Two alumni honored at SMU’s Homecoming June 22-24

WINONA, Minn. — Each year during summer Homecoming festivities, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota honors outstanding alumni.

This year’s Distinguished Alum Award recipient is Dr. Roger Lucas ’65 of North Oaks, Minn., and the Alumni Appreciation Award was given to Robert “Bo Rettig ’77 of La Grange, Ill. Both were honored during a reception Saturday, June 23, on the Winona campus. Approximately 400 alumni, family and friends returned to their alma mater for Saint Mary’s Homecoming festivities, which began Friday, June 22, and ran throughout the weekend.

2012 Saint Mary’s Homecoming Honorees: 

Dr. Roger Lucas with Brother William Mann

Distinguished Alumnus 
Dr. Roger Lucas ’65 

Dr. Roger Lucas has enjoyed a successful career in scientific research and development. He is one of the founding shareholders of Envoy Medical Corporation, the first company to design, manufacture and bring to market a fully implantable hearing restoration device that doesn’t use a microphone or speaker. Dr. Lucas is currently serving as chairman of the board of directors for Envoy as well as vice chairman and chief scientific advisor to the board of TECHNE Corporation. He co-founded this company in 1985 and it has grown into one of the world’s largest suppliers of biotechnology products. As a way to give back to his alma mater, Dr. Lucas currently funds summer internship collaborations between R&D Systems (a subsidiary of TECHNE Corporation) and Saint Mary’s so that current students can gain the same exceptional practical experience he had as a student.

Bo Rettig, center, with Brother William Mann and Meg Richtman

Alumni Appreciation 
Robert “Bo” Rettig ’77 

Bo Rettig has organized an annual get-together of alumni and families on SMU's Winona campus for the past 27 years. The event, known as the GOOF (Get-together Of Old Friends) weekend, brings anywhere from 15-25 families to Winona every summer. Through Rettig’s tireless efforts, this annual outing has fostered an incredibly close-knit group of ’70s alumni — as well as some great recruiting efforts for the university. The GOOF group also created the Saint Jude Alumni Scholarship fund in 1989 — a fund that now stands at over $200,000. This year, Rettig will complete his sixth year on the SMU Alumni Association Board of Directors. He has graciously assisted with admissions and development initiatives, volunteers each year with the Lasallian Day of Service, and supports countless university endeavors.