2024 Fall Convocation: PACCAR’s Mark Pigott to Receive Honorary Doctorate, Jonathan Moo Installed as Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology
The doctor of humane letters is an honorary degree that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society through philanthropy, humanitarianism or other means.
Pigott has worked at PACCAR for more than 40 years. He is the fourth generation of his family to lead PACCAR, a $35 billion company based in Washington and a global technology leader in the design and manufacturing of trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates.
His relationship with Whitworth spans three decades. Whitworth students, faculty and staff have benefited from PACCAR’s generosity through scholarships, support of the engineering department’s bid for ABET accreditation, business classrooms in Weyerhaeuser Hall, science classrooms and labs in Eric Johnston Science Center, and now, with the new PACCAR Engineering Building, which is currently under construction.
Pigott’s personal contributions include a new scanning electron microscope for the sciences, updated sound and lighting capabilities for Whitworth’s theatre program, underwater equipment linking Whitworth coaches with their swimmers, and the new, state-of-the-art Pigott Golf Center for the men’s and women’s golf teams.
Pigott’s love for the arts, theatre, athletics and history has been the basis for his very generous donations throughout his lifetime. While working in the U.K., his support of the arts and education and his leadership of initiatives there were so impressive that Queen Elizabeth II made him an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Under his leadership, PACCAR received the National Medal of Technology in 2006 from President George W. Bush, and in 2014 Pigott was named one of the “Top 10 Best-Performing CEOs” by Forbes magazine.
Also, during convocation, Jonathan Moo, professor of New Testament & environmental studies, will be installed as the university’s third Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology.
Moo began teaching at Whitworth in 2010 and held the university’s Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair from 2019-23.
An internationally sought-after speaker and author, Moo is also a popular teacher and mentor of students at Whitworth. He has received the university’s Innovative Teaching Award and has been named a Most Influential Professor in three of the last six years.
The Bruner-Welch Chair was established in 2006 and named in honor of Dale Bruner, one of Whitworth’s most influential theology professors. It is also named for the late William J. Welch, a longtime elder in the Presbyterian Church, and his former wife, Peggy Layman Welch.
The event will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/live/zJVXg6mlRII for those unable to attend.
About Whitworth University:
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, Christian liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university has an enrollment of about 2,500 students and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Trisha Coder, associate director of media relations, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
