Senior Honor Awards 1959-Present

The Senior Honor Awards are generously endowed by Sally L. Katz C’82, a devoted alumnus and President of the Class of 1982.

Please note that, beginning in 2024, the senior honor awards will no longer be gender specific.
 

Among the oldest traditions at the University of Pennsylvania are the senior class leadership awards. The oldest of them, the Spoon, is documented as early as 1865, when Penn still occupied a campus on 9th street, in Center City, Phladelphia. Today, no fewer than 8 of these distinguished awards are presented on Ivy Day. Elected by their fellow students in recognition of outstanding service to the University community, the receipients of these awards have alw ays included the best and brightest of each graduating class.

The Women’s Senior Honor Awards spawned from Women’s Hey Day which was first celebrated in 1926, six years after the passing of the nineteenth amendment which gave women the right to vote. The ceremony, usually held in Bennett Hall, consisted of an academic procession, the changing of offices, a valedictorian address, as well as the induction of new members into various honor societies. Although women were not eligible for the Spoon, Bowl, Cane and Spade Awards, the following awards were established to recognize the outstanding women in the graduating class.

Hey Day (women's) exercises, 1948

Althea K. Hottel Shield Award

Established in 1959, the first women’s award is named for Penn’s first Dean of Women, educational pioneer Althea K. Hottel. Represented by the Shield, the University’s most recognizable physical symbol, this award honors intellectual competence, commitment to ideals, and loyalty to the University . The Hottell Shield is etched in granite by the carver of your class Ivy Stone to connect it to the present. This award is proudly presented today as the top female award for faithful dedication to the Penn community.

Althea K. Hottel Shield Award

Gaylord P. Harnwell Flag Award

The Harnwell Flag Ward celebrates the tremendous campus growth and diversification of Penn during the 1953-1970 tenure of its namesake, President Gaylord P. Harnwell, who believed that selfless service to the university and the community would impact generations to come. Established in 1969, this award honors Harnwell’s ideals with a Penn flag that continues to “ripple the wind” over College Hall. This award which was flown over College Hall is presented today in honor of President Harnwell’s public service to the University.

Gaylord P. Harnwell Flag Award

David R. Goddard Loving Cup Award

In 1908, when Class Day was combined with Ivy Day, a silver Loving Cup was presented to the University Provost etched with names of dedicated class presidents. Today’s Loving Cup honors former Provost David R. Goddard, who retired in 1969, and is etched with the iconic words of Penn’s most popular song-but not official alma mater, the Red and Blue. This award recognizes seniors’ exemplary service to the University and to their class.

David R. Goddard Loving Cup Award.

R. Jean Brownlee Skimmer Hat Award

The Brownlee Skimmer Hat Award was established in 1977 and commorates one of Penn’s most historic traditions, Hey Dey. The award is named for Dean R. Jean Brownlee, who oversaw the historic merger of the College and the College for Women into the School of Arts and Science as well as the combining of the men’s and women’s Hey Day strolls into a unifying class celebration. The commemorative Hey Day hat, appropriately bitten, is in honor of Dean Brownlee’s enduring legacy of unifying the Penn community.

R. Jean Brownlee Skimmer Hat Award

2023 Senior Honor Award Recipients

2022 Senior Honor Award Recipients

2021 Senior Honor Award Recipients

Senior Award Winners 1959-Present

Year

Althea K. Hottel

Gaylord P. Harnwell

David R. Goddard

R. Jean Brownlee

1959Barbara Foster   
1960Rosemary Yaecker   
1961Martha Taylor   
1962Mireille Lellouche   
1963Mary Kay Peders
en
   
