Alumni represent disparate fields

Six distinguished alumni, representing fields ranging from business and public policy to art and academia, will be honored at the Founders Day celebration, to be held Nov. 7 at America's Center in downtown St. Louis.

This year's alumni honorees include:

• Charles A. Buescher Jr., who has had a long career in public water supplies. He joined the Northern Illinois Water Corp. in 1960, then held several positions with the St. Louis County Water Co. and its parent company, the Continental Water Co. He retired from Continental Water Co. in 1997. Buescher remains a member of the Board of Directors of Continental Water Co. and chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis County Water Co.

  Buescher served briefly on the University faculty in the early 1960s as an associate professor of civil engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Since then, he has kept firm ties to his school, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1959 and a master's degree in 1961. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Community Environmental Center here and serves as chairman of its advisory committee. Currently, Buescher is an affiliate professor and associate director of the Environmental Engineering Program and helps provide scholarships for students in this field.

• Arnold W. Donald, senior vice president of Monsanto Life Sciences Co. Donald joined the company in 1977 and has, in the course of more than 20 years, forged a career that encompasses a number of leadership positions, from industrial chemical sales to the lawn and garden business, from U.S. product director for Roundup® herbicide to manager of the company's business in Canada and Latin America.

  Donald received a bachelor's degree from the University in 1977 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. Active in cultural, service and arts institutions, Donald also gives his time to Washington University and is a member of the engineering school's National Council. Donald has received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the engineering school and the National Black Alumni Award from the University's Black Alumni Council.

• Joyce A. Ladner, currently a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Ladner has become a respected voice in the national discourse on issues of diversity, higher education, urban problems, public policy, race and gender and child welfare. She has been published extensively and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Ebony and The Washington Post.

  After receiving an undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College, Ladner graduated from Washington University with a master's degree in sociology in 1966 and a doctorate in philosophy in 1968. Currently on leave as a professor of sociology at Howard University, Ladner also has served as vice president for academic affairs and interim president there. In 1995, she was appointed by President Clinton to the oversight and governance board for Washington, D.C.'s finances and management.

• Jane Sauer, a studio artist, curator and lecturer who has received wide international acclaim for her work in fiber. Sauer earned a bachelor's degree in 1959 from the School of Art. She taught in a public school and, in 1960, received a master's degree from University College. She has held many teaching positions and served as a consultant or as a program director for educational and cultural organizations, including the Children's Puppet Theater. Sauer has a reputation as a distinguished member of the art world. Her work has appeared in numerous exhibitions nationally and abroad and in museums and private collections worldwide. She has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

  She currently serves her alma mater as a member of the art school's National Council and as chair of its Annual Fund. Formerly, she served as the school's representative on the Alumni Board of Governors.

• Robert L. Virgil Jr., who has given 32 years of distinguished service to the University, first as a professor in the John M. Olin School of Business and later as its dean. In addition, Virgil served in many key administrative roles, including vice chancellor for student affairs, chair of the Faculty Senate Council and executive vice chancellor.

  After graduating from Beloit College, Virgil earned master's and doctoral degrees in business administration from Washington University. He joined the faculty as an instructor in 1961 and later was promoted to full professor.

  Widely respected in the business and educational community, Virgil now is a general partner of Edward Jones Investments. He serves on the boards or is actively involved in many business, educational and civic organizations and is a former director and chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He has been honored for his contributions to the business school with several teaching awards bestowed by his students, the Dean's Medal for outstanding service and by the establishment of an endowed scholarship fund.

• Roger L. Weston, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of GreatBanc, Inc., a Chicago-based multibank holding company. Under Weston's leadership, GreatBanc has grown in value more than 12-fold since the 1980s. Widely known in his field, Weston has been listed in Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

  Weston received a bachelor's degree from MacMurray College in 1965 and a master's in business administration from Washington University in 1967. He has devoted much of his support and energy to the Olin School of Business, through the establishment of the Roger L. Weston Career Resources Center and the creation of Olin's Hatchery program, which provides business students with the opportunity to work with professionals to develop new investment concepts. Weston also serves on the school's National Council and is a member and past chair of the William Greenleaf Eliot Society Committee in Chicago. This year, he was recognized for his efforts with the Olin School's Distinguished Business Alumnus Award.