News Release Date:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

WHERE: Memorial Lawn, off Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, Wash.

WHEN: 11 a.m., Sunday, May 18, 2008

HOW MANY: Approximately 385 seniors will receive bachelor of arts degrees.

VISITORS: About 4,000 parents, grandparents, family members and friends.

SPEAKER: William Gates Sr., co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

STUDENT SPEAKER: James Michael Rathwell, English major from Phoenix, will address “Thoughts on Four Years with No Parents.”

HONORARY DEGREES: Doctor of Humane Letters, presented to William Gates Sr. Doctor of Humane Letters, presented to Margaret Chesney ’71

REUNION:Members of the Class of 1958 reunite on campus and will march with the graduates.

FACULTY AWARDS: Announced “live” at Commencement will be the 2008 recipients of the

• Suzanne L. Martin Award for Excellence in Mentoring;
• George Ball Award for Excellence in Advising;
• Robert Y. Fluno Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Social Sciences;
• Tomas D. Howells Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities;
• A.E. Lange Award for Distinguished Science Teaching; and
• G. Thomas Edwards Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship.

TRADITIONS: Awards presented to middle and high school teachers as nominated by graduating Whitman seniors. This year to Jean Bazemore, Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy, Arcata, California; and Sheila Stuhlsatz, Kalama Middle-High School, Kalama, Washington.

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CONTACT: Lenel Parish, Whitman College News Service, 509 527-5156

parishlj@whitman.edu