Patricia T. O'Conner '71, Doctor of Humane Letters

Patricia T. O'Conner '71 received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Grinnell College Commencement 2006.

O'Conner is the author of Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, among other publications. Pat, a native of Des Moines, graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa in 1971. She did graduate work in urban journalism at the University of Minnesota before beginning her career as a reporter and editor in 1973. After several years at the Des Moines Register and the Wall Street Journal, she joined the New York Times in 1982.

Most of her 15 years with the Times were spent at the Book Review, where she edited reviews and literary criticism. She also contributed articles and book reviews, and for many years wrote the Times' weekly columns on new video releases and paperback books. In addition to writing full time, she continues to write reviews and articles for the Times, and also appears monthly on public radio as WNYC's "language maven."