4/22/03

Outstanding Lake Michigan College Alumni Receive Awards

BENTON TOWNSHIP, MI - The Lake Michigan College Alumni Association has selected four of its outstanding members to receive awards during the 56th annual commencement exercise being held at the LMC Mendel Center on Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m.

Two individuals will be presented with The Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is named in honor of the first president of Lake Michigan College and is presented to an alumni member who has accomplished significant success in his or her personal and professional endeavors.

Beckwith award winner Roger Frank Marquardt is a retired aerospace engineer. He was a student at Benton Harbor Junior College, the predecessor of LMC, in 1948 and 1949. After his studies at LMC, he earned both a B.S. and an M.S. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan. Between degrees, he served in the U.S. military for four years, graduating as Top Aviation Cadet from the U.S. Air Force Flight School in 1952.

After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, he went on to become an aeronautical engineer at Lockheed-Martin Aircraft Co., specializing in the research and development of tactical aircraft. Marquardt focused on some of the military's most advanced technology, winning awards for his engineering work on the F-111 and the F-16 models.

At Lockheed-Martin, he rose to become Engineering Chief of Aerodynamics and Flight Performance for Advanced Tactical Aircraft, overseeing a team of 40 engineers. Marquardt also contributed to the U.S. space program: He performed research on the aerodynamic forces that aircraft would encounter upon entry into other planets, and provided calculations on the rates of decay that satellites experienced in orbit.

Marquardt is the holder of two patents relative to improving military aircraft performance and was a major contributor to the Lockheed Aerospace Handbook in use by several aircraft companies, engineering schools, and government and air force organizations throughout the world.
He currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Steven Silcox of St. Joseph has been recognized with the second Beckwith award for 2003. Silcox is Vice President, Operations at Modern Plastics Corporation in Benton Harbor and serves as the chairman of the LMC Board of Trustees.

A 1973 graduate of LMC, Silcox earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University. Before joining Modern Plastics, he worked as personnel manager for V-M Corporation

At Modern Plastics, Silcox has contributed to the region's economic well-being. As one of the region's larger employers, Modern Plastics was facing the prospect of closing its doors. Silcox is part of the management team that orchestrated the rebirth of the company and preserved hundreds of local jobs.

Silcox has also dedicated extensive time to his LMC alma mater. He has served on the LMC Board of Trustees since 1990 and as its chairman since 1997. During that time he has been involved with the LMC Alumni Association, co-chairing the College's 50th Anniversary celebration, representing LMC on state and national community college organization boards, and volunteering with the Winner's Circle Auction. In 2002, he and LMC president Dr. Richard Pappas established a student scholarship fund through donations raised by participation in the Chicago Marathon.

Other community volunteer efforts include serving as past director, staff member, and advisor for Junior Achievement of Blossomland; past president of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra; past trustee for the Samaritan Center; past director and ambassador for the Twin Cities Area Chamber of Commerce; past ambassador for Cornerstone Alliance; and current participant with the Council for World Class Communities.

Silcox is also past recipient of the 1988 LMC Alumni Service Award and 1998 Bernard C. Radde Distinguished Service Award.

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C. Jesse Green of Lansing has been recognized with the Alumni Achievement Award, which is presented to a recent alumna who has demonstrated significant success in his or her career, education, or community.

Green, a 1991 LMC honors graduate, is an attorney and journalist. Currently, he is director of communications for the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and creative writing from Western Michigan University and a law degree from Valparaiso University.

Upon graduation from Valparaiso University, became a reporter for the Michigan Lawyers Weekly. During his time there, his legal analyses appeared in Detroit Free Press, Associated Press,
Grand Rapids Press, Ohio Lawyers Weekly, and numerous radio outlets across the state. Green's analyses have also been used to brief Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the Michigan House and Senate, and the Michigan Attorney General.
Green was the recipient of the 2000 Wade H. McCree, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Justice, one of Michigan's highest legal honors.

As director of communications for the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, Green coordinates media relations and internal communication efforts for the high-profile, 2000-member legal association. He also researches and writes legal analysis for lobbying efforts and legislative debate, briefs members of the House and Senate, and coordinates and monitors public education programs.

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Daniel A. Shelton of Berrien Springs has been selected as the Alumni Service Award recipient. This award is presented to alumni members who have made important contributions personally or professionally to their community or Lake Michigan College.

Shelton is the president and CEO of Shelton Construction Company in Benton Harbor. The company, which he established in 1993 after holding the position of senior vice president of Holland Construction Co., focuses on commercial, industrial, and institutional construction. Employing from 40 to 60 individuals, Shelton Construction Co. has completed more than $66 million in construction projects and is responsible for more than $30 million in current projects. Among the company's list of completed projects are the College's Bertrand Crossing Campus in Niles, the M-TEC at Lake Michigan College facility in Benton Harbor, and Lakeland Regional Health System's new facility on Hollywood Road in Royalton Township.

A 1972 graduate of LMC with an Associate in Applied Science degree, Shelton went on to graduate from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He brought his talent back to the region and now runs one of the largest construction companies in southwest Michigan.

Shelton has been an ardent supporter of LMC. He is a significant contributor to the annual LMC Winner's Circle Auction and has supported the LMC athletic program and childcare center on the College's Napier Avenue Campus.