by Mark D. Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations
Trustee Emeritus Lorne Scharnberg, chief executive officer and founder of Katecho, Inc. and Surmasis Pharmaceutical, Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, will be awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor by Cedarville University during a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. The event will be part of Cedarville's 2019 homecoming celebration.
The board of trustees established the Medal of Honor to honor distinguished servants and friends of the university. Scharnberg will be the 14th recipient, and the first to receive the award since Rev. Franklin Graham was honored in 2012.
— Thomas White
Cedarville University selects Medal of Honor recipients based on the following criteria:
• Individuals who, through their service and support, fulfill the biblical mandate of giving honor to whom honor is due
• Community and church leaders who are especially sensitive to the university’s vision and needs
• Board members who have served the university for many years
• Friends of the university who are actively dedicated to advancing the mission of Cedarville University.
Scharnberg fulfills each of the criteria, most notably by his long tenure on the university’s board of trustees.
Scharnberg has served on the board of trustees since 1994, including three terms as chair and one year as vice chair. In May 2018, Scharnberg transitioned into a trustee emeritus role.
He continues to serve on the Business Advisory Council for the school of business administration (SBA) and was named the 2005-06 executive-in-residence of the SBA. The Executive-in-Residence program brings senior-level executives to campus to enrich the learning environment of undergraduate business majors, foster working relationships between business leaders and faculty and provide faculty and staff with new ideas and perspectives on how to serve the business community.
"I am appreciative of the skilled, visionary and biblical leadership that's evident in Lorne's work on behalf of Cedarville University," said White. "The Medal of Honor is a symbol of the magnitude of influence Lorne has demonstrated throughout his 25 years of exemplary service to Cedarville University."
Scharnberg and his late wife, Kathi, moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1981 to begin Katecho, Inc., a medical manufacturing business. Kathi served the company as its chief financial officer until her passing in February 2018. They are the parents of one son, Mark, a 1997 graduate of Cedarville University, who now serves as president of both companies.
“This is an unbelievable honor; I am truly humbled,” said Scharnberg. “As appreciative as I am to be recognized, I am more thankful that we [Cedarville University] remain a Christ-centered university where we take young people and make young professionals out of them. We continue to instill within them godly principles, and then send them into the professional world as representatives of Christ. This is a unique mission.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its doctor of pharmacy program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.