2012 Zenith Medal for Service: Benton Satterfield Jr.

The 2012 recipient of the Zenith Medal for Service is Benton Satterfield Jr. Satterfield was born to be a member of the Wolfpack and the PAMS Pack. Both he and his father are graduates of the Department of Chemistry, where his grandfather, Howard Satterfield, was a faculty member for many years. 

While he was excelling in the classroom and the lab, Satterfield was also excelling in the pool. He was a four-year letter winner on NC State’s varsity swim team, earning MVP honors his junior year and serving as co-captain his junior and senior years.

Upon his graduation in 1989, Satterfield first took his keen intellect and competitive spirit to his alma mater, Broughton High School, where he served three years as a science teacher and head swimming coach.

He then made the move to industry and went back to the classroom himself to earn a master’s degree in integrated manufacturing systems engineering.

Over the last 15 years, Satterfield has steadily made his way up the corporate ladder, first at a company called Energy Conversion Systems (formerly Morganite, Inc.) in Dunn, North Carolina, and then for the last eight years at Carquest Auto Parts here in Raleigh. He currently serves as senior manager for DC engineering and process, where he is responsible for material handling design, maintenance, and improvements for nearly 40 distribution centers throughout North America.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Satterfield has had a profound impact on PAMS, particularly in helping to build the relationship between the college and its more than 13,000 living alumni.

Satterfield was instrumental in helping to establish the PAMS Alumni and Friends Advisory Board. Created in 2004, this board has been invaluable in developing relationships with alumni and friends through new and existing initiatives and “rallying to the troops” to enhance, promote and support the College’s research and outreach programs.

Not only was Satterfield a founding member of the board (and, to date, its longest serving member), he also served as its first vice president  and second president. Under his leadership, the board increased its membership, raised the visibility and attendance of Scope Academy and, for the first time, fully funded the college’s annual student recruiting event.

In addition to the invaluable contributions of Satterfield’s time and talent to reaching out to former students, he and his wife, Beth Satterfield, have also made it easier for future students to attend NC State – particularly through their support of the G. Howard Satterfield Scholarship in the Department of Chemistry.