Honorary Alumni Award

Cmdr. John B. Herrington is a retired naval aviator, test pilot, aquanaut and astronaut. He holds a bachelor of science in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, a master of science in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a doctorate in education from the University of Idaho.

As an aviator, he has flown over 5,000 hours in more than 30 different types of aircraft. As an aquanaut, he commanded the sixth NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission, spending nearly 264 hours underwater.

As an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, NASA considers Cmdr. Herrington to be the first citizen of a federally recognized tribe to fly in space. As an astronaut, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on the 16th assembly mission to the International Space Station.

Following his retirement from the Navy and NASA, Cmdr. Herrington worked in the commercial space sector before embarking on a 4,300-mile bicycle ride across the United States, from Cape Flattery, Washington to Cape Canaveral, Florida, stopping at Indian reservations and NASA Explorer Schools to share his story of motivation and mentorship with Native American youth.

He authored a children’s book, "Mission to Space," and is currently working on his personal memoir.

Dr. Patrik Callis joined the MSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1968 as a physical chemist specializing in ultraviolet spectroscopy and an instructor of quantum chemistry. During his 55 years at MSU, he has taught advanced quantum chemistry — the course he was hired to teach — almost every other year until the present. In addition, he has taught instrumental analysis, general chemistry and all the undergraduate and graduate physical chemistry courses offered by the department. Lately, he has specialized in the biochemistry option four-credit physical chemistry course because of his biophysics research specialty and his ability to explain the important aspects of physical chemistry without using advanced mathematics.

Over the course of his career, Callis has written more than 100 papers published in leading scientific journals and has been cited by other scientists in more than 3,000 articles. He has presented his research in more than 160 seminars and has a sustained track record of funding that spans his career, including grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

His research is in photophysics, the study of how light interacts with matter. For more than 50 years, Callis has conducted experimental and theoretical studies of the electronic structure of dyes and biological chromophores. A chromophore is the part of a visibly colored molecule responsible for its color. He is especially well known for his studies of the photochemistry of indole ring systems, a biological chromophore in the amino acid tryptophan. He recently embarked on a study of the detailed nature of how enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions billions of times faster than reactions in pure water.

In 2017, Callis was named a Montana University System Regents Professor, the most prestigious designation to be attained by a professor in the system. Other awards at MSU include the Charles and Nora L. Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity in 1990; what is now called the  Cox Faculty Award for Creative Scholarship and Teaching in 1992; the Phi Kappa Phi Anna Krueger Fridley Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1994, the Letters and Science Meritorious Research and Creativity Award in 2015; and the Outstanding Chemistry Teacher Award from MSU’s Undergraduate Chemistry Society, which he has received numerous times.

To commemorate his 50 years of service to the university and honor his status as MSU’s longest-tenured professor, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry sponsored a 2018 symposium featuring noted chemists and physicists from MSU and institutions around the country.

Ann Jackson has extensive experience in publishing and consumer marketing. She spent 23 years at Time Inc. where she served as group president of Real Simple, Parenting, Essence,

and InStyle magazines and served as publisher of InStyle. Ms. Jackson held senior finance positions for Time-Life Books in Europe and served as business manager for Money magazine and general manager for Sports Illustrated and People. Her career at Time Inc. was followed by a decade working in private equity.

Ms. Jackson served on nonprofit boards in education and bio-medical research, including The Cancer Research Institute, The International Biomedical Research Alliance, Middlebury College, Destination College and Banner Lake.

Mr. Wilson retired as Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. in the first quarter of 2018 and was a member of its Global Executive Committee. He also served as Chairman of BlackRock's Human Capital Committee and BlackRock Alternative Investors. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Wilson was an advisor to the U.S. Department of the Treasury during the height of the financial crisis. Before going to Washington in the summer of 2008, he was Vice Chairman, investment Banking of Goldman Sachs & Co. and a member of Goldman's Executive Office. He also served as Chairman of Goldman's Financial Institutions Group. Before joining Goldman, Mr. Wilson was a Vice Chairman, member of the Executive Committee and head of Investment Banking at Lazard Freres & Co. LLC.

