| Oakland University salutes G. Mennen Williams as an exemplary citizen. He dedicated his legal knowledge to public betterment, compiling an admirably sustained record of government service. Decorated for his wartime achievements in the United States Navy, he returned to Detroit to practice law and accept the responsibilities of public office. As Governor of Michigan from 1949 to 1960, he presided over a period of vigorous development in his native state. Then, committing himself to national service in the international sphere, he won honors across the world for his contributions as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and as America’s Ambassador to the Philippines. Returning to Michigan, he concluded his official public duties with those private intellectual and cultural pursuits befitting an educated person. He has been both an author and a patron of the arts. This university especially values his contribution of African art to the Meadow Brook Gallery to be appreciated by Michigan citizens. OU honored Williams as a model of one whose education has fostered the general good and awarded him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa in 1986. |