Oct. 14, 2005

Marc Garneau, Eugene Levy to receive honorary degrees from McMaster University

Astronaut Marc Garneau and comedian Eugene Levy will receive honorary degrees from McMaster University.

Hamilton, ON - Astronaut Marc Garneau and comedian Eugene Levy will receive honorary degrees at McMaster University’s fall convocation, president Peter George announced today. The ceremony will be held in The Great Hall of Hamilton Place on Nov. 18.

Eugene Levy will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at 9:30 a.m., and will address students graduating from the faculties of Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sciences. Marc Garneau will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree at 2:30 p.m., and will address students graduating from Engineering, Science, and Health Sciences.

Born in Quebec City, Marc Garneau began his career in the navy -- as a combat systems engineer aboard HMCS Algonquin – and became a household name in 1984 as the first Canadian astronaut to fly in space aboard Shuttle Mission 41-G. A veteran of three space flights, Garneau has logged more than 677 hours in space. In February 2001, he was appointed executive vice-president of the Canadian Space Agency, and later that year, was named its president.

Hamilton native and former McMaster University student, Eugene Levy is widely regarded as one of the top comedians Canada has produced. He established himself as a master of improv comedy on SCTV, and parlayed his talents to the big screen in such films as American Pie, Multiplicity, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He his best known for playing good-hearted, everyday characters; not necessarily “the sharpest pencils in the drawer,” as Levy describes them, but people to whom audiences can relate.

McMaster University, named Canada’s Research University of the Year by Research InfoSource, has world-renowned faculty, and state-of-the-art research facilities. McMaster's culture of innovation fosters a commitment to discovery and learning in teaching, research and scholarship. Based in Hamilton, the University has a student population of more than 23,000, and an alumni population of more than 115,000 in 128 countries.