Following is a sampling of the many people who have received honorary degrees from º£½ÇÉçÇø. The College began the tradition of assigning honorary degrees in 1851 to individuals who embrace the mission of º£½ÇÉçÇø in their daily lives.
Eavan Boland
Irish poet and essayist;
Melvin and Bill Lane Professor in the humanities, Stanford University;
author of eight volumes of poetry;
Doctor of Humane Letters 2000
Bill Bradley
Former New Jersey senator;
Doctor of Laws 1987
James Edward Burke '47
Former chair and CEO, Johnson & Johnson;
Doctor of Commercial Science 1989
Robert Cousy '50
Basketball legend and NBA Hall of Famer;
led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented five straight NBA titles;
Doctor of Laws 1998
Mario Matthew Cuomo
Former governor of New York;
Doctor of Laws 1984
Eamon DeValera
Former president of Ireland;
Doctor of Laws 1920
Joseph DiMaggio
Baseball Hall of Famer and banker;
Doctor of Humanities 1983
Anthony Fauci '62
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Doctor of Science 1987
Bryant Gumbel
Anchor of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel";
former co-anchor of NBC's "Today Show";
Doctor of Public Service 1989
Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez
Theology professor, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima;
father of the liberation theology movement;
Doctor of Religious Education 1994
Helen Hayes
Stage and film actress;
Doctor of Humane Letters 1981
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Massachusetts senator;
Doctor of Laws 1977
Galway Kinnell
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet;
Doctor of Literature 1985
John Count McCormack
Irish tenor;
1928 Papal Count;
Doctor of Literature 1917
William J. McDonough '56
8th President and CEO, New York Federal Reserve (1993-2003);
Chairman of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (2003-2005);
Doctor of Laws 2001
JoAnn McGrath
Philanthropist and promoter of Catholic education;
Doctor of Humane Letters 2001
Sister Mary Rose McGeady, D.C.
President and executive director of Covenant House, a privately-funded
childcare agency in New York City;
Doctor of Ministry 2000
Representative J. Joseph Moakley
Former U.S. Rep., 9th Congressional District in Massachusetts;
Doctor of Public Service 1991
Vivian Winona Pinn, M.D.
Director, Office of Research on Women's Health at the NIH;
Doctor of Science 1993
James D. Power III '53
Founder, J.D. Power and Associates;
Doctor of Humane Letters 1997
Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
Member of the death penalty abolition movement;
author of the book, Dead Man Walking;
Doctor of Humane Letters 1999
Tim Russert
Managing editor and moderator of NBC’s "Meet the Press";
anchor of CNBC's "The Tim Russert Show",
Doctor of Laws 2005
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Kennedy Foundation and Special Olympics;
Doctor of Public Service 1979
Maria Shriver
NBC news correspondent;
Doctor of Humane Letters 1998
R. Sargent Shriver
Former ambassador of France and Peace Corps Director;
Doctor of Public Administration 1986
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Nobel Prize-winning author;
Doctor of Humane Letters 1984
Blessed Mother Teresa
Nobel Peace Prize-winning missionary nun;
Doctor of Ministry 1976
Shirley Verrett
Operatic soprano;
Doctor of Musical Arts 1978