Contact: News Director Stacia SenneGustavus Adolphus College / Office of Public Relations800 West College Avenue / St. Peter, MN 56082-1498Telephone: 507/933-7510 / Fax: 507/933-6147E-mail: [email protected] / Web: www.gustavus.edu/news
For Immediate Release
Bill Holm to Deliver Commencement Address June 2 at Gustavus Adolphus College
ST. PETER, Minn. (May 14, 2002) Minnesota author Bill Holm, a celebrated poet and essayist, will deliver the Gustavus Adolphus College commencement address at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2 on Hollingsworth Field (if inclement weather, in Lund Center for Physical Education and Health).
During commencement exercises, 607 students will receive Bachelor of Arts degrees making this the largest class to graduate in the school's 140-year history. The graduates will receive signed diplomas from the faculty department chair in their respective majors, a tradition that began in 1973.
A 1965 Gustavus graduate, Holm has won many awards for his writing, including the 2000 Prairie Star Award, a Fulbright Scholarship, a Bush Foundation Arts Fellowship, and a National Foundation for Arts grant. Among his many publications are eight books, all of which have received praise, including his most popular book Coming Home Crazy (1990). Holm and his works have been the subject of numerous periodical articles, including a 1989 cover story in Minnesota Monthly titled "Wild Bill: Mr. Holm of Minnesota."
Holm was born in Minnesota in 1943. He received his B.A. in English from Gustavus and earned a graduate degree at the University of Kansas. He has taught at Hampton Institute, a university in Xi'an, China, and he currently teaches at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. A captivating speaker, Holm frequently addresses audiences throughout the nation.
During the exercises, honorary degrees will be given to Holm and Earl B. Olson, founder and owner of Jennie-O Foods. Graduate John Nys has been selected to deliver the traditional senior address.
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minn., that prepares 2,500 undergraduate students for lives of leadership, service, and lifelong learning. Gustavus was founded in 1862 and is the oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota. Fully accredited and known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs, Gustavus is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference.
A downloadable photograph of Holm is available at http://www.gustavus.edu/news/images.
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