My Honorary Doctorate At Mount St. Mary College

Last Saturday, I was honored to have been chosen by Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY to receive an honorary doctorate degree in Letters from the university in front of some 3,000 students and faculty. This is the kind of honor I will cherish always.

That's Me At The Podium Giving My Remarks to the Students.

Speaking before thousands of these young students at this very special commencement ceremony made me feel proud to be an American citizen. They are  the future of our country. They are the young people who will be the leaders in reshaping our world. We must be proud of them and support them in their endeavors as they face an uncertain future.

From left:  Fr. Kevin Mackin OFM, Mount Saint Mary College president;
Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier; Barbara Taylor Bradford, bestselling author;
Capt. Scott Smiley, commander of the Warrior Transition Unit, West Point;
James W. Taylor Jr., founder, president and chief executive officer of Taylor Biomass Energy LLC;
and R. Abel Garraghan, Mount Saint Mary College board of trustees chair

A special salute of affection to goes to my good friend, Father Kevin Mackin for his tremendous leadership at the university.


The night before my going to the college, I attended a charity gala dinner (The Princess Ball), which was headed up by our dear friends, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia. The dinner was to raise money for orphaned children in urgent need of medical assistance in Serbia. There's such a great need all over the world for children who require our support and attention.

Another Group Shot.
That's me in the middle.