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UD trustees select nine individuals for special honors
5:30 p.m., May 25, 2004--The University of Delaware Board of Trustees voted to award honorary degrees to six individuals and Medals of Distinction to three at its semiannual meeting May 25 on the Newark campus. Selected to receive honorary degrees are U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden of Wilmington, a 1965 UD graduate of UD and currently the Democratic Partys chief spokesperson on national security and foreign policy issues (His degree will be presented when he speaks at the Universitys 155th Commencement on May 29.); William B. DeLauder of Bear, who served as president of Delaware State University for 17 years; Geoffrey W. Marcy of Berkeley, Calif., professor of astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley and a leading figure in the discovery of planets beyond the solar system; W.D. Snodgrass of Erieville, N.Y., Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature at UD, serving on the Delaware faculty from 1979 until his retirement in 1994; and E. Arthur and Jerry Trabant of Wilmington, the Universitys 22nd and 24th president and his wife, who served the University as hostess, representative, translator and facilitator. Chosen to receive Medals of Distinction are Gloria and Paul Fine of West Palm Beach, Fla., who, in 1988, established a Vision of Hope scholarship trust for 30 low-income students at Conrad Middle School (Paul Fine is a 1960 UD graduate and former ex officio member of UDs Board of Trustees); and Eleanor Clement Paradee of Dover, a University benefactor who, with her late husband W. Charles Paradee Sr., has made significant contributions to UD, providing scholarships to students majoring in agriculture and support faculty and researchers in the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources. (The Universitys Paradee Center in Dover is named in their honor.) Honorary degrees, the highest honor the University bestows, are presented to individuals whose contributions to the public good warrant exceptional recognition. Past recipients include Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor; artists Andrew and Jamie Wyeth; George J. Mitchell, former U.S. Senator and international peace negotiator; and Audrey Forbes Manley, former president of Spelman College. The Medal of Distinction is presented to citizens of the state and region who have made humanitarian, cultural, intellectual or scientific contributions to society, have achieved noteworthy success in their professions or have given significant service to the University, state or region. Past recipients include the Rev. Michael Szupper, director of the Thomas More Oratory at UD; and William L. Friend, a UD alumnus who has had a distinguished career in international engineering and construction. To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |