Nominations are due Jan. 19 for the fourth annual James M. Holobaugh Honors.
Campus Life and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Advisory Board will be hosting the Holobaugh Honors Ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall.
The keynote address will be delivered by Adrienne Davis, JD, vice provost and the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law, director of the Black Sexual Economies Project for the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital and founder and coordinator of the Law & Culture Initiative. Davis is renowned for her scholarship and teaching on gender and race relations; theories of justice and reparations; feminist and critical race theory; and law and popular culture.
Holobaugh was a WUSTL student and cadet in the campus Reserve Officer Training Corps program. In 1989, after coming out as gay to his squad commander, Holobaugh was removed from the program and ordered to repay the U.S. Army for his scholarship.
Eventually succumbing to pressure from campus groups and LGBT rights organizations across the country — in addition to an impassioned response from WUSTL administrators — the Army reversed its decision. Holobaugh went on to travel across the country, engaging diverse groups in dialogue on issues of service and citizenship.
The Holobaugh Honors recognize individuals who: live and lead with integrity; engage diverse communities on issues relevant to the LGBT equality; perform direct advocacy and service to the St. Louis metro community; and incorporate education and dialogue as part of their practice.
Any member of the Washington University or St. Louis communities, past or current, is eligible to receive the award. This includes undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, retirees, friends of the University and community members. Self-nominations are also permitted.
Nomination forms are online at https://getinvolved.wustl.edu/LGBT/programs_and_events/Pages/Holobaugh-Nomination-Form.aspx.
For more information, contact Saida Bonifield at lgbt@wustl.edu.