Greatness realized

By Neale McDevitt | Nothing is more exciting than a sense of possibility, which is why McGill is never more full of life than at Convocation. As freshly minted grads traverse the stage to accept their diplomas, they cross a threshold into a world that will challenge them to meet that promise and enrich the planet.

As all that promise flows through the Roddick Gates and into the world, it crosses a counter-current of fully realized greatness, in the form of professors emeriti and honorary degree recipients.

Some are brilliant scholars, others learned to excel early, without the benefit of formal scholarship. Regardless of their beginnings and the course they chose, all stand as remarkable examples of lives well lived. And for that brief moment when graduating students share a stage with honoured guests, the intoxicating mix of promise and fulfillment remind us that any pedestrian can leave footprints in the sand—the great adventure is having those footprints lead to a destination of import.

More on the 14 honorary degree recipients and the six new professors emeriti