Basketball Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received an honorary degree at Founders Convocation Sept. 29 for authoring "Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes." Abdul-Jabbar was also presented with an Army Coin of Excellence.

The book, co-written with Anthony Walton, tells the story of the 761st Battalion, an all-black armored unit that served in Europe during World War II. The unit was led by Colonel Paul Levern Bates, a 1931 alumnus. His leadership of the unit kept hundreds of African American fighters alive during some of the war’s heaviest fighting.  Bates posthumously received a Trustee Alumni Award during the convocation, accepted by his son, Baron Bates.