Ming Hsieh ’83, MS ’84 is one of seven Trojans to be honored at the 77th Annual USC Alumni Awards on April 24, 2010, at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles.
The university trustee and benefactor of the USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering will receive an Alumni Merit Award, “recognizing individuals whose remarkable accomplishments speak well for the range and quality of a USC education.”
Ming Hsieh ’83, MS ’84
Hsieh is the co-founder, CEO, president and chairman of Cogent, Inc., a provider of fingerprint ID systems, and co-founder of AMAX Information Technologies. In 2006, he presented a $35 million naming gift to the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s electrical engineering department.
In addition to Hsieh, the USC Alumni Association will recognize six other distinguished alumni for their achievements and contributions.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taylor Hackford ’67 (LAS) will receive the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award, the university’s highest alumni honor.
Five-time Olympic medalist Janet Evans ’95 (Annenberg) and Captain Melissa Ward ’86 (Marshall), the first African-American woman to serve as a commercial airline captain, will receive Alumni Merit Awards.
Former USC trustee Gale Bensussen ’70 (Marshall) and his wife Jane Bensussen MA’69 (LAS), benefactors of the Bensussen Research Floor of the USC School of Pharmacy, and Roger W. Rossier MS ’62, EdD ’72 (Rossier), benefactor of the USC Rossier School of Education and chair of the USC Orange County President’s Council, will receive Alumni Service Awards for “outstanding volunteer efforts on behalf of the university.”
The 2010 USC Alumni awards will also feature a special alumni tribute to retiring USC President Steven B. Sample and his wife Kathryn, commemorating their 19 years of service to the university.
“This year’s honorees represent the very best of the Trojan Family,” said Scott Mory, USC Alumni Association CEO. “We look forward to welcoming them, and our guests, to the 77th Annual Alumni Awards.”
Every year since 1932, the USC Alumni Association has paid tribute to distinguished members of the Trojan Family. The annual Alumni Awards is the premier event sponsored by the Alumni Association. All proceeds from the event support the Alumni Association’s programs, services and scholarships.
Past honorees include Grammy-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert, former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher, architect Frank O. Gehry, opera great Marilyn Horne, WNBA star Lisa Leslie and screen legend John Wayne.
ABOUT THE USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1923, the University of Southern California Alumni Association honors through its many events and programs the university’s rich history and the intellectual, cultural and economic contributions of the Trojan Family. A full-time staff headed by the alumni association CEO helps 300,000+ USC alumni worldwide build and maintain lifelong connections to their alma mater and one another. For more information, call (213) 740-2300 or visit http://alumni.usc.edu.
By Tim Knight
