Oct. 29, 2001

12 Alumni to be honored at VCU Founders Day

Celebration set for Nov. 16

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By Mary Beth Alford

RICHMOND, Va. – Twelve alumni who have excelled in careers from alternative medicine to teaching will be honored by Virginia Commonwealth University during its annual Founders Day celebration on Nov. 16. Alumni stars from across the university were selected for their community, humanitarian and professional achievements, as well as university service. This year’s stars, which were chosen through faculty recommendations and alumni committees, include:

            , who received her masters in education in 1972. She is the first woman superintendent of public instruction             with the Virginia Department of Education. DeMary, who was already an experienced classroom teacher at                 the time of her graduation, became the youngest school principal in the Henrico County School system.

            , who received his bachelor of fine arts in 1974. He recently was named vice president for the historic area at             the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Ellis, who has lectured on African-American history and storytelling                 around the world, also has authored two books on the subject.

            , who was a 1943 Medical College of Virginia graduate, and his brother, Norman Ende, M.D., who was a 1947             graduate. They were the first in the world to find that umbilical cord blood could be useful in treating cancer                 patients. Earlier this year, nearly 30 years after their initial research,Scientific American magazine cited the             brothers as the first to show that the blood could be clinically useful. Milton currently practices in Petersburg,             while Norman is a professor of pathology at Vanderbilt University.

            , who received her bachelor of science degree in 1971. She runs a occupational therapy practice and owns             her own company, Silver Ring Splint Company. After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and finding the             splints cumbersome, she designed her own and sells them around the world.

            , who received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy in 1972. He went on to design one of the first                         computer software businesses created by a pharmacist, Compute-Rx Pharmacy System. He is currently                 mid-Atlantic regional manager of applications at QS/1 Data Systems, current owners of Compute-Rx                         Pharmacy System .

            , who received his degree in microbiology and immunology in 1988. He is commander of the Walter Reed                 Army Institute of Research and is the consultant to the U.S. Army surgeon general for veterinary                                 comparative medicine. He also has served as commander in both the U. S. Army Medical Research Unit in             Brazil and the U.S. Army Component Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangkok.

            , who received his dental surgery degree in 1974. He began his orthodontic practice in Burke in 1978. He has             served as president of the Northern Virginia Dental Society and as board president of VCU’s Medical College             of Virginia’s Orthodontic Education and Research Foundation.

            , who received his degree in business in 1962. He is a certified-chartered life underwriter, a member of the                 Million-Dollar Roundtable and a founding member of both the Five Million-Dollar Forum and the Golden Key                 Society for financial service professionals.

            , who received her masters in biology in 1983. She is head of the Johnson Space Center’s cardiovascular                 research lab. In 2000, President Clinton granted her $200,000 in research funds by awarding her the                         Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

            , who received her bachelors in nursing in 1971. She operates a therapeutic touch practice in Toronto and                 teaches courses for hospital programs, universities and community colleges around the world. She has                     formed two corporations, Healing Touch Canada Inc. and the Canadian Healing Touch Foundation.

            , who received her masters of social work in 1973. She serves as senior vice president and chief lobbyist at             Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. She also is executive vice president of the Virginia Hospital                     Research & Education Foundation and executive secretary of HOSPAC, the hospital community’s political                 action committee.

The event, which is hosted by the VCU Alumni Association and the Medical College of Virginia Alumni Association at VCU, will begin at 6 p.m. at the Country Club of Virginia, 6031 St. Andrews Lane. The cost is $30. For information, please call VCU Alumni Activities at (804) 828-2586. For further biographical information on alumni stars, visit www.vcu.edu/uns.