The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an honor given annually by the United States Military Academy at West Point to an individual whose character and accomplishments exemplifies the motto of West Point. The award is named after the 'Father of the Military Academy,' Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. The awardee is selected by, and the award is endowed by, a committee formed from the West Point Association of Graduates. It has been awarded annually since 1958 and is the closest recognition West Point has to granting an honorary degree.
Since 1958, the West Point Association of Graduates has presented the SYLVANUS THAYER AWARD to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto: DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.
The recipient of the Sylvanus Thayer Award receives a medal with a bust in profile of Thayer on one side, with the inscription: "The Sylvanus Thayer Medal Awarded by the Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy, for Outstanding Service to the Nation." The reverse side carries the coat of arms of the Military Academy and the words "West Point" and "Duty, Honor, Country". Around the edge of the medal are inscribed the name of the recipient and the year of presentation. In addition to receiving the medal, the recipient's portrait and name are inscribed on a memorial in the Thayer Award Room in Taylor Hall,[1] the headquarters building of West Point.
Criteria
Active-duty and retired American military servicemen or women are eligible for the award, but the majority are civilians who contributed to the US Government, the US Armed Forces, US national security or diplomacy, US civil rights or the enduring support of veterans in a positive way. The recipient must be a US Citizen, must not be a United States Military Academy graduate, and must receive the award in person during a ceremony with the entire Corps of Cadets. Early in its existence, three West Point graduates received the award - Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and Omar Bradley - but graduates are no longer eligible. One United States Naval Academy graduate, Ross Perot, has received the award.
Recipients
The following is the list of the award's recipients:[2]
"The Sylvanus Thayer Award". West Point Association of Graduates.
Audio of speech by 1962 award recipient General Douglas MacArthur
January 15, 2023
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The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an honor given annually by the United States Military Academy at West Point to an individual whose character and accomplishments exemplifies the motto of West Point The award is named after the Father of the Military Academy Colonel Sylvanus Thayer The awardee is selected by and the award is endowed by a committee formed from the West Point Association of Graduates It has been awarded annually since 1958 and is the closest recognition West Point has to granting an honorary degree Contents 1 Official description of the award 2 Criteria 3 Recipients 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksOfficial description of the award EditSince 1958 the West Point Association of Graduates has presented the SYLVANUS THAYER AWARD to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto DUTY HONOR COUNTRY The recipient of the Sylvanus Thayer Award receives a medal with a bust in profile of Thayer on one side with the inscription The Sylvanus Thayer Medal Awarded by the Association of Graduates United States Military Academy for Outstanding Service to the Nation The reverse side carries the coat of arms of the Military Academy and the words West Point and Duty Honor Country Around the edge of the medal are inscribed the name of the recipient and the year of presentation In addition to receiving the medal the recipient s portrait and name are inscribed on a memorial in the Thayer Award Room in Taylor Hall 1 the headquarters building of West Point Criteria EditActive duty and retired American military servicemen or women are eligible for the award but the majority are civilians who contributed to the US Government the US Armed Forces US national security or diplomacy US civil rights or the enduring support of veterans in a positive way The recipient must be a US Citizen must not be a United States Military Academy graduate and must receive the award in person during a ceremony with the entire Corps of Cadets Early in its existence three West Point graduates received the award Dwight Eisenhower Douglas MacArthur and Omar Bradley but graduates are no longer eligible One United States Naval Academy graduate Ross Perot has received the award Recipients EditThe following is the list of the award s recipients 2 1958 Dr Ernest Lawrence nuclear scientist Nobel laureate 1959 Secretary John Foster Dulles 1960 Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr 1961 General of the Army Dwight D Eisenhower President of the United States 1962 General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Medal of Honor recipient 1963 Secretary John J McCloy Assistant Secretary of War Allied High Commission and President of the World Bank 1964 Secretary Robert A Lovett 1965 Ambassador James B Conant President of Harvard University United States Ambassador to West Germany 1966 Congressman Carl Vinson Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee 1967 Cardinal Francis Spellman Archbishop of New York 1968 Mr Bob Hope entertainer 1969 Secretary Dean Rusk 1970 Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker 1971 Mr Neil Armstrong astronaut 1972 Pastor Billy Graham evangelist 1973 General of the Army Omar Bradley 1974 Ambassador Robert Daniel Murphy 1975 Governor W Averell Harriman Governor of New York Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs 1976 Secretary Gordon Gray National Security Advisor United States Secretary of the Army 1977 Secretary Robert T Stevens United States Secretary of the Army businessman 1978 Mr James R Killian Jr President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chairman of President s Intelligence Advisory Board 1979 Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce Congresswomen 1980 Father Theodore M Hesburgh President of University of Notre Dame 1981 Administrator James E Webb Administrator of NASA 1982 Mr David Packard businessman Deputy Secretary of Defense 1983 General James H Doolittle Medal of Honor recipient 1984 Secretary Stanley Rogers Resor United States Secretary of the Army 1985 Secretary Frank Pace Jr United States Secretary of the Army businessman 1986 Dr Edward Teller nuclear scientist 1987 Senator Barry Goldwater 1988 Chief Justice Warren E Burger Chief Justice 1989 President Ronald Reagan 1990 Senator Mike Mansfield 1991 Secretary Paul H Nitze Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Navy 1992 Secretary George Shultz 1993 Secretary Cyrus R Vance 1994 President George Herbert Walker Bush 1995 Congresswomen Barbara Jordan civil rights leader 1996 General John W Vessey 1997 Mr Walter Cronkite newscaster 1998 General Colin Powell US Secretary of State 1999 Mr Norman R Augustine businessman Under Secretary of the Army 2000 Secretary Henry Alfred Kissinger 2001 Senator Daniel K Inouye Medal of Honor recipient 2002 The American Soldier note 1 3 2003 General Gordon R Sullivan 2004 Senator Robert J Dole 2005 Justice Sandra Day O Connor 2006 Mr Tom Brokaw news reporter and author 2007 General Frederick Kroesen 2008 Secretary William Perry 2009 Mr H Ross Perot businessman 2010 Secretary James Baker 2011 Secretary Robert M Gates 2012 Congressman Ike Skelton Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee 2013 Secretary Madeleine Albright 2014 Secretary Condoleezza Rice 4 2015 Mr Gary Sinise entertainer advocate for veterans 5 2016 Director Robert S Mueller 2017 President George W Bush 6 2018 Secretary Leon E Panetta 7 Director of the Central Intelligence Agency White House Chief of Staff Congressman 2019 General Ann E Dunwoody 8 2020 Ambassador Ryan Crocker 9 2021 Doctor Mae C Jemison 2022 Mr Kenneth Fisher Advocate for Veterans and Wounded Warriors Notes Edit The 2002 award was dedicated to all of the men and women who have served in the U S Army in the history of the United States References Edit Google Maps List of recipients West Point Association of Graduates The American Soldier West Point Association of Graduates Rice receives Thayer Award at U S Military Academy USA Today October 6 2014 Gary Sinise to receive West Point s Thayer Award 12 June 2015 West Point Association of Graduates www westpointaog org West Point Association of Graduates www westpointaog org Retrieved 2018 10 19 West Point Association of Graduates www westpointaog org Retrieved 2019 10 16 West Point Association of Graduates External links Edit The Sylvanus Thayer Award West Point Association of Graduates Audio of speech by 1962 award recipient General Douglas MacArthur Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sylvanus Thayer Award amp oldid 1129880455, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
