Established in 1985, the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C. Award is conferred on an alumnus/alumna (living or deceased) who is or has performed outstanding service in the field of government, patriotism, public service, local, state and national politics, etc.
Past Recipients
The 2009 Cavanaugh Award winner is:
Marc Maurer, J.D., ’74
With this award, Marc Maurer, J.D., ’74, is honored for his exemplary model of character and his outstanding contributions in the field of public service.
Following his undergraduate studies at Notre Dame, Maurer earned his J.D. from the University of Indiana School of Law in 1977. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, he moved to Toledo, Ohio to be the director of the Senior Legal Assistance Project operated by the Advocates for Basic Legal Equality.
In 1978, Maurer moved to Washington, D.C. to become an attorney with the Rates and Routes Division of the office of the general counsel of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Four years later, he moved into private practice in Baltimore, specializing in civil litigation and property matters.
It was during this time that Maurer began focusing on representing blind individuals in the courts. Maurer was blinded as an infant when he received too much oxygen after his premature birth. His wife, Patricia, lost her sight in the same way.
A member of the Bar in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Maryland, and the Bar of the Supreme Court, Maurer is one of the most experienced lawyers in the field of civil rights and discrimination against the blind. He has been honored with numerous awards.
Most recently, he received the 2002 VME Robert Dole Award, the Daily Record’s 2002 Innovator of the Year Award, and the 2007 Baltimore Mayor’s Business Recognition Award. He received honorary degrees from California’s Menlo College in 1998 and the University of Louisville in 1999. He delivered addresses at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Oxford University, and Birmingham University.
Currently, Maurer is the president of the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), and he is editor of the NFB’s Kernel Book series of optimistic paperbacks written by the blind to help both blind and sighted readers gain an understanding of what it means to be blind.
As president of the NFB, Maurer joined President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in 2001 to celebrate the organization’s Everest Exhibition. He also was present for President Bush’s signing into law the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Maurer has promoted new technology for the blind, such as the Kurzweil-NFB Reader Mobile, a cell phone device that scans and reads aloud most printed material, and the prototype vehicle for the Blind Driver Challenge—a car that the blind can drive independently. He has overseen the massive expansion of the NFB Research and Training Institute. The Institute, conceived for and by the blind, is developing new methods, technologies, and services to support independence for the world’s blind.
Past Recipients
2008—Hon. Percy A. Pierre ’61,’63 M.S.E.E
2007—Hon. Daniel Lungren ’68
2006—Terrence E. Sauvain Sr.’63
2005 Hon. Paul J. Kelly Jr. ’63
2004 Adam A. Milani ’88
2003 Robert M. Bennett ’62
2002 Philip Lee Russo '49 J.D.
2001 Christine Cervenak '82
2000 Hon. Kathleen Ann Blatz '76
1998 Bruce Babbitt '60
1997 Dr. Warren J. Baker '60, '62 M.S.
1996 Rev. William M. Lewers, C.S.C. '79
1995 Col. John "Jack" Stephens '67 M.S.
1994 Hon. Robert A. Grant '28, '30 J.D.
1993 George W. Strake Jr. '57
1992 George W. Katter, MD '41
1991 Thomas B. Day '52
1990 F. Nordhoff Hoffmann '33 J.D.
1989 Arthur J. Decio '75 J.D.
1988 Hon. John J. Gilligan '43, '79 J.D.
1987 Hon. J. Gary Cooper '58
1986 James E. Muller, M.D. '65, '86 J.D.
1985 Hon. Romano L. Mazzoli '54, '85 J.D.
