Boeing

University of California, Berkeley, is recognizing Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit for his accomplishments as an engineer and business leader by honoring him with the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award.

One of three honorees, Condit will receive the award at a recognition dinner tonight at the university.

Condit is being recognized for leading the early development of the revolutionary computer-designed Boeing 777 aircraft and becoming CEO of Boeing. He has served in nearly 20 posts in his 33-year career at Boeing, producing and marketing the company's full line of commercial aircraft.

A native of Berkeley, Calif., Condit earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at U.C. Berkeley in 1963.

The College of Engineering taught me valuable lessons that have served me well in my life and throughout my career, said Condit. Most notably, I took classes that involved being creative, facing challenges and working in teams. All three of these actions are important in solving problems and causing people to think.

Condit went on to receive master's degrees from Princeton and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by a doctorate last year from the Science University of Tokyo, where he was the first Westerner to earn such a degree. In 1996, he received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A proponent of lifelong learning, he often meets with students and teachers, and has introduced a unique program to encourage and reward Boeing people who pursue learning throughout their careers.

U.C. Berkeley's honor is just one of several, which include: Japan America Society's 1997 Kokusai Shimin Sho, or International Citizens Award, for global leadership in the private sector; the Financial World Chief Executive Officer of the Year award for 1997; the 1997 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award for advancing international standards; and most recently the 1998 Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award.

Condit has also been recognized by several engineering associations. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1985 the highest honor for a U.S. engineer.