University
Bane Wins Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award
- Trader's Joe CEO Dan Bane heads one of the most successful privately held companies in the country.
- Photo/Jon Edwards
January 24, 2012 1:39 PM
Dan Bane ’69 will receive the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award, USC’s highest alumni honor, at the 79th annual USC Alumni Awards on April 28 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Named for the 1931-32 president of the USC Alumni Association, the award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the university and the community by giving generously of their time, energy and leadership.
Bane became chairman and CEO of Trader Joe’s in 2001. Under his leadership, the specialty grocery retailer has become one of the most successful privately held companies in the United States, with estimated annual sales of $8.5 billion. In 2002, Bane made the decision to sell Charles Shaw wine at Trader Joe’s, which now sells 13 million cases of “Two-Buck Chuck” a year. A member of the USC Leventhal School of Accounting Board of Advisors, Bane received that school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001.
“Dan Bane is one of the most respected and successful leaders in the world of business and in our community,” said Lisa Barkett ’81, president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. “He also is one of the most dedicated supporters of both USC and the Trojan Family. It is our great honor to present him with the 2012 Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award.”
In addition to Bane, the USC Alumni Association will recognize six other Trojans for their achievements and contributions to USC. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana Ph.D ’95 and William Wang ’86 will receive Alumni Merit Awards, given to individuals whose accomplishments speak well for the range and quality of a USC education.
Meléndez de Santa Ana is the superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District and the former assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the United States Department of Education. Wang is the founder and CEO of VIZIO Inc., the nation’s top-selling LCD HDTV company.
Riot Games co-founder and CEO Brandon Beck ’04 will receive the 2012 Young Alumni Merit Award. One of the world’s leading online game developers and publishers, Riot Games is headquartered in Los Angeles, with global operations in Europe and Asia.
Alumni Service Awards, which recognize longtime volunteer efforts on behalf of the university and the Trojan Family, will go to three devoted alumni leaders: Richard A. DeBeikes Jr. ’78, Kelly G. Purvis ’82 and Jeffrey H. Smulyan ’69, JD ’72.
DeBeikes is a USC trustee and past president of the association’s Board of Governors. Purvis is a past president of both the Trojan League Associates of San Diego County and the Association of Trojan Leagues. Smulyan is a USC trustee and a member of the Board of Councilors of two USC schools: the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the USC Gould School of Law. He also was a driving force behind bringing Classical KUSC radio to the Bay Area.
“This year’s honorees represent the very best of the Trojan Family,” said USC Alumni Association CEO Scott M. Mory. “Through their many accomplishments and acts of service to the university, these seven alumni have brought great honor to USC. We look forward to welcoming them, and our guests, to the 79th annual USC Alumni Awards.”
Every year since 1932, the Alumni Association has paid tribute to distinguished members of the Trojan Family. The annual awards celebration is the premier event sponsored by the association.
Past recipients of the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award include Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert ’54, former secretary of state Warren M. Christopher ’45 and legendary screen star John Wayne ’27.
All proceeds from the event will support USC Alumni Association programs and services. For more information, visit alumni.usc.edu/awards
TAGS: alumni, Asa V. Call award, honors and awards
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