List of University of Florida honorary degree recipients

This list of University of Florida honorary degree recipients includes those persons who have been recognized by the University of Florida for outstanding achievements in their fields that reflect the ideals and uphold the purposes of the university, and to whom the university faculty has voted to award honorary degrees in recognition of such attainments. Often, but not always, the honorary degree recipients have been alumni of the university, or have had ties to either the university or the state of Florida.

The modern University of Florida was established in 1905, when the Florida Legislature passed the Buckman Act which consolidated four pre-existing state-sponsored institutions of higher learning into a single state university for men. After operating on the former campus of the Florida Agricultural College in Lake City during the 1905–06 academic year, the university moved to its present campus in Gainesville when the first academic and dormitory buildings were completed in September 1906. The university traces its historical roots to the 1853 founding of the East Florida Seminary in Ocala, the oldest of its four predecessor institutions.

The University of Florida awarded its first honorary degree in 1909 to Andrew Sledd, in recognition of his four years of service as the founding president of the modern University of Florida. The first woman to whom the university awarded an honorary degree was prominent Florida author and novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in 1941.

Honorary degree recipients, 1909–25

Recipient	Year/degree	Notability
Andrew Sledd	1909 D.D.	Andrew W. Sledd became the first president of the modern University of Florida following the consolidation of Florida's state institutions of higher education by the Buckman Act in 1905, and served from 1905 to 1909. He was an ordained Methodist minister and a noted Greek, Latin and biblical scholar. Sledd subsequently served as the president of Southern University (1910–14), and the first Professor of New Testament Literature at Emory University's Candler School of Theology (1914–39).[1]
William F. Blackman	1910 LL.D.	William F. Blackman was the president of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
Thomas M. Shackleford	1910 LL.D.	Thomas M. Shackleford was an associate justice of the Florida Supreme Court for fifteen years from 1902 to 1917.
Albert H. Walker	1916 Litt.D.	Albert H. Walker was the director of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, Florida.
William S. Currell	1916 LL.D.	William Spencer Currell was the president of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.
Edward R. Flint	1919 LL.D.	Edward Rawson Flint was the first professor of chemistry at the University of Florida, and later served as the Inspector of Land Grant Colleges from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Fons A. Hathaway	1919 LL.D.	Fons A. Hathaway was the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Duval County, Florida. Hathaway graduated from Florida Agricultural College with a bachelor of arts degrees (A.B.) in 1902.
George M. Ward	1919 LL.D.	George Morgan Ward was the acting president of Rollins College, and a member of its board of trustees.
Peter H. Rolfs	1920 D.Sc.	Peter Henry Rolfs was the dean of the University of Florida College of Agriculture and the director of its Experiment Station. Rolfs later served as the director of a state college in Brazil.
P.K. Yonge	1921 LL.D.	P.K. Yonge was the president of Southern States Lumber Company of Pensacola. In his role as a long-time member and chairman of the Florida Board of Control (1910–17 and 1922–32), Yonge was responsible for guiding the consolidation, early growth and evolution of the University of Florida.
Nathan Bryan	1923 LL.D.	Nathan P. Bryan was the chairman of the Florida Board of Control, a U.S. Senator from Florida from 1911 to 1917, and a U.S. District Court judge in New Orleans. As chairman of the Board of Control, Bryan helped guide the consolidation and early growth of the University of the State of Florida.
William Jennings Bryan	1923 LL.D.	William Jennings Bryan was a prominent statesman, lawyer, Presbyterian churchman and lecturer. Bryan was a two-term U.S. Representative from Nebraska, the Democratic Party nominee for U.S. President in 1896, 1900 and 1908, and the first U.S. Secretary of State in Woodrow Wilson's administration from 1913 to 1915. As a lawyer and special prosecutor, he also represented the State of Tennessee in the Scopes Trial in 1925. Bryan was a personal friend of university president Albert A. Murphree, and as a supporter of the university, he chaired the campaign to raise funds for the construction of the Florida Union.
Harvey Warren Cox	1923 LL.D.	Harvey W. Cox was a University of Florida professor of philosophy from 1911 from 1920, and dean of the university's Teachers College from 1916 to 1920.

