The honorees -- Richard Corsi, Eric Ramos, and Kevin Daum -- were recognized for their great leadership, career accomplishments, and outstanding contribution to the community.
Richard Corsi, representing the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, earned a degree in environmental resources engineering at HSU in 1983. He is currently a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, where he established internationally-recognized research programs focusing on emissions of toxins from wastewater and physics and chemistry of indoor air. He also served as a principal investigator for many major projects, including a recent $1.4 million study on building disinfection chemistry, after the anthrax attacks in 2001.
Eric Ramos, earned his degree in business administration and accounting from HSU in 1996, representing the College of Professional Studies. He is a founder of the Blue Lake Casino -- a 45,000 square foot gaming facility in nearby Blue Lake, Blue Lake Entertainment, Mainstay Business Solutions, and BLA Construction. He currently serves as the president of business operations for the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe and established a Blue Lake Rancheria Scholarship for HSU students.
Kevin Daum, representing the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, earned his degree at HSU in theatre arts in 1986. He is founder and CEO for Stratford Financial Services and also founded a successful dinner theatre in the Bay Area, earning him a spot on the 2003 list of "40 Most Influential People Under 40" in the San Francisco Bay area. Now residing in Alameda and New York City, Daum also authors business-related columns and books, including co-writing "Building Your Own Home For Dummies."
"I felt this honor and event to be a culmination and validation of the HSU gift of knowledge and experience that has been such a rich foundation for who I have grown to be as a part of society," said Daum.
A full house of guests were in attendance at the annual event, some from as far away as Texas, to hear the recipients' passionate references to HSU and the positive impact it had on their lives and careers.
"Education is the foundation of individual achievement," said Eric Ramos, "and the catalyst for healthy communities. So much of the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe's success, and my ability to contribute to it, are due to the positive impact of my HSU education."
Unlike past ceremonies, this year's event was held on campus in the Kate Buchanan Room, welcoming a diverse audience of university executives, alumni board members, community supporters of HSU, as well as friends and family of the recipients.
"We made this a landmark occasion by bringing the event home to the campus," said Dean Hart, HSU's director of alumni relations. "In recent years we were off-campus and it was time to link the event to the institution that these alumni are so proud of."
"The banquet was a wonderful event and one that I will personally cherish for the remainder of my life," recipient Richard Corsi said. "The award is one that I am still trying to come to grips with. It is overwhelmingly humbling. I have thought a lot about why the award matters so much to me and keep coming back to the same reason -- because it is from HSU."
The HSU Alumni Association has been recognizing alumni achievements since 1960, when it launched its annual Who's Who award. To obtain a nomination form for next year, or for more information, please contact the Alumni Association at alumni@humboldt.edu or 707/826-3132.