Meet The 2005 Recipients
John H. Biggs, PhD ’83
Classics and economics are the intellectual and professional focus of Dr. Biggs' life. He read Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by junior high school; thrived on Greek, Latin, and mathematics at the Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis; and majored in classics at Harvard University. He still reads Greek from time to time and encourages knowledge and appreciation of the ancient cultures.
John P. Dubinsky, AB ’65, MBA ’67
Mr. Dubinsky is a leading St. Louis banker and trustee of Washington University. He is president and chief executive officer of Westmoreland Associates, L.L.C., and chairman and chief executive officer of the large nonprofit CORTEX (Center of Research Technology and Entrepreneurial Expertise). He is a member of a number of boards including the Washington University Board of Trustees, the National Council of the Washington University School of Medicine and the Center for Emerging Technologies.
Holding five degrees between them, Mr. Dubinsky and his wife, Yvette Drury Dubinsky, AB '64, MA '66, MFA '90, are among the University's strongest academic supporters.
Flint W. Fowler, AB ’80, MA ’81
After earning his degrees in psychology from Washington University, Dr. Fowler received his doctorate in education from Saint Louis University. In 1996 Dr. Fowler became executive director of the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, which serves 2,600 children, primarily from low-income, single-parent homes. Previously he served as managing director for INROADS/St. Louis, Inc; founding Executive Director of Operation Teamwork and St. Louis University’s Upward Bound Program.
Dr. Fowler serves numerous community groups, ranging from the Saint Louis Symphony Community Partnership Program to the City of St. Louis Mental Health Board of Trustees. His leadership at Washington University includes 19 years on the Black Alumni Council, his service since 2001 as co-chair of the Neighbors Council, and his work on the Steering Committee of The Tie That Binds scholarship initiative. He is married to June McAllister Fowler, MA '80.
Henrietta W. Freedman, AB ’75
Mrs. Freedman is extensively involved in her community. She served as the first woman president of the Jewish Community Relations Council. Mrs. Freedman was vice president of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, led its Women's Division, helped found its Center for Holocaust Studies, and now serves on its Council of Life. One of the first women members of St. Louis' Interreligious Dialogue Group, she was also vice president of Shaare Emeth Congregation and president of the congregation's Women's Group.
A tireless and pioneering leader at Washington University, 10 years ago Mrs. Freedman helped start the Lifelong Learning Institute, a cooperative learning program that today draws about 500 students aged 55 and older each semester. She is also a founder of the Arts & Sciences Scholarship Program. A former member of the Board of Trustees, Mrs. Freedman continues to serve the University on the Arts & Sciences National Council and the Center for Aging Advisory Board. She is married to Rudolph Freedman, BS '40, MS '52 and have three children.
Diane D. Jacobsen, MLA ’95, MA ’00, PhD ’03
After earning a mathematics degree from Queens College, City University of New York, in 1965, Dr. Jacobsen joined IBM. Twenty-two years later she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, becoming first a health care executive and then president and chief executive officer of Dependable Insurance Group.
Dr. Jacobsen became a part of the Washington University community when her husband, the late Thomas H. Jacobsen, was appointed chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the former Mercantile Bank in St. Louis in 1989. She earned two master's degrees and a doctorate in international affairs and became convinced that students "cannot possibly succeed on major platforms today without a solid understanding of global issues." As a result, she was the driving force in creating the undergraduate International Leadership Program in Arts & Sciences.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee of the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the 2003 recipient of the Allison Atlas Award recognizing her extraordinary efforts on behalf of the National Marrow Donor Program, Dr. Jacobsen also lends her experience, expertise, and commitment to the Arts & Sciences National Council.
William B. Pollard, III, AB ’70
A Manhattan attorney and partner in the commercial litigation boutique firm of Kornstein Veisz Wexler & Pollar, Mr. Pollard is on the legal frontlines of commercial disputes and white-collar crime cases. He earned his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees at Columbia University, but credits former Washington University economics professor Marshall Hall with helping him to sharpen his ability to think through issues clearly and to shape his professional thinking.