Pueblo -- The Colorado State University - Pueblo Alumni Association will honor the achievements of five exceptional alumni and community leaders at the 2003 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, October 3 as part of Homecoming and Family Weekend activities. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception and cash bar, followed by the program and dinner at 7 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center West Ballroom. The cost is $20 per person. For reservations, contact the Office of Alumni and Development by September 26 at (719) 549-2810 or via e-mail at alumni@colostate-pueblo.edu.

The 2003 recipients are: Dana Perino, '94, spokesperson, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Washington, D.C.; Dr. James Hall, '74, research physicist, Livermore, Calif.; Calvin Hopper, '70, senior development engineer, OakRidge, Tenn.; Paul M. Smith, M.D., '86, CSU-Pueblo Student Health Service Physician and Associate Chief of Staff for Community-Based Care at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System ; and The Honorable Lola Spradley, Colorado Speaker of the House.

The Outstanding Alumna Award will be presented to Perino, who earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a minor in Spanish and political science. Prior to her current position with the White House, Dana worked in D.C. as a staff assistant for Colorado Representative Scott McInnis, press secretary for Colorado Congressman Dan Schaefer, and as a spokesperson for the Department of Justice.

Dr. Hall, a research physicist with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will receive the 2003 Outstanding Alumnus Award. After obtaining a B.S. degree in physics and mathematics from CSU-Pueblo, Hall earned master's and doctoral degrees in experimental physics from Kansas State University (KSU) in 1977 and 1981, respectively. He spent six years as a Research Associate and Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at KSU before joining the staff at LLNL as a research scientist in 1987. Hall's current research projects include the development of high-energy neutron imaging technology in support of nuclear stockpile stewardship applications, cargo and luggage inspection, and nuclear counter-terrorism. In addition to serving as the Department of Energy's (DOE) representative and chief science advisor to the 8th Joint Compliance and Inspection Commission meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, Hall is a member of the American Physical Society and has authored or co-authored more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals of physics and computer science.

The Outstanding Achievement Award goes to Hopper, distinguished senior development engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Hopper has nearly 35 years of experience in the operations and research of criticality safety and related health physics issues, and is the principal investigator and consultant for criticality safety projects for the Department of Energy and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Known among criticality safety communities in Japan, Europe, and Russia, Hopper chairs several international safety committees and is responsible for developing a criticality safety slide rule for use in emergency response to criticality accidents. Hopper is the nephew of Dr. J. Victor Hopper, the 6th President of the University, who served from 1965-1971.

Smith will be awarded for his Outstanding Service to the University. While attending CSU-Pueblo, he majored in Life Sciences and Biology, serving as president of the Medical Science Society, founding the Sigma Delta Mu Medical Science Honor Society, and he was student body president during his senior year. After medical school, he returned to Pueblo, and after two years of private practice, he accepted a position as staff physician at the Pueblo Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic in August 2000. While the Pueblo VA was integrating with the Denver VA Medical Center to form the Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Smith became Associate Chief of Staff for Community-Based Care, overseeing seven VA clinics, which serve the veterans between Denver, Alamosa and Lamar. Maintaining close contact with the University, Smith has served on various committees, and was asked to assist in the restructuring of the Student Health Services, including the clinical oversight to the newly hired health care providers. He now attends the clinic twice a month for complicated cases and medical procedures.

The Outstanding Service to the Community will be given to the Honorable Lola L. Spradley, Colorado Speaker of the House. A native of Colorado, Spradley is in her fourth term representing House District 60 and the counties of Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Park, Pueblo, and Saguache. She has been honored for her accomplishments in both the business and the political arenas. Her business career has spanned from District Manager and Assistant Vice-President of AT&T Wyoming/Colorado to rancher and small business owner. After her appointment to the House of Representatives in 1997, she was re-elected in 1998, 2000, and 2002, when she served as House Majority Leader, as well as on the Executive Committee of the Legislative Council.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.