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 winner of the John Henry Lawton Award is announced at the Communication Honors Dinner held on the first Sunday in May. The Lawton Award is formally presented at the College of Arts and Sciences Awards Ceremony on the Sunday before graduation.
The winners of the Lawton Award include:
2009 Cooley A. Horner Alicia M. Parmentier 2008 Kimberly Rose Walsh Lauren Brett Zaccone 2007 Christopher J. Hunker 2006 Leslie A. Abbott Susan L. Berube 2005 Julia D. Clause Sara Ann Mehltretter Anne E. Trevethick 2004 Carissa Mann William J. Sadler 2003 Mary K. Dow Natalie R. Van Kleef 2002 Erica L. Hepp 2001 Melissa A. Gasbarro Jennifer M. Stanis 2000 Megan A. Gerson Elizabeth A. Provasoli 1999 Susan G. Verrill 1998 No award presented 1997 Christopher D. Hunter
