Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Andrea Aragon
April 8, 2002	USC Alumni Relations
	(719) 549-2810

USC HONORS ALUMNI

Pueblo, Colo. - The University of Southern Colorado Alumni Association will honor the achievements of six exceptional alumni and community leaders at the 2002 Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, April 19. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar, followed by the program and dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center Ballroom. 

In addition to honoring outstanding individuals for their professional success, the University will also honor those graduating seniors who will complete their degrees at USC with a 3.5 GPA or better with the Capps Capozzolo Award for Excellence for their hard work and dedication to academics. The award is made possible through the vision and generosity of the late Anthony Capps Capozzolo, USC friend and benefactor. Over 140 seniors will be eligible to receive the award. 

Cost is $25 per person for the general public. A special student rate is also available. For information on attending, contact the Alumni Association office by April 17 at 549-2810. 

The Outstanding Service to the Community Award will be given to Mahlon T. White, community leader and philanthropist. The grandson of one of the Thatcher brothers who founded a financial empire in Pueblo, White and his wife Maylan continue the family legacy through unprecedented generosity and support of the Pueblo community. Through the Thatcher Family Foundation, and as former chairman of the board for Minnequa Banks (now Vectra) White has significantly contributed to the Pueblo Zoo, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, the Pueblo Library, Parkview Hospital, the YMCA, Pueblo Community College and the University of Southern Colorado, to name just a few. 

Both the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the Latino Chamber of Commerce will receive honors for their Outstanding Service to the University. The chambers will be honored for their steadfast support and assistance to USC over the years. From serving in an advisory capacity on numerous issues facing the university to working diligently towards helping USC better serve Southern Colorado, the chambers have lent their worthy leadership on literally hundreds of occasions. The chambers have been especially helpful in the efforts to assist USC in pursuing a mission/role/mission change, along with our local legislators. 

No stranger to the Pueblo community, former Pueblo School District 60 board member Dennis Flores will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award. A 1973 graduate of Southern Colorado State College, Dennis is a Senior Vice President at SCA Insurance, and was instrumental in the success and growth of the Latino Chamber of Commerce, the EPIC Loan Program (El Pueblo Inter-Development Corporation), and assisted in the formation of the intergovernmental agreement between the University and District 60, known as nationally recognized Education Alliance. 


The Outstanding Alumna Award goes to Rita Barreras, '74, Division Director for Aging and Adult Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services. A native of Las Animas, Colo., Rita has been honored by Latin American Research, the Colorado Women's Business Chamber of Commerce, and received the Denver YWCA Women's Achievement Award, to name just a few accomplishments. She is also a proud survivor of both cervical and breast cancer. 


Awarded to an exceptional alumni for professional achievement, the coveted Alumni Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Ronald Robinson. Dr. Robinson is currently professor and department head with the Albert B. Stevens Endowed Chair at Texas A&M University. A 1968 graduate in Math and Physics, Dr. Robinson went on to receive his masters in physics at Baylor University, and his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University in Petroleum Engineering. While serving as President of Texaco Technology, he was responsible for all of Texaco's research, development, engineering and information technology world-wide. In addition, he is the director of the Global Petroleum Research Institute, and serves on numerous professional and community boards.