At NC State, the “Wolfpack” isn’t just a nickname. It’s a word that encompasses all of the ways students, faculty and staff — as well as friends and alumni — work together to accomplish the extraordinary.

The strength of the Pack really is the wolf, and the second annual NC State Honors event proved that timeless truth once again. The evening is designed to celebrate the Wolfpack spirit by recognizing those who have gone above and beyond in their service to the university.

More than 20 awards were bestowed, including four presentations of the university’s highest nonacademic award, the Watauga Medal, at the Sept. 10 event in Talley Student Union.

Beginnings and Endings

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Brian Sischo kicked off the evening with an uplifting introduction as well as a bittersweet personal update.

Sischo, who will be retiring in January, has played a key role in NC State’s philanthropic efforts over the past few years, especially through his tireless leadership of the university’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign. This historic fundraising effort surpassed its lofty goal of $1.6 billion, with the Wolfpack raising $2.1 billion by the campaign’s close — a feat only achieved by 12 other public universities in the U.S. at the time.

Sischo was the perfect choice to start the NC State Honors ceremony, as his work over the last 12 and a half years has enabled him to personally meet and partner with many of this year’s award recipients. 

It was also fitting because Sischo was the architect of NC State Honors.

Prior to 2025, NC State celebrated numerous volunteer and philanthropic award events throughout each year — from the university’s individual college, alumni and athletics ceremonies to the Godwin Red Torch Award, Menscer Cup and Watauga Medal presentations. Now, thanks to Sischo’s vision, these have been combined into a single evening to produce an even greater celebratory effect.

However, that also meant more people were on hand to good-naturedly boo when they heard Sischo’s retirement announcement.

“It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve as vice chancellor for the past 12-plus years,” Sischo said. “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside so many talented colleagues and to have built relationships with so many of you in this room tonight. 

“More than anything, I’m proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful for the friendships that have come from this work. While my role may be changing, my connection to this university will not. I will always be proud to be part of the Pack.”

Sischo then welcomed Chancellor Kevin Howell to the stage.

Howell, NC State’s 15th chancellor and a longtime colleague of Sischo’s, then surprised him and his wife, Kathy, with a special tribute.

“Since 2014, Brian has been a tremendous leader, and I know he has made an impact with so many of you,” Howell said. “He has helped strengthen our culture of philanthropy and position our university for ongoing and future success.”

Howell noted several of the many important transformations that have taken place under Sischo’s leadership of University Advancement, including:

• The introduction of the philanthropy-focused Red and White Night during NC State’s annual Red and White Week homecoming celebration.
• The establishment of the female-led and -dedicated Wolfpack Women in Philanthropy group.
• The creation — and record performance — of the university’s annual Day of Giving fundraising event, which is held each March.

Howell then presented Kathy with a bouquet of flowers and thanked her for supporting Sischo over the years as he, in turn, supported NC State.

A Room ‘Packed’ With Honors

That was just the start of what proved to be a very emotional evening. Howell then paid tribute to a member of the audience to whom the entire Wolfpack, especially spring 2026 graduates of the Wilson College of Textiles, owes a debt of gratitude.

Anil Kochhar is the son of the late Wilson College alumnus Prakash Chand Kochhar ’50, ’52, as well as a proud friend of the university in his own right. Kochhar made national and international headlines last May when he spoke at the Wilson College’s spring commencement ceremony.

To the surprise and delight of everyone, Kochhar concluded his remarks that day by announcing that he and his wife, Marilyn, would be covering all of the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025-26 academic year.

The applause that followed Howell’s salute to Kochhar was, to say the least, resounding.

The chancellor then opened the ceremony’s formal recognitions with a word of thanks to all of the awardees.

“Tonight, we celebrate members of our Wolfpack who have led the way in their communities, excelled in their careers and given back to this institution,” Howell said. “We also celebrate what is ahead and the ways you are all helping shape it.

“Thank you for leading with vision, integrity, courage and commitment to our mission. NC State is important to not only North Carolina but the world, and together, we keep building on our foundation of excellence.”

Collegiate Commendations

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award winners were:

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – Clyde E. Sorenson ’80, ’84 M.S., ’88 Ph.D.
• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – Howard L. Williams ’69
• College of Design – Jason A. Carpenter ’97
• College of Education – Lynn P. Moody ’80, ’95 M.R.
• College of Engineering – Harry “Hal” R. Lawton III ’96
• College of Engineering – Lawrence “Larry” A. Twisdale ’69, ’70 MRes
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences – Charles W. Gaddy ’93
• College of Natural Resources – Marlise M. Taylor ’93, ’96
• Poole College of Management – Marie F. Arcuri ’84
• College of Sciences – Dr. L. Allen Dobson Jr. ’76
• Wilson College of Textiles – Amit G. Patodia ’97
• College of Veterinary Medicine – Harry O. Snelson ’82, ’90 DVM

Other award recipients included:

• Ronnie Shavlik Award – Howard Pickett
• Distinguished Global Alumnus Award – Marco A. Zarate ’81
• Outstanding Young Alumna Award – Morgan S. Fitzgerald ’21
• Award of Merit – J. Stuart “Stu” Coman Jr.
• Meritorious Service Award – Patrick J. Murray ’88

Lighting the Torch, Raising the Cup

Following dinner, David Thompson, chair of the NC State University Foundation Board, came to the lectern to announce this year’s recipients of the Jerry and Elizabeth Godwin Red Torch Award and the Darrell and Carolyn Menscer Cup.

“When the honorees were told ‘David Thompson’ was presenting their awards tonight, they probably had someone else in mind,” Thompson joked, alluding to the legendary NC State basketball player of the same name.

