1999 Recipients
Harvey D. Egan '59
Harvey Egan, you have followed a path that few WPI graduates have traveled. As a researcher, a scholar and an accomplished teacher, you have distinguished yourself and your alma mater through your involvement in advancing the field of Christian mysticism, a branch of theology that deals with Christian prayer.
Regarded internationally as an expert on Karl Rahner, a Roman Catholic theologian who had significant influence on the 2nd Vatican Council, your accomplishments are many. Following your graduation from WPI in 1959 with a degree in electrical engineering, you worked as an engineer with Kaman Helicopter Company and Boeing Airplane Company before entering the Jesuit novitiate. You then began your study of philosophy and theology, receiving master of arts degrees from Weston College and Woodstock College. After being ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1969, you traveled to Germany to pursue your doctoral studies in theology at the University of Muenster, under the guidance of Karl Rahner. Even today you credit the theology of Rahner, along with the readings of the Christian mystical classics, as the two significant influences for your own writing.
You joined the faculty of Boston College in 1973 as an assistant professor; today you serve as professor of systematic and mystical theology. You have chaired the Theology Department's Curriculum Committee and have been a member of the department's Executive Committee and Faculty Grievance Committee. Throughout your career you have contributed your expertise to numerous professional societies, including the Catholic Theological Association of America, the College Theological Society and the American Academy of Religion. Your research has allowed you to author and edit 25 books and numerous articles, as well as contribute to several theology journals.
A rare individual, you have had the opportunity to touch many lives through retreats, seminars and lectures. By looking at the lives of great saints and mystics, you frequently discover the meaning of full human life. Your writings define how mystics can be transposed for contemporary living. You have viewed your own writing as a vocation deeply in tune with the Jesuit priesthood.
Harvey Egan, it is with great pride and admiration that we present to you the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
William J. Dowd '64
Bill Dowd, your hard work, dedication and commitment to quality have propelled your career and led to numerous professional achievements. As the president and chief operating officer of Fleming Companies, the largest grocery distributor in the United States, you lead a $15 billion company employing over 39,000 employees.
Your work ethic and business acumen were developed early in life with a paper route and your analytical and mathematical skills emerged when your elementary school teacher called upon you to help explain complex mathematical concepts. Having attended WPI's Techniquest, you were encouraged to pursue a career in either engineering or finance. Although you chose chemical engineering, you did so more because you saw the commercial potential of the emerging plastics industry, than for a pure love of engineering.
Following your graduation from WPI, you put your chemical engineering degree to work at Monsanto and later at Occidental Petroleum while obtaining an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. In 1971 you joined R.J. Reynolds/Heublin Inc. and worked your way up to vice president of this $300 million specialty grocery company. The next decade would bring appointments as president/CEO of Mrs. Paul's Kitchens Inc., a $200 million division of Campbell Soup, as president of Kraft Dairy Food, and as executive vice president and general manager of Kraft General Foods, a $17 billion operation.
These experiences and successes led to your current appointment in 1995. Reporting to the chairman and CEO of Fleming Companies, your collaborative management style made you the perfect candidate to head the company's strategic initiatives to optimize wholesale operations, and more effectively and efficiently support retail customers.
Throughout your career, you have placed a high value on integrity, personal happiness and professional satisfaction. An avid family man, you and your wife, Gladys, have successfully raised two children and have shared a passion for piloting private aircraft.
Bill Dowd, your impressive career has distinguished you and brought great honor to your alma mater. It is with significant pride that WPI presents you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Carleton F. Kilmer Jr. '64
Carl Kilmer, your distinguished career at Andersen Consulting has been characterized by determination, growth and success. Your professional dedication to global management and technology-based consulting services over a span of thirty years has earned you the respect of WPI, as well as your colleagues and peers.
Following graduation from WPI, you served in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Vietnam as an infantry officer. You then joined U.S. Envelope Company as a staff and project engineer, and soon afterward, pursued a graduate degree at Babson College.
