A retired, small-town physician who has been an active UB alumnus, an internationally known authority on autism and a leader for change in his native Nigeria are among the seven individuals who will be honored at the Alumni Association's annual awards dinner in celebration of excellence on April 20.

	Ellis
	Maronne
	Carey
	Harris
	Madubuike
	Niesen
	Raven

The dinner will be held at 6 p.m. in the Center for Tomorrow on the North Campus. Tickets are $60 per person. For for further information or to make reservations, call 829-2608 before April 6.

George M. Ellis Jr., M.D. '45, a generous and devoted alumnus of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for half a century, will receive the Samuel P. Capen Award, the alumni association's most prestigious prize.

The award is presented for notable and meritorious contributions to the university and its family.

A retired physician and surgeon, Ellis provided quality and personalized medical care in a small, semi-rural Indiana community.

He established the George M. Ellis Jr. M.D. Endowment Fund for Medicine, and also donated a rare, first edition of "De conceptu et generatione hominus"-written by Jacob Rueff and published in Zurich in 1554-to mark the University Libraries' acquisition of its three-millionth volume.

The Clifford C. Furnas Memorial Award will be presented to Van P. Carey, M.S. '76, Ph.D. '81, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley.

The annual award is presented to a graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or within the disciplines of natural sciences and mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences who has distinguished himself or herself in a field of science, bringing honor to the university.

Internationally known as a leader in the field of heat transfer, Carey's research has led to patents that have impacted the design of many heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

The Walter P. Cooke Award will be presented to Paul V. Marrone, retired vice president of Veridian Engineering-formerly Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory.

The Cooke Award is given to a non-alumnus who has made notable and meritorious contributions that have influenced the university's growth and improvement, and stimulated others to show an active interest in and give material support to UB.

Marrone is recognized for giving his time and expertise to help get funding from the National Science Foundation to bring the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research-now known as the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research-to UB.

Four alumni will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards for their career accomplishments, community or university service, research or scholarly activity.

Sandra L. Harris, Ph.D. '69, is an internationally recognized expert on autism.

Her research, which has demonstrated that autistic children can be aided by careful tutoring and behavioral control, has changed the direction of diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

She is professor and dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University.

Ihechwukwu C. Madubuike, Ph.D. '73, is a consultant, scholar, educator and politician who has made important contributions to his native Nigeria and to UB.

In 1977, he returned to Nigeria, where he conducted research, taught African literature and authored several books.

Two years later, he was elected to the Imo State Congress and appointed his country's first post-military minister of education. He later was appointed to the National Constitutional Conference and helped write a new constitution and develop Nigeria's first heath-care plan.

William A. Niese, L.L.B. '61, retired last year as vice president, general counsel and assistant secretary of the Times Mirror Co. and its primary operating unit, The Los Angeles Times

He is a longtime leader in various organizations in Los Angeles that promote and improve the community. An active member of the Law School Alumni Association, he also is on the executive committee of UB's Generation to Generation Campaign.

Abbe L. Raven, B.A. '74, who heads the History Channel, is dedicated to the idea that cable programming should be instructive, as well as entertaining.

She helped launch and became a vice president of A & E, the Arts and Entertainment Network, and later its History Channel.