Brown Bear Award

In 1946 the Brown Alumni Association adopted a recommendation from the Brown Club of New York that a Brown Bear Award be given by the association to recognize “outstanding and wide-ranging personal service rendered the University over a period of years.” Each year, an anonymous committee reviews nominations from alumni and staff and selects one to three recipients. Winners of the Brown Bear Award have usually distinguished themselves as volunteers for Brown in more than one area over a period of many years.

2023 Recipients

José J. Estabil ’84 ScM’88

José Estabil is a trustee emeritus and has served Brown in multiple roles. He was recognized by the Brown University Latino Alumni Council (BULAC), which he helped launch in 2000, and the Brown Department of Physics for distinction in his career. During his career, Estabil translated science into profitable businesses in molecular diagnostics, chip diagnostics, and semiconductor devices, as well as stewarded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s two largest international innovation programs. He co-founded Latinos in Bio, the leading nonprofit promoting inclusion and growth of Latinos in the life sciences. He has served on multiple private and public boards, including VentureWell, Itera Health, and the Brown University Corporation. He is catalyst faculty at MIT’s Institute of Medical Engineering’s translation program and also leads life sciences mentoring for Harvard Business School’s Field X and Field Y.

A prolific Brown volunteer, Estabil has served many roles, including alumni interviewer, class-gift co-chair, class officer-at-large, mentor of Brown undergrads for the Nelson Center’s Brown Venture Prize, co-chair of the Brown Alumni Association (BAA) Board of Governors’ Multicultural Alumni Committee, marketing/outreach lead for the BAA’s first website, founding member of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, member of the IE-Brown EMBA Industrial Council, and co-chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Brown Corporation.

Resa E. Lewiss, M.D. ’92

Resa E. Lewiss, M.D. ’92 is a professor of emergency medicine, TEDMED speaker, TimesUp Healthcare founder, health care designer, and award-winning author, educator, mentor, speaker, and point-of-care ultrasound specialist. She was born in Rhode Island, graduating from Westerly High School in 1988. 

At Brown she studied sociology, ethnic/racial studies, and pre-medicine. She continued her education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the NIH Howard Hughes Research Scholars Program, the Harvard Emergency Medicine Residency, and the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt Ultrasound Fellowship. She is the creator and host of the Visible Voices Podcast, amplifying content in the health care, equity, and current trends spaces. Featured in The Guardian and the Brown Alumni Magazine, Lewiss and the Visible Voices Podcast have featured many Brown community members.

She has served Brown University through membership on the Brown Women’s Leadership Council, the Brown Medical Alumni Association, and as an interviewer for the Brown Alumni Schools Committee. She has also volunteered as an alumni class officer. Her writings are published in the popular press and scientific journals, such as Harvard Business Review, Slate, Nature, CNBC, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Fast Company.

