CONWAY, Ark. – Hendrix College awarded diplomas to approximately 230 students from 22 states on Saturday, May 13, on the lawn of the campus.
Amy L. Hillard, winner of the 2006 President's Medal, led the seniors in the processional. The medal is presented each year to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the highest ideals of the college. Hillard, a psychology major from Wichita, Kan., was a summa cum laude graduate.
Thomas F. (Mack) McLarty III, prominent Arkansas business leader and former White House chief of staff, delivered the commencement address.
A member of the Hendrix Board of Trustees from 1981 to 1987, McLarty currently is president of Kissinger McLarty Associates and president and chief executive officer of McLarty-Landers Automotive Group.
Other Hendrix seniors who graduated with Latin honors include the following:
Summa cum laude, Scott Thomas Christie, Melinda Susanne Eggert, Dawn Shalom Farthing , Paul Jarod Gregory, Gillian Rae Greshowak, Shirley K. Hamilton, Amy Lynn Hillard, Molly M. Housh, Najiyah Nawar Kazi, Kurt James Messer, Erin Marie Strange, Lauren Mackey Weygandt.
Magna cum laude: Kaete Alexandra Archer, Margaret Marie Ault-Duell, Jennifer Lynn Blunier, John White Bracey, Jennifer Ellen Erwin, Nicholas Newton Gowen, Samuel Jordan House, Michael Ross Licatino, John P. Liem, Rebecca Kathleen McBrady, Catrin Marie Mills, Emily Grace Newman, Courtney Elise Rogers, Ashlinn Elmeera Sarani, Kimberly Marie Schwiger, Laura Ann Thielen
Cum laude: Jessica Paige Bridges, Leah Rebecca Card, Julie Ellen Coats, Ryan Edward Donaldson, Megan Anne Faulk, Jennifer Ann Freilino, John Gray, Erin Renea Guy, James Andrew Hardaway, Benjamin Jay Hardy, Bradley Neal Howard, Kathryn Diane Howard, Kela Renee Kalmbach, Christine Thompson LeBlanc, Ashley Catherine McEniry, Jennifer Robin Merritt, John P. Neis, Elizabeth Calhoun Pearce, Mari Ruth Petzing, Joni Rebekah Podschun, Stephanie Nicole Russell, Kyle William Shachmut, Nicholas John Schoenemann, Elizabeth Alynne Smith, Amanda Lee Street, Thomas Ryan Swindle, James Andrew Szenher, Judson David Taylor, Gregory Alan Varner.
For graduation photos, click here.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. Selected this year by the Princeton Review as the nation's #4 "best value" college, Hendrix is a member of Project Pericles®, an organization that promotes civic engagement among college students. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.