Now he’s Dr. Wayne Newton, honorarily speaking

Monday, Dec. 6, 1999 | 10:09 a.m.

To thank the Las Vegas-and-Branson showman for holding a fundraising concert, faculty at the university asked that Newton be given an honorary degree.

So on Saturday night, before he took the stage, Newton was presented an honorary doctorate in music. The ceremony took place at a private reception, where Mr. Las Vegas had an academic hood slipped over his trademark jet-black pompadour.

For Newton, 56, who never made it past his junior year in high school, the honor had special significance.

"I'm guilty of being a high school dropout," he said. "What was supposed to be a two-week engagement in Vegas turned into 46. I never had a chance to finish school. That's why this degree means so much."

William Woods gives an honorary doctorate each year to an individual considered a role model, said university president Jahnae Barnett.

"It says a lot when a university honors the work you do in your profession," she said.

Barnett was among those at the reception who admitted to being a bit star-struck at the reception and the concert that followed. Both events raised money for the Mrs. Melvin G. Hall Scholarship Fund.

"I've been a Wayne Newton fan for a long time," said Barnett, who planned to claim a front-row seat for the show.

The visit to central Missouri didn't require an especially long trip for Newton. He has a home in Branson, in the state's southwestern corner, and performs regularly at the Wayne Newton Theatre there.