Degree tribute for top athlete and Army boss

Jan 14 2009 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

FORMER Olympic champion triple jumper Jonathan Edwards is to be awarded an honorary degree from Durham University later this week.

Edwards, who has held the triple jump world record since 1995, graduated from Durham with a degree in physics in 1987.

And he is set to return to the city tomorrow to receive the highest accolade a university can give in honour of his athletic career. Edwards enjoyed a prolonged period as the best triple jumper on the planet, winning gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics Games, the 2001 World Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth Games. His achievements have earned him status as one of Britain’s all-time international top sportsmen.

He said: “I had three wonderful years at Durham as an undergraduate, and to be able to return more than two decades on to receive an honorary degree is an immense privilege.”

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the professional head of the British Army, and author David Constantine, a former Durham University lecturer, will also receive honorary degrees celebrating their work later this week.

General Dannatt, a former Durham University Students’ Union president and a history graduate, has served as Chief of General Staff of the British Army since August 2006, when he replaced General Sir Mike Jackson. Edwards and Dannatt will receive the honorary title of Doctor of Civil Law while Constantine will gain the honorary title of Doctor of Letters.

The accolades, to be given by chancellor Bill Bryson, will be awarded as part of student graduation ceremonies taking place tomorrow and Friday in Durham Cathedral.

Prof Chris Higgins, vice-chancellor and warden of Durham University, said: “General Sir Richard Dannatt, Jonathan Edwards and David Constantine are remarkable individuals whose international successes reflect, in different ways, the achievements and influence of Durham University’s alumni and staff.”

Meanwhile, General Dannatt said he considered the doctorate a tremendous honour.

“Not only am I enormously flattered due to Durham’s status as one of our finest seats of learning, but it also brings back very happy memories of three marvellous years spent here in the early 1970s,” he said.

“Thanks to the Army, I had the opportunity to study for my first degree while already serving, though considerable time spent engaged in sport, debating and other student pursuits, means that my undergraduate degree will be very much overshadowed by Friday’s ceremony.

“It’s also fair to say that Durham changed my life, as I had the great fortune to meet my wife in the course of my studies. I am delighted that my association with Durham has also continued with my middle son, Bertie, graduating in 2003 from Hatfield College, and my daughter, Richenda, currently being an undergraduate at Hatfield now.”