Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Honors 2015 Centennial Medalists

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences honors four distinguished alumni.

From left: Robert Richardson, Gordon Wood, Louise Ryan, and Wade Davis

The 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 study at Harvard. It is the highest honor the Graduate School bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2015 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 27, are: Wade Davis ’75, Ph.D. ’86, an ethnographer, ethnobotanist, writer, photographer, and filmmaker; Robert Richardson ’56, Ph.D. ’61, an American historian and biographer; Louise Ryan, Ph.D. ’83, head of the maths and information-sciences division at Australia’s national science agency; and Gordon Wood, Ph.D. ’64, Way University Professor and professor of history emeritus, at Brown University. For more about the honorands, see harvardmag.com/centennial-15.

Related topics

You might also like

Is the Press Still Free?

A Harvard alumni panel discusses New York Times Co. v. Sullivan and threats to journalists today.

At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket

The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”

Harvard Alumni Honored for University Service

The 2026 Harvard Medal recipients will be honored on June 5.

Most popular

Your Harvard 2026 Commencement Week Guide

College reunions and Alumni Day will take place the following week

Harvard Releases Database of 1,613 People Enslaved by University Affiliates

Research continues to track down living descendants.

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

Explore More From Current Issue

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.

Historical scene depicting a parade with soldiers and a town square in the background.

When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord

College students broke hearts and windows during their year in exile.

Mercy Otis Warren in period attire writes at a desk by candlelight, surrounded by books.

The Woman Who Penned the Case for War

Mercy Otis Warren’s poetry and plays incited the Patriot movement.