The Distinguished Alumni Award, established in 1961, is the highest honor given to alumni by Iowa State University through the ISU Alumni Association. This award honors ISU alumni who are nationally and/or internationally recognized for preeminent contributions to their professions or life's work. Up to five awards are granted annually.

 

The Outstanding Young Alumna/Alumnus Award, established in 1968, recognizes ISU alumni, age 40 and under, who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their communities. 

 

Two College of Design alumni are among recent honorees.

 

BFA 1990 Interior Design

 

What started in the fall of 1991 as Deeia Topp exploring her passion for residential design out of a small room in her home has become Deeia M. Topp Interiors, Inc., a multimillion-dollar custom residential design company that has won six Aurora Awards and one Grand Aurora Award for home construction and design excellence in the southeastern U.S. and earned "Home of the Year" recognition from SRQ magazine.

 

Prior to founding her company, Topp was a successful commercial designer for Interior Architects, Inc., a division of the architectural firm The ADP Group, where she helped design the Bird Key and Sarasota Yacht Clubs and the El Conquistador Country Club. Today she enjoys working for private, high-end clients and custom-home builders on one-of-a-kind residential projects. She is proud of the fact that her company has never advertised; Deeia M. Topp Interiors, Inc., is successful because of the referrals and repeat business it has received due to Topp's strong interior architecture background and business integrity.

Topp has made it a priority to give back to the organizations she believes helped her achieve her success, including significant financial contributions to the ISU College of Design and the Cyclone women's gymnastics program, of which she is an alumna. She has also built upon her love of gymnastics and volunteerism by serving as a Special Olympics gymnastics official at the county, area, and state levels.

Topp is a member of the ISU Letterwinners Club and a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association. She and her spouse, John W. Sparling, are the parents of Aiden and Greyson. 

 

 

BS 1951 Architectural Engineering

 

Charles Herbert has had a profound impact on the built environment in Iowa as a result of his more than 50 years of architectural leadership, design and innovation. In 1961, he founded Charles Herbert and Associates, and in 1987 organized Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck (HLKB) Architecture.

 

Under Herbert's leadership, HLKB developed into one of the leading architectural firms in the nation. In 2001 HLKB received the National American Institute of Architects Firm Award, one of 37 so recognized since 1961. They have also received seven National AIA Honor Awards, 77 Central States Region AIA Honor Awards, 130 Iowa AIA Honor awards, and 37 other state, regional, and national design awards. Herbert retired as a principal of HLKB in 1996.

Notable facilities HLKB designed in Des Moines during Herbert's tenure include the Civic Center and Nollen Plaza, Meredith Corporate headquarters and Gateway expansion, Center Street transportation facility and, at Iowa State, the College of Design, Black Engineering, and Jacobson Athletic buildings, the Parks Library addition, the remodeling of Alumni Hall, and Maple Hall. The Civic Center and Meredith Gateway projects were recognized as best in their decades in AIA Iowa's 100 Years of Iowa Architecture awards program.

Herbert has provided outstanding leadership and service to his profession, his community, and his alma mater. In 1976 he was elected to Fellowship by the American Institute of Architects and received the Iowa AIA's first Gold Medal of Honor award. He is an honorary trustee and past president of the Des Moines Art Center, past president of Iowa State's National Cyclone Club, served six years as a member of the ISU Athletic Council, and was a Governor of the ISU Foundation. He received the Iowa State College of Engineering Professional Achievement Citation for Architecture in 1975 and the College of Design Christian Petersen Design Award in 1985.

Herbert attended Rice University, where he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. While a student at Iowa State, he lettered in varsity basketball and was a member of several honor societies.

He and his first wife, Adrienne (1951 Home Economics Education), were members of the Order of the Knoll and parents of five sons: Jeffrey, Christopher, Timothy (1982 Computer Science), Matthew, and Charles II (1989 Industrial Engineering). In 1998 he married Marilyn Wyant Connelly (1951 Home Economics Education), who is mother to Craig Connelly (1977 Industrial Administration) and Sally Connelly Euson (1979 Industrial Administration). He and Marilyn are annual members of the ISU Alumni Association and Order of the Knoll.