 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Four to receive
honorary degrees
McNeal to deliver graduation address
A nationally honored school superintendent, a prodigious inventor, a top textiles executive and an internationally acclaimed photographer will receive honorary degrees from NC State during fall commencement on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Commencement ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m.
 |
McNeal |
William R. (Bill) McNeal, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System and winner of the 2004 National Superintendent of the Year award from the American Association of School Administrators, will give the commencement address and receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Dean Kamen, president and founder of DEKA Research and Development Corp.; W. Duke Kimbrell, chairman of the board for Parkdale Mills; and Hugh Morton, a North Carolina conservationist, naturalist and photographer, will receive honorary degrees on behalf of NC State from Chancellor James L. Oblinger.
McNeal has devoted nearly his entire career to the Wake County Public School System, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and associate superintendent before being named superintendent in July 2000. His career in Wake County spans 31 years. As superintendent, McNeal has worked to narrow the achievement gap while embracing a new goal: high academic growth and 95 percent of students meeting academic standards by 2008.
An advocate for science and technology, Kamen is an inventor who holds more than 150 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices. These include the IBOT, a wheelchair that can negotiate stairs and rough surfaces, go over curbs and raise a seated person to eye level with a standing person; a portable dialysis machine; and the first wearable insulin pump.
Kamen received the National Medal of Technology from former President Clinton in 2000, and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree.
Kimbrell is chairman of the board for Parkdale Mills, the world’s largest independent cotton yarn manufacturer. Prior to serving as board chair, Kimbrell was CEO of Parkdale Mills; during that time, Kimbrell helped transform the company from a 200-employee, $11 million company into a 3,600-employee firm with $934 million in sales.
Kimbrell received NC State’s Watauga
Medal, which honors those who have made significant contributions
to the advancement of the university, in 1995.
He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Morton’s photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including
Time and National Geographic. Two years ago, he published Hugh
Morton’s
North Carolina, a collection of 264 photographs chronicling the
state’s
history and beauty.
Besides being a highly acclaimed photographer, Morton is a conservationist and naturalist whose preservation efforts have been lauded by North Carolinians. Morton also owns North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Posted Nov. 18, 2005
All Rights Reserved
