8/18/2012 Collective Eye

The Collective Eye honors Earle LaVon Freeman, "Vonski" in honor of his contributions to America's music - JAZZ! Vonski "walked on" on Saturday, August 11, 2012. Von was awarded the highest national honor in jazz, the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Masters Award in 2012. In June 2010, the University of Chicago awarded Freeman the Rosenberger Medal to "recognize achievement through research, in authorship, in invention, for discovery, for unusual public service or for anything deemed to be on great benefit to humanity." Von was also one of the early  recipicients of the Arts Midwest Jazz Master Award, along with John Young and J.J. Johnson, in 1991. Check out the NEA video tribute to Vonski at here; and a look at particular jazz moments in Von's life on this site.