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5 winners of Heinz Awards announced by foundation
Thursday, February 03, 2000 By Steve Levin, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The developer of an innovative math program, a prize-winning author and the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are among five recipients of the 1999 Heinz Awards.
The annual awards of $250,000, announced yesterday by the Heinz Family Foundation of Pittsburgh, were begun in 1994. They honor the memory of U.S. Sen. John Heinz, who died in a 1991 plane crash.
Awards are given in the categories of human condition; arts and humanities; environment; public policy; and technology, economy and employment.
Robert Moses, whose Algebra Project reaches nearly 40,000 traditionally under-served middle school pupils in 22 urban and rural sites in 13 states, won the human condition award, which recognizes outstanding efforts to protect and empower people. Moses, who grew up in a Harlem housing project and is a veteran civil rights activist, began his project in 1982. It encourages students to make connections between real-life experiences and abstract mathematical concepts.
Peter Matthiessen, a naturalist and author of 24 books including "Far Tortuga," "The Snow Leopard" and "The Tree Where Man Was Born," won in arts and humanities. He is founder of the Paris Review and a former winner of the National Book Award.
Paul Gorman, founder of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, was recognized in the environment category. His organization works to broaden the environmental debate from a solely scientific scope to one encompassing spiritual and moral values. Gorman's group has developed a unique coalition of major American faith groups to help integrate social justice and environmental protection into public policy education and advocacy.
Dr. Edward Zigler, often called "the father of Head Start," was honored for public policy. His work with the program for at-risk children has helped 18 million families over the past three decades. Zigler also played a large role in the development of family leave policies, which were voted into law by Congress in 1993.
Mary L. Good, the first woman to head the National Science Board and current president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was honored in the technology category. Good, who holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry, is a former undersecretary of technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce. She also helped establish the College of Information Science and Systems Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she now serves as dean.
The Heinz Awards were established by Teresa Heinz, chairwoman of the Heinz Family Foundation, in honor of her late husband and to recognize leaders in areas of his interest. The Heinz Family Foundation is one of three organizations that make up the Heinz Family Philanthropies. The other two are the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation and the H. John Heinz III Charitable Trust. Combined, they disbursed about $6 million in grants and awards last year. They are separate from the Vira I. Heinz Foundation and the Howard Heinz Endowments.
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