|
Emmy and
Tony Award winning actor, Hal
Holbrook, addresses 2016 Lincoln
College graduates and conferred
honorary doctorate
Send a link to a friend
[May 15, 2016]
LINCOLN - Lincoln
College Trustee Louise Taper
sponsored Emmy and Tony Award
winning actor, Hal Holbrook, for
this year’s honorary degree of
Doctor of Fine Arts.
|
|
 Holbrook
has performed in many and diverse
roles over the years for stage,
television, and movies, receiving
numerous awards for his craft.
In his most famous character role, a
one man show, Holbrook channels Mark
Twain. The Mark Twain role was one
of his first when he graduated from
college. His performances in the
Twain role have taken him all over
the world for over seventy years.
No less auspicious, has been
Holbrook’s portrayal of Abraham
Lincoln for a television series and
his appearance in the recent widely
acclaimed movie “Lincoln.”
As the only actor to win an Emmy
Award for his role as Abraham
Lincoln, it was a great honor that
he accepted the invitation from
Lincoln College to serve as keynote
speaker and to be conferred the
honorary doctorate on this day.
While on campus, Holbrook
graciously imparted his wisdom with
graduating theatre students in an
intimate setting Master’s Class on
Friday afternoon, and then returned
to campus Saturday as keynote
speaker for the 2016 Lincoln College
Commencement.
But before Holbrook would begin to
speak, Lincoln College President
David Gerlach, PhD., and Vice
President for Academic Affairs A.
Gigi Fansler, would confer him with
an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
According to the college, A. Lincoln
was known and respected for
simplicity, sincerity, and high
achievement. The honorary degree
awards are periodically bestowed “to
individuals whose accomplishments
and character are such as might have
been admired by Mr. Lincoln
himself.”
Mr. Holbrook’s address began with
his great admiration for Abraham
Lincoln. “Lincoln is a signal light
for the country, like no one else in
history,” he said. “He grew from a
country boy living on the plains of
Illinois to become a lawyer, state
legislator, member of congress, and
then President of the United States
at a time when the country was
facing its most dangerous period,”
Holbrook said.
[to
top of second column]
|
Mr. Holbrook
mentioned that a person can go
anywhere in the world and Mr.
Lincoln is recognized as one of the
greatest men in history.
“Abraham Lincoln’s
greatest asset was that he listened
to the people. He held democracy to
be precious, and that we are all
responsible for maintaining the
success of our democratic nation,”
said Holbrook.
Mr. Holbrook said that listening to
one another is in short supply these
days, but is one of the most
important tenants for the success of
democracy. “We need to listen to
each other, and Mr. Lincoln is a
symbol to all of us. His words
constantly remind us what our
country is all about, the people are
important,” he said.
Holbrook said it was his great honor
to portray Lincoln. “I learned a lot
from my portrayal of Abraham
Lincoln, about listening,” he said.
With that, Hal Holbrook charged the
new graduates of Lincoln College to
leave with their new degrees, grab
hold of the world and make it
better.
[Curtis Fox]
|