1964Elsbeth Joyce   
1965Ellen Casey   
1966Rebecca Bowers   
1967R. Barbara Berger / Lynne Miller   
1968Elizabeth Van Wezel   
1969Mary SeleckyEllen CohenEllen Gordon / Linda Plotnick 
1970Alice Mann / Mary SitgravesRona ZevinPatricia Dinneen 
1971Miriam LabbokHope SukinJudith Teller / Adele Lindenmeyr 
1972Linda MagoonClaudia CohenAnn Fleming 
1973Anita SamaDonna WebsterLaureine Knight 
1974Ruth Ann PriceSusan PeikesHolly O’Neil 
1975Holly JamesHeidi SolomonCurrie Kelly 
1976Tracy DibbleAnn KelleyCynthia Chanenson 
1977Kimberly-Ann WoolwichRebecca PeikesAlison BenderKathleen Bell
1978Trish BrownEllen CooperAmy BorrusLori Goldstein
1979Kathryn SklarMaria ShaoDebra SilvermanBarri Bernstein
1980Laura Anne FogganJoanne WiseCharlotte BaronRuth Cornfeld
1981Allison AccursoGeralyn OrlovitzMindy CrandusEllen Goldberg
1982Cheryl SabanBarbara CantwellCarrie AltmanDawn Van Dam
1983Elizabeth CooperJeanne ReichLaurie DameshekElizabeth Lombardo
1984Stephanie DangelLori LandewKaren GlassPam Seidenman
1985Vicki BernsteinWendy PlattCarol TurnerKaren Barr
1986Jean ShermanGena KutinJennifer WeissRenee Solomon
1987Wendy FerberLisa GreenIlana LongHayley Bryant
1988Wendy BloomJill KaufmanColleen BuggsLaura Fuller
1989Suzanne PappasTraci MillerMegan O’BrienRachel Greenberger
1990Linda LaGorgaLynn HalpernTara FitzpatrickFarah Jiminez
1991Miriam (Duchess) HarrisTheresa E. SimmondsJodi KrasilovskySusan Moss
1992Barbara E. LewisChristina SmithMaureen Juliet HernandezHelen Jung
1993Allison BieberMichelle PelusoLisa NassHallie Levin
1994Jai-Jai RamseyLisa DeutschJun BangKirsten Bartok
1995Leigh MolinariJordana HornHa Thi NguyenTama Weinberg
1996Tamara DubowitzAlison DeitchHeather DorfLissette Calderon
1997Abby CloseKatinka DomotorffyRachel SheibeinKara Blond
1998Rachel EhrlichMichelle MillstoneMartha SperanzaBethany Rubin
1999Samara A. BarendJanelle M. BrodskySarah B. GleitRoshini S. Thayaparan
2000Lisa MarshallJennifer BrownLindsay FaberMichele Sacks
2001Diana M. CaramanicoLipika GoyalDayna S. PlattHoa T. Duong
2002Dana E. HorkLindsey F. MathewsLaToya J. BaldwinJennifer Kwon
2003Julia S. GottliebAviva N. MosterElla S. SchwartzRebecca L. Silberman
2004Meredith M. SeidelJessica R. BrandAmy M. PotterAparna Chandrasekhar
2005Caroline A. CantyPaige FitzgeraldJennifer J. ChoiImanni P.S. Wilkes
2006Rachel I. FershCaroline RothsteinHayley M. GrossSheri E. Halpern
2007Catherine C. MarkKate E. LibermanCaroline G. GammillAlexis Ruby Howe
2008Sarah R. AbromsColleen E. DonovanBeth NewtonShirley Liang
2009Drew Feith TyeRahima F. DosaniErica M. EvansMia Kumagai
2010Eileen M. McKeownClaire S. ChoiAlissa R. EisenbergSakina R. Zaidi
2011Lindsey T. EatoughJanice Y. DowWendy J. De La RosaRachel R. Romeo
2012Kathryn J. McCabeFaye G. ChengJordan A. SaleAllison S. Zuckerman
2013Ariela R. CohenIsabel FriedmanPallavi R. PodapatiLakshmi Sivaguru
2014 Lindsay Y. TsaiUrja R. MittalNatalie M. Riemer Tania V. Chairez
2015Ariel S. KorenJoyce J. KimVictoria N. FordJordyn H. Feingold
2016Renata M. O’DonnellJulie M. BittarJane R. MeyerMahalatchmi Subramaniam
2017Temilola M. Ransome-KutiHannah E. FaginTunmise A. FawoleOlivia S. Nelson
2018Makayla C. ReynoldsSilicia I. LomaxAlexandra P. RubinMadeline G. Gelfand
2019Anea B. MooreSavi JoshiJulia L. PanCandida Alfaro
2020Carolynne LiuAngelica DuJordan AndrewsNatasha Menon
2021Mercedes OwensElizabeth YoushaeiCarson EckhardMichiyah Collins
2022Amy GuoJanice OwusuSukhmani KaurMary Sadallah
2023Hunter KornMaria Jose Rodriguez VelazquezAnnie VoAlisa Ghura