Golden Medal Award

Robert Maxfield ’63, ’64

A distinguished engineer, technology pioneer and philanthropist, Robert “Bob” Maxfield ’63, ’64 helped put Rice at the forefront of scientific innovation and education. As one nominator summarized, “his life and career cast a shining light on the university.”

Originally from Wichita Falls, Texas, Maxfield earned his B.A. and B.S. in electrical engineering from Rice, where he was a member of the varsity swim team, Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi. He later completed an M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. from Stanford. In 1969, Maxfield and three other Rice graduates — Gene Richeson ’62, Ken Oshman ’62 and Walter Loewenstern ’59 — founded ROLM Corporation, which he led to become a Fortune 500 company. By the time IBM acquired the company in 1984, it had revenues of about $1 billion and helped revolutionize the telecommunications and computing industries. Later, he became a consulting professor at Stanford, a venture partner with Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers, a director of Echelon Corporation and a trustee and researcher at the Santa Fe Institute.

A lifelong advocate for science and education, Maxfield founded the Maxfield Foundation to channel his support into high-impact projects, including Rice University’s OpenStax, a revolutionary initiative to provide free, high-quality textbooks. As one of OpenStax’s earliest investors and a longtime strategic advisor, Maxfield helped make education more accessible and affordable for millions of students worldwide.

Maxfield’s service to Rice never wavered. He offered expertise as a member of the Rice Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2012, heading the finance committee for many years and helping shape the university’s endowment and technology transfer strategies. He was a lifetime member of Rice Engineering Alumni and a longtime member of the advisory board for the Rice Alliance for Technology and Leadership. He was a prominent member of leadership committees for both the Rice: The Next Century Campaign and the Computational Engineering Campaign. He received the Outstanding Engineering Award in 1999, the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004 and the Meritorious Service Award in 2017.

Beyond a lifetime of exemplary service, Maxfield and his wife Kathie have built an enduring legacy on campus. They helped create the Maxfield-Oshman Professorship in Engineering and funded the renovation of the historic Mechanical Laboratory, now Maxfield Hall, home to Rice’s Department of Statistics. As one nominator described, Maxfield was “generous with his talents and treasures and had a humility and kindness that was unmatched.”

Distinguished Alumni Award

Thomas Benford ’00

From leading on the grid-iron at Rice to leading a billion-dollar business enterprise, Thomas Benford’s ’00 legacy of excellence and entrepreneurship stretches far and wide.

An exemplary student-athlete at Rice, Benford was a four-year starting linebacker for the Owls, known for being as tenacious on the field as he was in the classroom. After receiving his undergraduate degrees in economics and computational and applied mathematics, he went on to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School, before beginning his career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan Chase, followed by key financial and strategic roles at Halliburton.

Leveraging his experiences as a corporate leader and entrepreneur, Benford played a pivotal role in acquiring assets from The Coca-Cola Company in 2015 to launch Coke Florida, a multi-billion enterprise. Rising through the ranks as vice president of strategy and planning, and executive vice president and chief commercial officer, he was named president and chief operating officer in 2021. Today, he leads a team of over 5,000 employees serving 21 million consumers and delivering 119 million cases of beverages annually. Under his leadership, Coke Florida, one of the largest Black-owned business in the country, has been recognized as a best-managed company and a model corporate partner.

Benford’s drive for economic empowerment extends beyond his corporate role. He has co-founded ventures such as Benford-Kalu Investments and iProtest, a property tax protest firm, and was recently appointed to the board of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.

One nominator summarized that Benford has long been recognized as “the smartest dude on the team,” a reputation that has followed him from Rice and throughout his career. As another nominator put it, he is “hardwired for greatness with a passion for leveraging it to benefit others.”

Eugene Keilin ’64

A prominent leader in investment banking and private equity, Eugene Keilin ’64 became a force in public and private sector finance by combining business creativity with a deep commitment to public service.

After graduating from Rice in 1964, where he served as editor of “The Thresher,” Keilin earned his law degree from Harvard, winning the Ames Moot Court Competition. He served as general counsel of the New York City Mayor’s Budget Bureau, later leading the Municipal Assistance Corporation to stabilize the city’s finances in the 1970s, and chaired the Citizens Budget Commission.

