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A physicist, entrepreneur, and visionary philanthropist, Dr. Charles W. Robertson Jr. co-founded Nano Drop Technologies, which has helped to transform scientific research worldwide. He has served as a Rhodes trustee and over the years has generously funded various Rhodes fellowships, projects, and facilities in the sciences, including Robertson Hall on campus. In 2023, the college established a $1 million endowment supporting new and ongoing faculty-led research projects, thanks to the generosity of Robertson and his wife, Patricia. The same year, the college presented him with an honorary degree. It was Robertson who encouraged Rhodes to submit a proposal to NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and generously provided funding for the project. On Sept. 14 of this year, a four-inch, cube-shaped satellite designed by Rhodes professors and students was launched into space aboard NASA’s Northrop Grumman CRS-23. The launch was the culmination of a six-year project, and the satellite will test next-gen solar technology. 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Established in 1983, the Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes an alum who has brought honor to Rhodes through extraordinary achievement in their profession and community. Recipients enter the Alumni Hall of Fame, which is located outside of Hardie Auditorium in Southwestern Hall. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented at the Annual Convocation of the Rhodes College Alumni Association during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend each fall.

Eligibility and Nominations

All living alumni who are members of a class that graduated at least 10 years prior to the nomination date are eligible, with the exception of:

- Members of the Rhodes Board of Trustees

- Current faculty and staff

- Members of the Alumni Executive Board

- Recipients of a Rhodes honorary degree

Nominees for the BSA Distinguished Alumni Award will also be considered for the Distinguished Alumni Award. Nominations are invited from any Rhodes alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents or friends of the college. You can make your nomination today by filling out the online form on the front page.

Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

2025 Dr. Charles W. Robertson Jr. ’65 

2024 MaryKay L. Carlson ’81

2023 William J. Michaelcheck ’69

2022 Dr. Russell T. Wigginton, Jr. ’88

2021 Dr. Stephen C. Threlkeld ’86

2020 Allen Reynolds ’60

2019 William Van Davidson ’62

2018 Dr. Herbert Hill ’67

2017 Dr. Joe McCord ’66

2016 Mike Cody ’58

2015 Vicki Gilmore Palmer ’75

2014 Mary Frances Files Silitch ’57

2013 Harry L. Swinney ’61

2012 Sidonie Sansom ’82

2011 Brian R. Wamhoff ’96

2010 Dr. William O. Coley ’50

2009 Raymond E. Bye, Jr. ’66

Jocelyn D. Wurzburg ’62

2008 Robert S. Edington ’50

2007 Martha Ellen Maxwell ’51

Robert H. Crumby ’53

2006 William Cleage Threlkeld ’53

2005 Jason Turnbow Pettigrew ’96

Louis Ruffin Pounders ’68

2004 Ray U. Tanner ’54

2003 Katherine Hinds Smythe ’53

William Hamilton Smythe ’52

2002 Margaret Rose Gladney ’67

Sidney Strickland ’68

2001 W. Henry Mosley ’55

R. Susan Wood ’70

2000 Jacquelyn Dowd Hall ’65

1999 Arthur L. Kellermann ’76

1998 Pauline Jones Hord ’29

1997 C. Stratton Hill, Jr. ’50

1996 William G. Mankin ’62

1995 Richard B. Dixon ’50

1994 James T. Robertson ’53

1993 James H. Fall, III ’65

1992 Mary Jane Smalley Roberts ’58

1991 Charles J. Ping ’51

1990 S. Shepard Tate ’39

1989 Susan Burnside Fleming ’73

1988 John B. Ricker, Jr. ’38

1987 J. Thayer “Toto” Houts ’37

James G. Hughes ’32

1986 Ada Jane Walters ’56

J. Russell Perry ’33

1985 Elder L. Shearon, Jr. ’42

Margaret Boisen Nash ’50

Jere B. Nash, Jr. ’50

1984 Judith Deavenport Mitchener ’56

Steven J. Schmidt, Jr. ’72

Robert K. Armstrong ’37

1983 Lewis R. Donelson ’38

James F. Gladney, Jr. ’38