1911–1959 RecipientYear Edwin A. Kanst1911 Edith Foster Farwell1951 Jean M. Cudahy1952 Oakley Morgan1953 David Francis Hall1955 Fred Heuchling1956 Nels J. Johnson1957 Milton Carleton1959 John Ott 1960–1969 RecipientYear Garden Club of America1960 Hubert A. Fischer1963 Clarence E. Godshalk1967 Charles Goodwin "Cap" Sauers1967 William Allan Pinkerton Pullman1968 Virginia Carlson1969 1970–1979 RecipientYear John Lundgren1971 May Thielgaard Watts 1972 Eric Oldberg, M.D.1974 Art Kozelka1975 Richard J. Daley1976 Franz Lipp1977 Anthony “Tony” Tyznik1977 James Brown IV1978 Bruce Krasberg1978 Edward Larrabee Barnes1979 John Ormsbee Simonds1979 1980–1989 RecipientYear Arthur L. Janura1980 Peter H. Merlin1980 Garden Clubs of Illinois1981 Rosalie (Rose) Hegner Vasumpaur1981 Donald R. Egolf, Ph.D.1982 Herbert C. Swim1983 Robert Carlson, Ph.D.1984 Joseph S. Vandemark1984 William Thomas Stearn, D.Sc.1985 Peter H. Raven1986 John L. Creech, Ph.D.1987 Mildred E. Mathias, Ph.D.1988 Vernon H. Heywood1989 1990–1999 RecipientYear Marion T. Hall, Ph.D.1990 Elizabeth "Betty" Scholtz1991 Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Ph.D.1992 Allen P. Paterson1993 Janet M. Poor1994 Ardath H. Rodale1995 Elvin McDonald1996 George Ware1997 Darrel G. Morrison1998 John Brookes1999 2000–2009 RecipientYear Francis H. Cabot2000 Peter R. Crane FRS2001 Susumu Nakamura2002 Edward Osborne Wilson2004 Barbara Whitney Carr2007 James Gustave Speth2008 2010–2019 RecipientYear Chicago Wilderness2010 George B. Rabb, Ph.D.2011 August A. De Hertogh, Ph.D.2012 Gerald W. Adelman2012 Elwin R. Orton, Ph.D.2013 Forest Preserves of Cook County2013 Allan M. Armitage, Ph.D.2014 William J. Radler2015 Minnesota Hardy Plant Breeding Program2016 Kris S. Jarantoski2017 Sonny Ramaswamy2018 Anna Caroline Ball2019 2020– RecipientYear Robert A. Bartlett, Jr.2020 Peggy Olwell2021 James Ault2022 Beronda L. Montgomery, Ph.D.2023 Robin Wall Kimmerer2024