Guesses Rife Over Honorary Degree Choices

As Harvard's 328th Commencement approaches, University officials are maintaining media silence in the face of heated speculation about the identities of recipients of honorary degrees.

West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who meets with President Carter today, will more than likely pick up one of the free sheepskins tomorrow when he delivers the Commencement address.

Daniel Flood? Pol Pot?

Although Harvard officials will not confirm published reports, Georg Solti, music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will also take home an honorary.

John Wayne? Cardinal Benelli?

Security for Commencement will be especially tight this year with the presence of Schmidt and possibly other foreign dignitaries on the dais.

Lucille Ball? Suzanne Somers?

At least one honorary usually goes to a literary figure, and Lillian Hellman, the playwright and novelist, seems like a top contender, while Susan Sontag, literary critic and aesthete, may also place.

Don Zimmer? Bill Lee? Ed McMahon?

Traditionally, several of the degrees go to obscure figures in the academic world, and this year no one should be surprised if an Ivy League physicist and a West Coast biochemist garner the honors.

Shah Pahlevi? Idi Amin? Papa Bok?

Donald Woods, exiled South African journalist, will probably top off his year as a Nieman fellow with a sheepskin. Ingmar Bergman or Orson Welles, past near-misses for the Norton Lectures, may represent the cinematic world on the honorary list.

Anita Bryant? Margaret Trudeau? Dorothy Hammill?

I.M. Pei, the architect, seems a possible choice as well, and Georgia O'Keefe, the artist, might emerge from her New Mexico seclusion to receive her laurels.

Werner Erhard? Rand McNally? Julia Child? Merle Haggard? Sid Vicious?

Politicians also manage to draw some attention at the ceremony. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis has been hanging around Harvard a lot lately.