Longtime Washington University in St. Louis benefactors Stephen F. and Camilla T. Brauer were presented with the Search Award at the university’s 48th annual William Greenleaf Eliot Society dinner April 22 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis hotel.
The Search Award is presented annually to an outstanding member of the university community by the William Greenleaf Eliot Society, whose members provide the largest source of unrestricted support to the institution.
“We are exceptionally grateful to Steve and Kimmy Brauer for their many invaluable contributions to Washington University,” said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “Through their friendship, leadership and generosity, they have left a lasting mark on the university and the St. Louis community. I am delighted to share in celebrating this wonderful, highly deserved honor.”
Stephen Brauer, the former U.S. ambassador to Belgium, is chairman of Hunter Engineering Co., a leading manufacturer of computer-based, automotive service equipment for the global market, headquartered in St. Louis. He joined Hunter Engineering in 1971 and was named president of the company in 1981. He took a leave of absence from 2001-03 to serve as ambassador.
His long association with Washington University began in 1987, when he joined the national council for the School of Engineering & Applied Science, which he has chaired since 2004. He was elected to the university’s Board of Trustees in 1991 and served as its chair from 2009-2014. He was named a life trustee in 2008.
Camilla Brauer is a leading figure in local cultural and civic organizations and has been recognized nationally for her volunteer work as a fundraiser. A member of The Danforth Circle Committee of the Eliot Society, she is a life member of the St. Louis Variety Club board of directors, and a member of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Missouri Historical Society boards of directors.
She holds honorary appointments for the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Sheldon Arts Foundation and was named the Outstanding Fund Raising Volunteer by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 1996.
Among the Brauers’ many significant contributions to the university, they have been major supporters of implementing the long-range strategic plan of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, including a naming gift for Stephen F. and Camilla T. Brauer Hall, which was dedicated in 2010. They have provided significant scholarship support for students in engineering and in the Olin Business School, endowed the Stephen F. and Camilla T. Brauer Distinguished Professorship in Biomedical Engineering and have contributed generously to support university initiatives, including facility expansions such as the laboratory addition in Jolley Hall.
In recognition of their generous support, the School of Engineering & Applied Science honored the Brauers with the Dean’s Award in 2009. They also were the 2013 recipients of the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award for their exemplary dedication to advancing the educational, cultural and civic institutions in the region.
In addition to the award presentation, the keynote address was delivered by Eric Greitens, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and founder of The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit organization that challenges veterans to serve in communities across the country.
Greitens was named in 2013 to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and was recognized last year by Fortune magazine as one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders. A Missouri native, he graduated from Duke University, where he was named a Rhodes scholar, and went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University. He was deployed as a Navy SEAL officer to Afghanistan, southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa and Iraq, and was recognized as Navy Reserve Junior Line Officer of the Year in 2011. President George W. Bush appointed him as a White House Fellow in 2005.
The William Greenleaf Eliot Society was founded in 1959 to help support student assistance programs, sponsored scholarships, faculty development and recruitment, educational resources and facility improvements.