Sinise Receives Honorary Doctorate

CSU pays tribute to Lieutenant Dan.

CSI: New York star Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) was in Turlock, California on Saturday as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for California State University, Stanislaus. The actor attended a ceremony to receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree from the university to honor his accomplishments as a philanthropist and contemporary artist. "The impact that Gary Sinise has had on popular culture through his many years of excellence and extraordinary achievement in the field of theatre, motion pictures, and television, as well as his leadership in founding and actively supporting several unique humanitarian programs, make him most deserving of this honor and tribute," said CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani.

Sinise also provided some musical entertainment Saturday night. The actor is part of the Lt Dan Band, named after his famous character from Forrest Gump. The 12-member cover band performed at the 50th Anniversary Kickoff Gala Concert in the University Amphitheatre. Sinise said he wanted to have a good crowd come out and enjoy the show. "It's a fun band," he told The Modesto Bee.

The Lt Dan Band has done 60-70 concerts for the United Service Organizations (USO), travelling to Singapore, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Sinise has family members in the military and wanted to do his part to entertain the troops. The band has not been to Iraq, but Sinise has gone there several times since 2003. The actor remembers the hostile treatment Vietnam veterans received when they returned to the United States, and he wants to make sure that is not repeated. "I want our troops to know someone cares about them," he said. "It's important to support them. They and their families are going through a lot."

The original interview is from The Modesto Bee, and the quote from the CSU Stanislaus President is from here.

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