Alumna and Olympic medalist Janet Evans to receive USC Alumni Merit Award

Alumna Janet Evans (pictured, B.A. Communication ’95) is one of seven Trojans to be honored at the 77th Annual USC Alumni Awards on April 24 at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles.

Evans, a five-time Olympic medalist in distance swimming and world-record holder in four events, will receive an Alumni Merit Award, recognizing “individuals whose remarkable accomplishments speak well for the range and quality of a USC education.”

Jane Bensussen (M.A. ’69) will receive an Alumni Service Awards for “outstanding volunteer efforts on behalf of the university.” The 2010 USC Alumni awards will also feature a special alumni tribute to retiring USC President Steven B. Sample and his wife Kathryn, commemorating their 19 years of service to the university.

“This year’s honorees represent the very best of the Trojan Family,” said Scott Mory, USC Alumni Association CEO. “We look forward to welcoming them, and our guests, to the 77th Annual Alumni Awards.”

In addition to Evans, the USC Alumni Association will recognize six other distinguished alumni for their achievements and contributions. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taylor Hackford ’67 (LAS) will receive the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award, the university’s highest alumni honor. USC trustee and Cogent, Inc. co-founder Ming Hsieh ’83, MS ’84 (Viterbi) and Captain Melissa Ward ’86 (Marshall), the first African-American woman to serve as a commercial airline captain, will receive Alumni Merit Awards.

Former USC trustee Gale Bensussen ’70 (Marshall) and his wife Jane, benefactors of the Bensussen Research Floor of the USC School of Pharmacy, and Roger W. Rossier MS ’62, EdD ’72 (Rossier), benefactor of the USC Rossier School of Education and chair of the USC Orange County President’s Council, will receive Alumni Service Awards for “outstanding volunteer efforts on behalf of the university.”

Every year since 1932, the USC Alumni Association has paid tribute to distinguished members of the Trojan Family. The annual Alumni Awards is the premier event sponsored by the Alumni Association. All proceeds from the event support the Alumni Association’s programs, services and scholarships. Past honorees include Grammy-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert, former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher, architect Frank O. Gehry, opera great Marilyn Horne, WNBA star and USC Annenberg alumna Lisa Leslie and screen legend John Wayne. For more information, please visit http://alumni.usc.edu/awards.