RICHARDSON, Texas (Oct. 20, 2006) — Three accomplished University of Texas at Dallas alumni – a district judge, wireless communications visionary and Asian American community leader – will be recognized during a dinner and dance highlighting homecoming weekend activities Oct. 27-29.
Events will begin with a parade along the Student Union mall at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, to be followed by women’s and men’s soccer games with East Texas Baptist University. Saturday’s activities will include a disc golf exhibition, community garden groundbreaking, tailgate party, soccer games with LeTourneau University and alumni dinner at 7 p.m. in the UT Dallas Activities Center. A golf outing at Sherrill Park will wrap things up on Sunday.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented annually to UT Dallas graduates who have made significant contributions since leaving the university. UTD alumnus astronaut Dr. Jim Reilly was the first recipient of the award in 2002.
Honorees for 2006 are:
- Judge Mary Murphy, presiding judge of the Dallas County Civil District Courts.
Murphy earned a bachelor of arts degree cum laude from UT Dallas in 1979 and went on to get a law degree from SMU in 1983. She was elected to the bench in 2001 and will serve until 2008. - Dr. William Krenik, wireless advanced architectures manager for Texas Instruments.
Krenik received a doctorate in electrical engineering at UT Dallas. He manages TI’s advanced wireless research team, studying technologies and system architectures to determine the impact on future communications, and holds 38 U.S. patents.
Previous honorees also include entrepreneur Albert C. Black Jr., nanotechnology pioneer James Von Ehr and Melendy Lovett, senior vice president of Texas Instruments.
Also at the dinner, Alumna Anchi Ku will receive the university’s first Green and Orange Award, which is named for the school colors and presented to an individual who has provided exceptional volunteer service to UT Dallas or its alumni association.
Ms. Ku received a bachelor of science degree in business and public administration from UT Dallas in 1981 and is a senior paralegal at Hunton and Williams LLP in Dallas. She has been president of the Alumni Association and served on the university’s presidential search committee.
“The contributions of these former students bring honor to our university by positively impacting our lives in the areas of science, business and law,” said Joseph A. Lanners, president of the UT Dallas Alumni Association.
The dinner is expected to attract over 300 attendees and will be an elegant celebration of UT Dallas, featuring the awards program followed by music for dancing by Dallas Unlimited, he said.
The theme for this year’s homecoming weekend is “Comet Victory Cruise.” Reservations are requested for many of the activities. For a complete schedule and to register online, visit www.utdallasalumni.com and click on Alumni Weekend 2006. To register by phone, call 972-883-2295, or by e-mail, write alumni@utdallas.edu.
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.