2010
Diana Davis Spencer, Honorary Degree Recipient
Diana Davis Spencer, class of 1960, is presented the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Read the citation for her degree below:
Expert travelers find wonder and opportunity everywhere they go. Diana Davis Spencer, you are indeed an expert and intrepid traveler, who has uncovered a world of opportunities. As a writer, activist and philanthropist, you have ensured that thousands of others would benefit from your insights.
Your passion for discovery is reflected in your deep commitment to education. From serving as a house parent at independent schools to writing for newspapers and magazines, you have enlightened others about new perspectives.
You are an innovative leader in many organizations, including the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and Wheaton, where you served as a trustee for 15 years. Your advocacy for global studies exemplifies your broad and beneficial influence. The Davis House and the Davis International Fellows program testify to the impact of your support, as does your election as a trustee emerita.
Your connections with students and your active support for education have opened new paths for innumerable young people. You played a critical role in ensuring that people with learning disabilities would enjoy equal freedom to follow their own educational journey. Your advocacy made possible the major step forward represented by the passage of Massachusetts Chapter 766, guaranteeing the rights of children with special needs to education best-suited to their learning styles.
You once said of yourself: “I’m not the sort of person who is going to sit on the sidelines.” Diana, we speak for many when we express our gratitude for your active engagement with the world and your generosity in helping others to make the most of it. It is with great admiration and appreciation that we present you with the degree of Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.