FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Herb Booth, (817) 272-7075, hbooth@uta.edu

ARLINGTON - The chief of the Royal Hashemite Court for Jordan's King Abdullah II highlights the list of eight University of Texas at Arlington graduates to be honored at the 45th Distinguished Alumni Gala at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, in the E. H. Hereford University Center's Bluebonnet Ballroom.

Nasser Ahmed Lozi will receive the university's first Distinguished International Alumni award.  The award was created to honor alumni doing exceptional things abroad. Lozi, who earned a bachelor's of science degree in civil engineering, has been called the second most powerful person in Jordan. Lozi also has served as Jordan's minister of transport, minister of public works and housing, and minister of information and culture.

He serves on the board of the King Hussein Foundation, is chairman of the Royal Jordanian Investment Co., is a former chairman of the Arab Orient Insurance Co. and the Royal Jordanian Executive Privatization Committee.

The Distinguished Alumni Award, established in 1965, is the highest honor given by the University and the Alumni Association. The award honors individual achievements, contributions to industry or profession, community service and demonstrated loyalty to UT Arlington.

The Gala generates significant scholarship fund. In 2010, almost $50,000 in scholarships was awarded to deserving students.

Anita Foster, a 2008 Distinguished Alumna, will be the mistress of ceremonies. She is the chief communications officer for the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter. A graduate of the College of Liberal Arts, she earned her bachelor's degree in radio-TV in 1989.

The other alumni honorees are:

• Greg Barron - founder and CEO of The Barron Companies Inc., which holds interests in construction, architecture, engineering and real estate development.
• Clifford Hahne - regional president for Lehigh Hanson Inc., North America's leading supplier of heavy construction materials.
• Robert Irish Jr. - He was in the Cadet Corps at UT Arlington and later served with the 51st Signal Battalion in Korea as company commander and president of the Do Bong Orphanage.
• Jean McSweeney - She is a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
• Ignacio Nuñez - Over the past 25 years, Dr. Nunez has delivered thousands of babies to area mothers.
• Thomas E. Rourke - Rourke recently teamed with partners to establish Ascend Health Corp., which owns and operates behavioral health programs in hospitals, day treatment, and outpatient centers.
• James Ditto - Ditto will receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. He attended UT Arlington when it was known as North Texas Agricultural College and Arlington State College. He is a lifelong Arlington resident and serves on several local boards, including the UT Arlington Development Board and several others at the University.

Visit http://www.uta.edu/alumni/distinguished2010.php to see more about the 2010 honorees. Visit http://www.uta.edu/alumni/distinguished for sponsorship opportunities, to order tickets or for more information.

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