|
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Birmingham-Southern is presenting
four individuals with honorary degrees in May and June in recognition
of distinguished careers and service to the college.
Business and civic leaders Ruby Ansley of Birmingham,
owner of Ruby Ansley Interiors; William J. "Bill" Edwards
of North Palm Beach, Fla., retired broadcasting executive; and Clay
C. Long of Atlanta, attorney, founding partner, and chairman with
Long, Aldridge, & Norman LLP, will receive Honorary Doctor of
Laws degrees at the college's commencement ceremonies May 25 in
Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster of Montgomery, bishop
of the Alabama-West Florida Area of The United Methodist Church,
will receive an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree during the Alabama-West
Florida Annual Conference June 3 in Montgomery.
Ansley attended Birmingham-Southern and received
a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama. She is co-founder
of the Alabama chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers,
and over the years has donated her interior design services and
time to such college projects as the Sorority Townhouses and preservation
of the President's Home.
Edwards attended Birmingham-Southern and is a
life member of its Board of Trustees. He worked in radio and television
in several states, including at WBRC Radio (now WERC Radio) in Birmingham.
He and his wife, Julia, established the William J. and Julia M.
Edwards Scholarship at the college in 1989, and, in 1999, made possible
the 85-foot tall Edwards Bell Tower on the campus academic quadrangle.
Long graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Birmingham-Southern
in 1958 and also was Honor Council president. He received the college's
Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999 and currently serves as chair
of the Distinguished Alumni Selection Committee. The Harvard Law
School graduate and former BSC trustee was chairman of the board
of Atlanta's MARTA transportation system in 1982-84.
Goodpaster, who holds a bachelor's degree from
Millsaps College and a master's and doctorate in divinity from Emory
University, was Birmingham-Southern's Baccalaureate speaker in 2001
and is a member of the college's Board of Trustees. The former United
Methodist Church District Superintendent for Tupelo, Miss., is only
the third bishop elected from that state in the last four decades.
|