UA Little Rock Alumni Association & UA Little Rock Foundation Fund Board
Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration
Oct. 23, 2020, 11:30 a.m.
Streaming virtually from ualr.edu/alumni
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Program
Welcome Kristi Smith, ‘95, ‘97 Senior Director of Development Director of Alumni Association, Interim Greetings Chancellor Christina S. Drale Master of Ceremonies James Bobo, ‘05 Alumni Board President Whitbeck Award Presentation Katie Zakrzewski, ‘20 Presidents Award Presentation Becky Blass, ‘73, ‘82
Distinguished Alumnus Award Presentation Honorable Ronald L. Sheffield, ‘72, ‘89 Remarks Christian O’Neal, ‘01 Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
2020Award Recipients Honorable Ronald L. Sheffield, ‘72, ‘89, Associate Justice Arkansas Supreme Court, Retired
Distinguished Alumnus
Ron Sheffield, a native of Ohio, has made his mark as a servant leader in the state of Arkansas. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Sheffield earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Juris Doctor from the UALR Law School (now the William H. Bowen School of Law). A fixture at UA Little Rock sports events, he was the first African American in the school’s history to be inducted into the Lettermen’s Hall of Fame in 2014 as a baseball player. A .346 hitter who played center field, Sheffield had a reputation as an outstanding hitter and base runner and earned NAIA All-District honors in 1971. He also served as deputy commissioner of the Arkansas Insurance Department, where he investigated complaints against insurance companies. This led to the establishment of a consumer division to expose insurance schemes that defrauded college students, farmers, and others. This work at the Arkansas Insurance Department captured the attention of 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace who featured Sheffield about insurance fraud. In 2004, Sheffield ran a respectable race for Lieutenant Governor against the incumbent Winthrop Rockefeller. In 2010, he was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Gov. Mike Beebe and is the sixth African American to serve as a State Supreme Court Justice. His most important opinion led to the liberation of the West Memphis Three, the young men convicted of first-degree murder of three boys in West Memphis in 1994. Ron still does occasional pro bono legal work in Little Rock. He established the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Little Rock in 2011, which is named after Marshall “Major” Taylor, who overcame racial discrimination to become a record-setting cyclist; and remains active with the group where he is an avid proponent of maintaining an active lifestyle. He and his wife, Deborah, enjoy traveling and are looking forward to resuming their visits abroad in the near future.
Becky Blass, ‘73, ‘82
Presidents Award
Becky Blass earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Juris Doctor from UALR Law School (now the William H. Bowen School of Law). She began her legal professional career as an associate of a litigation firm. During her employment there, she assisted the chief litigator in the most significant case of the 20th century in Arkansas. The case was famously known as the Creation-Science Lawsuit. It was decided in favor of the plaintiff by Federal Judge William Overton. Blass served as the Senior Law Clerk for the Arkansas Court of Appeals. She later served as Senior Law Clerk for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Dale Price. Blass has been appointed by the governor to serve twice as a Special Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. A tireless supporter of scholarships,
(continued from previous page) Becky Blass, ‘73, ‘82 Presidents Award Blass was active in Chi Omega Sorority as a student and is still involved with the organization today. She was instrumental in establishing its first endowed scholarship and assisted in the sorority’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2014. Over the course of the previous three decades, Blass served at the request of various vice chancellors of UA Little Rock on multiple long-standing committees focused on student life and education. Recently, she served as a member of a national Search Committee to select a permanent vice chancellor for student affairs. She is also the immediate past president of the UA Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors and has been a proponent of encouraging alumni to establish need-based scholarships. Blass has also served on the UA Little Rock ALL IN Campaign as a member of the steering committee. Her other outstanding board service includes serving as a member and President of the Women’s YWCA Board, Co-president of the Cathedral School Board and Vice Chair of the Women’s Advisory Board for St. Vincent Infirmary.
