Two of the winners of the 2013 LAS Alumni Achievement Awards were pioneers in the truest sense of the word, for they were the first in their families to ever attend college, let alone reach the top of their field. But all award winners this year were pioneers in their own right.
Of the winners, two grappled with finding answers about life-threatening diseases—one in the area of cancer and the other with a rare disease that afflicts only a few hundred people in the world. Another winner found novel ways to control insects while protecting human health and environment. Yet another unexpectedly became one of the leading authorities on Illinois’ favorite son, Abraham Lincoln.
Meanwhile, the Quadrangle Award winners included two men who have become invaluable ambassadors for the College of LAS—one on the East Coast and the other in the heart of the Midwest—for the pioneering spirit, and the Illinois spirit, can be found in every region of the country.
LAS Alumni Achievement Award Winners
Edna Greene Medford was teaching 19th-century African American history when she was invited by the C-SPAN network to do on-air commentaries for their reenactments of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. From there, her work on Lincoln took off, and she became a leading authority on Abraham Lincoln and African American life in the 19th century. Read more about Edna Greene Medford.
Stephen J. Elledge discovered the genes that sense damaged DNA and trigger its repair, his first step toward becoming a leading geneticist at Harvard. He specializes in the DNA repair process, which is crucial to preventing mutations that fuel cancer, and he has also worked on viruses and tumor suppressors. Read more about Stephen J. Elledge.
Joel Coats credits a University of Illinois lab for paving the way to becoming an authority on insect toxicology and the impact of pesticides on the environment. Coats did critical work on synthetic replacements for DDT and the fate of pesticides in the environment. He even found novel ways to use natural compounds to repel insects. Read more about Joel Coats.
LAS Alumni Humanitarian Award Winner
Kenneth M. Slaw’s world turned upside-down when his son was diagnosed with a disorder that afflicts only about 300 people in the world. But Slaw and his wife took action, creating a foundation that funded groundbreaking research and found treatment solutions for families such as theirs. He also became active with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Read more about Kenneth M. Slaw.
LAS Quadrangle Award Winners
Paul W. Boltz is “fiercely loyal to the University of Illinois” for getting him off to a great start in his career, which included a position with the Federal Reserve Board. He went on to become a top economist in the private sector and established a fellowship fund for Illinois graduate students in economics. He is also a member of the U of I Foundation’s President’s Club.
The late Richard L. Wasson spent much of his career working on flavors for Monsanto, but he also added flavor to LAS, serving on the LAS Alumni Association Board of Directors and bringing spirit and life to many college events. A former member of the Marching Illini, he returned every year to play in the alumni marching band.
