The Thomas Jefferson Foundation — which maintains and operates Monticello — has together with the University selected the recipients of this year’s Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals. The medals are presented to three individuals, each of whom has made exceptional contributions in the fields of architecture, law or citizen leadership.
Leslie Greene Bowman, president and CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and University President Teresa Sullivan will present the awards as part of Founder’s Day, celebrated annually Apr. 13 in honor of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. Each of the recipients will then give a public speech and be honored at a dinner hosted at Monticello.
Ann Taylor, executive vice president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, said these prestigious honors are awarded to individuals who display the best of their respective domains.
“These are the highest external honors that the University confers,” Taylor said. “These are people who are at the top of their field.”
The medal recognizing architectural achievement was given this year to Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger, founder of firm Architectuurstudio HH, who is responsible for designing a number of well-known buildings both in the Netherlands and other countries. Herman has been active in the field for over 50 years.
Joan E. Donoghue, who is serving as the current American representative to the United Nations International Court of Justice, was selected to receive the medal honoring legal strides. Prior to serving on the U.N. International Court of Justice, Donoghue worked for the U.S. Department of State, as a general counsel for Freddie Mac and as deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She has taught at a handful of U.S. law schools and has received the Secretary of State Distinguished Honor Award and the Presidential Rank Award for her service at the State Department.
U.S. Representative John Lewis, D-Georgia, was awarded a medal for outstanding citizenship. Lewis was one of the foremost leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Lewis, and the 600 protesters he helped lead on the non-violent march, never made it out of Selma, as Alabama state troopers attacked and — in some instances killed — the protesters in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the incident.
“Representative Lewis is one of the major surviving figures in the civil rights movement,” Taylor said. “I think there will be a lot of interest in his public talk…because of the proximity to [Bloody Sunday’s] important anniversary.”
The recipients join a small and distinguished group of Foundation Medal recipients, including architects Philip Johnson, Frank Gehry and Vincent Scully, several former and current U.S. Supreme Court Justices and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.
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