Trustees select 11 for special honors

5 p.m., May 23, 2006--Eleven individuals were selected for special honors by the University of Delaware Board of Trustees at its May 23 semiannual meeting in the Trabant University Center.

The four named to receive honorary degrees are

Adrian Hall, the award-winning actor, director and playwright considered by many to be the father of America's regional repertory theatre movement;
Byong-Joon Kim, a UD alumnus who has served as chief secretary for national policy to the president of South Korea and who is widely regarded as one of the top policy specialists in that nation;
U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), a leading Senate moderate who has focused her attention on efforts to build bipartisan consensus on key issues; and
George (Frolic) Weymouth, whose concern for the preservation of the Brandywine Valley resulted in the formation of the Brandywine Conservancy, and who has had a dramatic impact through his impressive accomplishments with the Conservancy and the Brandywine River Museum.

Selected to receive Medals of Distinction were:

William A. Carter, a noted educator who is considered by many to be the founder of the community college system in Delaware;
Lanny and Micki Edelsohn, longtime supporters of the University who are widely recognized for their efforts on behalf of persons with cognitive and developmental disabilities, and who recently created and helped endow the Edelsohn Chair in Disabilities Studies;
Robert V.A. Harra and Linda Brinton Harra, both UD graduates who are exceptionally active in the community and in the life of the University, with Robert Harra serving as the president of the Wilmington Trust Co. and as a member of the Lerner College of Business and Economics visiting committee and alumni association, and Linda Harra actively involved with the School of Nursing and namesake of the Linda Brinton Harris Nursing Scholarship Fund;
Lawrence Putterman, director of the Leo and Karen Gutmann Foundation, which over the past five years has provided nearly $2 million to support UD's art history and art conservation graduate students; and
Dr. James R. Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations, who retired from UD in 2002 after a long career providing leadership in service to students and the University.

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 O'Connor; artists Andrew and Jamie Wyeth; U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden; 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 Monsignor 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.

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