Barrett A. Toan, Doctor of Laws

Barrett Toan, student of history, teacher, public servant, entrepreneur, philanthropist: You graduated from Kenyon in 1969 and went on to teach history at the Asheville School in North Carolina and earn a master's degree in public administration at the Wharton School. You then embarked upon a career encompassing both public service and private innovation and demonstrating a sustained and visionary commitment to meeting the challenges of contemporary health care. You served the state governments of Illinois and Arkansas and became director of Missouri's Department of Social Services. In 1986, you joined Express Scripts, a leader in the emerging field of pharmacy benefits management. As chief executive officer and chairman of that company, you sought new ways to harmonize the needs of patients, pharmacists, and insurers. Over the course of two decades, you led the company from the brink of failure to a position of industry leadership, with five thousand employees and a place on the Forbes list of "best big companies in America." You have brought the same energy and ingenuity to your commitment to your alma mater. A member of the board of trustees from 2000 to 2006, a generous supporter of both scholarships and facilities, you have sustained the College with your time, your gifts, and your guidance. In the bleak days of February, we circle the Kenyon Athletic Center's Toan Track in comfort thanks to your devotion to the good health of the community. With your wife, Polly O'Brien, you established the Edith and Winthrop Toan Scholarship to help make the College accessible to talented students of limited means. Barrett Toan, we honor you today for your loyalty, your energy, your imagination, and your vision for a stronger, more accessible Kenyon.

- Citation by Jeffrey Bowman, Associate Professor of History