University of Leeds honours outstanding achievements
A trio of top athletes are to be honoured by the University, with the Brownlee brothers and Paralympic swimmer Claire Cashmore amongst the famous names being awarded honorary degrees this year.

Stephanie Flanders, Samuel Kargbo, Susan Solomon, Linda Pollard and
Martin Wainwright complete this years line-up for the annual
ceremonies, taking place today and on Friday 12 July.
All of the recipients excel within their specialist fields and
are distinguished by their outstanding achievements spanning the diverse
fields of sport, science, journalism, public service and medicine and
health.
Alistair Brownlee graduated from the University in 2010,
with a BA in Sports and Exercise Science. While still studying, he
qualified for the Beijing Olympics and went on to finish 12th in the
triathlon. Since graduating he has been crowned World Champion on two
occasions (2009 and 2010) and was 2012 Olympic Triathlon gold medal
winner. The only athlete to win the world championship at junior,
under-23 and senior level, Alistair trains in Leeds with his brother and
is a strong proponent of the Yorkshire countryside as a first-class
training ground. He will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.
Younger brother Jonathan Brownlee has had a year which has
seen him graduate from Leeds with a BA in History, and win bronze in
the Olympics. He also recently became the Triathlon World Champion. This
is an achievement which cements his earlier success at a junior level
where he has won every accolade available to him including taking gold
at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympics and European Junior Championships,
as well as five further gold medals in the ITU World Championships
Series. Jonathan Brownlee will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.
Claire Cashmore graduated from Leeds in 2011, with a BA in
Linguistics, and now swims for the City of Leeds Swim Club. A
Paralympic swimming medallist, Claire took silver in the 100 metres and
the relay at London 2012, along with a bronze in the freestyle relay.
This is in addition to the bronze she took in Beijing in 2008 and two
bronzes in Athens in 2004. Claire is also the holder of numerous world
championship gold medals and other world records. She will receive an
Honorary Doctorate of Laws.
A further five recipients who have each changed the landscape
of their chosen field through their professional excellence are Linda
Pollard, Stephanie Flanders, Martin Wainwright, Dr Samuel Kargbo and
Professor Susan Solomon.
Leeds-born Martin Wainwright is best known for the 37 years that
he worked at The Guardian, the last 17 of which as northern editor.
Martin retired from the paper earlier this year. Alongside his
journalistic triumphs, Martin has been a dedicated advocate of Northern
England, its culture and the countryside. He has combined his passion
for Englands better half with his joy of writing, most aptly
manifested in the publication of his book True North.
More recently he has penned a tome celebrating the history and
traditions of the English Village. Martins charitable work was
recognised by the award of an MBE in 2000 for services to the National
Lottery Charities Board in Yorkshire and Humberside. He will be awarded
an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.
Professor Susan Solomon led National Ozone Expeditions to
Antarctica in 1986 and again in 1987. Her team made discoveries about
ozone layer destruction which led to the signing of the U.N Montreal
Protocol, an international agreement to protect the ozone layer by
regulating damaging chemicals. Now employed at the Department of Earth,
Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, she was attached to the group that was awarded the Nobel
Prize for atmospheric chemistry in 1995. Professor Solomon will receive
an Honorary Doctorate of Sciences.
Posted in:
University news