1.   Although a past recipient of an NEA grant himself, Ray is troubled by the effects of such grants.

2.   Among the past recipients of honorary degrees is Stevie Wonder, who is a major donor to the university.

3.   Among past recipients of the award are Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey.

4.   It is certainly hard to picture him alongside past Nobel recipients such as Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel.

5.   Past recipients have included John Updike, I.M. Pei and Ellsworth Kelly.

6.   Past recipients have included the actor John Gielgud, the painter David Hockney, the architect Frank O. Gehry and the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

7.   Past recipients include Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest and George C. Scott.

8.   Past recipients include John Henry Faulk and Barbara Jordan.

9.   Past recipients include Mother Teresa and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

10.   Past recipients of the award include former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary James Baker and former President Dwight Eisenhower.