Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are the highest honor bestowed by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Since 1936, WAA has been presenting the awards to the most prestigious graduates of UW-Madison for their professional achievements, contributions to society and support of the university. All are invited to celebrate as we honor the 2010 recipients of this award.

Thursday, April 22, 2010
Awards Ceremony — 5:00 p.m.
Wisconsin Union Theater, Memorial Union
Featuring a cappella musical tribute by Redefined. Free and open to the public.

Reception and Dinner to Follow
Great Hall, Memorial Union
With a sustainable and locally sourced menu.
$65 per person.

Check back soon for online registration for this and other Alumni Weekend events.

Bring your business or organization to celebrate! Sponsorship package for $600 includes eight dinner tickets, recognition in program communications, and an offer for discounted accommodations at the Edgewater Hotel. Contact WAA's Rebecca Fichtner at (608) 262-9647 to reserve your table.

2010 Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees

  • Robert Barnett ’68 and Rita Braver ’70: Barnett is a leading attorney who represents authors, television news anchors and producers, and government officials, and has worked on eight presidential campaigns. Braver is an award-winning senior correspondent for CBS News, where she reports on topics ranging from arts and entertainment to politics and foreign policy for Sunday Morning.
  • Haynes Johnson MS’56 and Kathryn Oberly ’71, JD’73: Johnson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, one of America’s leading voices on current politics, and the author of more than a dozen books of political analysis and modern history. Oberly is an associate judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; her first official act was to swear in Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.
  • Arnold Weiss ’51, LLB’53: A German-Jewish immigrant and decorated World War II U.S. intelligence officer, Weiss discovered Adolf Hitler’s last will, now in the National Archives. Having witnessed the war’s destruction, Weiss dedicated his career as an investment-bank attorney to building, and his efforts brought social and economic progress to many developing nations.