2025 Northwestern Alumni Medal

Four distinguished alumni will receive the NAA’s highest honor for exceptional achievement in their careers and service to Northwestern.

  • T. Bondurant French

    T. Bondurant French ’75, ’76 MBA (’07, ’21 P)

    The private equity executive and dedicated Northwestern volunteer co-chaired the University’s historic "We Will" fundraising campaign.

    Learn more about him
  • Barbara Stewart

    Barbara Stewart ’85, ’95 MBA

    The former AmeriCorps CEO serves on several nonprofit boards and started a foundation to close the opportunity gap.

    Learn more about her
  • Michael D. Greenberg

    Michael D. Greenberg ’89 (’23, ’25 P)

    The veteran television and radio host covers sports for ESPN and is a New York Times bestselling author.

    Learn more about him
  • Judith Toland

    Judith Toland ’94

    The celebrated industry leader has led marketing for global brands and helped accelerate the growth of small businesses.

    Learn more about her

About the Northwestern Alumni Medal

Since 1932, the Northwestern Alumni Medal has celebrated alumni who have made a transformative impact on their fields, performed exemplary volunteer service to society, and demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University. Distinguished recipients—ranging from innovative entrepreneurs and Supreme Court justices to award-winning writers and a Nobel Prize recipient—truly exemplify the ideals of the University through their life, work, and service.

You are welcome to nominate—or write a letter of support for—any alum who meets our eligibility criteria for consideration as a future Alumni Medalist.

NOMINATE An Alum


Sharing Their Stories

President’s Alumni Panel: My Northwestern Direction

Friday, October 3, 2025
3:15–4:30 p.m.
Ryan Center for Musical Arts, Galvin Recital Hall

Please join us for a discussion with the 2025 Northwestern Alumni Medalists about how the University shaped their lives and careers. You can attend this special event, which is part of Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, in person or via livestream (link details to come).

