state physics research for more than 40 years. His work on the physical and chemical processes underlying the formation of images in the photographic process has established him as the leading figure in the field.
1995
John H. Gibbons, Ph.D.
Office of Science and Technology Policy
As director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and assistant to President Clinton, Gibbons draws on his 40-year career as a physics professor, entrepreneur, administrator and policy adviser. He has successfully applied the pragmatic, problem-solving techniques critical to science research to a leadership role in the complex issues of science administration.
1996
S. Gaylen Bradley, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Bradley’s career in micro-biological research spans more than four decades. His pioneering ideas and work have contributed to the birth of immunotoxicology as a discipline. While sustaining his academic research, training students and postdoctoral candidates, and teaching in the classroom, he also served as an academic administrator for the last 25 years.
1997
Louis S. Harris, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Harris is known for developing the first strong pain killer that produced little, if any, addiction. His pioneering work in the treatment of pain still serves as a basis for developing new analgesics and his pain models have been adopted worldwide. Harris is also a pioneer in marijuana research, contributing to our understanding of drug abuse and in developing new strategies for treating addiction.
Oscar L. Miller Jr., Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Miller’s career in biological research spans almost four decades and has won him international acclaim. He and his colleagues developed spreading methods that show DNA molecules in action. You can now see these spreads — known as "Miller Spreads" in textbooks and scientific journals. Using the Miller Spreading technique, a scientist can use an electron microscope to take a snapshot of an active gene, leading to many insights of great importance to modern genetics and cell biology.
1998
Howard W. Jones Jr., M.D.
Georgeanna Seegar Jones, M.D. (deceased)
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Under the Drs. Jones’ guidance, the first child conceived in the United States through in vitro fertilization was born in Norfolk in 1981. Out of their research and dedication grew the world-renowned Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine at EVMS. Technology developed at the Norfolk clinic has helped in vitro fertilization evolve from a rarely successful process to an effective one that is now used throughout the world. Scientists from Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and South American have traveled to Norfolk to learn from this team, that has worked together for more than half a century.
2001
Joseph F. Borzelleca, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
As a pharmacology and toxicology professor, Borzelleca has spent his entire professional career looking for answers to hundreds of safety issues. He developed a standard approach used worldwide to evaluate the safety of fat and sugar substitutes. He has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to assess toxicity of contaminants in drinking water and the Department of Labor to set standards for carcinogens in the workplace. He is internationally recognized for his research on the safety of food, drug and cosmetic colors. He served as chairman for the World Health Organization’s Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues. He has consulted for the Food and Drug Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute, NATO, National Academy of Sciences, Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, foreign governments including France and Japan, and private industry.
2002
Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
Dr. Walter Lawrence Jr. is the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Professor of Surgery Emeritus and Massey Cancer Center Director Emeritus. An internationally recognized cancer surgeon, researcher and teacher, Dr. Lawrence's clinical specialties are breast cancer, soft tissue and skin cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, head and neck cancer, sarcomas, melanomas and liver cancer.
As a military surgeon in Korea, treated wounded soldiers saw at the 46th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Lawrence performed various types of cancer operations and all of the early kidney transplants in New York, and he researched ways to overcome the body’s tendency to reject a transplanted kidney. Dr. Lawrence developed the Hunt-Lawrence pouch: a method of reconstructing an intestinal tract after a stomach has been surgically removed so that a person can eat normally.
2003
Dr. William L. Dewey
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dewey's research concentrates on how brain chemicals are involved in the actions of drugs that are abused and that are used to treat pain and respiratory disease. His work on the role of endorphins, the body's pain killers, increased our knowledge of how morphine works and led to the discovery that blocking the effects of these natural substances was an excellent treatment for sudden infant death syndrome - SIDS. He also contributed significantly to our understanding of the actions of the active constituents of marijuana.