Katie Zakrzewski, ‘20
Edward L. Whitbeck Memorial Award
Katie Zakrzewski is passionate about making change in her community, and lending a hand wherever one is needed. A North Little Rock native, Zakrzewski decided to attend UA Little Rock to be close to the community that she was involved in, while being involved in the politics of the bustling capital city. Zakrzewski’s admission to the Donaghey Scholars Program, the University’s prestigious full ride scholarship program with a generous stipend and study abroad opportunities, made her decision even easier. Zakrzewski holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. While a student at UA Little Rock, Zakrzewski was the student body president, and was involved in many other organizations that showed her desire to impact the community. Zakrzewski was and still is active in the realm of public policy, often traveling to Washington DC to lobby with other Republicans on environmental issues. Zakrzewski has met with numerous politicians and worked around the state to collaborate on policy issues. Her capstone project, a political and historical grassroots campaign to expand postsecondary educational opportunities to incarcerated people, is being examined by members of the State Legislature. Zakrzewski has had the opportunity to travel all over the world for her academic pursuits, from Spain, to France, to Morocco. Zakrzewski is currently the CEO of a foreign policy blog, Realist Review, and works as a staff writer for AY Media Group. In the near future, she hopes to run for Mayor of her hometown, North Little Rock, and someday, for President.
Distinguished Alumni Award This award (formerly Shield of the Trojan Award) acknowledges exceptional achievement of a LRJC, LRU, or UA Little Rock graduate who has achieved extraordinary distinction in his/her field and/or made special contributions to the community. Recipients 1950 Dr. Granville B. Davis* 1951 Dr. William Darby* 1952 Ms. Mary Burt Nash* 1953 Mr. Robert Lowry* 1954 Ms. Jean Woolfolk* 1955 Ms. Bobbie Forster* 1956 Mr. Richard C. Butler* 1957 Mr. E. Grainger Williams* 1958 Mr. Windsor P. Booth* 1959 Dr. Drew Agar* 1960 Mr. James H. Rice* 1961 Ms. Matilda Tuohey* 1962 Mr. Robert Gannaway* 1963 Mr. Al Pollard* 1964 Rev. Lester G. McAllister* 1965 Rev. Fred Cloud* 1966 Mr. Roy Kumpe* 1967 Mr. Orville Henry* 1968 Dr. E. Lee McLean* 1969 Mr. Robert P. Taylor* 1970 Mr. Richard B. Dixon* 1971 Dr. Carlyle G. Caldwell* 1972 Mr. Harold J. Engstrom Jr.* 1973 Ms. Alice Gray* 1974 Dr. Gerald Burns Robins* 1975 Mr. C. W. Koepple* 1976 Mr. Herschel H. Friday* 1977 Dr. John A. Larson* 1978 Mr. Claud L. Holbert* 1979 Ms. Peg Newton Smith* 1980 Dr. Alfred Kahn* 1981 Mr. Frank L. Whitbeck* 1982 Mr. Jerry Maulden 1983 Mr. Ben Allen Jr.* 1984 Ms. Mary F. Worthen* 1985 Mr. Pat M. Riley* 1986 Ms. Betty Fowler* 1987 Mr. Sam Bracy* 1988 Mr. Peyton Rice* 1989 Mr. Bob Lamb* 1990 Mr. E. Kearney Dietz 1991 Col. A. J. Almand* 1992 Ambassador James Richard Cheek*
