Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Two Graduation Messages...

I guess that commencement exercises are just about done for the year (I heard several local high schools on our football field this week). I have to admit that although proud of the accomplishment of my new daughter-in-law (Magna Cum Laude!), the graduation ceremony was, to put it gently, uninspiring. I wish I could have heard the following addresses (courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle):

"I hope you'll remember, during those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naive about your impulse to change this world. Because all it takes is one act of service - one blow against injustice - to send forth that tiny ripple of hope that Robert Kennedy spoke of."

Senator Barack Obama,
May 28, 2008, commencement address at Wesleyan University

"Always remember, my good friends, that there is one sin we must never commit and it is to humiliate another person or to allow another person to be humiliated in our presence without us screaming and shouting and protesting."

Writer-activist Elie Wiesel,
June 15, 1997, commencement address at DePaul University

3 comments:

Jessica Ball said...

Congrats to your daughter-in-law!

My graduation ceremony (at least the non-departmental part) was extremely forgettable. Our speaker was a high-ranking government official (an alum), who, after telling us how much cheaper his tuition was than hours, told us we should take our diplomas and join the military.

Silver Fox said...

It seems somehow appropriate (and for a brief moment confusing when I mis-read an n for an m) that T.C. of Magma Cum Laude should comment on your Magna Cum Laude daughter-in-law.

Congrats to her!

Garry Hayes said...

I seriously almost wrote "Magma" in the original post. I see T.C.'s blog a lot more than I see graduations!