Citation read by Winston Tabb
In presenting
R. Champlin Sheridan Jr.
For the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
May 17, 2007

President Daniel Coit Gilman said, "There is no such thing as a great university without a great library." You share that belief, and — with extraordinary philanthropy and visionary leadership — have played an indispensable role in enabling The Johns Hopkins University to provide students and faculty with truly great libraries for the 21st century.

Your unparalleled service to the university has been grounded in your wisdom and experience as an entrepreneur. In 1967, you scraped together a thousand dollars to buy the small printing company where you worked. Seeking sound advice and independent judgment, you invited four fellow Johns Hopkins graduates to sit on your board of directors. Their counsel, you have said, helped you grow that small company into The Sheridan Group, one of the nation's leading scientific and medical printers. The experience sparked a fresh appreciation for your Johns Hopkins education, inspiring you and your wife, Debbie, to endow the libraries to ensure that "future generations of well- educated Hopkins graduates" could follow you.

Your dedication to Johns Hopkins also has manifested itself in service as vice chair of the board of trustees and chair of its Committee on Educational Policy, trustee of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and co-chair of the Johns Hopkins Initiative. You have given generously of your time and wisdom to numerous committees and advisory boards, including those of the library, the Johns Hopkins University Press, and the School of Nursing.

R. Champlin Sheridan Jr., graduate in the class of 1952, in gratitude for your personal, professional, and philanthropic dedication to the printed word and your long and distinguished service, The Johns Hopkins University is proud to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.