Previous Recipients

• Genine Fidler ’77, P’04, P’12
• Preston Tisdale ’73, P’10, P’10 MPH’16 MD’16, P’12
• Walter Adler 1918 AM'18, P'58 MAT'65
• Vernon R. Alden '45 LLD'64 hon., P'78, P'81, P'87
• H. Cushman Anthony 1926
• Thomas B. Appleget 1917 LLD'67 hon., P'49
• Ralph A. Armstrong 1917, P'50
• Everett M. Arnold 1921
• Harold Bailey, Jr. ’70 LHD'95 hon., P'99, P'03
• Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, P’99, P’03
• Richard C. Barker '57 LHD'09 hon., P'03, P'05
• Andrea Terzi Baum ’83, P’15, P’18, P'21
• Charles Beattie 1923, P'57, P'57, P'64
• Bernard E. Bell ’42, P’71, P’72, P’78
• Bruce M. Bigelow 1924
• Lynda Ivey Bigler ’74, P'04
• George H. Billings ’72 LHD'21 hon.
• Nathaniel Blaisdell 1883
• Sophie Schaffer Blistein ’41
• Frederick Bloom ’40, P'71
• Lyman G. Bloomingdale ’35 LHD'95 hon.
• Edward T. Brackett 1914, P'50
• C. Arthur Braitsch 1923
• Devra Miller Breslow '54
• Sheryl D. Brissett-Chapman ’71 LHD'19 hon.
• Frederick C. Broomhead 1905
• F. Abbott Brown 1926, P'55, P'57
• R. Harper Brown ’45
• William W. Browne 1908
• Nancy L. Buc ’65 LLD'94 hon.
• Susan A. Buffum ’74
• James J. Burke ’73, P’05, P’06, P’10
• Bernard V. Buonanno, Jr. ’60, P'88, P'92, P'96
• Vincent J. Buonanno ’66, P'95
• William P. Burnham 1907
• Katherine Burton ’79, DFA’07 hon., P’11
• Harry H. Burton 1916
• G. Edward Buxton 1902
• Garrett D. Byrnes 1926
• Gordon E. Cadwgan ’36
• Donald Campbell ’45
• Richard F. Carolan ’58
• Ruth Wade Cerjanec ’33
• Elizabeth Z. Chace ’59 PHB’96 hon.
• Henry S. Chafee 1909
• J. Richard Chambers ’69
• George C. Channing 1911
• Judith Korey Charles ’46
• Nathaniel B. Chase 1923
• Margaret E. Cheetham 1923
• Joseph E. Cook 1914
• Spencer R. Crew ’71, P’00, P’04
• Robert V. Cronan ’31
• Ralph R. Crosby 1926, P'52
• Moses L. Crossley 1909
• Shirley Burr Darling ’44
• Foster B. Davis, Jr. ’39
• Alexander A. DiMartino ’29
• Neil B. Donavan ’51
• Joseph L. Dowling, Jr. ’47
• William A. Dyer, Jr. 1924 LLD'84 hon., P'63
• James Eastham 1919
• Rebekah Hill Eckstein ’60, P'90
• Knight Edwards ’45, P'76
• Ruth Burt Ekstrom ’53 LLD'88 hon.
• Stephen R. Ehrlich ’55, P'85
• Joyce Wetherald Fairchild ’47
• J. Richmond Fales 1910
• Louis Farber ’29
• Christine Dunlap Farnham ’48
• William E. Fay, Jr. ’38
• Jay W. Fidler ’43, P'68, P'72, P'77
• Shelley Nan Fidler ’68, P’09
• Robert P. Fisler ’43
• Cyrus G. Flanders 1918, P'49, P'50, P'50
• John E. Flemming ’33
• John S. Foley 1925
• Joseph Freedman 1926
• Karl C. Gardner 1913
• Nancy Gidwitz ’70
• William J. Gilbane ’33 AM'58, P'70
• Robert H. Goff 1924, P'57
• Harold S. Gold ’51, P'81, P'82, P'86
• Stuart S. Golding ’39, P'68, P'69
• Alexander Graham 1906
• William A. Graham 1916
• Jeffrey S. Granger 1913
• Alfred H. Gurney 1907
• Earl W. Harrington, Jr. ’41
• Henry C. Hart 1901
• Penelope Hartland-Thunberg ’40 LLD'66 hon.
• Claire J. Henderson ’61
• Galen V. Henderson MD’93
• Lacy B. Herrman ’50
• Elie Hirschfeld ’71, P’06, P’16, P’20
• Kenneth L. Holmes ’51
• Elmer S. Horton 1916
• H. Anthony Ittleson ’60 LHD'98 hon., P'89, P'90
• Dorsey M. James ’83, P’15
• James Jemail 1918
• Harold W. Jordan II ’85
• Alfred H. Joslin ’35
• Artemis A. W. Joukowsky ’55 LLD'85 hon., P'87
• Martha Sharp Joukowsky ’58 PhB'82 hon. LHD'85 hon., P'87
• Susan Adler Kaplan ’58 MAT’65
• Peige Katz ’91, P'24
