West Point Alumni Group Cancels Award Honoring Tom Hanks NYT | Top Stories By: Alexandra E. Petri 8 September 2025 at 09:02 The group was to bestow the Sylvanus Thayer Award on the actor, but it said it was canceling the event to focus on preparing academy cadets for the future. © Erik Carter for The New York TimesAn alumni group at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point canceled an awards event scheduled for this month to honor the actor Tom Hanks.