May 25, 2006

Major Fete for Distinguished UCSB Alumni & Friends

Eileen Conrad

Five accomplished UC Santa Barbara alumni, a distinguished teacher, and a volunteer campus leader will be honored at the 2006 UCSB Alumni Association banquet on Saturday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. in Corwin Pavilion.

The cost of the event is $70 per person, and the public is invited.

Three local residents are among the honorees.

Paula Bruice, of Goleta, senior lecturer in UCSB's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, will be recognized with a Distinguished Teaching Award.

Her classes in organic chemistry have provided a solid underpinning for generations of students.

Robert Lorden, a 1949 UCSB graduate, will receive the Graver Alumni Service Award for distinguished volunteer service to the campus since his retirement as director of the University Center nearly 25 years ago.

UCSB Foundation Trustee Alex Pananides, a campus benefactor and former chair of the foundation, will be made an Honorary Alumnus.

He is president of Westpac Corporation of Santa Barbara.

Lifetime Achievement awards will be presented to William Cunningham of Hilton Head, South Carolina and Dionicio Morales of Montebello.

Cunningham, a 1952 UCSB graduate and a retired business executive, will be recognized for volunteer activities that bridge cultural divides.

Morales, founder of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, will be honored for his contributions to civil rights.

He attended Santa Barbara State College, UCSB's progenitor, from 1937-1943.

Distinguished Alumni awards will be presented to Angela Belcher and Robert Sipchen.

Belcher graduated from the College of Creative Studies in 1991 and also earned her Ph.D. at UCSB.

She is a professor of materials science, engineering, and bioengineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award.

Robert Sipchen, class of 1976, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a longtime member of the editorial staff of the "Los Angeles Times."

For more information call the UCSB Alumni Association at (805) 893-4775 or visit www.ucsbalum.com/awards/awards/banquet.html.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.