Gustavus Adolphus College presented Craig Johnson ’69, Talmadge King ’70, and Barbara Leonard ’63 with Distinguished Alumni Citations Saturday, May 31 at the College’s Alumni Banquet as part of the 2008 Reunion Weekend.
The Distinguished Alumni Citation recognizes outstanding and exceptional professional achievement, such as to bring unusual honor to the individual in his or her field of endeavor. Criteria appropriate to selection include the difficulty of accomplishment; quality, creativity, and distinctiveness of performance; recognition by professional peers; and lasting contribution to the world of ideas and affairs.
Johnson is the Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He currently serves on the ELCA Conference of Bishops; Making a World of Difference Leadership Team; Minnesota Council of Churches Board of Trustees and the Foundation Executive Committee; the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Board and the Executive Committee; Faith in the City Governing Group; and the ELCA Program Unit for Vocation and Education. Johnson previously served on the College’s Board of Trustees and as Associate Vice President for Church Relations.
King is currently Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. As chair, King is the department’s academic leader and administrative head — guiding research, education, and patient care. He leads activities for more than 500 full time faculty, 805 volunteer clinical faculty, 194 residents, 210 fellows, and 1500 staff. King’s department is the second-largest in the country in terms of faculty members, it comprises 41 divisions, and provides comprehensive medical services at five medical centers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Leonard has spent the majority of her 45-year career at the University of Minnesota, on faculty in the School of Public Health and the School of Nursing. She currently holds the titles of Professor and Director of the Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs. Her honors and awards include receiving the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Award for Outstanding Service to Children and being selected as a fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. Leonard is also noted for establishing the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
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