Honorary degree recipients, 1926–50

Recipient	Year/degree	Notability
Roger W. Babson	1927 LL.D.	Roger W. Babson was a prominent statistician and economist. Helped further interests of the state.
Eugene L. Wartmann	1929 LL.D.	Eugene L. Wartmann was a member of the Florida Legislature when the Buckman Act was passed in 1905, and served as a member of Florida Board of Control from 1907 to 1929.
Orestes Ferrara	1930 LL.D.	Orestes Ferrara was Cuba's ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United States from 1926 to 1930.
Doyle E. Carlton	1933 D.C.L.	Doyle E. Carlton was the Governor of Florida from 1929 to 1930, and a prominent attorney in Tampa.
Duncan U. Fletcher	1933 LL.D.	Duncan U. Fletcher was a U.S. Senator from Florida from 1908 to 1936.
Albert J. Farrah	1935 D.C.L.	Albert J. Farrah was the founding dean of the University of Florida College of Law, serving from 1909 to 1912, and later became the long-time dean of the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1913–40). Farrah was a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and previously served as the founding dean of the Stetson University College of Law in DeLand, Florida from 1900 to 1909.[2]
Scott Loftin	1935 D.C.L.	Scott Loftin was a prominent Florida attorney who was the fifty-eighth president of the American Bar Association, and served as the chairman of the University Endowment Corporation of the University of Florida.
Charles Herty	1937 D.Sc.	Charles Herty was a noted chemist who developed processes for using pine pulp in paper manufacture.
Edward Conradi	1939 LL.D.	Edward Conradi was the principal of the Normal and Industrial School of St. Petersburg (1905–09), dean of the Florida State College for Women (1909), and then its president for thirty-two years (1909–41).
David Fairchild	1939 LL.D.	David Fairchild was an eminent botanist, lecturer and author.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings	1941 L.H.D.	Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was a well-known novelist, author of The Yearling, and winner of the O. Henry Memorial Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. She often wrote on Florida-related topics. Rawlings was the first woman to receive an honorary degree from the University of Florida.
Raymond Robbins	1941 LL.D.	Raymond Robbins was a social and civic leader, World War I U.S. Army officer, lecturer and world traveler. Degree conferred at his home in sanctuary at Chinsegut Hill, Florida, which he gave to the U.S. government in June 1941. His was the first University of Florida honorary degree conferred off campus.
Willis Manville Ball	1942 LL.D.	Willis Manville Ball was the editor-in-chief of The Florida Times-Union daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida from 1902 to 1947.
Albert H. Blanding	1942 LL.D.	Albert H. Blanding was a U.S. Army Brigadier General in France from 1918 to 1919, and was later the chief of the U.S. National Guard Bureau from 1936 to 1940. He was also a member of the Florida Board of Control 1922 to 1936. Blanding graduated from Florida Agricultural College with a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in 1894.
Thomas Barbour	1944 D.Sc.	Thomas Barbour was a naturalist, teacher, author, world traveler, and director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. He had an interest in Florida's wildlife and natural history, and presented the University of Florida with the famous terrestrial Miocene vertebrate locality in Gilchrist County, Florida.
Eugene T. Casler	1944 D.Sc.	Eugene T. Casler assisted in founding nitrogen fixation industry in America. He worked as a state chemist, was later chemical director of a Florida phosphate mining company, and pioneered development of calcination of phosphate rock and other new methods of rock mining and flotation. Casler graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in 1913.
Herman Gunter	1944 D.Sc.	Herman Gunter was a Florida geologist who contributed to the fundamental knowledge of Florida's natural resources and helped in the development of its industries. Gunter graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in 1907.
James Melton	1945 Mus.D.	James Melton was a prominent actor, artist and singer, and frequently appeared with the Metropolitan Opera Association. Melton attended the University of Florida from 1921 to 1923.
James B. Whitfield	1945 LL.D.	James Bryan Whitfield was the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, serving on the court for thirty-nine years—the longest tenure in the history of the court.[3] The honorary degree was conferred in Tallahassee.[4]
James Van Fleet	1946 LL.D.	James Van Fleet was a 1915 West Point graduate, a University of Florida professor of military science, and the head coach of the Florida Gators football team from 1923 to 1924. He served as a commissioned officer in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. During World War II, Van Fleet attained the rank of major general, and commanded a corps of the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton. In the Korean War, he replaced General Matthew Ridgway as the commander of all United States and United Nations forces.[5]
William K. Jackson	1946 LL.D.	William K. Jackson was the prosecuting attorney and U.S. Attorney for the Panama Canal Zone, and later served as the president of U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Jackson graduated from the University of Florida at Lake City with a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in 1904.
Ralph H. Allee	1948 D.Sc.	Ralph H. Allee was an internationalist, agriculturist, former representative of U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture. He later served as the director of American Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Turriabla, Costa Rica.
Oliver C. Carmichael	1948 LL.D.	Oliver C. Carmichael was a scholar, executive, statesman, and chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nasvhille, Tennessee. He later served as the president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Colgate W. Darden Jr.	1948 LL.D.	Colgate W. Darden Jr. was the governor of Virginia, the chancellor of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the president of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
George D. Stoddard	1948 LL.D.	George D. Stoddard was an author, educator, administrator, a former president of the State University of New York, the then-current president of the University of Illinois, and a member of U.S. President Harry S. Truman's Commission on Higher Education.
Owen D. Young	1948 LL.D.	Owen D. Young was a lawyer, banker, corporate director, economist and humanitarian. Young was the recipient of honorary degrees from twenty-four different colleges and universities.
Frederick E. Lykes	1949 LL.D.	Frederick E. Lykes was a prominent Florida agriculturist and industrialist and a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Alben Barkley	1949 L.H.D.	Alben Barkley represented Kentucky in the House of Representatives (1927–33) and the U.S. Senate (1933–49, 1955–56), and served as the U.S. Vice President under U.S. President Harry S. Truman (1949–53).
Rueben G. Gustavson	1950 D.Sc.	Rueben Gustavson was a scientist, educator and administrator, a member of the executive committee of Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities, and the chancellor of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Harold Mowry	1950 D.Sc.	Harold Mowry worked at the University of Florida's Agricultural Experiment Station for twenty-seven years, and served as the station's horticulturist and director from 1943 to 1950. Mowry graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in 1929 and a master of science degree (M.S.) in 1934.
Colon Eloy Alfaro	1950 LL.D.	Colon Eloy Alfaro was a diplomat of Ecuador, and represented his country in many parts of the world, including serving as Ecuador's ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United States.
Benjamin A. Cohen	1950 L.H.D.	Benjamin A. Cohen was journalist, linguist and diplomat. Cohen was appointed as the ambassador to the United States from Chile in 1939, and later served as the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Wilson Popenoe	1950 D.Sc.	Wilson Popenoe was a scholar, horticulturist, and ambassador of good will from the United States to Latin America for nearly forty years. Popenoe served as the director of Escuela Agricola Panamericana at Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Emsterio Santiago Santovenia	1950 LL.D.	Emsterio Santiago Santovenia was a Cuban lawyer, writer, historian and statesman. Santovenia served as the foreign minister of Cuba.

