by Robert W. Cantrell

The American Laryngological Association Award was established in 1987 as an annual award to be given as a mark of recognition and esteem for outstanding achievement either in medicine or another discipline that has contributed significantly to laryngology or rhinology. This year the award goes to Matina Horner. Now, one may ask why we would make an award to an educator, but let me tell you a little bit about this remarkable woman, who unfortunately could not be here today because her daughter is getting married probably as we speak. She will be here on Monday to assume a role of importance, which I will describe in just one moment.

She is originally from Boston, is married, and has three children. Matina graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College and received her MA and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. She rapidly moved through the ranks and in 1972, four years after finishing her doctorate, she became the President of Radcliffe College and remained in that position until 1989. Since that time she has been the Executive Vice President of the TIAA/CREF, which is the teachers' insurance annuity program that most academics in the United States use as an investment plan and portfolio. So we are most appreciative of her taking good care of that.

Dr Homer has had many posts, including a faculty position at Harvard. She has been involved in many courses and special lectures on women in social change. She is a psychologist by background and training and is particularly interested in motivational theories. She serves on the boards of directors of multiple corporations, including the Revlon Corporation, where she is chair of the Board of Directors 20th Century Fund. She has been on the boards of directors of Beth Israel Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

About 3 years ago, or perhaps longer than that, we in the American Laryngological Association finally woke up to the fact that the otologists had done a very smart thing when they formed the Deafness Research Foundation many years ago with the Centurion Club to generate funds for seed grants for research projects that could later be elevated into larger grants from federal and other sources of funding. We have tried to give research grants from our society, and you know we were asking you to give $100 in addition to your dues. We have built a sizable fund, and we have been giving out a couple of small grants of less than $15,000 a year. When Ron Bailey was President a few years ago, he enunciated very clearly the need for the formation of the American Laryngological Voice Education and Research Foundation, which we call ALVER. That Foundation is now an established entity, and the President of that Foundation is Matina Homer.

Why Matina Homer? Her father had a laryngeal carcinoma, and she is a highly motivated and active woman. We regret that she could not be here to receive this award in person today, but as I say, she will be here on Monday and we will have a Foundation meeting. It is important that as many people as possible within this society contribute to the Foundation so that we can demonstrate membership commitment to industry. We feel that this is very important for the future of laryngology. Because Matina has given unselfishly of herself in this endeavor, the award committee this year unanimously chose Dr Homer. So, I present to you in absentia Dr Matina Homer, and let us give her a round of applause.