John Francis McCartney '74
(Year Awarded--1999)

From the moment of his arrival at Davidson, John McCartney distinguished himself as a leader both in and out of the classroom. He was a member of the Honors College with the Center for Honors Studies, participated in the North Carolina Fellows Program, was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and served on the Union Board. He excelled in varsity football and club rugby. The summer before his senior year, John was selected to study in a six-week graduate program at Oxford.

After graduation, John earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1976. He began his career at Grant Thornton & Company as a manager and then served as vice president of operations at Dur-o-wal, Incorporated. He joined U.S. Robotics Corporation in 1984 as vice president and chief financial officer and, in 1990, was promoted to executive vice president of international operations. In 1996 John became chief operating officer and one year later was named president.

Credited with leading the company's record international growth and guiding it to extraordinary performance levels, John directly influenced the growth of U.S. Robotics International Operations from $7 million to $2 billion in revenue. His ability to manage a diverse operation with a keen understanding of the big picture, but with full appreciation of the underlying details, set him apart from others and was the measure of his success. Following the 1997 merger of 3Com and U.S. Robotics, John was named President of 3Com's Client Access Products business unit. Currently John serves as Vice Chairman of Datatec, Limited, a global provider of Internet related products and services based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Through the years John has been a loyal and attentive alumnus. He has served as an Annual Fund Class Agent, a committee member for his 15th Reunion, and he co-chaired his 25th Reunion. John is a member of the Davidson College Board of Visitors, and he and Clare are regular members of the Ne Ultra Society.

Because you guided your company to become an industry leader; because you have been consistently recognized and rewarded for your insight, intelligence, and skill; because your vision inspires others to think creatively and take risks; and because you make Davidson proud to claim you as her own, the Davidson College Alumni Association honors you, John Francis McCartney, Class of 1974, and presents you with the Distinguished Alumnus Award on the occasion of the 25th Reunion of your class.