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Devons David Benton to be cited as St. Olaf College distinguished alumnus

mjc
May 17, 2001

NORTHFIELD, Minn. ? David Benton, a geneticist who was instrumental in the Human Genome Project, is one of seven St. Olaf College graduates who will be honored by the college on Saturday, May 26, as a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

Benton, of Devon, Pa., will receive the award as part of the college?s "Celebration 2001" commencement and reunion weekend May 26-27. He and the six other honorees will be cited at an All-Alumni Banquet Saturday evening, May 26, and will be recognized by President Christopher Thomforde during St. Olaf College?s commencement Sunday, May 27.

Other Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are former ambassador Robert A. Flaten of Northfield, Minn., mayor and community activist DeLores Hinrichs Henehan of Britton, S.D., neighborhood developer Ruth Kelly Hustad of Eden Prairie, Minn., education reform catalyst Jeanne Kunau Narum of Washington, D.C., businessman Herbert M. Stellner Jr. of Kasson, Minn., and Minnesota Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum of Kenyon, Minn.

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are selected each year based on distinction in profession, community service, religious involvement and involvement in St. Olaf College.

Benton, who graduated from St. Olaf in 1973, was instrumental in the Human Genome Project and today helps researchers discover the next generation of antibiotics. He has been involved in cell research and genetics since earning his Ph.D. in 1984.

He managed GenBank, the U.S. national genetic sequence database, at IntelliGenetics Inc. In 1990, at the inception of the U.S. Human Genome Project, he joined the Genome Informatics Program at the National Institutes of Health, National Human Genome Research Institute. As director he developed a new program awarding grants for high quality research in genome informatics.

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In 1997 Benton joined the Advanced Information Technology department of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now Glaxo Smith Kline), where he leads a group helping to make data and information more accessible and useful for researchers working to discover new antibiotics. A diligent and dedicated church member, he has served as a Sunday school teacher and leads adult education classes, sparking new programs which have enlivened parish life.

St. Olaf College prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world, fostering development of mind, body and spirit. A four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), St. Olaf has a student enrollment of 2,950 and a full-time faculty complement of approximately 300. It is one of Money Guide?s top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation?s colleges in percentage of students who study abroad.

Contact Michael Cooper at 507-786-3315 or cooperm@stolaf.edu.