UK honors 2025 Hall of Distinguished Alumni
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2025) — From Kentucky to every corner of the globe, University of Kentucky alumni are shaping lives, advancing knowledge and creating change. This weekend, 20 of those leaders and innovators were inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni, the highest honor bestowed by the UK Alumni Association.
Held every five years, the Hall recognizes UK graduates whose achievements bring distinction to the university and inspire current students, faculty and fellow alumni through excellence across the arts, sciences, public service, business, education and beyond. With the addition of the 2025 class, a total of 353 alumni have now received this honor since its inception in 1965.
As part of the ceremony, a special video was shown to the newest inductees, featuring past members of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni welcoming them to this prestigious group and reflecting on the meaning of the honor.
“The newest members of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni are not only graduates of this institution, they are the keepers of our legacy and the teachers of what it means to live our mission of advancing Kentucky,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “They remind us that the value of a University of Kentucky education is not measured in accolades alone, but in the lives made stronger and the futures made brighter because of their influence.”
The inductees included:
Terry L. Birdwhistell*, Ph.D.
M.A. ’74 – History, College of Arts and Sciences
M.A. ’78 – Library Science, College of Communication and Information
Ed.D. ’94 – Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, College of Education
Willis K. Bright Jr.
B.A. ’66 – Social Work, College of Social Work
Clyde R. Carpenter*
B.S. ’59 – Civil Engineering, College of Design
Xiangming “Jack” Cheng, Ph.D.
Ph.D. ’00 – Materials Science and Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
M.B.A. ’03 – Business Administration, Gatton College of Business and Economics
Rebecca M. Cowen-Hirsch
B.S. ’88 – Electrical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, Lewis Honors College
Ambassador Kelly Craft
B.A. ’85 – Topical Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Brian L. Cury
B.A. ’81 – Topical Studies, College of Fine Arts
James “Jimmy” P. Dunne
B.A. ’77 – Topical Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College
Michael T. Eaves
B.A. ’94 – Journalism, College of Communication and Information
Ambassador Christine A. Elder
B.A. ’89 – German, College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College
Robert “Bob” Hall Jr.
B.S. ’53 – Agriculture, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Samuel “Sam” N. Hazen
B.B.A. ’82 – Business Administration, Gatton College of Business and Economics
Rebecca B. Liebert
B.S. ’90 – Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
Michael L. Marberry
B.S. ’81 – Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
M.S. ’83 – Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
Earl F. “Marty” Martin III
B.A. ’84 – Communication, College of Communication and Information
J.D. ’87 – Law, J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Ouita K. Michel
B.A. ’87 – Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College
Caroline R. Pogge, Dr.P.H.
M.S. ’99 – Health Administration, College of Public Health
David B. Ratterman
B.S. ’68 – Mechanical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
J. David Rosenberg
J.D. ’73 – Law, J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Pamela S. Whitten, Ph.D.
M.A. ’86 – Communication, College of Communication and Information
*Terry L. Birdwhistell died in 2023 at the age of 72. Clyde R. Carpenter died in 2022 at the age of 84.
To read full biographies of the 2025 inductees and learn more about the Hall of Distinguished Alumni, visit www.ukalumni.net/HODA.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.