EUGENE–A Hollywood actor, writer and director; a software entrepreneur; and a molecular biologist will receive the highest alumni award given by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at the University of Oregon. The arts and sciences college will present the awards to the alumni trio on Friday, Nov. 6, at the fourth annual CAS Profiles in Achievement Awards Banquet in the Paul Olum Atrium of Willamette Hall, 1371 E. 13th Ave. on the UO campus.

The 1998 CAS Alumni Fellow Awards will go to veteran filmmaker Larry Ferguson; Marcia Youel Smith, president of the software company Columbia Cascade, Inc.; and Prapon Wilairat, associate director of the Institute of Science and Technology for Research and Development at Mahidol University in Thailand.

"We are proud to honor these distinguished UO alumni who exemplify the qualities we hope to instill in our students–leadership, scholarship and creativity," says Joe Stone, dean of the UO College of Arts and Sciences. "The prestigious Alumni Fellow award is given to UO arts and sciences alumni who have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions within medicine, science, the arts, industry, public service and academe."

The award was formerly called the Dean’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Ferguson is the founder of the Conservatory for Training and Research into the Dramatic Arts. His acting credits include "The Hunt for Red October" and "Last Action Hero." His writing credits include screenplays for "The Hunt for Red October," "Highlander," "Beverly Hills Cop II" and "Alien." He also directed "Beyond the Law" and "Gunfighter’s Moon." Ferguson received a bachelor of science degree in theater arts from the UO in 1964.

Smith founded Columbia Cascade in 1984. The Virginia-based company specializes in artificial intelligence systems for government and private industry. She developed "Export Expert," a software program to help small to mid-sized businesses enter and compete in foreign markets. The federal Small Business Administration uses the program nationwide. Ferguson received a bachelor of science degree in general social sciences in 1968.

Wilairat, the recipient of Thailand’s 1997 Outstanding Scientist Award, is a researcher who studies the molecular basis of thalassemia, a hereditary anemia found in the indigenous Thai population. He also studies the potential use of Vitamin E in combating anemia. Wilairat is currently helping develop a DNA-based diagnostic procedure for the two common malaria parasites in Thailand. Wilairat received a doctor of philosophy degree in chemistry from the UO in 1974.

Each recipient of the Alumni Fellow Award will meet with students in regularly scheduled classes and seminars. Wilairat and Smith also will participate in an open seminar to be held on campus Friday, Nov. 6. The seminar topic will be "S.E. Asia: Challenges of Science and Technology in the Twenty-First Century."

The college will bestow Distinguished Professorship Awards to honor a professor in each of the three disciplinary areas in the college–Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.

Thomas Givón, a linguistics professor and author of the critically acclaimed novel, "Running Through the Tall Grass"; James Mohr, a history professor and a nationally recognized expert on the history of abortion in America; and Franklin Stahl, a biology professor and one of seven UO members of the National Academy of Sciences, each will receive the Distinguished Professorship Award.

The UO Department of Chemistry will honor alumnus Gordon Gribble with the 1998 Alumni Achievement Award. Gribble is a chemistry professor at Dartmouth College and received his doctorate in chemistry from the UO in 1967.

The distinguished professorship awards recognize scholarly achievement by senior faculty.

For more information, contact the CAS Office of Development at (541) 346-3950.

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