Distinguished Alumni Announced for McMicken Gala

The McMicken College of Arts & Sciences

Alumni Gala

will be held May 18 at Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way. Here’s a glance at this year’s distinguished alumni who will be celebrated at the gala:

Joseph E. diGenova (’67, BA, Political Science)

Joseph E. diGenova often made sure justice was served swiftly. But sonorously? Renowned as an attorney and political expert, diGenova is also an accomplished singer.

He graduated with high honors in political science in 1967. He was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa national honor society and served as president of the Men’s Residence Hall Association. He was known around campus for his baritone voice and performances in musical theater with the Mummers Guild.

DiGenova’s law career reached new heights in the 1970s when he served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In 1976 he began service on the staff of U.S. Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland. In ’81 he was Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Rules Committee. After being nominated by President Ronald Reagan, he became U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in ’83.

Some of the higher profile cases in which he was involved include the prosecution of John W. Hinckley Jr. for his attempted assassination of President Reagan and the investigation of “Passportgate,” in which the George H.W. Bush administration probed rumored problems with then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton’s passport file.

DiGenova later found success in private practice and eventually opened his own law firm with wife Victoria Toensing. He is frequently sought for his expert commentary on a range of topics by various print and television media outlets. He is a member of Washington’s Gridiron Club, which is known for its annual musical roasts of the President of the United States.

William (’74, PhD, Geology) and Linda Harrison (’70, BS; ’72, MS, Geology)

More than 30 years ago, William and Linda Harrison took some rocks and got rolling on a project that would help define their careers. They gathered and cataloged thousands of rock cores, laying the foundation for what would become the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education (MGRRE).

She received her master’s degree in geology in 1972, and William earned his PhD in geology in 1974. They both studied under well-known paleontologist Dr. Kenneth E. Caster.

The Harrisons arrived in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1973 as William joined the faculty at Western Michigan University. For decades they worked together to establish the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education which opened in 2006. The center is Michigan’s first modern rock core laboratory and subsurface geological archives for research and education. It features more than 400,000 linear feet of rock core and other subsurface geological data. Professional geologists, university professors and students from kindergarten to the post-secondary level study the rock cores cataloged within the center.

William and Linda also assisted in the modernization of the Geology Department at the University of Latvia. The Harrisons delivered equipment, gave lectures and helped secure funding for the department. William has been honored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists with its Public Service Award for his dedication to the MGRRE.

David P. Witte, M.D. (’74, BA, Biological Sciences)

Throughout his career, David P. Witte has worn many hats and worn them well. He’s excelled as a researcher, pathologist and administrator. His current research focuses on cellular and molecular pathology and pediatric renal pathology.

Witte graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences in 1974. He earned his medical degree from the UC College of Medicine in 1979 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He joined the UC College of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Medical Center as an assistant professor in 1989. He now serves as the college’s director and Mackenzie Professor and Chair of the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

His professional career has focused on pediatric pathology and laboratory medicine. He has worked at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Washington University and the Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He has been published nearly 200 times and given around 100 presentations and seminars. He has won awards from the UC College of Medicine, Society for Pediatric Pathology, American and Clinical Climatological Association and Third Clusterin Workshop. He has also served on committees and councils for the Society of Pediatric Pathology.

He complements his scientific abilities with an artistic flourish. His creatively executed micrographs have been chosen as cover images on numerous scientific journals and as permanent displays of medical illustrations in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.