Arts, Culture, and Ideas Lunchtime Series

Arts & Sciences Honors Distinguished Alumni

Arts & Sciences celebrated the achievements of four alumni at a Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Reception on October 23. The event was part of Alumni Weekend, which drew 3,000 alumni to the Boston University campus. Honored for their service to community, alma mater, and profession were:

Shoshana Chatfield, CAS'88

Becoming one of the highest-ranking women in the United States Navy at a young age is a major accomplishment and a testament to Shoshana Chatfield's tenacity and talent. Her rise through the ranks began in 1988 when she received her commission as a Naval officer through Navy ROTC at BU. After earning her pilot's wings in 1989, she was assigned to the U.S. Navy's West Coast Helicopter Combat Support Squadrons. She later served as an assistant professor of political science at the United States Air Force Academy, and in 2006 was assigned as the deputy executive assistant to the chief of naval operations. Chatfield's career took her directly into a war zone when she commanded a provincial reconstruction team in Farah Province, Afghanistan, in 2008. In her next assignment, she will serve as commodore of the Helicopter Sea Combat Wing, Pacific, which is based in San Diego, California.

Christopher Henes, DGE'70, CAS'73

As a deputy state judge advocate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Military Division, Christopher Henes works to help solve the complex and unusual legal issues encountered by soldiers and their families during overseas deployments. He has served in the military since 1970. The Army has twice awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal for his work providing legal counsel during Operation Desert Storm and Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. Prior to his current work, he had an established private law practice, Henes and Donovan, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Henes is active in his community, having served on the Westwood Finance Commission and the Westwood Educational Foundation; he is also a member of American Legion Post #320. He has maintained close ties with his alma mater as an active member of the BU Army ROTC Alumni Association, BU Hockey Alumni, and Friends of Men's and Women's Hockey. He comes from a long line of BU alums, with aunts, uncles, cousins, a sister, and mother who are BU graduates.

Larry Nichter, CGS'71, CAS'73, MED'78

Larry Nichter is the founder and president of the Plasticos Foundation, whose mission is to train and equip medical personnel overseas to treat acquired and congenital deformities. He has been on 51 overseas medical missions, performing reconstructive surgery on thousands of children, and training hundreds of physicians. These life-altering medical missions to remote locations in developing countries have brought a fresh start to children who otherwise might have lived their lives with the stigma of deformity. In addition to his philanthropic work, Nichter is the president of the Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery, where he also serves as a plastic surgeon. After his training, he joined the University of Southern California, Division of Plastic Surgery, as clinical faculty and head of plastic surgical research. There, he became a tenured professor and helped develop the division into one of the largest and most prestigious plastic surgical residencies in the country. His mother, Beatrice Nichter (SED'83), and sister, Susan Nichter (CFA'78,'84), are BU alumnae.

Wayne J. Positan, CAS'70

Wayne Positan is a leader in the legal community. He chaired the American Bar Association Commission on Multijurisdictional Practice, whose recommendations on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct have been adopted in 42 states. An attorney and managing partner with Lum, Drasco & Positan LLC, he chairs the firm's Labor, Employment, and Government Group. He has been involved in many appellate decisions that have shaped the development of labor and employment law in New Jersey. Best Lawyers in America has recognized him every year since 1993 in labor and employment law. He recently received the 2009 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law and the New Jersey State Bar Association. Positan has remained connected with his alma mater through Friends of Hockey. He is also a long-time financial supporter of the University. His wife, Susan (CAS'70), daughter, Brooke (COM'02), and sister, Karen (COM'76), are BU alumnae.