April 23, 1999
Contact: Liz Harman, (619) 260-4682 [email protected]
FORMER IRISH PRIME MINISTER TO SPEAK AT USD COMMENCEMENT Albert Reynolds Began Process Leading to Historic 1998 Peace Accord
Former Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds, who began the peace process that led to the historic Good Friday peace accord reached in Northern Ireland last year, will be the speaker for the 1999 undergraduate commencement at the University of San Diego on May 30. Reynolds, along with former British Prime Minister John Major, was the prime architect of the Anglo-Irish peace talks resulting in the 1993 Downing Street Declaration, a framework for peace calling for the region's peoples to decide its future and for the Irish Republican Army to renounce violence. The declaration was the first real hope for peace in the strife-torn region in 25 years and laid the groundwork for the Good Friday accord establishing a power-sharing agreement between Protestants and Catholics. Following the agreement, Reynolds was frequently mentioned as a candidate for a Nobel Peace Prize. A charismatic leader, he was credited for building bridges with all parties involved, including the IRA, and convincing them to come to the negotiating table.
"We're honored to have Prime Minister Reynolds at USD," said Jack Cannon, director of public relations. "As USD celebrates its 50th anniversary and prepares to break ground on the Joan B. Kroc Peace and Justice Institute, his thoughts and insights into the peace process will be of great interest." A former cabinet polisher, Reynolds rose from humble beginnings to become and entrepreneur and multi-millionaire before becoming Prime Minister of the Irish Republic in 1992. Reynolds continues to play an important role in the negotiations, promoting economic development to further the peace process.
USD also announced two other distinguished speakers for its graduate and law school commencements. John Hope Franklin, chairman of the advisory board for President Bill Clinton's Initiative on Race, will speak at the graduate commencement, also on May 30. A noted historian, Franklin is the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University and is the author of From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans, now in its seventh edition. On May 29, Judge John T. Noonan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, will be the speaker for USD's School of Law commencement. Judge Noonan is a distinguished jurist, as well as one of the country's most noted legal scholars. He is also the Robbins Professor, Emeritus, at Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught ethics, legal history and jurisprudence since 1967. He was appointed to the court in 1985.
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