Honors Convocation

President Edward Seidel

Edward Seidel is the 28th President of the University of Wyoming. He is a distinguished academic known internationally for scientific excellence, bold vision and dynamic and collegial leadership with a track record of advancing scientific research, technology development and economic progress at the university, state, and national levels. A seasoned administrator, he has developed and overseen transformative academic, research, and innovation programs at multiple universities (LSU, Skoltech, Illinois, Wyoming), research institutes (Albert Einstein Institute), and at NSF.

Seidel is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has earned international awards for his work in physics, computational science, and economic development, including the 2006 IEEE Sidney Fernbach Award (computational physics), the Association for Computing Machinery’s 2001 Gordon Bell prize (computer science), the 1998 Heinz Billing Prize of the Max Planck Society (numerical relativity and collaborative software), and the 2018 Business Leadership Award of the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce (economic development).

Irelynn Holland

Irelynn Holland is a senior double-majoring in Sociology and Communications. A McNair Scholar, she is originally from Reno, Nevada, but completed her senior year of high school in Cheyenne. Her research focuses on the marketing and consumption of popular music.

Irelynn completed a research internship on the Beatles and presented her findings at the McNair Scholar’s Symposium in the summer of 2021. Building on this research, she presented “All Together Now: Creating Art Out of Discord” at the Southwest Popular Culture Conference in Albuquerque earlier this year.

Irelynn plans to continue her research by obtaining a Master’s degree in Beatles Studies at the University of Liverpool, UK.

Blake Watson

Blake Watson is a senior in the Theatre and Dance department with a theatre concentration. Blake is from Bozeman, Montana where he worked for several years as a freelance theatre artist, actor, director, and scenic carpenter. He also served for three years as an assistant speech and debate coach at Belgrade High school.

After a break from higher education, Blake returned to UW in the Fall of 2021 where he found success and national recognition. His work as a dramaturg on the UW Theatre and Dance production of These Shining Lives earned accolades from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival where he participated in national workshops. He also won the Region 7 undergraduate scholarly paper competition for his paper, The Essex Rebellion: The Myths we Tell About Essex, Shakespeare, and Richard II.

Blake will graduate in May 2023. After graduation, he plans on pursuing an MFA in directing.

After completing a law degree at UW, Keith, a Wyoming native, served in World War II. He received numerous medals, including the U.S. Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Italian Cross of Valor, and the Czech Medal of Merit. When he returned home from the war, Keith joined the Cheyenne law firm of Henderson and Thomson. Keith served two terms on the UW Board of Trustees and one term as president of the UW Alumni Association. In 1950 and 1952, he was elected to the Wyoming State Legislature. At age 35, in 1954, Keith was the first UW graduate to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. After three terms in the House, he was elected United States senator in 1960. Tragically, before he could assume office, Keith passed away.

 In 1962, Thyra was the first woman to be elected Wyoming’s secretary of state. Although her name repeatedly was suggested for higher office, Thyra chose to remain secretary of state and ex-officio lieutenant governor. When she retired from office in 1987, Thyra had served 24 years—longer than any other statehouse official in Wyoming’s history. She was acting governor in the absence of both Republican and Democratic chief executives, Governors Hansen, Hathaway, and Herschler. Thyra was named a UW Distinguished Alumna in 1969 and College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumna in 1987. Thyra, who died in June 2013, served on many advisory boards throughout the state, including the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors.