Alumni earn KU’s highest honor

Four KU alumni will be honored with Distinguished Service Citations during this year’s commencement events.

The citations, which are bestowed on those who have become leaders in their professions and communities, are the highest honor given by the university and the Kansas Alumni Association. Since 1941 the awards have been presented to men and women whose lives and careers have benefited humanity and inspired others. The citation winners will be honored during the All-University Supper at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 21, in the Kansas Union ballroom. Guests include distinguished alumni, administrators, this year’s Chancellor Student Awards recipients and past service citation winners.

Norton J. Greenberger, M.D.

Honored seven times by KU for his teaching, Norton Greenberger is a prized mentor to physicians nationwide. In 2001, his 30-year career at the KU School of Medicine culminated in concurrent honors: the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American College of Physicians. In 2002, he retired from KU as professor and senior associate dean of the medical school, but he continues to teach at Harvard Medical School and consult in gastroenterology. Today’s celebration of Greenberger’s service to humanity is most fitting because for many years he led the annual walk down the Hill as a university marshal.

Robert A. Long
Business ‘57

When a task calls for insightful and impartial leadership, Kansas Citians turn to Bob Long, chairman of Dunn Industries. Through four decades, numerous civic groups have benefited from his loyalty and keen judgment. For his enduring service, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce named him Kansas Citian of the Year, and he has received honors from the Boy Scouts, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Salvation Army. For his devotion to KU, he has received the Fred Ellsworth Medallion and an honorary alumnus award from the School of Nursing. He continues to guide Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Kansas City Crime Commission, the Civic Council, Midwest Research Institute and the McGee Foundation.

Jean F. Shepherd,
Education ‘68, Law ‘77

As an English teacher in an urban high school, Jean Shepherd witnessed the struggles of teenagers from troubled families. She realized these children needed advocates outside the classroom and the home, so she returned to KU for her law degree and embarked on a career dedicated to protecting the children of Kansas. As a Douglas County district judge, she has presided over the cases of juvenile offenders and children in foster care. She has created new programs to benefit children, including the Foster Care Review Board and the Court-Appointed Special Advocates program in Douglas County, Project Phoenix for gang intervention and prevention, and the Challenge Award for foster-care children graduating from high schools in Lawrence.

Fred N. Six
Liberal arts and sciences ‘51, Law ‘56

Although he chose law as his career, Fred Six followed his abiding spirit of inquiry down numerous paths, always with the goal to serve others. For his alma mater and the Lawrence area, he has helped lead groups dedicated to preserving and promoting local history, the arts, social welfare, mental health care and education. As a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from 1988 to 2003, he won the trust and admiration of his colleagues and the people of Kansas. Honored twice by the Kansas Bar Association for his achievements, Six also has been named a distinguished alumnus of the KU School of Law and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.