The Bowdoin Orient

The College will grant honorary degrees to five people at this year’s Commencement. The recipients’ successes range from winning an Olympic gold medal to infusing astronomy into award-winning art. Educator and author Nancie Atwell will be presented with a degree in recognition of her work in the classroom both in the U.S. and around the world. Atwell was not only the first recipient of the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize but also the first classroom teacher to be presented with two major language arts research awards. Artist and recipient Dorothea Rockburne has worked for many years focusing on the intersections of art, mathematics and astronomy; one of her frescoes is displayed at Sony headquarters in New York City. Recipient Frank Shorter, an author, lawyer and television commentator, has not only won a gold medal in long-distance running at the 1972 Summer Olympics but also worked to spread the anti-doping message throughout athletics and advocated for victims of child physical abuse. Peter M. Small ’64, P’97, P’99 is the only recipient to have worked for the College, contributing much to the Board of Overseers and the Board of Trustees (of which he served as Chair from 2005 to 2010) over the course of three of the College’s presidencies. President of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, one of the first students in the Head Start program, has worked on a number of projects throughout the years, including a recovery program for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, he declared his and the Ford Foundation’s primary dedication to combating inequality.