Former D.C. mayor Vincent Gray had a dream deferred. GWU fulfilled it.

For decades, Vincent C. Gray worked for the District of Columbia, serving as its mayor, city council chair and in his current role as Ward 7 council member. But he was unable to add a long-standing dream to his list of accomplishments — a PhD.

That changed on an overcast Sunday morning in front of the Washington Monument, where Gray — beaming in his blue academic regalia — received an honorary doctorate in public service from his alma mater, George Washington University.