Kerry to Be Keynote Speaker at MCLA Commencement
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The 109th commencement ceremonies will award degrees to 340 students, including 39 master's candidates; 18 students will receive a certificate of advanced graduate studies.
The Democrat and one-time presidential contender will deliver the keynote address to the class of 2008 during graduation exercises beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, in the Amsler Campus Center.
Kerry will be awarded an honorary doctor of laws. Also being honored is alumnus and longtime educator Donald Pecor, who has continued to teach at MCLA after retiring from Drury High School two years ago. Pecor will receive doctor of pedagogy.
"Don Pecor always has had an incredible passion for the art of teaching," said MCLA Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Lamb. "He has made a lifelong impact on countless students and is a true role model for anyone interested in pursuing a career in education."
In addition, retired engineer and MCLA benefactor Arlindo Jorge will be presented with a doctor of humanities and Lola Jaffe, president of the board of directors for the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, will receive a doctor of fine arts.
"I am so pleased that MCLA will recognize these individuals for their contributions to our country, the commonwealth
and Berkshire County," said President Mary K. Grant. "I look forward to honoring each of them for the achievements they have made in their fields and for the difference they have made in the lives of so many."
<L2>The honorary degree recipients will have books placed in Freel Library in their names.
On a recent visit to North Adams, Kerry praised the college and its educational and business partners in the Berkshires Compact for Higher Education for their efforts to strengthen commitment to lifelong learning and to educate a work force for the 21st century.
"Senator Kerry has been a tireless advocate for higher education and always has been a true leader to the college," said Lamb. "And, Lin Jorge has shown great leadership through giving back to the educational community. He has been a true friend to MCLA in many ways."
Kerry graduated from Yale University in 1966, where he served as president of the Yale Political Union. After graduating from Boston College Law School in 1976, he worked as a prosecutor in
Middlesex County, where he took on organized crime, fought for victims' rights and created programs for rape counseling.
After being elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1982, Kerry organized the nation's governors to combat the acid rain that was polluting lakes, rivers and the nation's water supply. Two years later, he was elected to the Senate; he is serving his fourth term.
Kerry has helped to provide health insurance for millions of low-income children, to improve public education, protect our natural environment and strengthen the state’s economy. As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, Kerry worked closely with fellow veteran U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., regarding American soldiers missing in Vietnam and to normalize relations with that country. As the ranking Democrat on the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, he is a leading expert on that region, including North Korea.
He was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, and worked on a bipartisan basis to craft the American response to September 11th and has been a leading voice on American policy in the Middle East and the war on terrorism.
Arlindo Jorge
Jorge was one of the first students to receive a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst when he graduated in 1950. He received his master's in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Jorge began his career with the Electron Tube Division of Sperry Gyroscope Co., developing high-powered final amplifiers (klystrons) for Navy and Army radars; he became section head of the radiation division, where he was an expert on microwave tubes. The klystron has since has been used in satellite communications, airplane and missile guidance systems, and telephone and television transmission. At Sperry, Jorge also co-invented the dual-oscillator radar system. He later founded Syncor Industries Corp., which manufactured electronic equipment for the United States Navy and Army.<R3>
Now retired, one of his current projects is in the area of assistive technology, which allows patients to be transferred to and from a newly designed hospital bed and wheelchair automatically.
In 2002, Jorge and his late wife, MCLA alumna Evelyn R. Hampel Jorge, established the Evelyn R. Hampel Jorge '44 Scholarship at MCLA for students who intend to teach. Four years later, he established a second endowed fund – the first endowed chair in the college's history – for the Evelyn H. and Arlindo Jorge Visiting Professorship in Education Endowment Chair. The fund will enable MCLA to bring scholars of exceptional merit to the college.
Lola Jaffe
Actively involved in the arts for 20 years, Jaffe has been the guiding force behind the restoration of the Mahaiwe.
She is vice chairman and secretary of the Jaffe Foundation and has chaired the boards of the Berkshire Opera Company and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Jaffe also has been an overseer of the Boston Symphony and a board member of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
<L4>She works to bring appreciation of the arts to younger generations through her work with the Anne Levinson Fund for Experiencing the Arts and her co-sponsorship of the Berkshire Theatre Festival summer program for Berkshire County high school students. She was named the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year for 2005.
Lamb said Jaffe is a wonderful example of how the arts can work for the benefit of all, noting the many young people in Berkshire County who gained a greater appreciation of the arts through her efforts.
Donald Pecor
Pecor received a bachelor of arts degree in history from the college in 1966 and his master's degree in history in 1969 from Siena College. He has been an active member of the MCLA Alumni Association board of directors for more than 12 years, serving as chairman of various alumni committees. He was board representative to the MCLA Foundation and has been an adjunct professor in the history department for many years.
He received the 1992 North Adams State College Teacher of the Year Award and the MCLA Class of 2005 Senior Appreciation Award for his outstanding service to the students at MCLA. In 2006, he received the Alumni Association Outstanding Service to MCLA Award. He is listed in Who's Who among American Teachers.
Pecor is a member of the North Adams Zoning Board of Appeals and a trustee of the North Adams Public Library. Pecor recently retired from Drury High School as the dean of curriculum and instruction.
For more information: www.mcla.edu.
