NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale Athletic Department will honor the 2019 recipients of the George H.W. Bush '48 Lifetime of Leadership Awards at the Blue Leadership Ball on Friday, Nov. 22, at the William K. Lanman Center inside Payne Whitney Gym. The Class of 2019 Bush Award winners are Butch Graves Jr. '84, John Kerry '66, Lawrie Mifflin '73, Jon Reese '90 and Ken Wolfe '61.
 
The Yale Athletic Department's presentation of the George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award honors alumni athletes who, in their lives after Yale, have made significant leadership contributions in their worlds of governance, commerce, science and technology, education, public service, and the arts and media. The Award has been named in recognition of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States of America, as the living epitome of one who has successfully and selflessly committed a lifetime to address the diverse global leadership demands of his generation. Each honoree is chosen by a broadly representative alumni Honors Committee, based upon the candidates' individual lifetime leadership contributions in their respective fields. All have been graduated for more than 20 years and exemplify Yale's rich athletic heritage as an important component of the undergraduate educational experience. 
 
 
Earl "Butch" Graves Jr. '84
Graves is Yale's all-time leading scorer and ranks third on the Ivy League's all-time scoring list with 2,090 career points. A three-time Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and two-time First Team All-Ivy honoree, Graves led the Ivy League in scoring in 1981-82 (19.9), 1982-83 (22.1) and 1983-84 (23.6).
 
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University in 1984, Graves was selected in the third round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He enjoyed a brief professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, before pursuing his master's in business administration at Harvard Business School, from which he graduated in 1988.
 
Graves, who was selected as one of Yale's Legends of Ivy League Basketball in 2018, joined Black Enterprise in 1988 and, after holding several positions within advertising and marketing, was appointed president and chief operating officer in 1998 and named chief executive officer in 2006. He holds positions on the corporate boards of several other companies including AutoZone, the Pepsi African American Advisory Board and the Magazine Publishers of America. In 2002, Graves was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Achievement and in 2009 he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award—presented to former student-athletes who have gone on to excel in their chosen professions. 
 
 
John Kerry '66
Kerry was a soccer, hockey and lacrosse player at Yale before serving his country in the Vietnam War and then embarking on a successful life in politics. The U.S. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017 under President Obama, he was the Democratic party's nominee for president in 2004.

He became a nationally prominent figure almost overnight in 1971 when he testified before the United States Senate as a spokesman for Vietnam veterans who opposed the Vietnam War.
Kerry, who earned numerous medals with the U.S. Navy in the war including three Purple Hearts, went to Boston College Law School and became a prosecutor and then lieutenant governor of Massachusetts before getting elected to the Senate in 1984. He has developed a reputation as an authority on foreign policy and became Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. He went on to broker the 2015 Paris Climate Accord and helped invest $170 million in the Global Connect initiative to provide internet access to people around the world in 2016 as secretary of state.


Lawrie Mifflin '73
Lawrie Mifflin, a Yale field hockey player who became a pioneer in women's athletics and the first woman sports reporter at the New York Daily News, is best known for her long (1982-2013) career with The New York Times. She's now the managing editor of The Hechinger Report.

At the Times, she also served as Deputy Sports Editor, a National Desk editor and reporter and the first supervisor for video and web production. However, her impact with the Times went beyond sports and news; she also created the Times' first work-life office, helping employees balance the demands of a career with their personal life.

Mifflin, who won the 1998 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, witnessed at Yale the progress and promise of Title IX — a law enacted during her junior year in college.  She was co-founder of the field hockey team and later its co-captain, and also wrote sports for the Yale Daily News.

Her Master's in journalism from Columbia also helped set the path to a pair of Emmy Awards (News & Documentaries) and a life of civic contribution. Mifflin has been an adjunct professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, a mentor to New York Times Scholarship and ScholarshipPlus students, and a volunteer coach and referee in AYSO Leagues.

Jon Reese '90
Jon Reese stands as one of the most prolific athletes in Yale history.  He was a three-time All-American lacrosse player and holds the NCAA record with 82 goals in a single season. Reese was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2011.
 
Additionally, Reese was a football captain, team MVP, and helped win the 1989 Ivy League title for legendary coach Carm Cozza.  He was a recipient of the William Neely Mallory Award for Yale's top male athlete in 1990.
 
After Yale, Reese went on to successful career on Wallstreet with Lehman Brothers from 1990-2002.  Following the tragedy of 9/11, he dedicated his time to bettering the Long Island and Yale communities.  In 2009, Reese founded the Make it Count Foundation, whose mission is to provide resources for optimal housing, health, and education.
 

Ken Wolfe '61
Wolfe, an All-American halfback for Yale Football and the leading pass catcher on its last perfect team in 1960, enjoyed a long and productive career with Hershey Foods Corporation, including serving as Chief Financial Officer; President and Chief Operating Officer and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He retired in 2001 after helping Hershey experience its highest growth rates.
After leaving New Haven, Wolfe spent four years in the U.S. Navy and joined Hershey in 1967 following an early career at Bankers Trust. 
 
Wolfe, who received the Legends in Leadership Award in 2003 from the Yale School of Management, was the director of The Hershey Trust Company and served on boards for the Milton S. Hershey School, MS Hershey Foundation, Bausch & Lomb Inc, Carpenter Technology Corporation, Penn State's Hershey Medical Center, Grocery Manufacturers of America, Pennsylvania Business Roundtable and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.