Sioux Award, Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients announced The Alumni Association announces its 2008 Sioux Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients. Awards will be presented during the UND Homecoming Sioux Award Banquet Thursday, Oct 16. Tickets are available by calling 777-4078. 2008 Sioux Award: John “Gino” Gasparini, ’68, ’71 – A Fort Frances Ontario, Canada native, Gasparini became head hockey coach for UND men’s hockey in 1978, winning three national titles (1980, 1982 and 1987). From 1984-1990, Gasparini served as UND’s athletic director and he retired as head coach in 1994. He is currently president of the United States Hockey League and had previously served as commissioner for eight seasons. Larry Jodsaas, ’62 - His current involvements include board memberships of Normandale Community College Foundation, the National Alzheimer’s Disease Association and Minnesota High Tech Association. At the height of his very successful career, he served as chair of Polarfab, a manufacturing company in Bloomington, Minn. He had previously served as a vice president with Control Data and owner of VTC Inc. The Jodsaas Center within the UND School of Engineering and Mines will be named in honor of his contributions to the School. Allen Van Beek, ’66 – Dr. Van Beek earned national attention in 1992 for re-attaching the arms of John Thompson after a serious farm accident in North Dakota. Internationally recognized, Dr. Van Beek is the clinical associate professor of surgery at the University of Minnesota, has a private practice at the Centennial Lakes Medical Center, and he specializes in hand and microsurgery. He is a long-standing member and past president of The American Association for Hand Surgery. David Williamson, ’70, and Gayle Shemorry Williamson, ’69 – Dave and Gay Williamson have traveled the world and back, particularly as Dave’s position as general manager of 3M Central America meant they lived out of the country for several years. David joined MeadWestvaco in 1988 and is currently vice president sales and marketing, Office Products Group. Dave and Gay have very passionately been involved with UND since graduating. 2008 Young Alumni Achievement Award: Brenda Jo Gillund, ’92, ’97 – An oncology research nurse for Altru Health System in Grand Forks, Gillund was one of 10 outstanding care givers in the United States chosen to receive the 2006 American Cancer Society Lane Adams Quality of Life Award. In that same year, she was also named Outstanding Nurse by the North Dakota Nurses Association. She worked with a partner to implement Filling the Gap to fill the quality of life gap for cancer patients through assistance with nutritional supplements, travel and lodging. Jennifer Thorson, ’93 – Thorson is a vice president responsible for a major portfolio with American International Group Inc (AIG), a Fortune Top 10 business in New York City. She has previously worked with Oracle and Digital River. She also volunteers with Girls on the Run, a program to teach pre-teen and teenage girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. For inquiries about The Sioux Award Banquet, the awards or award recipients, please contact the UND Alumni Association at 777-2611.