Honorary degree recipients, 1951–75

Recipient	Year/degree	Notability
Thomas J. Watson	1952 LL.D.	Thomas J. Watson was a business executive and industrial leader who served as the president of International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) from 1919 to 1951, building IBM into one of the major American corporate manufacturers.
S. Kendrick Guernsey	1952 D.C.S.	Kendrick Guernsey was the former international president of Rotary International and a vice president of Gulf Life Insurance Company for more than twenty years.
James C. Downs, Jr.	1952 D.C.S.	James C. Downs, Jr. was a banker, author, lecturer, real estate economist, and senior partner of Downs, Mohl and Co. of Chicago, Illinois.
Boyd Henry Bode	1953 LL.D.	Boyd Henry Bode was an internationally renowned philosopher, educator, constructive critic and author who was a professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois, and a professor of education at Ohio State University. Bode emphasized the vital contribution of public education and publicly supported schools should to the success of democratic government.
Alvin C. Eurich	1953 L.H.D.	Alvin C. Eurich was a former president of Northwestern University and State University of New York. Exponent of general education for maintenance of a free society. Vice president, Fund for Advancement of Education, Ford Foundation.
Arthur Andrew Hauck	1953 L.H.D.	Hauck was President of the University of Maine for almost twenty years, and an eminent educator and administrator.
John A. Hannah	1953 L.H.D.	Hannah was the former president of Michigan State College (now Michigan State University), and an internationally known agricultural specialist, distinguished educator, an statesman. He was formerly the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Personnel.
Virgil Melvin Hancher	1953 D.C.L.	Professor of law and president of State University of Iowa (now known as the University of Iowa). Attorney, educator, administrator, humanitarian. Member of many learned societies.
Millard Fillmore Caldwell	1953 LL.D.	Florida's twenty-eighth governor. Legislator, statesman, student of international affairs, tireless worker for higher educational standards in the South. Contributor to civic betterment, national safety.
Spessard Holland	1953 D.C.L.	LL.B., University of Florida, 1916. First president of combined university student body. First native son to serve as Governor and U.S. Senator. Well known for contributions to law, education, finance and public works.
Charles Kettering	1953 D.Sc.	Vice president and director, General Motors Corp. Outstanding inventor, engineer, theoretical scientist, industrialist, philanthropist and humanitarian.
John J. Tigert	1953 Litt.D.	John J. Tigert was the third president of the University of Florida (1928–47). He was previously president of Kentucky Wesleyan College, a professor of philosophy and psychology, athletic director, and head basketball and football coach at the University of Kentucky, and U.S. Commissioner of Education (1921–28). Tigert served longer than any other University of Florida president, and in his nineteen years as president, "Big John" was responsible for numerous academic, athletic and administrative reforms. Tigert was also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.[6]
Turner Zeigler Cason	1953 D.Sc.	B.S., University of Florida, 1908. Known for his efforts to develop a medical center at the university. A great leader in the medical profession of Florida.
Walter Clifton Payne	1953 D.Sc.	Served the people of Florida since 1914. Past president of the Florida Medical Association, member of its Board of Governors and Chairman of the Board. Known to all about him as a warm friend, patriotic citizen, eminent scientist and wise counselor.
Warren Wilson Quillian	1953 D.Sc.	Nationally influential leader in pediatrics, humanitarian. Contributed many articles to medical and scientific journals.
William Thomas Sanger	1953 D.Sc.	President of the Medical College of Virginia. Inspiring leader in advancing medical education in South.
William Clark Thomas	1953 D.Sc.	Respected physician known for kindly guidance and counsel. Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Mark D. Hollis	1956 D.Sc.	Chief engineer, U.S. Public Health Service, Assistant U.S. Surgeon General. Outstanding engineer and administrator in field of environmental health.
Arthur S. Adams	1956 LL.D.	President, American Council on Education. Prominent in fields of science and education and in military service as a U.S. Navy officer.
Thomas Wesley Bryant	1956 LL.D.	Earned both his bachelor's and law degrees at University of Florida. Outstanding student and loyal alumnus. Patriot, lawyer, leader and sportsman.
Harold Raymond Medina	1956 D.C.L.	Federal judge for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; later, appellate judge of the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Well-known educator and jurist
William F. Callander	1958 D.Sc.	Outstanding educator and administrator in field of statistics. Interim director of Statistical Laboratory at University of Florida, and continued as consultant after 1953 retirement.
Robert Frost	1960 Litt.D.	Robert Frost was a well-known and respected American poet, and a long-time friend and patron of the University of Florida.
William A. Shands	1960 LL.D.	William A. Shands was a native son of Florida, legislative leader, statesman, churchman, and farmer. Shands was an eighteen-year member of the Florida Senate, and served as the senate president in 1949. He was a forceful advocate for the state's creation of the University of Florida Health Science Center.
