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Heroes among us

Dana Hudkins Crawford, c’53, Denver
Wes Jackson, g’60, Salina
Christine Knudsen, c’91, Geneva, Switzerland
James E. and Virginia G. Stowers, Kansas City, Mo.

Since 1941, the University and the Alumni Association have bestowed the Distinguished Service Citation upon alumni and University friends who have displayed the courage to change the world around them. This year’s recipients carry on the tradition, boldly leading others in their quests to benefit humanity. The 2007 DSC winners are: Dana Hudkins Crawford, c’53, Denver; Wes Jackson, g’60, Salina; Christine Knudsen, c’91, Geneva, Switzerland; and James E. and Virginia G. Stowers, Kansas City, Mo.

Nominees for the award, the highest honor given by the University and the Alumni Association, are reviewed by representatives from the Chancellor’s office and the Alumni and Endowment associations. The winners will receive their awards at the All-University Supper May 18.

 

Dana Hudkins Crawford, c’53, Denver
In the 1960s, Denver's downtown area was slowly deteriorating. Crawford did not stand idly by. Long before the words "urban renewal" and "downtown revitalization" were common at city council meetings nationwide, she pioneered the concepts, starting with a few friends and a few buildings in historic Larimer Square.

Armed with only an idea and sheer determination, she sold others on her vision, succeeding where many said she would fail. From abandoned buildings and neglected streets grew a revived district that harks back to its proud past while providing today's citizens a vibrant place in which to live, work and play. LoDo, as the area is affectionately known, serves as a model for communities nationwide, inspiring cities to preserve their historic sites.

For her efforts, Crawford has received the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Award and the Louise DuPont Crowninshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She also has been inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame, and Colorado Preservation created an award in her honor. She has volunteered on numerous boards, including the Colorado Historical Society, the State Historical Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to her KU degree, Crawford completed a Harvard-Radcliffe business management program.

 

Wes Jackson, g’60, Salina
In 1976, Jackson founded The Land Institute in Salina. Using native prairie as a guide, he sought to mimic its two primary features, perennials and mixtures. Geneticists at The Land Institute are now at work to turn such major crops as wheat, sorghum, sunflowers, corn—all annual species—into perennials to be planted in mixtures. The goal is to reduce soil erosion, fossil fuel dependency and chemical contamination of our land and water.  

In addition to The Land Institute, he also established the Sunshine Farm, an experiment to explore the practicality of conservation that is designed to see whether a working farm can produce all of its own energy. And each year, his Prairie Festival shares his concepts and the voices of nationally renowned environmentalists with the public.

Life magazine described Jackson as one of "the most important Americans of the 20th Century," and Smithsonian magazine listed him among the "35 Who Made a Difference." In 2000, Jackson was the International "Right Livelihood Laureate" courtesy of the Swedish Parliament, the award is also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." In 1992, he received the MacArthur Fellowship, often called the "genius grant," from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  

Jackson has written extensively. His books include Becoming Native to this Place, Altars of Unhewn Stone, and New Roots for Agriculture. His work also appears in several scientific journals such as Science and Nature. Along with his KU degree, he holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kansas Wesleyan University and a doctorate from North Carolina State University.

 

Christine Knudsen, c’91, Geneva, Switzerland
Knudsen invests in the world's future by caring for the youngest among us. For 12 years, she has led efforts to speed the recovery of children in regions where war, disease and disaster have wreaked havoc. Her work with Save the Children and the United Nations has taken her across the globe to lead response teams. In 2003, Knudsen found herself on the front lines, among the first 20 international staff allowed to enter Southern Iraq. In 2005, she again raced to aid the suffering. Living in the same squalid conditions as the tsunami victims she helped, Knudsen immediately established a strategy for reuniting families and ensuring that children were paired with their true relatives.

She has not only worked in the field, but also within bureaucratic channels to coordinate programs, develop manuals and establish protocols to help improve the future safety of the most vulnerable children.

While chair of the InterAction Working Group on Protection, she gathered more than 180 U.S.-based non-governmental organizations. As the key spokesperson for Save the Children, she testified in front of Congress and represented the organization on television shows on NBC, CNN, PBS and BBC. She has continued to advocate for children's rights in the Cornell International Law Journal, Scientific American and The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and received a master's of international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a degree in modern literature from the Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) in addition to her KU degree.

 

James E. and Virginia G. Stowers, Kansas City, Mo.
James and Virginia Stowers also help the world's vulnerable citizens. Both cancer survivors, they know first-hand the anguish of patients and their families. In 1994, they founded the Stowers Institute for Medical Research to find a cure for cancer and a variety of debilitating illnesses. Today, the institute attracts the finest minds to study genes and their interaction in living cells.

The University is a vital partner in the Stowers' crusade. Many of the organization's scientists, doctors and researchers also have joined the KU faculty, assisting in KU's effort to obtain National Cancer Center designation and the Kansas City area's drive to become a hub for life sciences research and treatment.

Both have received numerous honors for their work to meet medicine's most daunting challenges. James, founder of American Century Investments, received honorary degrees from Rockhurst University, University of Missouri School of Medicine, University of Saint Mary and Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated from the University of Missouri with bachelor's degrees in chemistry and medicine.

Virginia, a former nurse, holds honorary degrees from the University of Missouri, University of Saint Mary, the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Rockhurst University as well as the Research College of Nursing. She earned her certificate of nursing from the Research Hospital School of Nursing.

In addition, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Touched by Cancer Foundation have recognized the couple for their leadership.



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