Winner of the Milliken Medal of Quality Award Announced

On October 29, 2001, Thomas J. Malone, President & Chief Operating Officer of Milliken & Company will be the recipient of the prestigious Milliken Medal of Quality Award.  This award is given every year by the South Carolina Quality Forum to recognize South Carolinians of vision who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and outstanding achievement in the implementation of quality systems in their organizations. 

Dr. Malone received his Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1966 and immediately was hired by Milliken & Company, to start its "Fundamental Engineering Department." Seventeen years later, he was named President and Chief Operating officer of one of the largest privately owned textile manufacturers in the United States, Milliken & Company.

Now a member of the Chief Executive's Organization and the President's Circle, he also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Directorate of Engineering of the National Science Foundation, the Council on competitiveness.  He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States of America and was chosen 1991 Honorary Textile Leader of the year by the Kappa Tau Beta Leadership Fraternity and Phi Psi Professional Textile Fraternity at N.C. State University.  He was also named 1994 Leader of the Year by Textile World and was recently named as one of the top 50 "Textile Leaders of the Century."

An ardent supporter of education, he established the Dr. Thomas Joseph Malone Scholarship Fund at Georgia Tech and the T.D. "Dobie" Holden Scholarship to Pearl River Junior college in honor of his mentor, football coach and lifetime friend.  He is a founder and trustee of LaGrange Academy (Georgia) and a major supporter of the Spartanburg Day School (South Carolina).

Dr. Malone is dedicated to "empowerment," a concept cited by President George Bush in 1989 as the company received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Dr. Malone has demonstrated proactively through leadership, initiative and cooperation.  As an individual he has demonstrated a history of learning through perceptive observation and empathetic listening and has shown champion leadership and the spirit of continuous learning. All which are key components to be eligible for this award.

The Milliken Medal of Quality Award will be given to Dr. Malone at the South Carolina Governor's Quality Award Conference on October 29, 2001 in Columbia, SC.  Governor Hodges and Roger Milliken will make the presentation.

For more information on the conference visit our website www.scquality.com or phone 1-888-231-0578.