Outstanding students, alumni and faculty members will be honored Sunday, as NIU holds its third annual University Honors Day.

The afternoon events will include initiations into honorary societies and recognitions by the University Honors Program. Following the afternoon program is the awards banquet, during which the Outstanding Young Alumni Awards, the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awards and awards to students by academic honorary societies will be presented.

The winners of this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Awards represent a variety of careers.

Michael Kabarec, class of 1970, was listed by Money Magazine in 1987 as one of the nation’s top financial planners.

Susan Gillette, class of 1972, is now executive vice president and director of creative services for DDB Needham of Chicago. Her award-winning work can be seen in ads for McDonald’s, Maybelline, and Michelob Light.

Joan Allen, class of 1978, won the 1988 Tony Award for best actress for her performance in “Burn This,” and she has been suggested as a nominee for the Tony again this year for her lead role in the “Heide Chronicles”. She was also a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

Mary Francis Astrom, class of 1978, taught in NIU’s department of Human and Family Resources from 1981 to 1984 and now works as a perinatal nutrition specialist at the Rockford Memorial Hospital. She also is the president-elect of the Illinois Nutrition Association.

Six years after receiving his law degree, Mark Dalton, class of 1979, was appointed to the position of an associate circuit judge in Woodford, McLean, Livingston, Ford and Logan counties.

Paul Murphy, class of 1983, who decided to work in special education because of his own experiences as a deaf student, is now the principal of Southeast Alternative School in Lombard.

This is the second year that the Young Alumni Award will be presented to NIU alumni under the age of 40 who have made outstanding professional achievements. However, according to Susan Lund, director of Alumni Programming and Development, professional achievements are not the only criteria for receiving the award. The person also must be “well-rounded” by being active in civic, cultural or service organizations.

The featured speaker at the awards banquet will be Dr. Leon Lederman, director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in physics.

Lederman also was the first person to receive an honorary doctoral degree from NIU. He also helped NIU in establishing the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy at Aurora.