Neil Armstrong
Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow awarded Neil Armstrong an honorary degree during the University's 2004 Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 23, 2004.

[Biography | Honorary Degree]

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [05-23-04] Growing up in Ohio, the birthplace of aviation, you, Neil Armstrong, cultivated a love for flight. You first took to the sky in a Ford Tri-Motor “Tin Goose” at age six, and from that day forward, the world never looked the same. Your passion for flight led you to pursue engineering degrees from Purdue University and the University of Southern California.

You began a storied career serving your country in the Korean War, where as a naval aviator you flew 78 combat missions. You became a legendary test pilot, a pioneer of high-speed aircraft for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. With supersonic speed and steely nerve, you set performance records that stand today. In 1962, you became a NASA astronaut, and four years later, aboard the Gemini 8, achieved the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. And in 1969, as the world held its collective breath, you landed Apollo 11 on the moon thus leaving an indelible imprint on history and the cosmos.There are rare days when time stands still; July 20, 1969 forever is one of them.

Through your thoughtful stewardship of a truly historic legacy, the first lunar landing always will be remembered as a triumph of a nation, not of any one individual. After retiring from NASA, you quietly returned to teaching and research at the University of Cincinnati, always conducting yourself with dignity and humility. Neil Armstrong, for excellence in engineering, for unprecedented achievement in flight, for courage and service to the nation, and for your unyielding integrity, in this, the thirty-fifth anniversary year of Apollo 11, Tufts University proudly awards you the degree of Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa.