ASU Vision Online - Inside Vision - Fall 2002 Vol. 6 No.1

Homecoming awards recognize strong support for alma mater

Homecoming is set for October 26, and many colleges and the Intercollegiate Athletic Department have announced their 2002 Hall of Fame inductees to be honored that weekend.

Alumni Association

Uta Monique Behrens and Cynthia Barnes Pharr are the 2002 Alumni Service Award winners, and Robin Hanna the Alumni Appreciation Award recipient. All three will be honored at halftime of ASU's Homecoming game vs. Washington on Oct. 26.

Behrens is a lifetime member of the ASU Alumni Association, and exemplifies loyalty to ASU through her generous commitment of ideas, service and support. She has a delightful spirit as well. Uta, who along with her husband Bill sponsored the reception area of Old Main, graduated magna cum laude from ASU in 1985 with a B.A. in German. She is a member of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Council, and has been a member since 1996.

Behrens recently established a scholarship endowment in CLAS for a student to study abroad in Germany. She is involved with the Women's Studies program and is a lifetime contributor to that program through her dedication, contribution of time and service and financial support. She also sponsored the Cancer Research Institute Building Campaign, and is honored as a donor with a recognition plaque.

Since her retirement in 1992, Uta has been active in the community, serving on several boards of directors of non-profit organizations.

Cindy Barnes Pharr has served the campus, community and the Alumni Association in ways that consistently surpass expectations. She was the primary volunteer responsible for the revitalization of the College of Public Programs' Alumni Chapter during her three terms as president and more than 10 years on the board.

Her efforts have not only helped the chapter evolve, but have raised the level of awareness about alumni and their value to the university among faculty, students and other alumni. Her perfectionism drives others to higher levels. She has also forged relationships with corporate sponsors for the chapter, and is a role model due to her generous financial support for scholarships within the college.

Cindy contributes fully to committees she serves on, integrates her deep knowledge of the university into every effort and is cognizant of the larger goals and issues which drive program agendas. Her personal traits and skills make her a natural leader and an exemplary volunteer.

Robin Hanna is one of the community's leading activists, providing skillful, caring and significant hands-on effort and leadership. She was greatly involved with the Great Communities segment of the Campaign for Leadership, and she has much individual involvement with ASU students and graduates.

Robin is very involved in several ASU programs and has spent most of her career as a banker, rising to the position of senior vice president and community projects manager for Bank of America. She is heavily involved also with the Wilson Coalition - a group of neighborhood-based leaders and agency officials.

She is also a Big Sister and has enlisted many other bank employees to engage in volunteer work. Her work at ASU has involved being very instrumental in helping with the COPP's Community Resource Council. Currently she's involved with the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management, where she is serving as a catalyst for connecting ASU to the community.

College of Business

The College of Business will honor Rick Rosenthal '78, the Vice Chairman, Tax Operations at KPMG, with induction into its Hall of Fame.

Rosenthal, appointed to his position in 2000, has direct responsibility for strategy development, final performance and overall management of KPMG's Americas tax practice -- a $1.5 billion business, with more than 4,000 tax partners and professionals. During his tenure, the practice has significantly grown its revenue and talent base, resulting in the fastest growth among top-five accounting firms and recognition as the profession's thought leader.

College of Education

Dennis Nelson '68, '73 M.Ed., '76 Ed.D. and Nancy Cooper Bennett '76, '92 M.Ed., will be inducted into the College of Education's Hall of Fame.

For more than three decades, Nelson has devoted himself to his profession, challenging students of all ages, as well as colleagues, to strive to their highest potential. His gifted mathematics instruction has enhanced the education of students at Phoenix College and Mesa Community College, as well as ASU. He was honored in 1987 by the American School Boards Association when it selected two of his "100 Best Curriculum Ideas in the United States."

Nancy Cooper Bennett has 20 years experience in a variety of classroom, clinical and other professional settings with children, adolescents and adults facing educational and emotional challenges. She started the Bennett Academy in 1995, which continues to grow and serve middle school students. Since 1992 she has been the Education Director of Charter Hospitals of Arizona. She was also an independent educational contractor, providing services to a variety of clients including a Phoenix think tank, the Maricopa Community College District, Al Collins Graphic Design School, Sky Chefs, Inc., and ParcPlace Adolescent Recovery Center.

College of Fine Arts

David Saar, founder and artistic director of Childsplay, Arizona's award-winning professional theatre company for families and young audiences, will be honored with the college's Notable Achievement Award. Saar, who has a Master's from ASU, has directed and taught for Childsplay since the company was founded in 1977. He has been an adjunct faculty member for the ASU Theatre Program and received the 1989 Governor's Arts Award for his contributions to the arts in Arizona. He currently is a site reporter for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Intercollegiate Athletics

Danny Villa and Freddie Williams are the former Sun Devil football players. Villa anchored an offensive line that enabled the ASU running game to average more than 200 yards rushing per game during the 1986 Rose Bowl-winning season. He won the Morris Trophy, recognizing the best lineman in the Pac-10, and was a consensus All-American. Villa was drafted by the New England Patriots.

Freddie Williams owns the ASU record for most rushing attempts, 37, in a game and season, 266, in 1975. He is second on the career rushing list with 3,424 yards, and is one of only two Devils to post back-to-back 1,000-yards plus seasons. Freddie made All-Western Athletic Conference two straight years, and was an AP honorable mention All-American. He rushed for 1,316 yards in ASU's 12-0 season in 1975, when it wound up ranked second in the country.

The basketball inductees are Larry Armstrong and Dennis Dairman '65, '72 M.B.A., who were stalwarts for the successful Sun Devil teams in the early 1960s. Armstrong was a two-time All-Border Conference selection, and at one point was the second-leading scorer in ASU history. He led the team in scoring two years and was a second-team All-America selection. Larry passed away during the fall of 1988.

