Campus News

Gatton College Inducts Three Hall of Famers

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2013) ― The University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics celebrated the success and achievements of three of its graduates today as it inducted these individuals into its Alumni Hall of Fame.  The ceremonies were held this morning in the atrium of the Gatton College building on campus.

In all, a total of 78 men and women who have distinguished themselves in their business careers and as community leaders, now have been recognized by the Gatton College with this high honor since the inception of the hall of fame in 1994.  This is the 19th class of inductees to the hall.

"Induction into the Gatton Hall of Fame is a prestigious honor for our business school alumni," said David Blackwell, dean of the college.  "These three outstanding graduates are most deserving of this recognition.  The inductees represent several different professions and career paths, yet all have distinguished themselves in their business pursuits and in civic and community leadership."

The inductees are:

  • Kerry Back, Class of 1979 and 1982
    J. Howard Creekmore Professor of Finance at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business.  Back was previously a faculty member at Northwestern University, Indiana University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Texas A&M University.  At Washington University, he served as the associate dean for Academic Affairs. He has served as an editor of the Review of Financial Studies, a co-editor of Finance & Stochastics, and an associate editor of the Journal of Finance and several other journals.  His research interests are in the areas of investments and market design.  Back has published many papers in leading journals in finance and economics, and he has published two books:  A Course in Derivative Securities: Introduction to Theory and Computation (Springer, 2005) and Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice Theory (Oxford University Press, 2010).
  • Helen Cornell, Class of 1980

           Retired executive vice president, Finance and chief financial officer of Gardner

           Denver, Inc. who currently is an expert consultant in corporate

           governance and serves on the boards of several corporations and nonprofit

           organizations.  During her 22-year career at Gardner Denver, she served in both

           corporate and operational roles, including CFO; corporate secretary; treasurer;

           vice president, Strategic Planning and Operations Support; vice president,

           compressor operations for the Compressor and Pump Division; and vice

           president and general manager of the Fluid Transfer Division.  She holds a B.S.

           degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from

           Vanderbilt University.  She is a certified public accountant and a certified

           management accountant.  Cornell and her husband, John, are the proud

           parents of two adult sons, Jack and Patrick Cornell.

  • Frank Ramsey Jr., Class of 1954

           President and director of Dixon Bank in Dixon, Ky., since 1972.  A 1954

           graduate of the University of Kentucky, Ramsey has been actively involved with

           the university by serving on the Board of Trustees, Athletics Board, Development

           Council and Alumni Association Board of Directors.  While a student at UK, he

           was a player on both the baseball and basketball teams where he was named

           All American and All SEC in each sport.  Upon graduation Ramsey served in the

           U.S. Army in the Military Police Corps.  He also was a professional basketball

           player as a member of the NBA's Boston Celtics from 1955 to 1964.  During his

           time on the Celtics, the team won seven world championships and eight Eastern

           Division titles.  He is a member of the University of Kentucky Alumni

           Association's Hall of Distinguished Alumni and the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.  

           Ramsey and his wife, Jean, a 1953 UK alumnus, have three children who are all

           graduates of the university.