Kelton, Wofford to be inducted into Hall of Distinction

Arkansas Tech University will bestow its highest alumni honor upon Dr. Kenneth Kelton and Major Gen. William Wofford when they are inducted into the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction during spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 10.

Kelton and Wofford will be inducted under the Distinguished Alumnus category during the 10 a.m. ceremony at John E. Tucker Coliseum.

Kelton, a 1976 Tech graduate, has served as a physics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., since 1985. He holds a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University.

In 2003, Kelton worked with NASA to prove a 50-year hypothesis explaining how liquid metals resist turning into solids. Kelton’s research on that project was featured on the July 2003 cover of Physics Today.

An American Physical Society fellow, Kelton has had more than 200 papers published. In 2006, Washington University named him its first Arthur Holly Compton Professor in Arts and Sciences. The professorship is named for Dr. Arthur Holly Compton, who earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927.

Wofford, a 1971 Tech graduate, is Adjutant General for the Arkansas National Guard. A member of the Governor’s Cabinet and commander of the Military Department of Arkansas, Wofford is responsible for all military administration transactions between the United States and the state of Arkansas.

He is also responsible for training of personnel to accomplish both the state and federal missions of the National Guard.

Upon graduating from the Arkansas Tech ROTC program on May 15, 1971, Wofford was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He completed the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School, then went on to active duty with the 82^nd Airborne Division and the 1^st Armored Division. Wofford returned to Arkansas and joined the Arkansas Army National Guard in December 1975.

Wofford served in a variety of command and staff positions, including commander of the 2^nd Battalion, 142^nd Field Artillery during Operation Desert Storm. On April 28, 2005, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. Wofford was named to his present assignment as Adjutant General for the Arkansas National Guard in February 2006.