The Lincoln Academy of Illinois

2026 Student Laureates to be Honored October 24

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will honor 50 outstanding seniors from Illinois universities and colleges for their campus leadership and commitment to civic service. Each individual will receive the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, which includes a Lincoln medallion, a challenge coin, and monetary support from the Academy. The event will be livestreamed, see the link below.

The Lincoln Laureates Podcast Celebrates Evelyn Brandt Thomas

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois has released a new episode of The Lincoln Laureates podcast celebrating Lincoln Laureate Evelyn Brandt Thomas’ 103rd birthday. In the episode, the centenarian businesswoman and philanthropist reflects on her remarkable journey from humble beginnings to building a global agricultural business and giving back to communities across Illinois and beyond.

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Group of 2026 Laureates

2026 LINCOLN LAUREATES

Lincoln Academy of Illinois President Governor JB Pritzker, together with Chancellor Todd Shapiro, presented the 2026 Order of Lincoln in a formal ceremony on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville on April 11, 2026. This award is the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service. The five recipients are:

  • Larry Gies, Founder and CEO of Madison Industries, one of the largest and most successful privately-held companies in the world.
  • The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, civic leader, lawyer, best-selling author and political advisor who is currently CEO and members of the board of directors at The Obama Foundation.
  • Blair Kamin, Pulitzer Prize architectural columnist, lecturer, and author, he was the longtime architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune.
  • Reginald Petty, educator, civil-rights activist, and historian who received several presidential appointments where he created and led educational and training programs.
  • The Honorable Jesse White, Illinois’37th Secretary of State, a former paratrooper, and professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs. Dedicated to youth mentorship through the Jesse White Tumbling Team and Foundation.

 

Gies

Larry Gies

Jarrett

The Honorable Valerie Jarrett

Kamin

Blair Kamin

Petty

Dr. Reginald Petty

White

The Honorable Jesse White

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE

A LINCOLN LAUREATE

Becoming a Lincoln Laureate is a prestigious honor conferred by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. It celebrates outstanding individuals across diverse domains. Named in homage to Abraham Lincoln, the award acknowledges remarkable contributions made by individuals within the state, upholding the legacy of excellence and service.

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OUR IMPACT

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STUDENT LAUREATES

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LINCOLN LAUREATES

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HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
WHAT IS THE

ORDER OF LINCOLN?

The Order of Lincoln was established in 1964 by Proclamation of Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, Jr., to honor individuals whose contributions to the betterment of humanity have been accomplished in Illinois, or, whose achievements have brought honor to the state because of their identity with it, whether by birth or residence, or whose dedication to the principles of public service inspire all Illinoisans to respond to what Lincoln called 'the better angels of our nature'.

Each honoree receives a warrant signed by the Governor and bearing the Great Seal of the State of Illinois, certifying his or her investiture as a Laureate of the Order of Lincoln.

 

 

To ensure that no political connotation should surround the award, an independent, non-partisan entity was established to administer the program. Thus, the Order of Lincoln and the Lincoln Academy (based respectively upon the French Legion of Honor and the French Academy) of Illinois were established, with Michael Butler, the Academy's first chancellor, as its primary architect.

In 1989, as part of the Academy's twenty-fifth anniversary, Governor James R. Thompson declared the Order of Lincoln to be 'the state's highest award' and every Illinois Governor since then has so described it.

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OUR HISTORY

1964

The Lincoln Academy is founded by proclamation of the Governor of Illinois.

1965

The first Convocation and Investiture of Lincoln Laureates is held on Lincoln's birthday at the Chicago Historical Society. The Governor's Reception and the Lincoln Ball held immediately following.

1975

The mission of the Lincoln Academy is expanded with the formation of the Student Laureate Program, presenting the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement award to outstanding seniors throughout the state of Illinois.

1981

The salaried position of Executive Director is instituted.  Lincoln Academy Regent Judith Bartholf begins as the first to hold the position.

1992

The Hall of Fame of Historic Illinoisans established by Governor Jim Edgar to recognize early contributions to our state's heritage prior to the founding of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.

2009

A special Bicentennial Convocation held to observe the 200th anniversary of the birth of Lincoln.  Thirty distinguished Lincoln scholars, collectors, artists and curators were honored.

2010

Lincoln Academy Trustee Julie Kellner becomes Executive Director.

2015

Lincoln Academy celebrates the 50th Convocation and Investiture of Lincoln Laureates at The Field Museum in Chicago.

2021

Lincoln Academy names Leanne Barnhart as Executive Director.

2025

Lincoln Academy celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Student Laureate Award, which was held on the campus of the University of Chicago.

  • Laureate Michael Krzyzewski ("Coach K")

    Michael Krzyzewski ("Coach K") was the head men's basketball coach at Duke University. Under his leadership the Blue Devils have won 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championships, qualified for 11 NCAA Final Fours, and won four National Championships. He also coached the United States Men's Basketball team to gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

    In 2006, he opened the Emily Krzyzewski Center in honor of his late mother - where he serves as Chair of the Board. In addition to his work with the Emily Krzyzewski Center, he and his wife, Mickie, also have been active in fundraising and support of the Duke Children's Hospital, the Children's Miracle Network, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

  • Laureate Jackie Joyner-Kersee

    Jacqueline "Jackie" Joyner-Kersee is ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women's heptathlon as well as in the women's long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those four different events. She was voted the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century. Jacqueline Joyner was born in East St. Louis, Illinois.

    Joyner-Kersee established the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which provides youth, adults, and families with the resources to improve their quality of life with special attention directed to East St. Louis, Illinois.

    "It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret."
    - Jackie Joyner-Kersee

  • Laureate Bernard Shaw

    Bernard Shaw was from Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a broadcast journalist he worked for CBS and ABC, but was most widely known for his work at CNN where he was Principal Anchor starting in 1980. While at CNN he hosted a Presidential debate with G.H.W. Bush and Dukakis. He also reported live from the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad during the 1991 Gulf War while cruise missiles flew by outside his room.

  • Laureate Studs Terkel

    Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago where he lived the majority of his life.

    "I always love to quote Albert Einstein because nobody dares contradict him."
    - Studs Terkel