Honorary Degrees were conferred on four outstanding individuals.
Dr. Sarah N. Denman, 
Vice President of Academic
Affairs, presented the candidates to Dr. Gilley for confirmation. Mildred
Mitchell Bateman, Franklin D. Cleckley, Cecil H. Underwood, and William
Ervin Willis were honored for their accomplishments in the local, state,
national, and international realms.
Governor Underwood, who received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, enjoys the unique distinction of serving as both West Virginia's youngest governor and its oldest governor, having been elected to the post in 1956 and 1996. He has distinguished himself as an educator, political leader, business executive, and college administrator.
Dr. Mildred Mitchell Bateman, during a West Virginia medical
career spanning 50 years, served as director of the State Department of
Mental Health for four governors and was the first African American to administer
a major West Virginia State Agency. The former chair of the MU School of
Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, she 
currently
serves as clinical director of the state's Huntington Hospital and part-time
professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine. Through her caring manner,
her strong work ethic, her courage, and dedication, she has had a profound
impact on improving the amount and quality of mental health services for
West Virginians.
William E. Willis, a 1948 Marshall honor graduate, has had a distinguished career with the New York City law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, including service as chief attorney for the National Football League. He is a renowned author and lecturer. He has been an outstanding supporter of Marshall, particularly in its effort to build a new library. He is a native of Huntington.
Huntington native Franklin D. Cleckley, one of the state's
most prominent attorneys and a professor of law at West Virginia University.
In 1972 became WVU's first African American full professor. In 1994 he was
appointed a justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the first
African American to serve on 
that court. Widely
known for his writings in various areas of the law, he drafted the West
Virginia Rules of Evidence and the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure.
Mr. Cleckley has devoted himself to making a significant, positive difference
in our society.
Greetings were delivered to the new graduates by Kay Goodwin, chair of the University System Board of Trustees; Bea N. Orr, chair of the university's Institutional Board of Advisors, and Jane Butcher, president of the Marshall Alumni Association.
The newly adorned graduates were lead in the singing of the Alma Mater for
their first time as ALUMNI by Professor of Music, Paul A. Balshaw. The lyrics
now seem to take on new meaning and new responsibility for the graduates.
Following the benediction by Dr. J. Wade Gilley, the graduates were recessed and the hugging and congratulations began....
GOOD LUCK TO OUR GRADUATES!
WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!
Summa Cum Laude Graduates (Highest Honors): 22
Magna Cum Laude (High Honors): 79
Cum Laude (Honors): 149
Community & Technical College graduates with high honors: 8; Honors: 36
Bachelor's degrees awarded: 1,174
Master's Degrees awarded: 469
Associate Degrees: 228
Doctor of Medicine Degrees: 50
Ph.D. Degrees: 5