By Jamie L. Freedman
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Julie Woodford
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The National Mall provided a magnificent
backdrop for Commencement 2006 on May 21. More
than 25,000 GW graduates, faculty and staff members,
family members, and friends gathered on the historic
Mall between 4th and 7th Streets, NW, for the
joyous celebration.
Former President George H.W. Bush and former
First Lady Barbara Bush delivered a joint keynote
address and received honorary Doctor of Public
Service degrees.
“Any definition of a successful life must
include service to others,” George Bush
told the nearly 4,500 graduates. Barbara Bush
stressed the importance of literacy, saying, “Knowing
how to read and write and comprehend is crucial
to keeping our young people off the streets, out
of jail, and in school.”
At the Columbian
College of Arts and Sciences ceremony held
in the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center
May 20, GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
confers upon Washington Nationals Manager
Frank Robinson an honorary Doctor of Public
Service degree.
Julie Woodford
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The Bushes treated the audience to a “CliffsNotes
version” of their favorite commencement
addresses and engaged in playful banter, with
the former president telling his wife that she
looked “a little like George Washington.”
Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom and CBS
Corp.; baseball legend Frank Robinson, manager
of the Washington Nationals; and Dan Glickman,
JD ’69, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture
Association of America also received honorary
degrees. Redstone, grandfather of Brandon Korff,
BA ’06, was presented with an honorary Doctor
of Arts degree on the Mall, while Robinson received
his honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at
the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences celebration
on May 20 at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center.
Glickman was awarded his honorary Doctor of Laws
degree during the Law School’s diploma ceremony,
also in the Smith Center, immediately following
commencement.
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Julie Woodford
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Other highlights of the day included the presentation
of the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Prizes
to three outstanding faculty members: Ines Azar,
professor of Spanish, for teaching; Martha Finnemore,
professor of political science and international
affairs, for scholarship; and Gary Simon, professor
of medicine, for University service.
Six extraordinary alumni were recognized at
commencement for receiving GW’s 70th annual
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award: Vice Adm.
Thad Allen, MPA ’86, who assumed duties
as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in May;
Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), BBA ’66; Jordan
M. Hadelman, MA ’78, chairman and chief
executive officer of Witt/Kieffer, Ford, Hadelman
& Lloyd, a top executive search firm; Barbara
Joan Pariente, JD ’73, chief justice of
the Florida Supreme Court; Harold C. Pillsbury
III, BA ’70, MD ’72, a distinguished
professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head
and Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine; and Frederick (Fritz) J. Scheuren,
MA ’71, PhD ’72, vice president of
statistics at the National Opinion Research Center
at the University of Chicago and president of
the American Statistics Association. The award
is the highest form of recognition given by the
University to alumni who have made a lasting impact
on society.
Dan Glickman,
JD ’69, chairman and CEO of the Motion
Picture Association of America, received
an honorary degree and spoke at the Law
School’s diploma ceremony in the Charles
E. Smith Athletic Center.
Abdul El-Tayef/WPPI
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GW Awards, which recognize exceptional members
of the University community, were presented to
Donald R. Lehman, PhD ’70, executive vice
president for academic affairs and George Gamow
Professor of Theoretical Physics; Michael Akin,
BA ’03, founding director of the Office
of the District of Columbia and Foggy Bottom/West
End Affairs; and the late Paul E. Spiegler, MA
’59, former associate professorial lecturer
in the department of biological sciences, who
taught at GW for nearly 50 years.
Commencement 2006 marked the 60th anniversary
of President Harry S. Truman’s 1946 GW Commencement
address to his daughter Margaret’s graduating
class. Other presidential speakers over the years
include President John F. Kennedy, who spoke at
GW’s commencement in 1961, and President
Calvin Coolidge, who addressed graduates of GW
Law School in 1929.
Individual school ceremonies, interfaith baccalaureate,
and the annual Monumental Celebration (featuring
jazz music and dancing in Union Station) combined
with the festivities on the Mall to make an unforgettable
commencement weekend for the Class of 2006 and
the GW community.
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Viacom and CBS Chairman
Sumner Redstone received an honorary degree
and celebrated with grandson Brandon Korff,
BA ’06.
Thomas Kohout
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