ABOVE: Five graduates from the College of Engineering were among 20 new inductees into the University of Kentucky Alumni Association’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni at a recognition dinner April 16 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. From left to right: College of Engineering Dean Thomas Lester, Lt. Gen. (USAF, Ret.) John H. Campbell, Mark E. Davis, UK President Lee Todd, Reese S. Terry, Jr., Paul Patton, Deane B. Blazie.
Deane B. Blazie
B.S. ’68 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Deane Blazie founded two companies, Maryland Computer Services and Blazie Engineering, that became world leaders in producing low-cost computing devices for the blind.
Blazie started his career path when, as a high school junior, he joined a ham radio club and became friends with a blind member. His friend thought of problems to solve and Blazie would help engineer a solution.
Upon graduation from UK, he served in the Army and then was an engineer at the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory in Maryland. He also earned a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Delaware. He later was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America by the U.S. Junior Chamber, better known as the Jaycees, for designing a calculator with a unique audio tactile display for the blind.
In 1976 he co-founded Maryland Computer Services, specializing in software design. It created the first synthetic speech device, the Talking Telephone Directory. MCS later became the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic speech products and Braille printers. The company was sold in 1986 and Blazie founded Blazie Engineering. It later became the world’s largest producer of products for the blind. It introduced the Braille ‘n’ Speak, a pocket note taker along the lines of Personal Digital Assistants. Blazie Engineering was sold in 2000.
In 1990 he was named Humanitarian Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. magazine.
Now retired, Blazie is active as a consultant to organizations for the blind and is on several boards of directors. He also is a member of the Center for Braille Innovation, which hopes to put Braille in the hands of every child and young adult who needs it.
Blazie and his wife, Marty, reside in Hobe Sound, Fla. They have three sons, Bryan, Chris, and Stephen, and three granddaughters.
Lt. Gen. John H. Campbell, USAF (Ret.)
B.S. ’69 – Computer Science, College of Engineering
M.B.A. ’71 – Gatton College of Business & Economics
Lt. Gen. John H. Campbell, U.S. Air Force (retired), is executive vice president, government programs, at Iridium Communications in Bethesda, Md. He manages Iridium’s $70 million government sector and is responsible for providing Iridium global satellite communications services for U.S. government customers around the world. Campbell joined Iridium in 2006 from Applied Research Associates of Alexandria, Va., where he served as principal, Defense and Intelligence.
He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2004 after a 32-year career in which he served in a variety of operational and staff assignments around the world. Between 1997 and 2004 he served as deputy director for Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon; vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and commander of the Joint Task Force – Computer Network Defense; and associate director of Central Intelligence for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Va.
Between 1971 and 1997, Campbell served around the world in a variety of operational assignments as an F-15 and F-16 fighter pilot and wing commander. He is the recipient of numerous military and intelligence community awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal, the CIA Donovan Award, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency Award, the National Reconnaissance Distinguished Medal, and the National Security Agency Award.
A native of Henderson, Campbell is a member of the UK College of Engineering Hall of Distinction.
He is married to Marky McDaniel Campbell, a 1970 UK graduate, and his parents, brother and sister are also UK grads. The Campbells reside in Alexandria, Va.
Mark E. Davis
B.S. ’77 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
M.S. ’78 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
Ph.D. ’81 – Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
Mark E. Davis is the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the City of Hope.
Davis also is the founder of two companies, Insert Therapeutics Inc. and Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc. A major focus of his research efforts involves the invention of new treatments for cancer. Two of his nanoparticle therapeutics are currently in human clinical trials.
Davis began his career as assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. Davis was the first engineer to receive the Alan T. Waterman Award in 1990, the government’s prestigious scientific award that each year recognizes a single outstanding researcher who is 35 years old or younger in any area of science or engineering supported by the NSF.
He became a member of the faculty at the California Institute of Technology in 1991.
Davis also is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. In 2009, he received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from UK.
