During Hobart and William Smith Commencement exercises on Sunday four members of the community will be recognized with honorary degrees including Kevin Colton, Hobart and William Smith’s longtime chief photographer.
Colton, who has served as the Colleges’ chief photographer since 2005, is a pillar of the campus community and of the Colleges’ visual identity. He has photographed nearly every major campus event capturing — in his striking, evocative images — the place, people and spirit that define Hobart and William Smith.
For more than a decade, Colton has been recognized as one of the premier photographers in higher education across the country, earning the national gold and silver awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and sweeping regional CASE accolades. A mentor to numerous students, he has shared his technical expertise with photography interns in the Office of Marketing and Communications, hosted an annual workshop on travel photography in partnership with the Center for Global Education, and served as a guest lecturer in Studio Art courses.
The owner of Kevin Colton Photography, he has exhibited his landscape work in many area businesses and public buildings throughout the Finger Lakes. In the community, he leads the annual Worldwide Photo Walk and donates his work and considerable time to charity events. His photographs have appeared in National Geographic’s “Your Shot” competition and Landscape Photography magazine. His landscapes were also exhibited at Black Wall Gallery in Athens, Greece.
Also receiving honorary degrees will be Patricia Adams is the daughter of 1932 Hobart graduate Rev. Dr. Alger L. Adams. Thanks to her support and her generosity, the recent dedication of the Adams Intercultural Center is enshrined in the annals of Hobart history.
Dr. Gilberto Arbelaez, a 2006 Hobart graduate, was the only emergency physician on staff at Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde, Texas on the day of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish, a 1982 William Smith graduate and longtime member of the Board of Trustees at Hobart and William Smith and active community volunteer.
Alan Khazei, one of the nation’s leading national service advocates and cofounder of City Year, will address graduates, their families and the HWS community during the 2023 Commencement ceremony.
