2017: Retirees

The following faculty were honored during the Commencement ceremony:

Reynolda Campus

Wake Forest University honors Gerald W. Esch, Ph.D., for contributions across his 52 years as a member of the Biology Department and dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for leadership in the field of ecological parasitology and longtime editorship of the Journal of Parasitology; for teaching advanced classes and introductory biology with dedication and passion, thereby inspiring several generations of biologists; for dedicated service to the institution, particularly in the development of graduate programs and service as Graduate Dean; and for being a loyal colleague whose dedication to teaching and research exemplifies the teacher-scholar model.

Wake Forest University honors Charles R. Kennedy, Jr., Ph.D., for 28 years of tireless instruction and mentoring of School of Business students; for admirable work in establishing and developing extensive international programs and initiatives that broadened students’ perspectives about business; for leadership as the Director of the Flow Institute for International Studies and as Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Administration; for intellectual contributions in the area of international business; for passion for teaching excellence as reflected by the 10 teaching awards he received from students and alumni across the School’s graduate business programs; and for serving as a treasured faculty colleague and dedicated supporter of Wake Forest.

Wake Forest University honors Bruce R. Lewis, Ph.D., for nearly 15 years of commitment to the School of Business, where his in-depth knowledge of management information systems and quantitative analysis benefited countless undergraduate business students; for the generosity with his time that encouraged students to frequently drop by his office for guidance; for a distinctive stature that arose from elevated ambitions and exacting scholarly standards, as evidenced by the receipt of a Faculty Scholarship Award; for his passionate pursuit of intellectual advancements in the science of journal list validation in multiple business disciplines; and for his mentoring of junior faculty and serving as a helpful advisor to peers at the School of Business over the years.

Wake Forest University honors Jack R. Meredith, Ph.D., for 22 years of dedication in providing exemplary leadership in the Operations Management area in the School of Business; for outstanding scholarship and national reputation that helped raise the visibility of the School of Business in the academic profession; for leadership as Chair of the Tenured Faculty; for being honored as the Broyhill Distinguished Scholar and Chair in Operations; for contributions to Operations teaching as the co-author of five textbooks; for numerous contributions to the academy including serving as the editor-in-chief of top academic journals; and for being a respected colleague and dear friend of countless faculty members at Wake Forest and across the academy.

Wake Forest University honors William M. Moss, Ph.D., for devotion to the highest standards of critical judgment and scholarly achievement in the field of American Literature; for inspired teaching of American literary classics to Wake Forest University students for 45 years as a member of the English Department, and to students in Japan as director of Wake Forest programs abroad, and in China as a Fulbright Senior Scholar and Visiting Professor; for dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and truth as an inspiration to students and colleagues in America and abroad, and for being a kind and thoughtful colleague who dispensed wisdom with humor and grace while serving as a model of excellence in all his endeavors until his death on October 10, 2016.

Wake Forest University honors Joel S. Newman, J.D., for 41 years of professional service to those causes and those persons most in need of his special expertise and disarming humor: the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union as it began to establish itself as a significant voice for the voiceless citizens of this state, the emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe as they tried to invigorate communities and states with the sense of the possible, and generations of tax students who needed to be convinced that tax courses in Law School provided the best material for stand-up comics.

Wake Forest University honors Cecilia H. Solano, Ph.D., for her leadership across 40 years as a member of the Psychology Department and dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for being an admired professor and mentor, well-known for her work in helping countless students thrive and reach their potential; for her dedicated service to the University and to her research field; for her many leadership roles in the department, with the Graduate School and with the MALS program; and for being a respected colleague who acts with integrity and caring.

Wake Forest University honors Richard T. Williams, Ph.D., for inspiring leadership and dedication spanning four years as a student and 31 years as Reynolds Professor of Physics; for recognition as an international expert in scintillators and ultrafast laser spectroscopy; for increasing the reputation and visibility of the Physics Department by helping to establish its Ph.D. program in the 1980s; for being the first Speas Award recipient for distinguished work in physics (our highest undergraduate award); for mentoring the first Physics PhD graduate, and being the first endowed professor within the Department; and especially for his generous mentoring spirit, his love of teaching and his high standard of scholarship.

Wake Forest University honors Kenneth A. Zick, J.D., for 41 years of thoughtful leadership and committed teaching in the Law School, the College and the University; for inspiring generations of students to understand and appreciate how their nation’s constitutional history shapes the world; for caring deeply that students understand both the responsibilities and joys of living purpose-filled lives in community with each other; and for leading by example.

