By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
HOPEWELL TOWNHIP — A computer inventor, a retired science researcher, an attorney and a real estate developer were recently inducted into Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Distinguished Graduates Hall of Fame.
The newest inductees are Jeff Kowalski (Class of 1984), Doug Murphy (1963), Keya Koul (1992) and George Randle Ackerman (1979). A brief biography for each is provided below.
The 13th annual induction ceremony held in mid-October took place in the Performing Arts Center at the high school. There was also a reception for inductees, their families and friends at the Mountain View Country Club.
Nominations for next year’s Distinguished Graduates Hall of Fame can be mailed to: Principal Michael Daher, Hopewell Valley Central High School, 259 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington, NJ 08534, or emailed to michaeldaher@hvrsd.org .
Nominees must have graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School at least 10 years ago and have achieved success in his or her chosen career. Nominees who are not selected will be considered in future years, school officials said.
Mr. Kowalski is the holder of several patents for inventions, and currently is the chief technology officer at Autodesk in California, a software corporation that makes software for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries.
At Hopewell Valley Central High school, Mr. Kowalski pursued his interest in math, as well a curiosity for literature and the French language. Outside of class, he was active in student government, performed in nearly all the school plays, and competed in the math and science leagues.
He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in electrical engineering. After graduating, Mr. Kowalski worked briefly at Apple before returning to Cornell to get a master’s degree in computer science.
Mr. Murphy’s early interests in cell biology and microscopes combined with a passion for careful observation of nature led him to earn advanced degrees and training in cell biology from Syracuse University (M.S.), the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.) and the University of Wisconsin (postdoctoral fellow). He spent his undergraduate years at the University of Rochester, graduating in 1967.
He first taught and did research at Kansas State University and then at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he became a professor of cell biology and did research for nearly 30 years.
A major part of his teaching and research involved the use of the light microscope, especially for fluorescence microscopy.
At Johns Hopkins, Mr. Murphy established the School of Medicine Microscope Facility. He wrote a book titled “Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Electronic Imaging” in 2001, with a second edition published in 2011.
In 2006, he moved to Northern Virginia to establish and direct facilities for light microscopy and electronic imaging at the Janelia Research Campus.
While at Hopewell Valley Central High School, he participated in Kiwanis Key Club, was a school leader, and an exchange student in Germany during his senior year.
Ms. Koul is an attorney who has practiced in the areas of real estate, bankruptcy, civil litigation and entertainment law. She is admitted to the State Bar of New Mexico, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.
She graduated from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles in May 2007 and immediately moved to Albuquerque, N.M. In 2015, she was selected as a “Southwest Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.
Her undergraduate degree was earned at Smith College, where she received a B.A. in Spanish with a minor in biology in 1996. She then attended UCLA and obtained a master’s degree in medieval Spanish literature. While at UCLA, Ms. Koul taught undergraduate Spanish classes.
After graduation, she worked as an editorial manager in the Los Angeles bureau of PR Newswire, and later assisted in the company’s operations consolidation, including managing the company’s job training incentive program with the state of New Mexico.
Passionate about diversity initiatives and public service, Ms. Koul is the recipient of an American Bar Association presidential appointment to the ABA’s Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity.
Mr. Ackerman, who grew up in Pennington and currently lives Hopewell Township, is co-founder of a real estate investment and management company called Benbrooke, with offices in several states, including New Jersey. Before starting the firm, he was a vice-president at The Brown Companies in New York City.
At Hopewell Valley Central High School, Mr. Ackerman, earned three varsity letters in soccer and three in golf. He was named to the all-county soccer team in each of his three seasons as well as all-state during his senior year. His golf teams won several county and regional tournaments.
Already a member of the Hopewell Valley Athletic Hall of Fame, Mr. Ackerman graduated cum laude from James Madison University in 1983. He earned four varsity letters in soccer while in college and was named to all-state and all-conference teams during his junior and senior years.
Mr. Ackerman also earned an MBA with distinction in finance in 1989 from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
