Two Evening College engineering alumni, Salvador Castro (Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering ’54, ’57, ’68), and George R. Mills(Mechanical Engineering ’78) were recently presented with prestigious awards.
Salvador Castro will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in a ceremony in December, 2014. Castro received a certification in Mechanical Engineering in 1954, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1957, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1968, all from Drexel University. He is a World War II veteran with the Civil Air Patrol and a U.S. Air Force civilian auxiliary. and According to the article “Surviving Civil Air Patrol originals overwhelmed with honor of Congressional Gold Medal” on Philly.com, "The honor - recipients include many original CAP [Civil Air Patrol] veterans in New Jersey and Pennsylvania - is the first major recognition for the Air Force civilian auxiliary group's role in the war and comes at a time when, nationally, fewer than 100 members from that era are still alive." The article also mentions that Castro, 89, of Levittown, joined the Civil Air Patrol in Newark in 1942 and was surprised that he would receive the Congressional Gold Medal. To read more on Castro’s award, please click here.
George R. Mills was awarded the “Republic of China Friendship Medal” for 2014, presented by Ma Kai, the Vice Premier of China. Mills received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1978 from Drexel University. According to the article, “Hubei J S Machine : 2014-11-03· China Friendship Medal 2014 was Awarded to George Mills” on 4-traders.com, Mills was “also then invited by Premier Li Keqiang to attend official state reception and dinner held on the eve of National Day 2014, recognizing the 65th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The China Friendship Award and Medal is the China's highest accolade that can be granted to a foreigner. The citation for Mills was ‘for enthusiastic contributions to the growth of China.’” The article also notes that Mills began his involvement with China during the 1980s with the formation of Langston-China and has served as Chairman of Langston-China before Langston was purchased in 2001. In 2005, Mills then joined Jingshan Qingji (J.S. Machine) as a senior in-residence executive. J.S. is the largest publicly listed company in its industry segment within China. Mills is a registered Expert in Economics in China, a registered Expert in Technology, and also the Chairman of the Technology Innovation Center-a national research center, located at J.S. Machine where industry and academia together foster incubator technologies taking on up to 40 projects a year. To read more about Mills’ award, please click here.