Sterling Friendship Award
Honoring contributions of distinguished older adults
The Sterling Friendship Award is one of many ways Friendship Village honors the contributions of older adults in our society. Each year, the Award is presented to an individual age 65 or older who is distinguished by significant and continuing accomplishments in business, the community, or other fields. The presentation takes place in the Fall at the annual Sterling Friendship Award Gala.
This year's celebration will be even more special as it marks the 10th anniversary of the Sterling Award and the 30th anniversary of Friendship Village.
We're pleased to announce the recipients of the 2007 Sterling Awards:
Sterling Friendship Award
R. Thomas Jaeger
Sterling Distinguished Service Award
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging — William (Larry) Minnix, Jr.
Click here for more information on the honorees,
the evening's entertainer and the 10th Annual event.
Past recipients include:
- 2006: Ruth Park, Schaumburg Civic Leader and co-founder of the Schaumburg Business Association
- 2005: Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs, Founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago
- 2004: Willard Scott, NBC "Today" show weatherman and television personality
- 2003: Dr. Joyce Brothers, psychologist, author, and television personality
- 2002: Art Linkletter, nationally known radio and television personality
- 2001: Harry Volkman, longtime Chicagoland weather forecaster
- 2000: William Warfield, Grammy-Award-winning bass-baritone
- 1999: The Honorable Virginia Macdonald, former Illinois State Representative
- 1998: Ray Meyer, former DePaul University basketball coach
The first Sterling Friendship Award Dinner was held in 1998, and the award itself was created that same year by artist and sculptor Joseph Burlini, who resides in Arlington Heights. In Mr. Burlini's words, "The shape represents the fullness of life and the wholeness of the individual. The inner metal piece represents the core of the individual – the purpose that drives them – and the shiny finish provides an opportunity for each of us to see the potential within ourselves." It's a design that reflects Friendship Village's own focus on the individual, making the Sterling Friendship Award an ideal symbol for our community and our mission.
Sterling Distinguished Service - Honoring Exemplary Service
The Sterling Distinguished Service Award, presented for the first time in 2005, honors a person or organization providing exemplary service to older adults.
Past recipients of this honor include:
- 2006: The Retirement Research Foundation (RRF), an organization that has worked for two decades to meet the growing and changing needs of older Americans.
- 2005: Anna Ortigara, a registered nurse focused on gerontology and Alzheimer's disease and Vice President for Culture Change, Life Services Network in Hinsdale, Ill.
