Allan P. Kirby, Jr., received the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service at Hillsdale College’s 158th Commencement ceremony on May 8, 2010. After the presentation of degrees, former United States Attorney General Edwin Meese delivered the commencement address.

Born on June 18, 1931, Mr. Kirby graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. The Kirby name has long been associated with the world of business and philanthropy. His family oversaw the establishment of the Marquis Foundation in 1952, a foundation dedicated to funding scholarships as well as community-based philanthropic activities.

Kirby has also served as president of Liberty Square, Inc., based in Mendham, NJ. He joined the Alleghany Corporation, an investment holding company anchored by a core position in property and casualty insurance, in 1963. At the end of 2009, he announced his retirement from the board of directors. He has also served on the Wilkes University Board of Trustees and endowed the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Professorship and Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Wilkes.

In 2008, Kirby provided a leadership grant to establish Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship. Mr. Kirby currently resides in Mendham with his wife, Marian. He has five children: Jessie Ann, Allan Price III, Slater Baran, Coray Sutherland and Milan Stanton.

“Mr. Kirby’s superb civic mindedness is matched by his generosity. We are grateful for his care about the future of the Constitution and the country,” said Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn. “We are honored to bestow the degree of Doctor of Public Service to Allan Kirby.”