The Young Man of 1945

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and honored graduates.
 
It is a great privilege to welcome you again to this day of celebration for graduates.
 
Today, we celebrate academic achievement.

Today, we celebrate the personal sacrifice and hard work that has led each of these graduates to this moment.

Today we celebrate individual gains that strengthen and improve the common good.

The earning of a college degree is something of a paradox. It represents both the triumph of individual determination and effort, but in almost every case, it also is an uplifting demonstration of collective will and support.
 
Most of this day will be spent honoring you, the graduates, and that is as it should be. Few moments in our lives feel as lonely or as vulnerable…as when that crucial final exam opens before us. Like a boxer rising at the sound of the bell, at that moment you step beyond all support and assistance, and you face the challenge on your own.

But like that boxer, you advanced with confidence because so many have supported you, so many have helped in your preparation, so many want you to succeed.

Graduates, you will cross this stage as individuals, but alongside you walk the shadows of many people. Some are quite dear to you, and some you may not even know. But all have helped make this day possible.
 
Mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers, aunts and uncles, spouses and significant others worked, saved, and prayed to help make this day possible.

Faculty members, many of whom could have taken more financially rewarding jobs in business or industry, chose instead the noble path of enlightening others.

Donors, who established scholarships with the wealth they created through their own sweat and toil, made your path a bit less difficult.
 
I think I can best illustrate my point with a story.

The Young Man of 1945

In the fall of 1945, a young man enrolled at a public university with the dream of becoming a physician.
 
He had worked in industry, attended junior college, married, and already had a young child before beginning his collegiate journey.
 
In the early morning, he threw the newspaper.

In the late afternoon, he worked at the gas station.

Late at night, he sat as a security guard at the local telephone company.

After all, there was a young family to support, and tuition and fees that had to be paid.
 
His father had died when he was three, and there was no family assistance to help pay for his academic dream.
 
While attending college, he and his young family lived in the basement of someone’s home.
 
In todays graduating class, like this young man in 1945, there are many individuals who have worked two and three jobs while attending this university.

There are those who have supported a family while pursuing their degree.

There are many individuals in this graduating class who know what it means to sacrifice to pursue an academic dream.
 
The young man in 1945 did not achieve his dream of becoming a physician; his grades just weren’t high enough due to too much work and not enough studying.

He did, however, graduate with a degree in pharmacy, and for the next 47 years, he served his community as the owner and operator of a family drug store.  He owned a business, reared a family, and became a pillar of his community for 76 years.
 
A university degree does that—it changes lives for the better, it changes families for the better, and it changes communities for the better.
 
The young man of 1945 eventually became an old man of the 21st century. When he passed in January of 2004 at the age of 88, it was the front-page, top-line story in the local newspaper.
 
By almost any measure of success, he had lived a successful life.

But he never forgot how hard it was to make the grades at a university while working three jobs and supporting a young family.
 
He vowed that no child or grandchild of his would ever have to work while attending college. He used his earnings to establish a college savings fund for each of his children and grandchildren.  He saw to it that finances would never be a hindrance in the pursuit of their academic dream.
 
I am the beneficiary of his investment in higher education.  The young man of 1945 was my grandfather, and a proud graduate of a public university.

Public higher education changed his life and it changed my life for the better.

Standing On The Shoulders

I am sure you have heard it said that we all stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us.  You need only look back into your own families to see some of them.

Maybe they were poor men and women like my grandfather who raised up themselves and their families through education and toil.

Maybe they were immigrants who left the familiarity of home to compete and thrive in a foreign land.

Maybe they were freed slaves who shouldered their way through oppression and discrimination to create successful homes and lives.

They cleared and paved the path to our success.

They are celebrating with us today.

And they watch with expectant eyes to see if we will fulfill our duty, and do the same for those who follow us.
 
The hopes of a brighter tomorrow depend on the resolve, wisdom, and vigilance of those who live, work, and dream today.
 
So graduates, celebrate this day with joy of your achievement, and with a grateful nod to all those who contributed to this moment.

 The diploma you will soon hold is a testament of sacrifice and resolve.
 
It is your ticket to the future.
 
It says you are ready to work knowledgeably and ethically.

To lead.
 
To endure.
 
To vote.
 
To succeed.
 
To never stop learning.
 
And most importantly, to prepare a new path for those who follow.

It is often said of college graduates that they think they can change the world.

Look back at the sacrifices made by previous generations that have benefited you.  Then use your mind’s eye to look forward to see the earnest, hopeful faces that will follow you.

If you do, you will agree that you must not merely think you can change the world: you are obligated to do so.

Godspeed graduates, in all you do and congratulations.
 
I think my grandfather would be proud of each of you.

I know I am.
 
Thank you.