Iowa State University Foundation to Honor Alumni and Friends for Outstanding Contributions
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State University Foundation will recognize the outstanding contributions of alumni and friends of Iowa State University with its most prestigious honors during the annual Distinguished Awards Celebration to be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 29, at Iowa State University’s Memorial Union. The event is open to the public.
During the ceremony, the foundation will present five awards.
The Gerdin Family of Solon, Iowa, will receive the Order of the Knoll True and Valiant Award. This award is presented to an individual, couple or family who has demonstrated a lasting commitment to Iowa State through distinguished service and achievement. It recognizes a tireless commitment to advancing the university by promoting philanthropy in industry and local communities and supporting the cause of education. Russ Gerdin opened Heartland Express in North Liberty, Iowa, in 1978 and today it is one of the nation’s leading trucking companies. With the family’s success came a desire to give back to the people and the state that helped their business to flourish – especially by supporting higher education and healthcare. Their first major gift was to Iowa State. Russ and his wife, Ann, made the lead gift for the construction of the Gerdin Business Building, which opened in 2003. Subsequent gifts have also contributed to the tremendous growth of the college, including the Russell A. and Ann S. Gerdin Business Ph.D. Endowment Fund, which helped establish the college’s doctoral program, and the Gerdin Citizenship Program Endowment, which created a program (now the Gerdin Leaders Academy) focused on leadership skills for freshmen and sophomores. Thanks, in part, to the family’s generosity, the college quickly outgrew its building – and the Gerdins stepped in yet again with a lead gift in support of the expansion of the Gerdin Business Building, completed in 2020. Russ passed away in 2011, but the Gerdins’ legacy of generosity lives on through Ann and the couple’s three children and their spouses: Mike Gerdin, now the company’s chairman and CEO, and his wife, Nicole; Julie and Eric Durr; and Angela and Brian Janssen.
Kingland, headquartered in Clear Lake, Iowa, will receive the Order of the Knoll Corporation and Foundation Award. The award honors a corporation, foundation or association that has demonstrated generosity to Iowa State University through significant leadership giving, dedicated and long-term service and assistance to students and faculty. A leading software and enterprise data management company, Kingland is founded and powered by Iowa State alumni; the majority of its key leadership team members are Iowa State graduates, and the company has employed more than 2,000 Iowa State interns over the past decade. Since 2006, Kingland has provided annual philanthropic support for Iowa State students, faculty and programs. The company, along with personal funds from David and Deb Kingland, pledged and provided support for eight named faculty positions, student clubs and student scholarships within the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In January 2019, Kingland pledged support for the Gerdin Business Building expansion project to name the Kingland Hub, a central commons area. Through its support of Iowa State, Kingland has made an immeasurable impact on generations of Ivy College of Business students as well as computer and data scientists, data analysts, software engineers and more.
Olivia Madison of Ames, Iowa, and the late Gregory Palermo will be awarded the Order of the Knoll Faculty and Staff Award. The award recognizes individuals or couples who are current or retired Iowa State University faculty or staff members for their substantial commitment to promoting and expanding philanthropy at Iowa State through both personal philanthropy and significant professional and volunteer service. Madison is professor emerita and dean emerita of library services and Palermo was professor emeritus of architecture at Iowa State. Their philanthropy provides students and faculty at Iowa State with resources to enhance their educational experiences and scholarly endeavors. This includes the Gregory S. Palermo and Olivia M. A. Madison Scholarship for International Travel, the new Olivia M.A. Madison and Gregory S. Palermo Scholarship in Architecture and the Madison/Palermo Library Fund. Madison and Palermo’s support continues to raise the profile of the university and inspire future generations of leaders in architecture and the design disciplines.
Scott and Nancy Armbrust of Green Bay, Wisconsin, will receive the Order of the Knoll Cardinal and Gold Award. The award honors an individual or couple who has provided dedicated and long-term service and leadership to the Iowa State University Foundation and Iowa State University through the advancement of philanthropy. Nancy is the retired vice president for education and community relations at Schreiber Foods. Scott began his veterinary career as a dairy practitioner and is the co-founder of Paradocs Embryo Transfer, Inc. They are tireless supporters of the university. One of their most recognizable contributions involved leading the project to purchase Frosty the Cow, a birthing simulator for the Clinical Skills Lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine, providing students with valuable hands-on experiences in a safe environment. They’ve also established such funds as the Nancy Rygg Armbrust Professorship in Early Childhood Development and Education and the Scott and Nancy Armbrust Professorship in Veterinary Medicine. The couple served as members of the Forever True, For Iowa State campaign cabinet and Nancy served as chair of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Directors and the College of Human Sciences Advisory Council.
Jack Johnson of Granite Bay, California, and the late Carol Johnson will be awarded the Order of the Knoll Campanile Award. The award recognizes the extraordinary, longtime support of an individual or couple who has had a significant and inspiring impact on Iowa State. Now retired, Johnson had a 40-year career in computer engineering at companies such as Intel, Monsanto and McDonnell Douglas. Carol forged new paths for women in chemical engineering working for Intel and later had a 20-year career at Monsanto, where she designed plants that created sulfuric acid and other chemicals. Since their first gift in 1980, Carol and Jack’s generosity has covered many areas, including the beautification of Lake Laverne and spaces within Howe Hall and Coover Hall. They also support faculty and created a fellowship in the chemical and biological engineering department. After Carol’s passing in 2014, Jack established the Carol Vohs Johnson Chair in the department of chemical and biological engineering, which is also known as “Carol’s Chair.” Jack also supports the University Library Strategic Fund. Carol served on the chemical engineering department’s advisory council and Jack recently presented a lecture for a College of Engineering graduate course.
More information about the Iowa State University Foundation awards is available here.
At the Distinguished Awards Celebration, the Iowa State University Alumni Association will also present Distinguished Alumni Awards to Mark G. Erlander of Carlsbad, California; Dr. Robert E. Walton, Sr. of Deforest, Wisconsin; and Elizabeth A. Yetley of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Pamela S. Pithan of Andalusia, Illinois, will receive the Honorary Alumni Award.
The Iowa State University Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization committed to securing and managing gifts that benefit Iowa State University.
Contacts
Elaine Watkins-Miller, Communications, Iowa State University Foundation, 515.294.1005, ewmiller@foundation.iastate.edu
April 26, 2022
Photos are available upon request.