CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – Sen. Edward Kennedy, battling brain cancer, has received an honorary degree from his alma mater during a rare special convocation at Harvard University.
The Massachusetts Democrat smiled broadly and flashed a thumbs up Monday after the degree was bestowed by Harvard President Drew Faust.
Kennedy – who graduated from the Ivy League school in 1954 – joins a select group to be honored at special convocations, including George Washington, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, a former Kennedy staffer, spoke at the ceremony and Vice President-elect Joe Biden was among those in attendance.
In his remarks, Kennedy, said he has lived a “blessed time.” He called the election of Barack Obama as president a giant step forward in U.S. history, and one that marks a new beginning for the country.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.