Popular Shreveport Oscar and Emmy Award-winner, author, illustrator and animator William Joyce has been named one of Centenary College's commencement speakers.

Joyce will be the featured guest at Centenary's 2014 commencement celebration in the Gold Dome at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 3. Joyce told college officials he's thrilled to be part of this.

"I will recite many commencement speech cliches and then light them on fire," Joyce said. "It is a ceremony we perform at Moonbot when we achieve a major milestone like graduation. However, this time, no mimes will be harmed unless it seems appropriate."

Hailed by Newsweek as one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium, Joyce wrote his first book in the fourth grade and has since produced a slew of classics beloved by both children and adults. My daughter and I are big fans, and we're slowly building up our Joyce collection.

His books include "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," "George Shrinks," "Santa Calls," "Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo," "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs," and "A Day with Wilbur Robinson," several of which were made into short or feature-length films.

Joyce has won three Emmys for his popular children's show "William Joyce's Role Polie Olie," a Disney animated series, which we record on the DVR and watch regularly. His illustrations have appeared on the cover of The New Yorker, and his paintings are displayed at museums and art galleries nationwide.

With his team at Moonbot Studios, Joyce has produced the much-celebrated animated short film and app "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" and the app "The Numberlys." Moonbot’s recent collaboration with Chipotle Mexican Grill has garnered over 12-million views on YouTube. Joyce and Christina Ellis, a Moonbot artist, will release a picture book version of The Numberlys in May 2014.

"We are honored to welcome a true creative force to campus," said Centenary President David Rowe. "From employing many of our students and alumni to serving as Centenary’s Artist-in-Residence, Joyce has been instrumental in infusing our community with energy and imagination."

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