Quincy Jones to speak at UW commencement

Musician and composer Quincy Jones will deliver this year's commencement speech at Husky Stadium, the University of Washington announced this morning.

Jones, 75, attended Garfield High School and started his musical career in Seattle. Though he didn't attend the UW, the university's Board of Regents today voted this afterrnoon to award him an honorary degree.

Jones is expected to be a popular choice among students: His background ranges from playing trumpet for the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the 1950s to producing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in the 1980s.

The recipient of 27 Grammy Awards, Jones appeared in Seattle earlier this week for a concert at the Paramount Theatre honoring his 75th birthday (March 14) and the opening of the Northwest African American Museum.

UW's commencement ceremony will be held June 14.

The announcement secures a headliner early for the UW, which last year scrambled after its hoped-for commencement speaker, former Vice President Al Gore, bowed out in late March due to a scheduling conflict. U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, stepped in at the last minute. He spoke during a rainstorm and was heckled and jeered by an impatient crowd as his speech dragged on — an experience he later described as "painful."

Seattle Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com