WASHINGTON, Washington County — Former Slippery Rock University professor Thomas Gaither was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by Washington & Jefferson College during the college’s commencement ceremony on May 16.

Gaither grew up in South Carolina and participated in Civil Rights protests during the 1950s and 1960s.

He was one of the “Friendship Nine” who were arrested for sitting down at a “White’s Only” lunch counter in Rock Hill, S.C. The group was also famous for refusing to pay a fine to be released from prison, which started a “jail no bail” phase of the Civil Rights movement.

He taught at Slippery Rock University from 1968 to 2007, and is a professor emeritus of biology.