Famous graduates honored by Wisconsin Alumni Association

Anthony Shadid, the Washington Post’s Islamic affairs correspondent based in the Middle East, will be among the eminent alumni who will return to campus on Friday, May 6, to receive this year’s Wisconsin Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Shadid won a 2004 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.

Joining him will be UN Food and Agriculture Organization Director Florence Chenoweth; retired Vice Chair of Citigroup Paul Collins; former Co-Chair of Fel-Pro Elliot Lehman; and Cisco Systems Chair of the Board John Morgridge and retired teacher Tashia Morgridge.

The awards program will take place at the Wisconsin Union Theater and is part of Alumni Weekend festivities. The annual event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Wisconsin Union Theater, and includes the awards program and a dinner. To register visit http://www.uwalumni.com/daa or call 262-2551.

Here are profiles of the 2005 winners:

• Chenoweth earned her master’s degree in agricultural economics in 1970. In 1977, she became the first woman in her home country of Liberia to be appointed as minister of agriculture. Later, Chenoweth returned to Madison and enrolled in the Ph.D. program in land resources, earning her doctorate in 1986. In 1995, she joined the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Today, she is as the link between the FAO, the UN’s General Assembly and the world.
• Collins received his bachelor’s degree from the business school in 1958. During his 39-year career with Citigroup, he forged relationships with corporate customers in more than 100 countries. Although he retired in 2000, his global leadership and knowledge are still sought by top companies and organizations throughout the world. In 2001 Collins gave the School of Music the largest gift in its history. He has endowed two professorships — the first endowed professorships in the performing arts at UW–Madison.
• Lehman, a journalism graduate in 1938, is co-chair emeritus of Fel-Pro Inc., a manufacturer of gaskets, sealants and lubricants for automotive and industrial usage. Lehman initiated groundbreaking policies such as family leave, flexible hours and job-sharing. In 1993, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame for his impact on labor and management. In 1993, President Bill Clinton requested that Fel-Pro be present at the landmark signing of the national Family Leave Act. Fel-Pro was the only corporation represented.
• The Morgridges pursued their undergraduate degrees together at UW–Madison. In 1955, John earned his bachelor’s of business administration degree, and Tashia earned her degree in education. John also works as director of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Tech Advisory Board for Milwaukee Public Schools and WARF. Tashia taught disabled children for 13 years. In 2004, the Morgridges gave UW–Madison the single largest gift from individual donors ever received. The Morgridges will receive the first Distinguished Alumni Award to be presented to a family.
• As a student, Shadid augmented his studies in journalism and political science with Arabic language courses. In 1990, he earned his undergraduate degree in journalism and landed a position with the Associated Press as a Middle East correspondent in Cairo. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, Shadid was hired by the Boston Globe as foreign affairs writer on Arab and Muslim issues. Shadid has worked at the Washington Post since 2003.