Honorary Degrees at Webster University

1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

 

1960s

1964

• Olive D. Wakeman, executive assistant to Conrad N. Hilton, president of Hilton Hotels, Doctor of Humane Letters (first honorary degree conferred by Webster, February 2, 1964)

1970s

1972

• General Leif J. Sverdrup, co-founder of Sverdrup & Parcel, Doctor of Letters

1973

• Dr. Vary Coates, senior staff scientist and head of the Technology Assessment Group, George Washington University, Doctor of Science
• Morton D. May, Former President of May Dept. Stores, Doctor of Fine Arts

1980s

1981

• Dr. John Hanley, Monsanto Chairman, Doctor of Science

1983

• Laurance Browning, Chairman – Opera Theatre, Doctor of Arts

1984

• Malcolm Forbes, Publisher of Forbes magazine, Doctor of Laws
• Raoul Kneucker, Commencement Speaker – Webster-Vienna, Doctor of Science

1985

• Sandi Freeman, St. Louisan – Moderator of Cable TV News Program, Doctor of Letters
• Colin Graham, Opera Theatre Conductor, Doctor of Arts
• Gen. Thomas Ryan, Military Airlift Commander at Scott AFB, Doctor of Science
• Gertrude Schoen, Webster-Vienna Donor, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Walter Schoen, Webster-Vienna Donor, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Gen. P.X. Kelley, Marine Corps Commander, Doctor of Science

1986

• Henry Cisneros, Mayor of San Antonio, TX, Doctor of Humanities
• Richard Gaddes, Director of Opera Theatre, Doctor of Music

1987

• Brian Lamb, Head of C-Span Cable TV, Doctor of Humanities
• Gen. Winfield Scott, U.S. Air Force Academy, Doctor of Laws
• Wallace Smith, St. Louis Artist, Doctor of Fine Arts
• Carl Hahn, Head of Volkswagenwerk – Germany, Doctor of Humanities

1988

• Valery Giscard D’Estaing, Former President of France, Doctor of Humanities
• Allan Woods, Former St. Louisan – Agency for Int’l Development, Doctor of Humanities
• Lt. Gen. Duane Cassidy, General at Scott AFB, Doctor of Laws
• George Eberle, St. Louis Humanitarian, Doctor of Humanities
• Dith Pran, Vietnamese Refugee portrayed in “Killing Fields,” Doctor of Humanities
• Harriet Woods, MO Political Leader – Nat’l Women’s Political Caucus, Doctor of Laws

1989

• Marion Cairns, Webster Groves State Representative, Doctor of Laws
• Peter Raven, Head of Missouri Botanical Garden, Doctor of Humanities
• Eugene Wehrli, President of Eden Theological Seminary, Doctor of Letters
• Del Doss Hemsley, St. Louis Educator, Doctor of Letters
• Howard Nemerov, Poet Laureate from St. Louis, Doctor of Letters
• Dr. & Mrs. Leigh Gerdine, President of Webster University, Doctor of Humanities
• Henry Grunwald, U.S. Ambassador to Austria, Doctor of Humanities (awarded in Vienna)

1990s

1990

• Judge Anna Forder, St. Louis Judge, Doctor of Laws
• Dr. Paul Reinert, St. Louis Educator, Doctor of Laws
• Dr. Elisabeth Price, St. Louis AIDS Humanitarian, Doctor of Humanities
• Robert Shannon, Noted Minority Athletic Coach in E. St. Louis, Doctor of Humanities
• Katherine Dunham, Renowned Dancer, Doctor of Fine Arts
• Stuart Robinson, Member of Webster-Geneva Advisory Board, Doctor of Laws

1991

• Thomas Eagleton, Noted Legislator, Former U.S. Senator from Missouri, Doctor of Laws
• Margie W. May, Founding Webster Board Member, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Max J. Starkloff, President of Paraquad, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Robert Sunnen, Webster Board Member – Posthumous Award, Doctor of Humane Letters

1992

• William Donaldson, President of New York Stock Exchange, Doctor of Laws
• Anna Crosslin, Pres. Int’l Institute of Metropolis St. Louis, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Jean Mayer, President of Tufts University (Nutritionist), Doctor of Humane Letters
• Helen Nash, Noted St. Louis Pediatrician, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Lloyd Richards, Theatrical Director and Teacher of Drama, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Theodore Sizer, Educational Reform Leader/Educator, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Herbert Krejcki, Vienna Philanthropist, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Vienna)

1993

• Richard Gephardt, U.S. Congressman – Third District of Missouri, Doctor of Laws
• Susan Stepleton, Director of Edgewood Children’s Home, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Charles "Bud" Wilkinson, Webster University Trustee/Scholar – Athlete, Doctor of Laws
• Arthur Dewey, Former Deputy UN High Commissioner For Refugees, Doctor of Laws (awarded in Geneva)

1994

• James Barnes, Missouri State Representative – Webster Alumnus, Doctor of Laws (awarded in Kansas City)
• Jack Buck, Renowned Sports Broadcaster, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Swanee Hunt, Ambassador to Vienna, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Vienna)
• Martin Mathews, Executive Director of Mathews-Dickey Boys’ Club, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, Executive Director of SSM Health Systems, Director of Humane Letters

