• THE GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL HISTORY PROJECT

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS

Four former players have received honorary degrees by the University following graduation.

JAMES M. COLLIFLOWER (1945)
A 1906 graduate of the College and a 1910 graduate of the Law School, Colliflower served on the Alumni Association's Board of Governors and the President's Council (Board of Regents). In 1945 the University awarded him an honorary degree, noting that "Year after year as time went by this devoted son became more widely known among his associates for the skills he manifested in the business world and for the integrity and the perseverance of his devotion to duty, both in family and in public affairs. In the civic activities of this, his native city of Washington, he won a high place in the esteem of all by his constant sense of the commonweal." More...

WILLIAM A. SHEA (1971)
A 1930 graduate of the College and a 1931 graduate of the Law School, Shea was recognized for a lifetime of service as an attorney and as an important figure in professional sports. "He is the city's most experienced power broker, its premier matchmaker," wrote New York magazine, "a man who has spent 40 years turning the orgies of politicians, bankers, realtors, union chiefs, underwriters, corporate heads, utility combines, cement barons, merchant princes and sports impresarios into profitable marriages." Shea, it was written, "labored quietly in a political twilight somewhere between the private interest and the public good." More...

GEN. JAMES L. JONES, JR. (2002)
A 1966 graduate of the School of Foreign Service, Jones was recognized for a career on military service. Following graduation, he was assigned to Vietnam , where a platoon command began a long career of leadership within the Corps, to include 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Northern Iraq, chief of staff for the joint task force for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the 2nd Marine Division, and military assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Promoted to general in 1999, he was named the 32nd commandant of the Marine Corps later that year. More...

DIKEMBE MUTOMBO (2010)
A 1991 graduate of the former School of Languages and Linguistics, Mutombo was honored for his humanitarian efforts following a 17 year pro basketball career. "His efforts on behalf of humanitarian causes in Africa and his singular determination to build a hospital for his hometown of Kinshasa has earned him recognition and respect the world over...In addition to raising money for the hospital, Mutombo has been a leader in international development efforts against the spread of polio, AIDS, and malaria in Africa. More...

 

TIMOTHY S. HEALY AWARD

One former player has received this award, described by the University as "conferred upon an alumnus of Georgetown who has rendered outstanding and exemplary community service or public service or professional service in support of humanitarian causes and advancements for the benefit of mankind."

DIKEMBE MUTOMBO (2015)
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JOHN CARROLL AWARD

Six former players have received this award, conferred by the Georgetown University Alumni Association "upon alumni whose achievements and record of service exemplify the ideals and traditions of Georgetown and its founder."

LEO KLAUBERG (1953)
A 1916 graduate of the College, Klauberg was a fourth generation president of the family's cutlery business. Maintaining close ties to Georgetown, Klauberg served as president of the Georgetown Club of New York for many years and served on the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association from 1940 to 1944. More...

WILLIAM A. SHEA (1963)
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J. NEVINS MCBRIDE (1970)
A 1929 graduate of the College, McBride was a commercial property developer in southern new Jersey and a longtime volunteer and alumni leader. McBride served on the Board of Governors of the Georgetown University Alumni Association and the Board of Regents. From 1968 through 1970, he served as president of the Alumni Association. He also served as a trustee to boards at Seton Hall and Fairleigh Dickinson University. More...

JAMES F. HIGGINS (2002)
A 1970 graduate of the School of Business Administration, Higgins served as former president of the Morgan Stanley investment firm and chairman of the Georgetown University Board of Regents. Higgins was a co-founder of the Wall Street Alliance in 1995, a group which has raised over $10 million in scholarship support to the University More...

VINCENT A. WOLFINGTON (2003)
A 1962 graduate of the College, Wolfington served as CEO of the Carey Corporation for 30 years. A former member of the Board of Directors, Wolfington made a major gift to Georgetown to support the creation of a new home for the Jesuit Community at the University, following nearly 150 years in the aging Gervase and Mulledy buildings in the Quadrangle. The new facility was named Wolfington Hall in 2003 in recognition of his care and generosity to alma mater.More...

PAUL J. TAGLIABUE (2015)
A 1962 graduate of the College, Tagliabue served as commissioner of the National Football League from 1989 through 2005. As chairman of the Georgetown University Board of Directors he was at the forefront of Georgetown's $1.5 billion capital campaign, and made a $5 million leadership gift as part of the campaign across undergraduate scholarship, athletics, and programmatic support. More...