Anderson Cooper to deliver Founders Day keynote

CNN journalist Anderson Cooper will be the keynote speaker at Founders Day, to be held Oct. 28 at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel.

Cooper is the anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°,” which airs weeknights on the cable network nationally and is simulcast to a global audience on CNN International. He also is a regular correspondent on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Among his many major journalism awards, Cooper helped to lead CNN’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina and contributed to DuPont Award-winning coverage of the 2004 tsunami in southeastern Asia. Along with ABC journalist Martha Raddatz, Cooper served as moderator for the presidential debate held at Washington University in St. Louis on Oct. 9, 2016.

Established in 1953 to celebrate the founding of Washington University 100 years earlier, Founders Day also is a time for the university to recognize its distinguished alumni, faculty and supporters.

Distinguished Faculty Awards

The Distinguished Faculty Awards recognize outstanding commitment to the intellectual and personal development of students. This year’s recipients are:

Carolyn Baum (PhD ’93), the Elias Michael Director and Professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology and Social Work;

Ron K. Cytron, professor and associate chair of computer science and engineering;

Henry L. Roediger III, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and professor of psychological and brain sciences; and

Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD, the Sam J. Levin and Audrey Loew Levin Professor of Arthritis Research and professor of medicine and of pathology and immunology.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize outstanding professional achievement, public service, exceptional service to Washington University, or all three. This year’s recipients are:

Hal V. Barron, MD (BS ’85), president of research and development, Calico;

Soo K. Chan (AB ’84), founding principal and design director, SCDA Architects;

Gaurav Garg (BS ’88, BS ’88, MS ’90), founding partner, Wing Venture Capital;

Lynn E. Gorguze (MBA ’86), chair and chief executive officer, Cameron Holdings Corp.;

Michael R. Holmes (AB ’79), chairman and founder, Rx Outreach; and

Chrissy Taylor (MBA ’10), executive vice president and chief operating officer, Enterprise Holdings.

Robert S. Brookings Awards

Presented by the Board of Trustees, the Robert S. Brookings Award honors individuals for their extraordinary dedication and generosity to Washington University. This year’s honorees are:

James McKelvey Jr. (AB ’87, BS ’87); and

Michael and Noémi Neidorff.

More information about Founders Day is available on the Alumni & Development website.