Seven individuals whose professional achievements and leadership have brought honor to themselves and to the university will be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni Saturday May 5.  

The awards dinner will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick.

The awards are presented annually by the Rutgers University Alumni Federation to recognize alumni for superior achievements in their professional and civic lives. Established in 1987, the Hall of Distinguished Alumni also commemorates more than 200 years of Rutgers history and tradition.

This year’s inductees are business executive Robert A. Druskin of Gladstone; publisher and business diversity advocate Luke Visconti of Princeton; ceramic engineer Irwin M. Lachman of Santa Rosa, Calif.; businessman and philanthropist Jerome Aresty of Boca Raton, Fla.; Brigadier General Stanley F. Cherrie of Leavenworth, Kan.; insurance executive and community leader Ronald W. Giaconia of Clifton; and pediatric healthcare innovator Donna L. Wong of Tulsa, Okla.

The new honorees bring the number of alumni in the hall to 181. The hall includes such notable alumni as U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema, actor James Gandolfini, author Janet Evanovich, chef and restaurateur Mario Batali, the late actor and humanitarian Paul Robeson, and Nobel Prize winners Selman Waksman and Milton Friedman.

To read more about the members of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni click here. The public may visit Winants Hall on the New Brunswick Campus to view the Hall of Distinguished Alumni display. Individuals seeking invitations to the May 5 induction ceremony and dinner may phone the Alumni Relations Department at 732-932-6874. Reservations are $75 before April 25 and $90 after that date.

Tthe Rutgers University Alumni Federation welcomes nominations for the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. The federation is now accepting nominations for the 2008 awards. The deadline for nominations is July 16, 2007.Contact the Rutgers University Alumni Federation Leadership and Recognition Committee, Winants Hall, 7 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1262, 732/932-7061, or click here to submit your nomination for the Hall of Distinguished Alumni.