The Red Torch Award, made possible by an endowment created by the Godwins, recognizes individuals or families who exemplify the couple’s tremendous efforts of leadership and dedication on behalf of NC State. Members of all volunteer boards across campus may be nominated for this award, through which the NC State University Foundation recognizes contributions of expertise, counsel and volunteerism to further the university’s mission.

“This year’s awardee certainly fulfills those requirements,” Thompson said, “having served on numerous NC State boards and committees over the years — including the Wolfpack Investment Network Board, the NC State Investment Fund Members Board and the Board of Trustees, to name a few. He is a proud graduate of the Poole College of Management who went on to become the chairman and CEO of a leading consulting and investment banking firm before retiring in 2014.”

Thompson was referring to Robert F. “Chip” Andrews III ’66, who is now the managing partner of a real estate management company and makes giving back to his alma mater a top priority — especially when it comes to helping aspiring entrepreneurs. Among his many contributions to Wolfpack success is his and his wife, Lyn’s, $1 million gift establishing the Andrews Launch Accelerator, a program through which the Entrepreneurship Clinic allocates equity-free seed capital to participating startups.

The Menscer Cup, established in 1997 and also supported by an endowment, is presented by the NC State University Foundation to individuals or families who exemplify the dedication, leadership and philanthropy modeled by former board chair Darrell Menscer and his late wife, Carolyn.

Darrell, who was a 2001 recipient of the Watauga Medal, passed away earlier this year. Thompson led the audience in a moment of silence in his memory before announcing the 2026 honorees.

“Our 2026 Menscer Cup recipients are as devoted to NC State as they are generous,” Thompson continued. “One is an engineering alumnus with strong family ties to the university, and they both graduated from Harvard Business School.

“They are both leaders in their respective fields, with one having served as the third-generation head of a major equipment provider for many years and the other having held several key roles in both the private and the nonprofit sectors.”

He then welcomed to the stage Edward I. “Ed” Weisiger Jr. ’82 and Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Fleming, whose support for NC State is ensuring that more students will be able to access a Wolfpack education in the semesters ahead — and even paves the way for many of them to attend Harvard after graduation.

The couple does this by continuing to support an endowed scholarship that Weisiger established in 1997 with his father, Edward I. Weisiger, Sr., that empowers students to earn a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from NC State and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

This was a particularly memorable moment in the ceremony, as this year marks the 20th anniversary since Weisiger’s father received the Menscer Cup.

Four for the Win

Timothy Humphrey, an NC State alumnus and vice chair of the NC State Board of Trustees, came to the stage to help close out the evening with the announcement of this year’s Watauga Medalists.

The Watauga Medal, officially bestowed by the Board of Trustees since 1975, was named for a group of local 19th-century leaders who helped push for the establishment of NC State as a university. It is given to individuals who consistently go above and beyond in their support of the institution.

The 2026 medal recipients have certainly done so, with all four making significant contributions to NC State’s advancement through their leadership, service and advocacy. Each of the honorees’ medal presentations kicked off with a special video tribute from a previous recipient of the award.

J. David Beam III ’72 was the first Watauga Medalist of the evening. Beam, Howell and Humphrey met on stage for a quick photo before Humphrey placed the medal around Beam’s neck and the latter made his way to the lectern.

“My parents sent me to NC State to study civil engineering to prepare me for a career,” Beam said. “That worked out just as they had hoped. What they would not have imagined is that my time here was not just transactional. It was more than that. It was transformational.”

A native of Hamlet, North Carolina, Beam has long been a committed supporter of the College of Engineering, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and of Wolfpack Athletics. He is also the founder, former owner and former CEO of JD Beam/Beam General Contractors, a Raleigh commercial construction firm established in 1979. Beam retired from the company in 2013.

The second Watauga Medalist recognized was Stanhope A. “Stan” Kelly ’80. Originally chosen as a 2025 recipient, Kelly was unable to attend last year’s NC State Honors but gave an unforgettable speech during this one — especially when it came to thanking NC State for helping him meet Liz, his beloved wife of 45 years.

“To be recognized with an award named after the Watauga Club, visionaries who believed in the limitless potential of public higher education, is a profound honor,” Kelly said. “I accept this award not just for what I have been privileged to do, but as a tribute to what this university gave to me: a career, a family, friends and a purpose!”

The third Watauga Medalist of the evening was Ross W. Lampe Jr. ’77. His transformational naming gift in 2025 for the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill represents just one part of a deep Wolfpack family legacy spanning decades.

Before Lampe spoke, a video about his impact played that was narrated by Edward P. Fitts Jr., a 2006 Watauga Medalist who has been especially influential in Lampe’s Wolfpack journey.

“It is quite an honor to have Ed Fitts narrate that video,” Lampe said. “Ed’s endowment of the Department of Industrial Engineering was my inspiration for endowing the Biomedical Engineering Department. His example showed how endowing a department could transform it and raise its rankings to the highest levels.”

Each 2026 Watauga Medalist was a tough act for subsequent speakers to follow, but even after three powerful speeches, the fourth medalist made an extraordinary impression as well.

Nancy W. Webster ’75 graduated from what is now the Wilson College of Textiles with a bachelor’s degree in textile technology. Her storied career includes roles at Target, Springs Global, Thomasville Furniture and Fieldcrest Cannon.

“Please know that I don’t see the Watauga Medal as the conclusion of my volunteer journey. Instead, it is a reminder that there are more students to support, more discoveries to enable, more partnerships to build and more opportunities to create.

“That is the promise of NC State: We open doors for the next generation, just as others opened doors for us.”

The Watauga Medal has now been presented to 141 well-deserving recipients over its 51 years, each of whom has demonstrated the same commitment and vision that the original Watauga members did at NC State’s founding in 1887.

For more information on this prestigious award, as well as the entire NC State Honors event, visit ncsu.edu/about/honors.