Evening star., 1949-06-05

F1NSF1SliIIkr JVIIIeIS
Al Commencement
Miss Mary Virginia Merrick. %.
founder and Spresident of the
Christ Child Society. Ii sharing
commencement honors at George
town University June IS with five
other persons who have achieved
distinction Ia various careers.
The honor list, announced yes
terday by the Very Rev. Hunter
Guthrie. 9. j.. president. also in
cludes the Rev. Francis z. Lucey.
8. j.. regent of the Georgetown
Law School and professor Of juris-
prudence for the last 20 years.
Father "Lucey will be made a
Doctor Of Laws. Miss Merrick will
receive the degree of Master of
Science In Social Science.
More than double the usual
number Of honorary degrees will
be conferred by the Georgetown
president, In his first year In ONCE.
Other Degrees Listed.
Others include: Doctor of Laws
degrees:
DR.. Leonard Andrew Scheele,
surgeon general OF the United
States Public Health Service and
special lecturer at Georgetown In
preventive medicine and public
health.
Justice Delfin Jaranilla Of the
Philippines Supreme Court. q
member Of the International Mil
itary Tribunal In Tokyo that tried
and convicted TOTO and other
Japanese war criminals. He grad
uated at Georgetown Law School
In 1907.
Thomas J. Ross of New York.
senior member of the firm Of Ivy
Lee a. T. ]. Ross. public relations
counsel. He also viii be the COM
mencement speaker. Alumnus Of
st. Vincent Xavier College.
Doctor of Letters: The Rev. John
LaFarge, 9. j., associate editor Of
the Jesuit publication. America.
and formerly editor -in-chief. Noted
authority ons Catholic history.
A. 3. of Harvard, 1901.
Two Widely Known.
Both Miss Merrick and Father
Lucey are widely known in George
town circles. Miss Merrick, an in
valid for many years, will receive
her honors In absentia. A woman
of frail body but indefatigable
spirit, she is serving her 61st year
as president Of the Christ Child
Society In Washington. Last year
she resigned as national president.
In the course of her charitable
and welfare work here she has
helped thousands of young people.
The Christ Child Society now has
branches in IS cities. During the
war O branch was established at
The Hague In the Netherlands.
The daughter of Richard r.
Merrick, noted Washington lawyer
and Georgetown University bene-
factor, Miss Merrick comes from q
family long associated With Wash
ington. She Is q sister-in-law OF
the late George Z. Hamilton. ST.,
former dean of the Georgetown
Law School and its most infiuen-
tjal alumni In Washington.
Acclaimed by Hogan.
Father Lucey, formerly Of NAL
den, Mass, was given a large testi-
monial celebration before the war.
He was acclaimed by the late
Frank J. Hogan, ex-president Of
the American Bar Association, as
one who has "a place Of honor
among the great men OF George
town Law School"
He created q quiet revolution"
IN the law school, raising its stand
ards from high school require
mepts to a Bachelor of Arts degree
for admission. In doing SO the
school at first suffered drastic
reduction In its student body, but
Father Lucey had faith In the
ultimate goal. There are now 1000
college graduates in the law
school.
He has gained attention in the
field Of Jurisprudence by his lee
lures as we'll as writing. Father
Lucey also has served as president
of the Jesuit Philosophical Asso-
citation of the Eastern States. as
chancellor Of ri Gamma Mu, Ma
tional Social Science Fraternity
and as supervisor Of Jesuit colleees
and universities In the East. He
has . LID. degree from Mt. st.
MaryS.
DR.. Scheele. O veteran Of the
Public Health Service, has been
decorated by foreign governments
for his research work In cancer.
He was associate director and d.
rector Of the National Cancer Re-
search Institute.
He recently succeeded DR..
Thomas Parran, q Georgetown
alumnus, as surgeon general.
GsS