Award of Merit Recipients

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.

2019

  • Jeffrey Escoffier (A64, for his work as a researcher and writer, and his distinguished service to New York City)
  • Cynthia Keppel Hellman (A84, for her work as a nuclear physicist and cancer researcher)
  • Larry Turley (SF69, for his work in winemaking and viticulture)

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