Former NASA astronaut to speak at winter commencement

UW-Madison announced Wednesday that James Lovell, one of 24 people to ever travel to the moon and back, will be the winter 2016 commencement speaker.

Lovell graduated from Juneau high school in Milwaukee before attending UW-Madison for two years. He then was accepted to the United States Naval Academy and graduated from there in 1952, according to a university press release.

He will deliver the address at the Dec. 18 graduation ceremony. UW-Madison will also award him an honorary degree, a distinction that is awarded to individuals “who exhibit careers of extraordinary accomplishment,” according to the release.

“The Honorary Degrees Committee saw Lovell as the exemplification of the achievements we seek in an honorary degree recipient — great distinction in her or his chosen calling, allied with substantial contributions to the life of the broader community in the best traditions of the Wisconsin Idea,” David McDonald, professor of history and chair of the Committee on Honorary Degrees, said.

The Committee on Honorary Degrees chose to award to degree to Lovell last spring, but he was unable to attend the spring commencement. The university officers who chose Lovell to speak at commencement were unaware of the timing of him receiving the degree, according to the release.

Lovell wrote the book “Lost Moon: the Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13,” on which the academy-award winning movie “Apollo 13” was based. When he retired from being an astronaut in 1973, Lovell had logged 715 hours in space and 330 orbits of Earth.

All students who completed a degree in summer 2016, or who will complete a degree in fall 2016, are welcome to participate in 2016 Winter Commencement, according to the release.