Newswise — Three distinguished graduates and the late President Emeritus Frank P. Piskor will be honored at St. Lawrence University's Commencement, to be held on Sunday, May 21, at 10 a.m. on Creasy Commencement Commons, or Appleton Arena in the event of inclement weather.
Three alumni will be awarded honorary degrees and give brief talks: actor Viggo Mortensen '80, the Reverend Richard S. Gilbert '58 and Barbara J. Tewksbury '73.
The University had previously announced that Piskor had been selected to receive the North Country Citation; one of his daughters, Nancy P. Twichell, will accept the award for her father, who passed away March 8. Twichell's son, Nathan, is a member of the Class of 2006.
Mortensen, a graduate of Watertown High School, has acted in over 40 films, including the award-winning "Lord of the Rings" cycle and "A History of Violence." He has authored a number of poetry books and collaborated with other poets and musicians to produce CDs; he has also had several gallery exhibitions of his paintings; and he has published a book of his color and black-and-white photographs. Also a book publisher, Mortensen founded Perceval Press to publish the work of artists and poets that come to his attention.
Gilbert, who also received a degree from St. Lawrence's Theological School in 1961, is retired after serving as a Unitarian Universalist minister for 44 years, including many years in Rochester, New York. He is the author of numerous works on ethics, theology and justice, including Sharing the Action and Passion of Time (1992); In the Holy Quiet of This Hour: A Meditation Manual (1995) and Building Your Own Theology, on which the curriculum for a non-credit course at St. Lawrence is based. Among his many awards is the University's Sol Feinstone Award for Humanitarian Service. Gilbert has been active in social justice work, both within the Unitarian Universalist Church and in the broader community.
Tewksbury is the William R. Kenan Professor of Geology at Hamilton College. A faculty member at Hamilton since 1978, she is the past Stephen Harper Kirner Professor of Geology and past chair of the department. She earned her graduate degrees at the University of Colorado. Tewksbury's specialty is structural and planetary geology and plate tectonics; her current research is on deformation in metamorphic rocks in northern New York. A leader in science pedagogy reform, she is the past president of the American Geological Institute, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and the Geology Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research. She has won numerous awards, including New York State Teacher of the Year in 1997, and has been recognized for her courses linking the teaching of science to human issues.
St. Lawrence annually awards the North Country Citation to an individual from the region who, through professional and volunteer endeavors, has improved the quality of life in the North Country. Piskor retired in 1981 as St. Lawrence's 14th president, having served since 1969. He and his late wife, Anne, remained in Canton and became very active in a host of community organizations, including corporations, financial institutions, philanthropic societies, cultural institutions, civic clubs and hospitals.
Please note: Only those individuals associated with a bachelor's degree or master's degree candidate will be allowed to attend Commencement. Ushers will screen guests as necessary. Representatives of the news media planning to cover St. Lawrence's Commencement must contact the University Communications office in advance, to obtain information and credentials.
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