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West Point Association of Graduates United States Military Academy

11 July 2011

MEMORANDUM FOR: Class Leaders, USMA Classes Presidents, West Point Societies

SUBJECT: West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) – 2012 Awards

1. The purpose of this memorandum is to ask for your assistance in two areas of the WPAOG’s affairs. More specifically, we seek to obtain candidates for the 2012 Distinguished Graduate and Thayer Awards. The criteria for the Thayer Award and the Distinguished Graduate Award, along with lists of past recipients, are at enclosures 1 and 2, respectively. In addition to understanding the criteria, please also understand that the WPAOG Board of Directors has approved several recommendations pertaining to both awards.

a. With respect to the Distinguished Graduate Award, the following guidelines apply:

Only societies or classes, not individuals, may nominate candidates for the Distinguished Graduate Award.

Societies and classes may nominate no more than two candidates for the Distinguished Graduate Award in a given year, and if they nominate two candidates, the societies and classes must rank-order their nominees.

b. With respect to the Thayer Award, the following guidelines apply:

Classes, societies, and individual Regular Members of the Association may submit nominations for the Thayer Award.

The number of new annual nominations that classes, societies, and individuals may submit is unlimited.

2. In recent years, the materials that have been placed before both award committees have become so voluminous and disparate that it became extremely difficult for the members to either read it all or make valid comparisons among candidates. Therefore, a nomination for either award must adhere to the following format, or it will be returned to the nominator for revision and resubmission.

698 Mills Road  West Point, NY 10996-1607  845.446.1500  www.westpointaog.org Serving West Point and the Long Gray Line

a. It shall take the form of a letter to the Chairman of either the Thayer Award or Distinguished Graduate Award Committee. After identifying the nominee and the award for which he or she is nominated, the letter shall continue with a narrative of the nominee’s life and accomplishments that makes clear to the reader the way in which these “draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto – Duty, Honor, Country.”

b. The nominating letter shall be no longer than three pages of single-spaced typescript, and in the case of Distinguished Graduate nominations, if the society or class is proposing two candidates for 2012, each nominating letter must specify whether the candidate is the society’s or class’ first choice or second choice.

c. Any endorsements of the nomination that either accompany it or that arrive separately shall be confined to a single page.

3. The deadline for nominations to arrive at the Alumni Center is 4 November 2011. Please address your letters as follows:

Chairman Distinguished Graduate Award Committee or Thayer Award Committee c/o Linda Giacoio West Point Association of Graduates 698 Mills Road West Point, New York 10996

Encls. ROBERT L. McCLURE ’76 as stated Colonel, USA (Retired) President and CEO

THAYER AWARD CRITERIA

The Award is to be given to a citizen of the United States, other than a West Point graduate, whose outstanding character, accomplishments and stature in the civilian community draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto - “Duty, Honor, Country.” The individual selected for the Thayer Award must agree to accept the Award at West Point.

