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University of Iowa hosts Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Awards
IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa will recognize seven veterans with UI ties at a ceremony Thursday.
The Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Awards program starts at 5 p.m. at the Iowa Memorial Union, 125 N. Madison St.
The award was established in 2015 to honor distinguished members of the armed forces who have demonstrated exceptional service to the United States and their communities, and who have ties to the UI.
The 2018 recipients of the Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award are:
' Tiffany Baker-Strothkamp is a UI graduate student in the rehabilitation and mental health counseling program. She served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2015, with two tours in Afghanistan. She is president of the UI Veterans Association.
' Fred Becker of Waterloo enrolled in the UI in 1915 and was the first Iowa football player to be named a first team All-American. A Marine, he was killed in action on July 18, 1918, in France during World War I. He was awarded the American Distinguished Service Cross, the Belgian War Cross and the French War Cross.
' Clarence E. Hamilton was a UI College of Law student when he enlisted in the U.S. Army and become an ambulance driver in World War I. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government for bravery. After the war, he graduated from the UI College of law and served as a county attorney and an assistant attorney general. He re-enlisted in the Army in 1943 and headed all civil courts and prisons at Nuremberg and Bavaria, trying thousands of cases. When he returned to Iowa, he was a district court judge in Johnson County from 1960 to 1968, when he retired and resumed his private law practice.
' Geraldene Felton joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1949 and served as a staff nurse until 1956, going on to work at the Walter Reed Institute of Nursing. She was professor and dean of the UI College of Nursing from 1981 to 1997. In 2012, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad named Felton an Iowa African American Woman History Maker.
' Evelyn Crary Bacon had a graduate degree in nursing from the UI when she enlisted in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1942. She participated in the invasion of Normandy during World War II. In 1950, she led the movement to start a School of Nursing at the University of Virginia in Richmond and was the first woman to head the Richmond Red Cross in 1981.
' Scott R. Daly, a UI assistant professor of chemistry, enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school in 1998 and was an M1 Abrams armor crewman. At the UI, he supervises a research group of eight doctoral students and five undergraduate researchers.
' Warren Lawson, a Fairfield native, played center for the UI football team and was named Iowa's most valuable player in 1954. After graduating from UI ROTC, he was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving in numerous locations, including Vietnam. In August 1970, he assumed command of the 4th Battalion, 54th Infantry at Fort Know, Ky., and then taught at the U.S. Army War College. After retiring, he was appointed deputy adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard in 1979 and became adjutant general in 1985. U.S. Army
For more information on the honorees, visit now.uiowa.edu/2018/11/hawkeye-distinguished-veterans-award.
University of Iowa Army ROTC honor guard presents the Stars and Stripes and the Iowa flag during the Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award ceremony at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Tiffany Baker-Strothkamp. 2018 receipient of Hawkeye Distringuished Veterans Memorial Award. is a graduate student from Ellettsville, Indiana, in the Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Program in the UI College of Education. Baker-Strothkamp served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2015, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan. During her military career, she received multiple medals and commendations, including numerous recognitions for her volunteer efforts with the Family Readiness Group and providing mentoring to younger soldiers for professional and personal development.On campus, Baker-Strothkamp is the current president of the UI Veterans Association, which represents nearly 2,200 veterans and military-affiliated students. In 2018, Baker-Strothkamp revitalized the Peer Advisor for Veterans Education (PAVE) program, which helps veterans transition from the military to college. Baker-Strothkamp also is an active member of Graduate Student Government, the State of Iowa American Counseling Association Planning Committee, and the Student Advisory Board within University Counseling Services.
Fred Becker. 2018 recipient of Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award. was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and enrolled at the UI in 1915. In 1916, Becker was selected as an all-conference lineman in the Western Conference for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was also a first team all-American, the first player in Iowa history to earn that distinction.Becker enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1917 to serve in World War I. He was commissioned as an Army Second Lieutenant in August 1917 and was sent to France after completing training. While serving on the Western Front, Becker was hit by shrapnel on June 13, 1918. However, he was able to return to duty after his recovery and was attached to the 5th Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps, due to a shortage of Marine Corps officers.During an attack by German soldiers, Becker's platoon was pinned down by machine gunfire. Becker moved forward and assaulted the machine gunner, allowing his platoon to advance. After completing his assault, Becker was killed in action on July 18, 1918. His actions were crucial in 'preventing the death or injury of many men in his command,' according to a U.S. Marine Corps report.Becker was awarded the American Distinguished Service Cross, the Belgian War Cross, and the French War Cross.
