Alumni in the News: Sheetz, '68; Harrington, '85; Kingsley, '63

Significant career achievements from a trio of Albion alumni have made headlines in recent weeks.

Michael Sheetz, '68, is a 2012 Lasker Award winner in Basic Medical Research. The award is presented by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation of New York, whose "programs are dedicated to the support of biomedical research toward conquering disease, improving human health and extending life."

Sheetz, a biology professor at Columbia University, was recognized along with two colleagues "for discoveries concerning cytoskeletal motor proteins, machines that move cargoes within cells, contract muscles, and enable cell movements." Sheetz majored in chemistry at Albion and went on to earn his Ph.D. from Cal Tech.

Michael Harrington, '85, will become Eli Lilly and Co.'s senior vice president and general counsel effective Jan. 1, 2013. He'll replace fellow alumnus Robert Armitage, '70, who is retiring.

Harrington, currently vice president and deputy general counsel for the pharmaceutical maker, was an English major at Albion and completed his J.D. at Columbia. He was named to the Albion College Board of Trustees in July, following in Armitage's footsteps in that capacity as well.

James Kingsley, '63, who has served Calhoun County since 1982 as the state's 37th Circuit Court judge, is the recipient of the 2012 Hilda Gage Award for Judicial Excellence, presented by the Michigan Judges Association. The honor recognizes excellence "in trial and docket management, legal scholarship, and contributions to the profession and the community."

Kingsley launched his legal career after graduating from the Northwestern University School of Law. He received Albion's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983 and is also in the College's Athletic Hall of Fame for his years of service as a football sideline "chain gang" member.