The Yale Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Association of Yale Alumni AYA for outstanding service to the University, was presented by President Richard C. Levin to five distinguished individuals on April 26.
The medals were bestowed during the annual spring assembly dinner of the AYA, held at the University Commons and attended by several hundred men and women representing Yale graduates from all over the United States. The medalists' citations were read by AYA chair John C. Kane '67. The theme of this year's assembly, the AYA's 48th, was "Admissions: Selection for Leadership."
The 1996 Yale Medalists are:
Charles S. Arms '37, of Marion, Massachusetts and Key Largo, Florida, who is special gifts chair for his class's 60th reunion and served in that role for the Class of 1937's 55th reunion. A founding member of the Yale Planned Giving Council, he has also been a class agent for more than three decades. He worked for 33 years at Pickands, Mather & Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, and has been a director of Hinton Mines, Inc. and Midway Ore Company. He also has served as a trustee of the William L. Phelps Foundation and as a volunteer at Tabor Academy. His citation reads, in part: "Since your graduation with the Class of 1937, you have built an outstanding record of accomplishment in the world, while never forgetting to attend to the needs of Yale throughout the country. As a Class Agent for over thirty years and Chairman of your Class' Reunion Gift Committee for the last several reunions, you helped guide others to the new financial vehicles that will permit support of Yale at levels that even the most generous among us would not have dared imagine. Following your own prescriptions, you set up significant charitable unitrusts, pledged to the long-term support of Yale. Countless numbers of Yale men and women have been guided by your example and encouraged by your words to maintain their steadfast devotion to the basic values of this place."
Dr. William L. Kissick '53, '57 M.D., '59 EPH, '61 Ph.D., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a former alumni fellow on the Yale Corporation and was chair of the Yale Alumni Fund 1988-90. He has also been a member of the executive committee for the EPA Campaign. A professor of public health and preventive medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's UPenn School of Medicine, professor of health policy and management at UPenn's School of Nursing, and professor of health care systems at the Wharton School, Dr. Kissick has been a national adviser on health-related issues. He is the author of "Medicine's Dilemmas: Infinite Needs Versus Finite Resources." His citation reads, in part: "As you built a brilliant career in education in far-off Philadelphia, you never forgot your commitments in New Haven. Throughout the eighties, you chaired the University Council Committee on Medical Affairs, insuring a bright future for the Schools of Public Health, Medicine and Nursing. Active in fundraising with your class and schools, you rose through the ranks of the Alumni Fund to become its chair in 1988. The smooth transition of the Fund into the current capital campaign owes much to your careful stewardship. Throughout the years you have graciously guided successive deans of the School of Medicine, serving on the Executive Committee, as President of the Alumni Association and Chair of the Planning Committee. Following distinguished service on the Corporation, you provided active support to the Campaign effort throughout the country."
William K. Lanman Jr. '28S, of Tequesta, Florida, is an alumnus whose family ties to Yale date back to the 18th century. He has made significant contributions to The Yale Campaign, including a 1993 gift to renovate Wright Hall, which was renamed Lanman- Wright Hall in his honor. Since retiring from his 25-year career as a naval aviator in 1955, Mr. Lanman has been involved in real estate and investment management. He also is an accomplished golfer who was a member of the 1986 U.S. Senior Golf Team, which was the international champion that year. His citation reads, in part: "All those who pass through the Old Campus are aware of the generous gift that transformed an anchor building on that historic quadrangle into Lanman-Wright Hall, a now-welcoming residence for hundreds, indeed thousands, of freshmen to come. Ensuring that the Admissions Office will continue to be able to attract the best and brightest, you provided the support that allowed the relocation and renovation of this office to Hillhouse Avenue, while also renovating several facilities in that historic neighborhood. More recently, you ensured the vibrant quality of life within the Yale community by providing support for the renovation and expansion of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium; completing a triple play in A's, you moved from athletics and admissions to art, by delivering to the Yale Art Gallery a gift of a significant painting by John Trumbull."
Robert A. Lawrence '47, of Dedham, Massachusetts, is a member of the National Executive Committee and chair of Northern New England for the Yale Campaign. He also serves as chair of the University Council's Library Committee and is a past member of the Yale Development Board. He is gift chair for his class' 50th reunion. A partner and adviser in the Saltonstall Company, Mr. Lawrence also serves as a director of McCauw Cellular, The New York Times and The Boston Globe. His citation reads, in part: "In each of our communities, from time to time one person emerges to epitomize all that Yale stands for; no one from the lands around the Charles River better represents our values than do you. Your contributions and support of the University span five decades; early contributions to club and class provided the leadership that was necessary to build a strong foundation for our modern University. But, it is your dedication to the heart of the University, her library, that will stand for generations as your most important contribution to Yale's future. As Chair of the University Council Committee on the Library, you presented not one, but two separate reports of extraordinary long- term value. The first pressing for renovation of Sterling Library as the only effective means of dealing with the massive requirement to preserve Yale's invaluable collections and the second solving an urgent need to store large quantities of library material inexpensively, while providing for the retrospective conversion of the pre-1977 catalogue."
Edward M. Noyes II '40, of New Haven, Connecticut, is a descendent of James Noyes, one of Yale's founders. His ties to the University as an alumnus have included serving as president of the Yale Club of New Haven in the late 1980s and as director of University Career Services 1976-83 he was also a volunteer counselor for the office . He was chair of his class' 40th reunion and a committee member for the Class of 1940's 50th reunion, is a former member of the Alumni Board and is a member of the AYA's board of governors. A longtime member of the Alumni Schools Committee, he is former chair of the Yale Club of Cincinnati's Committee on Enrollment and Scholarships. Mr. Noyes retired as personnel director of The Proctor and Gamble Company in Cincinnati in 1975. His citation reads, in part: "Your extraordinary contributions to the vitality of the Yale family stretch from New Haven to Cincinnati and back again. While in Ohio, you formed the center of Yale activity in that quintessential Yale town. Serving first on the Club's Executive Committee and later as its president, you reserved your true passion for activity on the Alumni Schools Committee ASC , serving on this group for over 25 years. ... Your contributions in Cincinnati were so distinguished that you were awarded an honorary life membership in that Club, as you returned to New Haven to establish a new Career Advisory and Placement Service for Yale. While working for Yale in the late '70s, you continued to serve her as an active volunteer; upon your second retirement, Yale welcomed your renewed full-time volunteer commitment. An outstanding Associate Fellow of Trumbull College, you helped build an exceptional student environment in the College as the Executive Fellow and positively affected the lives of new students as a freshman advisor. ... Y our presence is felt in all Yale's venues, from your season seat in Ingalls Rink to performances in Sprague. The fabric of this University has been enriched by what you have done in her service."