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Contact: Mary Caffrey 609/258-5748
Date: June 3, 1997


Daniel Jerome Katz of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.,
Delivers Valedictory Address
at Princeton Graduation

Jessica Marie Davis of Gloucester, Va.,
is Salutatorian

Princeton, N.J. -- Daniel Jerome Katz of Rancho Santa Fe., Calif., and Jessica Marie Davis of Gloucester, Va., represented the Class of 1997 as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at commencement exercises today at Princeton University.

The valedictorian and salutatorian are recommended by the Committee on Examinations and Standing and were confirmed by a vote of the faculty on April 28, 1997. By tradition, Princeton's salutatorian must be able to write and give a speech in Latin.


Valedictorian

Katz, 22, is graduating with a degree in chemistry and a certificate in the Program in Materials Science and Engineering. His senior thesis project, completed under the direction of Donner Professor of Science Giacinto Scoles, concentrated on the interpretation of X-ray surface defraction patterns, one of several problems he has worked on this year. "It was really a matter of choosing what to write about," Katz said, "knowing that I had not yet reached the end." Katz plans to continue his work with Professor Scoles next year.

A graduate of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, Katz has been a National Merit Scholar during his four years at Princeton. He has received several academic prizes as an undergraduate. In 1994, when he planned to major in physics, Katz received the Freshman First Honor Prize and the Manfred Pyka Prize, awarded by the Physics Department. Katz then became a chemistry major and received the 1994-95 undergraduate award from the Chemists' Club. He was a Goldwater Scholar in 1995-96 and also received Princeton's William Foster Prize in Chemistry that year.

Katz is a member of Campus Club and this year tutored elementary school students through the Student Volunteers Council. He is the son of Charles and Joanne Katz, of Rancho Santa Fe, and has an older brother, Jonathan.


Salutatorian

Davis, 20, is receiving a degree in Art and Archaeology, having completed the department's program in Classical Archaeology. The program requires the study of Latin through the 300 level. Under the direction of Professor Hugo Meyer, Davis wrote her thesis on programmatic painting in houses in Pompeii. Davis plans to work for a few years before attending graduate school.

Davis also came to Princeton with plans to major in physics but changed her mind. "The ancient world had been a passing interest of mine for a long time," she said. "I realized I could take classes in the subject." She found the study of Latin essential to her studies of ancient art. When one considers "the way Roman attitudes toward their lifestyle and their government came through in art and literature, you can't really study one without the other."

A graduate of Gloucester High School, Davis is the daughter of Robert and Cheryl Davis of Gloucester. She has a younger sister, Robin, and a younger brother, R.T. At Princeton, Davis has been a member of the Brown Co-op, the Aquinas Institute and the Equestrian Club. She recently took third place in the New York Classical Club's translation exam.

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