Janice Gomez
Contributing Writer
Former Houston Mayor Robert C. Lanier will join 1998 University of Houston graduates when he is awarded the Honorable Doctorate of Laws.
"I am tremendously honored," said Lanier. "I look forward to it."
UH will reward Lanier for his extraordinary service to Houston and Texas at the May 15 commencement.
Lanier is also designated as the 1998 Scholar-in-Residence for the UH System and will give this year's commencement speech.
Lanier served as Division Chairman of the Houston Foundation during the Creative Partnerships Campaign.
He is a former Honorary Chairman of the UH-Downtown Red Rose Ball, Honorary Member of the UH System Board of Visitors and in 1993 was awarded the President's Service Award by the Houston Alumni Organization.
Kenneth L. Lay, Wilhelmin R. "Beth" Morian and Juan "John" Oro will also receive Honorary Doctorates of Science for extraordinary service to the UH System and to the city of Houston.
Lay is the chairman and chief executive officer of Houston-based Enron Corp. He is honored for more than a decade of service to the UH community.
Lay was a member of the UH-System Board of Regents from 1987 to 1993, chair of the board from 1988 to 1991 and chair of the UH-System Vision Commission from 1996 to 1997.
Morian, president of Westview Development Inc. and Cockspur Inc., will also be honored for her outstanding efforts for the university. Morian was a member of the UH-System Board of Regents from 1991 to 1997 and acted as chair from 1993 to 1996. During this time she helped to guide the transition of merging the top UH System and UH administrative functions in 1997.
Oro is the former recipient of UH's Esther Farfel Award and the Alexander Ivanovich Oparin Medal from the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life. From 1956 when he joined UH's Department of Chemistry until his retirement in 1994, his accomplishments in research and academia have brought great prestige to UH.
George Magner and Corbin J. Robertson will be awarded the UH-System Medal of Honor for their demonstrated exceptional support, service and friendship for the UH System and its universities.
Magner is a professor of Social Work, former UH interim provost and UH interim senior vice president for Academic Affairs. He has had responsibility for systemwide academic programs such as the Fort Bend institute and KUHT-TV.
His wisdom, dedication and experience are of immense value to UH.
"University of Houston is a special place to me. It gives everyone a fair shot," Magner said.
Robertson is the former chairman of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston and served on advisory boards for the Creative Partnerships Campaign.
His direct involvement in the Welch Chair of Science has brought many grants, and his commitment to the sciences at UH has been exemplary.