The 2010 Distinguished Alumni are, from left, Ignacio Nuñez ('75), Greg Barron ('91), James Ditto, Robert Irish Jr. ('66), Jean McSweeney ('83), Nasser Ahmed Lozi ('79), Clifford Hahne ('82), and Thomas Rourke ('74, '78). Visit www.uta.edu/alumni/distinguished for more information on the honorees.
Distinguished Company
Recipients announced for UT Arlington’s highest alumni honor
Eight former students will be recognized for their professional achievements and service to the community and University at the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Gala on Oct. 16 in the E.H. Hereford University Center.
Greg Barron (’91), Clifford Hahne (’82), Robert Irish Jr. (’66), Jean McSweeney (’83), Ignacio Nuñez (’75), and Thomas Rourke (’74, ’78) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. James Ditto will receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and Nasser Ahmed Lozi (’79) will receive the Distinguished International Alumni Award.
Eight former students who have excelled in a range of professions will be honored at the Distinguished Alumni Gala.
Barron, who earned a B.B.A. in finance from the College of Business, is founder and CEO of The Barron Companies Inc., which holds interests in construction, architecture, engineering, and real estate development. His company also starts and sustains village schools and an orphanage in India.
Hahne holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering. He is a regional president for Lehigh Hanson, Inc., and has been recognized for his contributions by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Associated General Contractors, and other organizations in the concrete pipe and products industry.
Irish earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the College of Science. He was in the UT Arlington Cadet Corps and later served with the 51st Signal Battalion in Korea. He founded Texcom Southwest and later sold it to Intermec Corp. He currently serves as president of Controls International Inc.
Dr. McSweeney, who holds a master’s degree from the College of Nursing, is a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She teaches in the doctoral program and has contributed significantly to the field of women’s cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Nuñez earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Science. In the past 25 years he has delivered thousands of babies to area mothers. In 2008 his peers elected him to serve as Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital’s president of the medical staff.
Rourke holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the College of Liberal Arts and a master’s degree from the School of Social Work. He recently teamed with partners to establish Ascend Health Corp., which owns and operates behavioral programs, including hospitals, day treatment, and outpatient centers.
Ditto attended UT Arlington when it was North Texas Agricultural College and Arlington State College. He has served on the Development Board, Alumni Association Board, Athletic Council, and as chair of the Athletic Facility Group for the Maverick Athletic 2020 Advisory Board.
His Excellency Lozi, who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the College of Engineering, serves as chief of the Royal Hashemite Court for Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Lozi has been called the second most powerful person in Jordan.
