By Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville announced that six graduates will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday.
“Those selected for the Alumni Hall of Fame represent the best who have received an SIUE education,” Steve Jankowski, director of Alumni Affairs, said in a statement from the university.
Honorees include a business man, someone who has the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Waste Water Professionals of Illinois named for her, the president of Webster University, a prosthodontics specialist, the first female president of the Illinois AFL-CIO and a principle at a traffic and transportation engineering firm.
The 2013 honorees are:
School of Business
Michael Wenzel graduated from SIUE in 1970 with a bachelor’s in business administration/general accounting.
After beginning his professional career with an international “Big Eight” firm, Wenzel transitioned to a local accounting firm. He served as a founding partner of Teel, Heller & Wenzel certified public accountants and formed Wenzel & Associates Ltd., CPAs in 1982.
Wenzel joined the SIUE Foundation Board in 2008. Hi is president of the Foundation’s board of directors. According to the release, Wenzel exhibits leadership and dedication to his community through his involvement with numerous organizations.
College of Arts & Sciences
Helen Damon earned multiple SIUE degrees – bachelor’s and master’s in biological sciences in 1972 and 1975, respectively; and a master’s in environmental studies/sciences in 1981. She broke age barriers in the 1960s by attending SIUE as a non-traditional student. Damon completed her education after raising a family.
Damon taught environmental classes at local colleges, achieved the Master Naturalist designation and continued her research to improve the environment, while educating the next generation. Her work with the Illinois Department of Health led to the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Waste Water Professionals of Illinois. That award is now named in Damon’s honor.
Damon is a founding member of SIUE’s Meridian Society. She was president of the SIUE Alumni Association in 1993 and served on the board of directors from 1986 -1995.
Elizabeth Stroble, Ph.D., earned a master’s degrees from SIUE in history in 1980, and another in American and English literature in 1984.
Stoble is president and chief executive of Webster University. Stroble began her career as a secondary teacher in Vandalia, Ill. During that time, she completed her postgraduate work at SIUE.
Following the completion of a doctorate at the University of Virginia, Stroble progressed through academic and administrative ranks at Northern Arizona University, University of Louisville and University of Akron to become Webster’s 11th president.
Stoble is a published author and speaker, recognized throughout her career for professional contributions to education, women and leadership, and community engagement.
School of Dental Medicine
William Schmidt, D.M.D., earned a bachelor’s in biological sciences from SIUE in 1973 and a doctorate from the SIU School of Dental Medicine in 1976. At the SDM, Schmidt was awarded membership in the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Society and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.
After completing a general practice residency with the U.S. Public Health Service, he continued his education at the University of Washington, where he achieved an MSD in prosthodontics. He has lectured nationally and internationally on various prosthodontic, restorative and implant topics.
For more than thirty years, Schmidt has enjoyed his private practice in Seattle, specializing in fixed and removable prosthodontics and implant restorations. Schmidt and his wife, Alicia, have been past presidents and served on the Washington chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Board for more than 20 years.
School of Education
Margaret Blackshere earned both bachelor’s and master’s in elementary education from SIUE in 1965 and 1972, respectively.
A former classroom teacher, she has served at all levels of the labor movement, including as president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) Local 763 in Madison; vice-president of the IFT; and secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO. In 2000, she became the first woman elected president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. She retired in 2007 and was named president emeritus.
Blackshere was the first SIUE alum to be appointed by Governor Daniel Walker to the SIU Board of Trustees. President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Commission of Presidential Scholars. She was the first SIUE alum named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1974.
Since retirement, Blackshere has traveled to countries throughout the world, engaging women in efforts to improve working conditions and become politically active, was well as teaching women about equality.
School of Engineering
David Brammeier, P.D., PTOE earned a bachelor’s from SIUE in civil engineering in 1975.
Brammeier has more than 38 years of experience on the design and analysis of complex transportation issues. He is one of the principals of Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier/Traffic and Transportation Engineers and is responsible for project management, technical and design guidance, and overall administration.
Brammeier leads the firm’s efforts in the design of roads and intersections to achieve maximum traffic flow and reduce the possibility of accidents. Timing, phasing and synchronization of traffic signals are projects typically conducted under his guidance. He also has been involved in various aspects of providing expert witness services for lawsuits with testimony related to a wide range of traffic and transportation issues.
The 2013 SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame ceremony begins with a cocktail reception in the Morris University Center Conference Center will at 6:30 p.m. Dinner and an awards presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m.
