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Established in 1983 in honor of President Emeritus Richard W. Lyman, the yearly Richard W. Lyman Award recognizes one outstanding faculty member who generously donates time to alumni, goes beyond the expectations of university appointments and embodies the Stanford Alumni Association mission.
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Caroline Winterer
Chair of the department of history, the William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies, and professor of history and, by courtesy, of classics and of education
For over 16 years, Caroline has served as a spectacular goodwill ambassador for the university. She embodies SAA’s mission to foster a lifelong connection between the university and its graduates through an unwavering commitment to sharing her scholarship during regional and club events, Sierra Camp, Reunion Homecoming, and Travel/Study trips, where you can find her tackling complex topics with ease and delivering lectures with her signature wit (her mini lectures, affectionately known as “snack lectures” or “snectures,” are a highlight of her Travel/Study leadership).
Caroline specializes in and teaches courses on American history before 1900, especially the history of ideas, political thought, material culture, and the history of science. She loves figuring out how ancient people thought about their world, puzzling together other people’s lives and experiences given the sometimes tiny amounts of evidence we have for the past. Her teaching has extended far beyond the classrooms of the Farm, reaching across the United States, New England, the South of France, and Sicily, to name a few. Whether she’s imagining a world where Benjamin Franklin had Facebook or bringing a destination to life with historical context, she has a talent for captivating groups of curious Stanford alumni wherever she is.
The impression Caroline leaves on the Stanford community is profound. Lecture attendees describe her as not only a “true star” and a “superb teacher” but also a “gem”—and as one traveler put it, "the best and most interesting lecturer” ever encountered. Another alum marveled at how she reignited a love for learning that made one “want to go back to school.” Staff recognize her as an intelligent, thoughtful, and engaging collaborator and scholar who is dedicated to creating unforgettable educational experiences for alumni.
Caroline Winterer has an extraordinary gift for turning history into connection—between ideas and places, scholarship and curiosity, Stanford and its alumni. She exemplifies the very best of faculty service and Stanford citizenship.”
—Howard Wolf, ’80, Vice President for Alumni Affairs, Stanford University, President, Stanford Alumni Association
Caroline Winterer is a steadfast faculty volunteer who engages alumni with a deep knowledge of history and an infectious enthusiasm that makes the study of past and present all the more meaningful. The Stanford Alumni Association is grateful for her outstanding Stanford citizenship across the university and impact on our alumni community.
2024 | Mehran Sahami, ’92, MS ’93, PhD ’99, Tencent Chair of the Computer Science Department, James and Ellenor Chesebrough Professor, and a senior fellow, by courtesy, at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
2023 | Elaine Treharne, Roberta Bowman Denning Professor in the Humanities and professor, by courtesy, of German studies and of comparative literature
2022 | Christopher Gardner, Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine and director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center
2021 | Elizabeth A. Hadly, Paul S. and Billie Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, director of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and professor, by courtesy, of geological sciences
2019 | Michael McFaul, ’86, MA ’86, Director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in Political Science, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
2018 | Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in management science and engineering, and faculty director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program
2017 | Abbas Milani, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, co-director of the Iran Democracy Project and research fellow at the Hoover Institution
2016 | James A. Fox, director of the Center for Latin American Studies, associate professor of anthropological sciences and, by courtesy, of Spanish and Portuguese
2015 | Jeffrey R. Koseff, Perry L. McCarty Director of the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, Michael Forman University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, and William Alden Campbell and Martha Campbell Professor of Civic and Environmental Engineering
2014 | Margot Gerritsen, associate professor of energy resources engineering, director of the institute for computational and mathematical engineering, and senior associate dean in the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences
2013 | Larry Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and professor, by courtesy, of sociology and of political science, and the Peter E. Haas Faculty Co-Director of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford
2012 | Hank Greely, Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law
2011 | Lyman P. Van Slyke, professor emeritus of history
2010 | Al Camarillo, professor of History, Miriam and Peter Haas Centennial Professor in Public Service and special assistant to the provost for faculty diversity
2009 | Rob Dunbar, W.M. Keck Professor in the School of Earth Sciences, Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant Director of the Earth Systems Program, and senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
2008 | Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson, Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law and McCarty Director of the Woods Institute for the Environment
2007 | Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology
2006 | Marsh McCall, professor of classics
2005 | Pamela Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences, and professor geological and environmental sciences
2004 | David Brady, Bowen H. and Janice Arthur McCoy Professor of Political Science; Morris M. Doyle Centennial Professor in Public Policy; and senior fellow at the Institute for International Studies
2003 | Harry Elam, Christiansen Professor for the Humanities and the Robert and Ruth Halperin University Fellow in Undergraduate Education
2002 | John W. Rick, associate professor
2001 | David B. Abernethy, professor emeritus of political science and director of the Center for African Studies
2000 | Nancy H. Packer, Melvin and Bill Lane Professor in the Humanities
1999 | William H. Durham, Bing Professor of Human Biology and the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang University Fellow in Undergraduate Education
1998 | Wanda M. Corn, Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
1997 | Albert H. Hastorf, Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor of Human Biology, professor of psychology, and, by courtesy, professor emeritus in the Graduate School of Business
1996 | Robert C. Gregg, Teresa Hihn Moore Professor in Religious Studies, emeritus
1995 | Norman M. Naimark, professor and senior fellow, by courtesy, at the Institute for International Studies
1995 | James T.S. Porterfield, (honorary) member of academic council; James Irvin Miller Professor of Finance in the Graduate School of Business, emeritus
1994 | Ernle W. D. Young, teaching professor of medicine (pulmonary and critical care)
1993 | Ronald A. Rebholz, professor emeritus of English
1992 | Barry M. Katz, consulting professor of mechanical engineering
1991 | Channing R. Robertson, Ruth G. and William K. Bowes Professor of Chemical Engineering
1990 | J. Martin Evans, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor
1989 | Diane Wood Middlebrook, professor emerita of English
1988 | David M. Kennedy, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History
1987 | Albert E. Elsen, Walter A. Haas Professor of Art History
1986 | William M. Chace, professor emeritus of English and former vice provost for academic planning and development
1985 | Ezra Solomon, Dean Witter Professor of Finance, emeritus
1984 | Herant Katchadourian, professor emeritus of human biology
1983 | James L. Adams, professor emeritus of industrial engineering and engineering management