Keilin became a general partner at Lazard Frères & Co., working alongside world-renowned financier Felix Rohatyn and advising major cities and corporate clients. Focusing on troubled companies, Keilin often provided financial advice to labor unions whose members ultimately became employee-owners of companies that reorganized under his guidance. At Lazard and later his own company, he advised the United Steelworkers of America and Air Line Pilots Association on numerous matters, including the acquisition of the Weirton Steel Corporation and United Airlines by their employees.

In 1998, Keilin co-founded KPS Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm known for “constructive investing.” Its current portfolio companies generate $24 billion in annual revenue and employ 65,000 people worldwide.

Beyond finance, Keilin has been a steadfast supporter of civic and charitable organizations. He has helped resolve labor disputes for institutions such as The Metropolitan Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. For nearly a decade, he has served as a trustee and board chair of Maimonides Health and its renowned Maimonides Medical Center, the largest “safety net” hospital in Brooklyn. He is also a director of the Greater New York Councils of Scouting America and a former trustee of The Brooklyn Museum and Concern Worldwide U.S. One nominator summarized, “Gene’s personal integrity and history of public service are unparalleled.”

Meritorious Service Award

Frank Liu ’78

Frank Liu ’78, a visionary entrepreneur, has been a steadfast benefactor and advocate for Rice University. His philanthropic efforts have touched countless lives, embodying the university’s ideals of excellence, service and innovation.

After earning his civil engineering degree from Rice, Liu co-founded Lovett Homes in 1980 with his Lovett College roommate, paving the way for a family of companies including Lovett Commercial, InTown Homes and Lovett Industrial. These ventures have shaped Texas’ real estate landscape through retail, office and industrial projects worth billions.

Liu has generously channeled his successes to advance Rice’s culture of enterprise and student innovation. He helped establish the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie), fostering a vibrant ecosystem of creativity and collaboration across the Rice community. The lab now enrolls over 1,600 students annually and has supported the creation of 100-plus ventures in the last year alone. One nominator described Liu as "an entrepreneurial titan that acts as benefactor, advocate and evangelist for entrepreneurship within the university."

Liu’s generosity has also strengthened the university’s academic landscape through the Frank Liu Distinguished Visitor Series at the Chao Center for Asian Studies. In addition, he has remained actively engaged as a Lovett College Community Associate for more than 15 years and has provided valuable mentorship and internship opportunities for Rice students. Liu also supports numerous initiatives across Houston through the Frank Liu Family Foundation, including in education, healthcare and community development.

As one nominator summarized, “Frank’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of innovators has had a profound impact on the lives of our students and the broader entrepreneurial community.”

Jan West ’73

Jan West ’73, assistant director of Multicultural Community Relations in the Office of Public Affairs, has dedicated more than 50 years to Rice as a mentor, advocate and bridge-builder.

Arriving at Rice in 1969 as one of only three Black freshmen women and the only Black student in Brown College, West quickly became a leader, helping establish the Black Student Union, now the Black Student Association (BSA), and volunteering as a student advisor. Since graduating, she has mentored generations of students, written countless recommendations, forged networking connections and recruited more Black students to Rice. An enthusiastic Duncan College Associate since its founding, she was recognized as a Distinguished College Associate in 2016.

West has played a vital role in strengthening Rice’s relationship with its Black alumni, serving as a BSA sponsor, helping organize the Association of Rice University Black Alumni (ARUBA), and supporting the university-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of Black undergraduate students at Rice. In 2018, she joined the Rice University Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice, contributing to its four-year research and outreach efforts.

Her service extends across the university. She was selected as a Career Champion through the Rice Center for Career Development, serves on President DesRoches’ Childcare Working Group and recently completed three years on the Laureates Selection Committee. A longtime donor and member of Rice’s Parliament giving society, she also played a key role in her 50th class reunion’s record-breaking fundraising efforts.

West’s service has been acknowledged by the Rice University Board of Trustees, ARUBA, the BSA, Duncan College and others. As one nominator described, “Jan’s entire career at Rice has been an example of paying mentorship forward to ensure that the university would be — for all — a place of welcome, belonging and equitable opportunity.”