RELEASED: March 12, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—Jerry Bruckheimer and his wife Linda Bruckheimer will be the featured speakers at Centre College's 186th commencement ceremony to be held Sunday, May 24. Both will receive an honorary degree of humane letters from Centre during the ceremony.

"The Centre College community and the 2009 graduates are excited to have Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer with us for Commencement," says Centre President John Roush. "This couple's commitment to accomplishment and good works here in Kentucky and the larger world are in line with the College's tradition for producing graduates prepared for outstanding lives of work and service in a global society."

Jerry Bruckheimer is one of the most successful and honored film and television producers in entertainment history, having won numerous Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Golden Globe awards.

Emerging from the world of advertising, Bruckheimer's producing career began with such films as Farewell, My Lovely and American Gigolo. With producing partner Don Simpson, the pair produced one hit after another, including Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II, Bad Boys, Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide and The Rock. Following Simpson's passing, Bruckheimer continued to produce hits, among them Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in 60 Seconds, Remember the Titans, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, Glory Road, National Treasure, (and its follow-up) National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Déjà Vu, Confessions of a Shopaholic and the huge Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Next up from Jerry Bruckheimer Films are G-Force, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Jerry Bruckheimer Television's popular programs include C.S.I. and its spin-offs, C.S.I.: Miami and C.S.I.: NY, Without A Trace, Cold Case, six-time Emmy Award-winning The Amazing Race and Eleventh Hour, which premiered in the Fall 2008 season.

Novelist, editor and preservation advocate Linda Bruckheimer will share the commencement stage. Her first novel, Dreaming Southern (Dutton, 1999), spent 12 consecutive weeks on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List and was followed by a sequel, The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way, which was featured on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller list for nine weeks.

Prior to the publication of her novels, Bruckheimer was west coast editor for Mirabella magazine from its inception in 1989 until 1995; Linda spearheaded the magazine as the "eyes and ears" of the West Coast. She was responsible for articles on diverse topics from politics to medical issues to Hollywood. In addition, Linda was the writer-producer of two animated, award-winning specials for PBS. 

A vocal, vital advocate for preservation, she is on the Board of Trustees with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To this end, Linda has completed restoration on several buildings in Bloomfield, Kentucky, and two homes, which have now been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She recently has undertaken the rejuvenation of a Spanish Colonial residence in California.

In recognition of her conservation and preservation efforts in Kentucky, Linda was presented with a 1999 Preservation Project Award given by the Ida Lee Willis Memorial Awards Foundation and the Kentucky Heritage Council. Linda serves on the Advisory Board of the Flannery O'Connor Foundation, which is dedicated to restoring and preserving the childhood home of Flannery O'Connor. Additionally, in 2006, she joined the Advisory Board of the Ida Lee Willis Foundation. She is an active contributor to the Los Angeles Conservancy, as well as retaining membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR].

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.