Medical Center Campus

Wake Forest University honors Jon S. Abramson, M.D., for 35 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics; for leadership as Chair of Pediatrics; for exceptional dedication to patient care; for educating a generation of students, residents and fellows in pediatric infectious diseases; for tireless efforts at the national and international level to the prevention of infectious diseases, including serving as chair of the following groups: the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice, and WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunizations.

Wake Forest University honors Mark D. Andrews, M.D., for 22 years of service as a faculty member to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine; for being a role model to residents, students and fellows by providing compassionate high quality care to patients; for challenging learners to seek out evidence-based answers to their patients’ and families’ questions; for leading the development of our institutional ethics consult service that inspires residents and students to joyously care for aging patients and for all the mentoring of colleagues.

Wake Forest University honors Steven M. Block, M.B.B.Ch., for 33 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology Section and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs; for exceptional talent as a teacher, clinician and scholar; for leadership and innovations in faculty affairs; for commitment to inclusion and diversity; for showing dedication as an example to a generation of students, residents and fellows in Neonatology; for extensive collaboration with colleagues through the Vermont Oxford Network; and for an outstanding record of academic achievement.

Wake Forest University honors Steven R. Childers, Ph.D., for 25 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; for exceptional contributions as a researcher, mentor and teacher; for leadership of the Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction Treatment; for innovation in research in cellular neuroscience; for exceptional mentorship of graduate students, fellows, and faculty; and for an exemplary record of professional scholarship.

Wake Forest University honors David D. Hood, M.D., for 29 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology; for a distinguished career as an obstetric anesthesiologist, sharing expertise and wisdom with hundreds of residents, fellows and students; for studies of spinal mechanisms of labor pain relief in sheep and in humans; for distinguished scholarship in print and as a visiting professor; for distinguished service in the U.S. Armed Forces; and for affable mentorship, stewardship and companionship.

Wake Forest University honors Jay R. Kaplan, Ph.D., for 47 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine as Professor of Pathology and Translational Science Director of the Primate and Comparative Medicine Research Centers, Vice-Chair for Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and Acting Head of Tumor Biology; for research excellence with sustained extramural funding; for excellent mentorship to junior faculty and advisor to pre-doctoral and postgraduate trainees.

Wake Forest University honors Karl H. Karlson, Jr., M.D., for 12 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, as Chief of the Pulmonary Section; for exceptional talent as a clinician and teacher, educating a generation of students, residents and fellows in the principles of pediatric pulmonology; for leadership in creating multispecialty teams caring for children with sleep disorders, cystic fibrosis and a variety of other chronic respiratory diseases.

Wake Forest University honors R. Grey Weaver, Jr., M.D., for 34 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics; for exceptional dedication to the care of patients with pediatric eye diseases; for educating a generation of students, residents and fellows in diseases of ocular motility and pediatric eye diseases; and for academic productivity in the area of pediatric eye disease.

RETIRING STAFF, REYNOLDA CAMPUS

  • Carol Benford, Administrative Assistant, Office of the Dean of the College
  • Vickie Cutting, Office Manager, Romance Languages
  • Bill Faircloth, Assistant Athletic Director, Athletics
  • Phil Gallimore, Assistant Director, Market Readiness, School of Business
  • Mary Gerardy, Associate Vice President for Campus Life, Campus Life
  • Edward Goode, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Alice Goodman, Administrative Assistant, Classical Languages
  • Ron Harrell, Custodian/Team Lead, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Debbie Hellmann, Grant Accounting Manager, Financial and Accounting Services
  • Anne Hodges, Director, University Advancement
  • Tommy Johnson, Superintendent, Real Estate
  • Marc Jones, Manager, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Barry Murray, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Gail Newport, Operations Manager, Benson University Center
  • Dallas Nifong, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Kathy Odom, Financial Assistant, School of Law
  • Larry O’Neal, Service Technician, Real Estate
  • Priscilla Parker, Administrative Assistant, University Advancement
  • Carolyn Potts, Office Manager, Student Health Service
  • Jay Riedel, Foreman, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Jim Rae, Sergeant, University Police
  • Willie Singletary, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Pat Starkey, Administrative Assistant, School of Laws