Tampa Mayor to be Awarded Honorary Doctorate

Two-time Tampa Mayor Dick A. Greco ’56, a native of Tampa, will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at winter Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 1 p.m. on the East Verandah.

Greco previously received the University’s Award for Distinguished Public Service in 1972 and the University of Tampa Medal in 1978.  

His appearance will help to commemorate one of UT’s largest December graduations, at which 366 have applied to receive their degrees, including 100 who completed their degrees in August and 266 December grads.  Of the total, 200 have applied for bachelor’s degrees, and 66 for master’s degrees.  Magna cum laude graduates (GPA at least 3.75, but less than 4.0) will total 13, cum laude (GPA at least 3.5, but less than 3.75), 14.

Last year, 321students applied for degrees at winter Commencement, including August graduates.

The Commencement speaker will be Corinne Young, winner of the 2002 Louise Loy Hunter Award for Teaching Excellence.  Young is an associate professor of business, and executive director of UT’s Institute for World Commerce Education.

Greco is no stranger to The University of Tampa.  After attending local schools, Greco attended the University of Florida.  He returned to Tampa to attend UT, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies.  

After graduation, he became vice president of the family business, King-Greco Hardware.  He began his political career in 1963, when he was elected to Tampa City Council.

After serving a four-year term on Tampa City Council, he ran for mayor of the city of Tampa, and was elected in 1967.  At 34, he was the youngest mayor of any U.S. city with a population of 250,000 or more.  Re-elected in 1971, Greco decided to resign his office

in 1973 to join the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation as vice president of development and governmental relations.

In 1995, Greco successfully sought to recapture his old office as Tampa’s chief executive.  He was re-elected in1999.

Greco often is credited with being an influential force in some of the most significant changes in Tampa, from helping to bring the National Football League to town, to presiding over the Model Cities program that provided millions of dollars in improvements in many of Tampa's neighborhoods, to building the Franklin Street Mall.  Beginning with his first term in the 1960s, he has been credited with hiring minorities, including the city’s first black firefighters and Housing Authority director.

He also has served on the boards of the Tampa Aviation Authority, the

Tampa Expressway Authority, the Tampa Port Authority, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the Florida League of Cities (president) and the National League of Cities.  He is a member of numerous civic and social organizations, and serves on the boards of several.

The Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree is considered the highest honor the University can bestow.

For more information, contact the Office of Public Information at publicinfo@ut.edu.