Lehigh Honors Surgeon General

Finding a cure for AIDS is the greatest medical challenge of our age, Antonia C. Novello, surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service, said yesterday.

Novello, the first woman and first Hispanic to hold the position of surgeon general, received an honorary doctor of science degree during Lehigh University’s sixth annual winter commencement.

Lehigh conferred degrees upon 90 area residents yesterday in Packer Memorial Church. The students are among 244 men and women who completed their degree requirements during the fall semester and will receive bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees.

“Never for a moment think you will pass unaffected by AIDS,” she told the capacity audience in the church. “No other disease has had an impact like AIDS.”

With increased heterosexual transmissions, she predicted that, by the year 2000, 40 million people worldwide will be infected with AIDS. By the end of the decade the disease will orphan 10 million children.

“Behind every statistic is a human being,” Novello said.

Beyond the AIDS epidemic, she identified violence as another crisis to overcome, saying, “This country must stop accepting violence as a way of life.”

Novello also encouraged graduates to be sensitive to all ethnic and age groups and to avoid complacency, mediocrity and indifference. “Develop a healthy skepticism,” Novello said, because in five years much of what was learned in the classroom will be obsolete.

Test and challenge new ideas, she said. “The harder you work, the luckier you will be. The world owes you nothing.”

In a brief meeting with the media following the exercises, Novello flatly said “no” when asked if a national health-care plan would evolve under her stewardship.

To be affordable and of high quality, health coverage must combine federal, local, public and private sources, all under one roof, she said. She said she hopes the president will present a plan when he comes before Congress this month.

In the coming years, medical philosophy will advocate prevention first, rather than searching for cures.

In 1988, $90 million dollars was spent on prevention, compared to today’s $297 million. For every dollar spent on prevention, $14 is saved in medical costs. In her address, she said heart disease could be reduced by 45 percent through prevention.

An honorary degree was also awarded to Morris Tanenbaum, retired vice chairman of the board of AT&T.; John Brooks Slaughter, president of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif., who was to receive an honorary degree, but was forced to decline because of a last-minute change in travel plans.

Tanenbaum, who developed the first silicon-diffused base transistors and led the group that discovered practical materials for superconducting magnets, received an honorary doctor of science degree.

Degrees were awarded individually to the students by Peter Likins, president of the university.

Candidates for degrees were presented by James D. Gunton, dean of the College of Arts and Science; Richard W. Barsness, dean of the College of Business and Economics; Sunder H. Advani, new dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science; and Alden J. Moe, dean of the College of Education.

Alan W. Pense, university provost and vice president for academic affairs, presented the candidates for honorary degrees. Roy C. Herrenkohl, vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies, placed appropriate hoods on the shoulders of the candidates.

The Rev. John S. Mraz, Catholic chaplain and director of the campus Newman Center, gave the invocation and asked the benediction.

Raymond Bell, professor of education and social relations, served as university marshal. Fazil Erdogan, professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, carried the mace in the processional and recessional. Fred P. Stein, professor of chemical engineering, was the chief faculty usher.

Following the ceremony, a reception for the new graduates and their guests was held in the Asa Packer Room of the University Center.

Seven Army and Air Force cadets who have completed the ROTC program at Lehigh were commissioned as second lieutenants in their respective services at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, in Upper Grace Hall.

Those being commissioned included Cadet Christina M. Balum of Hellertown, a Moravian College student, Army.

Honor recipients include two Lehigh Valley area students. Shon Les Harker of Allentown, graduating with highest honors and Paul G. Beidler of Easton, graduating with honors.

Students from the Lehigh Valley area receiving doctoral degrees are:

From Bethlehem: David L. Angst Jr., chemistry; Mahmoud Abdelwahid Hamaad, industrial engineering; Bryan Clair Hoke Jr., chemical engineering; Dyllan Jye-Lun Hong, materials science and engineering; and Diane Patricia Tromans, school psychology.

