The honorees, San Francisco area businessman Dave Petrone and Eugene law and psychology professionals John and Robin Jaqua, will receive their awards at the university’s spring commencement at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at Hayward Field, 1580 E. 15th Ave., on the UO campus.

The Presidential Medal honors individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to higher education through their long-standing and extraordinary support. Each medal is hand-forged in solid silver and is a replica of the myrtlewood medallion worn by the university president for ceremonial occasions such as commencement.

"We honor these three Oregon alumni for their visionary investments in the University of Oregon, which have helped transform this institution into one of the top six ‘rising stars’ among America’s best research and teaching universities," said UO President Dave Frohnmayer.

"State support for public universities has been declining since the 1980s, prompting us to seek more private gifts in order to make major improvements in our academic programs," Frohnmayer said. "Under Dave Petrone’s leadership, The Oregon Campaign raised an enormous amount in private gifts for the university. Dave emerged early in the campaign as the guiding force in keeping campaign strategies and operations on track."

As chairman of the Campaign Leadership Council from 1994-98, Petrone guided the most ambitious fund-raising campaign in Oregon history. The Oregon Campaign raised $255.3 million for UO scholarships, faculty support, programs and facilities.

Petrone has also served on the UO Foundation Board of Trustees since 1991. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1966 and his master of business administration degree in 1968, both from the UO.

A partner in a real estate finance company in the San Francisco Bay Area, Petrone has also supported his own community by chairing the Counties Campaign for Bay Area United Way and serving on the boards of the San Francisco Exploratorium and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

John Jaqua, a retired Eugene attorney, chaired the UO School of Law’s component of The Oregon Campaign, helping the school raise $15.5 million in private gifts toward the cost of building a new law school facility.

"Over the past 50 years, John and Robin Jaqua have given generously of their time and expertise to the university, the Eugene community and the state of Oregon," Frohnmayer said.

John Jaqua served as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot during World War II and received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross and seven additional medals for his achievements as a pilot.

Jaqua received his law degree from the UO in 1950. In 1992, the school presented him with a Meritorious Service Award, an honor given at the discretion of the dean to individuals who have provided outstanding service to the school or to the field of education. Jaqua is a longtime member of the law school’s Board of Visitors and is currently a member of the UO Foundation Board of Trustees.

Among other achievements, Jaqua has served as president of the Oregon State Bar and, for 20 years, served as the Oregon bar’s elected representative to the American Bar Association. He has also been active on the boards of the Lane County Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Relief Nursery, and other community organizations.

Jaqua was named Eugene’s First Citizen in 1994 by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce.

After raising the couple’s four children, Robin Jaqua returned to school in the early 1970s to earn her master’s degree in counseling and her doctorate in counseling psychology from the university. She has worked as a school counselor, a marriage and family counselor and a UO adjunct professor.

Jaqua is a dedicated student of C.G. Jung, a Swiss psychologist and pioneer in the field of analytical psychology in the early 20th century.

Since she earned a degree from the prestigious C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich in 1983, she has worked as a Jungian analyst, educator and director of training for the C.G. Jung Institute Pacific Northwest.

In 1997, Jaqua founded McKenzie Oaks Films to produce educational videos explaining Jungian concepts. She has also maintained a public library for Jungian studies and archetypal symbolism, serving those seeking enlightenment on all levels, from the merely curious to serious Jungian scholars.

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