CAMBRIDGE - U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy was in good spirits as he entered the back of Harvard's Sanders Theatre Monday afternoon to receive an honorary degree at a special convocation ceremony.

"We're deeply honored to receive this degree," the Hyannis Port Democrat said as he entered the theatre. "Harvard has been a special place for our family over the years so this is really a special time and a special honor."

Kennedy appeared with his wife Vicki and noted the role Harvard has played in life of his family.

"This was a place where my brothers, Jack and Bobby and I all went to college," he said. "And it's interesting; this will be the hundredth anniversary of my father, so we go back a long time."

When Kennedy receives his degree Monday he will join a very select group including Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and George Washington that received their degrees in special convocations called only for them.

Along with the several elected officials that will be attending the ceremony, including Vice President-elect Joe Biden, cellist Yo-Yo Ma will also perform and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is slated to speak.