Dr. Michael Menaker
Virginia Commonwealth University
Menaker's research focuses on biological clocks - the timers that regulate behaviors. His laboratory has provided the best evidence that a single portion of the brain is the source of timing signals that regulate the activity-rest cycle. He has proved that mammals have a group of special light sensing cells in their eyes not used for vision. These cells synchronize the clock in the brain to the day-night cycle. Menaker has also shown that other organs, such as the lung and liver, also contain local biological clocks. His work promises to aid in treatment of people who do shift work as well as those with jet lag, psychiatric disorders such as seasonal affective disorder, hypertension, cancer and insomnia.
Dr. William Jennings Hargis Jr.
College of William and Mary
Hargis has been involved in oyster research, Virginia river processes and pollution-related studies most recently. With the backing of the research staff and support of the Virginia General Assembly, Hargis turned the old Virginia Fisheries Laboratory into the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, School of Marine Science of the College of William and Mary, an internationally respected research institution. He has been active in bridging the gap between science and public policy at state, federal and international levels. Hargis is an environmentalist known for promoting marine science and good stewardship of Chesapeake Bay resources. He continues to be active in research and education.
Dr. Dirk Walecka
College of William and Mary
Walecka is one of the world's leaders in nuclear theory. His supporters say he is able to grasp his field in its totality, bring order to it, synthesize contributions of other experts and train the next generation. He has made fundamental contributions to understanding the structure of the nucleus from the general principles of quantum mechanics and special relativity. His work with electron beam analysis led to creation of the Continuous Electron-Beam Accelerator Facility in Newport News, now called the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, where he has served as scientific director.
2004
Dr. Lemont Burwell Kier
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy
Dr. Kier is a pioneer in drug design. Kier advanced drug design from a random search-and-formulate approach into model-building and prediction of molecular activity before actually creating the molecule in a laboratory. Kier’s model for defining sweetness is still in use today. In the early 1990s he and a colleague developed a method that drug companies use to evaluate large databases used to find similar compounds for testing and find new drug shapes to evaluate and develop. Kier’s studies of water structure led to a theory on the action of general anesthetic gases.
2005
Virginia Tech Distinguished Professor Dr. Ali Hasan Nayfeh’s prime areas of concentration are theoretical and experimental mechanics along with applied mathematics. Many of his experiments have been aimed at understanding nonlinear phenomena, including simulating the response of ships and boats to waves at sea. His experiments have been adapted to research on aerospace structures and microelectromechanical devices. Dr. Nayfeh developed a methodology for controlling ship motions. He is responsible for a method to analyze acoustic waves in aircraft engine-duct systems. His system for controlling the swinging movement of payloads on cranes is being considered for implementation on container cranes and ship-mounted cranes for naval and commercial purposes.
Dr. Nayfeh helped establish an engineering college at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, an engineering college at Yarmouk University in Jordan and he helped establish a branch of Riyadh University at Abha, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Nayfeh has been asked to join the Office of Naval Research’s High Capacity Alongside Sea Base Sustainment team headed by Lockheed Martin.
2006
Duncan M. Porter, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dr. Duncan M. Porter has a worldwide reputation as a Charles Darwin expert and botany professor. He's director of Cambridge University's Darwin Correspondence Project and a botany professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Porter has been with the Darwin Project since 1991. He started as senior editor and became project director six years later. He and his Darwin Project colleagues are transcribing, cataloguing and annotating all of Darwin's thousands of letters. The work will ultimately result in 30 volumes.
Dr. Porter's supporters say it is quite a feather in his cap to be an American named to lead the British Cambridge University venture. He has proven a capable fundraiser for the project. In the last four years he has raised more than $2.5 million in competitive grant funding. In 2002 Dr. Porter and Cambridge University's vice chancellor accepted a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Excellence in Higher and Further Education from Queen Elizabeth II. His long-term plant studies have included Virginia's endangered plants, identifying the plants on the Galapagos Islands and identifying Charles Darwin's plant specimens from the voyage of the Beagle.
Life Achievement in Industry
1988
David P. Reynolds
Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond
Reynolds pioneered the development of the aluminum beverage can, aluminum recycling and new uses of aluminum in packaging, transportation and construction. He earned a reputation as one of the aluminum industry’s most innovative executives and as a constructive environmentalist.
