Honorary Degree Recipients
Morris Adler, Rabbi
Rabbi, Congregation Shaarey Zedek
1966 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
If every decade has a dominant characteristic, the 1960's are probably best portrayed as the decade of ecumenism. The genial inspiration of Pope John XXIII has not only opened the windows of the Vatican but also has thrown open the shutters of many minds. In the spirit of this ecumenical brotherhood, the University of Detroit today honors three men [Fr. John Courtney Murray, S.J., Bishop Richard S. Emrich, and Rabbi Morris Adler] who have been outstanding exemplars of the religious ideals of John XXIII.
In America's pluralistic society, the impact which religious leaders make on their fellows varies in direct proportion to the degree of their involvement with the problems of our age. Some leaders are content to stay with their flocks and concentrate on the internal crises of their individual Churches. To do this is to miss the tremendous opportunities for good which are open to those who break out of the circle of their parochial concerns and devote themselves to the demands of the whole community.
When Rabbi Morris Adler came to Congregation Shaarey Zedek in 1938, he showed that he understood these ecumenical demands and he devoted his energies to answering them. Over a twenty-eight year period, he was active in the community as a leader in the National Conference of Christians and Jews, as Chairman of the United Auto Workers' Public Review Board, as a member of the Governor's Commission on Higher Education, and as a worker and leader in countless other civic organizations.
Because of this, the city, the state, and other Churches in the area turned to Rabbi Adler when they wanted a representative of the Jewish community. They knew that he would speak with the authentic voice of Judaism. They knew, too, that he would carry the word of the civic community back to his brethren.
Rabbi Adler had the breadth of vision and the sense of ecumenical fellowship which we admired in Pope John XXIII. Brothers under God, they are now united in the bosom of Abraham - John after an unusually long and fruitful life, Rabbi Adler snatched from us tragically at the height of his power and influence. We bow to the mystery of God's Providence. Rabbi Adler is no longer with us, but his memory will be always green.
Reverend President, in tribute to the life of ecumenical dialogue which he lived, I recommend Rabbi Morris Adler for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, to be conferred posthumously.
Commencement, University of Detroit, April 30, 1966.
Adler, Morris, Rabbi
Rabbi, Congregation Shaarey Zedek
1966 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
William M. Agee
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Bendix Corporation
1980 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
Throughout history leadership has been the keynote of national greatness. Thus, in an era when the world's greatest nation looks for the leadership which will guide it in the difficult decades ahead, you have stood out as an individual capable of supplying this important quality. Already your many considerable achievements have distinguished you for this role. At the young age of thirty-eight, you not only became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bendix, one of American's largest corporations, but recognizing the inherent responsibilities which business has toward society, you immediately extended the benefits of your expertise to those outside the business world. Today, your presence is felt in a variety of civic, governmental, charitable and educational institutions. You have served as Chairman of the President's Industrial Advisory Committee on Economic and Trade Policy, and continue to serve as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the United Negro College Fund, and as a director of the National Council for U.S.-China Trade, the United Foundation, the Detroit Renaissance Foundation, and the Detroit Economic Growth Council. In recognition of your tremendous past and present leadership contributions, and the future contributions which these portend, it is a privilege to present you with this Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Commencement, University of Detroit, May 10, 1980.
Agee, M. William
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Bendix Corporation
1980 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
George Alapatt, Most Rev
Bishop, ecclesiastical Leader in India
1968 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
Through the years Divine Providence has sent the Church enlightened bishops. Kerala today has such an ecclesiastical leader. His Excellency, Bishop George Alapatt has spent a quarter of a century showing Indian Catholics that scholarship and Episcopal administration can go hand in hand.
After a brilliant career in Philosophy and Theology at the Propaganda College in Rome, he returned to India to become a leader in Christian education. Not only has His Excellency acted as patron of St. Thomas College, but he has also founded five other colleges in his diocese.
Bishop Alapatt is dedicated to raising the level of education in South India and he is concerned that this education be enriched with the leaven of Christian wisdom. It is fitting that the University of Detroit honor the humane and Christian values which His Excellency has so well promoted.
Reverend President, it is my privilege to present His Excellency, Bishop George Alapatt for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
The Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree was presented in the University Ballroom by the University of Detroit in celebration of Bishop Alapatt's Silver Jubilee of his Episcopal Consecration, August 14, 1968.
Alapatt, George, Most Rev
Bishop, ecclesiastical Leader in India
1968 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Thomas V. Angott
Owner, Twin Pines Farm Dairy
1990 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Bio
Background information is taken from correspondence and press release in University archive files.
