Three days before the country chooses its next president, the Washington University in St. Louis community will have the chance to hear from a distinguished expert on the U.S. Supreme Court — Nina Totenberg — at the university’s annual Founders Day commemoration.
The NPR legal affairs correspondent will provide the keynote address at this year’s gala, which takes place Saturday, Nov. 5, at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. (For more information, contact Casey Robertson, 314-935-6503.)
Established in 1953 to celebrate the institution’s founding 100 years earlier, Founders Day also marks a time when the university community gathers to recognize distinguished alumni, faculty and supporters.
Nina Totenberg
Since joining National Public Radio in 1975, Totenberg has broken a number of major news stories, including the sexual harassment allegations made by Anita Hill against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, which led the Senate Judiciary Committee to re-open his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Throughout the four decades Totenberg has covered the legal landscape for NPR, she has presented substantive, insightful audio essays on a broad range of legal topics, for which she has received numerous awards for excellence in journalism, among them the George Polk Award; the Sigma Delta Chi Award for investigative reporting; and the Joan S. Barone Award.
Furthermore, Totenberg has been honored eight times by the American Bar Association, and she was the first radio journalist to receive the National Press Foundation’s Broadcaster of the Year Award.
In addition to providing coverage on NPR, Totenberg’s legal opinions are carried in major newspapers and other print media.
Distinguished Faculty Awards
The Distinguished Faculty Awards recognize outstanding commitment to the intellectual and personal development of students. This year’s recipients are:
Jean M. Allman, the J.H. Hexter Professor in the Humanities, professor of history and director of the Center for the Humanities, Arts & Sciences;
Ross C. Brownson, the Bernard Becker Professor, Brown School and School of Medicine;
Heather Corcoran, the Jane Reuter Hitzeman and Herbert F. Hitzeman, Jr. Professor of Art, director of the College and Graduate School of Art, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts;
Adrienne D. Davis, the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law, vice provost, School of Law; and
Richard H. Gelberman, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery, School of Medicine.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize outstanding professional achievement, public service, exceptional service to Washington University, or all three. Recipients this year are:
Richard W. Brown (MHA ’70), chairman, Stowers Institute for Medical Research;
James Francis Dempsey (MA ’95, PhD ’97), chief scientific officer, ViewRay Inc.;
Suren G. Dutia (BS ’63, AB ’67, MS ’67), senior fellow, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation;
George C.W. Gatch (AB ’86), chief executive officer, global funds management and institutional asset management, J.P. Morgan;
Michael Shamberg (AB ’66), film and television producer; and
Vicki Match Suna (AB ‘80, MArch ’82), vice dean and senior vice president, real estate development and facilities, New York University Langone Medical Center.
Robert S. Brookings Awards
Presented by the Board of Trustees, the Robert S. Brookings Award honors individuals for their extraordinary dedication and generosity to Washington University. This year’s honorees are:
Stephen F. and Camilla T. Brauer and
Gary M. Sumers (AB ’75).
Read more about Founders Day.