<p>For more information, Contact the Public Relations Office at 302.477.2175</p>
<p>WILMINGTON -- The 41st graduating class of Widener University School of Law will receive diplomas in a 3 p.m. ceremony on the Wilmington, Del. lawn Saturday, May 16. The entire event will also be broadcast to the public live online.<br /><br />The 218 graduates will hear remarks from New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Lee A. Solomon, a 1978 alumnus of the law school.<br /><br />Solomon previously served as a Superior Court judge and as president of the Board of Public Utilities. Then-Gov. Jim Florio appointed him to fill a vacancy in the New Jersey General Assembly in 1991. He served until 1995, then moved on to work as Camden County prosecutor. In 2002, Gov. Chris Christie &ndash; then serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey &ndash; appointed Solomon first deputy attorney for southern New Jersey. He began serving as a Camden County Superior Court judge in 2005. He spent five years on the bench, then moved to the Board of Public Utilities, and finally returned to the Camden County Superior Court bench in 2011.<br /><br />Solomon attended Widener Law when it was known as Delaware Law School of Widener College. He was external articles editor and a member of the <a href="http://www.djcl.org/">Delaware Journal of Corporate Law</a>. He was the school alumnus of the year in 1996 and is a current member of the Board of Overseers. Solomon and his wife generously established the Lee and Dianne Solomon Scholarship Fund in 2011, to benefit a student active in the pro bono programming of the Widener&rsquo;s Public Interest Resource Center.<br /><br />Other ceremony highlights will include three graduates receiving their diplomas with relatives or friends &ndash; who are Widener alumni &ndash; congratulating them during the ceremony.<br /><br /><strong>Holly C. Frey of Ottsville, Pa., </strong>the class valedictorian, will also speak. <br /><br />The public may watch the event online by going to <a href="ipl://625//W10=">delawarelaw.widener.edu/gradwebcast</a>&nbsp;and clicking &ldquo;view video.&rdquo; The stream will begin approximately five minutes before the ceremony starts.<br /><br />The media is invited and encouraged to cover the graduation ceremony. Press seating that provides an up-front view and easy access will be provided for those who wish to attend in person. The two-hour program is expected to draw up to 3,000 people to the Concord Pike location and will be held outdoors under tents rain or shine. The campus will be closed after school parking lots are filled.Visitors will then be directed to park next door in the lot serving Catch 202 restaurant or behind the DoubleTree Hotel on Concord Pike. <strong>Media should call the PR Office in advance about special press parking.<br /><br /></strong>Student awards were presented during a separate ceremony held on Wednesday, April 15 at the school. The dean&rsquo;s award and the president&rsquo;s award were two of the most prestigious honors.<br /><br />Widener University President James T. Harris III gave the president&rsquo;s award to<strong> Bonnie S. Gladu of Hartly, Del.</strong> The honor is given to the second-year student who has demonstrated scholastic achievement and possesses high potential for meaningful contribution to the law school, the community and the profession. Download a photo of Harris and Gladu <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/widenerlaw/17152234356/in/album-72157649692407193/">here.</a>&nbsp;<br /><br />Interim Dean Erin Daly gave the Dean&rsquo;s Award to <strong>Frey, who is also the valedictorian.</strong> The award is given annually to the graduating student who, in the dean&rsquo;s opinion, has demonstrated outstanding legal aptitude, exemplary service, significant leadership skills and the potential to become an outstanding member of the legal community. Download a photo of Daly and Frey <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/widenerlaw/17177558491/in/album-72157649692407193/">here.</a>&nbsp;<br /><br />Download a group photo of Harris, Gladu, Frey and Daly <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/widenerlaw/16990635130/in/album-72157649692407193/">here.</a></p>