Honorary doctorate, Ithaca College, 1982

Sixty years after Dawson first became interested in studying at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, the school awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Music. Dawson had initially become interested in the conservatory in 1922 when he learned about Pat Conway, a student and outstanding trombone player at Ithaca. Dawson intended to pursue studies with Conway two years after graduating from Tuskegee. However, after learning that his father had become ill, Dawson decided to take a job in Kansas City in order to help support his family. (Monroe, 42; archival materials)