Emory University News Release

Release date: May 11, 2004
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark, Assistant Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-712-8780 or bclark2@emory.edu

Emory Trustee Emeritus James Bryan Williams Receives Honorary Degree

Emory alumnus and trustee emeritus James Bryan Williams, former chairman and CEO of SunTrust Banks, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and delivered brief remarks during Emory University's 159th commencement ceremony May 10.

Williams joined three other honorary degree recipients at Emory's commencement this year: Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, delivered the keynote address; medieval scholar Caroline Walker Bynum; and LeRoy T. Walker, president emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee.

Williams served as a university trustee from 1973 to 2003, during which he chaired a 5-year capital campaign that ended in 1984 and raised $220 million, 40 percent more than the original goal. For 20 years he also chaired the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Board. His dedication, vision and support helped Emory grow prominently in health sciences' teaching and research, while continually emphasizing the need for excellence in patient care, says Michael Johns, Emory's executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

As a member of the board of trustees of the Woodruff Foundation, Williams was instrumental in creating the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Fund in 1996 with $296 million to advance Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center. This led to construction of the Winship Cancer Institute and recruitment of world-renowned clinicians and scientists to further Emory's work in the battle against cancer.

Noted for his keen analytical mind, good humor and interest in people, he rose through the ranks to lead SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, mentoring many during his long career. He has sponsored and supported numerous cultural improvement projects in Atlanta, and has been particularly involved in the Boys' and Girls' Clubs and in his church, Peachtree Presbyterian.

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*** NOTE TO EDITORS: Copies of Williams' honorary degree citation are available. A photo is available as a 300 dpi jpeg.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For more than a decade Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, a comprehensive metropolitan health care system.