2003

In 1962 Besterfield was employed by the College of Engineering, Southern Illinois University (SIU) at Carbondale. The next 29 years were spent earning a PhD, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and publishing articles and books. A recognized authority in quality control, he has authored over 22 publications, including a best-selling textbook, Quality Control, 6th Ed., 2000, which has been legally translated into Spanish and illegally into Chinese, Pakistani, and others. In addition, Besterfield has authored Total Quality Management, 3rd Ed., 2003 with his three children and coauthored Technical Sketching, 3rd Ed., 1997. While at the university, he earned numerous teaching awards and was listed in six Who's Who rosters. He developed and directed the graduate program in manufacturing systems, which has a strong quality focus. Besterfield has chaired more than 20 university program accreditation evaluations and still performs that activity.

Besterfield, who is a registered professional engineer in California and Missouri, operated his own consulting firm, which specialized in continuous quality improvement. Fortune 500 companies, universities, and small companies have used his services. He organized and participated in a six-day seminar on quality assurance at Damascus, Syria, for the Arab world in 1994.

Since retiring from SIU-Carbondale, Besterfield has concentrated on his consulting activities, revising the three textbooks, and volunteering. He organized and participated in construction activities at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Sunshine Ministries, Open Door Art Studio, and Camp Barnabas, Springfield, Missouri. He has participated in mission trips to Haiti (twice), Guatemala (twice), Belgium, Russia, England, and Honduras.

After performing stress analysis on the DC-10 wing structure, Pinckert transferred to the F-15 program to incorporate fracture mechanics technology in the initial design of the F-15. He became a nationally recognized expert in fracture mechanics and supervised workers on the F-4 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program, which doubled the life of the F-4. In 1984 he became branch chief of structures technology for the F-15 program, a project that culminated in the initial design of the F-15E. He was promoted to department head of structural research in 1987.

In 1993, Pinckert created the environmental assurance division. He implemented strategic planning to anticipate environmental regulations in order to incorporate cost-effective, environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes in a timely manner. His team developed an advanced performance coating for the C-17 that lasts approximately three times as long as the existing topcoat, saving the Air Force millions of dollars. Pinckert is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences on environmental technology. He currently is Boeing's director of design integration and environmental assurance.

Pinckert received the prestigious James B. Eads Award from the St. Louis Academy of Science in 2002 for innovation in engineering. He has been a deacon, elder, church council president, Sunday school teacher, and church choir member. He has served on two school boards. Pinckert is married to Nell, an active volunteer in her church and community. They have three grown children; Robin and Catherine, in New York City, and David, in Cincinnati.

In 1970 Stein began a 32-year career with Anheuser-Busch, becoming the company's first environmental engineer. He was initially responsible for industrial waste treatment, and took on assignments of increasing responsibility and diversity. In 1972, as the nation began enacting a series of environmental statutes, Stein became responsible for ensuring the company's compliance with these new laws and regulations. In 1981 he created one of the first corporate environmental audit programs.

Stein also became responsible for finding sites for new manufacturing facilities as Anheuser-Busch grew and diversified. In addition to developing sites and obtaining permits, Stein oversaw utility negotiations throughout the company for water, wastewater, and electric power. He also led his company's efforts to create its first public environmental, health, and safety annual report.

In 1983 Stein was named Anheuser-Busch's director of environmental engineering and site services, and in 1991 became director of strategic environmental initiatives. For several years he chaired the National Environmental Development Association, an industry group focused on balancing economic growth and environmental protection. In 2002 he was elected chairman of the Global Environmental Management Initiative, a group of large industries committed to environmental excellence.

Stein is married to Julianne Johnson Stein. They are both committed to the support of private secondary and university education. The Steins have two grown children: a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Andrew, both in St. Louis. In retirement, Stein pursues a lifelong interest in railroads and railroad history.

From 1954 to 1974, Winter was vice president of engineering and research at Moloney Electric, where he was responsible for design and manufacturing practices for utility power transformers and electronic magnetic components for the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line. He also served as an affiliate professor of electrical engineering at Washington University from 1955 to 1969. From 1974 to 1986, Winter was vice president of research and development and director of advanced technical development at International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT)'s Blackburn Division.

In the 1980s, Winter developed a computer data acquisition system to study the amount and effects of "stray voltage" on dairy cattle and humans. With William K. Dick, he patented an electronic grounding system to mitigate the detrimental effects of stray voltage on cattle. In his retirement, Winter is often called on by the legal community to serve as an expert witness on stray voltage. He also continues to consult as a licensed professional engineer.

Winter holds 21 patents in the United States and additional patents abroad. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Xi. He is a fellow and life member of the IEEE and has been listed in Who's Who in America. Winter and his wife, Bettie, have been married for 58 years. They have two daughters, Suzanne and Sharie; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Winter has served as elder/pastor of Maplewood Bible Chapel for close to 50 years.

Thomas has been active in the development of novel radar absorbing materials, "smart structures," and composites. With colleagues from McDonnell Douglas Corporation (most notably Thaddeus J. Podgajny and fellow alumnus Jack H. Jacobs), he is a co-inventor on seven U.S. patents, covering computer-aided resistive tapers and the creation of optical/electronic "nervous systems" within fiber-resin composite hosts. His current technical interests involve composite bonding applications; his current administrative responsibilities involve the cross-promotion of technology between academia and The Boeing Company, in conjunction with former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program manager Allen R. Atkins.

Thomas also served for several years as a contributing editor to the quarterly journal Mathematics in Education and Research, reviewing submissions and writing a software review for each issue.

A licensed professional engineer in Missouri, Thomas is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the International Neural Network Society. His wife, the former Diane Beers, is a biologist whose work has supported a number of biotechnology companies in the St. Louis area. With sons John and David, they live in Florissant, Missouri, where they are members of Most Sacred Heart parish. They are also BackStoppers (benefiting The Policemen and Firemen Fund of St. Louis).

Dr. Peck's academic activities include original investigations in bone and mineral metabolism (resulting in 100 scientific publications), extensive clinical teaching and patient care experience. Major scientific contributions include the first method for studying directly the structure, function, and growth of bone cells, demonstrating mechanisms whereby hormones regulate bone cell function, and studies of the causes of osteoporosis.

He is a member of many professional societies, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (elected president, 1984), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (awarded fellowship, 1992), and the Institute of Medicine. He has received numerous professional honors.

Dr. Peck has served on the editorial boards of multiple journals, on numerous medical and scientific panels, and on advisory boards of major pharmaceutical companies. He has appeared as a scientific spokesperson on local and national media and chaired many conferences and symposia. He has served as chairman of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and of the AAMC. His hobbies include piano, tennis, reading, and travel.