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Former Resident Honored

Three Alumni Awarded with School of Engineering’s Top Honor

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Engineering and its Advisory Board will honor three of the school’s alumni for careers that exemplify professional achievement.

On Thursday, May 8, Stanley Englund, Midland, Mich.; Charles Salanski of St. Joseph, Mo.; and Michael Shinn, Shaker Heights, Ohio, will receive the Distinguished

Engineering Service Award at the Kansas Memorial Union.

The award was created by the KU School of Engineering Advisory Board in 1980 to honor engineering alumni, or engineers who’ve maintained a close association with the school, for their outstanding contributions to the theories and practices of engineering research and development in new fields of engineering, or direction of an organization that has made exceptional contributions in design, production and development.

“These three engineers have done amazing things within their sphere of influence,” said Stuart R. Bell, dean of the KU School of Engineering. “Not only have they had highly successful careers in engineering, but they’ve shown resourcefulness and compassion to help others around them. Stanley Englund has been a key player in ensuring that chemical-based product manufacturing is as safe as possible. Charles Salanski led the Wire Rope Corporation of America to new heights and is unrivaled in his contributions to his community. Equally as significant are the contributions of Mike Shinn, a stalwart KU supporter, who has championed the support and development of minority engineers across the nation. The School of Engineering and its Advisory Board are pleased to recognize these outstanding alumni”

Englund, Salanski and Shinn will each received a bronze sculpture acknowledging the achievement. Portraits of the honorees and highlights of their professional accomplishments also will become part of the permanent DESA display in Eaton Hall, home of the School of Engineering.

“These alumni are outstanding role models of professional and personal integrity that we hope our students will emulate,” Bell said. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Stanley Englund Retired, Senior Process Consultant Dow Chemical Company Retired, Midland Engineering Ltd. B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1950 Englund is an international authority in process safety and risk management and, as a consultant for Dow, traveled the world. Englund graduated from Salina High School before serving in the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. He graduated in 1950 from the University of Kansas with a degree in chemical engineering. In 1951 he earned a master’s in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then began a 42-year career in engineering, research, and plant management with Dow Chemical Company. His leadership in the areas of process engineering and improvement helped make Dow an industry leader in chemical process safety and in several technologies including Saran resins. He has served on numerous national safety-related committees with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Center for Chemical Process Safety. Englund has addressed significant safety challenges facing the chemical industry in China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Israel, Jordan, Peru and Cuba. He has been involved in numerous community activities and organizations as well as service projects in Russia, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the United States. He and his wife, Marjorie, reside in Midland, Mich., and have four children.