Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Curry '75 to Deliver Commencement Address

Bokan Greenawalt '66 and Jemison to Receive Honorary Degrees

At Commencement on Sunday, May 17, Hobart and William Smith will award the institution's highest honor to three individuals whose personal and professional achievements intersect with critical aspects of the Colleges' history. Honorary doctorates will be presented to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Bishop Michael B. Curry '75, who will deliver the 2020 Commencement address; philanthropist and advocate for increased female leadership Margaret "Peggy" Bokan Greenawalt '66; and artist, activist and Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site G. Peter Jemison.

"As we approach the Hobart bicentennial in 2022 and the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment in 2020, we are taking stock of our history and the foundations from which the Colleges emerged," says President Joyce P. Jacobsen. "In honoring this year's esteemed recipients, we also wish to honor Hobart's Episcopal heritage, William Smith's continued commitment to leadership and the Colleges' overall dedication to inclusion, and the provenance of the land the Colleges call home."

The Most Rev. Bishop Michael B. Curry '75 is the first African American to serve as Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. An advocate for an inclusive, authentic ministry committed to racial reconciliation, equal justice and equal opportunity, in 2015 Curry was elected the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Curry earned a degree in religious studies from Hobart and a master's of divinity from Yale Divinity School. In 2016, he received the Hobart Medal of Excellence, the Hobart College Alumni Association's highest honor.

Margaret "Peggy" Bokan Greenawalt '66 is a noted philanthropist devoted to supporting education, the arts and the advancement of women in leadership roles. She rose through the hierarchy of the finance industry, holding leadership positions at Citibank, Citicorp and Monchik-Weber and has served on the boards of directors for numerous not-for-profit organizations. In 2015, she established the Margaret Greenawalt '66 Annual Scholarship, which pays off the student loan debt of a William Smith graduate who intends to pursue a career in finance and who has completed an internship on Wall Street. In 2018, she began supporting two students each year. Greenawalt earned a degree in economics from William Smith and a master's in business administration from Columbia Graduate School of Business.

G. Peter Jemison is a member of the Heron Clan of the Seneca Nation and a leading authority on Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history. As a fine artist, he works in a range of media to explore political and social subjects and his relationship with the natural world. Jemison is the historic site manager of the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, N.Y., where he oversees resources and programs that tell the story of Haudenosaunee contributions to agriculture, art, culture and government. Jemison earned a bachelor's in art education from Buffalo State College and was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the State University of New York in 2003.