Ray Besing of Santa Fe honored by college alma mater

RIPON, WI (06/19/2012)(readMedia)-- Ray Besing of Santa Fe will be honored with the Distinguished Alumni Citation at Ripon College during its annual alumni awards banquet Friday, June 22. Besing is a 1957 alumnus of the college, which is located in East Central Wisconsin.

Ray has become an internationally known trial attorney over the course of 35 years, specializing in the trial of complex business cases in the courts and regulatory agencies. Most notably, he represented Carter Electronics in the landmark antitrust case of Carter Electronics v. AT&T, which broke the telecommunications equipment monopoly held by AT&T in the United States. This and related cases eventually led to the Federal Court-ordered break-up of AT&T and Bell Telephone System.

In 2000, he published a book highlighting the trials and development of telecommunications competition titled Who Broke Up AT&T? From Ma Bell to the Internet.

Ray resides in Santa Fe, where he has been guest conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and active in the Episcopal Church and many nonprofit organizations. At Ripon, he was president of the student body and student court, a soloist in the Ripon Concert Choir and a debater on Ripon's champion debate team.

In 2009, Ray founded The Kibera Centre for Legal Aid & Human Rights, which brings lawsuitsagainst the government and others committing gross human rights violations against the people of Kibera, Kenya-Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and its people are routinely shot, maimed, raped and tortured by the police and other government agencies. See www.kiberalawcentre.org.

About the Distinguished Alumni Citation

The Distinguished Alumni Citation recognizes those alumni who, in thought and deed, embody the highest ideals and aspirations of a Ripon College education. Candidates may be selected based on any one of the following criteria: distinction in his/her chosen field or profession (distinctive achievement); rendering outstanding service to his/her country, state or community (outstanding service); or rendering outstanding service to and demonstrating a loyal and active interest in Ripon College (meritorious service). Nominations may be made by

members of the faculty, administration, individual alumni, and groups or alumni clubs through the Office of the Annual Fund, Alumni Relations and Parent Programs for presentation to the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

About Ripon College

Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon's liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a "best value" and "Best 376 College" by The Princeton Review, a "Best Buy in College Education" by Barron's, a "Best Liberal-Arts College" by Washington Monthly, a "Top 25 Schools for Do-Gooders" by Newsweek, among the top-tier and best-value colleges by U.S. News and World Report, and among the top 200 private colleges in the nation overall and for value by Forbes Magazine. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.

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