THE FOLLOWING IS A DANVILLE AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE RELEASE
DANVILLE, IL, May 4, 2022–During the May 20, 2022, Commencement ceremony for Danville Area Community College, two former students who weren’t able to complete a degree at DACC will be recognized for their past contributions by receiving honorary associate of letters degrees.
John Shane and Clifford Dupree are the two nominees that DACC’s Graduation Committee brought to the Board of Trustees for consideration during the March 24 meeting. Both were confirmed unanimously to receive honorary degrees.
John Shane has been a stalwart supporter of the DACC Foundation and student scholarships. He served on the DACC Foundation Board twice—from 1992 to 2001, and again from 2006 to 2015. He was the Board president for two terms and vice president for three terms. In addition, he co-chaired multi-million dollar scholarship campaigns in 2005 and 2010. He is currently a Director Emeritus. He and his wife Sue have maintained an endowed fund at DACC since 2005 to support student scholarships.
Having retired after four decades as a widely respected insurance agent in Danville, Mr. Shane understands and appreciates how hard the vast majority of DACC’s students work to afford a college education. His mantra is, “Looking out for each other is what we’re all about. In our insurance company, I would always look out for our customers, and in my involvement with DACC, I always look out for helping students. I see the enormous value DACC brings to our community in improving the quality of life of residents.”
Clifford Dupree has historical significance for the College. He—along with current Danville Alderman Robert Williams—were the first two African-American student-athletes in College history as basketball players on the 1960-61 DJC team. He says, “When I enrolled DJC, there weren’t any black people other than Bobby (Williams). I didn’t even know they had a basketball team. But when I started playing, the other white players accepted me and Bobby. It helped that both of us were very good athletes.”
Showing off the DJC letter he earned for starring on the College’s 1960-61 basketball team, Clifford Dupree will be joining John Shane as honorary-degree recipients during DACC’s May 20 Commencement in the Mary Miller Gym. He’s shown here with DACC Athletic Director Tim Bunton
After leaving the College in 1961, Mr. Dupree continued to excel in basketball for more than 25 years in the City’s industrial league and was considered one of the best ever to lace up a pair of Keds. Even in his senior years, he has continued to demonstrate his prowess as an athlete. In 2012, he won the Illinois State bowling championship for the 69-and-older division and competed in the nationals in Reno, Nev., where he finished 13th. That same year, he won the 50-and-over bowling division in Danville.
Mr. Dupree also deserves recognition for his lifelong commitment to guiding young people toward a better life through both athletics and education. A retiree from his own limousine business, Mr. Dupree connects with young people through sports, such as horseshoes, billiards, and bowling. He says, “I’m usually the oldest thing out there on the lanes bowling with the kids and talking to them about life. I tell them I’ve been very lucky, and I give them tips on how to become lucky like I was. One way to do that is by working hard and staying clean.” He sometimes teams up with Mr. Williams, who remains a close friend and neighbor and has been a City Alderman in 2019.
As a 1979 graduate from DACC, Alderman Williams isn’t eligible to receive an honorary degree. But he has received the distinction of being named DACC’s 2022 Alumnus of the Year and is receiving State-wide recognition from the Illinois Community College Board.
