Awarded: Honoris Cuasa, Doctorate

January 27, 2006 - Madrid, Spain

Seen here, I am addressing the attendees of the nearly three hour ceremony in which I received the ‘Doctor Honoris Causa’ from the Madrid Politechnic University.

The doctorate is steeped in tradition. In addition to the academic robes that have their roots in medieval times, I received a ring of office, gloves of purity and a book of wisdom from the university president.

Presented as a lifetime achievement award. this huge school - nearly 46,000 students - only gives one Honoris Causa per year, so for them to give it to me as a foreigner was exceptional.