Top Dog gala will honor Trent Dilfer, other outstanding alums

Trent and Cassandra Dilfer at 2001 recognition at Bulldog Stadium

Some of California State University, Fresno’s most accomplished alumni will be honored Oct. 16 at the annual Top Dog Alumni Awards Gala at the Save Mart Center, a highlight of the 2009 Homecoming Week.

Trent Dilfer, a former Super Bowl-winning NFL quarterback who now is an ESPN football analyst, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Sidney B. Cox, retired from a career in communications with Producers Cotton Oil Co., will be honored with the Arthur Safstrom Service Award for his volunteer efforts in the community and for Fresno State.

Sidney Cox

In addition, Top Dog awards will be presented to outstanding alumni representing each of Fresno State’s colleges and schools, athletics, the Henry Madden Library, Student Affairs and Graduate Studies:

Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Dr. Gordon C. Rausser (class of 1965), a university professor and expert on agricultural economics who has served on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

College of Arts and Humanities – John Loiacono (1984), an executive with software maker Adobe Systems whose best-known products include Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash.

Department of Athletics – Cory Hall, a former Bulldog football player and economics student who played in the NFL and then established a business career.

Craig School of Business – Larry Johanson (1975), a businessman who has helped Fresno State students practically apply classroom lessons through internships and has persuaded other businesses to follow his example.

Kremen School of Education and Human Development – Susan Fisher (1970), who is chief operating officer of the Fresno-Clovis Center for Advanced Research and Technology, which trains high school students for work in knowledge-based industries.

Lyles College of Engineering – Jerry DeYoung (1976), owner of DeYoung Properties and a generous community benefactor who has built houses in support of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and Children’s Hospital Central California.

Division of Graduate Studies – Carmen C. Carey (1991, 1992), who is CEO of CopperEye, an international company based in Bath, England, that provides data retrieval and retention solutions for organizations facing data management challenges.

College of Health and Human Services – Judith Case (1976), a registered nurse who entered politics in her native Sanger to work on community issues and now is in her third term as a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

Henry Madden Library – Dr. Michael Adams (1961) and Jeanne Falk Adams (1961), who are active in preserving the legacy of Michael Adams’ father, famed photographer Ansel Adams.

College of Science and Mathematics – Dr. Larry Crowder (1973), a Duke University professor with extensive research experience in marine biology who is on the President’s Task Force for Ocean Policy.

College of Social Sciences – Arnold Peter (1999), a lawyer whose career has taken him from Wall Street to the Fresno City Attorney’s Office and Universal Studios and now into private practice serving such clients as Mercedes Benz and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Division of Student Affairs – John Hernandez (1996), a Fresno insurance executive who launched a new career as executive director of the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The Top Dog Alumni Gala begins with a no-host reception at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16, followed by dinner at 6:30 and awards presentations at 7:30. The Bulldogs’ homecoming football game against San Jose State begins at 7 p.m. Oct. 17.

Sponsorships for the gala are available for $500-$5,000 until Sept. 21. Individual tickets are $100.