Atomic physicist Deborah Jin probably knows as much about drilling for oil as Fred Hamilton knows about molecular condensate. And what both of them know about architecture, well, you might be surprised.
Because they are brilliant in their respective fields, Jin, a world leader in the field of ultracold atomic gases, and Hamilton, one of America’s oil-and-gas pioneers, along with John Anderson, the Denver architect known for his leadership in the field of sustainable design, are the recipients of the 22nd Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Awards.
Jin, recipient of the Science and Medicine prize, is a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is one of only a handful of female physicists elected to the National Academy of Sciences and is by far the youngest to have received that honor. Her research and innovations have led to discoveries that ultimately will lead to the development of faster computers, smaller cellphones and lower electric bills.
Hamilton, honored for community service, began as a roughneck and roustabout in the oil fields of Texas. He was co-founder and chairman of Tejas Gas and Hamilton Oil; Tejas was sold to Shell Oil in 1998 while Hamilton Oil merged with Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. in 1994. He is a trustee of the National Gallery of Art and has been a member of the Denver Art Museum board since 1977, leading two endowment campaigns that raised $92.5 million. The museum’s Daniel Libeskind-designed expansion is named for him.
Anderson, founding principal of AndersonMasonDale Architects, is the recipient of the arts and humanities award. His firm has designed such Denver landmarks as the U.S. Courthouse, the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, Colorado’s Ocean Journey and the Denver Zoo’s Tropical Discovery. He was president of the American Institute of Architects in 2001 and was named Architect of the Year in 1987. He chaired the Lower Downtown Denver Historic District design review board and is widely known as a champion of energy conservation and the use of recycled materials.
Also known as Colorado Nobel Prizes, the awards were given at a Westin Tabor Center luncheon that also was the occasion to present the five nonprofit leaders who are the Livingston Fellows for 2007.
The Livingston Fellowship was established in 2005 as a tribute to the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s chairman emeritus, Johnston R. Livingston. Each fellowship comes with a cash award of up to $25,000 that is to be used to support the recipient’s advanced learning and professional development.
The 2007 fellows are Lance Cheslock, executive director of La Puente Home in Alamosa; Tom Downey, executive of the Children’s Museum of Denver; Lucille Johnson, director of health initiatives at the Center for African American Health; Barclay Jones, vice president of Asssets for Family Success at Mile High United Way; and Patty Ortiz, executive director of Denver’s Museo de las Americas.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. She also contributes at denverpostbloghouse.com/Davidson.
