2010 Recipients
Robert J. Harman
Class Year: 1959
Wall of Witness Award Winner 2010
The Reverend Robert J. Harman ’59 is a distinguished leader in the United Methodist Church (UMC) and an author, historian and visionary for global Christianity. He has lived his life witnessing for the values of civil rights, social justice and worldwide evangelism. While serving an inner-city Chicago congregation, he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and witnessed King’s attempts to improve open housing laws. Robert personally experienced civil disobedience by getting arrested during one such march and spending the night in jail.
An ordained elder of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference of the UMC, Robert has served in rural, urban and suburban churches. He has focused his faith and passion on global missions, serving as the chief administrative officer for the world mission program of the UMC’s General Board of Global Ministries. In that role, he supervised mission workers in 70 countries and a $21 million budget. He retired from the board in 2000.
After graduating from North Central College in 1959 with a degree in English, Robert earned a master of divinity degree from Evangelical Theological Seminary, now Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also earned a master’s degree from New York University’s School of Public Administration.
Dane T. Scag
Class Year: 1941
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 2010
Dane T. Scag ’41 put his name on a product that continues to be so successful that the name Scag stands for quality, reliability and innovation in the landscaping industry. After earlier careers in academia and industrial design and research, Dane invented a commercial lawn mower that set the standard in the industry because of its advanced and efficient design for negotiating tight areas around landscaping. He holds more than two dozen patents in the field. Dane launched his own business and served as president of Scag Power Equipment, Inc., from 1982 to 1991. He sold the company to Snapper in 1991. A few years later, he founded Great Dane Power Equipment, which he sold to John Deere in 2001. Dane also became an avid pilot and airplane owner, flying frequently to call on customers and demonstrate his mowers.
Dane received his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from North Central College and completed a master’s degree in physics from the University of Illinois in 1942. He later joined the teaching and research staff at Princeton University. Princeton offered Dane tenure and he was also offered the opportunity to be director of the newly opened Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL. Instead, he accepted a position with Allis-Chalmers, a diversified manufacturing company based in Milwaukee, where he designed high-energy X-ray machines with military applications. Dane later was named vice president of research at McGraw-Edison Co., where he first tinkered with commercial lawn mowers.
Katheryn Agne Dutenhaver
Class Year: 1960
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 2010
Katheryn M. Agne ’60 Dutenhaver, Esq. is a recognized expert in the field of mediation, arbitration and dispute resolution. She is co-founder and director of the Center for Dispute Resolution at the DePaul University College of Law where she has been a law professor for more than 35 years teaching courses in real estate, remedies, mediation and dispute resolution. She also conducts training courses in mediation for lawyers, judges, corporate counsel, executives, managers and school administrators. In the dispute resolution field she designs dispute resolution systems, facilitates the resolution of large group conflict and serves as a consultant. Her experience practicing law includes transactional work and litigation.
As an experienced mediator in complex business disputes, her cases involve business, financial, nonprofit, religious, educational, governmental and health care organizations. She mediates disputes involving individuals with issues in employment, insurance coverage, professional liability, disability, health care, real estate, personal injuries, wrongful death claims, clergy-abuse cases, estate planning and estate settlements.
Katheryn has published articles on mediation and lectures frequently in this field. In 1990, she co-founded the DePaul University College of Law Interfaith Family Mediation Project and continues to serve as director and volunteer mediator. She has been an officer or member of alternative dispute resolution committees for the Mediation Council of Illinois, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Katheryn earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from North Central College in 1960 and, in 1965, served as an adult chaperone for a North Central student trip to Selma, AL, to march with Martin Luther King Jr. She graduated from DePaul University College of Law in 1972 and earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago in 2007.
Richard L. Easterday
Class Year: 1960
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 2010
Dr. Richard L. Easterday ’60 enjoyed a distinguished career in the pharmacology industry. His expertise in biochemistry, nutrition and corporate leadership led to increasingly responsible positions in research and development, marketing and executive management for Pharmacia Fine Chemicals, later known as Pharmacia Biotechnology Group.
A chemistry major at North Central College, Richard received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry and nutrition from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, in 1963 and 1967. While attending school, Richard was inducted into the Phi Lambda Upsilon chemistry honors fraternity. He also completed the executive management course at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University in 1984.
Richard joined Pharmacia in November 1965 and held various positions, including manager of technical service, director of research and development, director of marketing and general manager. In November 1983 he was appointed executive vice president of Pharmacia Inc. and president of the Pharmacia Biotechnology Group. As president of Biotechnology, he was responsible for the laboratory separations, process separations and molecular biology product lines and was president of Pharmacia P-L Biochemicals, Inc., located in Milwaukee, WI.
Richard was named to the strategic planning group and biotechnology management group boards of Pharmacia in Uppsala, Sweden, and to the board of Biolink, which supplied equipment and systems for the large-scale manufacturing of biotechnology products.
Richard also served on the boards of directors of several industry groups and has written numerous technical papers and articles for publication. He has been a long-time supporter of North Central College and served as a College trustee from 1987 to 1994.
Richard J. Honer
Class Year: 1975
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 2010
Richard J. Honer ’75, M.D., has distinguished himself as a physician, medical humanitarian and tireless community volunteer. In addition to his busy medical practice as a surgeon, he has been generous with his donation of time, performing surgeries in the Dominican Republic—as many as 90 in four days—for people who otherwise would not receive care. His generosity extends to personal donations of much-needed medical and surgical supplies. He and his wife, Andrea, prepare for the trips by visiting churches in the Catholic Diocese of Orlando to explain their ministry and ask for donations.
His extensive community commitment has involved sponsoring a high school scholarship, coaching girls sports teams, furnishing supplies to the school clinic, providing physicals and dispensing advice and referrals. He also donates one weekend a month to a prison ministry and his family has hosted foreign exchange students. His latest endeavor is becoming the medical director of Angel Care, which is a free health clinic serving a low-income area.
After graduating from North Central College in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Richard attended medical school at the University of Illinois. Affiliated with Gessler Clinic, he has been on staff at Winter Haven Hospital since 1985.
In 2002, he received the Florida Medical Business Physician Humanitarian Award and the Community Mission Award. He has been awarded recognition as among America’s Top Surgeons every year from 2002 to 2010.