Montgomery College will honor alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their professions or who have given significant service to the College, at an evening dinner and awards ceremony on Friday, Nov. 2. 

This year’s honorees include six members of a family that created one of the nation’s fastest growing pharmaceutical companies.  Five brothersR014James Gregory (class of ’71), John Gregory (’73), Joseph Gregory (’75), Jefferson Gregory (’76), and  R. Henry Richards  (’64)R014founded and now direct King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Bristol, Tennessee. Joan Tebeau Gregory (’77), wife of John Gregory, served on King’s board of directors during the company’s start up years. She has since stepped down from the directorship.

Since its creation in 1994, King Pharmaceutical’s revenues have grown from $13 million to $620 million, and its sales force has increased from 24 to 500. In 1998, the company went public in one of the largest pharmaceutical offerings of that year. Its stock is currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange, Standard and Poors and on the AMEX pharmaceutical index. Under the leadership of the Gregorys, the company also has made community service a lynchpin of the company’s vision for the future. This service ranges from corporate giving to employee volunteerism in the communities where King is located.  This is the first time in the 15-year history of the College’s Alumni Achievement Award that a family has been honored with this award. 

Also honored this year: 

Charles P. Grier (’50)
Grier served 42 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves before retiring in 1990. As a civilian, he has worked in executive positions with the soft drink industry, including a stint as senior vice president-operations at the Dr Pepper & Seven-Up Companies between 1986 and 1992. He has been a generous contributor to the Montgomery College Foundation. 

Joseph F. Krempasky (’70)
Krempasky currently works as a manager in the Washington Metro System, supervising vehicle engineering. Krempasky, who
majored in electrical engineer while at Montgomery College, was instrumental in designing the electrical system that balances the weight of each car depending on the distribution of the passengers on board.

Maryilyn K. Kucharski (’80)
Kucharkski graduated from Montgomery College’s nursing program and has been a generous donor to the College’s Annual Fund and Leadership 100 campaign over the years since her graduation. She is also a trustee of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, a historic re-enactment site, similar to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. 

Mario Salazar (’70)
Salazar graduated with an associate's degree in engineering and has gone on to become a national expert in injection well technology as an environmental engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency. While at Montgomery College, Salazar headed the Latin American Student Union and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. 

Judith Vaughan-Prather (’69)
Vaughan-Prather currently serves as the executive director of the Montgomery County Commission for Women. Vaughan-Prather has been a staunch supporter of the College’s Women’s Studies program and a leader in heightening the awareness of women’s issues in Montgomery County. 

Two alumni, who were athletic standouts while attending Montgomery College, will also be inducted into the Montgomery College Athletic Hall of Fame during the evening’s ceremonies. Thomas D. MacDougal (’62), and Wendy Hagmann-Cleveland, (’87), will be honored for their achievements as student athletes in their respective sports.  MacDougal, who was a pitching phenom while at Montgomery College and was named the team’s most valuable player in 1962, transferred to Arizona State University on a baseball scholarship and led that team to a number-one ranking nationally during his tenure there. Hagmann-Cleveland was Montgomery College’s first female Cross Country All-American, earning that distinction by placing in the top twenty female runners during the national championships.  

The public is invited to attend the Outstanding Alumni Awards Banquet, which will be held in the Theater Arts Building on Montgomery College's Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee Street. Tickets are $25 per person. To reserve tickets, contact Bernice Grossman of the Alumni Office at 240 567-5378.