Patrick Clinton Wernett of Easton, chemistry, ; Priscilla Edwards Howard of Emmaus, reading; Gregory E. Buzan of Hellertown, chemical engineering; Debra Lubowicki of Quakertown, special education; Vincent G. Grassi of Schnecksville, chemical engineering; Jonathan Kendell Kramer of Slatington, business and economics, and David L. Angst Jr. of Tamaqua, chemistry. Students from the Lehigh Valley area receiving master’s degrees include:

From Allentown: Pravin Bhagat, M.B.A.; Donald William Breisch, M.S., computer science; Krystina J. Butler, M.Ed., secondary education; Jeannette Ruth Byala, M.B.A.; John E. Davis, M.S., computer science; Terrence Scott Hahn, M.Eng., materials science and engineering; Norman John Marttila, M.B.A.; Robert C. Potts, M.B.A.; Robert N. Sage, M.S., manufacturing systems engineering; and Scott N. Walck, M.S., physics.

From Bethlehem: Atul Arora, M.S., polymer science and engineering; David A. Bader, M.S., electrical engineering; Eric Karl Baisch, M.S., applied mechanics; Sidney S. Blake, M.S., chemistry; Ana Patricia Chaves, M.A., secondary education; Roberta Jill Deily, M.S., educational technology; Mona A. Koury, M.Ed., reading; Lana Karen McClung, M.A., secondary education; Suzanne Elise McKenna, M.S., psychology, Thomas Michael Ossman, M.S., manufacturing systems engineering; Shahida M. Parvez, M.S., computer science; Craig F. Sanders, M.B.A.; Joan Delia Stanescu, M.S., materials science and engineering; Maryse Stanley, M.A., secondary education; Robert Cantwell Stolz, M.S., mathematics; Diane P. Tromans, M.Ed., human development; Sue Varley, M.B.A.; Paul E. Winters, M.A., English; and Richard Hilton Yam, M.A., secondary education.

Brian David Clifford, M.B.A.; Glenn Thompson Eksaa, M.S., electrical engineering, and Barbara Ann Koegler, M.Ed., elementary education, all of Easton.

Richard Ray Kern II, M.S., mathematics, Emmaus; Gregory E. Buzan, M.S., chemical engineering, Hellertown; Karen J. Fuls, M.Ed., special education, Kunkletown; James George Backer, M.B.A.; Catherine A. Hilliard, M.S., educational technology, and Jamie L. Mitchell, M.S., computer science, all of Macungie; Terry Edward Bennett, M.Eng., electrical engineering, and David A. Inglis, M.S., electrical engineering, both of Orefield; Kathleen M. Czupich, M.B.A., Quakertown; Roger J. Burna, M.B.A., Schnecksville; Lisa Laverty Sittler, M.B.A., Walnutport; Michelle L. Harm, M.B.A., Randa Jean Jabbour, M.B.A., and Susan B. Troyan, M.B.A., all of Whitehall.

From other areas: Donald Alan Werkema, M.B.A., of Blandon; Alyssa S. Degler, M.S., chemistry, Boyertown; Theodore Silar, M.A., English, Kutztown; Thomas Francis Strelchun, M.S., electrical engineering, Mertztown; William L. Gelatka, M.S., electrical engineering, Perkasie; Virginia Anne Polinski, M.B.A., Effort; Patricia Ann Jarvis, M.S., educational technology, Stroudsburg; Christine Marie Peloghitis, M.B.A., Red Hill; Paula Ann Stanwick, M.A., English, Belvidere; and Maureen Gail Vetrecin, M.Ed., human development, Stewartsville.

Students from the Lehigh Valley area receiving bachelor’s degrees are:

John Paul Early, Shon Les Harker, Bryan D. O’Connell and Mayank Shyam, all of Allentown; David V. Bader, Richard Thomas Destremps and Christine Marie Narzisi, all of Bethlehem; Paul G. Beidler and Dai Quang Nguyen, both of Easton; David Brannan Teufel of Emmaus; Mark Richard Miller of Nazareth; Kevin Michael Madaya of Northampton; Corey George Blake of Cresco and John Paul Early of Lansdale.