2024 Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Awards Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Award winners

Office of Alumni Engagement
January 23, 2024

Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year’s Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Award winners. We will celebrate the recipients during Five-Star Festival, March 7-9, 2024.

Mr. John F. Carrere Jr. ’69

John Carrere graduated from Washington and Lee in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. As a student at W&L, he was the president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, president of his junior class, a member of the men’s varsity basketball team and a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa honors society.  

Following graduation, Carrere attended Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Navy in Newport, Rhode Island, and served as the navigator on the USS White Plains (AFS-4). He later received his MBA from Harvard University in 1979. 

After several years working in Chicago and Youngstown, Ohio, in the steel industry, Carrere returned to New Orleans to enter a family steamship business. He worked at Lykes Bros. Steamship Company for 23 years, retiring from the company and the position of its operations manager for the Port of New Orleans. 

In 1997, Carrere created a family investment partnership, Audubon Street Capital, Ltd., and continues to serve as its general partner. One of its most successful investments has been iSeatz Inc., for which he served as its board chairman. The company began by offering online reservations for restaurants in New Orleans and has grown to creating software to power ancillary revenue products for airlines, hotel chains, credit card issuers and other travel industry companies. 

Carrere has also served on the board of directors for Lykes Bros. Inc., a family business conglomerate in Tampa, Florida, from 1972 until 1996. 

In addition to his successful career, Carrere has consistently given back to the university over the past 55 years. He has served as an Annual Fund class agent, alumni board member, New Orleans chapter president and as a member of his 50th Reunion Committee. He also funded the John M. Gunn Endowment for Student Learning and Engagement.  

Carrere’s family spans multiple generations at Washington and Lee. His grandfather, Joseph T. Lykes, and uncle, Joseph T. Lykes Jr., both attended W&L and served many years on its Board of Trustees. His brother Michael graduated in the Class of 1971, and his brother Joseph in 1977. 

Mr. Barry Allen Greene ’64

Barry Greene graduated from Washington and Lee in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in commerce. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Gamma Sigma and the Mongolian Minks, and was the president of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He received his MBA from New York University. 

In 1967, Greene moved home to Martinsville, Virginia, where he began his service to the community. In 1968, along with four high school classmates, he founded Big Brothers of Martinsville and Henry County. He served as president of Christmas Cheer, an organization founded by his father, and was elected by its members to be a lifetime director. He was president of Ohev Zion Synagogue, president of the Retail Merchants Association and president of the Chatmoss Country Club. He became the fundraising chairman for United Jewish Appeal, now Jewish Federations of North America, a position he has held for 42 years.   

In 1974, Greene led the ticket in a six-man race for Martinsville City Council. Four years later, he again led the ticket in his bid for reelection and was elected mayor in 1980. As mayor, he sponsored the City-County Water Service Agreement, which provided for Henry County to purchase water treatment services from the City of Martinsville in exchange for providing water to the city when needed. Greene served on the 1980-1982 Martinsville-Henry County Merger Committee and was chairman of the 2001 School Merger Committee composed of city and county school superintendents and school board members. In 1986, he was appointed to the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board by Gov. Gerald Baliles. 

Greene was president and chief executive officer of Globman’s Inc., which consisted of four department stores and 10 ladies apparel stores, located in Virginia and North Carolina. In 1991, he successfully closed the business and, along with his wife, Eydie, founded The Greene Company, which manufactures and sells knit and fleece activewear. 

Greene’s brother Kenny graduated from W&L in 1967, and his brother Stephen in 1974. His son, Brian, graduated from the W&L School of Law in 1994. 

Greene has served several times as an Annual Fund class agent, served as a member of his 45th Reunion Committee and as co-chair of his 50th Reunion Committee. He supported the opening of the W&L Hillel House, and is a member of the W&L Doremus Society. 

Mr. Lewis H. ‘Lash’ LaRue ’59 

Lash LaRue graduated from Washington and Lee in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, a member of the Graham Lee Washington Literary Society, the International Relations Club and the Student Service Society. LaRue served as a freshman camp counselor and a writer for the Ring-tum Phi student newspaper. In the summer between his junior and senior years, LaRue participated in in the Marine Corps PLC Program and received his commission when he graduated. 

He continued his academic journey at Harvard Law School, earning an LL.B. in 1962. Before embarking on his academic career, LaRue served in the Marines, reflecting his commitment to public service. 

Joining the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, LaRue played a pivotal role in overseeing civil rights matters in Mississippi, as well as contributing to efforts in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. His negotiations between marchers and law enforcement facilitated school integration and safeguarded the voting rights of black citizens during a crucial period in American history. 

In 1967, LaRue returned to Washington and Lee University, dedicating an impressive 38 years to full-time service in the law school. His contributions extended to the fields of constitutional law, legal writing and evidence, shaping the educational experiences of countless students. In recognition of his impactful career, LaRue retired in 2005 as the Class of 1958 Alumni Professor at Washington and Lee School of Law. 

A prolific author, LaRue has penned notable works, including “A Student’s Guide to the Study of Law: An Introduction” and “Political Discourse: A Case Study of the Watergate Affair.” Additionally, he co-edited “Rewriting the History of the Judiciary Act of 1787” by Wilfred J. Ritz (1990) alongside Wythe Holt. LaRue’s scholarly pursuits also include “Constitutional Law as Fiction: Narrative in the Rhetoric of Authority.” 

LaRue and his wife, Susan, have two children and four grandchildren. 

If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.