PAST RECIPIENTS

The recipients to date have been: 1958 Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence, noted physicist and inventor of the cyclotron; 1959 The Honorable , Secretary of State; 1960 The Honorable , U.S. Representative to the United Nations; 1961 Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower; 1962 General of the Army Douglas MacArthur; 1963 The Honorable John J. McCloy, Chairman of the President’s Advisory Committee on Disarmament; 1964 The Honorable Robert A. Lovett, Former Secretary of Defense; 1965 Dr. James B. Conant, scientist, educator and statesman; 1966 The Honorable Carl Vinson, former Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and member of the House of Representatives for more than 50 years; 1967 His Eminence Francis Cardinal Spellman, Military Vicar of the Armed Forces for 17 years; 1968 Mr. Bob Hope, entertainer, humanitarian and untiring supporter of the Armed Forces of the United States; 1969 The Honorable Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State; 1970 The Honorable , U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; 1971 Neil Armstrong, engineer, astronaut and lunar pioneer; 1972 Dr. William , educator, author and evangelist; 1973 General of the Army Omar N. Bradley; 1974 The Honorable Robert D. Murphy, advisor, foreign policy strategist and statesman; 1975 Governor W. Averell Harriman, public servant, statesman and leader of industry; 1976 The Honorable Gordon Gray, public servant and educator; 1977 the Honorable Robert T. Stevens, public servant and industrial leader; 1978 Dr. James B. Killian, Jr., distinguished educator and public servant; 1979 The Honorable , distinguished author, public servant and diplomat; 1980 Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh, educator, theologian and author; 1981 Mr. James E. Webb, public servant, lawyer and business leader; 1982 The Honorable David Packard, public servant and leader of industry; 1983 LTG James H. Doolittle, distinguished aeronautics pioneer, public servant and citizen soldier; 1984 The Honorable Stanley R. Resor, distinguished public servant and government leader; 1985 The Honorable Frank Pace, Jr., public servant and industrial leader; 1986 Dr. Edward Teller, distinguished physicist, educator and author; 1987 The Honorable Barry M. Goldwater, distinguished soldier, airman, public servant and author; 1988 The Honorable Warren E. Burger, Federal Jurist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; 1989 Former President Ronald W. Reagan; 1990 The Honorable Michael J. Mansfield, member of Congress, Senate Majority Leader and Ambassador to ; 1991 Mr. Paul H. Nitze, educator, author and distinguished public servant; 1992 The Honorable George P. Shultz, former Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, assistant to the President, author and educator; 1993 The Honorable Cyrus R. Vance, distinguished international and national public servant and former Secretary of State; 1994 Former President George H. W. Bush; 1995 Professor , distinguished public servant, educator and orator; 1996 General John W. Vessey, Jr., Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and POW Return negotiator; 1997 Mr. Walter Cronkite, , national television news anchor and author; 1998 General Colin Powell, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; 1999 Mr. Norman R. Augustine, distinguished author, public servant and leader of industry; 2000 The Honorable , educator, public servant and author; 2001 The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, member of Congress; 2002 “The American Soldier”; 2003 General Gordon R. Sullivan, former Army Chief of Staff, President of the Association of the United States Army; 2004 Senator Robert A. Dole; 2005 The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court Justice; 2006 Mr. Thomas J. Brokaw, journalist; 2007 General Frederick J. Kroesen, Jr., distinguished soldier; 2008 Doctor William J. Perry, public servant; 2009 Mr. , businessman; 2010 The Honorable James A. Baker, public servant; and 2011 The Honorable Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense.

DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD CRITERIA

The DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD is to be given to graduates of the United States Military Academy whose character, distinguished service, and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities that West Point strives for in keeping with its motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” With the purpose of identifying to the public and the Corps of Cadets the broad national significance of West Point as one of America’s cherished institutions, candidates for the Distinguished Graduate Award will be graduates of the United States Military Academy who have demonstrated a strong interest in supporting West Point throughout their lifetime.

