b'Commencement SpeakerDaniel James Brown, celebrated author ofBoys in the Boat, is this years Commencement speaker. In honor of his extraordinary career, the University is proud to confer upon him today the degree of Doctor of Human Letters, honoris causa.HONORARY DEGREE CITATIONDaniel James Brown, as a writer, you are devoted to bringing compelling historical events to life. You have told the story of Japanese American heroes of World War II through your book Facing the Mountain. In The Indifferent Stars Above, you have chronicled a Donner party brides 32-day trek through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And on the pages of Under the Flaming Sky, you reveal the social, economic and environmental causes of the Great Hinkley Firestorm of 1894.But against all odds, it was your third book that has become a global phenomenon by introducing an enormous audience to an obscure story about a bunch of scrawny college kids who took on the world in 1936, as Seattleite and UW graduate Tim Egan wrote in the New York Times.From the moment Joe Rantz, in the last months of his life, relayed to you the story of the 1936 nine-man University of Washington rowing team, you spent the following four years deep in research, poring over newspaper clippings, letters, diaries and photographs. You interviewed each rowers family members starting with Joes daughter, Judy Rantz Willman who collaborated with you at each step. You pulled together every thread to craft a compelling story that brings to life the team, coaches and boatbuilder who transformed the sport of rowing and brought together our University, city, state and nation. Ten years after The Boys in the Boat was released, the story was again told on the screen.The values embodied in The Boys in the Boat are the same values that unite us today. WeHuskies, Washingtonians, Pacific Northwesternershave always come together to pursue bold accomplishments. Its why this epic tale of innovation, collaboration and shared success continues to endure and inspire.A graduate of Diablo Valley College, University of California Berkeley and University of California Los Angeles, you taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University before shifting to technical writing and editing. Today you continue to write nonfiction full time, from your home near Seattle.For your efforts to capture the perseverance of ordinary people doing extraordinary things and for your achievements in nonfiction that inspire future generations of writers, historians and researchers, the University of Washington is proud to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.David Zeeck Chair of the Board of RegentsAna Mari Cauce President of the UniversityJune 8, 2024 11 '