Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, awarded Hovhaness the first of his five honorary doctorates. The final paragraph of the citation read as follows:

" ... For boldness and delicacy of imagination, for originality and individuality without eccentricity, for a great number of compositions each fresh and distinctive, for fusing old melody with modern technique and spirit, in short, for making music to lift the hearts of men as only music can, Bates College wishes to confer upon Alan Hovhaness, the honorary degree of Doctor of Music."

Photo: courtesy of The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College.