James B. Comey ’82 to speak at William and Mary’s Charter Day
Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey,
known for his prosecution of some of the nation’s highest-profile
criminal cases, will be the keynote speaker at the College of William
and Mary’s annual Charter Day Ceremony on Feb. 9, 2008. A member of the
Class of 1982, Comey will receive the honorary degree of doctor of laws
at the ceremony. William and Mary Chancellor and retired U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will also be in attendance and offer
greetings during the Charter Day ceremony.
Harriet Mayor Fulbright, president of the J. William & Harriet
Fulbright Center; and James C. Rees, (’74) executive director of George
Washington’s Mount Vernon, will also receive honorary degrees at the
Charter Day ceremony. The event, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Phi
Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, marks the 315th anniversary of the awarding of
the Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of Great
Britain establishing the college. Fulbright will receive the doctor of
public service. Rees will receive the doctor of humane letters.
“This year’s Charter Day ceremony will give the College community a
chance to honor three who have distinguished themselves in service to
our nation and our world,” said College of William and Mary President
Gene R. Nichol. “We look forward to hearing from Jim Comey, who
exemplifies our cherished ideal of the citizen-lawyer. His ennobling
work at the highest level of law enforcement, as Deputy Attorney General
under President Bush, and his commitment to the good and the just, hold
a powerful example for us all. We’re glad to have the chance to welcome
him, and his fellow alumnus James Rees, back to their alma mater. Mr.
Rees has brought vividly to life the home and times of our first
president, while our friend Ms. Fulbright has devoted her life to
expanding opportunities for international study and understanding.”
Comey has a long history of public service since graduating from William
and Mary as a double major in chemistry and religion in 1982.
Between 2003 and 2005, Comey held the second highest position at the
Justice Department, serving as Deputy Attorney General of the United
States. In that role, Comey was responsible for supervising operations
of the Department of Justice, and he chaired the President’s Corporate
Fraud Task Force and the Presidential Board on Safeguarding Americans’
Civil Liberties.
Prior to becoming Deputy Attorney General, Comey had a successful career
as a federal prosecutor. In 1987, Comey joined the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Southern District of New York, where he worked until 1993
and eventually became deputy chief of the criminal division. During his
time in New York, Comey served as lead prosecutor in the case of United
States v. John Gambino et al., a six-month mafia racketeering and
murder trial.
In 2002, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York. As U.S. Attorney, Comey, who earned his law degree in 1985 from
the University of Chicago Law School, oversaw numerous terrorism cases
and supervised prosecutions of executives at WorldCom, Adelphia, and
Imclone on fraud and securities-related charges, including the
obstruction case against Martha Stewart. He also created a specialized
unit to prosecute international drug cartels.
From 1996 to 2001, Comey served as Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney in
charge of the Richmond Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the
Eastern District of Virginia. In that role, he handled the Khobar Towers
terrorist bombing case, which arose from a 1996 attack on a U.S.
military facility in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. Air Force members
and injured hundreds.
Currently, Comey serves as the senior vice president and general counsel
of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. In that role, he manages the
corporation’s legal affairs and law department and serves as the
principal counsel to the corporation’s senior leadership and Board of
Directors.
As an alumnus, Comey has remained closely connected to William and Mary.
He spoke at 2003's Opening Convocation ceremony, and he was recently
elected to the Alumni Association's Board of Directors. Comey's wife,
Patrice, is also a member of the Class of 1982. The couple has five
children, including Maurene, a member of the College's Class of 2010.
Harriet Mayor Fulbright
Harriet Mayor Fulbright currently serves as president of the J. William
& Harriet Fulbright Center, a non-profit organization that continues
the work of Fulbright’s late husband as well as her own lifework by
promoting world peace and non-violent means of resolving conflicts. It
partners with higher education institutions and individuals throughout
the world in a range of services, from assisting in building enriched
study-abroad programs to actively engaging higher education institutions
in international peace-making.
Fulbright has spent the majority of her adult life working
internationally in the fields of education and the arts. With a
bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College and a master of fine arts from
George Washington University, she has taught English composition and
creative writing at Ewha Women's University in Korea, elementary school
English in Moscow, and art at several U.S. institutions, including
American University and the Maret School.
In 1987, Fulbright became the Executive Director of the Fulbright
Association, where she served for three years until becoming President
of the Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum, an organization which
advocated education reform and conducted teacher training seminars.
Fulbright serves on a number of boards, including the Wendy and Emery
Reves Center for International Studies at William and Mary.
William and Mary faculty and students are also familiar with the
Fulbright name. Since 1984, 36 William and Mary faculty members
(including two this year) have received Fulbright grants through the
State Department program originated by J. William Fulbright. Since 2000,
50 William and Mary students and alumni – including 11 this year --
have been selected as Fulbright scholars.
James C. Rees
As executive director of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, James C. Rees
oversees the second-most visited historic home in America, with
approximately one million visitors annually. He has been at Mount Vernon
since 1983, serving as executive director since 1994.
A well-known scholar of Washington history, Rees has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, C-SPAN, The History Channel, CNN and PBS,
and has lectured at numerous seminars and special events. Last year, he
published a book about George Washington’s leadership abilities,
entitled George Washington's Leadership Lessons: What the Father of Our Country Can Teach Us about Effective Leadership and Character. He is also the co-author of George Washington’s Mount Vernon and author of the catalogue for the traveling exhibition, Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed.
Before joining Mount Vernon, Rees worked at the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, William and Mary and the Daily Press, a daily
newspaper based in Newport News, Va. Rees has also served on numerous
boards and committees. He has been the president of the Virginia
Association of Museums, chairman of the advisory committee for the
District of Columbia Document Preservation Project and chairman of
Friends of the Potomac River. He was a committee member of the
Governor's Statewide History Initiative project, a member of the board
of directors of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and a member of the
board of directors of the Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Chapter
of the William and Mary Alumni Association.
Rees received his bachelor’s degree in English in 1974 from William and
Mary. He received his master’s degree from George Washington University
in 1978.
Tickets are required for the Charter Day ceremony. After tickets have
been distributed to faculty, students and staff, a limited number will
be available to the general public after Jan.30, 2008. Those seeking
tickets should call 221- 1312 or email ccgill@wm.edu.
