University Times

Lorin Maazel, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, was the keynote speaker at Pitt's annual Honors Convocation yesterday, Feb. 28, in Soldiers and Sailors Hall.

During this year's ceremony, the University conferred honors and awards on 1,722 students and 220 faculty members in recognition of their 1995-96 academic achievements.

Distinguished Alumni Fellow Awards also were given to Steven C. Beering, president of Purdue University, and W. Arthur George, emeritus associate dean of Pitt's dental school.

Born in Berlin, Beering came to the United States in 1948. He earned his high school diploma in 1950 and then entered Pitt, where he earned consecutive degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences, where he graduated summa cum laude, and the School of Medicine.

Prior to becoming president of Purdue, Beering served for a decade as dean and director of the Indiana University Medical Center.

Beering is a member of the American College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Medicine, Phi Beta Kappa, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the Indiana Academy. Currently chair of the Association of American Universities, he also has served as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges and as a regent of the National Library of Medicine.

During his career at Pitt, the dental school's George served on 22 University committees, including the Dental Alumni Board.

George also has served as a consultant to project Hope, coordinating programs in the Middle East designed to train health care practitioners to repair and restore facial and dental deformities and injuries. In addition, George has helped develop and run training programs for dental hygienists and technicians in Portugal. As a member of the Vietnam Education Project evaluation team of the American Dental Association, he also helped train dental school teachers in Saigon.

George also has served as a volunteer for the YMCA, which honored him with its outstanding leadership award.