International leaders, researchers, ‘Big Red One’ among 2009 honorees
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
The college’s annual Celebration of Excellence will salute eight individuals and an Army base Oct. 1 and 2 on campus. Awardees and their awards are:
Col. George Dilly, PhD, RD
Distinguished Service Award
Dilly, who was awarded a PhD in human ecology with a specialization in foodservice and hospitality management at K-State in 1998, is the U.S. Army Chief Dietitian and Medical Command Nutrition Program Manager stationed in San Antonio. He oversees 135 dietitians on active duty, health and nutrition aspects of military training, and the function of hospital nutrition services throughout the Army.
The colonel has held a variety of policy, force structure, operational and clinical positions in the Army Medical Department. He has served as the Corps-Specific Branch Proponent Officer in the Office of the Chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps. Overseas assignments include SHAPE Belgium and a deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he served as the Deputy Commander of Administration and Chief of Nutrition Services for the 115th Field Hospital.
Tatyana El-Kour, MS, RD, CNSC
Young Professional Award
A native of Jordan, El-Kour graduated from K-State in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics. She works with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a program officer for health promotion and disease prevention — a position never before occupied by a non-medical professional — and serves as a WHO regional nutrition surveillance expert.
This year El-Kour obtained specialty board certification in nutrition support to work in integrate nutrition with patient safety initiatives. Her national and international work is grounded in knowledge and field experience she gained in the Middle East, North Africa and the United States. She earned her combined master’s/dietetic internship degree in medical nutrition therapy from Tufts University in Boston, Mass.
Greg B. Miller, PT
Entrepreneurial Award
A native of Minneapolis, Kan., Miller came to K-State to work as a student athletic trainer and to be mentored by Hall of Fame athletic trainer Lawrence “Porky” Morgan. He owns Florida West Coast Physical Therapy (FWCPT) in Venice, Fla., and four other clinics along the Florida Gulf Coast. FWCPT offers “professional, personalized, hands-on care” to primarily senior, out-patient orthopedic patients.
Miller sponsors the Greg B. Miller Scholarship, awarded annually to student athletic trainers. He returns to K-State each year to meet with faculty and students in the athletic training curriculum. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health education in 1976, and earned a second bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Wichita State University in 1978.
Diana Durbin and Lt. Gen. Robert E. Durbin
Public Advocacy Award
Diana Durbin has been instrumental in the development of programs and initiatives for the benefit and support of military families. Before her husband served as the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, she worked in public school systems throughout the United States, Germany and Korea. She is currently a special projects consultant for a growing technical company.
Lieutenant General Durbin is the special assistant to the U.S. Army Chief of Staff for Enterprise Management. During Operation Enduring Freedom, he commanded the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan.
1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley
Human Ecology Partner Award
The 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley are being recognized for leadership and contributions to the well being of military families in the central Flint Hills region. Fort Riley has demonstrated a willingness to create partnerships with communities and institutions such as K-State that have enabled new ways of exploring and engaging the needs of military families.
The 1st Infantry Division – the historic Big Red One – is one of the Army’s premier warfighting divisions. Since 1917, the 1st Infantry has contributed to the economic, health, social and community efforts in Kansas and the central Flint Hills region. In 2009, nearly 4,500 Fort Riley soldiers live in 22 local towns in the area. There are approximately 7,000 military families living in the local area, with an estimated 10,000 family members living with them off-post.
Fort Riley and the College of Human Ecology have developed an extensive collaboration that includes the new K-State Cooperative Extension Program at Fort Riley, major research and education initiatives in support of military service members and their families and the new Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families.
Sharon Y. Nickols, PhD
Distinguished Research Award
Nickols has spent more than 30 years in teaching, research and administration at land-grant universities, including Oklahoma State University, University of Illinois and currently University of Georgia where she served as dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. She was most recently awarded the Janette M. Barber Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics.
She graduated in 1965 from K-State with a bachelor’s degree in home economics education. She served as president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, chair of the Board on Human Sciences, and chair of the Family and Consumer Science Administrative Leadership Council. Nickols was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Malawi.
Mary and Carl Ice
Friend of the College Award
Mary How Ice graduated from K-State in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics education, and completed her master’s degree in adult and occupational education in 1988. She has worked as a substitute teacher and volunteer in the Kansas, Illinois and Texas communities where they have lived.
Carl Ice, executive vice president and chief operations officer with BNSF Railway in Texas, earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from K-State in 1979.
They serve as members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees and the Wildcat Victory Campaign. Their son, Marshall, and his wife, Megan, live in Arkansas City, Kan., and their daughter, Karen, lives in Barrington, Ill.
Prepared by Human Ecology communications
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 and is filed under Events.