Distinguished Service Award (Est. 1972)

Bestowed upon alumni, faculty, staff and friends by the University of Illinois Alumni Association on behalf of the University. The award is presented to individuals or couples whose consistent, exceptional and meritorious service to the University of Illinois has made a significant impact on the institution’s overall welfare and the advancement of its mission.

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  Douglas Nelson

  Douglas Nelson—working with Dr. Gene Robinson, director of the U. of I.’s Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB)—created Art of Science, described by the institute as “a celebration of common ground between science and art.” Now in its 15th year, Art of Science showcases IGB research images that have been enhanced and reimagined as works of art, calling attention to the beauty and wonder to be found in scientific exploration. The presentations also include supporting text that explains the science and its implications.

  Encompassing subjects from the microscopic to the universal, Art of Science exhibits have enlivened such campus spaces as the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center and the Illini Union, and include a permanent installation in the State Farm Center. National exhibits have appeared at the National Institutes of Health Library, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Regional exhibit hosts have included Abbott Laboratories’ corporate headquarters, the Saint Louis Science Center, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the University of Illinois Willard Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. The O’Hare installation was seen by James Sharp, then-president and CEO of Carl Zeiss Microscopy, prompting him to seek a partnership with the IGB that continues to this day.

   Although Art of Science was his brainchild, Nelson’s primary career has been in precision neuromuscular therapy—an approach he developed. Nelson is the president of BodyWork Associates, a Champaign clinic he founded in 1982. He is a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain and the American Massage Therapy Association, and past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. Nelson was awarded the 2013 Educator of the Year Award and the 2015 Pioneer Award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association, as well as the 2024 Meritorious Service Award from the Massage Therapy Foundation. At the same time, his enthusiasm for the arts has remained strong. Nelson and his wife, Janet, served as co-presidents of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ Advancement Council from 2010 to 2016 and as board co-chairs of the center from 2017 to 2020. They also served as co-presidents of the Krannert Center’s 50th Anniversary Community Celebration Committee.

• 2020s
• 2010s
• 2000s
• 1990s
• 1980s
• 1970s