Wednesday, December 12, 2007 SU confers honorary degree on Uytengsu By Syril G. Repe
THE Silliman University conferred Alaska Milk Corporation chairman Wilfred Uytengsu the degree of Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) in a special convocation last December 6 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium.
Mark Raygan E.Garcia, Silliman University information officer, said Uytensu was a high school alumnus, Batch 1946, and was born on October 6, 1927 in Dumaguete City.
He graduated with the degrees of BS Industrial Engineering in 1950 from Stanford University and BS Chemical Engineering in 1951 from Indiana Tech University.
The fifth child in a brood of 12 of Silliman alumnus Don Tirso Uytengsu and Honey Tan Uytengsu, he returned to the country after earning his degrees abroad, eager to join forces with his father in taking care of the family business.
Garcia said the Uytengsu family has supported Silliman University and other faith institutions in the country in their efforts and programs to uplift the Filipino youth and to provide excellent spiritual and educational foundations for the Filipino people.
In Silliman, the family, through the Uytengsu Foundation, supported the construction of two edifices: the Uytengsu Foundation Computer Center and the newly built Uytengsu Foundation Computer Studies Hall.
These are in addition to an earlier building (the Uytengsu Hall) now being used by the College of Engineering and Design, and the Alaska Basketball Court fronting Woodward Hall.
Garcia added an existing scholarship in the University that comes from the Wentworth Uytengsu Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc.
The scholarship was established in memory of Wentworth Uytengsu, an elder brother of Mr. Uytengsu, who was a pre-law student at Silliman University but lost his life in the resistance movement in 1945.
Two freshmen in the College of Law were granted the Wentworth Uytengsu Memorial Scholarship this school year.
Over the years, beginning in school year 1950-1951, about 179 have been recipients of the scholarship and have become successful professionals.
