Pitt’s School of Engineering honored Gerald E. McGinnis as its 2005 Distinguished Alumnus during the school’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet last month. Six other alumni were honored by individual departments within the school, and another alumnus received the school’s 2005 Young Alumni Award.

McGinnis, who earned the Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Pitt in 1960, is chair and founder of Respironics, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and distributor of innovative products and programs that serve the global sleep and respiratory markets. McGinnis guides the strategic direction of a growing international enterprise with annual revenue expectations approaching approximately $890 million. Under his leadership, Respironics has consistently appeared on lists of outstanding companies established by such national publications as Forbes and Business Week and was cited for outstanding product and service quality seven times by the American Association of Respiratory Care.

“Among the 25,000 alumni whom we are proud to call Pitt engineers, Mr. McGinnis has had one of the most impressive records of professional accomplishment,” said Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Pitt’s School of Engineering. “Just as impressive have been his investments of time and financial support, for the school in general and specifically for the Department of Bioengineering.”

The 2005 Young Alumni Award, given to young alumni who make significant contributions to engineering in a short amount of time, went to Richard D. Schaub Jr., senior biomedical engineer for the Artificial Heart Program of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, adjunct assistant professor of bioengineering at Pitt, and cofounder of Vital Engineering. Schaub received the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in bioengineering from Pitt in 1989, 1993, and 1999, respectively.

Also during the engineering school’s awards banquet:

• Pitt’s Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering honored Bruce M. Coull, professor and head of the Department of Neurology, professor of medicine, and director of the stroke program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. Coull received the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering and the M.D. degree from Pitt in 1967, 1968, and 1972, respectively.

• The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering honored Wanda Austin, senior vice president of the National Systems Group of the Aerospace Corporation. Austin received the Master of Science degrees in civil engineering and mathematics from Pitt in 1977 and the Ph.D. degree in systems engineering from the University of Southern California.

• The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering honored Kenneth F. Cooper, manager of process and control technology at Westinghouse Savannah River Company. Cooper received the Bachelor of Science and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Pitt in 1959 and 1980, respectively, and the Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• The Department of Industrial Engineering honored John Innocenti, senior vice president and chief operating officer of UPMC Presbyterian/Shadyside Hospital and an adjunct faculty member at Pitt. Innocenti received the Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and the Master of Business Administration degree from Pitt’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business in 1972 and 1989, respectively.

• The Department of Materials Science and Engineering honored Dennis McGlone, president and chief executive officer of the Copperweld Corporation. McGlone received the Bachelor of Science degree in materials science and engineering from Pitt in 1971.

• The Department of Mechanical Engineering honored M. Roger Eshelman, who retired as sector vice president of nuclear services and aircraft carrier overhaul at Northrop Grumman Newport News in 2002. Since retiring, Eshelman has served as a consultant to Northrop Grumman Newport News on various projects. Eshelman received the Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Pitt in 1962 and the Master of Science degree in thermal engineering from Old Dominion University; he also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management business program for senior executives.