1995

• Gwendolyn Woods Stephenson, former Chancellor of St. Louis Community College, Doctor of Humane Letters

1996

• Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander and Webster alumna, Doctor of Science
• Simon Wiesenthal, Doctor of Humanities (awarded in Vienna)
• Franz Konig, Doctor of Humanities (awarded in Vienna)

1997

• Judith A. Roberts, vice-president and executive assistant to the chairman of the board and president of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Doctor of Humanities
• Marsha Mason, actress and Webster alumna ’64, Doctor of Fine & Performing Arts

1998

• Richard A. Liddy, Chairman of the GenAmerica Financial Corporation in St. Louis, Doctor of Humanities,
• Wil Albeda, former minister of Social Affairs & Labor of the Netherlands, Doctor of Humanities
• Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Geneva)

1999

• The Honorable George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States of America, Doctor of Laws
• Paul Watzlawick, pioneer in family therapy, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Vienna)

2000s

2000

• James H. Buford, President of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Clark Terry, world-renowned trumpet player and jazz artist, Doctor of Music

2001

• James W. Symington, former U.S. Representative from Missouri, Doctor of Laws
• Kathryn Walt Hall, former U.S. Ambassador to Austria, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Vienna)
• Virabongsa Ramangkura, President of Bangkok Expressway Public Co. Ltd., Doctor of Laws (awarded in Thailand)

2002

• Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., Vice Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Doctor of Laws
• Robert Q. Costas, broadcaster, Doctor of Humane Letters

2003

• Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, CEO of Grassroots Leadership, Inc., Doctor of Laws
• Richard Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and Governor of South Carolina, Doctor of Laws (awarded by Webster's Greenville, S.C. campus)

2004

• Paul M. Kennedy, J. Richardson Dilworth professor of History and director of International Security Studies at Yale University, Doctor of Letters
• George Herbert Walker III, Trustee Emeritus, Doctor of Laws

2005

• Consuelo Uribe Wise Gallagher, Webster Faculty Emeritus, Doctor of Laws
• Jerry Mitchell, choreographer, Doctor of Letters
• H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia and Webster alumnus, Doctor of Laws

2006

• Francis G. Slay, Mayor of the City of St. Louis, Doctor of Laws
• August A. Busch IV, former CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Doctor of Business Administration (awarded in Leiden)

2007

• Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Doctor of Laws
• Jacqueline Grennan Wexler, former president of Webster, Doctor of Laws
• Philip G. Zimbardo, social psychologist, Doctor of Humane Letters (awarded in Vienna)

2008

• J. Robert Kerrey, President of The New School, Doctor of Laws

2009

• Rocky Carroll, actor and Webster alumnus ‘85, Doctor of Letters
• David Robertson, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor, Doctor of Letters
• Hugh Grant, Monsanto Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Doctor of Science

2010s

2010

• Lt. Col. Gregory D. Gadson, Webster alumnus ’01, military veteran and motivational speaker, Doctor of Laws
• Patricia McKissack, Webster alumna and award-winning children’s book author, Doctor of Letters

2011

• Christopher S. ‘Kit’ Bond, U.S. Senator from Missouri, Doctor of Laws
• Aldwyn Cooper, Chief Executive and Principal of Regent’s College in London, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin, Webster alumna and Executive in Charge of Production for Procter & Gamble, Doctor of Humane Letters

2012

• Anne W. Patterson, U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Doctor of Laws
• Mike Woolston, Mayor of Joplin, Missouri, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Mary Ann Wyrsch, Webster alumna, former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Doctor of Humane Letters

2013

• Norbert Leo Butz, actor, Doctor of Humane Letters

2014

• Koko Tanimoto Kondo, Hiroshima survivor and peace activist, Doctor of Humane Letters

2015

• Barbara Ann Barbato, SL, Professor Emerita, Doctor of Pedagogy
• Dwight Bitikofer, journalist, Doctor of Letters
• Helen Hagen, television and film producer, Doctor of Humanities
• Jenifer Lewis, actress, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Sanford J. (Sandy) Zimmerman, chairperson of Webster's first lay board, Doctor of Laws

2016

• Jim Weddle, CEO of Edward Jones, Doctor of Business Administration

2017

• Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Doctor of Laws

2018

• Michael P. McMillan, head of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Doctor of Humane Letters

2019

• Col. Sidney (Sid) Gutierrez, '77, astronaut, Doctor of Science
• Brenda Newberry, '79, CEO (ret.) The Newberry Group, Doctor of Business Administration
• Elizabeth Robb, '65, CEO (ret.) Robb Partners REALTORS, Doctor of Laws.
• Katy Sullivan, '02, actress, writer, producer, athlete, Doctor of Humane Letters

2020s

2020

• Vladimir Ivkovic, '99, neuroscientist, Doctor of Science
• Will D. Carpenter, scientist and philanthropist, Doctor of Humanitarian Service

2021

• Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic athlete and medalist, Doctor of Humane Letters
• Virginia (Jinny) Jackson Browning, philanthropist, Doctor of Laws