Shelden, George, Minter honored for contributions

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– May 9, 2002Posted in: Current News

Shelden,
George, minter honored for contributions
…………………………………………………………………

BY DAVID THEIS
Special to the Rice News

The Meritorious
Service Awards are presented to members of the Rice community
in recognition of their generous and significant voluntary
contributions of time, energy and creativity toward the
enrichment of Rice University.

Frank Shelden
After Frank Shelden ’48 graduated from Rice, he went
to work for J.T. Thorpe, a company specializing in the design
and installation of industrial systems for power plants
and industrial plants. He retired as president of the company.
During the intervening years, Shelden employed many Rice
engineers.

But his service to the university goes beyond loyalty at
hiring time. He is a lifetime member of the Rice Engineering
Alumni and the “R” Association. He served as class
chair from 1989 to 1991, served on the Alumni Travel Committee
and sat on the Rice University Fund Council from 1989 to
1997 and on the board of the Friends of Fondren Library.

One of Shelden’s important contributions to Rice came
when stories about the dangers associated with asbestos
filled the media. Former Vice President William Akers remembers
being “overwhelmed with calls, letters and visits”
by concerned faculty and students. But, “Frank came
to my rescue. His company was well-versed in working with
asbestos,” and the removal — from every building
on campus — was carried out so expeditiously that “fear
turned to praise from the Rice community.”

Karen Ostrum
George
Karen Ostrum George ’77 and ’78 has been a dedicated
supporter of Rice programs and an ambassador for the university
ever since her graduation.

She joined Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young), a
“big eight” accounting firm, after graduation,
and then five years later went to Highland Resources and
the Herman and George R. Brown Oil and Gas Division, where
she rose to the position of controller.

But her professional life never prevented George from serving
Rice. She worked on many committees and was the Annual Fund
Class Chair in 1999 and 2000.

George was active in the search committee that recommended
Watson Brown as head football coach. Most notably, she served
as executive director of the presidential search committee
that brought George Rupp to Rice in 1985.

Her tireless support of Rice programs, especially athletics,
sets “an example few could match,” said Bobby
May, director of athletics. “Rice University is a better
place because of the time and energy invested over many
years by Karen and her family.”

David Minter
David Minter, the Bruce and Elizabeth Dunlevie Professor
of English, is the rare faculty member who has excelled
as a scholar, teacher, college master and administrator.

One of the foremost scholars of 20th-century literature
and author William Faulkner, Minter also has demonstrated
his dedication to students not only as a teacher but also
as a college master. Minter and his wife, Caroline, served
as college masters twice, first at Baker and then at Jones.

As an administrator Minter has answered Rice’s every
call. He served as chair of the English department in the
late 1970s and later served as interim vice provost and
as university librarian. Indeed, the beginning of the library’s
current renaissance can be traced back to the year Minter
spent directing it.

As Rice President Malcolm Gillis said, “David Minter’s
record of service is … comparable to any faculty member’s
in Rice’s history.”

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