Gatton Hall of Famer To Give Chellgren Lecture

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2009) – University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics 1967 graduate Rodney N. Lanthorne, president of Kyocera International, Inc., will give the annual Chellgren Lecture at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, on the UK campus.

Lanthorne, also a director of the Kyocera Corporation and chairman and president of Kyocera Wireless, was inducted into the Gatton College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.

His talk, to be presented in the Lexmark Room on the second floor of UK's Main Building, is titled, "For People and for Profit: The History and Philosophy of Kyocera."

Japan-based Kyocera Corporation, the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. It is now a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, office document systems, solar energy products, semiconductor packages, electronic components, cutting tools, and industrial ceramics.

As president of the San Diego-based Kyocera International, Inc. holding group, Lanthorne, who grew up in Ashland, Ky., heads up North American operations for the company.

"Rodney Lanthorne represents integrity and hard work in the business world and in the community in which he lives," said D. Sudharshan, dean of the Gatton College. "We are honored to have him present this year's Chellgren Lecture."

The Chellgren Lecture was established in 2001 by Paul Chellgren, a UK alumnus and former member of the UK Board of Trustees. Chellgren, also a member of the Gatton College Alumni Hall of Fame, is a retired chairman of Ashland, Inc.

Thursday's Chellgren Lecture is free and open to the public.