RS Springfield -- Brigadier Gen. Paul E. Lefebvre, commanding general of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island and Eastern Recruiting Region, received an honorary doctoral degree in Humanics Sunday during Springfield College's 121st commencement ceremonies held at the MassMutual Center here.
The honorary degree of humanics has been bestowed annually since 1906 to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated, through their accomplishments, to follow the college's guiding philosophy of the education of spirit, mind and body for leadership in service to others.
Brigadier Gen. Lefebvre, an alumnus of Springfield College Class of 1975, first came to the college's attention in 2005 during the Tsunami crisis in Southeast Asia when the alumni magazine, Triangle, published a story depicting his leadership in guiding aid and relief efforts to the region. The magazine also described a 30-year career of humanitarian service during his service in the Marine Corps from restoring peace to rebuilding churches, schools, hospitals and communities.
"That is what impressed us," said Dr. Richard Flynn, president of Springfield College. "We talk about our graduates changing the world. We talk about our graduates being the heart of every community. In his role, he is serving others as well as serving the country everyday of his life."
Springfield College was originally founded in 1885 to train missionaries for the Young Men's Christian Association, leaders who would face hardship around the world in service to others. They have kept that early philosophy to educate students to be leaders in the service to others said Flynn.
"We are very proud of all the people that we bestowed this honor upon, and we are very selective with who gets this degree," said Flynn. "We're doubly proud of the general because he is one of our alumni. And when we talk to our present students about examples of people who do good in this world, he's one of the ones we will hold up and hold up high as a role model."
Debbie B. Lefebvre, wife of Brig. Gen. Lefebvre and also a graduate of Springfield College, described what she remembers as his first call to service in the Marine Corps. Years before he joined, when he played football for Springfield College, the college was scheduled to play a game against the Marine Corps football team.
"The bus pulled up and these guys got off the bus," Debbie described. "He said he just knew there was something different about them. He was fascinated with them, and he asked 'who are these guys?' Someone said 'those are Marines. That's the Marine Corps football team.'"
Debbie said he went on to coach football at Penn State where each day he walked passed the Marine Corps recruiting office on his way to the stadium. She was not surprised when he came home and said he had made a now-or-never decision. "It was a good fit."
She explained that there are many similarities between the military and the collegiate communities that are overlooked by the academic world, but that her husband being recognized for his service to others clearly shows that commonality.
"The service really is a service organization and that there are numerous opportunities for young men and women to do things of great value to themselves and to the country. We talked quite a bit about what this means in honoring him in this way, and our consensus was that the college was really validating and honoring the service of all the men and women around the world serving in the Marines Corps."
Debbie had one young lieutenant in particular in mind when she spoke of the service to others tradition that runs in the both her family and the Marine Corps. She described a photograph of her son in Iraq, an iconic figure of a Marine standing in a crowd of smiling Iraqi children. It was the opening day of a girl's school rebuilt by the Marines.
"Springfield College is about the spirit of giving. It's not about receiving," said Brig. Gen. Lefebvre. "So when you graduate, there's a natural connection to community, to a sense of belonging to a family which equates directly to the Marine Corps. If you look at Springfield College's humanics philosophy of educating the spirit, mind and body, it dovetails immediately with our Corps values of honor, courage and commitment. To be recognized by an international school like Springfield College that has been giving for many years is truly an honor....a great honor."
Other honorees to receive this humanitarian degree are President John F. Kennedy, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Art Linkletter, First Peace Corps Director R. Sargent Shriver Jr. and Bill Cosby to name a few.