Past Northwestern Alumni Medalists

2024 Willard S. Evans Jr. ’77, ’81 MBA
Renetta McCann ’78, ’12 MS
William Osborn ’69, ’73 MBA, ’18 H
2023 Roberta Buffett Elliott ’54 (’09, ’13, ’17, ’21, ’24, ’26 GP)
Chris Galvin ’73, ’77 MBA (’11 P)
Charles S. Modlin Jr. ’83, ’87 MD
2022 Cindy Chupack ’87
David Louie ’72
Jeff Ubben ’87 MBA (’20 P)
2020-2021 Judy Belk ’75
Andrew C. Chan ’80, ’80 MS
Christopher B. Combe ’70 (’99, ’06, ’09 P)
Gordon Segal ’60 (’93 P)
2019 Lisa M. Franchetti ’85
Bridgette Proctor Heller ’83, ’85 MBA
Yie-Hsin Hung ’84 (’22 P)
2018 Louis A. Simpson ’58 (’96 P)
Johnnetta B. Cole ’59 MA, ’67 PhD, ’92 H
Douglas R. Conant ’73, ’76 MBA (’09 P)
Courtney D. Armstrong ’93, ’97 JD, MBA
2017 Mara Brock Akil ’92
John “Mac” McQuown ’57
Milton “Chip” Morris ’92, ’04 MBA
Kelly O’Donnell ’87
2015 Nicholas D. Chabraja ’64, ’67 JD
2014 Dennis H. Chookaszian ’65 (’02 P) (’19, ’24 GP)
2013 Patrick G. Ryan ’59, ’09 H (’97, ’00 P)
Shirley Welsh Ryan ’61, ’19 H (’97, ’00 P)
2012 Thomas Z. Hayward Jr. ’62, ’65 JD (’89, ’90, ’94 P) (’24 GP)
2010 William J. White ’60 (’84 P) (’17, ’19, ’19 GP)
2009 Neil G. Bluhm ’62 JD (’95 P)
2008 Carole Segal ’60 (’93 P)
2007 Raymond F. Farley ’51 (’80 P)
2006 Patricia Buehler Blankenship ’53 (’80, ’90 P)
2005 Howard S. Traisman ’43, ’46, ’47 MD (’77, ’79, ’81 P) (’18 GP)
2004 Eric Jay Gleacher ’62 (’91, ’12 P) (’28 GP)
2003 Art Pancoe ’51 MS (’09, ’13 GP)
2002 Lester Crown ’46 (’93, ’21 P) (’11, ’13, ’20 GP)
2001 Richard S. Pepper ’53
2001 Roxelyn Miller Pepper ’53
2000 Judd A. Weinberg ’47
1999 Louis D. Boshes ’31, ’36 MD, ’38 MS, ’40 GME
1998 Ivan D. Combe ’33, ’36 JD (’65, ’70 P) (’94, ’99, ’09, ’27 GP)
1997 Ardis Krainik ’51, ’84 H
1996 Howard J. Trienens ’45, ’49 JD, ’95 H (’79 P) (’98, ’03, ’07 GP)
1995 Ruth R. Whitney ’49
1994 Richard B. Stolley ’52, ’53 MS (’81, ’85 P)
1993 Morris A. Kaplan ’35 (’93, ’03 GP)
1992 George A. Cohon ’61 JD (’89 P) (’23 GP)
1991 Georgie Anne Geyer ’56, ’93 H
1990 David Shoch ’39 MS, ’43 PhD, ’46 MD
1989 Theodore W. Van Zelst ’45, ’48 MS (’89 P)
1988 Saul Bellow ’37, ’62 H
1987 Stanton R. Cook ’49, ’85 H (’87, ’98 P)
1986 Thomas E. Starzl ’50 MS, ’52 MD, PhD, ’82 H
1985 Garry K. Marshall ’56 (’86, ’90, ’91 P) (’18 GP)
1984 Orion H. Stuteville ’31 DDS, ’33 MS, ’39 MD
1983 Richard C. Christian ’49 MBA (’75 P)
1982 Chester Gould 1923
1981 Richard M. Paget ’34 (’65, ’67 P)
1980 Howard H. Hanson 1916
1979 Charlton Heston ’45 (’19 GP)
1978 Newton N. Minow ’49, ’50 JD, ’65 H (’71, ’12 P)
1977 Hon. John P. Stevens ’47 JD, ’77 H
1976 John A. D. Cooper ’43 PhD, ’51 MD, ’72 H (’74 P)
1975 Hon. James R. Thompson ’59 JD, ’79 H
1974 Raymond T. Carhart ’34 MA/MS, ’36 PhD
1973 Creed C. Black ’49
1972 Cynthia Clark Wedel 1929, 1930 MA
1971 Maurice H. Stans 1929, ’60 H
1971 Richard H. Young ’30 MD (’61, ’63 P)
1970 Edwin C. Austin 1915 JD, 1917 MA/MS
1969 Donald M. Graham ’33, ’36 JD, ’70 H (’71 P)
1968 Moody E. Prior 1923, 1924 MA
1967 Arthur J. Goldberg ’30 JD, ’63 H
1966 George W. Ball ’30, ’33 JD, ’64 H
1965 James F. Oates Jr. 1924 JD (’50 P)
1964 Lloyd Griffin ’32 (’60, ’61 P) (’88 GP)
1964 Charles Cranston Spray 1920, 1923 JD
1963 Vernon R. Loucks 1908, 1910 JD (’93 GP)
1962 George H. Tomlinson 1898
1961 Carl I. Johnson 1924
1961 C. Lysle Smith 1917, 1920 JD
1960 Nina Shumway Knapp 1899
1960 James L. Allen 1929 (’80, ’83, ’87, ’91, ’96, ’00 GP)
1959 Harold F. Whittle 1914
1958 Byron S. Coon 1925 (’60 P)
1958 Harold A. Smith 1921 JD
1957 Edwin Oscar Blomquist 1915
1957 Willis Donald Gale 1923, 1924 MA/MS
1956 Isabelle Drew Fowler 1894, 1895 MA/MS
1956 Albert Rueben Jones 1899
1955 Herbert J. Taylor 1917 (’42, ’50 P) (’68, ’80 GP)
1955 George Ives Haight 1902 JD
1954 Edward Rixon Ladd 1904
1953 Horace Greeley Smith 1905
1953 Eric Oldberg 1923, 1926 MS, 1927 MD, 1928 PhD, ’91 H
1952 J. Roscoe Miller ’30 MD, ’31 GME (’53, ’58, ’63 P)
1951 Harold H. Anderson 1924 (’55 P)
1951 Thomas A. Harwood 1915
1950 Winifred L. Ward 1905
1950 Andy Hall 1890 MD (’62 P, ’82 GP)
1949 Harry L. Wells 1913 (’42, ’45 P)
1948 Emma Boose Tucker 1901 MD
1947 Nathan W. MacChesney 1902 JD
1946 Charles William Ward 1903 MA/MS
1945 Loyal Davis 1918 MD (’51 P) (’74 GP)
1944 John A. Wolfer 1908
1942 Dean Ralph Brownell Dennis 1901, 1915 H
1942 Owen Lewis Coon 1915, 1919 JD (’44 P) (’69 GP)
1940 James Franklin Oates Sr. 1893 (1924 P) (’50 GP)
1939 George Craig Stewart 1902
1938 Bertram Joseph Cahn 1896, 1899 JD
1937 Arthur D. Black 1900 DDS
1937 Allen Buchner Kanavel 1896, 1899 MD
1935 Mark Winfield Cresap 1898
1934 Anna Marcy Miller Scott 1895, ’52 H
1934 Walter Dill Scott 1895 (’49, ’53 GP)
1932 William A. Dyche 1882, 1890 MA/MS