Three to receive Harvard Medal at Commencement

The Harvard Alumni Association has announced the recipients of the 2003 Harvard Medal: Robert J. Glaser S.B. ’40, M.D. ’43, L. Fred Jewett A.B. ’57, M.B.A. ’60, and Franklin D. Raines A.B. ’71, J.D. ’76. First given in 1981, the Harvard Medal recognizes extraordinary service to the University. President Lawrence H. Summers will present the medals during the annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association on the afternoon of Commencement, June 5.

Robert J. Glaser has spent his career in academic medicine and medical philanthropy, and has been enormously helpful to the University in many areas, both to the college and to the Harvard Medical School. A former dean and professor of medicine at Stanford University, Glaser also served as vice president and dean of the University of Colorado Medical School. From 1963 until 1965 he was president of the Affiliated Hospitals Center in Boston (the forerunner of Brigham and Women’s Hospital), and was a professor of social medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He was the recipient of the HMS Dean’s Medal and was twice a member of the Harvard Medical Alumni Council, serving as its president in 1993-1994. Glaser, a John Harvard Fellow, currently serves as Non-reunion Bequest Chair for the Class of 1940, is a member of COUR, and is a member of the West Coast Major Gifts Committee. A Permanent Class Committee member of the class of 1940, he is the national co-chair of a major fundraising campaign to support scholarships at HMS. He has served as a member of the HAA Nominating Committee and as gift chair for his 55th reunion class, which raised $10 million. Glaser’s daughter, Sally, is a graduate of the class of 1972 and his granddaughter, Audrey L. Bower, is a member of the class of 2003.

L. Fred Jewett has been a “Harvard treasure” for more than 40 years. From 1958 to 1977 he served as a proctor in the Yard, and was the assistant dean of freshmen from 1962 to 1964. He was a freshman adviser for 40 years and served as the director of freshman scholarships from 1967 to 1972. From 1972 to 1984, he was the dean of admissions and financial aid, and then became the dean of Harvard College from 1985 to 1995. He was a longtime member of the Board of Directors for the Harvard Student Agencies and chairman of the Election Committee as well as former graduate secretary of Phi Beta Kappa. An honorary life member of the Harvard Varsity Club, Jewett supports and contributes to various Harvard athletic programs, including the Women’s Athletic Foundation. Since his retirement in 1995, he has continued to work part time to support the Harvard Admissions effort.

Franklin D. Raines ascended to chief executive post at Fannie Mae in 1999, the largest nonbank financial services institution in the world. Raines, a Rhodes scholar, has dedicated much of his energy advancing the mission of Harvard University. He was a member of the Board of Overseers from 1986 to 1992, serving as president of the board in 1991-92. He is also a member of the Committee on University Resources and has served on Visiting Committees all across the University, including as energetic chair of the Visiting Committee to the Kennedy School of Government for many years. He is a dedicated supporter of his class and served as the 25th Reunion Gift vice chair, as well as vice chair of the nonreunion class years. At his 25th reunion in 1996 he was chosen by his classmates as Chief Marshal at Commencement. He has given Harvard much financial support through endowments to the Du Bois Library, the Kennedy School Library, and the National Scholarship.