A Nobel Prize winner, a Kansas City-area philanthropist, a leader in treating autism and a groundbreaking politician next month will receive Distinguished Service Citations from Kansas University.

The citations, the highest honor given by KU, will be awarded during a supper and ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 16 in the Kansas Union Ballroom. The awards have been given annually since 1941.

Recipients also have been invited to march in the May 18 commencement and will be recognized at the ceremony.

This year’s recipients:

• George L. Brown, Arlington, Va., who received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from KU in 1950.

Brown, a Tuskegee airman during World War II, worked as a journalist for the Denver Post before entering politics. He was the first black man elected to the Colorado State Senate, where he served five terms.

He later was director of the Denver Housing Authority, where he was known for developing health programs for seniors and recreational activities for children and teenagers.

Brown

He is a trustee for the Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. In 1976, the KU School of Journalism created the George Brown urban journalism scholarship.

Hall

• Adele Hall, Mission Hills, whose husband, Don, recently stepped down as chairman of Hallmark Cards.

Adele Hall is the first woman to lead the Heart of America United Way in Kansas City. She also founded the Women’s Public Service, providing a forum for social issues.

Mayo

She was named Kansas City Philanthropist of the Year in 1993. She also has received an Image Award from the Urban League and the Junior League Volunteer of the Year Award.

She serves on the boards of the American Academy of Pediatrics Partnership for Children, Children’s Mercy Hospital, De La Salle School and Genesis School.

Smith

• Liliana Mayo, La Punta-Callao, Peru, who received a master’s degree at KU in 1989 and a doctorate in 1996.

After attending KU, Mayo returned to her native Peru to found the Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru. The center helps Peruvian families deal with autism. Mayo has led a local effort to involve autistic children’s families in the educational process.

Mayo teaches at the University Cayetano Heredia and Catholic Pontificate University in Lima. She also has been an honorary associate professor at KU’s department of human development and family life.

Mayo received the Peruvian Professional Excellence award the Cuban Medal of Honor and the Queen Sofia of Spain International Award.

• Vernon L. Smith, Arlington, Va., who received his master’s degree from KU in 1952.

Smith, known as the father of experimental economics, shared the 2002 Nobel Prize. After receiving his master’s degree from KU, he earned a doctorate at Harvard University.

He recently accepted a one-year appointment at the University of Alaska, and is a professor of law and economics at George Mason University. His work has been funded, in part, by the Koch Foundation in Wichita.

Smith, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, also serves on the editorial boards for three economics publications.

¢ Distinguished Service Citation recipients