Back in the 1970s, few people were thinking about the need for educating and keeping active the minds of older adults; one of the few was Mann. In 1974, she spearheaded the creation of Arts for Older Adults, and that program led to a model curriculum for aesthetics education. In 1982, she saw the need to extend the program further and created OASIS to "nurture the mind, health, and spirit of adults aged 50 and up." It was begun on a shoestring, with private and public support coming from the May Department Stores Co. (now Federated Department Stores) and a $184,000 grant. From its inception in 1984 until 2003, as it grew from a local enterprise to a national network of 26 cities, Mann served as president of The OASIS Institute.

Today, OASIS serves more than 360,000 adults, has an annual network funding base of $22 million, and is the largest education and volunteer service organization for mature adults in the United States.

Before discovering the groundbreaking concept of OASIS, Mann used her bachelor's degree in philosophy and her master's degree in education from Washington University to teach elementary education. In 1962, she joined its faculty in the department of education. In 1972, she joined the faculty at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, but returned to Washington University's School of Medicine as a faculty member from 1984 to 2003.

Her life-long passion for community service has greatly benefited the St. Louis region. She currently serves as a director for the Contemporary Art Museum, and as a trustee for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Science Center, and the Whitaker Foundation. In 1998, she received the Woman of Valor Award from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, as well as the Woman Who Makes a Difference Award from the International Women's Forum. In 2003, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. Louis Older Women's League; in 2004, he received the Trail Blazer Award from the St. Louis Forum.

For her alma mater, Mann has been an enthusiastic supporter, both as a member of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work's National Council since 1988, and as former chair for the Community Advisory Board for the University's Center for Aging. In 2002 she received Arts & Sciences' Distinguished Alumni Award. An active alumna, she is helping organize her 50th reunion for 2007. She and her husband are long-time members of the University's Eliot Society.

Other recipients of this year's Distinguished Alumni Award include Jon H. Feltheimer, co-chairman and chief executive officer, Lionsgate Entertainment; Gordon W. Philpott, professor emeritus of surgery, Washington University School of Medicine; James E. Schiele, former chairman, St. Louis Screw & Bolt Co.; James D. Weddle, managing partner, Edward Jones; and George Zimmer, chairman and chief executive officer, Men's Wearhouse, Inc.

For more information:
Janice Branham
(314) 862-2933 ext. 229
jbranham @ oasisnet . org