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Presidential Awards

2009 PRESIDENTIAL AWARD

Fifty years ago this loyal son walked across the stage in Notre Dame Stadium to pick up his bachelor’s degree in physics. The next steps in his long and distinguished career took him to Harvard University, then to Bell Laboratories, and then to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he built one of the country’s preeminent research centers in semiconductor materials and devices.

In 1994 he came home to Notre Dame, where he has continued to mentor young engineering scholars, instilling in them his passion for electrical engineering and physics, as well as his love and respect for this University. He has served in many ways since his return — as Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, Dean of the Graduate School, and Interim Dean in the College of Engineering.

His “planned” retirement this summer is viewed by friends and colleagues with sadness and a certain amount of skepticism, since many are doubtful that the University will ever let him retire. He has carried the spirit of Notre Dame with him throughout his career serving Our Lady’s University unselfishly, with a grace and enthusiasm that are exemplary.

We are pleased to present the Presidential Award to

JAMES L. MERZ
Frank M. Freimann Professor of Electrical Engineering


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The Special Presidential Awards are given to members of the faculty and/or the administration for distinguished service to the University over an extended period of time. The presentation of a citation and a stipend are made to the recipients.

Past Recipients

1971 Paul E. Beichner, C.S.C.
Michael Burton
Frederick D. Rossini
Raymond J. Schumehl
1972 Leopoldo M. Corbaci
Francis M. Kobayashi
Marshall Smelser
1973 Astrik L. Gabriel
Gerald L. Jones
Walter Langford
1974 Matthew A. Fitzsimons
Marie K. Lawrence
Thomas T. Murphy
1975 Frederick J. Crosson
Yusaku Furuhashi
Stephen D. Kertesz
Thomas L. Shaffer
1976 Thomas F. Broden
Eileen Conley
Dorothy Laughlin
James L. Massey
1977 Otto Bird
Emil T. Hofman
John R. Malone
1978 Ferdinand L. Brown, C.S.C.
J. Franklin Brown
Brother Borromeo Malley, C.S.C.
1979 James V. Gibbons
Sr. John Mirian Jones, S.C.
Brother Kieran Ryan, C.S.C.
Bernard L. Waldman
1980 Frederick H. Baumer Jr.
John T. Goldrick
Dominick “Nappy” Napolitano
Sr. Kathleen Rossman, O.S.F.
1981 G. Thomas Bull
John E. Derwent
Joseph C. Hogan
Brother Conan Moran, C.S.C.
James E. Murpy, C.S.C.
Dean Porter
1982 Ferdinand L. Brown, C.S.C.
Fernand “Tex” Dutile
Gregory A. Green, C.S.C.
M. Katherine Tillman
1983 Judith Anne Beattie, C.S.C.
Don McNeill, C.S.C.
Elizabeth Christman
Robert Edward Gordon
Joseph L. Walter, C.S.C.
1984 Cornelius Delaney
Lee A. & Sparky Tavis
John A. Van Wolvlear, C.S.C.
1985 Leonard N. Banas, C.S.C.
Sr. Jean Lenz, O.S.F.
Kenneth Ripple
Julian Samora
Robert J. Waddick
1986 Peter P. Grande
Michael J. Murphy, C.S.C.
Robert F. O’Brien
Thomas & Wendy Schlereth
1987 Richard W. Conklin
George B. Craig Jr.
Philip & Maureen Gleason
Michael McCafferty, C.S.C.
Francesco Montana
1988 Julius T. Banchero
Joseph H. Carey, C.S.C.
Angie Ricks Chamblee
Kevin Rooney
John Roos
1989 Ernest Bartell, C.S.C.
James L. Cullather
Ann M. Firth
Chau T. M. Le
Robert H. Shuler
F. Ellen Weaver
1990 Isabel Charles
Richard Foley
Jack Furdyna
Matthew Miceli, C.S.C.
David T. Tyson, C.S.C.
1991 Thomas Bergin
Paul Conway
Elaine DesRosiers, O.P.
John J. Gilligan
Eileen T. Kolman
Robert S. Pelton, C.S.C.
Jean Fadden O’Meara
1992 JoAnn DellaNeva
Peter P. Grande
Barth Pollak
Edward Trubac
Arvind Varma
1993 Peri Arnold
Jay Dolan
Andre Leville
Naomi Meara
Carol Mooney
K.T. Yang
1994 William Berry
Paul Vittoria Bosco
Michael Etzel
Ron & Barbara Hellenthal
Edward Kline
Edward Murphy
Erskine Peters
1995 Kathleen Cannon, O.P.
Dolores Frese
E. Doran & B. Gasperetti
Eugene Gorski, C.S.C.
Alan Howard
James Kohn
Luther Snavely
William Wilkie
1996 Joseph Bauer
Sonia Gernes
Diana Matthias
Kathie Newman
Roger & Ruth Schmitz
John Van Engen
Robert Williamson
1997 Edward J. Conlon
Mary Jo Griffin, O.S.F.
Jimmy Gurulé
Maureen T. Hallinan
Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.
Thomas King, C.S.C.
Donald P. McNeill, C.S.C.
Andrew Sommese
Jennifer Warlick
1998 Joan Brennecke
Daniel J. Costello
Jerry Jones
Bob Kirby
Claudia Kselman
Dian Murray
Jack Pratt
Valerie Sayers
1999 Jeanne Day
Dennis Jacobs
Edward Luther
Marvin Miller
Kathie Newman
Bill Nichols
Harold Pace
Michael Sain
Don Sniegowski
Greg Sterling
Joy Vann-Hamilton
2000 John Affleck-Graves
Jane Devine
Roger Jacobs
Julia Knight
A. James McAdams
Randal Ruchti
Barbara Walvoord
2001 Thomas Mueller
Karen Morris
Rev. Hugh R. Page Jr.
Patrick Murphy
Scott Mainwaring
Julia Douthwaite
John Cavadini
2002 Ann E. Tenbrunsel
Albert-László Barabási
Lawrence S. Cunningham
Mark J. McCready
Francis X. Connolly
2003 Ani Aprahamian
Christopher B. Fox
Yih-Fang Huang
Ava Preacher
Susan Guise Sheridan
Scott J. VanJacob
2004 Robert Bretz
Sister Patricia Clark, S.V.M.
Howard Hanson
Robert Nelson
Katherine O’Brien O’Keeffe
John Robinson
Phillip Sloan
Michael Wiescher
Christina Wolbrecht
2005 Seth Brown
Charles Crowell
James Davis
Alex Hahn
John Haynes
Patricia Maurice
Maria Tomasula
2006 Philip Bess
Olivia Remie Constable
Fernand “Tex” Dutile
Agustin Fuentes
John Uhran
2007 Leo Burke
Donald Crafton
Barbara M. Turpin
2008 Carol C. Kaesebier