Valdas Adamkus

Garbės daktaras / Honorary Doctor (Suteiktas vardas 2001-12-18)

Valdas Adamkus took part in the re-establishment of Vytautas Magnus University in 1989 and is an honorary member of the VMU Re-establishment Council. On 18 December 2001, he was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Vytautas Magnus University. From 2010 to 2020, Valdas Adamkus served as the Chair of the Vytautas Magnus University Council.

In February 2011, Valdas Adamkus, together with VMU Rector Zigmantas Lydeka and the Mayor of Kaunas Andrius Kupčinskas, signed an agreement on the establishment of the Public Institution Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library-Museum at the Lithuanian Emigration Institute (S. Daukanto g. 25). Visitors to the museum can explore the Presidential Library and various items belonging to Valdas Adamkus, including furniture, paintings, other furnishings, sports trophies, diaries, and an archival collection predominantly comprising documents related to his activities in the USA.

Biography

Valdas Adamkus was born in 1926 in Kaunas. He attended Jonas Jablonskis Elementary School and later studied at the Kaunas Aušra Gymnasium. During World War II, he was involved in the resistance movement for Lithuania’s independence. In July 1944, he fled to Germany with his parents, where he graduated from a Lithuanian Gymnasium and studied at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Munich.

In 1949, he moved to the USA, and in 1960, he graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in civil engineering. In the early 1970s, he was invited to work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a nascent U.S. environmental protection federal institution. There, Adamkus first headed the Environmental Research Centre and later served as the deputy administrator of the EPA’s Fifth Region. In 1981, he was appointed regional administrator.

Valdas Adamkus was actively involved in the social and political activities of the Lithuanian diaspora. Between 1958 and 1965, he was the vice-chairman of the Santara-Šviesa Federation, a liberal civic organisation of the Lithuanian diaspora community, acting under the slogan “Face to Lithuania”, and, in 1967, he was elected its chairman. While living in the United States, he organised protests against the occupation of Lithuania and initiated numerous petitions. From 1961 to 1964, he was a member of the Board of the Lithuanian Community (LC) in America, vice-chairman of the Central Board, and a member of the American Lithuanian Council (ALC). Since 1972, Valdas Adamkus had been visiting Lithuania once or several times a year. Encouraging and supporting construction of water treatment facilities and development of environmental monitoring, Valdas Adamkus assisted environmental institutions of the Baltic States with academic literature, equipment, and software supply. As the coordinator of US aid to the Baltic States in the field of environmental protection, Adamkus organised working trips for representatives of Lithuania’s academic institutions and assisted Vilnius University’s Library in acquiring the latest scientific literature.

In 1998, Valdas Adamkus was elected President of the Republic of Lithuania. He promoted the idea of rapid modernisation of Lithuania and consistently supported its implementation. On 27 June 2004, citizens of Lithuania re-elected Valdas Adamkus as President of the Republic for another five-year term. During his second term, he aimed to create European well-being in every Lithuanian home and ensure that no one in Lithuania was neglected.

In 2003, President Valdas Adamkus was conferred the title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Construction of Knowledge Societies. In 1988, he received an International Environmental Award for outstanding achievements in the international arena. He was also honoured with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Gold Medal for achievements in service and the award of the US President for outstanding service. In 2007, Valdas Adamkus was named the European of the Year at the prestigious European Voice Awards.

In 2008, he was conferred the title of academician of the Lithuanian Olympic Academy for his many years of active involvement in the Olympic movement and the promotion of its ideals. The President of Lithuania has been awarded 35 highest-class state decorations of various countries, including the Golden Collar of the City of Athens, the Order of Iron Wolf of the Lithuanian Scouts Union, the Order of Star of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, and the International Olympic Committee Award. Valdas Adamkus holds honorary doctorates from numerous Lithuanian and foreign universities.