The Lowell Thomas Award

The Lowell Thomas Award was awarded for the first time on the occasion of the Club’s 75th anniversary, October 17, 1980, by Club President Charles F. Brush. On special occasions this award is presented by the President of The Explorers Club to groups of outstanding explorers. The achievements of each individual recipient contribute special distinction to the other recipients.

General Exploration: The First Lowells (1980)

Kris Anderson
Maxie Anderson
Isaac Asimov, Ph.D.
Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D.
Edgar D. Mitchell
Dan Rather
J. Louis Reynolds
Carl Sagan, Ph.D.
Henry W. Taft
Lowell Thomas

Deepwater Exploration (1986)

Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D.
George F. Bass, Ph.D.
Eugenie Clark, Ph.D.
Clive E. Cussler, Ph.D.
Andre Galerne
Peter R. Gimbel
Ian G. Koblick
Emory K. Kristof
R. Duncan Mathewson, III, Ph.D.
Jean-Louis Michel
Dimitri Rebikoff
Don Walsh, Ph.D.

Space Exploration (1989)

Col. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., USAF
Cdr. M. Scott Carpenter USN
Maj. Gen. Michael Collins, USAF (Ret.)
Capt. Charles (Pete) Conrad, Jr. USN
Capt. James A. Lovell
Capt. Walter M. Schirra, Jr. USN
Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Arctic Submarine Exploration (1997)

Capt. William R. Anderson, USN
VADM James Calvert USN
Waldo K. Lyon
VADM John H. Nicholson USN (Ret.)
VADM George P. Steele

Balloon Exploration (Mar. 1999)

Donald Cameron
Brian Jones
Bertrand Piccard, M.D.

Pioneering Women of Space (Dec. 1999)

Mary L. Cleave, Ph.D.
Bonnie J. Dunbar, Ph.D.
Mae C. Jemison, M.D.
Tamara E. Jernigan, Ph.D.
M. Rhea Seddon, M.D.
Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Kathryn R.C. Thornton, Ph.D.

Ocean Exploration (2000)

Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D.
Jean-Michel Cousteau
David Doubilet
Evelyn J. Fields
Capt. Alfred Scott McLaren, Ph.D., USN (Ret.)
Theophil “Phil” Nuytten
Sir John Rawlins, KBE
Andreas B. Rechnitzer, Ph.D.
Anatoly Sagalevitch, D.Sc.
Lawrence A. Shumaker
Edward B. “Teddy” Tucker, MBE
Ralph B. White

Mountaineering (2001)

Sir Edmund P. Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE
Edward Viesturs
Barbara Washburn
H. Bradford Washburn, Jr., Ph.D.
Krzysztof S. Wielicki

The Storytellers (2002)

Wade Davis, Ph.D.
Jerri L. Nielsen, M.D.
Chris Rainier
Simon Winchester

The Future of Exploration: A Global Challenge (2003)

Brent Bishop
Bjørn Heyerdahl
Peter E. Hillary
Louise Leakey
Scott Lindgren
David Stuart

Champions of Conservation (2004)

William A. Burnham, Ph.D.
Gary C. Comer
Stefanie Powers
Alan Rabinowitz
Edward O. Wilson, Ph.D.

Digging Into the Past to Benefit the Future (2005)

Larry D. Agenbroad, Ph.D.
Barry L. Clifford
Michael J. Novacek, Ph.D.
Richard B. Potts, Ph.D.
Patricia Sutherland, Ph.D.

Discoveries in the Treetops (2006)

M. Soubadra Devy
Francis Hallé
Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D.
Mark W. Moffett, Ph.D.
Brian A. Rosborough

Exploring Climate Change (2007)

Richard A. Feely, Ph.D.
W. Berry Lyons, Ph.D.
Paul A. Mayewski, Ph.D.
Julie M. Palais, Ph.D.
Adam Ravetch
Sarah Robertson
Susan Solomon, Ph.D.
William R. Steger

Exploring Earth From Above (2008)

Maj. Gen. William A. Anders (USAF Reserve Ret.)
Leroy Chiao, Ph.D.
Martha R. King
Scott E. Parazynski, M.D.
Dick H. Smith
Brig. Gen. Charles E. Yeager (USAF Ret.)

Exploring Risk (2009)

Bob A. Barth
Yvon Chouinard
Kenneth M. Kamler, M.D.
Arthur D. Mortvedt
James M. Williams
Richard B. Wilson

Exploring Extinction (2010)

Carol A. Beckwith
Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Ph.D.
Angela M. Fisher
John N. Hare
Curt S. Jenner
Micheline-Nicole M. Jenner, M.Sc.
Peter C. Keller, Ph.D.
Ian B. G. Mackenzie
Laurie L. Marker, Ph.D.
Nancy L. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Exploring the World’s Greatest Mysteries (2011)

Claudio P. Cristino
Edmundo R. Edwards
Thomas E. Levy, Ph.D.
Albert Yu-Min Lin, Ph.D.
Brent S. Stewart, Ph.D., J.D.
William C. Stone, Ph.D.
Patricia Vargas, Ph.D.
Kenneth R. Wright
Ruth M. Wright, J.D.