Rensselaer.MAG - September 1999

Barton Earns RAA's Highest Honor

Sam Heffner '56, congratulates Neal Barton '58.

The Rensselaer Alumni Association awarded its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Neal Barton '58 at the association's annual awards dinner June 4. Barton is the 31st recipient of the award, which recognizes exemplary service to Rensselaer, to a profession, to the nation, or to humanity.
Sam Heffner '56, chairman of Rensselaer's board of trustees, presented the award to Barton, who on June 30 completed 14 months as acting president of the Institute.
"Neal took on the acting presidency with all the talent, enthusiasm, and wonderful warmth of his personality," said Heffner. Heffner remarked that during his tenure, Barton had raised the curtain on the 175th Anniversary celebration, that Rensselaer had raised more gifts than in any other non-campaign year, and that the Institute had recruited one of the largest freshman classes in recent memory, and all of the highest quality.
"Neal, you've done it all," said Heffner. "We are very, very proud of you. With all the heartfelt thanks that the Rensselaer community can muster, I again say thank you, thank you, thank you."
Barton expressed gratitude to the alumni association and to his sponsor, Heffner. "The idea of being the recipient of this Distinguished Service Award was something I never thought of," said Barton. "I am extremely well pleased.
"Two things I see as an alumnus are the importance of giving back and the rewards of giving back," said Barton. "I believe with the right attitude and the right heart, a lot of things can be done and be done well."
Barton, who has been a trustee of Rensselaer since 1991, is a former president and CEO of Dorr-Oliver Inc., which designs and manufactures machinery for specialized processes in the food, environmental, mineral, pulp and paper, and chemical industries. He received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in metallurgical engineering from Rensselaer. Barton chaired the volunteer committee for the successful fund-raising campaign, completed in 1996, to renovate the Walker Laboratory as a state-of-the-art chemical laboratory and classroom facility.
In honor of Neal and Carolyn Barton's contributions to Rensselaer, the new residence hall being constructed on campus will be named Barton Hall.

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