• Barnaby C. Keeney ADE’49 hon. LLD’67 hon.
• Pardon R. Kenney ’72 MMSc'75 MD'75 RES'80, P'03
• Robert W. Kenny 1925 AM'26 PhD'34 LHD'75 hon., P'55
• Elizabeth Goodale Kenyon ’39
• Otto Kerner ’30
• Ronald M. Kimball 1918
• Robert I. Kramer ’54
• Fraser M. Lang ’67
• Marie J. Langlois ’64
• Javette P. Laremont ’80
• John E. Liebmann ’41
• Gerald R. Levine ’58
• Joseph F. Lockett, Jr. ’42
• Irving G. Loxley ’27
• David G. Lubrano ’52
• E. Robert Lupone ’81
• William B. McCormick 1923
• Elizabeth J. MacDonald ’30
• W. Kilgore Macfarlane, Jr. 1923
• Paul F. Mackesey ’32
• W. Duncan MacMillan ’53 LLD'93 hon.
• Paul L. Maddock ’33
• Joseph H. Mahood, Jr. ’31
• Wiley H. Marble 1912
• Stanley F. Mathes ’39
• Gail E. McCann ’75
• Kenneth H. McDaniel ’69, P’13
• Alfred B. Meacham 1896
• Teresa Gagnon Mellone ’39
• C. Douglas Mercer 1906
• Bernice Cohan Meyer ’46, P’76
• Ellen Shaffer Meyer ’61, P’94
• Margaret Conant Michael ’51
• Rita Michaelson ’50
• Jean E. Miller ’49
• Anne Jones Mills ’60
• Lewis S. Milner 1902
• John J. Monk 1924
• John H. Morrissey 1910
• Carlton D. Morse 1913
• Norma Caslowitz Munves ’54
• Edwin M. Murphy 1919
• Nancy F. Neff ’76, P’06, P’14
• Dorothy Markoff Nelson ’35
• Chapin S. Newhard 1922
• Carolyn Cardall Newsom ’62
• Diane Lake Northrop ’54, P’81
• Richard A. Nurse ’61, P’88
• Dennis O’Brien 1898
• Eugene W. O’Brien 1919
• Ralph M. Palmer 1910
• Norman Pierce ’33
• Louis A. R. Pieri 1920
• Gavin A. Pitt ’38
• William A. Pollard ’50, P'77, P'81, P'85
• Emery M. Porter 1906
• Robert A. Reichley ADE'69 hon., P'77
• Joseph W. Ress 1926
• Quentin J. Reynolds 1924
• John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 1897
• Carmen M. Rodriguez '83, P'14 MD'21, P'17
• Hannelore B. Rodriguez-Farrar '87 AM'90 PhD'09
• John J. Roe, Jr. ’27
• Harold G. Rogers ’27
• William D. Rogers ’52, P’80, P’87
• Frederick H. Rohlfs 1926
• Benjamin D. Roman 1925
• Ralph F. Rosenberg ’86, P’17
• Eileen M. Rudden ’72, P’03, P’07, P’11
• Richard B. Salomon ’32, LLD’72 hon.
• Cayetano Sanchez III ’80
• Robert P. Sanchez ’58, P’89
• Edwin J. Schermerhorn ’34
• Henry D. Sharpe ’94
• Henry D. Sharpe, Jr. ’45
• Helena Hogan Shea ’30
• Harold S. Shefelman 1920
• Roger B. Simon ’61
• H. Stanton Smith 1921
• Joan Wernig Sorensen '72 LHD'19 hon., P'06 P'06
• Anita V. Spivey ’74, P’09
• W. Earl Sprackling 1912
• Doris Hopkins Stapelton ’28
• Wendy J. Strothman ’72 LHD'08 hon., P'07
• Edward Sulzberger ’29
• Vera Matteson Sundquist ’29
• F. Hartwell Swaffield ’37
• Richmond H. Sweet 1925, P'76
• Eugene C. Swift ’42, P’67, P’69
• Martin L. Tarpy ’37
• Joseph L. Tauro ’53 LLD’98 hon., P’84
• Charles C. Tillinghast, Jr. ’32 LLD’67 hon., P’61, P’67
• Phyllis Van Horn Tillinghast ’51
• Clayton C. Timbrell ’42
• Richard J. Tracy ’46
• Darcy A. Travlos ’84, P’20
• William H. Twaddell ’63
• Sanford W. Udis ’41
• Mary E. Vascellaro '74, P'07
• Richard L. Walsh ’37
• Thomas J. Watson, Jr. ’37 LLD'57 hon.
• Alva O. Way ’51
• Edward H. Weeks ’93
• Charles Weisbecker III ’41
• Elizabeth B. West ’73, P’17
• Scott D. Westerfield ’79
• Dorothy Williams Wells ’52
• James L. Whitcomb ’36
• Augustus A. White III '57 DMS'97 hon., P'98
• Clinton C. White 1900
• Sydney Wilmot 1909
• Ruth Harris Wolf ’41
• W. Chesley Worthington 1923
• Henry M. Wriston ADE'43 hon.
• Phyllis Baldwin Young ’45, P’87
• Dudley A. Zinke ’39