May 2002
Tales of Triumph and Wisdom
Ruth Simmons Heads Commencement Line-up of Darrell
Green, Jim Hall, Lois Green Schwoerer, and John Zeglis; Former Sen.
George Mitchell to Address Law School
Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons, daughter of Texas sharecroppers
and the great-great-granddaughter of slaves, who rose to become the
first African American to lead an Ivy League institution, will deliver
the keynote address to more than 4,200 graduates of the Class of 2002
at GW’s Commencement, Sunday, May 19. The annual celebration of
academic achievement is expected to draw as many as 20,000 family, friends,
and guests of the University community to the Ellipse, the historic
park located between the White House and the Washington Monument.
Also receiving honorary degrees will be Darrell Green, the Washington
Redskins’ seven-time All-Pro defensive back who is a champion for
education, moral leadership, and integrity; Jim Hall, former chair of
the National Transportation Safety Board; Lois Green Schwoerer, award-winning
author and scholar of Early Modern England; and John D. Zeglis, chair
and chief executive officer of AT&T Wireless Services.
“In this year of global tragedy and turmoil, we could choose to
talk of war and terrorism. Instead, we choose to discuss the eternal
values of education, equality, compassion, understanding, and perseverance
for the cause of right,” says President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.
“Ruth J. Simmons’ life has been devoted to these quests. She
has succeeded in furthering each of these goals and has emerged as a
pathfinder and leader in our society.”
Simmons was named president of prestigious Smith College in 1995, becoming
the first black woman to head a top-ranked American college or university.
While at Smith, she established the first engineering degree program
at a women’s college. In July 2001, Simmons was unanimously elected
the 18th president of Brown University, becoming the first African American
to lead an Ivy League school.
Simmons is no stranger to GW. During the 1968–69 academic year,
she was an instructor in French while enrolled at GW as a graduate student.
She earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude at Dillard University
in New Orleans and her master’s and doctorate in Romance languages
and literatures at Harvard University. She serves as a member of the
National Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Philosophical
Society, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She was awarded the Centennial
Medal from Harvard University in 1997, the Teachers College Medal for
Distinguished Service from Columbia University in 1999, and the President’s
Award from the United Negro College Fund in 2001.
University Trustee Jean Fugett will present Darrell Green, who will
receive a Doctor of Public Service degree. Green, a native of Houston,
TX, is a seven-time All-Pro defensive back, four-time NFL Fastest Man,
and two-time Super Bowl champion for the Washington Redskins, where
he has played for 19 seasons. As a 41 year-old, Green is the oldest
cornerback to play in the NFL and holds the NFL record of at least one
interception in 19 consecutive seasons.
Off the field, founded the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation in 1988
to serve youth and their families through community-based, values-driven
learning centers.
He graduated from St. Paul’s College in 1998 and received an honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Marymount University
in 1999.
Board of Trustees Chair Charles Mannatt will present Jim Hall, who will
receive a Doctor of Public Service degree. Hall, who currently heads
the Washington, DC, office of Dillon and Hall LLC, chaired the National
Transportation Safety Board from June 1994 until January 2001, during
which time he worked tirelessly to improve the safety of all modes of
transportation. He headed up the Board of Inquiry for public hearings
on many major transportation accidents, including TWA 800 and EgyptAir
990. He currently is serving on the National Academy of Engineering
Committee on Combating Terrorism, as well as on GW’s Aviation Institute
Advisory Board.
The Elmer Louis Kayser Professor Emeritus of History at GW, Lois Green
Schwoerer, will receive a Doctor of Letters degree. She will be presented
by Adele Alexander, associate professor of history. Schwoerer is a scholar
of Early Modern England, and the author of four books, two of which
won prizes, and she also is the editor of essays on the Glorious Revolution.
A festschrift, a volume of articles or essays by colleagues collected
as a tribute, was published in her honor when she retired. Schwoerer
held senior fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the Folger Shakespeare Library as well as grants from the American
Philosophical Society. She was president of the North American Conference
on British Studies and a member of the steering committee of the Center
for the Study of British Political Thought at the Folger Library.
University Marshal and Associate Professor of Public Administration
Jill Kasle will present John D. Zeglis, who will receive a Doctor of
Laws degree. In addition to being chair and chief executive officer
of AT&T Wireless Services, Zeglis is a member of the board of trustees
of the Culver Education Foundation, a trustee of the United Negro College
Fund, and a former chair of GW’s Board of Trustees.
Zeglis joined AT&T in 1984 as corporate vice president for law.
He was named AT&T’s general counsel in 1986, and was named
president in 1997. In 1999 he was elected chair and CEO of AT&T
Wireless Group.
Mitchell Addresses Law
Former US Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell will deliver the
keynote address for the GW Law School’s 135th Commencement Ceremony. The
event will take place at 1:30 pm, May 26 in the Smith Center.
“We are honored to have Senator Mitchell join us for our Commencement
ceremony,” says Michael K. Young, dean of the Law School. “It
seems especially fitting, now, that a man who has dedicated so many
years to public service and who has achieved so much in the name of
peace should address our graduates as they begin their careers in the
law.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