1990
J. Harwood Cochrane
Overnite Transportation Company, Richmond
Cochrane’s foresight and leadership propelled his small business from one with two trucks in 1935 to one of the nation’s largest trucking companies today. His creative approach to transportation introduced the industry to a hub system that moves smaller shipments to their destinations more efficiently.
1991
William W. Berry
Dominion Resources Inc. and Virginia Power, Richmond.
An innovative force in introducing new technology into the energy generation process, Berry’s guidance led to the development of new electric generating technologies and improvements in emissions control. He is recognized as a national leader in encouraging the development of competition in the supply of electric generating capacity.
1994
H. D. (Buz) Dawbarn (deceased)
CaMac Corporation, Bristol
Dawbarn exemplifies lifelong dedication to Virginia and its citizens. His foresight, his knowledge of new industrial technology, and his commitment to research and development led him to create two successful man-made fibers manufacturing companies, Dawbarn Brothers, now Wayn-Tex Inc., in Waynesboro, and CaMac Corporation in Bristol. Today, both companies are significant contributors to the commonwealth’s economic vitality.
1995
Jack H. Ferguson
Virginia Power, Richmond
Ferguson is credited with turning Virginia Power into one of the most efficient, innovative and admired utilities in the nation. The retired president and chief executive officer of Virginia Power is known for his promotion of innovative approaches to technological problems and for his leadership within his company and his industry, as well as his community.
1996
Joe T. May
Electronic Instrumentation & Technology Inc., Sterling
May was named for his leadership in bringing innovative technology to Virginia’s electronics industry. Founded in 1977, EIT designs, manufactures and sells electronic products worldwide. Besides being a successful businessman, May is an engineer and inventor who holds 13 patents. He has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 1993.
1997
Charles W. Wampler Jr.
WLR Foods Inc., Harrisonburg
This Harrisonburg native built the family poultry business from a small feed and seed company to one of Fortune Magazine’s top 500 companies in 1994. Under his leadership the company grew through mergers and affiliations becoming Wampler Foods, Wampler-Longacre and later WLR Foods. Wampler served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1954-1966 and served on the State Fair of Virginia Board of Directors and Executive Committee for more than 25 years.
1999
J. Carter Fox
Chesapeake Corporation, Richmond
Fox began at Chesapeake as a summer maintenance employee and retired as chairman in 1998. He transformed Chesapeake Corporation from a small, regional commodity paper board and container manufacturer to an international, diversified tissue and specialty-packaging manufacturer.
2001
Stanley F. Pauley
Carpenter Company
Pauley is credited with turning a tiny company with $700,000 in sales into an international manufacturing concern that employs 6,400 people. The Carpenter Company is a pioneer in manufacturing urethane foams. They have become one of the first foam producers to adopt the use of liquid carbon dioxide to replace previously used agent chemicals. The company is a major recycler of urethane foams in its production of carpet cushioning materials. The Carpenter Company also produces expanded polystyrene materials that are used as insulation for energy conservation. Pauley has taken the company international by opening operations in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Today the company is on the Forbes 400 list of the largest privately held companies.
2003
Gerald T. Halpin
WEST*GROUP
Halpin is the leading Northern Virginia real estate developer of office and industrial parks. His business interests also include developing defense and air cargo facilities, recycling waste into precious metals, ocean farming to produce more fish and carbon dioxide sequestration which may lead to a reduction in global warming. Under his direction, WEST*GROUP has developed, built, leased and/or managed more than 13 million square feet of prime office, industrial, retail, resort and residential space. Halpin is a founder of World Resources Company, which provides world-wide recycling of sludge. He co-founded Ocean Farming Inc. to enhance the growth and harvesting of ocean-raised fish in depleted water. Halpin also co-founded GreenSea Ventures Inc. to explore the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which may provide a solution to global warming. As a conservationist and cultural historian, he chairs the boards of the Grand Teton National Park Foundation and the Washington Monument Visitors Education Fund.
