2019: Retirees

The following faculty were honored during the Commencement ceremony:

Reynolda Campus

Wake Forest University honors Sarah E. Barbour, Ph.D., for 34 years of passionate dedication to her many academic communities across campus; for her inspiring teaching and unwavering spirit of collaboration within the Department of French Studies and beyond; for her generous mentorship of junior colleagues; for her commitment to transformative study abroad; for her crucial scholarship illuminating the voices of contemporary women writers from France and the Caribbean; and for her championing of interdisciplinary humanistic inquiry through pivotal contributions to the Humanities Institute, the program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Humanities, the Interpreting and Translation Studies graduate program and the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Wake Forest University honors Robert R. Bliss, Ph.D., for 15 years of dedication in providing outstanding teaching and instructional effectiveness in the area of finance to undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Business; for his expertise in the financial field and his enthusiastic approach to sharing his knowledge with students; for his appointment to the F .M . Kirby Chair in Business Excellence; for authoring impactful publications; and for his dedication to the overall success of his students.

Wake Forest University honors Susan H. Borwick, Ph.D., for 36 years of dedicated service as teacher, scholar, composer, administrator and mentor; for her inspired teaching, high academic standards and warm personal mentorship of students; for her energetic service in many leadership roles, including chair of the Department of Music, director of Women’s Studies, and president of the International Alliance for Women in Music; for her noted publications on the music of Amy Cheney Beach, Kurt Weill and many others; and for countless other contributions to the University and world of music.

Wake Forest University posthumously honors R. David Coates, Ph.D., for two decades as a cherished professor in the Department of Politics and International Affairs; for serving as inaugural Worrell Professor of Anglo-American Studies and the consummate teacher-scholar; for his leadership over two years as chair of the Department of Sociology; for being treasured as a friend and mentor by his students; for being among the University’s most widely- read scholars as the author of acclaimed monographs, memorable novels, prolific blogposts and valued op-ed pieces that eloquently and lovingly point out flaws and absurdities in the politics of his adopted nation; and for serving as a model of excellence in all his endeavors until his untimely death on August 7, 2018.

Wake Forest University honors Ellen Daugman, M.A., M.L.I.S., for 23 years of service to the Z . Smith Reynolds Library and the faculty and students in the humanities and the Department of English; for being a dedicated subject specialist for the humanities, purchasing their library materials, teaching for-credit courses and helping countless students and faculty in their research endeavors; for curating and stewarding ZSR’s browsing book collection for the benefit of all in the Wake Forest community; and for her dedication to her profession and ZSR as well as her devotion to the University and its mission.

Wake Forest University honors J. Daniel Hammond, Ph.D., for his contributions across 41 years in the Department of Economics; for being a leader in the field of the history of economic thought, teaching classes in the Department of Economics with both rigor and joy and demonstrating extreme care for his students; for his expert scholarship on the work of Milton Friedman and other notable Chicago School economists; for his dedicated service to the college, particularly in serving as department chair on two separate occasions; and for being a steadfast colleague, always committed to the flourishing of everyone around him.

Wake Forest University honors Catherine T. Harris, Ph.D., for 39 years as a leader in the College and the Department of Sociology; for being a consummate teacher-scholar, nourishing generations of undergraduates in research partnerships; for being an interdisciplinary scholar of medical malpractice with extensive publications co-authored with colleagues in the medical and law schools; for serving as an early architect of new student orientation and lower division advising; for establishing, along with Dean Toby Hale, the Excellence in Advising Award; for securing the University’s membership in the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research data archive; for providing the resources that made the launch of Undergraduate Research Day possible; for being twice-elected president of the North Carolina Sociological Association.

Wake Forest University honors Donna A. Henderson, Ph.D., for her contributions across 22 years as a member of the Department of Counseling and her dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for being a leader in the counselor education and school counseling fields and an expert in counseling children; for inspiring and mentoring numerous students and colleagues, teaching primarily master’s level counseling courses in lifespan development, legal and ethical issues in counseling and school counseling; for assisting in the development and administration of the first fully online program at Wake Forest University; and for her service as chair of the Department of Counseling.

