Clarence Otis, Class of 1977

Having grown up in the Watts section of Los Angeles, you came to Williams with the personal encouragement of fellow Medal recipient Felix Grossman. You then went on to Stanford Law School, and launched a career, first in law and then in finance, of truly meteoric proportions. You led at Kidder, Peabody the team responsible for structuring securities for governmental and educational institutions. In your first two years directing the Public Finance Department at Chemical Securities, its volume quadrupled and your $208 million bond issue for New York City was named by the magazine Institutional Investor as “deal of the year.” Along the way, you found time to serve on the boards of such organizations as the YMCA of Greater New York, One Hundred Black Men Inc., and the Harlem School of the Arts and you helped found a group dedicated to drawing more African Americans into the political process. Since 1995, you have helped lead Darden Restaurants, whose chains, including Olive Garden and Red Lobster, make it the world’s largest casual dining company. Your ascent there has included stints as senior vice president for finance, as the company’s first treasurer, and as president of its Smokey Bones Restaurant division. The announcement has now been made that you are about to become Darden’s CEO and Chairman of the Board—a position atop this Fortune 500 company that makes you one of our nation’s preeminent African-American business executives. In recognition of your distinguished achievement in business, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal.