May 2002
On a Roll
GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Elected to
Nation’s Preeminent Learned Society — The American Academy
Of Arts & Sciences; Named Father of the Year
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences named
President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg among a class of 177 new fellows
and 30 foreign honorary members — including Sen. Edward Kennedy,
violinist Itzhak Perlman, Academy Award winner Angelica Huston, three
Nobel Prize winners, six Pulitzer Prize winners, three MacArthur Fellows,
six Guggenheim Fellows, and four college presidents — to be inducted
into the nation’s preeminent learned society.
Trachtenberg was elected to the Academy as a result of “his unique
roles in the development of GW as a major national research University,
and in integrating the urban campus into the fabric of the community
and the local government.”
New fellows and foreign honorary members are nominated and elected by
current members of the Academy. Membership is divided into five distinct
classes: I) mathematics and physics; II) biological sciences; III) social
sciences; IV) humanities and arts; and V) public affairs and business.
Trachtenberg will be a fellow in class V. The Academy will welcome this
year’s class at its annual induction ceremony on Oct. 5 in Cambridge,
MA.
“The Academy is pleased to welcome these outstanding and influential
individuals to the nation’s most illustrious and learned society,”
says Academy President Patricia Meyer Spacks. “Election to the
American Academy is the result of a highly competitive process that
recognizes those who have made preeminent contributions to all scholarly
fields and professions.”
“I am honored to be elected a Fellow of The American Academy of
Arts & Sciences, an organization which once included in its membership
George Washington himself,” says Trachtenberg. “The citation
is a celebration of The George Washington University, its faculty, staff,
and students for whom I am a surrogate. Artists and scholars sometimes
work alone. University administrators are partners with countless constituents
in whatever they may achieve.”
The Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock,
and other scholar-patriots “to cultivate every art and science
which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness
of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” The Academy has elected
as fellows and foreign honorary members the finest thinkers and most
influential leaders from each generation, including George Washington
and Ben Franklin in the 18th century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo
Emerson in the 19th, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the
20th. The current membership includes more than 150 Nobel laureates
and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners.
“The American Academy is unique among America’s academies
for its breadth and scope,” says Leslie C. Berlowitz, the Academy’s
executive officer. “Throughout its history, the Academy has gathered
individuals with diverse perspectives to participate in studies and
projects focusing on advancing intellectual thought and constructive
action in American Society.”
Other Honors
The Father’s Day Council is honoring President Trachtenberg with
a 2002 Father of the Year Award. Trachtenberg will join four other 2002
recipients June 6 for the awards presentation: Terry McAuliffe, chair
of the Democratic National Committee; Abe Pollin, chair of the Centre
Group and Washington Wizards owner; Stanley Sporkin, retired US District
Judge; and Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University.
Established in 1931 by businessmen, civic leaders, and concerned citizens,
the Father’s Day Council was created with the initial objective
of achieving universal observance of the then little known holiday —
Father’s Day. The organization has moved into philanthropy, specifically
partnering with the American Diabetes Association, among others. Hundreds
of fathers from all walks of life have been honored through the years,
including former President Dwight Eisenhower, Secretary of State Colin
Powell, actor Humphrey Bogart, and singer Frank Sinatra.
This year’s awards dinner will begin at 6:30 pm at the JW Marriott
Hotel. Tickets cost $200, with most of the money going to the American
Diabetes Association.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
