Alum Roger Plummer Chosen to Receive Alumni Achievement Award

6/25/2012 By Kimberly A. Green

Roger L. PlummerRoger L. Plummer will be honored by the UIAA on Commencement Weekend with the 2010 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award. Established in 1957, the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award is the highest honor the University may bestow on a graduate, and is presented to those alumni who have attained outstanding success and national or international distinction in their chosen profession or field.

Written by By Kimberly A. Green

Roger L. Plummer
Roger L. Plummer
Roger L. Plummer
Roger L. Plummer will be honored by the UIAA on Commencement Weekend with the 2010 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award. Established in 1957, the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award is the highest honor the University may bestow on a graduate, and is presented to those alumni who have attained outstanding success and national or international distinction in their chosen profession or field.

Plummer is recognized for his ground-breaking contributions to the field of telecommunications. Beginning his 30-year career in the Bell System as a management trainee, he advanced through positions in engineering, network operations, sales and marketing to become operations vice president for Illinois Bell. In 1987, he was chosen as president and CEO of Ameritech Information Systems, where he integrated direct sales and service operations of Ameritech’s five Bell Operating Telephone Cos. and developed strategic initiatives in systems integration, health care information networks, document imaging and library automation. Since retiring in 1994, Plummer has devoted himself to supporting not-for-profit organizations, including the University of Illinois, where he chaired the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors, served on the Board of Trustees and is a current board member for the UI Foundation. He also provides senior leadership for the International Engineering Consortium, which fosters partnerships between academia and the telecommunications industry to address major opportunities and challenges of the information age. Plummer earned his bachelor’s degree in 1964 in engineering mechanics.

Plummer joins the 157 other notable recipients of this honorable award who are Nobel Prize winners, U.S. Naval Admirals, and past University Presidents. As a former member of the University Board of Trustees, and a past recipient of both the College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service and the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award, Mr. Plummer's dedication and reverence for the University and the MechSE Department are well-recognized and greatly appreciated.


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This story was published June 25, 2012.