Clarence Hamilton. Recipient of 2018 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award. as a UI College of Law student when he left to serve as an ambulance driver during World War I. Hamilton was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government for his bravery.Hamilton returned to Iowa Law after World War I and graduated in 1921. After starting in private practice, Hamilton was elected county attorney and later special assistant to the attorney general of Iowa.In 1943, at the age of 50, Hamilton re-enlisted in the Army as an attorney. Hamilton headed all civil courts and prisons in Nuremberg and Bavaria, tried thousands of cases, and was tasked with the de-Nazification of the civil courts system. Upon returning from Germany, Hamilton continued practicing as an attorney and served as a District Court Judge in Johnson County from 1960 to 1968. When he retired from the bench at 75, Hamilton resumed his private practice work.
Geraldene Felton. 2018 recipient of Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award. joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1949. Felton served as staff nurse until 1956 and went on to hold a variety of additional nursing and clinical positions, eventually serving as deputy director of the Department of Nursing at the Walter Reed Institute of Nursing. After her retirement from the Army Nurse Corps in 1975, Felton became professor and dean of nursing at the Oakland University School of Nursing in Rochester, Michigan.Felton joined the UI as professor and dean of the College of Nursing in 1981. During her tenure as dean of the College of Nursing, Felton implemented a research-based program, which included hiring PhD faculty and starting a College of Nursing PhD program.Felton is a charter fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and an American Academy of Nursing Living Legend. In 2012, Governor Terry Branstad named Felton an Iowan African American Woman History Maker.
Evelyn Crary Bacon. Recipient of 2018 Hawkeye Distringuished Veteans Memorial Award. arned a bachelor's degree in political science from the UI in 1938 and a graduate nursing degree from the university in 1940. Bacon went on to serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1942, acting as head nurse supervisor. She participated in the invasion of Normandy during World War II.In 1950, Bacon moved to Richmond, Virginia. She led the movement to establish the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia. In 1972, Bacon became associate professor and program head of nursing at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond. In 1981, Bacon was elected chair of the Richmond Red Cross, becoming the first woman to hold that position. After her retirement, Bacon volunteered as historian for the Virginia Nurses Association. She was posthumously recognized by the Virginia Nurses Association as an Outstanding Nurse in 1999 and was named a Virginia Pioneer Nurse in 2000.
Scott R. Daly. Recipient of 2018 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award. y was born in Joliet, Illinois, and grew up in a small community north of Ocala, Florida. After graduating from high school in 1998, Daly enlisted in the U.S. Army as an M1 Abrams armor crewman. During his military career, Daly received multiple awards.After being honorably discharged in August 2001, Daly earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. In 2010, Daly received his PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After holding positions in New Mexico and Washington, D.C., Daly joined the UI.Daly is an assistant professor of chemistry and runs a research group of eight doctorate students and five undergraduate researchers. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society, and the Department of Energy.
Warren Lawson. Recipient of 2018 Hawkeye Distringuished Veterans Memorial Award. was born in Fairfield, Iowa, and enrolled at the UI in 1951. Lawson earned a Bachelor of Science in commerce from the university while playing center for the football team. He was named Iowa's Most Valuable Player in 1954.After graduating from UI ROTC in June 1955, Lawson was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served in numerous units and locations, including a tour in Vietnam.Lawson earned a Master of Arts in industrial management from the University of Nebraska in 1966. In August 1970, he assumed command of the 4th Battalion, 54th Infantry at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he remained until 1972 when he was selected for the U.S. Army War College.On June 30, 1979, Lawson retired from active service. The next day, he was appointed deputy adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard. He was appointed adjutant general of the Iowa National guard on May 1, 1985. During his time as adjutant general, Lawson led the Iowa National Guard through the Iowa Farm Crisis, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, reactivation of the 34th Infantry Division, the flood of 1993, and the Port Neal complex chemical plant explosion near Sioux City.
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