 |
 |
Michael J. Fox 'deeply moved' by honorary degree from UBC Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun Published: Friday, May 23, 2008 He might have been giving an acceptance speech for an Emmy or a Golden Globe, but the "incredible honour" for Michael J. Fox this week was an honorary degree from the University of B.C. Fox, 46, was ushered through UBC's Chan Centre Thursday morning with a group of UBC grads and other honorary degree holders as part of the week's convocation ceremonies. "When I received the invitation, I thought, 'What were you thinking?' I have no experience of graduating from university or even graduating from high school," Fox joked, before adding: "This means a great deal to me, I'm deeply moved." View Larger Image Award-winning actor Michael J. Fox waves while accepting an honorary degree at UBC on Thursday. Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun Fox, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree, was one of 10 people -- including Olympian Clara Hughes and architect Bing Thom -- who are being honoured during the six days of ceremonies at UBC between May 21 and May 28. "It's humbling to find myself among such great people," said Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. David Farrar, UBC provost and vice-president, academic, paid tribute to Fox as "the kid from Burnaby who went to Hollywood and made it big." "With pride and delight, we watched the self-proclaimed 'army brat' emerge as one of our country's most prominent actors," Farrar said. Fox shot to fame as Alex P. Keaton, a Republican teenager in a Democratic family, on the TV show Family Ties in the 1980s. He also appeared in TV shows and movies, including Spin City, Back to the Future, The Secret of My Success and Bright Lights, Big City. But his biggest role came in 1991, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder that often impairs motor skills and speech. He didn't publicly reveal he had the disease until seven years later, and in 2000, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which has raised more than $120 million toward Parkinson's research. During his speech at UBC, Fox's body often swayed with tremors and he sometimes stumbled over his words as he told the grads how "truly honoured" he was to share the day with them. "No matter what path you take in life, remember that you have opportunity every day, every moment to invent the future you want," he said. He said he's been lucky to have had different roles in life, including those of actor, husband, father and Parkinson's advocate, and remains inspired and challenged by those around him. "I have been blessed with the opportunity to work for real impact on the world and in the lives of those around me, and to be a partner in the critical search for answers," he said. Despite his success, Fox showed he will always be a B.C. boy with roots in Metro Vancouver who will never lose his sense of humour. "This is not a big speech. I was told to be brief and casual -- that's me, brief and casual," he joked. "I'm working now on my memoirs and the focus is on optimism ... I'm never going to finish it. I'm so happy to be away from it and be home." [log in to unmask] © The Vancouver Sun 2008 Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn