Alumni honored at Salutes celebration

Nearly 170 alumni, faculty, students and friends celebrated honorees at the 2023 Grady Salutes: A Celebration of Achievement, Leadership and Commitment April 28 at the new Athena Studios. 

Private First Class Officer Caroline Edwards (ABJ ’12) was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Leadership Excellence. Alumni Award recipients were Maura Friedman (ABJ '13), John E. Drewry Young Alumni Award; Yolanda Taylor Brignoni (ABJ '98), Mid-Career Award; Doreen Gentzler (ABJ ’79), John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award; and George Daniels (MA '99, PhD '02), Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award. Fellowship inductees included Regina Hicks (ABJ ’85, MFA ’90), Robin Hommel (ABJ ’96), Susan Percy (ABJ ’66) and Randy Travis (ABJ ’82).  Gentzler, as the Lifetime Achievement recipient, was also inducted into the Fellowship.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ '63), a Peabody and Emmy Award winning journalist and author, has been named to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Hunter-Gault was one of eight members inducted in the Journalism, Media, and Communications section of the honorary society. The nearly 270 members elected to the Academy in 2023 are selected from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research and science and include more than 40 International Honorary Members from 23 countries.

Joining Hunter-Gault in this year’s class are biochemist and geneticist Emmanuelle Charpentier; songwriter, actor, director, producer Lin-Manuel Miranda; and political scientist Daniel Ziblatt of Harvard University.

We are thrilled to be on the road again this summer and holding alumni events in three cities. 

The events will give alumni a chance to meet students and faculty involved with Maymester and summer programs in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.

New York City - Tuesday, May 23, 6-8 p.m., Empire Hotel

Los Angeles - Thursday, June 8, 6-8 p.m., NeueHouse

Chicago  - Wednesday, June 21, 6-8 p.m., Chicago Public Media

Event details and invitations will be emailed to alumni in each area. If you have recently moved to a new area, be sure to update your information here to receive communications about regional events.