University of St. Mary will present honorary degree to student who was fatally shot

The University of St. Mary class of 2017 wants to make sure Marcus Mondaine won’t be forgotten on commencement day.

As they march to “Pomp and Circumstance” on Saturday afternoon, Mondaine, who played basketball for St. Mary, will be on their minds. And the university will present a degree to Mondaine posthumously during the graduation ceremony on the Leavenworth campus.

Mondaine, who was studying health information management at St. Mary, was shot to death in October while visiting his girlfriend in Kansas City. Her ex-boyfriend Damon M. Hammons has been charged.

“It was a tragedy, and at the time it really struck our campus hard,” said John Shultz, a spokesman for St. Mary. “He was a very well liked young man. We wanted to honor his memory.”

At the time of the 23-year-old’s death, university President Diane Steele said in a statement, “Marcus was a humble, gentle soul who always thought of others first.”

The university decided to present the honorary bachelor’s degree “because he was so close to completing his degree,” Shultz said. “He was a good student. He had such a bright future in front of him.”

Mondaine’s mother will accept the degree for her son during the ceremony at 1 p.m. in the McGilley Field House.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "University of St. Mary will present honorary degree to student who was fatally shot."