INDIANAPOLIS (October 1, 2021) – The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) and Mayor Joe Hogsett are pleased to announce that Milt Thompson (2020) and Murray Clark (2021) will receive the Charles L. Whistler Award this year. Two awards are being given due to the pandemic-related cancellation of the Whistler Award celebration in 2020.
The annual award recognizes individuals who, outside the regular duties of their chosen professions, have brought together the public and private sectors for civic improvement in Indianapolis.
“Milt Thompson and Murray Clark, both lawyers but with very different careers, have each worked to create an Indianapolis where everyone can not just survive but thrive,” said GIPC Board Chair Mary Chandler, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Cummins and CEO of The Cummins Foundation. “Milt has used his extensive expertise and passion to help young people through his love of sport. His work will be impactful for generations to come.”
“Murray’s work reflects a deep understanding of the power of public-private partnerships to bring about real and lasting impact,” continues Chandler. “He is a fitting recipient of an award named for his former law partner. GIPC is delighted to honor Milt and Murray with the Whistler Award.”
“For nearly four decades, the Whistler Award has given us a way to recognize influential civic minds in Indianapolis,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Milt and Murray will make great additions to the venerable list of past awardees. For years, they have worked tirelessly in the public and private realms to help Indianapolis become a city that serves all and where anyone can prosper.”
Milt Thompson, a lawyer, sports agent, and community volunteer, has a long career of advising businesses, sports teams and athletes, and not-for-profit organizations. A First Team All-American baseball player at Wittenberg College, he founded Play Ball Indiana, a non-profit in Indianapolis whose mission is to reach and serve the inner-city youth through the game of softball and baseball. He has been active with Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. His civic work also includes service on the Capital Improvement Board, Tourism Tomorrow for Visit Indy, Crown Hill Heritage Foundation, General Counsel to the Pan American Games, and the Indiana Sports Corp.
Murray Clark, government and regulatory affairs partner at Faegre Drinker and former Indiana State Senator, is a proud, lifelong Indiana resident who has committed his time, wisdom, and experience to the success of the City of Indianapolis. In the Indiana State Senate, Murray was active in a wide range of issues and recognized repeatedly as an outstanding legislator. In his private practice, he provides strategic legal and governmental affairs counsel to help clients achieve their goals. In addition to his career, Murray is an extraordinary philanthropic leader, serving on the Riley Foundation, Indianapolis Foundation, Central Indiana Community Foundation, and the Hundred Club. He is also known for his leadership in the sports community, having served on the board of the Indiana Soccer Association, Indy Eleven Foundation, and College Football Playoff Championships Indy Host Committee.
Mayor Joe Hogsett will present the award at a breakfast ceremony on Thursday, December 2, 2021, at Ivy Tech Community College Culinary & Conference Center. This year’s Title Sponsor is Faegre Drinker. For information on tickets, tables, and sponsorships, visit www.indygipc.org.
About the Charles L. Whistler Award:
Charles L. Whistler understood working for the future. To ensure Whistler’s legacy lives on, GIPC instituted the Charles L. Whistler Award—the most prestigious award given annually to a community volunteer. The Charles L. Whistler Award continues to honor the legacy of Whistler, a lawyer and community leader in the grand tradition, who gave his time and extraordinary abilities to the Indianapolis community without asking for power or position in return. At the time of his death in 1981, he was a senior partner at Faegre Baker Daniels and chair of both GIPC’s Urban Growth and Revitalization Task Force and the White River State Park Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
The names of Thompson and Clark will be added to a limestone and granite monument containing past award recipients’ names and located in the Charles L. Whistler Memorial Plaza at the City Market in downtown Indianapolis.