Dennis Dairman, who once scored more than 60 points for North High School, was a member of one of ASU's greatest squads, the 26-3 1962-63 team. He earned all-conference accolades twice in his career and led the 1964-65 team in scoring. Currently a judge in the Valley, he still ranks in the top 10 of many ASU career categories.

From baseball, ASU will honor Jeff Pentland '69, '76 M.S. and Mike Kelly. Pentland, most recently was the hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs and Sammy Sosa, was a standout on the 1967 national championship team. He ranks in the top 10 in three pitching categories, including a 14-5 season with a 2.05 ERA, 12 complete games, 154 innings pitched and 179 strikeouts during the title year. He spent time on Jim Brock's staff in the 1980s as a hitting coach.

Mike Kelly was the consensus College Player of the Year in 1990 after hitting .376 with 97 hits, 83 runs, 17 doubles, six triples and 21 home runs. He was a two-time All-American, and won the Golden Spikes Award in 1990. For his career, Kelly hit .350 and totaled 46 home runs -- second most in ASU history. He was the second overall pick in the 1991 MLB draft.

Phil Mickelson '92 and Pearl Sinn are the golf honorees. Mickelson, the greatest male golfer in Sun Devil history, was a four-time All-American and a three-time NCAA medalist, winning in 1989, 1990 and 1992. He was the dominant Pac-10 player from 1990-92, and won the conference title in 1990. He is the only player to win outright NCAA crowns in his freshman and sophomore seasons and is one of only five players to win the title as a freshman. Phil won a school-record 16 tournaments, and is currently ranked the No. 2 professional golfer in the world. He is a member of the Ryder Cup team.

Pearl Sinn was the first golfer ever to win both the U.S. Public Links and U.S. Amateur in the same year, 1988. She also captured the 1989 Public Links crown, as well as playing on the winning U.S. squad at the World Team Amateur. She was a two-time first-team All-American, and won Pac-10 medalist honors in 1989. She helped ASU win two conference titles.

Maicel Malone '95 was a four-time NCAA champion for ASU in track in the 400 meters. She was a member of two NCAA championship relay teams in 1988 and 1991, and became the first woman to win three consecutive 400-meter indoor titles. A six-time Pac-10 champion and an 11-time All-American, she was an alternate on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.

Christy Nore '90, '95 M.Ed. earned All-American honors in volleyball in 1988 after leading the country in digs per game and ranking 16th in kills. She is one of only four players in ASU history to register at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, and is the school recordholder in digs with 1,597 and ranks fifth in kills with 1,517. She was a member of the U.S. squad at the 1987 World University Games and helped the Devils to four straight NCAA appearances.

Linda Vollstedt '69, '71 M.Ed., is the best women's golf coach in the history of the NCAA. That said, one need only check her record to prove that point. She coached the Sun Devils to six NCAA titles and nine Pac-10 titles. A graduate of ASU, she began coaching in 1980 and retired last year. She has been named one of the Top 10 college coaches of the 20th Century by Golf World magazine and was Golfweek's 1997 National Collegiate Coach of the Year. In 1995, she swept every one of golf's coaching awards. She has been national coach of the year five times, and has sent 18 players to the LPGA Tour.

Steve Loy, coached the men's program for six years (1987-92) and led his team to its first NCAA title in 1990 and two Pac-10 titles in 1989 and '90. He coached All-American Phil Mickelson, winner of 16 collegiate events, including three NCAA titles, for four years, and coached 10 total Sun Devils to 20 All-American honors.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

John Whiteman will be honored by CLAS. Whiteman is a 1963 graduate of ASU with a B.S. He joined Empire Southwest in 1963, and is currently Chairman and CEO of Empire Southwest Co., the largest Caterpillar dealer for Arizona, southeastern California and part of Mexico. It is also ranked as one of the largest dealerships in the U.S. John is a member of the college's Dean's Council, has founded and chaired a group developing a process to effectively recognize distinguished professors at ASU and was president of the ASU Alumni Association in 1982-83.

College of Nursing

Genie Eide will receive the college's Alumni Achievement Award. She received her B.S. degree from ASU in 1967, and owns and operates her own company, Homecare Hospice Consulting Service. Genie was recently elected as a fellow into the University of Homecare in Washington, D.C., and is a lifetime member of the Arizona Nurses' Association and the Arizona Homecare Association.

College of Public Programs

Ramon Elias, Peter Rios and Rachel Sacco will be honored by the College of Public Programs for their success and commitment to the communities they serve.

Ramon Elias, a 1973 graduate with a B.A. in recreation, is president and chief executive officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley. He has devoted a 30-year career to youth, many of whom are economically disadvantaged. He has been executive director, director of operations, program director and physical education director with the organization.

Peter Rios, the Whip in the Arizona State Senate, received his degree in sociology and a master's in social services administration (social work). He has worked in a variety of social settings with particular emphasis on services to children and families. He was children's adoption coordinator for the state and also served as Social Services Assistant Program Manager. He was elected to the Senate in 1982, and was Arizona's first Latino Senate President in 1991.

Rachel Sacco is president and chief executive officer of the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in communication in 1979 and a double minor in business and foreign languages. She worked as a communications consultant at Intercom prior to spending seven years at the Phoenix/Valley of the Sun Convention and Visitors Bureau where she served as membership manager, tourism sales manager and national sales manager.

Uta Behrens

Cindy Barnes Pharr

Robin Hanna

Rick Rosenthal

Dennis Nelson

Nancy Cooper Bennett

David Saar

Danny Villa