Five Lawrence residents received awards Tuesday during Baker University’s annual Partners-In-Progress breakfast reception.

From their business careers to volunteer efforts, the honorees offer excellent examples for future leaders to follow, said Pat Long, Baker president.

“You are really what we want our Baker graduates to be about,” Long told the honorees, part of a crowd of about 200 people gathered at SpringHill Suites by Marriott. “Our new mission statement talks about being committed to student learning, and developing confident and competent contributors to society.

“That’s what you have been, and we want our Baker graduates to emulate people like you.”

The winners:

l Business Person of the Year: Steve Glass, president, LRM Industries Inc. Glass owns LRM, a company with about 100 employees who produce and recycle concrete and asphalt, build roads and highways and provide other construction-related services in northeast Kansas.

He has worked for the company since 1966, and today serves on the boards of Douglas County Bank and Douglas County Development Inc., and in 2005 and 2006 was president of the Lawrence Schools Foundation.

“Lawrence has been a wonderful home to our family for over 80 years and five generations,” Glass said. “We’ve enjoyed and benefited from the growth of our community, and yet we also cherish the history of Lawrence. I firmly believe that supporting the growth of our community and preserving and celebrating our history do not need to be mutually exclusive positions. I’m hopeful that our elected officials can find a way to support both positions.”

l Outstanding Leadership and Achievement in Business: Jim Schubert, Peter Curran and Virginia Curran. Schubert, a former Lawrence mayor, owned the Jay Shoppe in downtown Lawrence, and helped establish what is today Downtown Lawrence Inc., the central business district’s member organization. His daughter, Virginia Curran, is a member of several community organizations and is involved in the Lied Center Corporate Campaign. Her husband, Peter Curran, is managing partner for Stevens and Brand, a Lawrence law firm.

“All three of us are extremely pleased to be designated for an honor from Baker University,” said Peter Curran, chosen to speak for the group. “It’s a distinct honor and privilege. I recognize, however, that I’m really here riding the coattails of the Schuberts. And I’m willing to do that. :

“Jim Schubert conducts his life, has always conducted his life, according to the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct.”

l Civic Service Award: Jean Shepherd, Douglas County district court judge. Shepherd was recognized as an advocate for families and juveniles, especially since joining the bench in 1984 and focusing on family issues.

“I have to thank you and everyone in this community for giving me the opportunity,” she said. “It’s because of you – I work for the public – that I have the opportunity to do this work that I love and that I think is so important every single day. So thank you for the recognition, and thank you for the opportunity.”