Louis McDonald Orr	1960 D.Sc.	Louis McDonald Orr was an internationally known physician, surgeon, medical statesman and researcher, philanthropist, and churchman. He was awarded the Bronze Star for service as a colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II. Orr established and operated the Louis M. Orr Foundation for Cancer Research.
George Smathers	1961 LL.D.	LL.B., University of Florida, 1938. George Smathers was a U.S. Representative from 1947 to 1951, and a U.S. Senator from Florida from 1951 to 1969. Smathers was recognized as one of the U.S. Congress' experts on Latin American affairs. Later, Smathers made a $20 million contribution to the endowment of the university's libraries.
James Webb	1963 LL.D.	James E. Webb served as the second Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), from 1961 to 1968, during the critical years of the U.S. manned spaceflight program . Webb was a lawyer, industrialist, educator, administrator, and leader in space sciences.
Ulysses S. Gordon	1963 D.H.L.	Honorary D.D., University of Florida, 1930. Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Distinguished pastor, teacher, public servant and friend of the university.
William L. Thompson	1963 D.Sc.	Served on State Plant Board; 37 years with Agricultural Experiment Stations of University; retired as Entomologist Emeritus; eminent in citrus industry; author.
Robert A. Gray	1964 LL.D.	Author, educator, civic leader and statesman. Florida's Secretary of State, 1930–1961.
J. George Harrar	1964 D.Sc.	President, Rockefeller Foundation. Taught at University of Puerto Rico, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Washington State College. Received Certificate for Meritorious Leadership in Agriculture from UF, 1950.
Ruth S. Wedgworth	1965 LL.D.	Ruth S. Wedgworth was a businesswoman, farmer, civic and church leader. She was instrumental in developing the Everglades as an important farming area, and was chosen "Woman of the Year in Service to Florida Rural Progress." Wedgworth was the only woman to serve as the president of the Florida Horticulture Society.
Lewis Powell	1965 LL.D.	Lewis F. Powell, Jr. was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the president of the American Bar Association.
Olin E. Watts	1966 LL.D.	Lawyer, civic leader, businessman. Chairman, National Conference of Bar Examiners; Chairman, Legal Education and Admission to the Bar Section of the American Bar Association.
Clyde O. Anderson	1966 LL.D.	Physician, medical statesman, philanthropist, counselor. Received A.H. Robins Award of the Florida Medical Association 1965. President Alumni Association and University of Florida Foundation, Inc. Served on original Advisory Committee to J. Hillis Miller Health Center. Received Significant Alumni Award from UF, 1957.
William Shepherd Dix	1967 LL.D.	Librarian, national leader in information retrieval.
Frank A. Doggett	1967 Litt.D.	Outstanding high school principal; literary scholar; author of special note.
J. Wayne Reitz	1967 L.H.D.	J. Wayne Reitz was the fifth president of the University of Florida, serving for twelve years from 1955 to 1967. Reitz oversaw the peaceful integration of the university, and the expansion of its student body and physical plant during a period of rapid growth.
David B. Lee	1968 D.Sc.	Made great strides in malaria control. Upgraded sanitary engineering development in Florida; pioneer in pollution control.
Wallace O. Duvall	1968 LL.D.	Leadership in savings and loan industry.
Robert B. Mautz	1968 L.H.D.	Robert B. Mautz was the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Florida, before being appointed the Chancellor of the Board of Regents of State University System of Florida
Harold Sebring	1968 LL.D.	Harold Sebring was the head coach of the Florida Gators football team from 1925 to 1927, while attending the university's College of Law. Sebring served as a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, an American judge at the Nuremberg Trials, and dean of the Stetson University College of Law. Sebring graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) in 1928.[7]
Edith B. Tigert]]	1968 D.H.L.	Edith Bristol Tigert was the wife of former University of Florida President John J. Tigert, and served as first lady of the University of Florida for nineteen years from 1928 to 1947.[6]
J. Patrick O'Mahoney	1968 D.D.	Catholic clergyman and personal counselor to Stephen C. O'Connell, the sixth president of the University of Florida.
Elvis Stahr, Jr.	1968 LL.D.	President of Indiana University; educator; lawyer and public administrator.
Jack K. Williams	1968 LL.D.	Educator; public administrator; Commissioner of Public Higher Education in Texas; University of Tennessee vice president.
Lester R. Dragstedt	1969 D.Sc.	Research Professor of Surgery, UF.
Robert Colder Beaty	1969 L.H.D.	Director of National Youth Administration in Florida; Dean of Students, Dean of Men, Dean of Student Personnel, and Director of Alumni Loyalty Fund, University of Florida.
George Low	1969 D.Sc.	George Low was a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) senior manager, and held such positions as the Director of Spacecraft and Flight Missions, NASA Deputy Director in Houston, Texas, and Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office.
George W. Gore Jr.	1969 Litt.D.	George W. Gore, Jr. was the former president of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Marshall Nirenberg	1969 D.Sc.	Shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology with two other U.S. scientists.
Harry Melvin Philpott	1969 LL.D.	University of Florida professor of religion, and president of Auburn University.
