Harvard Centennial Medalists

Four alumni recognized for work

Photograph of Centennial Medalists Martin Duberman, Myra Marx Ferree, Joan Argetsinger, and Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr.

From left: Martin Duberman, Myra Marx Ferree, Joan Argetsinger, and Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr.   PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY RINALDO

The Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the occasion of the school’s hundredth anniversary, honors alumni who have made contributions to society that emerged from their graduate studies. It is the highest honor GSAS bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni.

The 2024 recipients, celebrated on May 22, are: Martin Duberman, Ph.D. ’57, an historian, biographer, playwright and gay rights activist; Myra Marx Ferree, Ph.D. ’76, a sociologist and leading feminist scholar; Joan Argetsinger Steitz, Ph.D. ’68, a molecular biologist known for her fundamental work on RNA; and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., Ph.D. ’73, an art historian who specializes in Dutch and Flemish paintings. The award ceremony can be seen on the school’s YouTube channel. Read biographies of the recipients at harvardmag.com/centennial-medalists-24.

You might also like

Conan O’Brien headlines a star-studded cast

Harvard Honors Its Oldest Alumni

At 97 and 101, Linda Cabot Black ’51 and William “Bill” Dubey ’46 led the way on Alumni Day.

Don’t Be A ‘Solo Superhero,’ Jonny Kim Tells Harvard Alumni

The astronaut, doctor, and Navy SEAL delivered keynote remarks on Alumni Day.

Most popular

Social Media Use and Adult Depression

A survey reveals suprising links between social media use and depression in adults.

The Franklin Stove—A Historical Climate Change Adaptation

Historian Joyce E. Chaplin reinterprets an early era of invention, industrialization, and climate challenge

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

Two laboratory researchers, one seated and one standing, in a scientific lab with equipment.

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

A woman with long, wavy hair wearing a white suit, seated in a bright, modern room.

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex.