An Award of Merit is made annually by the president of the Alumni Association. The association president, or someone designated by the association president, presents the award at the college on Homecoming day to an alumnus/na of the college for distinguished and meritorious service to the United States, to his/her native state, to St. John’s College, or for outstanding achievement within his/her chosen field. Awards have been made to graduates, non-graduates, and honorary alumni.

To submit a name for nomination consideration, please submit the Award of Merit Nomination Form.

2018
H. Glenn Ballard (SF68, for his work in the field of construction, where he co-founded the discipline Lean Construction)
Omar Manejwala (A93, for his work in the mental health field of addiction counseling)
Anika Prather (AGI09, for her work in the field of education as founder of the Living Water Schools)
Joe Sachs (A68, for his work as a tutor and translator of ancient Greek texts
Richard Saja (SF93, for his work as an artist and designer, merging 18th-century and modern designs using toile and other media

2017
David Diggs (AGI91, for outstanding achievement in helping to ending child slavery in Haiti)
Lydia Polgreen (A97, journalist and Editor in Chief at the Huffington Post)
Ben Sasse (AGI98, US Senator from Nebraska and past president of Midland University)
Jason Viseltear (SFGI96, luthier)

2016
Eugene Thaw (Class of 1947, art collector and philanthropist)
Timberlake Wertenbaker (Class of 1966, playwright and translator)
Paul Eitner (SF71, scientist and engineer in space and defense)
Christian Burks (SF76, genetic scientist)
James Schamus (A81, filmmaker and screenwriter)
Curran Engle (SF86, filmmaker)
Heather Davis (SF01, educator and literacy advocate)

2015
Kendon Stubbs (A60, distinguished research librarian)
William Doleman (SF70, archeologist and explorer)
Benjamin Barney (SF70, educator and activist)
James Jarvis (A75, pediatrician and chief of rheumatology at University of Buffalo)
Paul Martin (SF80, investment banker and community activist)
Steven Werlin (A85, senior faculty at Shimer College and regional director of Chemen Lavi Miyo, a program aimed at assisting Haiti's extreme poor in learning skills needed to lift their families out of poverty)

2014
Steven M. Holland, Class of 1979
Arthur Hyman, Class of 1944
Gay P. Hall, Class of 1959, (AGI99)
Thomas Keens, Class of (SF68)
Lee D. Zlotoff, (A74)
Amy Freed, Class of (SF79)
Robert Bienenfeld, (SF80)

2013
Samuel S. Kutler, Class of 1954
David K. Allison (A73)
Ellen Chavez de Leitner (SF73)
Leslie Kay (SF83)
Samuel Casey Carter (A88)
Elaine Pinkerton Coleman (SFGI88)

2012
Frank Murray, Class of 1960
Margaret Winter, Class of 1966
Seth Cropsey (SF72)
Christopher Isham (SF77)
Susan Otto (SF77)
Bryan Dorland (A92)

2011
Henry Robert III, Class of 1941
Pamela Sklar (A81)

2010
Stephen Benedict, Class of 1947
Stephen Forman (A70)
Robert Tzudiker (A75)

2009
Martin Andrews, Class of 1948
Leo Pickens (A78)

2008
Dr. Henry Higman, Class of 1948
Peter McGhee, Class of 1955
George F. Bingham (SF68)
Norman Levan (SFGI74)

2007
Lovejoy R. Duryea, Class of 1967
Jeffrey A. Bishop (H87)

2006
Everett Wilson, Class of 1956

2004
William Carter, Class of 1940
Charlotte King, Class of 1959
Michael Strong (SF84)

2003
William Ross, Class of 1947
David Krimins, Class of 1963
Eric Springsted (SF73)
Alfred Grant (SFGI83)

2002
Candace Brightman, Class of 1967
Howard Zeiderman, Class of 1967
Stephanie Forrest (SF77)
Peggy A. Jones (SFGI94)

2001
Thomas Williams, Class of 1951
A.T. Michael MacDonald (SF76)
Warren Spector (A81)

2000
Dana Densmore, Class of 1965
William Donahue, Class of 1967
Edward Weinberger, Class of 1965
Ronald Fielding (A70)
Glenda H. Eoyang (SF76)
Lawrence Clendenin (SF77)

1999
Jeremy Leven, Class of 1964
Paula Maynes (SF77)
Benjamin Haggard (SF79)

1998
Stewart Greenfield, Class of 1953
Tom Geyer (A68)
Robert Hampton (SF73)

1997
Roland Bailey, Class of 1935
George Van Sant, Class of 1947
Martin Dyer, Class of 1952
William Tilles, Class of 1959
Tom Stern (SF69)
Lynda Myers (SF72)

