WKU To Present Honorary
Doctorates At Commencement
April 24, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University will present honorary doctorates to philanthropist Raymond B. Preston and musician Eddie Pennington at its 153rd Commencement on May 10.
Preston, a businessman and longtime Henderson resident, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service for his public service contributions, as well as his dedication to Western Kentucky University.
Pennington, who lives in Princeton, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts for his nationally acclaimed contribution to thumbpicking, a unique style of American roots music that originated in his native Muhlenberg County.
Commencement will begin at 9 a.m. May 10 at Western's L.T. Smith Stadium.
Raymond B. Preston
Preston's name is familiar to the WKU community from his gifts to establish the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center and the Hattie L. Preston Intramural Sports Complex. Preston and his wife, Hattie, met while they were attending Western.
Following his graduation from Western in 1940, the Johnson County native worked with the DuPont Company for two years before joining the Navy and serving in World War II. After a stint with Allied Chemical, Preston founded PB&S Chemical in Henderson, which has become the 10th largest chemical distributor in the United States. Although he sold the company to a West German firm in 1989, he remains a member of the board of directors.
Preston, a former member of WKU's Board of Regents, has been active at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, serves as board chairman of Ohio Valley National Bank and Adams Street Development Corporation, is on the board of directors for the Louisville Orchestra and WNIN-TV, a public television station, and is a member of the Henderson County Foundation for Educational Excellence. He is past president of Henderson Chamber of Commerce, past member of the Henderson Community College Board of Trustees and a past member of the Community Methodist Hospital Board of Directors. He served as chairman of the Henderson City-County Air Board for 26 years.
Eddie Pennington
Pennington, who lives in Princeton, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts for his nationally acclaimed contribution to a unique style of American roots music.
National Thumbpicking Champion in 1986 and 1987, Pennington has performed for the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C., toured with the Masters of the Steel String Guitar sponsored by the National Council for the Traditional Arts, and performed at the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress.
Pennington received the Kentucky Governor's Award for the Arts in 2000 and a 2001 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor this country can bestow on a traditional artist, designating him as a "national treasure."
The son of a coal miner, Pennington enrolled at Western as an undergraduate from 1974-75, but was forced to withdraw for financial reasons. His connection with Western, however, has remained strong. He has performed at the university for concerts, teaching sessions and workshops, always expressing deep affection for Western and pride in the university's strong presence in the region.
For more information, contact the Registrar Office at (270) 745-3351. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
