Amid typical May warmth and a sun that peeked from behind the clouds, 286 students received degrees at LaGrange College’s 2010 commencement Saturday morning.

Friends, parents and professors watched the ceremony unfold at the college’s residential quadrangle.

The 179th annual event saw students of all walks and all ages receiving degrees in Dan McAlexander’s first graduation ceremony as president.

Summa cum laude graduate Morgan De Ann Shields was the recipient of the college’s Waights G. Henry Jr. Award, and William Hodges, a 1972 graduate of the college and chairman of the college’s board of trustees, was awarded the Distinguished Service Alumni Award.

Honorary doctorates were conferred upon James Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and speaker for the 2010 commencement; 1974 graduate Scott Hawkins, CEO and founder of Resource Real Estate Partners; and Andrea Lovejoy, retired editor of LaGrange Daily News, who served 31 years at the newspaper.

— Look for more photographs and coverage of the ceremony in Monday’s edition of LaGrange Daily News.