Benjamin S. Carson Sr., M.D., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, delivered the address at Trine University’s 133rd commencement ceremony in the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic Recreation Center on Saturday, May 5th, 2018.
“Dr. Carson’s life is a shining example for Trine graduates and the community of the success that results from hard work and dedication,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president.
Born in Detroit to a single mother with a third-grade education who worked multiple jobs to support their family, Carson was raised to love reading and education. He graduated from Yale University and earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School.
For nearly 30 years, Carson served as director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a position he assumed when he was just 33 years old, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa.
Carson has received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He is also a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Carson authored nine books, four of which he co-wrote with his wife Candy. The U.S. News Media Group and Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership named him among “America’s Best Leaders” in 2008.
Carson and his wife co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The Fund operates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has recognized more than 7,300 scholars, awarded more than $7.3 million in scholarships, and installed more than 150 Ben Carson Reading Rooms around the country.
He and his wife are the proud parents of three adult sons and three grandchildren.
Carson will be forever linked to Trine, as President Earl D. Brooks II presented Carson the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.