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Honorary Friars

Honorary membership to Friars is awarded each year by the Graduate Board of Friars for outstanding work, enthusiasm, and commitment to Penn. Although entitled ‘honorary’ they are treated and act as full Friars.
* For the last 23 names listed below, the exact year of their induction as an Honorary Friar was not know.

YEAR HONORARY FRIAR
2024

Steve Dolan
Director, Varsity Track & Field and Cross-Country and Direct0r-Penn Relays

2024

Larry Jameson 
Interim President, University of the Pennsylvanaia   *** (officially receiving award at a later date

2023 John Jackson
Vice Provost, University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Urban Anthropology
2022 Karen Reivich
Director, Training Programs for the Penn Positive Psychology Center and Lead Instructor and Curriculum Developer, Penn Resilience Programs
2021 Kevin Stefanski
Head Coach, Cleveland Browns
2020 Elise Betz
Executive Director, Alumni Relations
2019 Steve Donahue
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Men’s Basketball
2018 Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
47th Vice President of the United States, Impetus for Penn Biden Center and Global Engagement, Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor, Annenberg School of Arts and Sciences
2018* Amy Gutmann
President, University of Pennsylvania (*elected into Friars in 2004)
2018 Wendell Pritchett
Vice Provost, University of Pennsylvania
2017 Mike McLaughlin
University of Pennsylvania Women’s Varsity Basketball Head Coach
2016 Jean Chatzky
Financial Journalist, Author and Motivational Speaker; Communications Committee at Penn
2016 Josh Kopelman
Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Philanthropist; Lecturer at Penn; Committee for New President’s Innovation Prize
2015 George Weiss
Charter Trustee and Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board, Member of the Athletic Board of Overseers, Chair of Making History Campaign, Founder of Say Yes to Education
2014 John Fry
Drexel University President, former Penn Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
2013 Brian Roberts
Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation
2012 Eric J. Furda
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
2011 Andrea Mitchell
Co-Chair of Making History: The Campaign for Penn, Universitty Charter triustee, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News and host of “Andrea Mitchell Reports”
2010 Jerome Allen
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Men’s Basketball
2010 David Eisenhower
Senior Fellow and Director of the Institute for Public Service at The Annenberg School
2009 Michael A. Nutter
Mayor of Philadelphia
2008 Ronald Sanders
Registrar of the University of Pennsylvania (*deceased)
2008 William “Wags” Wagner
Coach of Penn’s Sprint/Lightweight Football, father of Friar Beth Wagner Coyne ’86
2007 Mary Ann Baker Greenawalt
Alumni Trustee and mother of Friars Cynthia Greenawalt-Carvajal ’87 and Jon Greenawalt ’91 (*deceased)
2006 Ron Daniels
Provost of the University of Pennsylvania
2005 Ty Furman
Director of the Performing Arts Program at Penn
2004* Amy Gutmann
President of the University of Pennsylvania *** (officially awarded honor in 2018)
2004 Patricia L. Rose
Director of Penn’s Career Services
2003 Rosemarie Burnett
Director of the Penn Athletic Academic Advising System
2003 Roger Reina
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Wrestling
2002 Bob Alig
Assistant Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania, Alumni Relations
2001 None given due to our 100th Gala
2000 Karen Gaines
Editor-in-Chief of The Almanac
2000 Demer Holleran
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Women’s Squash
1999 Didi Owens
Past President of the Association of Alumnae and mother of Friar John Owens ’91
1999 Willis J. “Lee” Stetson
Dean of Penn’s Undergraduate Admissions
1998 Kathy (Lawlor) Gilbert
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Men’s and Women’s Swimming
1998 Sheldon Hackney
Past President of the University of Pennsylvania (*deceased)
1997 Robert Levy
Alumni Trustee and Assistant Coach of Penn’s Varsity Women’s Tennis (*deceased)
1996 Stanley Bergman
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Heavyweight Crew
1996 John N. Reardon
President of the General Alumni Society
1995 Fran Dunphy
Coach of Penn’s Varsity Men’s Basketball
1994 Marjorie O. “Midge” Rendell
U.S. District Court Judge
1994 Sally Shoemaker
