Distinguished Alumni Award

Stephen H. Wolken, 65BS, 68MD, 75R, has provided decades of steadfast leadership to the University of Iowa Alumni Association, the University of Iowa, and the surrounding community.

A lifelong Iowa resident, Wolken has demonstrated his Hawkeye spirit through countless acts of service and civic engagement, stemming all the way back to his days as a UI student and member of the Hawkeye Marching Band.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in general science in 1965 and a medical degree in 1968 from the UI, Wolken interned in Seattle and fulfilled a two-year military obligation before returning to complete a residency in Iowa'"s Department of Ophthalmology in 1975. Wolken then accepted a position at Eye Physicians and Surgeons in Iowa City, where he worked until his retirement nearly five years ago. He continues to work as an adjunct faculty member in the UI Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Wolken and his wife, Sue, are loyal supporters of this department and of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. They established the Dr. Stephen H. and Sue Montgomery Wolken Medical Scholarship for a deserving UI medical student who graduated from an Iowa high school.

Wolken finds numerous other ways to give back to his alma mater. He sat on the UI Carver College of Medicine Alumni Society board of advisors and has played an instrumental role in guiding the UI Alumni Association (UIAA) board of directors. He has served in virtually every capacity on that board, including as a member of the awards, nominating, and finance committees. As chair of the board, he took the lead in helping the UIAA develop a new strategic plan.

Julian Gutierrez, a former member and chair of the UIAA board, says, "His steady leadership, thoughtful counsel, and enormous pride in being a graduate of the UI are qualities that made him such a wonderful colleague on the UIAA board of directors. Steve displayed endless energy and enthusiasm."

Along with providing wise institutional leadership, Wolken has shown his UI colors by playing trombone in the Alumni Marching Band, participating in Iowa Voyagers trips, and attending countless Hawkeye Huddles.

Beyond campus, he has offered his time and expertise to a number of community organizations, including a bank board, his church, the Rotary Club, and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Foundation. Wolken also served as chairman of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce board and president of the Mercy Hospital medical staff, the Iowa Eye Association, and the Johnson County Medical Society. He is a member of numerous medical associations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the Iowa Medical Society.

With his passion for the university and his dedication to the public good, Stephen H. Wolken deserves his place among those who best embody Hawkeye pride and integrity.

Wolken is a member of the UI Alumni Association'"s Directors'" Club Honor Circle and the UI Foundation'"s Presidents Club.