Charles A. Robertson	1969 L.H.D.	Professor Emeritus of English and Honorary Curator of Rare Books, University of Florida.
Lucius D. Battle	1970 LL.D.	Skillful diplomat and an effective administrator.
Wayne Thomas]]	1970 D.Sc.	Considered foremost authority on the Florida phosphate mining industry.
Andrew Nelson Lytle	1970 Litt.D.	Writer, teacher and editor of the Sewannee Review.
Nell C. Miller	1970 L.H.D.	Nell Critzer Miller was the wife of J. Hillis Miller, Sr., the fourth president of the University of Florida, and served as the university's first lady for six years from 1947 to 1953. She was also an English teacher, the assistant director for the Wesley Foundation, and the head of the Office of Patient Services at the J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center.
John Barkley Rosser	1970 D.Sc.	Contributor to the field of mathematics and has served as a consultant and panel member for the U.S. Government. Director of the Mathematics Research Center of the U.S. Army at Madison.
Mason W. Gross	1970 LL.D.	President of Rutgers, the State University; Chairman of the National Book Committee, philosopher and writer.
Red Barber	1970 Litt.D.	Red Barber was a noted author, lecturer and radio sports broadcaster. Barber attended the University of Florida from 1929 1931, and worked as announcer for Florida Gators football games while he was an undergraduate.
C. Vann Woodward	1970 Litt.D.	Sterling Professor of History, Yale University. Author and lecturer.
Walter Langbein	1971 D.Sc.	Hydraulic engineer, research hydraulic engineer and research hydrologist.
Katharine Graham	1971 L.H.D.	Publisher, widely known for philanthropies in education and arts.
Helen Nahm	1971 D.Sc.	Distinguished career in nursing and education.
Stephen H. Spurr	1971 D.Sc.	University of Florida alumnus. A widely known forester, ecologist, educator and resource analyst. Former Vice President and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan and the President of the University of Texas at Austin.
John C. Slater	1971 D.Sc.	Author of numerous articles on fundamental nature of atoms, molecules and solids.
Thomas C. Clark	1971 LL.D.	Thomas C. Clark was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1949 to 1967.
Sidney Hook	1971 L.H.D.	Leading philosopher and educator.
Aaron Copland	1972 Mus.D.	Outstanding musician and composer.
Nathaniel P. Reed	1972 D.P.S.	Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Roe Lyle Johns	1972 D.P.A.	Distinguished UF professor, financial consultant, military officer and author.
Chesterfield Smith	1972 LL.D.	Lawyer, civic leader, statesman, public servant.
Frank E. Richart Jr.	1972 D.Sc.	Distinguished professor and consultant in engineering.
Max Lerner	1972 Litt.D.	Distinguished author, teacher, lecturer.
John A. Mulrennan	1972 D.Sc.	Leading entomogilist; active in public health programs.
	1973 LL.D.	Leading educator, state and national public service (former Governor of Pennsylvania).
LeRoy Collins	1973 LL.D.	LeRoy Collins was the thirty-third governor of Florida, serving from 1955 to 1961, and was later appointed as U.S. Under-Secretary of Commerce by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Norman Borlaug	1973 D.Sc.	Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as an agricultural scientist, known as "The Apostle of Wheat", with the Rockefeller Foundation.
Julian Goodman	1973 D.H.L.	Outstanding leadership in communication.
John Tracy Ellis	1973 Litt.D.	Eminent historian and lecturer.
J. Broward Culpepper	1973 Litt.D.	Distinguished educator.
Arnold D. Welch	1973 D.Sc.	Outstanding scientist and researcher.
James Alfred Perkins	1974 Litt.D.	Outstanding scholar and international educator.
Linton E. Grinter	1974 D.Sc.	Outstanding educator and administrator; Dean of the University of Florida Graduate School for seventeen years.
William H. Parham	1974 D.Hlth.	Outstanding health administrator, Executive Vice President, Florida Medical Assn. Adm.
Stephen C. O'Connell	1974 LL.D.	B.S.B.A. & LL.B., University of Florida, 1940. Stephen C. O'Connell was a former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court (1955–67), and the sixth president of the University of Florida (1967–73). O'Connell guided the university through a tumultuous time of war and civil rights protests and rapid expansion of the student body.
John Atanasoff	1974 D.Sc.	Distinguished engineer and inventor, invented first electronic digital computer.
Robben W. Fleming]]	1974 D.H.L.	Distinguished educator; President of the University of Michigan; well-known labor arbitrator and attorney.
Rae O. Weimer	1974 Litt.D.	Distinguished journalist, educator and pioneer in Florida journalism and communications, the university's College of Journalism and Communications developed under his direction from 1949 to 1968.
Donald T. Campbell	1975 D.Sc.	Distinguished psychologist and scientist; President of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ants Oras	1975 Litt.D.	Eminent scholar and internationally recognized man of letters; University of Florida Professor Emeritus of English.
Paul G. Rogers	1975 LL.D.	Prominent U.S. Representative from Florida, U.S. Congressional leader on public health matters.
Edward Knipling	1975 D.Sc.	Scholar, author, researcher and science advisor; developed DDT and eradicated screwworm fly.
Johanna Döbereiner]]	1975 D.Sc.	Prominent scientist and researcher, working mainly with nitrogen fixing capability of grasses.
Ronald S. Berman	1975 D.H.L.	Scholar, humanist and writer; Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Chester Howell Ferguson	1975 LL.D.	Attorney, industrialist and advocate for higher education.