Your path to success has been easy to follow in the highly competitive environment of Andersen Consulting. In 1979 you became a partner, a post reserved for the company's strongest performers. You have served Andersen in a number of capacities, including worldwide managing partner for aerospace and defense, industrial products, and automotive. As senior partner for electronics and high technology, you currently lead the company's largest division with your global management expertise.
You have been a consistent supporter of WPI and an advocate of the education it provides. You have served your class as a member of its 25th Reunion Gift Committee. You have assisted WPI in its development of a strategy for globalization as a member of the President's International Advisory Board. You were recently appointed to the Board of Trustees, where your talents will continue to have an impact on the future of WPI.
Carl Kilmer, your achievements bring great pride to WPI. It is with honor that we recognize your distinguished accomplishments by presenting you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
John S. Thompson Jr. '69
John Thompson, you have distinguished yourself as a leader in the global marketplace. As president and chief executive of BTR Inc., you head up a $4 billion venture and serve on the executive committee of BTR, plc, a $15 billion London stock exchange company. With over 35,000 employees in 24 countries, you are now leading a reorganization of the company from a diversified conglomerate to a more focused engineering company, specializing in the design and manufacture of controls and automation products.
The road to your success started when, as the first member of your family to attend college, you set foot on the WPI campus 34 years ago. Having completed your degree in mechanical engineering, you immediately took advantage of another educational opportunity and successfully completed your M.B.A. at Harvard Business School.
You progressed rapidly in positions of increased responsibility at such companies as Massachusetts Blue Shield and Continental Investment Corp., and in 1975 you joined Stowe Woodward. Within four years you were appointed vice president of finance and by 1980 you were named president, a position you held until 1988 when the company was purchased by BTR, plc of London. As vice president and later as chief executive of BTR's Paper Technology Group, you oversaw record profits, the acquisition of Niagara Lockport Corporation, an $80 million competitor, as well as two businesses in Germany and another in Italy. These significant achievements were recognized with your current appointment as president and chief executive of BTR Inc. in 1993.
Throughout your career you have encouraged a team-based approach to management, empowering others to use their own analytical skills as well as those of colleagues to minimize risk and maximize return. A devoted family man, you and your wife, Helen, have raised two sons and a daughter and for the last six years you have dutifully commuted back to your home in Wellesley from BTR corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn., on a regular basis.
John Thompson, your achievements have brought great pride to your alma mater. It is with great honor that WPI presents you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Vijay R. Kirloskar '74
Vijay Kirloskar, your highly successful career, distinguished by outstanding business acumen and leadership, has brought much pride to your alma mater. As chairman and managing director of Kirloskar Electric Company Ltd., you have guided the company as India's leading manufacturer of electrical engineering equipment.
You began your career at Kirloskar Electric in 1974 as an engineer trainee. In 1977 you returned to the United States and joined Germanium Power Devises Corporation. Concurrently, you pursued a graduate degree at WPI, where you received a master of science in management in 1978. Returning to India and Kirloskar Electric in 1979, you assumed the position of manager in charge of electric motor and alternator shops in Bangalore, advancing to president in 1982 and vice chairman and managing director in 1988. You have continued to build on the tradition begun by your father, Ravi Kirloskar '38.
As one of India's leading industrial organizations, Kirloskar Group, a $2.5 billion engineering conglomerate of more than 35 companies, is driving such critical industries as power, construction, agriculture, oil and gas. Much of the credit for the group's dynamic rise during the 1990s is the result of your bold business direction as chairman.
During your career you have shared your expertise with the technical community, serving most recent as vice president of the Confederation of Indian Industry and chairman of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology. You have demonstrated a continuing interest in your alma mater; in 1998 you were named to the President's International Advisory Board, assisting WPI in its development of a strategy for globalization.
Vijay Kirloskar, it is with great pride and honor that WPI recognizes your many accomplishments by presenting you with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
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