Chief Justice William J. Sullivan opened the program with a welcoming address. Associate Justice Flemming L. Norcott, Jr., another Law Day honoree, introduced Professor Carter.

The Chief Justice presented the awards, with a brief comment on why each individual was being cited. Those honored included:

• The Honorable Boce W. Barlow Jr., who in 1949 was the first African-American appointed to the old municipal court bench. He was also the first African-American elected to the State Senate.
• Adrianne Baughns-Wallace, the first woman and African-American news anchor of a major newscast in Southern New England. She is currently the Director of Financial Education for the Office of the State Treasurer.
• Edgar F. Beckham served as the first African-American Chairman of the Connecticut State Board of Education.
• Dr. David G. Carter Sr. became the fifth president of Eastern Connecticut State University in April 1988, marking the first time an African-American was named president of a four-year institution of higher education in Connecticut.
• F. Thurston Fields was one of the first African-American Police Chiefs in Connecticut, serving in Jewett City.
• Dr. Edythe J. Gaines was the Superintendent of Schools in Hartford and was among the first African-American superintendent of schools in Connecticut.
• The Honorable Robert D. Glass in 1987 was named an associate justice of the state Supreme Court, marking the first time an African-American had been appointed to Connecticut’s highest court. Justice Glass died in November 2001 at age 78.
• Wilfred "Spike" Johnson in 1958 became the first African-American elected to the Connecticut General Assembly. He was also the first African-American to preside over the Connecticut House of Representatives. Mr. Johnson died in February 1972 at age 51.
• Gerald Lamb was elected State Treasurer in 1962, the first African-American elected to that position. He was also the first African-American to serve as State Banking Commissioner.
• The Honorable Robert Levister was the first African-American named to the Connecticut Superior Court. Judge Levister died in October 1992 at age 74.
• John F. Merchant was the first African-American law school graduate from the University of Virginia. He was also the first African-American to serve on the Executive Committee of the United States Golf Association.
• The Honorable Flemming L. Norcott Jr. was the first African-American appointed to the state Appellate Court in 1987. In 1992 he was elevated to his current position as Associate Justice of the state Supreme Court.
• Maxie L. Patterson was the first African-American Chief of Police for Windsor, Connecticut, a position he served with honor from 1979 to 1986. Currently he is Executive Director of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund.
• Colonel Joseph A. Perry, Jr. was the first African-American to rise to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Safety and was the first African-American Colonel leading the Division of State Police.
• John Bradley Stewart Jr. was Hartford’s first African-American Fire Chief and he was the first African-American appointed to that prestigious position in New England.
• The Honorable Alvin W. Thompson was the first African-American United States District Court Judge for the District of Connecticut.
• The Honorable Thomas G. West was one of the first African-American Administrative Judges in Connecticut, serving as the Danbury Administrative Judge from 1988 to 1993. In April 2002 he was appointed to the state Appellate Court.
• Clifford J. Willis was named Chief of the New Britain Police Department, becoming one of the first African-Americans to hold that position in the state. Mr. Willis died in November 2001.
• Katherine "Kay" Wyrick was one of the first African-Americans to receive the prestigious Connecticut Jefferson Award, given to people who go above and beyond the call of duty volunteering in their communities.
• John W. Hogan, Jr., president of the Connecticut Bar Association, presented congratulatory remarks.

And a reception for the honorees and their families and friends took place in the Museum of Connecticut History.