Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson awards Evan Silverstein ’76 with the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2023.
Presidential Medal of Honor
The Brooklyn College Presidential Medal of Honor recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society, exemplifying excellence, leadership, and service. The award honors distinguished achievements across various fields, celebrating those who inspire positive change and uphold the college’s values of academic and community excellence.
Award Recipients
1967
Francis Kilcoyne
1977
Jeremiah Bloom
Elizabeth Chirico ’39
1978
Stanley Steingut
1979
Melvin Miller ’61
1980
Stanley Fink ’56
Frederic H. J. Rider
Belle Zeller
Livingston Biddle Jr.
Joseph Duffy ’57
John Hope Franklin
Harold Jacobs
Joshua Lederberg
1981
Thomas J. Cutie
Clifford J. Friedman ’48
Murray Horowitz ’38
Joan Bacchus Maynard
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Barry Rosen ’65
1982
Carol Bellamy
James A. Cavanagh
Robert Kibbee
Edward Koch
1983
Hattie Carthan
Howard Golden
Harrison Goldin
Frank J. Macchiarola
1984
Stanley Brezenoff ’60
John Henrik Clarke
Edith Brenner Everett ’49
Gilbert Ramirez
1985
William J. Bennett
Leonard Fleischer ’54
George Friedman ’56
Bo Walker
1986
Mario Cuomo
Joseph McMurray ’36
Rev. Gardner C. Taylor
Charlene Victor
1987
Sam Beller ’59
David Diaz
Marcella Maxwell
Donald Moore
1988
Dame R. Nita Barrow
Elwin S. Larson
Richardson Pratt Jr.
F. Herbert Skeete ’59
1989
Lionel Hurst ’80
Rhoda Schwartz Jacobs ’62
Isaac Stern
1990
Joyce Roach Coppin ’62
Colman Genn ’57
Leonard Harrison
Sylvia Rosner Rothchild ’44
1991
Blanche Bernstein
I. Stanley Kriegel
Phyllis Rolfe Silverman ’48
Alfred Trotman
1993
Barbara Kydd Graves ’57
Gloria Naylor ’81
Isaura Santiago Santiago ’67
1994
Alan Dershowitz ’59
Major Owens
Charles Schumer
President William Clinton
Vartan Gregorian
1995
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Larry King
Murray Koppelman ’57
Rex Nettleford
1996
Barry Munitz ’63
1997
Arturo Madrid
James Riordan ‘45
1998
Sara Melendez ‘67
Hans Trefousse
Joel Zwick ’62
1999
Miriam Colon Valle
Hobart S. Jarrett
2000
Deborah Tobias Poritz ’58
2001
Julius C. C. Edelstein
2002
Myron I Kandel ’52
2003
Harvey L. Pitt ’65
2004
Michael Lynne ’61
2005
Milton Esterow ’49
2006
Ella Friedman Weiss ’62
Michael A. Weiss ’61
2007
Marilyn G. Gelber
Roberta S. Matthews
2008
Willard N. Archie ’68
2009
Barry R. Feirstein ’74
Howard (Woody) Tanger
2010
Martin D. Sass ’63
Madelon Levanthal Rand ’64
2011
Edwin H. Cohen ’62
Bernard H. Garil ’62
2012
Martin Mendelsohn ’63
2013
Howard Slusher ’59
2014
Marty Markowitz ’70
2015
Diana Rogovin Davidow ’66, ’73 M.S.
2016
Donald Kramer ‘59
2019
Marshall Kaplan ’49
2022
Jules Coleman ’68
2023
Evan Silverstein ’76
Irwin Federman ’56
2024
Carol Zicklin ’61
2025
Shirley Chisholm ’46
Yvette D. Clarke