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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Five to receive IU's highest alumni award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 25, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University has announced five recipients of its Distinguished Alumni Service Award, IU's highest award given only to an alumna or alumnus.

The recipients are David H. Jacobs Jr., of Santa Monica, Calif.; Dr. Joseph C. Maroon, of Sewickley, Pa.; retired Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., of Bethesda, Md.; and Sue H. Talbot, of Bloomington, Ind.

IU President Michael A. McRobbie will present the awards to the five honorees on Nov. 4 in Bloomington, Ind. The DASA recipients were chosen for services and achievements in their fields of endeavor and significant contributions to community, state, or nation. With the addition of these recipients, IU has honored 310 alumni since the award's inception in 1953.

Following are brief individual bios for each award recipient:

David H. Jacobs Jr.

Jacobs attended the IU Jacobs School of Music in the early 1970s, a school that now bears his family's name. He is president of David Jacobs Fine Art, which matches privately accumulated art collections with public institutions, and owner of Stilllife Construction, which reuses and redevelops properties with historic and architectural merit. Over the years, Jacobs has continued and enhanced his family's longstanding support of IU. He has been a member of the IU Foundation's board of directors since 2006 and is a founding member of the Women's Philanthropy Council.

Dr. Joseph C. Maroon

Maroon earned a bachelor's degree in medical science from IU in 1962 and a medical degree from IU in 1965. A clinical professor and Heindl Scholar in Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, his research interests include brain tumors, minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, and the prevention and treatment of traumatic injuries to the central nervous system. Maroon is the co-developer of ImPACT, the first and most widely used computerized system to determine the severity of concussions and to regulate an athlete's safe return to contact sports.

Retired Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr.

Renuart earned a bachelor's degree in business from IU in 1971. A retired U.S. Air Force four-star general, he is now chairman of the National Homeland Defense Foundation. After 39 years of active service, his military career culminated in 2010 as commander of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Earlier in his career, as a pilot, Renuart flew combat missions in numerous operations. He also served as director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff and senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr.

Robinson holds three degrees from IU -- a bachelor's degree in political science in 1972, a medical degree in 1976 and an honorary degree in 2010. He is the U.S. Navy's 36th surgeon general and chief of its Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, overseeing the care of more than 1 million people at military treatment facilities around the globe. In his nearly 35 years of military service, Robinson has been a ship's surgeon on aircraft carriers as well as a surgeon, director of surgery, and commanding officer at naval hospitals throughout the world.

Sue H. Talbot

Talbot earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1966, a master's degree in education in 1971 and a doctorate in school administration in 1992, all from IU. A retired educator, she spent 20 years in the elementary school classroom, gaining recognition as Indiana Teacher of the Year and runner-up for National Teacher of the Year. For IU, Talbot was the founding director of Hoosiers for Higher Education, was national chairwoman of the Alumni Association and was elected to three consecutive terms on the university's Board of Trustees.

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