IU presents top honor to alumni

Five alumni received IU's highest honor for graduates of the University when they received the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Service Award Saturday night during a reception in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. \nThe recipients included former member of the IU board of trustees Frederick F. Eichhorn, who served as its president from 2002 to 2005. He also served as president of the Indiana State Bar Association, received the Chancellor's Medallion from IU Northwest and is a member of the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows.\n"It's a great honor; it's a very select group," Eichhorn said. "It's a very good feeling to be in the class that I entered with."\nJoining Eichhorn in receiving the alumni award was George Taliaferro, former IU football running back who helped lead the team to its only undefeated Big Ten championship during the 1945 season. Taliaferro went on to become the first black player to be drafted by the National Football League. According to a press release, he also served as dean of students at Morgan State University, special assistant to the IU president, chancellor of IU-Purdue Univiersity at Indiapolis, dean of the School of Social Work and was a founder of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club.\nRonald J. Webb also was presented the award. Webb served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and later was the special assistant to the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and FAA aviation assistant to the Secretary of Transportation. \n"I talked with Webb (during the award reception), as he was a Vietnam veteran imprisoned for six years during the war," Eichhorn said. "He's a very nice person and it was good to meet him. I have a son in the Air Force so I talked to Mr. Webb about Air Force issues."\nV. Sue Shields and James Weigand were the final two IU alumni to receive the award this year. \nShields was the first woman to be elected judge of a general jurisdiction trial court in Indiana, the first female judge in the Indiana Court of Appeals and the first female U.S. magistrate judge in Indiana, according to a press release. \nWeigand, according to a press release, served as special assistant to the IU president for 10 years. In 1979, he was appointed dean of the School of Continuing Studies and helped to establish numerous international programs in the school. In 1964 he also helped the School of Education develop its Department of Science and Environmental Education. \nThe awards were presented in front of a large crowd of fellow alumni, their friends and family. Several University officials also attended the reception. IU President Adam Herbert presented the awards and handed out the certificates. Each recipient also had an escort who introduced him or her to the crowd. Eichhorn was introduced by IU-East Chancellor David J. Fulton.\nThe reception was one of many events during this year's Cream and Crimson weekend which served to honor the alumni and was the 50th reunion for the class of 1956. \n"I also attended the dinner on Friday, picnic on Saturday and reception at the president's house Saturday night," Eichhorn said. "They were all very warm and friendly events"