Honorary degree recipients, 1976–2000

Recipient	Year/degree	Notability
Ripley P. Bullen	1976 D.Sc.	Noted archaeologist and anthropologist. Became curator of Florida State Museum in 1952; Curator Emeritus at time of award.
Torgny Segerstedt	1976 D.H.L.	Rector Magnificus, Uppsala University; internationally known educator, philosopher, lecturer; author.
Willard L. Boyd	1976 LL.D.	Distinguished educator, author and law expertise; President of University of Iowa.
William G. Carleton	1976 D.H.L.	Distinguished political science lecturer and a member of the University of Florida faculty for thirty-six years; author; nicknamed "Wild Bill", an endearment related to his vigorous delivery and frankness on public policy questions.
Joseph Weil	1976 D.E.	Dean Emeritus of University of Florida College of Engineering; established EIES, a visionary in programs as beach erosion, materials sciences, sewage and water, sanitary engineering and nuclear energy.
Richard K. Arnold	1976 D.Sc.	Outstanding leader and research scientist in forestry; with U.S. Forest Service, Research Division until retirement. At time honorary degree was awarded, he was Assistant Vice President for Research, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Sjoerd Groenman	1977 D.H.L.	Emeritus Rector Magnificus, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Famous sociologist, supported the University of Florida and University of Utrecht's exchange program.
George S. Wise	1977 D.H.L.	Lifetime Chancellor of Tel Aviv University. Outstanding educator, businessman and humanitarian. President, George S. Wise and Co., newsprint manufacturing of Miami.
Mitchell W. Spellman	1977 D.Sc.	Dean, Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School. Noted for bringing improved access to medical education for minority students and improved medical care for the inner city.
Maclyn McCarty	1977 D.Sc.	Vice President of Rockefeller University. Conducted research on DNA and in the fields of microbiology and immunology.
Philip M. Sherlock	1977 D.H.L.	Sir Philip M. Sherlock was an educator and served as the secretary general of the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institutes.
Allen S. Weller	1977 D.F.A.	Art historian, critic and teacher. Established Krannert Art Museum in Illinois.
Elliot Richardson	1978 LL.D.	Ambassador-at-Large and Special Representative of the U.S. President to the Law of the Sea Conference. Former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James and served in four cabinet posts—Secretary of Commerce; U.S. Attorney General; Secretary of Defense; Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.
Pauli Murray	1978 D.H.	Jurist, educator, poet and theologian. First black woman priest ordained by Episcopal Church. Granddaughter of a slave.
Alvin Percy Black	1978 D.Sc.	University of Florida Research Professor Emeritus. Black Hall named for him. Internationally known scientist. Worked on water treatment.
James T. Gurney	1978 D.H.L.	Attorney. Served as a member of the Board of Control of the State University System of Florida.
James R. Shepley	1978 D.H.L.	Commencement speaker. President, Time Inc.; distinguished journalist, writer and businessman.
Samuel Gurin	1979 D.Sc.	Pioneer in marine research. Led in the development of the Whitney Marine Research Laboratory. Interested in marine metabolism and chemoreception in marine organisms.
Nancy Hanks	1979 D.F.A.	Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (1969–77). Vice chairman and trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Philip S. Handler	1979 D.Sc.	President of the National Academy of Science.
Walter Beinecke, Jr.	1980 D.H.L.	Active in business, ranching, historic preservation, health planning, education and refugee rehabilitation. Served as Vice President of Sales for S&H Green Stamp Company for fifteen years.
George T. Harrell, Jr.	1980 D.Sc.	George T. Harrell, Jr. was a research professor at the Duke University School of Medicine (1941–54), and the founding dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine (1954–64). Harrell became the founding Provost for the Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania in 1964, thereby becoming the first person in U.S. history to serve as the founding administrator of two different medical schools.
Allen H. Neuharth	1980 Litt.D.	Commencement speaker. President of Gannett and Company. Chairman and president of the American Newspaper Publishers Association.
James Willard Hurst	1980 LL.D.	Commencement speaker. Distinguished legal historian, author and educator. Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin.
Adam Lopatka	1980 LL.D.	Jurist and administrator of international distinction. Director of Institute of State and Law of Polish Academy of Science.
Margaret E. Mahoney	1980 D.H.L.	President of the Commonwealth Fund. Specialized in public policy analysis, educational theory, health care systems and financing.
J. Hillis Miller, Jr.	1980 Litt.D.	J. Hillis Miller, Jr. is an internationally known English literature scholar, critic and professor, and the Frederick W. Hilles Professor of English at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Miller is also the son of J. Hillis Miller, Sr., the fourth president of the University of Florida.
William R. Smith Jr.	1980 LL.D.	President of the American Bar Association. Tampa attorney.
Johannes Gross	1980 Litt.D.	Editorial Director, Capital magazine, the largest business journal in Western Europe.
Molly Harrower	1981 D.H.L.	A psychologist, teacher, writer, researcher and poet, she is internationally recognized by psychologists and psychiatrists for her contributions to the understanding of personality.
Donald R. Matthews	1981 D.P.S.	1953 UF Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient; U.S. Representative from the 8th District of Florida from 1952 to 1967; Administrator of the Rural Community Development Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Don Manuel de Prado Y Colon de Carvajal	1981 LL.D.	Ambassador at Large of Spain. President, Instituto de Cooperacion Iberoamericana.
Hernan Fonseca de Zamora	1981 D.Sc.	Minister of Agriculture of Costa Rica.
Alfred A. McKethan	1981 DC	B.S.B.A., University of Florida, 1931. Banker, public servant, civic leader, patron of education.
Dorothy M. Smith	1981 D.Sc.	Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of Florida College of Nursing. Pioneer in nursing education.
Arthur C. Allyn, Jr.	1981 D.Sc.	Chairman of A.C. Allyn and Co. and Director Emeritus of the Allyn Museum of Entomology. in Sarasota, Florida. Former President of the Chicago White Sox. Former partner of Francis I. dePont and Co.
Edward E. David Jr.	1982 D.Sc.	Former science advisor to U.S. President, director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology, president of Exxon Research and Engineering Co. One of the nation's strongest advocates for improving engineering and scientific education.
Charles Cornelius	1982 D.Sc.	Teacher, scientist and academic administrator in Veterinary medicine. In 1971, he became founding dean of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
Nahum N. Glatzer	1982 D.H.L.	Internationally recognized Judaic scholar, historian, editor and teacher. Prominent faculty member at Brandeis University and Boston University.
David S. Saxon	1982 D.Sc.	President, University of California System. Internationally recognized physicist and leader in higher education administration.
Reubin O'Donovan Askew	1983 D.P.S.	J.D., University of Florida, 1956. Former governor of Florida. U.S. Served in Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate. Appointed U.S. Trade Representative U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Manning J. Dauer	1983 LL.D.	B.A. and M.A., University of Florida. Historian, political scientist, writer, consultant and University of Florida Distinguished Service Professor. Wrote a classic in early American history and political theory, established the guidelines for reapportionment in Florida and other states, and taught more than 15,000 students during his fifty-year teaching career.
