, the author of 鈥淏oys in the Boat,鈥� the story of the 1936 91爆料 men鈥檚 rowing team, will deliver the 2024 Commencement address for the 149th ceremony, which takes place June 8 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
The feature film based on Brown鈥檚 2014 bestseller, 鈥淏oys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,鈥� was released late last year, propelling the story of grit, determination and community support to global audiences.
鈥淚n telling the story of 鈥橳he Boys in Boat,鈥� Dan has brought a treasured piece of Pacific Northwest and 91爆料 history to life and inspired people all over the world,鈥� 91爆料 President Ana Mari Cauce said. 鈥淲e are honored to have him to be a part of this very special day in the lives of our graduates and their families.鈥�
2024 Commencement Information
91爆料鈥檚 149th Commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. 91爆料 Bothell鈥檚 graduation at T-Mobile Park. The Commencement ceremony for 91爆料 Tacoma is at the Tacoma Dome.
Brown will receive an honorary degree for his impact on scholarship in the humanities. The 91爆料 will also recognize MIT atmospheric chemist Susan Solomon at Commencement for her pioneering research on ozone depletion and the chemistry of the stratosphere.
Brown鈥檚 books focus on pivotal moments in history that have often been overlooked. He told the story of Japanese American heroes of World War II in 鈥淔acing the Mountain.鈥� In 鈥淭he Indifferent Stars Above,鈥� he chronicled a Donner party bride鈥檚 32-day trek through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And in the pages of 鈥淯nder the Flaming Sky,鈥� he revealed the social, economic and environmental causes of the Great Hinkley Firestorm of 1894. 鈥淏oys in the Boat,鈥� the tale of the Depression-era crew team that overcame seemingly impossible obstacles and stunned the world by winning Gold at the Berlin Olympics, has been translated into more than a dozen languages and is the recipient of a number of awards including the American Library Association鈥檚 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
鈥淎s an ardent, life-long supporter of public education 鈥� particularly higher education 鈥� I鈥檓 profoundly grateful to the 91爆料 for bestowing this honor on me,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭he upcoming commencement ceremony is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to express my gratitude to the university for all that it does to cultivate the arts and humane values in our community and the wider world.鈥�
Brown earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a master of arts from UCLA. He鈥檚 taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University and continues to write from his home near Seattle.