Andover honors five alumni with inaugural award

Parents and alumni invited to Nov. 9 ceremony to honor those who have made significant contributions to the betterment of society

September 27, 2012 —Parents and alumni are invited to the inaugural Andover Alumni Award of Distinction ceremony on November 9. Register online to attend the event, which will be held during Leader's Weekend.

To recognize alumni who, through their field of endeavor have made significant contributions to the betterment of society, the Alumni Council of Phillips Academy has created this annual award.

The first recipients of the Andover Alumni Award of Distinction have served with distinction in the fields of public service, education, science, literature and history, and the performing arts. They are:

George H.W. Bush, Class of 1942

Prior to serving as the 41st President of the United States, President Bush served as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan, Director of the CIA, and Ambassador to the UN. He also was the youngest Naval Aviator during World War II.

Wendy Ewald, Class of 1969

As founder of the Literacy through Photography Program, Ewald works to “help children see" and to use cameras as a “tool for expression." She is currently Senior Research Associate at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

William Knowles, Class of 1935

Knowles, along with two colleagues, won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2001 for the development of catalytic asymmetric synthesis, specifically for his work in hydrogeneration reactions.

Stacy Schiff, Class of 1978

Schiff wrote "Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)," which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000, "A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America,” which won the George Washington Book Prize in 2006, and most recently “Cleopatra: A Life,” which became a New York Times Bestseller and garnered much critical praise.

Peter Sellars, Class of 1975

Sellars is professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, where he teaches Art as Social Action and Art as Moral Action. The opera and stage director most recently directed a production of John Adams's opera “Nixon in China” for New York's Metropolitan Opera.

Three recipients from the award’s inaugural class are expected to attend the ceremony in November; Sellars, Schiff and Ewald will also participate in different events and classes, where they will meet with student and alumni. President Bush will share a filmed acknowledgement that will be shown at the event. The award for Mr. Knowles, who died in June, will be presented posthumously.

Alumni are invited to submit nominations for the next award cycle, which will be collected by the Office of Alumni Affairs. All nominations will be confidential and may be made at any time, though each nominating cycle will have a final date by which a nomination is eligible for that year. Nominate someone now.