FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          April 21, 2005

FOUR TO BE HONORED AT NORTHWESTERN’S SPRING REUNION BANQUET

Four Northwestern Oklahoma State University alumni will be recognized as Outstanding Graduates at the Alumni Association’s annual Spring Reunion Banquet on Saturday, April 30.

            Those to be honored are Larry Sanchez, Derby, Kan., Class of 1955, education; Janet Cordell, Enid, Class of 1976, humanitarian; Duane Pierson, Houston, Class of 1966; and Bobbi Ramirez, Alva, Class of 2000, recognition award.

            The quartet will be recognized at the banquet at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Tickets to the banquet are $15 and may be purchased by calling (580) 327-8593. Reservations need to be made no later than noon, Wednesday, April 27.

            Sanchez retired as assistant principal of North High School in Wichita after spending 34 years in the educational field in Oklahoma and Kansas. A 1942 graduate of Alva High School, he served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. He worked a variety of jobs after his military service, including playing professional baseball for two seasons.

            Sanchez taught and coached at Dacoma and Avard high schools before completing his bachelor of science degree in 1955. He then taught and coached at Jet and Carney high schools in Oklahoma before moving to Kansas to take a job as a surveyor with Seis-Teck in Wichita. He also worked for the Santa Fe Railway System before returning to education in 1959 as a teacher and coach with Derby USD 260.

            He later taught and coached at Kapaun Catholic High School in Wichita from 1962-68 and served as principal of Carlton Junior High School in Derby from 1968 to 1974. At that time, Sanchez moved as principal to Bishop Carroll Catholic High School until 1979. He then was assistant principal at Wichita’s Southeast High School until 1983 and assistant principal at Hamilton Junior High School from 1983 to 1988. After a brief stint as director of Wichita’s USD 259 ESL Foreign Language and Title 1 program, he took his final position at North High School.

            For the past four years, Sanchez has volunteered at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Derby, teaching Spanish to 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students.

            Sanchez was a member of the Northwestern Alumni Association’s board of directors from 1990 to 2003 and served as vice president in 1990-91 and president in 1991-92.

            A 1966 graduate of Laverne High School, Cordell had qualified as a registered nurse at Northwest Texas Hospital School of Nursing in Amarillo before earning her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern in 1976.

She currently is clinic nurse supervisor at the Enid Family Medicine Clinic, a branch of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. The clinic serves as a Family Practice Residency Program to prepare physicians for practice in rural Oklahoma. Cordell also is a part-time instructor at Autry Technology Center in the Certified Medication Aid program.

She also has experience in community health, school nursing, director of nursing in a nursing home, hospice, general medical and surgical nursing in a hospital setting and obstetrics. Cordell also coordinates physician and nursing scheduling for the local free clinic and does case management, advocacy and follow-up for patients.

Cordell is chair of Region 4 of the Oklahoma Nurses’ Association, of the Health Planning Committee of the Enid Metropolitan Area Human Services Commission, Success by Six Committee, Nursing Services for Garfield County Red Cross and co-chair of the Pointers on Pregnancy Symposium. She is a member of the board of directors of the March of Dimes, Tobacco-Free Coalition, board of directors of Hospice-Circle of Love and the Community Development Support Association/Community Action Agency.

She is coordinator of the MS Support Group of Enid, a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Health Services Team and a member of the Leadership Greater Enid, Class XI.

Pierson is senior microbiologist with NASA and has been actively involved in microbiological and biochemical research for more than 30 years at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

As NASA’s senior microbiologist, Pierson serves as the agency’s expert on the many microbiological aspects of space flight. He is responsible for formulating, developing and implementing NASA’s microbiology program for current and future human exploration of space. He performs operational and research activities to ensure the health, safety and optimum performance of the astronauts, and participates in activities ranging from planetary protection and astrobiology to environmental health. Pierson is chairman of the JSC Biosafety Review Board that reviews all biohazardous materials used in spacecraft investigations and laboratories.

Pierson has published more than 100 manuscripts in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals. He also has written nine book chapters and 14 NASA Tech Briefs and holds two patents.

NASA has recognized Pierson’s accomplishments through awards including the Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and the Certificate of Commendation. The astronauts recognized his contributions in environmental health with the highly coveted Silver Snoopy Award. He is a frequent university lecturer and maintains academic appointments with Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston). At the international level, Pierson was elected in 1998 to Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology.

A native of Muskogee, Pierson is a graduate of Cherokee High School. After earning his degree from Northwestern in 1966, he performed his graduate work at Oklahoma State University.

Ramirez has been a special education teacher (grades 6-8) in the Alva Public Schools since graduating from Northwestern in 2000. She earned a master’s of education degree from Northwestern in 2002.

She was recognized by the Oklahoma State Department of Education in 2004 with the Rising Star Award. She was Alva’s Teacher of the Year and Alva Masonic Lodge’s Teacher of Today in 2003.

Ramirez volunteers as a Special Olympics coach and serves on the District Assessment Committee for Alva Public Schools and the Council for Exceptional Children. She also serves as sponsor of the Alva Middle School Student Council.

She grew up in Booker, Texas, and is a graduate of Booker High School.

-NW-

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