Thomas Angott, a University of Detroit graduate, owns Twin Pines Farm Dairy and is president of Wesley's Quaker Maid, Inc. and Michigan Beverage Company in addition to Detroit Pure Milk Company.
Mr. Angott is the board chairman for the National Dairy Council and for the Milk Industry Foundation and is a past president of the Michigan Dairy Foods Association. He also is a member of the executive committee of the Central Business District Association and serves as a committee chairman of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce. Active in a variety of civic organizations, Mr. Angott is a director for Orchestra Hall, the Michigan Cancer Foundation, the Michigan Osteopathic Foundation, the International Visitors Council and the international Institute, among others.
One of the first two honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Detroit Mercy was awarded to Mr. Angott, Chairman of the Mercy College of Detroit Board of Trustees. The honorary degree was presented by Sister Maureen A. Fay, president of the University of Detroit Mercy and Father Robert A. Mitchell, chancellor.
University of Detroit Mercy, President's Cabinet Awards Dinner, September 14, 1990.
Angott, V. Thomas
Owner, Twin Pines Farm Dairy
1990 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Joseph E. Antonini
President and Chief Operating Officer, K-Mart Corporation
1991 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
During your 27-year career with Kmart Corporation, you have distinguished yourself as a dedicated and enthusiastic leader in the retail marketing industry. From your early employment as a management trainee at the S.S. Kresge Company in Uniontown, Pennsylvania to your current post as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of one of the leading discount retailers in America, your contributions and successes have been many.
Your leadership has successfully lead Kmart Corporation through a nationwide image change and has brought your company recognition for its dedication to customer service. You are considered a friend who is on a first-name basis with your employees. You have consistently given a great deal of support to organizations in the communities where your employees and customers live. Your commitment to Detroit and the surrounding area is acknowledged by your many affiliations as director of Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, Inc., United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, to name a few.
You have also generously given your time and talents as chairman of National Minority Supplier Development Council and have been a trustee of Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, the Michigan Cancer Foundation and the National Italian American Foundation. In recognition of your leadership in the retail industry and your contributions to business and to the community, we are proud to present you with this Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.
Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, May 11, 1991.
Antonini, E. Joseph
President and Chief Operating Officer, K-Mart Corporation
1991 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Trudy DunCombe Archer
Judge, 36th District Court
1995 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
As a 36th District Court judge and as the City of Detroit's First Lady, you personify the definition of public service. An elected official, you daily demonstrate your concern for the welfare of Detroit citizens. This regard for our community is also reflected in your longtime involvement in community and professional organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of African American History, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and the Association of Black Judges in Michigan.
You perform numerous leadership roles for the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, the Children's Center, the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan and the Greening of Detroit. And as Detroit's First Lady, you have contributed countless hours to projects and events that benefit the city and state, such as co-chairing the 1994 Michigan International Year of the Family.
Much of your community involvement demonstrates your interest and concern for Detroit-area children--not just from the perspective of an elected official but as a wife and mother. You have become a role model for women today as you balance career, family and community responsibilities. For your efforts, you have received the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Wolverine Student Bar Association.
In recognition of your years of distinguished community service, the University of Detroit Mercy is proud to confer upon you an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.
Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law, May 14, 1995.
Archer, DunCombe Trudy
Judge, 36th District Court
1995 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Francis A. Arlinghaus
Educator and Administrator
1971 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Bio
Background information is taken from correspondence, newspaper clippings, and personnel documents in University archive files.
Dr. Arlinghaus, professor of history, was appointed director of the McNichols Evening Division by the Rev. Celestin J. Steiner, S.J. in 1956. Dr. Arlinghaus directed the university's educational television program, "TV College," from 1957 through 1961. He was named Vice President for Student Affairs by Laurence V. Britt, S.J. president of the University of Detroit in 1964.
Dr. Arlinghaus was named to the first University Professorship, a distinguished chair, to be established at the University in 1968. "The Fr. Malcolm Carron, S.J., U. of D. president, said Dr. Arlinghaus, administrator and teacher at U. of D. for the past 35 years will retire from his present vice presidential position May 15, the end of the current academic year.....In making the announcement Fr. Carron said 'It is most fitting that Dr. Arlinghaus become the first man at this University to hold the rank of University Professor because his career has indeed been a distinguished one in every way, both as an outstanding scholar and a tireless administrator." (The Michigan Catholic, April 11, 1968)
"Formerly an instructor at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Dr. Arlinghaus came to the University in 1933. He studied at Xavier and Harvard, where he received is doctorate in philosophy.
