Norman Felton, television producer and playwright, earned a Rockefeller playwriting fellowship in 1934 while a student at the University of Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1940 and wrote three plays to earn his Master of Fine Arts in 1941. In 1950, Mr. Felton returned to New York to direct and write teleplays for such programs as "Robert Montgomery Presents," for which he received an Emmy. He has since been nominated for the Emmy six times. He is now president of his own company, Arena Productions, Inc., and among the television series it has produced for MGM are "Dr. Kildare," "The Eleventh Hour," "The Lieutenant," and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." In 1966, Mr. Felton endowed a playwriting fellowship at the University of Iowa to encourage development of gifted writers.
Since 1963, the University of Iowa has annually recognized accomplished alumni and friends with Distinguished Alumni Awards. Awards are presented in seven categories: Achievement, Service, Hickerson Recognition, Faculty, Staff, Recent Graduate, and Friend of the University.