Chairman Bob McDonald and The West Point Association of Graduates, known as the Long Gray Line, recently presented the 2023 Sylvanus Thayer Award to the Honorable Elizabeth Dole, founder of The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, for her service as a government official, as a leader of both national and international non-profit organizations, and as a tireless advocate for veterans, military members, and their families.

The Honorable Elizabeth Dole is highly regarded as a citizen of outstanding character and her accomplishments of more than 50 years have truly represented West Point’s hallowed values: Duty, Honor, Country.

About The Sylvanus Thayer Award

This year marks the 66th presentation of The Sylvanus Thayer Award as the highest honor West Point and the Association of Graduates can bestow upon an American citizen.

From its inception, the purpose of the Thayer Award has been to “recognize an American citizen of outstanding character and accomplishments, whose stature in the civilian community draws wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives.”

About Elizabeth Dole

As the leader of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, she became a catalyst for change in the veterans community, leading a movement to raise awareness of the plight that millions of spouses, parents, and families face in caring for their wounded loved ones. She made it her mission to champion for more programs to assist those who tirelessly care for veterans and drove the fight to generate critical resources to help these “hidden heroes,” the name the Elizabeth Dole Foundation has given to the more than 5.5 million full-time military caregivers. This work has saved lives and provided the respite and hope caregivers need to keep their veterans safely at home.

Previous Thayer Award Recipients

The list of previous Thayer Award recipients is truly impressive: it is a six-decade bibliography of former U.S. presidents, cabinet members, legislators, Supreme Court justices, ambassadors, astronauts, business leaders and philanthropists, clergy members, scientists, journalists, and entertainers.

However, this year marked the first time in Thayer Award history that a husband and wife were listed as award recipients. Senator Robert Dole received the Thayer Award in 2004. From his heroic actions in World War II to his time in Congress, Bob Dole was an iconic Thayer recipient, and now his beloved wife, Elizabeth, joins him in recognition of her stellar achievements as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and later Labor, as chair of the American Red Cross, as a senator from North Carolina, and as the founder and leader of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. Together, the Doles have amassed an extraordinary record of achievement in service to our nation.