Fact Sheet

Whitman College Commencement May 19, 2013

WHEN: Sunday, May 19 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Whitman College, Memorial Building South Lawn (345 Boyer Ave.)

WHAT: About 375 students will participate in the Commencement Ceremony in front of an estimated crowd of 4,000 students, family members, faculty, staff and guests.

SPEAKER:  The Commencement speaker is Monty Python's Eric Idle, English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer and comedic composer. Members of the Class of 1963 will celebrate their 50^th reunion and participate in the ceremony.

HONORARY DEGREES:

Morten Lauridsen '65
Doctor of Music, honoris causa

Morten Lauridsen attended Whitman College for two years before leaving to pursue music at conservatory at the University of Southern California. A 2007 National Medal of Arts recipient and Distinguished Professor of Composition at USC's Thornton School of Music, he is a prolific composer whose choral music has become a staple to choirs around the world. Lauridsen's works have been performed on more than 200 CDs, five of which received Grammy Award nominations. Among his most enduring choral compositions is Lux Aeterna, recently performed by the Whitman College Chorale.

Eric Idle
Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa

Eric Idle earned his bachelor's degree in English from Pembroke College at Cambridge University. In 1969, he co-created the surreal comedy group Monty Python, which went on to do four TV series, several stage tours and five movies, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. He also wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics for the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway musical Spamalot, which has been performed for more than two million people worldwide since 2005. In 2009, Idle received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. His daughter, Lily Idle, is a member of the Whitman College Class of 2013.

BACKGROUND: For complete details, including a map, visit the Commencement page at www.whitman.edu/commencement.

PARKING: Limited parking is available around campus, with additional parking in surrounding residential neighborhoods. Many attendees choose to park downtown and walk to campus.

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/WhitmanCollegeCommencement

TWITTER: @whitmancollege