MEDIA CONTACTS:
Maralee Csellar: [email protected], 202-994-7564
Candace Smith: [email protected], 202-994-3566
WASHINGTON (May 18, 2015)—Three-time alumnus Luther W. Brady was awarded the George Washington University President’s Medal, the highest honor the university president can present. George Washington President Steven Knapp presented the award to honor Dr. Brady’s extraordinary achievements in medicine and his exemplary philanthropy to and national leadership of the fine arts at a ceremony on GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus on May 16.
The George Washington University President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have exhibited courage, character and leadership in their chosen fields and who exemplify the ability of all human beings to improve the lives of others.
“It’s a pleasure to bestow the President’s Medal on Dr. Luther Brady, a truly extraordinary alumnus and emeritus trustee, for his outstanding service both to his alma mater and to the larger worlds of medical science and the fine arts,” said GW President Steven Knapp.
For more than 60 years, Dr. Brady has participated in the life of the George Washington University as a student, dedicated volunteer and generous donor. He earned an A.A. and a B.A. at GW before graduating with an M.D. from GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and he later established a named professorship in radiation oncology at the school.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” Dr. Brady said. “Through GW, I have had the honor of combining two of my great loves—medicine and the arts. It has been a privilege to be part of the university’s growing arts community.”
As one of the world's foremost oncologists, Dr. Brady is Hylda Cohn/American Cancer Society Professor of Clinical Oncology and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Drexel University College of Medicine, formerly the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He received the American Medical Association's Distinguished Service Award Gold Medal and the Strittmatter Award, which is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a medical practitioner, granted by the Philadelphia County Medical Society.
Outside of his successful career in the medical field, Dr. Brady developed a deep passion for the arts and brought that passion to his alma mater. He is the namesake of GW’s Luther W. Brady Art Gallery and has provided endowment and outright support for the gallery since 2002. To ensure the success of the gallery, Dr. Brady funded a Director’s Discretionary Endowment Fund at the Brady Art Gallery in 2007 to provide for its long-term financial support and programs. The gallery inspired the creation of the Friends of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery patrons group founded in 2002. Dr. Brady continuously supports the arts at GW, including support provided to the university museum construction fund in 2009.
Beyond GW, Dr. Brady has devoted himself to the dissemination and preservation of the arts in various communities. He has served on multiple boards of trustees and directors in the field of the arts, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Opera Philadelphia, the Opera Company of New Mexico, the Santa Fe Opera Company as well as the Settlement Music School and Curtis Institute of Music, both in Philadelphia. In addition to these honorable positions, Dr. Brady is a member of the George Washington University Society and has served as a distinguished member of the university’s Board of Trustees.
Prior to this award, GW bestowed the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award (1991), the GW Society Medal (1995), and an honorary doctor of fine arts degree (2004) on Dr. Brady.
Previous recipients of the President’s Medal, established in 1988, include Nobel laureate and former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, first president of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, former president of Romania Ion Iliescu, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, former Prime Minister of Hungary Ferenc Gyurcsány, Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, former Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, former Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Laureate Shimon Peres, legendary Israeli diplomat Abba Eban, United States Senators William Frist and Joseph Lieberman, NASA astronaut Charles J. Camarda, philanthropist Albert H. Small, Swiss diplomat and social justice advocate Carl Lutz, and entrepreneurial engineer Simon Lee.
In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.
-GW-