Gov. Deval Patrick honored at Howard
WASHINGTON —Until he was 14, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick shared a bunk bed with his mother and his sister, which meant that every third night one of them slept on the floor. By the time Patrick’s daughter was 14, on the other hand, she had visited three continents and had experienced life in a way he could have never conceived of at her age, Patrick said at a ceremony celebrating the 141st anniversary of the founding of Howard University, the nation’s premier historically Black university. Such a change in circumstances in only one generation could happen only in America, the nation’s second African American governor said, and he wants to make it happen for more Americans.
Patrick, 51, a key cog in Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, received an honorary doctorate degree from Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert during the ceremony. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first Black governor, who is currently mayor of Richmond, Va., helped bestow the honor.
Patrick was honored for his leadership in business, government, and law. He served under President Bill Clinton as assistant attorney general for civil rights, the nation’s top civil rights post, and served on the Federal Election Reform Commission under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He also worked as vice president and general counsel for Texaco, as executive vice president and general counsel for Coca-Cola, and later as corporate secretary for Coca-Cola. He was elected governor of Massachusetts in November 2006. —NNPA
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