Commencement: Honorary Degrees

Photos: Beverly Schaefer

Six people were awarded honorary degrees at Commencement for their work in the spheres of public service, culture, and academia. They are:

“King of Calypso” HARRY BELAFONTE, known as much as a civil-rights activist and humanitarian as for his success as a singer and entertainer;

DAVID BILLINGTON ’50, a legendary Princeton engineering professor and designer of bridges and other large structures, who retired from teaching in 2010 after 50 years on the faculty;

Retired Gen. ANN DUNWOODY, who became the first woman in U.S. military history to receive a four-star rank, leading the largest global logistics command in the Army;

DEBORAH PORITZ, who earned her law degree at 40 and then became the first female chief justice in New Jersey;

JOHN PAUL STEVENS, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom;

and Nobel laureate MARIO VARGAS LLOSA, a Peruvian novelist who has taught at Princeton multiple times.

For ’15, Rainy Farewell | Parting Words | Special Graduations | Spotlight on Batman | Graduation: What it Cost | At Hooding Event, a Faculty Role | General’s Welcome for New Officers | Honorary Degrees | Slide Show