1993 Ms. Lee Hogan Cass* 1994 Mr. Lester Hosto* 1995 Mr. Don L. Riggin and Dr. John L. Wilson 1996 Mr. Jim P. Spradley* 1997 Mr. Thomas L. Goodgame 1998 Mr. Carl G. Hunter* 1999 Mr. Ted A. Parkhurst 2000 Ms. Mary Mel French 2001 Mr. J. Walter Keller* 2002 Dr. Renie Bressinck 2003 Dr. John Carland 2004 Ms. Catherine L. Hughes 2005 Ambassador Koby Koomson 2009 Dr. Galen Barbour 2010 Congressman Vic Snyder 2011 Mr. John L. Ward* 2012 Ms. Brenda Donald 2013 Ms. Julie Adams* 2014 The Honorable Jon T. Rymer 2015 Ms. Pamela Culpepper 2016 Ms. Elaine Eubank 2017 Ms. Candice Hunter Corby 2018 Mr. Troy Wells 2019 Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. 2020 The Honorable Ronald L. Sheffield
* Deceased
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
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Presidents Award This award salutes a graduate who combines career success with dedication to our university. Recipients 1987 Mr. Charles Stewart 1988 Mr. Richard Roachell* 1989 Ms. Sandra S. Ledbetter* 1990 Mr. Michael Means 1991 Judge Joyce Williams Warren 1992 Mr. Robert Birch Jr. 1993 Mr. Bob G. Denman Jr. 1994 Mr. Tim Martin 1995 Ms. Beverly A. Roachell 1996 Mr. Greg B. Brown 1997 Ms. Sheila Castin 1998 Mr. James M. Simpson Jr. 1999 Mr. Peter G. Kumpe 2000 Mr. Jimmy R. Newell* 2001 Mr. Bryan Hosto 2002 Mr. Randy Alexander *
2003 Ms. Marla Johnson Norris 2004 Mr. David Deming Henry 2005 Mr. Max Hooper 2009 Mr. Jay Hartman 2010 Ms. Betty Jo Stephens 2011 Ms. Cindy Conger 2012 Mr. Harold Steelman 2013 Mr. Alfred L. Williams 2014 Ms. Tjuana C. Byrd 2015 Ms. Martha Stephenson 2016 Mr. Paul Nolte 2017 Ms. Rebecca Ward 2018 Ms. Mauri Douglass 2019 Ms. Loris Fullerton 2020 Ms. Becky Blass
Edward L. Whitbeck Memorial Award This is the greatest distinction UA Little Rock bestows on a graduating student. The Faculty Senate Honors and Awards Committee chooses the outstanding senior based on citizenship, scholarship, and leadership. Recipients wear a silver robe and medallion at commencement and lead the processional. They receive a personalized plaque and monetary award. Their names are engraved on a plaque in the Donaghey Student Center. Frank L. and Beverly Whitbeck established the award in memory of their son, Edward, who was a Little Rock University senior when he died in 1965. Recipients 1966 Mary Anne Woods* 1967 Sandra Lee Angell 1968 Paul A. Shellabarger 1969 John Hunter Lammers 1970 Rosalie L. Cheatham 1971 Larry E. Farmer 1972 Martha A. Sawrie Stephenson 1973 Roy Lee Smith 1974 William J. Mourot 1975 Rebecca Bales 1976 Cathy O. Derden 1977 Carolyn G. LeMaster* 1978 Brian C. Friedman* 1979 Michael Nicholas Carty 1980 Walter Thomas Killmer Jr. 1981 Gary M. Barton 1982 Elena Giddings* 1983 Lynda K. Zimmerman
1984 Laura E. Phillips Gebba 1985 Cathy A. German 1986 Marsha Masters 1987 Terrence Hardin 1988 David R. Cross* 1989 Pamela Percefull 1990 Sandra Jacobi 1991 Rene Proctor 1992 Anthony George 1993 Robbin G. Koenig 1994 Kristy Cowherd 1995 Melody Sugg 1996 Jeffrey Dutton 1997 Shana Christrup 1998 Kevin Braswell 1999 Carmen M. MosleySims 2000 Charles Green 2001 Matthew Sharp 2002 Georgia A. Mjartan 2003 Celeste Marie Alexander
2004 Diane M. Christrup* 2005 Lupe Pena de Martinez 2006 Andreea Smaranda Aldea 2007 Molly P. Stanley 2008 Hassan A. Rayaz 2009 Allison Ivey Renfro 2010 Ashley Fejleh 2011 Suzanne Garcia 2012 Ryne Ramaker 2013 Hamza Arshad 2014 Mackie O’Hara 2015 Saad Azam 2016 Chloe Deaton 2017 Connor Donovan 2018 Lelia Rosenkrans 2019 Nicole Ursin 2020 Katie Zakrzewski