When Davis was an undergraduate student at UK, he was a full scholarship athlete in track and field. He continues to run today and has achieved All American Status for Masters Track and Field in both the 400 meter and 200 meter dashes.
He grew up in Pennsylvania and now resides in Pasadena, Calif., with his wife, Mary.
Paul E. Patton
B.S. ’59 – Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Paul E. Patton was the 59th governor of Kentucky and is currently president of Pikeville College in Pikeville.
After graduation from UK in 1959 he began his professional career in the mining industry in Floyd County. Throughout 20 years he built a successful coal business and was a leader in the industry. He was on the board of directors of the Kentucky Coal Association, a member of the Kentucky Deep Mine Safety Commission and chairman of the Board of the National Independent Coal Operators Association.
In 1979 Patton turned to public service. He served briefly as the deputy secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and then was the chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party from 1981 to 1983.
In 1981 he was elected county judge executive of Pike County where he served for 10 years. Patton successfully secured the adoption of the first universal mandatory county-wide solid waste collection program in Kentucky. He also concentrated on the construction of rural roads, recreation facilities, county buildings, and economic development efforts.
In 1991 he became Kentucky’s lieutenant governor and also served as secretary of Economic Development. He spearheaded a redesign of Kentucky economic development efforts, securing the adoption of four economic development incentive programs and establishing the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership.
Patton was elected governor in 1995. An advocate for higher education, he led the Higher Education Reform Act and Bucks for Brains funding for endowed chairs and professorships. He helped the state make progress on many fronts including worker’s compensation, juvenile justice, domestic violence and child abuse prevention, historic preservation and infrastructure construction.
Patton is a member of the UK College of Engineering Hall of Distinction. He is married to Judi Conway Patton and they have four children and two grandchildren.
Reese S. Terry Jr.
B.S. ’64 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
M.S. ’66 – Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Reese S. Terry Jr. is recognized internationally for his work in biomedical engineering and holds numerous patents. He began his professional career in 1967 at Cordis Corporation, a heart pacemaker manufacturing company. In 1976, he joined Intermedics Inc., in Freeport, Texas, a medical device and electronics company and was vice president of engineering, vice president of corporate technical resources and vice president of quality. Throughout this period, he pursued his interest in the research and development of pacemakers. He co-developed the first programmable heart pacer in 1973 and co-developed the first programmable dual chamber pacer in 1980.
In 1987, Terry co-founded Cyberonics Inc. in Webster, Texas, to develop, manufacture and market neuromodulation therapies for patients with epilepsy and other inadequately treated neurological disorders. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy using the Cyberonics NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis (NCP) System was developed and heralded as a breakthrough treatment for epilepsy, reducing seizures. Terry was CEO of Cyberonics until 1991 and for periods during 1995 and 2006 and remains on its board.
In 1993, Terry received the Industrial Research Inc. 100 Award for the Cordis Omnicor Programmable Pacemaker.
Terry served as board member of the South East Texas Chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the National Epilepsy Foundation of America. Through his efforts, Cyberonics Inc. helped establish the J. Kiffin Penry Patient Travel Assistance Fund to pay for travel expenses to help needy epilepsy patients and their families reach appropriate treatment centers.
Terry is a UK Fellow, funded the Reese Terry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering for Stephen D. Gedney, and is a member of the UK Gill Heart Foundation Advisory Board. He is currently on the Board of IDEV, a cardiovascular device company.
He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Jerrilyn Brown Terry. They have three children, Angela, Richard, and Reese III and four grandchildren.
The UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni was established in 1965 in celebration of the university’s centennial year. Every five years the UK Alumni Association recognizes a select group of outstanding alumni and honors them with induction into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. This honor acknowledges UK alumni who deserve recognition for personal and professional endeavors and community leadership. A complete list of past Hall of Distinguished Alumni recipients can be found at www.ukalumni.net/hoda