Richard Vernon Moore	1983 D.H.L.	Chancellor of Bethune-Cookman College, in Daytona Beach, Florida, for twenty-eight years. Known for contributions to education, black community in Florida, human relations, religious and civic organizations.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney	1983 D.H.L.	Leader in the arts, sciences, sports, industry and government. Co-producer of first color films, including such classics as A Star is Born and Gone With The Wind. Established the C.V. Whitney Laboratory for Experimental Marine Biology and Medicine at the University of Florida, located in St. Augustine, Florida. Founded Pan American Airways and the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company.
James L. Knight	1984 D.H.L.	Built one of the best newspapers, The Miami Herald, and helped establish one of the largest newspaper groups in the nation, The Knight-Ridder Newspapers. He has served twice as President of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
Frederick A. Hauck	1984 D.Sc.	Noted mineralogist, metallurgist and patron of cultural and educational institutions. Instrumental in the production of materials for the nuclear industry and other strategic, rare and precious metals. Helped develop Gaseous Core Reactors. Mined rare earth from Florida Beaches. president of Continental Mineral Processing Co.
E. T. York	1984 D.Sc.	E. T. York was the acting president of the University of Florida from 1973 to 1974, following the resignation of Stephen C. O'Connell. York served as the university provost and executive vice president, and was responsible for the founding of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). He was later appointed to be the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida from 1975 to 1980. Before coming to the University of Florida, York was the head of the Alabama and U.S. agricultural extension services.[8]
James Willis Walter	1984 LL.D.	Industrial leader, Innovator in home building industry; Chairman of Jim Walter Corp.
Dr. Martin D. Young	1985 D.Sc.	Internationally recognized for research in malaria parasites, one of the most distinguished parasitologist and tropical medicine specialists in the U.S.; former director of Gorgas Memorial Laboratory in Panama.
William M. Goza	1985 D.H.L.	B.S., University of Florida, 1938; LL.B., 1941. Attorney, author, anthropologist. Encouraged, supported participated in historical and anthropological studies related to Florida's Hispanic history. University of Florida Distinguished Alumnus and UF Hall of Fame.
Lawrence Lewis Jr.	1986 D.H.L.	Businessman who was prime mover in historic preservation, restoration and reconstruction of St. Augustine. Since 1965, trustee of the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board.
Lewis R. Grosenbaugh	1986 D.Sc.	Innovator in the field of forest measurements on international level. His contributions include the theory of point sampling, 3P sampling theory, a milestone in the field of forest sampling, a theory on avoiding Dendrometry Bias in leaning trees. First to use computer technology for analysis.
Archbishop Iakovos	1986 D.P.S.	World religious leader, civil rights activist, and a crusader in the modern ecumenical movement for Christian unity. Head of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America for twenty-seven years. Received Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Carter in 1980.
Anna Schwartz	1987 Litt.D.	A noted research economist for more than forty years. She has made major contributions to economics in monetary economics and economic history. She has co-authored several internationally prominent publications on monetary standards with Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman.
Lucille M. Mair	1988 D.H.L.	A pioneer in women's studies and former ambassador. She has held the highest position of any women ever in the United Nations. Research, writer, lecturer and advisor at the University of West Indies.
Marjory S. Douglas	1988 Litt.D.	Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a conservationist with a career spanning seventy years. She has given the State of Florida the groundwork for preserving, protecting, and recovering its natural resources. She received many honors and awards for her efforts in conservation.
Harry Prystowsky	1988 D.Sc.	An internationally recognized leader in obstetrics and gynecology. He has enjoyed an illustrious career as an educator, investigator, physician, and administrator. He has made significant advances in the understanding of maternal and fetal physiology. He has more than 150 scholarly articles to his credit.
C. Farris Bryant	1988 D.P.S.	Attorney, businessman, and 34th governor of Florida.
Howard Earle Skipper]]	1989 D.Sc.	President emeritus of the Southern Research Institute. His research has had a worldwide impact on the treatment of cancer. His research has resulted in approximately 200 publications.
Frederick Ellis Fisher	1990 D.H.L.	Alumnus, accountant, businessman, major donor who gave $6.5 million to the School of Accounting, which was named the Fisher School of Accounting. Served as general chairman of the first university-wide capital campaign to raise $250 million.
Joseph L. Brechner	1990 D.H.L.	Honorary degree awarded posthumously. Writer, broadcaster editorialist, newspaper columnist, media executive and owner. Pioneer in television, helped put cameras in courtrooms and funded Freedom of Information Center at the University of Florida.
Alan Stephenson Boyd	1991 LL.D.	First Secretary of Transportation under President Lyndon Johnson; first Floridian ever to serve as a full member of the President's Cabinet. President of Airbus Industries of North America.
Don Fuqua	1991 D.P.S.	Alumnus, House Representative for Florida and U.S. At 29, he was the youngest Democrat in Congress. National president of UF's Alumni Association and chair of UF's D.C. area Regional Capital Campaign.
Johnnetta B. Cole	1992 D.H.L.	President of Spelman College, anthropologist, educator and activist.
John W. Griffin	1992 D.H.L.	Florida archaeologist, UF alumnus, researcher, scholar, administrator, author.
Federico Zaragoza	1992 D.Sc.	Director-General of UNESCO, Spanish scientist, educator, administrator, philosopher and politician.
David Cofrin	1993 D.F.A.	Gainesville medical doctor and philanthropist, his many gifts included the basic funding for the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art.
David Lawrence Jr.	1993 D.Jm.	Publisher of the Miami Herald and other major newspapers.
Murray Gell-Mann	1994 DNR	Winner of Nobel Prize for physics; discovered and named the quark. Leader in environmental conservation; served as director of MacArthur Foundation.
Charles Bennett	1994 LL.D.	Served in U.S. Congress for forty-four years; set an all-time record by not missing a single legislative vote for forty-one years. Author of seven books on Florida history. Decorated five times for combat service in World War II.
Jan G.F. Veldhuis	1995 D.P.S.	President of Utrecht University, leader in international education, former Fulbright Scholar who promoted that program and others.
J. Malcom Randall	1996 D.P.S.	Founding and long-time director of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville. Leader within the VA nationally.
Margaretta Styles	1997 D.Sc.	Ed.D., University of Florida. Nurse, educator, helped establish international standards for nursing. President of International Council of Nurses and American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.	1998 D.P.S.	Military leader of U.S. and coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War, General Schwarzkopf was recognized for his environmental and humanitarian work, especially with seriously ill children.
David M. Lee	1998 D.Sc.	Nobel Prize winner in low temperature physics. Was visiting professor at UF and worked with UF faculty.
J. Stanley Marshall	1998 D.P.S.	Former president of Florida State University, founder and CEO of James Madison Institute, former president of NASULGC
William Terrell Hodges	1999 LL.D.	Federal judge and chairman of the executive cUommittee of the U.S. Judicial Conference.

