Science to Induct Three into Academy of Distinguished Former Students

COLLEGE STATION -- An innovative San Antonio radiologist and educator, an international expert in the oil and gas industry, and a Texas A&M University statistics professor and pioneer in technology-mediated instruction have been selected by the Texas A&M College of Science for its highest alumni honor, induction into the college's Academy of Distinguished Former Students.

Hugo F. Elmendorf Jr., M.D., Class of 1944, of San Antonio; Mr. Phillip L. Moses, Class of 1949, of Pottsboro, Texas; and Dr. F. Michael Speed, Class of 1969, of College Station, will be honored Thursday (March 27) for their accomplishments and contributions as part of the college's Spring Recognition and Awards Dinner, to be held at Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station.

The Academy was established in 1996 to recognize Aggies who have brought honor to their alma mater and professions through outstanding leadership in mathematics, statistics, the sciences and medicine.

Elmendorf, Moses and Speed join an elite group of 31 previous honorees who represent diverse and groundbreaking achievement that has produced worldwide benefit.

"We are honored and privileged to add Hugo Elmendorf, Phillip Moses and Michael Speed to an esteemed group that epitomizes Texas A&M scientific and technological excellence," said Dr. H. Joseph Newton, dean of the College of Science. "Their accomplishments have advanced medicine, the petroleum industry and statistical education and innovation. Each is a stellar example of both the College of Science's and Texas A&M University's strong tradition of distinction in pioneering scientific education, leadership and knowledge generation to benefit our professions and the world."

In conjunction with the event, the college also will recognize its current scholarship recipients as well as all donors who have established endowed gifts within the college and its five departments during the past year. Since last spring, these former students, friends and corporations have committed more than $5.3 million in new gifts to benefit a variety of college-wide faculty and student programs and purposes.

"Donors indeed are the difference in our continued quest for even higher greatness," Newton said. "In addition to a long legacy of leadership and innovation that extends far beyond our classrooms and labs, the College of Science is fortunate to have an equally impressive tradition of generous financial support from former students, industry and general friends who deserve a huge share in the credit for both our past and present accomplishments."

Elmendorf received his bachelor of arts in science from Texas A&M in 1944 and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston in 1946. After a yearlong surgical internship at Henry Ford Hospital and three years studying radiology at Brooke Army Medical Center, he completed his residency at Gaston Hospital, passing his radiology board exams in 1951. In addition to his respected abilities as a physician, Elmendorf is legend for his tireless efforts in technological innovation and medical education. As longtime chief of radiology for Baptist Hospital and what later became the Baptist Memorial Hospital System (BMHS) from 1959-1988, he spearheaded its pioneering efforts in both equipment and staffing, establishing the hospital as the first in the region to offer many state-of-the-art X-ray services, including CAT scans in the mid-1970s. In 1972 Elmendorf was named chief of staff, a capacity in which he oversaw three hospitals in the BMHS. For 31 years, he also mentored the residency program for radiologists and X-ray technicians. Although retired since 1988, he still pursues his lifelong dedication to education, taking courses and fulfilling educational requirements to maintain his medical license. In 2006 his children established the Hugo F. Elmendorf, Jr., M.D. ‘44 Lifelines Scholarship in his honor within the college.

"Dr. Elmendorf was one of the first radiologists I was privileged to work with when I started my journey of 38 years with Baptist Health System," said Anna Flores, director of the School of Health Professions Department of Medical Imaging Technology in San Antonio. "Dr. Elmendorf, better known to many of us as just 'Dr. E.,' was available to students and faculty in a teaching and learning capacity, and he was always willing to open opportunities to students in the program. His teaching file was part of the school's inheritance when Dr. Elmendorf retired."

Moses received his bachelor of science in physics in 1949 from Texas A&M, where he was a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and A Troop Cavalry. He immediately put his Aggie education to good use with Core Laboratories Inc., where he used the oil fields of Texas and Louisiana as a springboard to a distinguished career as an international industry expert in the behavior of oilfield hydrocarbons at extreme conditions. While at Core Labs, Moses designed much of the equipment used to study these behaviors, at the same time overseeing its laboratories in most oil- and gas-producing areas of the free world. In addition to serving as an expert witness in litigation before state regulatory bodies and in civil courts, Moses has lectured extensively in countries throughout North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. He also has contributed to many papers in petroleum engineering literature and was a member of the industry advisory board for the Petroleum Department at Marietta College in Ohio. He and his wife, Doris, recently created the Doris R. and Phillip L. Moses '49 Endowed Fund in Physics through their estate to provide funds to support Texas A&M graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in physics.