2004
Beverley W. Armstrong
CCA Industries
As vice chairman of CCA Industries, Armstrong, CCA and CCA Chairman Bill Goodwin are known for having turned around AMF Bowling and for reviving a Richmond National Historic Landmark - The Jefferson Hotel. CCA also owns Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina and two manufacturing businesses. Armstrong is highly regarded for playing an active role in his community.
2005
E. Morgan Massey is a pathfinder in the modern American coal industry. Under his leadership the A. T. Massey Coal Company grew from a family operation to a publicly traded corporation and the fourth largest coal company in the country. Mr. Massey learned the business from the bottom up, beginning as a miner in Appalachia.
Mr. Massey retired in 1991 as chairman, president and CEO of the coal company, but he stayed in the energy business. Through his company, Evan Energy Investments LC, he now has interests in coal mines in South America and China and in oil and natural gas operations in Appalachia. He is chairman of Asian American Coal.
Mr. Massey is a founding director of the Massey Cancer Center, established in 1983. He helped shape the center, and insisted that it be designated a National Cancer Institute Center. Mr. Massey is an active member of the VCU Massey Cancer Center Advisory Board.
Mr. Massey is secretary/treasurer of the Massey Foundation and honorary chairman of the Campaign for the Massey Cancer Center. He is president of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Foundation, on the University of Richmond board of advisors and the VCU School of Engineering board of directors. His philanthropic interests include the VCU School of Engineering, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the White House of the Confederacy, the Historic Richmond Foundation, the Virginia Historical Society, Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, Children’s Hospital and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Beverly Orndorff Award for Exceptional Service to Public Understanding of Science
1998
Beverly Orndorff
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Orndorff is the first to receive this award, established in 1998 and named in his honor. A science and medicine writer, Orndorff wrote about complex science subjects so that everyone could understand them. His assignments took him into operating rooms, laboratories and science conferences around Virginia and the nation. Whether the news was in astronomy, biology and medicine, physics, chemistry or mathematics, Orndorff was on the job. Orndorff retired from the Times-Dispatch after 40 years at the newspaper.
2005
Chancellor Professor of Physics Hans Christian von Baeyer has a vision of opening science to everyone. Twenty-five years ago refocused his scholarly activity from publishing articles in academic journals to writing for popular magazines, books and television. He is the author of the Emmy-nominated script for a one-hour television production called “The Quantum Universe.”
Dr. von Baeyer has written five books. His most recent, “Information: The New Language of Science,” has been published in English and German. He wrote “Maxwell’s Demon.” The paperback is called “Warmth Disperses and Time Passes.” His book “Taming the Atom” is published in six languages. He is the author of “The Fermi Solution” and “Rainbow, Snowflakes and Quarks.” He has written 75 articles for popular magazines including Discover, New Scientist, The Sciences and Reader’s Digest.
Dr. von Baeyer has been with William and Mary since in 1968. He served as physics chairman from 1972 through 1978. He was named Chancellor Professor in 1994. He has been a visiting professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He has also worked at McGill University and Vanderbilt University. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. His William and Mary awards include the Jefferson, Graves, Jefferson Teaching and Virginia Outstanding Faculty.
2007
Richard James Rezba, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Richard James Rezba is Center for Life Sciences Education director at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Rezba is nationally known for creating innovative and entertaining ways to teach science. His work influences teachers and students alike. Dr. Rezba had the leadership role in developing “Secrets of Sequence,” his most recent video and lesson program. Teachers around the world have downloaded more than 50,000 copies of the videos and accompanying lessons, which are available free at http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/secretsofthesequence. The program is about how the genomic revolution affects all aspects of life. Two of Dr. Rezba’s books — “Students and Research” and “Learning and Assessing Science Process Skills” — are in their 4th and 5th editions respectively. During his 40-year career Dr. Rezba has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money for science teacher education. As director of VCU’s Center for Life Sciences Education, Dr. Rezba is at the helm of numerous outreach programs that serve the public, teachers and students throughout Virginia and the United States.
