BOSTON -- Sen. Ted Kennedy joined an elite group Monday with a special honor from Harvard University.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the university awarded Kennedy, 76, with an honorary degree at a special convocation.

Kennedy Honored At Harvard

"This was the place where my brothers went to college, and it's interesting -- this would be the 100 anniversary that my father (graduated)," Kennedy said.

Kennedy remembered what his brother said about liberalism shortly before he was elected president.

"If by a Liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and the suspicion that grips us. If that is what they mean by a Liberal, then I am proud to say I am a liberal," Kennedy said.

The ceremony was postponed from last spring after Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Others who have received the honor include George Washington, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.