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September 2, 2002

Four to Receive Alumni Achievement Awards

Dr. H. Eugene Hoyme, Alan Stanga, Milo Stormo, and Barbara Westby have been selected to receive Alumni Achievement Awards at Viking Days 2002.

The awards recognize alumni who have excelled in their careers, exemplify Augustana's five fundamental values and have been involved in their church and/or community. The four winners will be honored at the Viking Days Alumni Banquet on Saturday, October 5, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

H. Eugene Hoyme, M.D. '72
Dr. Eugene Hoyme is a devoted physician, professor, and researcher with a commitment to pediatrics.

Dr. Hoyme is currently professor and chief of the Division of Medical Genetics and associate chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. He also serves as clinical professor of pediatrics in the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine and director of the Stanford UCSF Residency Program in Medical Genetics. Previously he was professor and chief of the Division of Medical and Molecular Genetics and associate chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

He graduated summa cum laude from Augustana in 1972 with majors in biology and chemistry. After receiving his M.D. from the University of Chicago, he completed a pediatric residency and fellowship in clinical genetics at the University of California, San Diego.

Hoyme is active nationally in the American Academy of Pediatrics, currently as a member of the Committee on Genetics and the Planning Committee for the annual national conference and exhibition. He also serves on the editorial boards of several journals in the field of clinical genetics. He is a member of the American Society of Human Genetics and has served on the boards of directors of the American Board of Medical Genetics, the organization that certifies clinical geneticists in the U.S., and the American Society of Human Genetics.

Among Dr. Hoyme's research interests are mechanisms by which birth defects occur. Specifically, he is involved in studies of human teratogens (drugs in pregnancy which cause birth defects). He has studied children with the fetal alcohol syndrome extensively and was among the first to describe the adverse effects of maternal cocaine or organic solvent abuse during pregnancy. He is the author of more than 150 original articles, book chapters and research abstracts.

At Augustana, Dr. Hoyme was a member of the American Chemical Society and Beta Beta Beta, and was awarded Sophomore Honors in 1969.

He and his wife, Gloria Brenden '73, live in Burlingame, Calif., where he is also active in his church.

ALAN STANGA '60
Alan Stanga has a passion for music.

He spent almost 40 years teaching students, conducting choirs, and advocating his passion for choral music.

Stanga graduated from Augustana in 1960 with a degree in music. He sang with the Augustana Choir, leading the tenor section for two years. He received his master's degree from the University of Iowa in 1966.

His teaching career began as the supervisor of vocal music at Rock Valley Community Schools in Rock Valley, Iowa, from 1960 to 1965. He was the director of choral music at Sioux Falls Lincoln High School from 1967 to 1991, and was chair of the music department from 1987 to 1991. He served as the director of choral music at Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School from 1991 to 1999, and was the chair of fine arts from 1991 to 1997.

Among his many involvements, Stanga directed and taught at the South Dakota All-State Music Camp for seven years, was musical director of the Sioux Falls Master Singers for 13 years, and directed the Mid-Western Ambassadors of Music European Touring Choir for 16 years. He was also one of the founders of the South Dakota Honor Choir and was recognized by the organization for 25 years of service. His church activities included the position of choir director.

Stanga and his wife, Arlys, are retired and living in Sioux Falls.

MILO STORMO '56
Milo “Mike” Stormo had a distinguished career as a scientist and inventor in the aerospace industry.

His resume includes positions with Hughes Aircraft Company, Litton Industries, Librascope, General Precision, Varadyne, Lockeed Aircraft, North American Rocketdyne, and Boeing Aircraft.

Stormo, a native of Thomas, S.D., enrolled at Augustana in 1948 after his discharge from the U.S. Army. He was recalled to duty during the Korean War, returned to Augustana and graduated with majors in physics and mathematics. He lettered in football, basketball and track, and was a member of the Augustana Flying Club.

As a flight test supervisor and manager, Stormo tested the F-106 and F-104 Starfighter. In 1965 he became the leader of the first team to track Russian satellites with lasers. He worked on classified projects and was promoted to senior scientist. Through the years he received patents for several inventions, including a commercial pilot's “head's-up flight display.”

In addition to his professional interests, Stormo and his family spent two years in South Africa working with the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship.

Stormo founded Milo Systems Inc. in 1978, serving as president and chief executive officer. The company manufactured electronic systems, including motorcycle alarms and an early version of laser keyless-entry for cars. He sold the company in 1987 and joined the technical staff at Rocketdyne as a senior rocket scientist working on the International Space Station and classified laser projects connected with the missile defense system.

Retiring at age 69, Stormo published a book entitled All the Teachings of Jesus. He then joined researchers at Boeing as a consultant on the laser system he helped design at Rocketdyne. In March, 2002, he retired for the second time.

Stormo and his wife, Claryce Tollefson '51, live in Helendale, Calif., where he is an active church member.

BARBARA WESTBY '41
Barbara Westby knows a lot about books.

During her illustrious career, she maintained and improved library systems, and authored numerous articles and book chapters. As the editor of the Sear's List of Subject Headings for 20 years, her work provided the foundation for arranging countless library collections across the country and throughout the world.

Graduating magna cum laude from Augustana in 1941, Westby traveled to Denver, Colo., to obtain a library degree from the University of Denver School of Librarianship. She also studied Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish in order to translate and index magazines printed in those languages.

Her career as a librarian included positions in Detroit, Mich.; Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; and Washington, D.C. In Oslo, she was the field director of the Library of Congress. She worked at the Detroit Public Library from 1954 to 1966, and then joined the staff at the Library of Congress as assistant chief of descriptive cataloging. She worked as the chief of the Catalog Management Division of the Library of Congress from 1970 to 1981.

At Augustana she worked as a student assistant in the library and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Chi Society.

Westby is retired and living in Sioux Falls, where she is a member of the Augustana Library Associates.