Listed below are recipients from 1990 to 1999.
1999
George B. Autry, Doctor of Laws (posthumous)
Founder and President of MDC, Inc.
Emil Constantinescu, Doctor of Science
President of Romania
Anthony Drexel Duke, Doctor of Humane Letters
Founder of Boys Harbor, Inc.; Trustee emeritus of Duke University
Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, Doctor of Humane Letters
Pioneer in women's studies and feminism in the academies; mystery writer
Corinne Boggs "Cokie" Roberts, Doctor of Humane Letters
Award-winning broadcast journalist for ABC News and National Public Radio
Theodore "Sonny" Rollins, Doctor of Arts
Legendary jazz musician
James Hustead Semans, Doctor of Humane Letters
Leader in both medicine and the humanities; distinguished philanthropist
1998
George Herbert Walker Bush, Doctor of Laws
41st President of the United States
Clay Felker, Doctor of Humane Letters
Path-breaking editor; founder of New York magazine; celebrated journalist
John Hope Franklin, Doctor of Humane Letters
A founding father of African-American history; recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Donald Ervin Knuth, Doctor of Science
Computer pioneer; Nobel Prize winner
Judy Carline Woodruff, Doctor of Humane Letters
Prize-winning broadcast journalist; advocate for women in journalism and for women's health; Trustee emerita of Duke University
1997
Norman R.. Augustine, Doctor of Laws
CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; four-time recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal
Jimmy Carter, Doctor of Humane Letters
39th President of the United States
John Howard Gibbons, Doctor of Science
Government official and physicist; advanced the scientific knowledge base and enhanced the role of science and technology in public policy
Peter John Gomes, Doctor of Humane Letters
American Baptist minister; distinguished preacher
Doris Leeper, Doctor of Fine Arts
Renowned painted and sculptor; proponent for the cause of the arts
1996
Jane Alexander, Doctor of Fine Arts
Head of the National Endowment for the Arts; award-winning actress
Julius Levonne Chambers, Doctor of Humane Letters
Chancellor of North Carolina Central University; civil rights leader
Frank Kenan, Doctor of Humane Letters
Chair of Kenan Transport and Kenan Oil Companies; distinguished philanthropist and advocate for disadvantaged students
Daniel C. Tosteson, M.D., Doctor of Science
World-leader in innovative approaches to medical education; seminal scholar in cellular and general physiology; Trustee emeritus of Duke University
Sir David Williams, Doctor of Laws
Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University; legal scholar in both the U.S. and Britain
1995
James Hadley Billington, Doctor of Literature
Former Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; 13th Librarian of Congress
Anthony Stephen Fauci, Doctor of Science
Immunologist and leader in the fight against A.I.D.S.
Coretta Scott King, Doctor of Humane Letters
Campaigner for non-violence and human rights
John Phillip McGovern, Doctor of Science
Pediatric allergist and dedicated campaigner on behalf of the young
Nafis Sadik, Doctor of Humane Letters
Pioneer in family planning and women's health
1994
Paul Hardin III, Doctor of Humane Letters
Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; past president of Wofford College, Southern Methodist University, and Drew College; Trustee emeritus of Duke University
Josephine Humphreys, Doctor of Literature
Acclaimed novelist
LeRoy T. Walker, Doctor of Humane Letters
First Black President of the United States Olympic Committee; Olympic track coach; Chancellor emeritus of North Carolina Central University
George M. Woodwell, Doctor of Science
Founder of the Environmental Defense Fund and leader of the efforts of the World Wildlife Fund
1993
Bill Bradley, Doctor of Laws
U.S. Senator from New Jersey; basketball player for the New York Knicks; Rhodes Scholar
Sylvia Alice Earle, Doctor of Science
Marine biologist; pioneering oceanographer; conservationist; leader of America's first all-female team of aquanauts
David Alan Hamburg, M.D., Doctor of Humane Letters
Physician; scientist; educator; past President of the Institute of Medicine; President of the Carnegie Corporation
Juanita Morris Kreps, Doctor of Laws
Economist; scholar; public servant; first woman to be named Secretary of Commerce; Vice President of Duke University and James B. Duke Professor at Duke University
William James Raspberry, Doctor of Humane Letters
Respected journalist; champion for social justice and individual achievement
1992
James D. Ebert, Doctor of Science
Pioneering developmental biologist; former president and director of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole
Marian Wright Edelman, Doctor of Humane Letters
Founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund; first African-American female admitted to the Mississippi Bar
Robert R. Everett, Doctor of Science
Computer pioneer; recipient of the National Medal of Technology
A. Kenneth Pye, Doctor of Laws
President of Southen Methodist University; previously distinguished member of Duke University faculty and administration
Elna B. Spaulding, Doctor of Humane Letters
Founder of Women-in-Action for the Prevention of Violence and Its Causes; first Black woman on the Durham County Commissioners
1991
George S. Balandier, Doctor of Humane Letters
Leading analyst and interpreter of the Third World and eminent researcher in African Studies
Gertrude B. Elion, Doctor of Science
Scientist emeritus at Burroughs Wellcome; Nobel Prize winner
Eleanor Cutri Smeal, Doctor of Laws
Preeminent leader in the American women's movement; past President of the National Organization for Women
Charles D. Watts, M.D., Doctor of Science
Pioneer in the Black community in medical education and research; founder of Lincoln Community Health Center; senior Vice President and Medical Director of North Carolina Mutual Life
George F. Will, Doctor of Humane Letters
Newspaper columnist; Pulitzer Prize winner
1990
Tom Brokaw, Doctor of Humane Letters
Television journalist
David R. Palmer, Doctor of Humane Letters
Superintendent of West Point