Mr. Wilson served on Boards of numerous public and private corporations in the United State and overseas. He is a Trustee of the Montana Land Reliance, Middlebury College (Emeritus) and Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where he is Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Wilson also served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Montana State University Foundation. During his long career on Wall Street, Mr. Wilson has been involved in some of the most significant transactions in the financial services industry.

Mr. Wilson earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Dartmouth College (Rufus Choate Scholar). A Pathfinder and honor graduate of Officer Candidate School and Ranger School, he served in Vietnam with a unit of the Studies and Observations Group. He resides in Florida.

Terry earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Montana in 1963 (magna cum laude).  He started his own insurance agency in 1972, parts of which evolved into PayneWest Insurance, the 33rd largest insurance broker in the United States until it was acquired by MarshMcLennan Agency, LLC, the 7th largest broker in the U.S., for which Terry continues to serve as Chairman of the Northwest Region.

Terry previously served as a director of many of The Washington Companies and the First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.  He was inducted into the Montana Business Hall of Fame and also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Montana, as well as the Montana State University President’s Medallion. 

Terry and his family are philanthropists and believe in helping their communities and education.  They are strong supporters of the Montana University System including being the primary donors of The Payne Family Native American Center, Elouise Cobell Land and Culture Institute and the soon to be built Montana Museum of Art and Culture, as well as supporting the new American Indian Hall at Montana State University.  They annually sponsor over 100 scholarships at several schools throughout the region.

With an educational background in physics, with a condensed matter specialization, Dr. Simmonds has had a distinguished career in design and invention, including the development of quantum interference devices, designing research instruments and applying cryo-cooler innovations. His work resulted in numerous patents and built several companies.

Over the years, Dr. Simmonds has been a generous friend to the university and the college. Most recently, he is providing financial support for the college’s newest lecture series, the Science Matters Lecture Series, which examines scientific topics that are important to the public as well as academia.

George and Barbara are the founders of the American Computer and Robotics Museum in Bozeman. This museum, which is open to the public with free admission, contains numerous galleries with thousands of artifacts spanning 4,000 years of human and technology history.

George serves as the museum’s director and Barbara serves as the Director for Educational Programming. 

George has over 30 years of experience in the field of error-proof manufacturing. He provides consultations and seminars for both technical and managerial personnel, and has visited companies in 17 different countries as part of his work. 

George has also authored numerous articles in professional magazines and journals, including the column, “Electronics in Metalforming and Assembly” in Metalforming Magazine. 

In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate in Computer Science from MSU.

George also organizes the annual George R. Stibitz and E.O. Wilson award ceremonies which are held at MSU. The Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Award, first presented in 1997, is named in honor of the man who helped develop the first modern digital computer. The Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award, named for famed biologist E.O. Wilson, was first presented in 2009.

Thanks to George and Barbara for everything they do to enrich the college, the university and the community.

Andrea Caron is the current manager of her family foundation, named after her father – the Philip Kopriva Family Charitable Foundation.   

Philip Kopriva earned his bachelor’s degree in 1957 and his master’s degree in 1961 from MSU, both in microbiology. He then went on to become a mathematics professor at the University of San Francisco. Phil was a lover of the sciences and supported research throughout his life and career. 

The Kopriva Family Foundation supports several important programs in the College of Letters and Science, including:

The Kopriva Science Seminar Series, which brings distinguished scholars and researchers in the biomedical sciences to campus to share and discuss on-going scientific research occurring around the country. The scholars give a public talk, conduct master classes with upper-level students, and meet with MSU faculty and students.

The Kopriva Family Foundation also supports the Kopriva Graduate Student Fellowship, which provides up to $5,000 to outstanding graduate students to enhance their thesis research program.

Finally, funds from the Kopriva Family Foundation are also used to fund student travel grants in the College of Letters and Science. These grants allow students to travel to professional and academic conferences to present their research. 

By continuing to support MSU, Andrea helps to carry on her father’s passion to foster and grow biomedical education and research. 

Andrea lives with her family in Sebastopol, CA where she owns and operates Silk Moon, a boutique that offers women’s clothing, handwoven textiles, shoes and fine crafts.

