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13 unusual facts about Latin honors


Dick Ambrose

He began his legal studies while still playing football for the Cleveland Browns, graduating magna cum laude in 1987 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Earl E. Anderson

In addition to his bachelor of science and master of arts degrees, Anderson is also earned a Juris Doctor degree summa cum laude from George Washington University Law School (GWU).

Jean Jadot

In 1926, he entered the Catholic University of Leuven, from where he obtained his doctorate in philosophy magna cum laude in 1930.

Latin honors

In the Netherlands, only two classes of honors are used: eervolle vermelding ("honorable mention") and cum laude, typically only to mark exceptional achievement.

In 1869, Harvard College became the first college in the United States to award final honors to its graduates.

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude

In 2003, a surprising announcement was made by Sierra Entertainment, now a division of Vivendi Universal Games: the Leisure Suit Larry franchise was being revived with an eighth game, called Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.

Lisa K. Wyatt

Wyatt graduated magna cum laude from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a bachelor's degree in theatre (with a departmental distinction) and math.

Manahel Thabet

At the age of 25, she earned her first PhD in Financial Engineering magna cum laude, making her the youngest person and the only Arab ever to attain such distinction.

Martha Greenblatt

In January 1962 she received a BSc (cum laude) in Chemistry from Brooklyn College and she chose to work for the Chiclets Chewing Gum Company in Long Island City as a chemist.

Peter Kirsanow

Mr. Kirsanow received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1976 and then in 1979 received his J.D. cum laude from Cleveland–Marshall College of Law, where he served as articles editor of the Cleveland State Law Review.

Rowan Scarborough

He graduated summa cum laude from the School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Vitus Georg Tönnemann

He completed his theological studies at Munster University, receiving a doctorate in Philosophy summa cum laude (Latin honors).

With Honors

Latin honors, an academic distinction at graduation: cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude


Debra Ann Livingston

Livingston was born in Waycross, Georgia, and received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1980 and a Juris doctor from Harvard Law School in 1984, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Debra H. Sowell

She received her B.A. cum laude and with High Honors from the Honors Program at BYU, where she majored in humanities and emphasized French literature.

Jeff Sheng

His senior thesis was awarded a Latin honors grade of summa cum laude, nominated for a Thomas T. Hoopes, Class of 1919, Prize, and Sheng was given the College's Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts by then President of Harvard University Lawrence Summers.

JuJuan Cooley

Cooley graduated magna cum laude in Business Administration with Alpha Chi honors at Indiana Tech, in 2005.

Kenneth Zebrowski, Jr.

Zebrowski graduated from Clarkstown Schools before receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna cum Laude) in political science from the State University of New York at Albany and his Juris Doctor degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law.

Thomas Cooray

Thomas Cooray was born to a poor but religious family in Negombo, and attended St. Aloysius Seminary in Borella, and St. Joseph's College and University College in Colombo before going to Rome, where he studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), obtaining a doctorate in philosophy summa cum laude.