Acclaimed Native American writer Louise Erdrich '76 has been selected to give the main address at Dartmouth's 2009 Commencement exercises on June 14, the College announced today. Erdrich was a finalist for this year's Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her 2008 novel, "The Plague of Doves."
A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Erdrich was in the first coeducational class at the College. She has since gone on to write 14 books that have won a variety of national and international awards. One of Erdrich's daughters, Aza, is a member of the Class of 2011.
Erdrich is also one of seven individuals -- including Boston Celtics star Bill Russell and retired U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid -- slated to receive an honorary degree at Commencement.