Bill Yellowtail grew up, and currently resides, on his family's cattle ranch on the Crow Indian Reservation, 20 miles from the nearest town of Wyola, Montana.  

A graduate of Dartmouth College, he served in the Montana State Senate from 1985 to 1993, and in 1992 became the chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee. In 1993, President Clinton named him regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver. He also worked as a consultant on western issues.  

Bill came to MSU in 2006 to serve a three-year term as the Katz Endowed Chair in Native America Studies. As the Katz Chair, Bill taught courses in the Department of Native American Studies, as well as providing leadership in the academic and American Indian communities in the areas of research, instruction, and enhancement of American Indian cultures. He also taught sections of the college’s freshman seminar, CLS 101 Knowledge and Community, for several years. 

He has served extensively on the boards of national, regional and state organizations, including the board of directors for the Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy, based at MSU, as well as the National Audubon Society.  

Since 2015, Bill has served as a member of the College of Letters and Science Advisory Council where we very much value his wisdom and the unique perspective he brings to the council. 

Susan grew up on a ranch in northwestern Wyoming, and raised five sons with her husband Jack. 

She is a great supporter of the arts and humanities. She is an artist and collector of art, and served as the chairman of the Montana Committee for the Humanities. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Yellowstone Art Museum during the construction of its new building. 

She has dedicated substantial time and resources to environmental and land conservation issues. She served as president of the Montana Land Reliance, a non-profit organization that partners with landowners to provide permanent protection for private lands that are significant for agricultural production, forest resources, fish and wildlife habitat and open space. She also served on the board of the Sonoran Institute, an organization dedicated to supporting communities making balanced decisions about landscapes, land use and natural resources.  

At MSU, Susan has served as a member of the College of Letters and Science Advisory Council. Along with her husband, Jack, Susan helped initiate and fund the Wallace Stegner Chair in Western History and Literature and has been instrumental in finding sources to fully fund the chair. The Wallace Stegner Chair was established to honor Stegner, a novelist, historian, and conservationist who contributed greatly to the culture and society of the West. Stegner was a personal friend to Susan. 

In 1996 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Montana State University, the highest award the university bestows to honor achievements and service to the state of Montana. 

Dorothy Bradley grew up in Bozeman, where her father Dr. Charles Bradley, was the first dean of Montana State University’s College of Letters and Science. During her childhood, her father was deeply invested in the Bozeman community and this passion for others was instilled in the Dorothy from an early age. She received her B.A. in anthropology from Colorado College in 1969 and her J.D. from American University in 1983.  

For the last 30 years, work on complicated policy issues has been front and center in her life. Eager to find answers to problems posed by eastern Montana coal development, water use, thermal energy development, air pollution, ground water, high power transmission lines and reclamation, Dorothy has dedicated her life to making Montana a better place.

Dorothy Bradley has had many outstanding accomplishments in her life. At the young age of 23, she was elected as the only woman in the Montana House of Representatives where she served eight terms. In 1978 she ran for Congress and in 1992 she ran for Governor of Montana. 

Some highlights of her time in the Montana Legislature include: establishment of the WWAMI medical education program; a proposal to require a baccalaureate for nursing degrees; and support of the Museum of the Rockies and agricultural research programs. She also carried the Science and Technology bill, which resulted in the creation of the Montana Board of Science and Technology Development. As a member of the appropriations committee, she worked endlessly on university budgets.  

In 1993, she was appointed to the newly formed Montana Health Care Authority and was elected by members to serve as chair. From 1993 to 2000, Dorothy served as director of the MSU Water Center, and from 2000 to 2007 she was the District Court Administrator for the 18th Judicial District. She served on the advisory councils for the College of Letters and Science and the College of Engineering at MSU. Dorothy currently sits on the Board of Advisors for both the Wheeler Center and Northwestern Energy.  

Dorothy has been recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from Colorado College, as Business Woman of the Year from the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce and MSU Alumni Association, and as the Woman of Achievement from the Montana Business and Professional Women.  

Following in her father’s footsteps, Dorothy’s dedication to Montana State University has remained strong. In 2012, she funded and helped to develop an Earth Science’s fieldwork scholarship in honor of her late father.