FREEDOM FORUM CHAIRMAN AND USA TODAY FOUNDER IS
UAF COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 1997
Fairbanks, Alaska - A South Dakota beat reporter who ultimately went on to launch the most widely read newspaper in the U.S. will deliver the keynote address at University of Alaska Fairbanks graduation ceremonies this spring.
Allen Neuharth, 72, started the national circulation newspaper USA Today in 1982, a move which many have pointed to as a turning point in the modernization of the newspaper publishing business. Neuharth is currently chairman of the Freedom Forum, which yearly disperses about $30 million in support of First Amendment rights worldwide, and is former chairman and CEO of Gannet, a company whose annual revenues increased from $200 million to $3.1 billion under Neuharth's leadership.
In addition to being UAF's Commencement speaker, Neuharth will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Popular science educator Neal Brown and telecommunications pioneer Charles E. "Chuck" Robinson will also receive honorary degrees, while Alaska Constitutional delegate James Patrick Doogan will receive a meritorious service award. UAF's 75th consecutive graduation ceremonies are May 11.
Brown, 58, was formerly director of the Poker Flat Research Range, the only university-owned sounding rocket range in the world. In 1995, he retired as a geophysics research assistant professor from UAF's Geophysical Institute, which
oversees the operation of Poker Flat. He continues to be available to work as a consultant on projects at the institute. His research activities include use of low light level color television cameras for auroral studies and mid-atmospheric investigations.
His strong interest in communicating the importance of science and math led to the establishment of the Alaska Space Academy in 1993, a summer camp for youngsters from all over the state. He has appeared on numerous national television and radio programs to explain how the interactions of solar wind with the Earth's atmosphere creates the Aurora Borealis. Brown was honored by the Alaska State Legislature in 1995 for 25 years of public service and for numerous contributions to the state. He will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Chuck Robinson, 64, president and CEO of Pacific Telecom, is credited with bringing modern telecommunications to the state. He transformed the delivery of news and information in Alaska when in 1982 he oversaw the lift-off of a rocket carrying the state's first communications satellite. Robinson led the effort to design, build and activate the $200 million project which brought, for the first time, "live" radio and television as well as improved phone service to rural areas of the state.
His career spans some 35 years in the telecommunications industry, including the 1971 transfer of the Alaska Communications Systems from government to private ownership. In 1979, Robinson became president of Alascom, Pacific Telecom's former long distance carrier in Alaska. In 1981, he took over the top post at Pacific Telecom, a telecommunications company headquartered in Vancouver, Wash., with business interests throughout the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest.
In 1991, he oversaw the construction of the first fiber optic connection between Alaska and the lower 48 states, and most recently, his company has been involved in the first direct undersea fiber optic cable between the U.S. and Japan. Robinson will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Alaskan-born James Patrick Doogan, 82, will be recognized for his many contributions to the state this spring when he receives a Meritorious Service Award from UAF. Doogan was an elected delegate to the 1955 Alaska Constitutional Convention, where he served on the Bill of Rights and local government committees. He is a former Fairbanks city councilman and University of Alaska Alumni Association president.
Doogan, the oldest of 12 children, was born on Douglas Island in 1914. While still in high school, Doogan's father died. At the age of 15, Doogan left school to work at the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine to help support his family. In 1937, he entered the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, now UAF, while working summers for mining companies in the Interior. In 1944, he established Pioneer Express, a local coal, fuel oil and freight company.
Commencement activities are planned for the weekend of May 11 when UAF hosts thousands of visiting parents and their families from throughout the nation. UAF was established in 1917 and graduated its first student 75 years ago. Today the institution enjoys an international reputation for its excellence in scientific research. It is the only Ph.D.-granting university in Alaska.
Note to Editors: Photo of Al Neuharth available upon request.
CONTACT: Associate Vice Chancellor for University
Relations Karen Cedzo, or UAF Public Information Officer Debra
Damron (907) 474-7581.
UAF News releases available electronically at:
http://www.uaf.edu/univrel/media/index.html
DPD/1-31-97/97-050