54 OregonStater.org GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY OUR COMMUNITY ALUMNI NEWS EDITED BY > SCHOLLE MCFARLAND Jensen Huang, ’84, ’09 (Hon. Ph.D.), CEO of NVIDIA, has been awarded the 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor, the highest distinction presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity. Daniel M. Rhea, ’81, retired from the CIA on March 31 after 43 years of service. This included tours at the National Security Council, the National Intelligence Council, supporting Desert Shield/ Storm in the Persian Gulf, supporting U.S. State Department policy in the Western Balkans before 1980s Kevin Clark, ’89, NSF I-Corp OSU Advantage Accelerator mentor, joined heads of state, U.N. agency officials and other participants at the 2025 U.N. Summit on Sustainable Development. He was recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his outstanding contributions to standardizing identification of artificial intelligence and human agents. In 2026, he was inducted into the American Academy of Neurology and elected NIST/ANSI U.S. National Committee Liaison to Joint Technical Committees on Quantum Technologies and Information Technology. Dr. Dennis Godby, ’79, a Sacramento-based naturopathic doctor, started the final leg of his trek across the U.S. to raise awareness for health equity on Aug. 24. He invites naturopathic doctors and others to join him anywhere along the route from Bozeman, Montana, to Seattle, Washington, or when he arrives in Seattle on Sept. 24 at Pier 62. For details, see beav.es/health-equity. Richard A. Marston, M.S. ’76, Ph.D. ’80, university distinguished professor emeritus at Kansas State University, is a co-lead author on a new university textbook, Essentials of Geomorphology, published by Cambridge University Press. Marston was also named an honorary fellow in 2026 by the International Association of Geomorphologists, only the fourth American named since the IAG was founded in 1989. Lowell H. Suring, M.S. ’74, principal wildlife ecologist for Northern Ecologic LLC, co-edited the book Movement Behavior of Wildlife — Effect of Resource Distribution and Landscape Structure in North America. Learn more at beav.es/ suring. ROBERT F. MELENDY, ’92, M.S. ’94, ’98, PH.D. ’08, Robert F. Melendy, associate professor of electrical engineering at George Fox University, solved a 70-year mystery in neuroscience: Why the Nobel Prize-winning Hodgkin-Huxley equations, which describe how neurons fire, have their specific mathematical form. The research, published this March in the journal Membranes, proves these equations aren’t just empirical observations: they’re mathematically required by fundamental physics. “It’s a discovery that could reshape our understanding of everything from neurological disease treatment to artificial intelligence development,” Melendy said. 1960s Mark E. Odegard, M.S. ’65, has been selected to serve as an expert reviewer for the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. 1970s Celia Austin, ’76, co-founder and co-owner of Rain Dance Vineyards and Rain Dance Ranch; Ruth Beyer, ’77, senior vice president and general counsel for Precision Castparts; and Tad Davies, MBA ’78, retired certified public accountant and co-founder of The Davies Group, were recognized by the OSU Foundation as Lifetime Trustees, the OSU Foundation’s highest recognition for volunteer leaders. Lifetime Trustees distinguish themselves by their expertise, dedication and generosity over their years of volunteer service. See video tributes at beav .es/2026trustees. Philip Fischer, ’70, founder of eBooleant Consulting LLC, co-wrote the book You Are AI’s Best Friend, a guide for living and thriving alongside rapidly developing artificial intelligence. Learn more at beav.es/ AI-best.
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