LEWISTON — Bates College will award three honorary degrees at its 145th graduation ceremony in May, the college announced Tuesday afternoon.

The degrees will be given to Frank Glazer, a celebrated pianist, and artist-in-residence at Bates; Evelyn M. Hammonds, the Dean of Harvard College; and Robert S. Langer, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who is believed to be the most cited engineer in history, according to a news release from Bates College.

Glazer began performing on Milwaukee vaudeville stages in 1927 as a 12- year-old, and was performing at New York’s Town Hall by 1936. He played as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra before serving in the military during World War II.

He began teaching at Bates in 1977 and became an artist-in-residence in 1980. A seasoned performer with decades of experience, including a comprehensive string of Beethoven Sonatas at Bates in 2009 and 2010, Glazer also co-founded the New England Piano Quartette. Bates released two of his more than 60 recordings in 2010.

Hammonds is thought to be one of the nation’s foremost scholars on the intersection of race and medicine. She was the founding director of MIT’s Center for the Study of Diversity in Science, Technology, and Medicine; served as Harvard’s first senior vice provost for Faculty Development and Diversity; and has been the dean of Harvard College since 2008.

Langer has authored more than 1,100 articles on engineering, and more than 700 patents have been issued or are pending in his name. He worked on the Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board from 1995 to 2002 and led the group as chairman from 1999 to 2002.

The trio will receive their honorary degrees at Bates’ commencement ceremony on May 29. During the ceremony, 440 graduating Bates students representing 35 states and 42 countries will also receive their diplomas.

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