Comedian, Portsmouth native Patton Oswalt to speak at William & Mary’s 2023 commencement

Patton Oswalt, a comedian, writer and actor, is slated to speak at William & Mary’s 2023 commencement ceremony.

Oswalt, a William & Mary alumnus who was born in Portsmouth, and Henry Wolf, former William & Mary rector and retired chief financial officer of Norfolk Southern, will receive honorary degrees at the ceremony, the school announced on Tuesday.

“We have in Patton Oswalt and Hank Wolf, two superstar alumni,” William & Mary President Katherine Rowe said in a release. “They have flourished in entertainment and law, starting from a wide-ranging liberal arts preparation. As leaders in our community, they have answered alma mater’s call so often — to lift the next generation of entrepreneurially minded professionals.”

The ceremony will be on May 19 at Zable Stadium. William & Mary Chancellor Robert Gates is also set to provide brief remarks.

Oswalt, who is well-known for roles on shows such as “King of Queens” and in movies such as “Ratatouille,” has received multiple awards, including Emmy and Grammy awards. During his time at William & Mary, he wrote for The Flat Hat, was a member of Phi Kappa Tau and the fencing club and performed at comedy clubs. He graduated with a degree in English.

In 2020, Oswalt provided a video message to the graduating class during its virtual degree-conferral ceremony, and then collaborated with Alma Mater Productions to present a virtual “Night with Patton Oswalt” in 2021.

Wolf graduated from William & Mary with a degree in economics and then pursued his law degree at the college.

After four years in the Army, he was a law clerk for the U.S. Tax Court and an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service before beginning his 34-year career with Norfolk Southern. He became the vice chairman and chief financial officer before retiring in 2007.

Wolf has maintained close ties with William & Mary, serving on its board of visitors and the William & Mary Real Estate Foundation. He and his wife, Dixie Davis Wolf, gave $3 million to establish the 1779 Scholars Fund for student scholarships at William & Mary Law School and to create The Wolf Gallery at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, as well as providing a gift to support the law school’s library construction project.

Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616