He is a member of the American historical association, has served as president of the American Catholic Historical Association in 1948, and was appointed to the executive board of the World Study Council in 1942. Dr. Arlinghaus, noted as an historian, has been active in academic and honorary societies, and is a regular contributor to Catholic Historical Review and Journal of Modern History. Modern European history is his specialty with emphasis upon the 19th and 20th centuries." (newspaper article, unnamed and undated; may be from the Detroit Free Press as other clippings are from the Free Press.)
Commencement, University of Detroit, May 1, 1971.
Arlinghaus, A. Francis
Educator and Administrator
1971 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
William A. Arrowsmith
Professor of Classics
1973 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
Man grows in scope through treasuring the riches of the past and investing their interest in contemporary society. You, William Arrowsmith, as an eminent Professor of Classics, have been a justly praised ambassador to ancient Greece and Rome. In delivering lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country you have conveyed a dedication that exemplifies one of the timeless themes of those who wrote in the early days of Western Civilization. Your continuing quest for excellence is reflected in a quarter-century of distinguished scholarships and honors for outstanding teaching. Your concern and interest with the framework in which superior teaching can be accomplished is evidenced in your writings and memberships in committees on higher education. Your creative energies are revealed in stories and poems you have written. You have contributed unstintingly to the wealth of all of us in higher education.
Reverend President, it is my privilege to present Dr. William Arrowsmith for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Commencement, University of Detroit, April 28, 1973.
Arrowsmith, A. William
Professor of Classics
1973 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Ben D. Barker, D.D.S.
Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina
1994 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
Through your distinguished career, you have advanced the profession of dentistry and positively impacted the delivery of health and dental care in the United States and throughout the world. Your emphasis on preventive dentistry and public health helped refocus dental education to meet the changing needs of the profession. This progressive outlook was the hallmark of your academic pursuits at the University of North Carolina, as a Professor of Dentistry and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and later as Dean of the School of Dentistry and Co-Director of the Pew National Dental Education Program.
During your tenure as Program Director in Health for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, you fostered national studies in health and dental care policy and implemented public health programs in the United States, Latin America and other regions. During this period, you initiated the Kellogg National Fellows Program to promote leadership development. This program continues today and is a testament to your innovative thinking.
Your professional and community accomplishments are an inspiration to all dental students and colleagues. You have served as chairman of both the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association and the Commission on Dental Accreditation. As a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the Board of Directors of the Governor's Institute in Alcohol and Substance Abuse, you have helped to address critical health care issues. In addition, you have generously contributed your time and counsel as a trustee of your alma mater, Davidson College. In recognition of your significant contribution to the profession of dentistry and your innovative leadership in public health, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry is proud to confer upon you an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.
Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, School of Dentistry, May 21, 1994.
Barker, D. Ben, D.D.S.
Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina
1994 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
David Cowan Bayne, S.J.
Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa College of Law
2000 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Citation
With a remarkable career spanning more than six decades, you have established yourself as an outstanding leader in the legal profession. Your innovation and tireless dedication to legal education and scholarship have earned you worldwide recognition and high esteem.
Your accomplishments as former Dean of the University of Detroit School of Law, former Professor at St. Louis University School of Law, and current Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa College of Law reflect your talents as both excellent teacher and administrator. In your distinguished career, you have written countless briefs and argued successfully in numerous high-profile lawsuits involving the sale of corporate control. You have also been regularly called on as an expert witness in corporations and securities litigation.
You are widely recognized by your colleagues for your groundbreaking ideas and theories. Utilizing your expertise, you have published numerous books and articles, including works on corporate control, bankruptcy reorganization and securities regulations. Active for many years as a legal consultant, you are also a founder and long-time member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Iowa's Journal of Corporation Law. As such, you have contributed greatly to professional knowledge of corporation law.
Your impeccable ethical standards and exemplary wisdom are reflected in all aspects of your work. As the first Jesuit to accept a professorship at a state school, you have broken boundaries and created new academic opportunities for future generations. You have been a mentor to law students and attorneys who have gone on to become distinguished lawyers, judges, legislators and governors. Your exceptional professional abilities and enduring commitment to legal scholarship are an inspiration to us all.
In recognition of your long-standing professional integrity and exceptional contributions to the legal profession, the University of Detroit Mercy is pleased to present you with the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.
Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law, May 14, 2000.
Bayne, Cowan David, S.J.
Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa College of Law
2000 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
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