"Phillip and I were members of a close-knit class of undergraduate physics major at Texas A&M just after the end of World War II, and I have wonderful and probably unique memories of that class," said Dr. Nelson M. Duller, Class of 1944, a professor of physics at Texas A&M and himself a 2007 Academy inductee. "Since then he has distinguished himself in an extensive career in applied science in the petroleum industry."

Speed received his doctorate in statistics from Texas A&M in 1969. After rising through the ranks to professor at Louisiana State University in 1979, he spent the next 10 years running family businesses in Corpus Christi in oil, real estate and shrimping. After taking each to new heights, he left the business world in 1991 to return to academia at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as founding director of the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science and holder of the Conrad Blucher Chair. Three years later, Speed joined the faculty at Texas A&M, where he amassed a reputation as an international authority in a wide variety of areas, including regression analysis, the nature of the Laguna Madre of Texas, remote sensing of data from the Gulf of Mexico, the use of technology in the classroom and distance education. A past member of the College of Science External Advisory & Development Council, he currently serves as associate dean for technology-mediated instruction and distance education. He is known far and wide as a man to whom to turn for help by students, faculty, government officials and others in a wide variety of problems and situations.

"Seldom is one reminded of a post-secondary educator when asked to acknowledge a teacher who has been most influential in his or her life -- an honor generally given to high school or middle school teachers," said Nysia I. George, a current graduate student in statistics at Texas A&M. "While secondary teachers are able to spend a great deal of time investing in their students beyond academia, college professors usually assume the instructive role of transferring knowledge in their discipline and challenging students intellectually. Dr. Speed was the first professor that I encountered to step outside that box. He invested in me personally and had a huge impact on the direction that my life would take after obtaining my bachelor's degree. Dr. Speed has always wanted the best for me and, by doing such, has been indispensable in my success as a Ph.D. student."

Members of the Academy receive a commemorative award and have their names placed on a perpetual plaque in the College of Science's Dean's Office.

For more information regarding the Academy and its 2008 inductees or establishing a gift in the College of Science, visit http://www.science.tamu.edu/giving/adfs/ or contact Chelsea Phillips at (979) 845-9642.

-aTm-

Contact: Shana K. Hutchins, (979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu

The complete list of gifts made to the Texas A&M University College of Science since March 16, 2007, and their purposes is as follows:

Chairs

-- The Thomas W. Powell '62 Chair in Mathematics was established in December 2007 by Thomas W. Powell '62 to support the teaching, research, service and professional development activities of a renowned faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Scholarships

-- The Barbara and Julian B. "Barry" Coon '61 Scholarship was established in August 2007 by Julian B. Coon '61 of College Station to support full-time students in good academic standing pursuing degrees in the College of Science at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

-- The Matthew P. Hodges '00 Memorial Scholarship was established in June 2007 by Kourtnee Cooper Hodges '02 in memory of her husband Matthew P. Hodges '00. Funded by family and friends, this scholarship will be awarded to a full-time undergraduate student pursuing a degree in the Department of Physics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

-- The John L. Hogg Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in January 2008 in memory of John L. Hogg, longtime professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University, to support deserving undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

-- The Dr. Jaan Laane Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry was established in December 2006 by family, friends, colleagues and former students in honor of Professor of Chemistry Dr. Jaan Laane and to support graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

-- The Jack McIntyre Scholarship in Physics was established in November 2007 by Marsha and Ralph F. Schilling III '68 of Torrance, Calif., in honor of Professor Emeritus Jack McIntyre and to support full-time undergraduate students in good academic standing pursuing degrees in the Department of Physics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

-- The Bruce Treybig Scholarship in Mathematics was established in November 2007 by family, friends, colleagues and former students to honor Dr. Bruce Treybig, professor emeritus of mathematics at Texas A&M and to support deserving undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Symposia

-- The Sandy Hall Memorial Biology Retreat Fund was established in April 2007 by Dr. Tim Hall through memorial gifts from family and friends to honor her memory. The fund will support the annual faculty-graduate student retreat in the Department of Biology at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Planned Gifts - Scholarships

-- The Doris R. and Phillip L. Moses '49 Endowed Fund in Physics was established in March 2007 by Doris R. and Phillip L. Moses '49 of Pottsboro, Texas, to provide funds to support full-time graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the Department of Physics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.