Alumnus Lt. Col. Greg Gadson to Deliver Webster University's Commencement Address on May 8

Gadson and Fellow Alum Patricia McKissack to Receive Honorary Degrees

Webster University alumnus Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson (MA ’01) will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Webster’s 2010 commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 8 at the Muny in Forest Park. In addition, Webster alum and award-winning children’s book author Patricia McKissack (MA ’75) will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at this year’s commencement.

Gadson lost both legs and suffered severe injuries to his right arm in 2007 while serving in Iraq. Just a few months later, the former West Point football player was walking with prosthetic legs and playing a key behind-the-scenes role with the Super Bowl-bound New York Giants. After the Giants’ 0-2 season start, Head Coach Tom Coughlin invited Gadson to meet with the team and talk to them about service, duty, perseverance and adversity. For his example of leadership, courage and camaraderie, Gadson was named the Giants’ Honorary Co-Captain.

Coughlin describes Gadson as “a powerful man with a powerful spirit.” After the Giants’ winning season and improbable Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots, Coughlin said Gadson gave the team “the idea that the spirit rises above all these adverse conditions.”

McKissack has written more than 100 books, many of them in collaboration with her husband, the writer Fredrick McKissack. Her awards include the Coretta Scott King Award (two-time winner), the Newbery Honor Award, the NAACP Image Award (with Fredrick), the Caldecott Honor Medal, the Jane Addams Peace Award and the National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Award (with Fredrick). She also serves on the board of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University is a worldwide institution committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Founded in 1915, Webster offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through five schools and colleges, and a global network of more than 100 campuses. Its 20,000-plus student population represents almost 150 nationalities. Since opening its first campus overseas in Geneva in 1978, Webster has become a recognized leader and innovator in global education, with an international presence that now includes campuses in London; Vienna; Leiden, the Netherlands; Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu, China; and Bangkok and Cha-am, Thailand. Webster also has educational partnerships with universities in Mexico and Japan.

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