Wake Forest University honors Dilip K. Kondepudi, Ph.D., for 32 years of dedicated service to the Department of Chemistry and Wake Forest University; for his fundamental contributions to the study of left-right asymmetry that spans elementary particles to mammals and have been published in journals like Nature and Science and recognized worldwide; for his text, “Modern Thermodynamics,” which he wrote with his Nobel Laureate mentor Ilya Prigogine, and which has been translated into five languages and used in over 25 countries; for his second text, “Introduction to Modern Thermodynamics,” also widely used around the world; and for his current research focusing on lifelike nonliving systems.

Wake Forest University honors Philip F. Kuberski, Ph.D., for his outstanding 30-year career as a scholar and teacher in the Department of English and for his dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for being a scholar of modernism and author of four books and 23 articles on subjects ranging from the poetry of Ezra Pound to the films of Stanley Kubrick; for his dedicated and innovative teaching of first-year seminars to upper- and master’s-level courses throughout his career; and for his committed service to the department, College and University.

Wake Forest University honors Stanley W. Mandel, Ph.D., for over 20 years of commitment to teaching entrepreneurship and strategy to undergraduate and graduate students of the School of Business; for mentoring and making a long-term difference in the lives of his students and colleagues; for being the founding director of the Wake Forest University Angell Center for Entrepreneurship; for his extensive work on a variety of boards; and for his outstanding leadership and service to the School of Business and the broader community over the years.

Wake Forest University honors Gillian R. Overing, Ph.D., for her outstanding 40-year career as a scholar and teacher in the Department of English and her dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for being author, co-author or editor of eight books and author or co-author of 32 articles on topics like Anglo-Saxon poetry, gender theory and landscape studies in early medieval culture; for modeling collaborative feminist academic inquiry in her scholarship and in her teaching, which ranged from courses in first-year writing to upper- and master’s-level seminars on the Old English language as well as Anglo-Saxon and Viking literature and culture; for her development of the interdisciplinary medieval studies minor and myriad other examples of service to the department and College; and for her committed mentorship of students and colleagues.

Wake Forest University honors Susan Sharpless Smith, M.A., M.L.I.S., for her contributions across 23 years as a leader in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library and her dedicated service to the University; for creating and participating in laptop distribution and computer training for the Class of 2000; for leading the library’s dynamic and responsive “Tech Team”; for managing the budget and capital projects for the library as associate dean; for authoring the renowned book “Web-Based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries”; and for being a talented photographer whose pictures regularly grace the Z . Smith Reynolds Library website and annual reports – and whose talents will be greatly missed.

Wake Forest University honors Todd C. Torgersen, Ph.D., for 31 years of service to the Department of Computer Science; for his kindness and commitment to students; for his ability to answer tough questions and offer his invaluable service to others; for his willingness to assist colleagues and students as a knowledgeable resource on algorithms, compilers and computer science theory; for his friendships, both in academia and personal life; and for his lasting impact and presence at our informal gatherings, where we often enjoyed his expertise on the ukulele.

Wake Forest University honors Julian P. Young, Ph.D., for nine years of outstanding service to Wake Forest University as the Kenan Professor of Humanities and as a member of the Department of Philosophy; for his unswerving dedication to and prolific output in philosophical scholarship; for his internationally recognized work in the study of 19th- and 20th-century German philosophy, especially Nietzsche; for nourishing the intellectual life of the Department of Philosophy and the College through his active participation; for the extraordinarily wide range of courses he taught and for reaching out to other disciplines through some of these courses; and for being a warm and thoughtful colleague.

Medical Center Campus

Wake Forest University honors Doug Case, Ph.D., for 38 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science; for clinical trial and collaborative cancer research; for directing biostatistics cores; for teaching within the medical and graduate schools, mentoring fellows, postdoctoral students, staff and junior faculty; and for representing the Wake Forest School of Medicine on National Institutes of Health and foundation grant reviews.

