In recent days, the Gazette has printed various letters from individuals who are disturbed by the story of the honorary degree awarded by Smith College to Evelyn Harris. Although I retired from Smith after teaching at the college for nearly five decades, and although I was once a member of the college’s committee on honorary degrees, I have never met Ms. Harris, nor do I have any special knowledge of the events that led to the relinquishing of Ms. Harris’s honorary degree.
