The University of Iowa Eight Over 80 Award

Nancy and Thomas Hanson have lived lives dedicated to giving back to those less fortunate—and supporting each other in community activism throughout their marriage that now spans more than 60 years.

After graduating from Iowa, Tom pursued a career in the commercial and industrial heating, ventilating, and air conditioning industry. Nancy earned a Master in Social Work and served in various roles, including as director of court services for the Council on Drug Abuse in North Carolina and executive director of St. Thomas Hospice in the Chicagoland area.

Tom has served on various boards and committees during his professional and retirement years—working to provide affordable housing in Chicago and supporting student success initiatives during his time on the University of Iowa Center for Advancement board. Nancy is a founder of a medical respite program in Chicago that is providing a place of healing for ill and injured homeless men and women discharged from the hospital. She continues to serve on other boards that address the issue of homelessness.

Generously supportive of the UI College of Engineering, the Hansons founded the Hanson Center for Communication and Virginia A. Myers Nexus for Engineering and the Arts. Both programs are recognized as strengths of the college that stem from the Hansons’ desire to help students develop communication and artistic skills to complement their engineering education.