Wake Forest University honors Zheng Cui, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., for 22 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Pathology; for research contributions and the training of new investigators; and for service to the institution and his profession.

Wake Forest University honors Larry W. Daniel, Ph.D., for 38 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Biochemistry; for establishing a highly productive research program on lipid signaling with many peer-reviewed publications and a lengthy track record of National Institutes of Health and other funding; for maintaining a consistently high standard for teaching students at any stage in their career, including medical students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows; and for leadership of the University Senate and other important committees.

Wake Forest University honors Samuel A. Deadwyler, Ph.D., for 41 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 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Department of Defense research programs; for innovation in research in neuroscience; for exceptional mentorship of graduate students, fellows and faculty; and for an exemplary record of professional scholarship.

Wake Forest University honors Allen D. Elster, M.D., for 31 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Radiology; for his leadership of 11 years as department chair of radiology; for his expertise in the specialty of neuroradiology; for his dedication to medical student, resident and fellow education; for his unparalleled advancement in magnetic resonance imaging quality and safety; for his tireless departmental, institutional and community service.

Wake Forest University honors Gregory W. Evans, M.A., for 32 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science; for his leadership in large multicenter clinical trials; for his service directing the ultrasound reading centers; and for his tireless dedication to the running of the department.

Wake Forest University honors Edward F. Haponik, M.D ., for 22 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Immunologic Diseases; for his service as a nationally recognized educator, as an author of more than 225 articles and as a beloved physician to many including Dr . Maya Angelou; for his representation of the highest aspirations and ideals of a Wake Forest Baptist Health physician and faculty member for more than two decades.

Wake Forest University honors Timothy M. Morgan, Ph.D., for 34 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science; for his leadership as the first head of biostatistics; for his service in directing biostatistics cores in the cancer center, the Pepper Center for Aging and the Department of Comparative Medicine; for leadership in large multicenter clinical trials; for collaborative research in cardiology; and for methodological developments in the analysis of survival data.

Wake Forest University honors Lawrence L. Rudel, Ph.D., for 45 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Departments of Comparative Medicine, Pathology and Internal Medicine; for his insights and creativity in elucidating the roles of hepatic cholesterol metabolism in cardiovascular disease; for his rigorous and supportive training and mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows; for his outstanding record of external funding, research productivity, scholarship and leadership; and for his tireless service to the national and international biomedical research communities.

Wake Forest University honors Beth P. Smith, Ph.D., for 32 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation; for leadership and vision in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher, for innovation in the translational research development of the Physician Scientist Program; and for an exemplary record of professional publications.

Wake Forest University honors R. Patrick Yeatts, M.D., for 31 years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Ophthalmology; for his expertise in the specialty of ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery; for his dedication to his patients and to resident and fellow education; and for his tireless departmental, institutional and community service.

Retiring Staff, Reynolda Campus

See more about the staff retirees on the Human Resources site.

• Debbie Anderson, Administrative Coordinator, School of Business
• Jane Chapman, Reporting Business Analyst, Financial Services
• John Lovett, Associate Director, Market Readiness, School of Business
• Anne Davenport, Tax Director, Financial Services
• Pat Tomlinson, Administrative Assistant, Athletics
• Debbie Hallstead, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Provost
• Jan Blackburn, Lecturer, Mathematics and Statistics
• Sue Massey, Travel and Expense Specialist, Financial Services
• Robin Godwin, Administrative Coordinator, Athletics
• Lawren Thach, Coordinator, School of Law
• Van Westervelt, Associate Director, Disability Services, Learning Assistance Center
• Francis Daniels, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
• Pat Idol, Assistant Director, Client Services, Information Systems
• Joan Habib, Administrative Assistant, Computer Science
• Charles Boger, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
• Leigh Lovelace, Financial Aid Counselor, Financial Aid Office