The St. Pat’s Celebration Committee at Missouri University of Science and Technology has announced its 2012 Honorary Knights of St. Patrick. The Honorary Knights are David Bernhard, Dan Brown, Charlotte Divincen, John Eash, Greg Gelles, Jeanie Hofer, Bob Hribar and Kevin Mullally.

The new knights will be honored during a public coronation at 9 p.m. Friday, March 16, in Leach Theatre of Castleman Hall on the Missouri S&T campus.

Missouri S&T has been celebrating St. Pat’s since 1908, when a group of students declared that St. Patrick was the patron saint of engineers.

The 2012 St. Pat’s Parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, on Pine Street in Rolla. Tom Green, president and owner of Key Sport Shop, will serve as the parade marshal and as Honorary St. Pat.

Missouri S&T’s 2012 Honorary Knights are:

David Bernhard, a technical sales representative with Seltec Sales Corp. Bernhard earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from Missouri S&T in 1992. An active member in the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, he portrayed St. Pat in 1990. Bernhard serves his community of Columbia, Ill., in a variety of ways, including as athletic director at the Immaculate Conception school.

Dan Brown, sworn into office of the Missouri Senate in January of 2011. He represents the state’s 16th senatorial district. Previously, Brown served in the Missouri House of Representatives, representing the 149th district. Brown has practiced veterinary medicine in the Rolla area for more than 30 years. He earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Charlotte Divincen, executive staff assistant to the chancellor at Missouri S&T. Divincen has been employed by the university for more than 32 years. One of her favorite job duties is planning Staff Day. She also organizes faculty talent shows to support Engineers Without Borders. Divincen has been honored with a Staff Excellence Award and the Janice Buhlinger Spirit Award at S&T.

John Eash,  director of F/A-18 Production Operations for The Boeing Co. Eash joined McDonnell Douglas in 1980 and served in various management positions through the transition to The Boeing Co. and has since held several senior positions with the company. Eash earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management at Missouri S&T. He also received an MBA from Washington University. Eash was elected a Student Knight of St. Patrick in 1979. He is currently president-elect of S&T’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is also a member of the university’s Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers.

Greg Gelles, professor and chair of economics at Missouri S&T. Gelles earned a doctorate from West Virginia University in 1989, the same year he joined the faculty at S&T. He has traveled to numerous countries on educational missions, including Oman, China, South Korea and South Africa. His research interests include microeconomic theory, health economics and the law, and mathematical economics.

Jeanie Hofer,  director of international affairs at Missouri S&T. Hofer oversees the Applied Language Institute, study abroad programs, international student recruitment, and immigration support and counseling services. She also leads the university’s Middle Eastern program initiatives. Prior to coming to S&T, Hofer worked for McDonnell Douglas. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri S&T, a master’s degree from Washington University and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Bob Hribar, senior laboratory mechanic in the machine shop of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at Missouri S&T. Upon graduation from high school, Hribar joined the Marines and served two tours in Vietnam. He joined S&T in 1983 and has received several awards for his work with students and staff.

Kevin Mullally, owner of Mullally Distributing Co., an Anheuser-Busch distributor in Cuba, Mo. He assumed the role of president of the company in 1996. Mullally attended East Central College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Sullivan. He enjoys working with a local pyrotechnic company, designing and shooting electronic pyro-musical displays.

2012 Honorary St. Pat

Tom Green is president of Key Sport Shop, which he has owned and operated since 1979. The shop prints St. Pat’s sweatshirts each year and Green also helps organize the Corvettes that appear in the annual parade. He graduated from Rolla High School in 1965, and then went to work in the construction industry for 13 years before buying Key Sport Shop. Green became an Honorary Knight in 1990.