Mother of FOUR Friars: Peter ’86, John ’87, Chris ’91, Julie ’94
1993 E. Digby Baltzell
Penn Professor Emeritus of Sociology (*deceased)
1992 Howard Mitchell
Professor of Wharton School in Management (*deceased)
1991 Byron Dresner
Associate Dean of the Wharton School
1990 Audrey C. Bedford
Director of the Alumni Council on Admissions
1990 Harold Haskins
Director of Supportive Services at Penn (*deceased)
1989 Doris Dannenhirsh-Beshunsky
Founder and Coach of the Pennquinettes (*deceased)
1988 Lucy D. Hackney Esq
Champion of Legal Services for Children (*deceased)
1987 Nicholas Constan Jr.
Assistant to the President of the University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Associate Professor of Legal Studies (*deceased)
1986 Dr. Joseph Bordogna
Dean of the Engineering School
1986 Claire M. Fagin
Dean of the School of Nursing , Interum President of the University (*deceased)
1985 Ross Webber
Vice President for Development and University Relations
1985 Seymour Finkelstein
Alumni Trustee of the University (*deceased)
1985 Myron Mainthow
Former Alumni Trustee of the University (*deceased)
1984 John P. Hellwege
President of the General Alumni Society
1983 Dr. Joel Conarroe
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
1983 Robert A. Glascott
Director of Intramural Athletics and Recreation
1982 Marge Brown
Mrs. Robert F. “Bo” Brown ’28 (*deceased)
1981 Herbert Hartnett
Director of Sports Information/Athletic Media Relations
1981 Sara S. Senior
President of the General Alumni Society
1980 Peter Riley
Father of the late Peter K. Riley ’59 (*deceased)
1978 Penny Rubincam
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
1977 David C. Auten
President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
1977 Ronald Bond
Director of Recreation
1976 Connie Van Housen
Director of Women’s Athletics/td>
1974 Stephen Goff
President of the Mask & Wig Graduate Club and Director of the Annenberg Center
1973 Ione A. Strauss
President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
1972 Bruce E. Montgomery
Director of the Penn Glee Club (*deceased)
1971 Martin Meyerson
President of the University of Pennsylvania (*deceased)
1970 Samuel H. Ballam
President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
1969 John A. Russell
Vice Provost for University Life (*deceased)
1968 No Record
1967 Victor T. Ehre
Active Alumnus (*deceased)
1966 Sarkes Tarzan
Alumni Trustee of the University (*deceased)
1965 Robert M. Rhodes
Editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette (*deceased)
1961 Edwin J. Pollock
Sports Editor, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin (*deceased)
1960 Walter H. Annenberg
University Trustee, Publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Owner of TV Guide, Diplomat and Benefactor of Annenberg School of Communication (*deceased)
Albert C. Baugh
Professor and Chairman of English (*deceased)
Clay A. Boland
Mask and Wig (*deceased)
Thomas A. Budd
Associate Head of Wharton, Professor of Finance (*deceased)
Stuart H. Carroll
Executive Vice President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
Robert W. Clipp
Trustee of the University, Head of TV Nation WFIL  (*deceased)
Windsor F. Cousins
President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
John M. Fogg Jr.
Vice Provost and Dean of the College (*deceased)
Richard A. Harter
Head Varsity Basketball Coach (*deceased)
H. Hunter Lott Jr.
Member of the Athletic Council (*deceased)
Luther Martin III
President of the General Alumni Society (*deceased)
Karl G. Miller
Dean of the College for Women (*deceased)
Albert G. Molloy
Varsity Tennis Coach (*deceased)
Paul H. Musser
English Professor, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and then Administrative Vice President of the University (*deceased)
H. Sherman Oberly
Dean of Admissions
Merle M. Odgers
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts for Women, and then President of Bucknell (*deceased)
Walter O’Malley
Emeritus Alumni Trustee, President of the Los Angeles Dodgers (*deceased)
Froelich Rainey
Director of the University Museum (*deceased)
Isador S. Ravdin
Professor of Surgery and Vice President for Medical Affairs (*deceased)
Gilbert Seldes
Founding Dean of the Annenberg School of Communications (*deceased)
W. Brooke Stabler
Chaplain of the University (*deceased)
W. Chattin Wetherill
Vice President, for Student Welfare (*deceased)
Morris  Wistar Wood
Secretary of the  General Alumni Society (*deceased)
Harold L. Zellerbach
Emeritus Life Trustee of the University (*deceased)