Nancy Lee Blackburn Hamon is a civic leader, arts patron, and philanthropist recognized for her leadership and vibrant personality. Through her generosity and imagination, she has nurtured and transformed the city's major cultural institutions, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Zoological Society, and SMU's Hamon Arts Library. Her influence has been both local and global. Because of her achievements as a benefactor and advocate for the arts she received the TACA-James K. Wilson Silver Cup Award in 1990, the Flora Award in 1992, and the prestigious Linz Award in 1994. For her personal commitment to the arts and culture, for her vision and generosity that have enabled cultural institutions to flourish in Dallas and abroad, Southern Methodist University is honored to confer upon Nancy Lee Blackburn Hamon the degree of Doctor of Arts, honoris causa.