You have to be pretty special to get a degree from Johns Hopkins, which means you have to be extra special to be deemed worthy of an honorary degree. This year’s recipients are a laudable bunch, including a hero of the gay-rights movement, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and a beloved bow-tie wearing Baltimorean.
Here are the seven men and women who will receive honorary degrees at the university’s May 22 commencement:
+Edith Windsor, whose lawsuit led to the Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, which many people are calling the most important civil rights decision of our time.
+Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer who took Windsor’s case on pro-bono — and won.
+Taylor Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of America in the King Years.
+Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube (and commencement speaker)
+Fred Lazarus, outgoing president of MICA and beloved visionary-about-town
+Norman Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin — and a longtime trustee of the university
+Pamela Flaherty, CEO of the Citi Foundation and former chair of the Hopkins board of trustees
When they get their honorary degrees, these folks will join a distinguished group that includes impressive folks including David Simon, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Bill Cosby, and Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, princess of Thailand. Not a bad group to be a member of!
