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On Jan. 24, novelist Alice McDermott received an honorary
degree from the College during a ceremony in the St.
Joseph Memorial Chapel. McDermott was originally scheduled
to receive her honorary degree at the College’s May
2004 Commencement, but a family illness prevented her from
attending the ceremony. The presentation was part of the
Senior Convocation event—a special program designed
to give fourth-year students an opportunity to reflect on
their college careers and consider their lives after graduation.
The author of five acclaimed novels, McDermott has won critical
praise and a devoted readership with her deft perceptions
of love, loss, family and faith. Her debut novel, A
Bigamist’s
Daughter (1982), announced the arrival of an exciting new
talent and her follow-up book, That
Night (1987), was a finalist
for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the Los
Angeles Times Book Prize. At Weddings
and Wakes (1992), McDermott’s
third novel and New York Times bestseller, was called “a
haunting and masterly work of literary art” by The
Wall Street Journal. Charming Billy
(1998) won the National
Book Award. Her most recent novel, Child
of My Heart, was
published in 2002.
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