Alumni News
Reunion recap
On May 6, 2021 the college hosted its 14th annual 50-Year and Golden Medallion Society Reunion. “Our first virtual reunion was a success,” said Joelle Larson, alumni relations director. “The planning committee did a great job putting together a celebratory program and spreading the word. We had a lot more interest than we expected to get for a virtual reunion.”
On the agenda were updates from Dean Mos Kaveh; a keynote address by Brenda Ogle, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and time for classmates to chat in breakout rooms.
As part of this Zoom reunion, the CSE Alumni Relations team created a webpage that includes a virtual tour and photo books from the 1960s and 1970s.
In memoriam: Russel Penrose
Written by Jennifer Clarke
Russell “Russ” Penrose grew up in northern Minnesota and, though gifted with intelligence and drive, he never imagined he could afford a college education. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve after graduating from high school and trained as an electronics technician. After WWII, he came to the U of M on the GI Bill and earned his B.S. in electrical engineering in 1949. He died in Central Valley, CA on Feb 3, 2021.
During his career, which started in 1950 at North American Aviation (later Rockwell International), he worked on airborne electronic and optical instrumentation for various avionics weapons systems. He also supervised engineers who designed the aircraft modifications and equipment installations. In the last two years of his working life, he was assigned to Lear-Seigler to work on the flight computer of the Stealth fighter.
Russ’ generosity to CSE over the past 35 years includes many endowment funds, which ensures his support of CSE’s teaching and research goes on in perpetuity:
- Penrose Honors Scholarship (supports several four year/full tuition awards)
- Penrose Fellowship in Astronomy
- Penrose Chair and a Penrose Professorship in AEM
- Penrose Professorship in Nanotechnology
- Penrose Excellence in Teaching Award in ISyE
- Penrose Excellence in Teaching Award in ECE
- Generous support to the ECE Exceed Lab
- Generous support to the ME New Building Campaign
He has left the bulk of his estate to the college as well. Russ was proud of his legacy of giving, knowing it will help the people in CSE forever.
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Learn how you can leave a bequest in your will or develop a giving strategy that is uniquely yours on our Ways to give website.