Recognizing Distinguished Alumni
by Radhika Jain
Assistant News Editor
Earlier this month, the John Burroughs Alumni Board, represented by Tim Philpott '83, awarded the 24th annual Distinguished Service Award to Ann Lemp '71 and the 39th annual Outstanding Alumnus Award to Terry Karl '66. These two honors are bestowed on alumni who embody two qualities that JBS hopes to instill in all of its students: service and leadership. The eighteen member Alumni Board wants to "recognize alumni to recognize commitment," as Philpott put it.
The Distinguished Service Award takes into consideration what an alumnus has done for the JBS community specifically—recipients serve the school in all manner of ways. On the other hand, the Outstanding Alumnus Award rewards people whose accomplishments have positively influenced not only our own community but also the broader communities of the world as a whole. The common thread: those who receive the Alumni Awards have an obvious love for the school and what it has taught them, along with confidence and selflessness.
The JBS community can learn a lot from such dynamic and passionate people, and so every year, the presentation of awards occurs during a special assembly. Afterwards, recipients share their experiences and advice with the school. This year's winners were undoubtedly impressive and influential.
Ann Lemp '71 has given her time to a number of JBS efforts. Over the years, Lemp has taken on leadership positions in the Parent's Council, Annual Giving Program, and Board of Trustees, while also volunteering at phonathons, reunions, and fundraising events. During her speech, she emphasized that she never anticipated coming back after high school and once again playing such an active role in the community: "When I graduated, I left and thought that was that." Lemp realized there was no definite "that's that" with Burroughs. "While you can physically leave Burroughs, it won't leave you." She thinks that the true weight of what Burroughs has to offer strikes students once they've left and draws them back, compelling them to give back to the school the way she has.
Terry Karl '66 is a Professor of political science at Stanford University. Her expertise is in public policy, Latin American politics, and human rights, and this focus is certainly reflected in her work: Karl has gone before Congress, the United Nations, and the Supreme Court to uphold justice. For example, she related her experiences in El Salvador, where she was faced with evidence of a ruthless massacre in El Mozote conducted by military officials. As an American, she was regarded as powerful, capable, and a source of hope by the locals, and indeed, Karl worked tirelessly with her students and eventually had the commanding generals indicted under universal jurisdiction. This legal concept allowed the United States to incriminate the officers even though they were foreign, because some human rights violations are so horrific that they must be monitored by the whole world, regardless of where they are committed.
Karl was deeply affected by John F. Kennedy's assassination, which occurred while she was at JBS, because it raised these questions in her mind: "How can things like this happen? Why is the world like this?" Ms. Courier, of our library, graduated with Karl, and confirmed the enormity of that moment. "Everything kind of stopped. It affected other people in the same way." Courier feels that it was really a combination of everything going on at the time that propelled Karl to follow the path she did so successfully. She remembers Karl as "very bright, very involved," and says, "It was the '60s, a time of real change. Women's status [was changing] and Terry was probably right in there. [It was] fortunate for her, the perfect time. She got to do things she wouldn't have been able to do a few years earlier."
Karl went on to do brilliant work, but the fact is, she was once just a student. She was editor of The World and a member of the Student Court. She was in dramatics and the Glee Club. Lemp was also active when at school, making "A" class hockey and varsity gymnastics consistently and enjoying painting and dramatics. As current students, it is sometimes hard to imagine ourselves and our classmates going on to achieve big things. The future is confined to the five tests coming next week and certainly not how we might contribute to our school and world in years to come. Both Lemp and Karl, though, are excellent examples of just what we are capable of accomplishing. Both mentioned in their remarks that at one time they were just like we are now, and this is how we can connect with them and put their achievements into perspective. One day, we can do the same. As Karl said, "Global problems, no mater how remote they appear, will increasingly affect everything in our daily lives. These problems cannot be solved with military might alone. They cannot be solved within our borders. And they cannot be solved without friends. This is your precipice. What will you do about it?"
In creating the Alumni Awards, the Alumni Board consistently provides inspiration and role models for us to follow. Whether we choose to come back to Burroughs or work for the world at large, we can learn from people like Ann Lemp and Terry Karl.