Commencement Speaker and Honorands Announced for Class of 2019 Graduation

Brendan Clark ’21
Managing Editor

Samuel H. Kennedy ’95, President and Chief Executive officer of the Boston Red Sox is scheduled to be the featured speaker at Trinity College’s 193rd Commencement ceremony this May. Kennedy will receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, in addition to two honorand recipients: Nancy Beth Lublin and Bruce N. Whitman ’55. The Commencement ceremony is slated to occur on Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Kennedy, who has been with the Red Sox for 18 seasons, graduated from Trinity with a degree in American Studies. While at Trinity, Kennedy wrote to every president and owner of the 28 major league baseball teams across the country seeking “advice and a summer internship.” It was this letter writing program which helped lead Kennedy to his current position. Kennedy has received the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award and has developed Fenway Park into “a year-round venue, with concerts, football, ice hockey, and more taking place at the site,” according to a press release from the Trinity College Office of Communications. Kennedy has also been active in local causes in health and education-related organizations.

Lublin is the founder of Crisis Text Line, a 24/7 hotline for people experiencing crisis. Lublin is from West Hartford Connecticut and is a graduate from Brown University ’93. In ’95, Lublin received a master’s of letters in political theory from Oxford, where she was also a Marshall Scholar. In 1996, Lublin used a $5,000.00 inheritance while at the New York University School of Law to create Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that offers career support for women transition from welfare to the workforce. Lublin also worked with DoSomething.org, an organization which seeks to encourage young individuals to volunteer and back movements for positive change worldwide. Lublin was selected by Fortune magazine as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2014.

Whitman ’55, who will receive his degree posthumously, was a “giant of the aviation industry,” according to the Communications press release. Whitman graduated with a degree in English and subsequently served in the United States Air Force under its Strategic Air Command. Whitman subsequently studied law after the service while remaining an active member of the Air Force Reserve. Whitman joined FlightSafety International in 1961 and subsequently rose through the ranks, becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2003. Whitman has been the recipient of Aviation Week’s 2018 Philip J. Klass Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2016 National Business Aviation Association American Spirit Award. Whitman also served as a founding member and chair of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.

This information is taken from a press release provided by the Trinity College Office of Communications.