AMERICAN ORIGINALS TONY BENNETT AND HERMAN WOUK HEADLINE GW'S COMMENCEMENT ON THE ELLIPSE MAY 20

Honorary Degree Recipients Also Include Leonard Slatkin, Rita Colwell, Charlene Drew Jarvis, and John Tydings

Washington, D.C. - Music legend Tony Bennett and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk will be among seven honorary degree recipients who will join the graduating class of 2001 at The George Washington University's Commencement on the Ellipse, Sunday, May 20, at 10 a.m.  More than 4,000 graduates and a total of over 20,000 people will attend the ceremony on the Ellipse, the historic park located between the White House and the Washington Monument.

Also receiving honorary degrees will be Leonard Slatkin, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra; Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation; Charlene Drew Jarvis, president of Southeastern University and former D.C. Councilwoman; H.R. Shepherd, the scientist who spearheaded the development of the metered dose inhaler used by asthmatics; and John R. Tydings, president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

"As our graduates look to the future, they would do well to take their cues from these masters of their professions," said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.   "While one left his heart in San Francisco and another helped us feel the winds of war, all of our honorees have left indelible imprints on landscapes ranging from our local community to the world stage."

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business/public management and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of 19,000 undergraduates, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 120 countries.

-- GW --