Honor Roll

Aerospace Engineering Honor Roll Award

The Aerospace Engineering Honor roll recognizes alumni and other friends of the Aerospace Engineering Department who have made major contributions to the aerospace engineering profession. Members of the Honor Roll serve in perpetuity as role models for Aerospace Engineering students and the public at large.

The University of Kansas Aerospace Engineering faculty established the Aerospace Engineering Alumni Honor Roll in 1993. The first awards were given at the KUAE 50th Anniversary Celebration in 1994. In 2002, the faculty decided to expand the honor roll to consider the contributions of friends of KU Aerospace Engineering as well as alumni.

Honor Roll Objectives

  1. To recognize important contributions of individuals to the aerospace engineering profession and to society.
  2. To provide focus on the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
  3. To provide a role model and source of motivation for current and future engineering students.

These awards are presented at the Department Awards Banquet held in Lawrence each spring. Each recipient's portrait is displayed outside the Department's office along with their name and brief description of his/her contribution.

Selection Criteria

The successful applicant:

  1. Is a graduate of the KU Aerospace Engineering Department or has maintained a close association and supporting role with the Aerospace Engineering Department and is living at the time of the selection
  2. Has made noteworthy contributions to the theory and practice of engineering, such as the development of patents, patents of equipment, systems development, or significant contributions to literature
  3. Has demonstrated unusual accomplishments or provided significant guidance in new and developing fields of engineering-based technology
  4. Has managed or directed an organization that has made noteworthy contributions in design, construction, production, or service delivery through the application of complex engineering principles and application

Honor Roll Nominations

Nomination packages can be e-mailed to aborton@ku.edu. Please list the subject as “Honor Roll Nomination.”

Include all relevant information to support your candidate:

  1. A completed Nomination Form (pdf) coming soon. Honor Roll Webpage
  2. A resume which includes a list of important contributions, publications, and patents
  3. A list of noteworthy accomplishments
  4. A record of professional experience, especially extra contributions beyond simply doing one’s job well; what has this person done that no one else has?
  5. Principle technical society memberships and activities
  6. Noteworthy public service accomplishments
  7. Letters of recommendation and support for the award
  8. Any awards, and if possible, the criteria for selection, or why the individual was selected to receive the award

Please note: The Aerospace Engineering Honor Roll Recognition Committee does not solicit additional information. Please make sure your nomination package is complete.

Honor Roll Inductees

  • Jack Abercrombie, 1999
  • Willem Anemaat, 2017
  • Jay Brandon, 2024
  • John Brizendine, Jr., 1994
  • H. Samuel Bruner, 2009
  • Catherine Downen, 2020
  • Linda Drake, 1999
  • Joe Engle, 1994
  • Richard E. Etherington, 1998
  • Saeed Farokhi, 2020
  • James Franklin, 2002
  • Marjorie Franklin, 2004
  • Walter Garrison, 1994
  • James Griswold, 1997
  • Charles L. Guthrie, 2009
  • SangYeop Han, 2014
  • Bruce Holmes, 1994
  • Robert Huston, 1999
  • David Kohlman, 1995
  • Sudhir Mehrotra, 2004
  • Alan Mulally, 1996
  • Marv Nuss, 2015
  • Cesar Ocampo, 2019
  • Wendell Ridder, 1994
  • Jan Roskam, 2014
  • Douglas Shane, 2004
  • Mike Shinn, 2015
  • Milt Sills, 2002
  • Trevor Sorensen, 1997
  • Richard Stutz, 1996
  • Michael Thacker, 2016
  • Jim Thiele, 1998
  • John Valasek, 2018
  • C.P. "Case" van Dam, 2010
  • Robert Waner, 1997
  • William Wentz, 1997