Alumni honored for distinguished achievements

Alumni honored for distinguished achievements

BY SARAH WILLIAMS
Special to the Rice News

Five Rice University graduates have been selected to receive the Association of Rice Alumni’s annual Distinguished Alumni Award, presented to alumni whose professional or volunteer activities reflect and forward the high standards and ideals of the university.

Helen Morris Havens ’57

When her supporters speak of Helen Morris Havens ’57, a resounding theme emerges — she has a clear calling to serve others.

Havens

Friends have said Havens, former rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Houston for 23 years, felt a religious calling during her undergraduate years, yet she was unable to act on it, as the Episcopal church did not ordain women until the 1970s.

After studying at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Seminary in Houston and Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., Havens became a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1976. She was ordained to the priesthood at St. Francis Episcopal Church in 1977, where she was an assistant to the rector for nearly six years, before joining St. Stephen’s as rector in 1981. Havens now has an active lay ministry at St. James Episcopal Church.

Havens has served on numerous national boards, including the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition, the Board for Theological Education and the Center for Progressive Christianity. In addition to serving as a master of Jones College with her husband, Rice professor emeritus Neil “Sandy” Havens, she has served on the Rice Alumni Association Board, the Religious Advisory Committee and the Class of 1957 Golden Anniversary Scholarship Committee. She also works with the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. She has offered the prayer at Rice commencement on two occasions, and she gave the benediction at the inauguration of Rice President David Leebron.

Charles Redmon ’64, ’65

What sets Charles “Chuck” Redmon ’64, ’65 apart from his peers is his dedication to public service through his field. Redmon, senior partner at Massachusetts’ Cambridge Seven Associates architectural firm, has led the Regional/Urban Design Committee of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for 25 years. As part of that

Redmon

program, he has worked with teams of planning and architecture experts to solve urban planning problems in more than 40 cities across the nation. In 2003 Redmon returned to Houston to offer his counsel, leading a team designed to address the issue of the city’s urban housing.

Redmon has spent his entire professional career at Cambridge Seven Associates, where he now is senior principal, directing numerous interdisciplinary teams on a range of projects, including transportation centers, aquariums, museums, shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and university facilities.

Redmon is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the AIA, the Boston Architectural Center and the Boston Society of Architects, and his awards include the Edward D. Kemper Award from the AIA, its highest national award for service to the profession, and the Award of Honor from the Boston Society of Architects. He also has taught at Harvard, the Boston Architectural Center and the University of Nebraska. Redmon also serves on the advisory council of the Rice School of Architecture.

Robert Saldich ’55, ’57

According to his friends, Robert Saldich ’55, ’56 is a man with an emphatic dedication to his pursuits. “Bob brings to his activities a powerful intellect; a broad grasp of social, political and economic issues; and a

Saldich

remarkable ability to think and act on both strategic and tactical levels,” said John Urquhart ’55, who nominated Saldich for the Distinguished Alumni Award. “These attributes infrequently coexist, but their harmonious confluence in Bob Saldich has been repeatedly tested and demonstrated. He is truly a distinguished person.”

Saldich’s dedication was evident when he retired from his post as president and chief executive officer of Raychem Corporation after 32 years with the company, which he helped to grow from annual revenue of $10 million when he was hired in 1964 to more than $1.5 billion at his departure in 1995.

As a student at Rice, Saldich was involved on campus. He was elected to the Sigma Tau Engineering Society, completed the ROTC program and chaired the university’s speaker series, which brought prominent visitors to campus. He is a member of numerous professional and community organizations, including the American Leadership Forum, the Commonwealth Club of California, the Harvard Business School Club of Northern California, the University of California Regent’s Task Force on Outreach and the Barry Financial Group.

Carroll Shaddock ’62

If there was ever a person who has dedicated himself to the beautification of the city of Houston, it is Carroll Shaddock ’62. As founding chair of both Trees for Houston and Scenic Houston, organizations dedicated to improving the aesthetics of the city, he has devoted years to his quest for beauty.

Shaddock

In addition to his position as partner of Loke Liddell & Sapp LLP, he has been involved in the Houston Bar Association, the Yale Law School Association, the South Main Center Association, the Boulevard Oaks Civic Association and the Institute of Religion.

Another commitment close to Shaddock’s heart is Christ the King Lutheran Church, where he is a member.

There he worked to help build a new sanctuary, led the formation of its J.S. Bach Society and worked to install its exquisite Bach organ in 1996.

“Carroll has measured his life not by how much wealth he can assemble, but by how he can use the tools acquired at Rice and Yale Law School not only to support his family, but also to make lasting contributions to the world around him,” said William Coats, Shaddock’s founding partner of Trees for Houston.

William Sick ’57, ’58

William Sick ’57, ’58 is a tireless promoter of Rice. Whether it is his membership on the Rice Board of Trustees, his facilitation of the Chicago-area Rice alumni group or his funding of the William and Stephanie Sick Professorship of Entrepreneurship and his related work with the Rice Alliance, Sick has dedicated himself to the betterment of the university. He also has served on numerous Rice advisory boards.

Sick

While a student at Rice, he was editor of The Rice Engineer, a three-year letterman, co-captain of the swim team and recipient of the Sigma Tau Award and the Francis Award, both for excellence in engineering. More recently, he received the 2003 Outstanding Engineering Alumnus Award.

Since 1989, Sick has been chair, founder, active director or adviser of 13 early stage companies. He also has previously held leadership positions as chief executive officer of American National Can Company, executive vice president of Texas Instruments (TI) and president of TI’s Semiconductor Business.

In support of his nomination for the Distinguished Alumni Award, many friends mentioned Sick’s dedication to the Chicago-area alumni group. Under his leadership the group has become one of the most active Rice alumni groups in the country.

—Sarah Williams is an assistant editor in the Office of Web and Print Publications.