Alumni Recognition

The Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Service Award is awarded to an alumnus, alumna or group in recognition and appreciation of consistent and substantial service to the school.

2019 - Chali Sophonpanich ’79

2019 - Sunpitt Sethpornpong ’84

2019 - Pirapol Sethbhakdi '85

2019 - Isareit Chirathivat ’96

2018 - Lee Sylvester P'87

2017 - Bob Gaines '56

2016 - Erin Brennan Allan ’93

2015 - Anne Marshall Henry ’62

2015 - John G. Russell ’46

2014 - Cornelia “Connie” Terry Ferguson ’69

2014 - William “Ted” Little ’49

2013 - Alice Chaffee Freeman ’63

2013 - Jeffrey “Woody” Laikind ’53

2012 - Stephen E. Gilhuley ’62

2011 - Thomas Wachtell ’46

2010 - Ronna Chao Heffner '85, Silas Chou P'93 '96 '02 and their respective families

2009 - Putney Westerfield '47

In 2010 the Choate Seal Prize and Rosemary Hall Alumnae Award were combined to create the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Award (given annually to a man and a woman).

2019 - G. Lorenzo di Bonaventura ’76

2018 - Geoffrey Fletcher '88

2017 - Kristen Clarke '93

2016 - Laurie Patton ’79 — As President of Middlebury College, she is the first Choate Rosemary Hall graduate to head a college or university. Laurie previously served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Duke University. She is a distinguished religion scholar and translator of classic Indian Sanskrit texts.

2016 - D. Dodge Thompson ’66 — Dodge has held the esteemed post of Chief of Exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Bizot Group, an association of the directors of the world's 60 largest fine arts museums. Dodge has been honored by the Republic of France with the Chevalier of Arts and Letters and by the Republic of Italy with the Order of Merit.

2015 - Margaret “Peggy” Brim Bewkes '69 — honored for her significant contributions in writing, directing, and producing television and film, which include an Emmy Award and Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Television Documentary, as well as her longstanding and noteworthy commitment to various philanthropic endeavors.

2015 - Peter C. Goldmark, Jr. '58 — as former New York State budget director, Peter was credited with rescuing both the state and New York City from the brink of financial collapse in the mid-1970s. On his watch as chair of the Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees, Peter witnessed the newly merged Choate Rosemary Hall and the first co-ed graduation in 1978. He has also made significant contributions in the non-profit world as former director of the Environmental Defense Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.

2014 - Amy Lehman ’91 — an outstanding force for humanitarian efforts in the Lake Tanganyika region. A medical doctor, her altruism and dedication in founding the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic and her significant role in educating the world about this region’s people and needs are nothing short of inspiring.

2014 - L. Geoffrey Cowan ’60 — the president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands and a professor at the University of Southern California, where he holds the Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership and directs the Annenberg School's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he has had, and continues to have, an enormous influence in the fields of law and public policy, broadcasting and journalism, and the humanities and higher education.

2013 - Paul Giamatti ’85, Actor — honored for his accomplishments in theater, television, and film. He was recognized for his acclaimed work in John Adams, Sideways, American Splendor, Cinderella Man, The Illusionist, and Win-Win as well as his roles in independent movies and television shows.

2013 - Paula Loyd ’90,* Humanitarian — honored posthumously for her outstanding achievement and sacrifice in the cause of public service. Her remarkable life was one distinguished by extraordinary courage and dedication to her country, the Afghan people, and strangers – anyone needing help.

2012 - Daniel J. Carucci, M.D., Ph.D. '76, Surgeon, President for Global Health for the UN Foundation — received his medical degree from UVA and practiced medicine with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. At the Naval Medical Research Center, he established the Malaria Genomics and Applied Genomics Laboratory. After retiring, he joined the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health as Director, Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative. He also joined the United Nations Foundation in October 2008 as Vice President for Global Health.

2012 - Victoria J. Nuland '79, U.S. State Department Spokesperson — Previously, Victoria served as a visiting fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and as a career senior Foreign Service officer. Her other prior work includes service as the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO, and Deputy Director for Soviet Union Affairs.

2011 - Tony James ’69, Wall Street investment banker — is president and COO of The Blackstone Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. Prior to joining Blackstone, Tony was Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Private Equity at Credit Suisse First Boston and Chairman of Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette’s Banking Group. Tony is a former member of the Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees and serves on a number of corporate boards.

2011 - Terry O’Neill ’70, Attorney, professor and activist — was elected president of the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 2009. She also serves as president of the NOW Foundation and as Chair of the NOW Political Action Committees. Prior to NOW, Terry was a law professor at Tulane University and the University of California at Davis. She also worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and the campaign for Louisiana's first female senator, Mary Landrieu.

2010 - Caterina Fake '86, Entrepreneur and businesswoman — was one of the early investors in Kickstarter and is a cofounder of Flickr. She is the Founder and CEO at Findery, a Founder Partner at Founder Collective, the Chairman of the Board at Etsy, and on the Board of Directors at Creative Commons.

2010 - S. Davis Phillips '61, Ambassador — served as the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia from 2007-2009. A businessman, civic leader, and former senior state official in North Carolina, Dave served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phillips Industries, Inc. and as a partner in Market Square Partnership. For more than 30 years he promoted American business by financing accounts receivables, by building showrooms for the International Furniture Market, and by manufacturing textiles. In his home state of North Carolina, Dave served in key state government positions at the request of both Republican and Democratic governors, including the positions of State Secretary of Commerce, Chairman of the State Economic Development Board, and Member of the Board of the State Department of Transportation.

*deceased