Five to receive honorary degrees

Maya Angelou, considered one of the 20th Century's 100 best writers, will be one of five to receive an honorary degree during CWRU's Commencement Convocation.

Angelou, an author, educator, historian, actress, playwright, civil rights activist, producer and director, will give the keynote address during the ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. May 19 in the Veale Center.

In addition to Angelou, who will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters, other recipients of honorary degrees this year are Arden L. Bement Jr., honorary doctor of science; Claire M. Fagin, honorary doctor of science; Viktor Schreckengost, honorary doctor of humane letters; and Michael L. Walker, honorary doctor of laws.

Considered one of the great literary figures of the age, Angelou has received several honors, including being named one of the top 100 most influential women. She has written eleven best-selling books including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In 1993, Angelou became only the second poet in U.S. history to write and recite original work at a presidential inauguration.

Arden L. Bement Jr.

A 40-year career as an engineer in industry, government and higher education prepared Bement to become the new director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This small but vital government agency develops and promotes measurements, standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade and improve the quality of life. Before assuming the NIST helm in December, Bement served as head of the Purdue University School of Nuclear Engineering. Prior to joining Purdue in 1993, he was vice president of Technical Resources and Science and Technology for TRW Inc. He also served as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and as director of the Office of Materials and Science within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the U.S. Department of Defense.

Claire M. Fagin

Author, advocate, educator, administrator-but above all-nurse, Fagin is a leading figure in American health care practice, education and policy reform. Fagin is the Leadership Professor and Dean Emeritus at the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also served as interim president in 1993-1994. Named a "living legend" by the American Academy of Nursing, Fagin has been a vocal proponent for a greater leadership role in health care for nurses. Her research specialty is mental health nursing.

Viktor Schreckengost

Many have seen, admired-perhaps even owned-one of Schreckengost's creations. A native of Northeast Ohio, this industrial designer-sculptor-ceramicist was honored last year with a retrospective show of his work at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Schreckengost's contributions to American culture are as pervasive as they are diverse. They include dinnerware and museum-quality ceramics, the first cab-over-engine truck, bicycles and pedal cars, printing presses, appliances, even the first "golf cart" riding mower. At age 25 Schreckengost became the youngest faculty member of his alma mater, the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Michael L. Walker

A childhood in Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing development and breaking the color bar at an all-white Alabama school helped to make Walker an advocate against youth violence. He is now the executive director of the Partnership for a Safer Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that is an outgrowth of the Task Force on Violent Crime. The partnership's mission includes gang awareness programs for police, courts and schools, as well as creation of alternatives to gang memberships in elementary schools. A regular contributor to state and national violence-reduction efforts, Walker is a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Substance Abuse, the Ohio Task Force on Gun Violence and many other boards.

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