Contact: Sally Widman, 610-409-3300; [email protected]
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa.-Neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson, a once-troubled youth who is now director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and author of such inspirational books as "Gifted Hands," will speak at Ursinus College Commencement at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 13, on the front lawn of campus. The convocation will be held outdoors, rain or shine.
Ursinus President John Strassburger will confer honorary doctorates on Carson and three others, and award undergraduate degrees to 348 members of the Class of 2000.
Carson grew up in inner city Detroit, in his early years a troubled boy with failing grades, a violent temper, little motivation and no prospects for success. But spurred by his mother, a determined, devoutly religious woman with little formal education, he turned his life around. His books and frequent public appearances chronicle that story. Carson emphasizes faith in God, education, hard work and a refusal to make excuses for failure as the reasons for his success.
Once motivated, he went from last to first in his class, gained control of his dangerous temper and went on to win a scholarship to Yale. He then earned an M.D. from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, and landed both an internship and a residency at the prestigious John's Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore. He has been director of pediatric neurosurgery at Hopkins since 1984 and also serves as co-director of the Craniofacial Center and associate professor of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, oncology and pediatrics.
Carson, who performs over 400 surgeries a year, was the lead neurosurgeon on a 70-member team which separated twins conjoined at the head in 1987. He also refined the hemispherectomy, a radical procedure in which half the brain is removed in order to control severe seizures. He is the author of three best sellers, "Gifted Hands," 1990; "Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence," 1992, and "The Big Picture: Getting a Perspective on What's Really Important in Life," 1999, all released by Zondervan Publishing House. He serves on the boards of directors of Yale University and the Kellogg Company.
Carson will receive an honorary Doctor of Science. Also receiving an honorary degree will be the Rev. Martha Rollins Overall, pastor of St. Ann's Episcopal Church in South Bronx, who will deliver the sermon at Baccalaureate services at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, in the college's Bomberger Hall. Overall and her work with the people of the South Bronx are featured in "Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation," by Jonathan Kozol. She will receive a Doctor of Divinity. Two others will receive Doctors of Humane Letters: Harold F. "Gerry" Lenfest, communications industry executive and former owner, president and CEO of Suburban Cable; and Carole Haas Gravagno, a community leader whose work with the art and theater communities has helped shape the Philadelphia cultural renaissance of recent years.
Meghan B. Gualtieri, English and theatre arts double major from Blue Bell, Pa., is class valedictorian She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Gualtieri. Salutatorian is biology major Anthony J. Perri III, son of Dr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Perri Jr. of Corsicana, Texas. The student speaker at Commencement will be Oana Nechita, a philosophy major from Galati, Romania.
The college will hold Alumni Weekend festivities on Commencement Day for the third year in a row. Members of the Class of 1950, celebrating their 50th reunion, will process with the Class of 2000 at the opening of the commencement ceremonies. Following the convocation, the Ursinus College Alumni Association will hold its annual luncheon in Wismer Center. The classes of 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945 and 1950 will be holding reunions at various times throughout the day.
The public is welcome to attend the commencement ceremony, weather permitting. In the event of rain, families of graduates will be given priority access to seating under the tent.
Ursinus College, founded in 1869, is a highly selective, nationally ranked, independent, coeducational liberal arts college, located on a scenic, wooded, 168-acre campus 28 miles from Center City Philadelphia. The college is known for its rigorous, high quality programs in the arts and sciences.
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Note to Editors: A digital image of Benjamin Carson will may be e-mailed to you on request.
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