Three are Alumni Fellows
in the Commonwealth College

The Alumni Association has named three Alumni Fellows from the Commonwealth College -- the first individuals to hold that honor for the college since it was formed in 1997. The Commonwealth College represents 12 campus locations.

Honorees are: Richard "Tim" Hale, a Clearfield native and Penn State DuBois alumnus; Dr. Gino Mori, founder of a group practice of general surgeons and urologists from Penn State Worthington Scranton; and Thomas P. Woolaway, co-founder and retired chief operating officer of a packaging firm and a Penn State Beaver alumnus. The Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Alumni Association, is administered in cooperation with the University's colleges. The Board of Trustees has designated the title of Alumni Fellow as permanent.

n Hale, a resident of Kingwood, Texas, is the chief operating officer and general manager of Adams Resources Inc. of Houston, a natural gas marketing company for numerous independent oil and gas producers. Over the years he has offered internship opportunities to mineral engineering students at Penn State, and has shown a personal commitment to a number of charities in the Houston area.

Hale graduated with distinction from Penn State in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in mineral economics and then attended law school at the University of Houston while working for Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. He worked for KCS Energy and American Central Gas Co. until 1993, when he founded H&N Gas, Ltd., an energy trading partnership, which recently merged with Adams Resources Inc. Hale is also the founder and sole owner of San Simeon Custom Homes Inc., which achieved $2 million in revenues in 1997.

A great supporter of philanthropic efforts, Hale has provided 100 percent of the funding and personal guarantees necessary to establish the Kings Crossing Academy for Attention Deficit Disorders in Tomball, Texas. He also sponsors numerous other community efforts.

n Mori, a 1953 science graduate from Dalton, Pa., is founder and president of Delta Medix, a multi-specialty group practice of general surgeons and urologists. Practicing out of five offices in Lackawanna County, the group also provides care at local hospitals, outpatient facilities and a surgical center. Mori was the guiding force in the implementation of the Breast Care Center, the region's foremost facility for patient education, diagnosis and treatment of breast disease.

He obtained his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and has been a practicing surgeon for 36 years, during which time he has served in various capacities including board member and faculty member as well as director of education at local medical institutions. He has been president of the county medical society, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the Society of Gastroenterologic Endoscopic Surgeons. His involvement at Penn State ranges from advisory board member to serving as a mentor for students seeking careers in health fields. He and his wife, Jean, have established two endowed scholarships at Penn State Worthington Scranton.

n Woolaway of Sewickley is retired chief operating officer of Tuscarora Inc. in New Brighton. A 1954 engineering graduate, Woolaway co-founded Tusca-rora, the largest producer in the United States of custom-molded packaging materials made from expanded foam plastic. It was twice ranked among the 200 best small companies in America by Forbes magazine.

Founded in 1962 with a single plant in New Brighton, the company now has more than 32 manufacturing plants in the U.S., Mexico and Great Britain with more than 1,800 employees and annual sales of nearly $233 million. Woolaway, who retired in 1994, now serves as vice chairman of Tuscarora's board of directors. He also serves on various boards within the Beaver community. He joined the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board in 1984, where he served as president. He also served on Penn State's National Development Council during the University's first capital campaign and now serves as honorary chair of the Commonwealth College Grand Destiny Campaign Committee and a member of Penn State Beaver's Grand Destiny Campaign Committee.

Woolaway, along with his wife, Shirley, established an endowed scholarship at Penn State Beaver. He was named an Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in 1993.