The Award will not be given to individuals who occupy, or are candidates for, elective office, or who are still on active duty. The individuals selected for the Distinguished Graduate Award must agree to accept the Award at West Point whenever possible.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2011 GEN(R) William R. Richardson ’51; MG(R) Carl H. McNair, Jr. ’55; Dr. Lewis Sorley ’56; GEN(R) Dennis J. Reimer ’62; COL(R) William S. McArthur, Jr. ’73; 2010 LTG(R) Frederic J. Brown ’56; GEN(R) Barry R. McCaffrey ’64; LTG(R) Daniel W. Christman ’65; HON Thomas E. White, Jr. ’67; AMB Robert M. Kimmitt ’69; 2009 LTG(R) James D. Hughes ’46; GEN(R) Donn A. Starry ’48; LTG(R) Robert F. Foley ’63; HON Eric K. Shinseki ’65; GEN(R) Thomas A. Schwartz ’67;GEN(R) John P. Abizaid ’73; 2008 GEN(R) Wallace H. Nutting ’50; LTG(R) Clarence E. McKnight, Jr. ’52; GEN(R) John A. Shaud ’56; Mr. James V. Kimsey ’62; LTG(R) Dell L. Dailey ’71; 2007 LTG(R) John M. Wright, Jr. ’40; BG(R) Amos A. Jordan, Jr. ’46; COL(R) Joseph G. Clemons, Jr. ’51; MG(R) Joseph P. Franklin ’55; MG(R) Bernard Loeffke ’57; 2006 LTG(R) Richard G. Trefry '50; Mr. Herbert S. Lichtenberg '55; Mr. Arthur E. Dewey '56; MG(R) Nicholas S. Krawciw '59; GEN(R) Wayne A. Downing '62; BG(R) Howard T. Prince, II '62; Mr. Thomas B. Dyer '67; 2005 LTG(R) Frank A. Camm Jan '43; GEN(R) Sam S. Walker '46; GEN(R) John A. Wickham, Jr. '50; MG(R) Neal Creighton '53; LTG(R) Dave R. Palmer '56; Mr. R. James Nicholson '61; Mr. Michael W. Krzyzewski '69; 2004 GEN(R) William A. Knowlton Jan '43; GEN(R) Robert M. Shoemaker '46; COL(R) Ralph Puckett, Jr. '49; COL(R) David R. Hughes '50; Mr. Denis F. Mullane '52; GEN(R) Glenn K. Otis '53; COL(R) John A. Feagin, Jr. '55; 2003 GEN(R) Walter T. (Dutch) Kerwin, Jr. ’39; LTG(R) Harold G. Moore, Jr. ’45; Mr. John A. Hammack ’49; GEN(R) Carl E. Vuono ’57; GEN(R) Edwin H. Burba ’59; 2002 Mr. James R. Dempsey Jan 43; GEN(R) Edward C. Meyer ’51; LTG(R) Walter F. Ulmer, Jr. ’52; GEN(R) Arthur E. Brown, Jr. ’53; BG(R) Peter M. Dawkins ’59; GEN(R) George A. Joulwan ’61; 2001 Mr. Stanley C. Pace Jun 43; GEN(R) George S. Blanchard ’44; COL(R) James L. Hayden ’45; GEN(R) Charles A. Gabriel ’50; LTG(R) Howard D. Graves ’61; 2000 President Fidel V. Ramos ’50; Dr. Buzz Aldrin ’51; GEN(R) Frederick M. Franks, Jr. ’59; 1999 GEN(R) Lew Allen, Jr. ’46; GEN(R) Robert C. Mathis ’48; 1998 MG(R) Adrian St. John, II Jan 43; LTG(R) John W. Morris Jun 43; Mr. Bernard W. Abrams ’47; MG(R) Michael Collins ’52; 1997 COL(R) Russell P. Reeder, Jr.’26; GEN(R) Michael S. Davison ’39; Dr. David M. Abshire ’51; GEN(R) John R. Galvin ’54; 1996 MG(R) Kenneth D. Nichols ’29; GEN(R) William C. Westmoreland ’36; GEN(R) Alexander M. Haig, Jr. ’47; COL(R) Frank Borman ’50; 1995 GEN(R) Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. ’36; GEN(R) Bernard W. Rogers Jun ’43; LTG(R) Brent Scowcroft ’47; 1994 BG(R) Paul W. Thompson ’29; Mr. E. Douglas Kenna, Jr. ’45; GEN(R) H. Norman Schwarzkopf ’56; 1993 LTG(R) Edward L. Rowny ’41; BG(R) Robert F. McDermott Jan 43; GEN(R) Roscoe Robinson, Jr. ’51; 1992 GEN(R) James A. Van Fleet ’15; GEN(R) Matthew B. Ridgway ’17; GEN(R) Andrew J. Goodpaster ’39; Dr. Thoralf M. Sundt, Jr. ’52