Athens, Ohio -- Patricia A. Ackerman, Roscoe R. Braham, Jr., and Laura Tabler Wheat were designated Distinguished Alumni in recognition of professional accomplishment, outstanding service to academic departments or the College, or demonstrated leadership in community service. 

Patricia A. Ackerman, BA '66

Patricia Ackerman forged a sterling 35-year career in education -- a profession she chose almost by accident. The Cleveland native entered Ohio University originally aspiring to be a lawyer. But her writing talents landed her a position teaching writing clinics as an undergraduate, and she earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1966. She went on to earn a master's degree in administration from Cleveland State University and a doctorate from Kent State University while working her way from classroom teacher to district administrator. When she retired in 2000, she concluded 25 years with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, including seven years as director of curriculum.

A champion of alternative education for at-risk students, Ackerman was the driving force behind several innovative programs, including Taylor Academy in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, a special intervention program for ninth-and tenth-grade students who need intensive instruction to succeed in high school.

Ackerman has been active in educational organizations, including the American Association of School Administrators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Ohio Alliance of Black School Educators, and the National Alliance of Black School Educators, for whom she was president from 1987 to 1989. She also created and chaired the Ohio African-American Education Roundtable, a coalition of educators and community leaders. In September 1989, as chair of the National Governor's Association, she advised President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as they prepared for the nation's first education summit in the late 1980s.

Even after her retirement, Ackerman continues her involvement in education. She is founder, president, and CEO of Chalkdust Inc., a company that provides a wide range of services -- including support and training for teachers who fail the national teacher exam -- to school districts and other education-based groups.

Ackerman has lent her expertise and energy to Ohio University as well. She was named to the University's Board of Trustees in 1995 by then-Gov. George Voinovich; in 2000, she became the first African-American woman (and first K-12 educator) to chair the board. She continues to serve as a University trustee and is a member of the Ohio University Foundation board.

She also has been a generous supporter of University programs. She established the Heritage Wall in Temple-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, which honors African-American alumni and the people who helped them graduate from Ohio University. The wall sits in the Patricia A. Ackerman Lobby at the auditorium. She also has given to support performance arts and student programs at the auditorium, as well as cultural, arts, and educational programs in Lindley Cultural Center.

Roscoe R. Braham Jr., BS '42

His may not be a household name, but if you've ever been flown safely through a thunderstorm or watched a television weather forecast, you have benefited from the work of Roscoe R. Braham.

In his senior year at Ohio University, Braham was one of the hundreds of men who enlisted in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor. After completing his bachelor's degree in geology in 1942, he was trained as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served as a weather officer until his discharge in 1946.

His flying experience and background in meteorology led him to the Thunderstorm Project, a multi-agency research program ordered by Congress to investigate how airplanes could be made safer in thunderstorms. The project provided the first detailed examination of conditions inside a thunderstorm and led to improvements in airplane safety that continue today. Braham received the 1950 Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for his work on the project.

While working on the Thunderstorm Project, Braham completed his master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Chicago. He joined the university's staff in 1952 as a research meteorologist and retired in 1991 after 37 years -- 26 of them as a full professor. During his tenure at Chicago, he became the founding director of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona under a joint appointment between the two universities.

In 1957, Braham was one of three members of a National Academy of Sciences commission investigating how to incorporate computers in graduate meteorological training. The panel's report paved the way for the establishment of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, part of the National Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Braham remained deeply involved with both bodies, serving on and chairing many committees.

Braham joined the American Meteorological Society in 1945 and served as its president in 1988, helping the society in its quest to improve television weather forecasting. For many years, TV weather forecasters were hired more for their looks than their expertise. The society has worked diligently to change that situation, and today's TV stations are quick to tout the academic bona fides of their meteorologists. The society has recognized Braham with its Rossby and C. F. Brooks Awards.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the British Royal Meteorological Society.

The weather never stops, and neither apparently does Braham. Since his retirement thirteen years ago, he has served pro-bono as scholar-in-residence at North Carolina State University. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences appointed him to a panel to review the status of weather modification.

Laura Tabler Wheat, AB '79

Laura Tabler Wheat earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio University in 1979. She went on to complete her law degree at the University of Maryland and then to practice law in Dallas. But she is honored here because she is no longer a lawyer: Wheat retired from law to pursue philanthropy.

A breast cancer survivor, Wheat has been an active volunteer with Gilda's Club, an international nonprofit organization created in the memory of comedian Gilda Radner that offers emotional and social support to anyone affected by cancer. Since 1999, Wheat has been involved with the organization's North Texas affiliate and now serves as the President of the group's board of directors. Last year, she was elected to the worldwide board of directors. In addition to her involvement in activities and events to support cancer patients and their families, Wheat often speaks publicly about breast cancer awareness and support services.

Wheat also has been a supporter of Ronald McDonald House, which for 30 years has provided a home away from home for families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. The former executive director of Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, Wheat currently serves on its advisory board. She also has been a member of the national board of directors for Ronald McDonald House.

Many of her other volunteer and philanthropic efforts surround children. She has been a member of the board of directors of Dallas Children's Theater; the Edna Gladney Center for Adoption; and the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, which provides services to children who have been sexually abused. In addition, Wheat delivers meals to the homeless and elderly through the Meals on Wheels program.

The College of Arts and Sciences is not the first to recognize Wheat for her passion for and leadership of philanthropic causes. In October 2003, President George W. Bush met with Wheat to honor her through the USA Freedom Corps, the president's initiative in service, citizenship, and responsibility.