Honorary degree recipients, 2001–present

Recipient	Year/degree	Notability
Virgil Hawkins	2001 LL.D.	Virgil Hawkins was a civil rights activist who sought to integrate the University of Florida by seeking admission to the College of Law in the 1950s. Hawkins was the recipient of the University of Florida's second posthumous honorary degree.
Thomas A. Wright	2002 D.P.S.	Thomas A. Wright was a Baptist minister, social activist, entrepreneur, and educator. Wright was recognized for his four decades of dedicated service to Florida communities and as a noted civil rights champion in the state of Florida.
George Andrews	2002 D.Sc.	George Andrews is one of the most important and influential mathematicians of his generation. He is one of the world's leading authorities on the Theory of Partitions and the work of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Jeffrey Spieler	2002 D.P.S.	Jeffrey Spieler is a recognized leader in the fight for improving the health and the quality of life of vulnerable populations throughout the world. He is known for his advocacy for reproductive health, family planning and the development of better contraceptive choices.
Gale Lemerand	2003 D.H.L.	Gale Lemerand is one of the largest donors to University of Florida's academic programs and the Florida Gators sports programs.
Howard T. Odum	2003 D.Sc.	Howard T. Odum was a University of Florida graduate research professor emeritus, and the founder of the university's Center for Environmental Policy. Odum was a pioneering authority in the field of ecosystem ecology.
Jerome H. Modell	2004 D.Sc.	Jerome H. Modell was former University of Florida professor and chairman of the College of Medicine's Department of Anesthesiology. Modell was an active leader in anesthesiology and critical care societies both nationally and internationally.
Karl Pister	2004 D.P.S.	Karl Pister was the chairman of the governing board of the California Council on Science and Technology. Pister was a winner of the Vincent Bendix Award for Minorities in Engineering and the Lamme Medal by The American Society for Engineering Education, for his contributions to engineering education.
Samuel Proctor	2004 D.P.S.	Samuel Proctor was a Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida and director of the University of Florida Oral History Project. Proctor was recognized as one of the "50 Distinguished Floridians of the 20th Century" and a national pioneer in the field of oral history. He co-authored a history of the university entitled Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida (1987).
William Francis Whitman, Jr.	2004 D.P.S.	William Francis Whitman, Jr. was a horticulturist who prospected for unusual tropical fruits around the world, and popularized them in the United States. Whitman was an alumnus of the University of Florida.
Nicholas Bodor	2005 D.Sc.	Nicholas Bodor was a University of Florida College of Pharmacy researcher internationally known for his design of unique drugs and drug delivery systems. Bodor was the first scientist to receive a Research Achievement Award in Medicinal and Natural Product Chemistry from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.
Edward Villella	2005 D.F.A.	Edward Villella is an American ballet dancer and choreographer who is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer.
Linda Aiken	2006 D.Sc.	Linda Aiken is an international authority known for advancing quality patient care through research and health policy work.
Bob Graham	2006 D.P.S.	Bob Graham is a former Florida governor and U.S. Senator (1986–2004). Graham helped to create the Bob Graham Centers at University of Florida and the University of Miami which focus on policy studies on public leadership, the Americas and homeland security.
J. Crayton Pruitt	2006 D.Sc.	J. Crayton Pruitt is a surgeon who pioneered the surgical treatment of carotid artery arteriosclerosis for the prevention of stroke. Pruitt created the Pruitt-Inahara Carotid Shunt that is one of the most widely used devices of its kind.
Robert Grubbs	2006 D.Sc.	Robert Grubbs was the recipient of 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with two others who developed the metathesis method in organic synthesis.
Barry Barish	2007 D.Sc.	Barry Barish is the Linde Professor of Physics who conducted experiments that revealed the quark substructure of the nucleon.
Andrew H. Hines	2007 D.Sc.	Andrew H. Hines is the chairman emeritus of Florida Progress Corp., and is credited for the rapid growth and business success of the Florida Power Corporation.
Bo Diddley	2008	Bo Diddley was an original and influential American rock-and-roll singer, guitarist and songwriter. Although the honorary degree was confirmed by the university before his death on June 2, 2008, the degree was awarded posthumously. Diddley's is only the third posthumous honorary degree awarded by the University of Florida.

Key to degree abbreviations

Honorary degrees

• D.C.L. – Doctor of Civil Law
• D.D. – Doctor of Divinity
• D.F.A. – Doctor of Fine Arts
• D.H.L. – Doctor of Humane Letters
• D.Litt. – Doctor of Letters
• D.P.A. – Doctor of Public Administration
• D.P.S. – Doctor of Public Service
• D.Sc. – Doctor of Science
• L.H.D. – Doctor of Humane Letters
• LL.D. – Doctor of Laws
• Mus.D. – Doctor of Music

Earned degrees

• B.A. – Bachelor of Arts
• B.S. – Bachelor of Science
• J.D. – Juris Doctor (professional law degree; replaced LL.B.)
• LL.B. – Bachelor of Laws (former law degree; superseded by J.D.)
• M.A. – Master of Arts
• M.S. – Master of Science
• Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy (terminal graduate research degree in most disciplines)

See also

• Florida Gators
• History of Florida
• History of the University of Florida
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
• List of University of Florida presidents

References

Bibliography

• Pleasants, Julian M., Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2006). ISBN 0-8130-3054-4
• Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.
• Van Ness, Carl, & Kevin McCarthy, Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: The University of Florida, 1853–2003, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2003).

External links

• University of Florida Honors & Awards
• University of Florida Honorary Degree Recipients