1996
Peter Weiss, Class of 1946
Harvey Goldstein, Class of 1959
Jonathan Zavin (A68)
Travis Price (SF71)
Rick Lightburn (SF76)
Barbara Lauer (SF76)

1995
Rogers Albritton, Class of 1945
William Goldsmith, Class of 1945
Gerald Peters (SF70)
Chris Nelson (SF70)
Rina Swentzell (SFGI70)

1994
Henry Clay Smith, Class of 1934
Ahmet Ertegun, Class of 1944

1993
Peter Davies, Class of 1948
Mara Robinson (SFGI83)

1992
David B. Rea, Class of 1949
Warren Winiarski, Class of 1952
Anthony James Carey, Class of 1967
Charlotte Fletcher (H69)

1991
Clarence J. Kramer, Class of 1946
John D. Oosterhout, Class of 1951
Sharon Bishop, Class of 1965

1990
William A. Darkey, Class of 1942
Jack Ladd Carr, Class of 1950
John L. Williams, Class of 1950

1989
Mary Bittner Goldstein, Class of 1958
The Hon. Adolph W. Schmidt (H87)

1988
John Van Doren, Class of 1947
Thomas M. Carnes, Class of 1952
Jac Holzman, Class of 1952
Jermey P. Tarcher, Class of 1953
Charles G. Bell (H83)
Curtis A. Wilson (H83)

1987
Dr. Thomas Bourne Turner, Class of 1921
Vernon E. Derr, Class of 1944
Robert D. Sacks, Class of 1954
Barbara H. Leonard (H55)
Robert Neidorf (H83)

1986
James H. Frame, Class of 1950

1985
Allan P. Hoffman, Class of 1949

1984
Francis S. Mason, Class of 1943
Robert S. Bart, Class of 1957

1983
Ray C. Cave, Class of 1948
Thomas K. Simpson, Class of 1950
Rev. J. Winfree Smith (H80)

1982
Capt. Edward F. Lathrop, Class of 1938
Charles A. Nelson, Class of 1945

1981
The Hon. Matthew Strohm Evans, Class of 1931
William B. Matthews, Jr., Class of 1934

1980
Walter F. Evers, Class of 1935
Thomas Parran, Jr., Class of 1942

1979
Richard D. Weigle (H49)

1978
Cdr. Elmer M. Jackson, Jr., Class of 1927
Victor G. Bloede, Class of 1941
Bryce D. Jacobsen, Class of 1942

1977
Bernard F. Gessner, Class of 1927
Dr. David Dobreer, Class of 1944
Robert A. Goldwin, Class of 1950

1976
Fred J. Bielaski, Class of 1916
Julius Rosenberg, Class of 1938

1975
Col. Thomas W. Ligon, Class of 1916

1974
The Hon. Benj. Michaelson, Sr., Class of 1912
Ernst O. von Schwerdtner, Class of 1917
John D. Alexander, Class of 1920

1973
Col. Robert E. Jones, Class of 1909

1972
Paul Landon Banfield, Class of 1923
Myron Lee Wolbarsht, Class of 1950
Miriam Strange (H60)

1971
Edward J. Dwyer, Class of 1930
William B. Athey, Class of 1932
Paul Mellon, Class of 1944

1970
Philip Langon Alger, Class of 1912
Gen. Alfred Houston Noble, Class of 1917
Luther Stitt Tall, Class of 1921

1969
Dr. Louis L. Snyder, Class of 1928

1968
Maj. Gen. George Gelston, Class of 1935

1967
John Wesley Noble, Class of 1917

1966
John Charles Donohue, Class of 1935

1965
Brig. Gen. Wm. Cranmer Baxter, Class of 1923

1964
Col. C. Carey Jarman, Class of 1917

1963
No award given

1962
Richard Herman Hodgson, Class of 1906

1961
Robert Franklin Duer, Jr., Class of 1921

1960
Dr. J. Ogle Warfield, Jr., Class of 1919

1959
Gen. William Childs Purness, Class of 1923

1958
Walter Scott Baird, Class of 1930

1957
Dr. Thomas Bourne Turner, Class of 1921

1956
Dr. Thomas Parran, Class of 1911

1955
William Lentz, Class of 1912

1954
John Triplett Harrison, Class of 1907

1953
Robert Otis Jones, Class of 1916

1952
Adm. Lynde D. McCormick, Class of 1913

1951
John Vincent Jamison, Class of 1905

1950
Dr. Amos Francis Hutchins, Class of 1906