A local scholar and two successful alumni of area colleges will be awarded honorary doctorate degrees at graduation ceremonies next month.
The State University College at Oneonta will present an honorary SUNY doctorate to Cooperstown resident Hugh MacDougall, a retired diplomat and noted Cooper scholar. He will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Also at SUCO, Angelo Scopelianos, Ph.D., a 1977 graduate of the college who serves as the vice president for research and development at Johnson & Johnson's Center for Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
At the State University College of Technology at Delhi, Carl V. Petronio, of Waterport, a nationally recognized construction industry leader, will be presented with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the college's commencement May 17.
MacDougall had an award-winning career of nearly 30 years with the United States Department of State, working for the foreign service in Europe, Africa and South America.
Upon his retirement to Cooperstown in the 1980s, he developed a scholarly interest in the Cooper family, notably the life and work of James Fenimore Cooper. His association with SUCO began through the college's James Fenimore Cooper conference and seminar, first as a participant and later as a presenter, organizer and editor of the conference proceedings.
In 1989, MacDougall founded the James Fenimore Cooper Society to encourage and chronicle scholarship related to the author.
The secretary/treasurer of the society since its inception, he also established the Cooper Society website, built it into a highly respected scholarly resource, and continues to maintain it today.
The Cooperstown village historian, MacDougall has served on the village board of trustees and planning board. He has served on the boards of many community organizations, including the Cooperstown Rotary Club, Friends of the Library, Otsego 2000 and Cooperstown Art Association. He is also a founding member of the Center for Continuing Adult Learning.
Scopelianos was awarded a degree in chemistry at SUCO and went on to earn his doctorate from Penn State.
He now leads a team of scientists and engineers that have developed many successful products used in surgery, including cranial devices that allow surgical access to remove and treat brain tumors; stents that reverse the effects of occluded arteries and atherosclerotic disease; novel combinations of bone-regenerating cells and biomaterials to repair bone defects; and wound dressings to treat non-healing ulcers in diabetic patients.
Scopelianos returned to SUCO in 2006 as the keynote speaker at the annual Student Research Day. He has also presented seminars on campus on new developments in biomaterials.
MacDougall and Scopelianos will receive their honorary doctorates at the commencement ceremony May 17.
At Delhi, Petronio is only the seventh person ever to receive an honorary degree from SUNY Delhi.
"Carl Petronio is a visionary business executive who is passionate about the educational foundation he received as a SUNY Delhi student," Candace S. Vancko, college president, said.
"He is an inspirational role model for our students, and we are proud to recognize Carl's professional achievements and long-standing support for SUNY Delhi by presenting him with an honorary degree," she continued.
Petronio is a partner and principal of the Allied Group Inc., which he founded with three partners in 1984. The Allied Group, with offices in Brockport and Buffalo, includes four corporations and 14 partnerships specializing in construction, real-estate development, industrial park operations, regional distribution services and low temperature warehousing.
He also serves as senior executive vice president and partner for Allied Builders Inc., a subsidiary that has been ranked among the Top 100 fastest growing companies in the Rochester area by KPMG and the Rochester Business Alliance.
He is at the forefront of the alternative energy movement as a principal in Western New York Energy, the first dry mill ethanol plant in the state. The $84.7 million plant, which opened in December 2007, is expected to produce more than 50 million gallons of ethanol annually.
A 1958 SUNY Delhi graduate, Petronio has generously donated his time, energy and resources to his alma mater. He was a member of the University Colleges of Technology Strategy Board, a group of executives who volunteered their expertise to advance SUNY Delhi and the Technology Sector colleges.
He was previously honored by SUNY Delhi in 2004, earning the Alumni Association's highest honor, the Alumnus of the Year Award.
A native of Brockport, he serves on the Brockport College Council and previously served on the SUNY Brockport Foundation.
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