In 2015, The George Washington University presented two law school graduates with its Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, the highest form of recognition given by the university and the George Washington Alumni Association. Recipients must have “made a lasting impact on society though outstanding professional, voluntary or philanthropic accomplishments.”
Law school graduates Richard D. Heideman, JD ’72, and Gregory H. Williams, JD ’71, both received the award. Five alumni were awarded in total from across the university.
Mr. Heideman is Senior Counsel of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, PC and represents victims of terrorism whose rights have been violated. On their behalf, actions have been brought against Libya, Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran and banking institutions accused of funding or sponsoring heinous acts of terror. He received the Distinguished Merito de Mayo decoration by President Duhalde of Argentina, the Heritage Award from Israel Bonds, the Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and numerous other recognitions. He currently serves as Chair of The Institute for Law and Policy at the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, Chair of the Israel Forever Foundation, and Honorary President of B'nai B’rith International. He has also been President of the George Washington University Law School Alumni Association, Co-Chair of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Lawyers Committee, and Chair of The Herzliya Conference International Advisory Board. He is the author of The Hague Odyssey: Israel’s Struggle for Security on the Front Lines of Terrorism and Her Battle for Justice at the United Nations.
Mr. Williams joined the University of Iowa Law Faculty in 1977 as an Assistant Dean rising to Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs of the University. He later served as Dean of the Ohio State University College of Law and as President of the Association of American Law Schools. He received the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Award from the National Bar Association and the “Dean of the Year” Award from the National Association of Public Interest Law. Dr. Williams later served as President of The City College of New York and President of the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Williams overcame racial and economic obstacles in his childhood, which he chronicled in his 1995 best-selling autobiography, Life on the Color Line for which he received the Los Angeles Times Prize for Book of the Year. Dr. Williams has been recognized for his contributions in Scholarship, Academic Leadership, Fundraising, Diversity, and College Athletics. Notably, Dr. Williams received the Austrian Cross of Honor, First Class in 2006.