Commencements Set for May 11-12

April 30, 2002

The College of Charleston will holds its outdoor undergraduate commencement on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12. Approximately 1,300 members of the Class of 2002 are expected take the traditional walk across The Cistern to receive their hard-earned diplomas. The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. The speaker will be Edward Villella, America’s most celebrated male dancer. Villella, Founding Artistic Director of the Miami City Ballet and a National Medal of the Arts recipient, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree.

On Saturday, May 11, commencement will be held for students receiving their master’s degrees from The Graduate School- College of Charleston (formerly called the University of Charleston, S.C.) Nearly 70 graduate students will receive their degrees. This commencement will be held in the Sottile Theatre at George and King Streets at 2:30 p.m. The speaker will be South Carolina Senator Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. He will also receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree.

Edward Villella is recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions to the field of classical dance and arts in education. He is a Kennedy Center Honoree, a member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, and has been named one of “America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by The Dance Heritage Coalition.

Villella was born in Bayside, N.Y. in 1936. He entered the School of American Ballet at age 10 but interrupted his dance training to complete academic studies. He earned a B.S. in marine transportation from the New York Maritime Academy where he lettered in baseball and was a championship boxer.

He returned to the School of American Ballet and went on to become the top dancer with the New York City Ballet. Villella was the first American male dancer to perform with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the only American ever to be asked to dance an encore at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. He has danced for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was producer/director for the PBS series “Dance in America,” and in 1975 won an Emmy Award for the CBS television production of “Harlequinade.”

Villella has a son and two daughters. He and his wife Linda, a former Olympic figure skater, reside in Miami Beach.

Hugh Leatherman, a Republican from Florence, has served in the South Carolina Senate since 1981. He is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Republican Caucus. His other committee assignments include ethics, agriculture and natural resources, transportation, and labor, commerce, and industry.

A staunch supporter of higher education, Leatherman is a member emeritus of the Francis Marion University Board of Trustees. He also served advisory boards at Clemson University.

Leatherman, born in Lincoln County, N.C. in 1931, holds a degree from North Carolina State University. A businessman, he is managing partner in WyBoo Investments and president of Leacon, Inc. He and his wife Jean have six children.

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Contact: Patrick Harwood
College Relations
(843) 953-2548
harwoodp@cofc.edu