Saint Joseph College Announces Special Honorary Degree Recipients

West Hartford, CT, (March 1, 2000) - Each year, Saint Joseph College awards honorary degrees to individuals who demonstrate the mission of the College through their work and experiences. The College is pleased to announce that Paul Gagne, Ida Castro, The Honorable Frederica Brenneman and her daughter Amy Brenneman will receive honorary degrees at the sixty-fifth Commencement on May 21, 2000.

Paul Gagne directs and produces educational films for children at his Connecticut-based Weston Woods Studios. He has received many awards for his motion pictures, videos, sound filmstrips and audio recordings based on outstanding children's books. Most recently, Mr. Gagne received notification that he won his second Andrew Carnegie Medal from the American Library Association for his animated video based on the children's book Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.

Mr. Gagne's presence at Commencement 2000 will close in a special way what has been a year of celebration for the School for Young Children, Saint Joseph College's model laboratory school, in its new facility at the former Beach Park School.

Ida Castro is the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Women's Bureau at the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. As an attorney, she has supported and protected affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. As a tenured professor at Rutgers University, she shares with Saint Joseph College the mission of enlightening and empowering young people.

Judge Frederica Brenneman was the second woman to be appointed judge in the State of Connecticut. She is a graduate of Harvard University's School of Law, an advocate for young people and families, and a positive role model, especially for the women at Saint Joseph College who will subscribe to the College's pre-law program and pursue careers in law enforcement.

Amy Brenneman is best known as executive producer and star of CBS Television's hit show Judging Amy. She has also appeared in countless theater, film, and television productions. Ms. Brenneman is a graduate of Harvard University, where she studied comparative religion. Ms. Brenneman was inspired to create Judging Amy by her mother's career and accomplishments with the Connecticut judicial system.


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