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
