ATLANTA, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hon. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. ’68 (D-GA, Albany) will be the guest speaker at Morehouse College’s 134th Commencement on May 20.
The Georgia Congressman, a 1968 graduate of Morehouse, represents residents of Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers 29 middle and southwest Georgia counties.
“I count it an extreme honor to call Morehouse College my alma mater,” said Bishop, in accepting the invitation to speak. “For more than 150 years, Morehouse has been molding men for leadership and service in our nation and the world. I am excited and humbled to address the 2018 graduates as I reflect on my own graduation in 1968, just a few weeks after the loss of fellow alumnus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
The U.S. Congressman will be honored as part of the Morehouse Class of 1968—this year’s “Golden Tigers,” who are celebrating their 50th reunion.
First elected to Congress in 1992—after serving in both the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate—Bishop has held numerous positions of leadership at the community, state, and national levels. He has served on the House Committee on Appropriations since 2003, is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and was a Senior Democratic Whip in the 112th and 113th Congresses.
Bishop also served as chairman of a Democratic House Task Force on Homeland Security, was Georgia's representative on the Southern Growth Policies Board, and has been named to “Georgia Trend” magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential Georgians.
Born in Mobile, Ala., Bishop was educated at Morehouse College and the Emory University School of Law. He served in the U. S. Army, and, after receiving his honorable discharge, became the primary partner in the law firm of Bishop and Buckner, P.C.
The Albany, Ga, resident has won numerous awards and honors including: The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America; the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the Georgia Peanut Commission’s “Work Horse” Award; the Man of the Year Award from the Men's Progressive Club of Columbus, Ga.; the Friend of the Children Award from the Child Advocacy Coalition; and commendations from the Georgia Association of Educators.
He is an Eagle Scout, a 33rd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Commencement exercises begin at 8 a.m. on Morehouse College’s Century Campus (the yard between Graves Hall and Harkness Hall). Baccalaureate is Saturday, May 19, at 3 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. For more information, visit morehouse.edu/commencement.
For more on Rep. Sanford Bishop, visit: bishop.house.gov/about.
About Morehouse College
Ranked America’s fifth “Most Entrepreneurial College” by Forbes Magazine in 2015, Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men. Founded in 1867, the College enrolls approximately 2,200 students and is the nation’s largest producer of black men who go on to receive doctorates. Historically, Morehouse also has conferred more bachelor’s degrees on black men than any other institution in the world. Morehouse College is one of the two top producers of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs. Prominent alumni include: Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Shelton “Spike” Lee, award-winning American filmmaker; Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta; and Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Morehouse currently has more than 16,000 alumni in 40 states and 14 countries. For more information, visit www.morehouse.edu.
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