Dr. John Henry Lawton came to Boston College in 1960 after earning a doctorate in Rhetorical Studies at the University of Iowa. After coaching the Fulton Debating Society to national prominence, Dr. Lawton returned to the faculty and served as chair of the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre from 1963 until 1980.

When Dr. Lawton died in 1983, friends and colleagues contributed to a memorial fund that was administered by Boston College. Over the next decade, the fund doubled in value and it was eventually decided to use the interest to support the John Henry Lawton Award for the outstanding Communication major in the graduating class.

The winners of the Lawton Award include: