MTU TO HONOR ALUMNI AT SPRING COMMENCEMENT
HOUGHTON, MI--Michigan Technological University will award three honorary doctorates and the prestigious Silver Medal of the Michigan Tech Board of Control at commencement ceremonies on May 22. Dr. Donald Saari will receive an honorary doctorate of mathematics. Franklin St. John of Wallingford, CT will receive an honorary doctorate of metallurgical and materials engineering. Bruce Elmblad of Wellesley Hills, MA will receive the Silver Medal. The medal is presented to individuals whose personal and professional achievements stand as outstanding examples for MTU graduates. The honor commemorates the significant accomplishments of Michigan Tech alumni or friends who serve as leaders in their community, state and nation.
Dr. Donald Saari received a BS in Mathematics from MTU in 1962, then received an MS and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University.
Saari began his academic career at Northwestern University in 1968. He was chair of the Department of Mathematics from 1981 to 1984 and was appointed professor of economics in 1988. Currently the Arthur and Gladys Pancoe Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern, his research centers on the mathematics of dynamics, ranging from celestial mechanics to mathematical economics to mathematical decision theory mechanics to mathematical economics to mathematical decision theory.
Franklin St. John received a BS in metallurgical engineering from MTU in 1960, and an MBA from the University of Bridgeport, and an MS in Industrial Engineering in 1972 from the University of New Haven.
In 1976, St. John founded Jensen Industries with Walter L. Jensen. Jensen Industries is a leading manufacturer and worldwide marketer of precious and non-precious dental alloys. While he retired as general manager and executive vice-president in 1988, he continues to maintain ownership and serve as chairman of the board. He is also involved in several other ventures around the globe involving real estate, financing, and herbal medicines.
St. John is a member of the MTU Presidents Club and is a charter member of the Second Century Society. He has established two endowed four-year scholarship funds at MTU. In 1991, his professional achievements and service to the University were recognized when he was presented the Michigan Tech Board of Control Silver Medal.
Bruce Elmblad attended MTU for five terms before transferring to the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1951 with a degree in military engineering. He served five years in the Army as an Airborne Artillery Officer, resigning in 1955.
While working as a corporate executive in a number of companies in subsequent years, he enrolled in the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. In 1968, Elmblad started Inforex, Inc., a manufacturer of computer peripheral equipment. He founded Prime Computer Incorporated, a manufacturer of minicomputers, in 1972. He continued producing computer equipment until 1980, when he began his current career in investment consulting. He currently runs Venture Investment Advisors, a venture management firm in Wellesley Hills, MA.
Elmblad serves on the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees, Varsity Club and the Century II Campaign Task Force. An accomplished athlete, he played football and basketball at MTU before transferring to West Point, where he earned nine varsity letters, playing on a nationally ranked football team and garnering all-East team honors. His accomplishments have earned him a place in the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame.
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05/19/99MTN103