Graduation: December 13, 2008

What a flurry of activity took place the week of graduation! Sharon and I had numerous finals, we had out-of-town family and guests for whom to prepare, and we had to plan our open-house graduation celebration. I was so pleased that three of my Kansas friends came for the event. Jennifer & Paula Yoder and Doris Miller brought my aunt Ida from Kansas. They drove through the night on Thursday and arrived Friday morning about 9 am. My brother Alvin and his family also traveled through the night on Thursday and arrived about 8 am. Sara flew in from VA and arrived in Nashville between 10:30 and 11:00 pm.

By the time graduation rolled around, I had resigned myself to giving some comments at graduation. I had to go to a rehearsal of types on Friday at 11, so that I could do a walk-through while carrying the flag. You would think it be a simple thing, but it was such a bulky thing and because we did a fairly long walk in a part of the hall with a low ceiling, I'm sure I would've speared someone or gotten hung up on the ceiling had I not had the opportunity to practice. I also felt a lot better about it after being able to practice. It was at rehearsal, however, that they told me that the previous 0gden Scholar had talked longer than he was supposed to have and that my comments should be limited to two minutes. Wow. I wasn't planning to speak overly long anyway, but do you know how difficult it is to say anything worthwhile in two minutes? So I had to totally start from scratch again. Sharon was sleeping with me that night, and so I made her stay up to give me inspiration. Needless to say, it was 2 am before it was finally written and we could go to bed.

Sharon went into a mini-panic when she discovered that she had left her hat at home on her closet shelf, and we were already halfway to Bowling Green. Alvin stopped in to get it for her, but they were at least twenty minutes behind us. My instructions were to go to the baseball locker room where the president and all the faculty would be gathering prior to our march into the arena. So Sharon helped get my hat into place, and once her hat finally arrived, I did likewise. When I arrived in the locker room, I was met by the dean of Potter College. He told me that he had seen the TV interview, and while he knows I'm not from his college, he wanted me to know that he is still so very proud of me and wishes me the best! He was so kind and gracious and quickly put me at ease. Then the 0gden Foundation representative came in and found me, and we quickly became chums. We spent a lot of time chatting beforehand, and later, during the ceremony, we sat next to each other, and he would whisper stuff to me that I found rather amusing. I couldn't tell you what it was because I don't remember it. But one thing he did tell me was that if I messed up, it would be quite alright. The provost and the president also found their way to the corner I was in and conveyed their congratulations as well.

So then we all gathered around for general announcements and we were launched out into the hall. The president was following me, and with every person he met in the hall, it was "Hello there," and "There's a future Hilltopper!" or some other such greeting. We were given the signal to start, and I was second out of the gate. I followed Dr. T. He, as the longest-standing faculty member, carried in the mace. I managed deliver the flag with no mess-ups or trips, and I was glad to sit next to my new friend. And what a sea of faces there were! Unfortunately, while Sharon was in the front row, I couldn't see her from my vantage point. But everyone could see me as my chair was placed in such a manner that no matter who was speaking--there I was. I hated that. Being on the big screen for almost the entire first hour of the ceremony was no fun… no craning of the neck to see people, no scratching, no moving, no adjusting, no anything!

Soon enough, the Time drew near, and I had to go get my plaque and deliver my two minute speech. Here's the speech for those of you who are interested:

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"I would like to first of all thank the members of the 0gden Foundation for this honor, and I also wish to applaud those of you in this audience who have contributed to my academic journey here at Western in a positive way. As I was reflecting over my time spent here the past four years, I have had to consider that when all is said and done, it is not the high grades nor the accolades that I shall treasure—Rather, I shall value the kindnesses shown me that have made this experience less difficult. I'd like to share an example of this with you.

One of my classes earlier this year required me to purchase a small, paper-back textbook. And the price was $60. I was determined, however, that I should not have to pay so much for a book that was so thin. After some research online, I found that the prior edition was a mere fraction of the cost, and so, a little impulsively, I sent an email to the author's company and asked them if the changes from one edition to the next were really all that significant. When I didn't receive a prompt response, I had actually forgotten about the email. So it was with surprise that I received the following email message several weeks later from the author himself:

"If you will send me your mailing address," he wrote, "I will put a copy of the third edition in the mail to you at no charge.... since we were all poor students at one time."

I was astonished and a little embarrassed perhaps, but too grateful not to accept it. And it arrived soon thereafter. Much more valuable to me than the free current edition of the $60 book, however, was the example of the author who was not so out of touch or self-absorbed that he couldn't remember what it was like to be a "poor college student."

And when I consider the potential success of this graduating class, it strikes me that we will all have opportunities at some point to make someone else's journey a little easier. And so I will leave you with the challenge I found in the author's inscription to me: "Go do great things!"

How will you use your degree to impact someone else's world?

Thank you and congratulations on your achievements!"

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As promised, Dr. W came back for the graduation. After many years as the head of the HCA program, he left Western this past August. "I put my invitation inside my suit coat pocket," he told me afterward. "I wanted to make sure they would let me in!"

We had arranged to meet up with Dr. M afterward so that we could take pictures together. She was my German professor and it was she with whom Sharon and I went to Germany in 2006.

We had a small gathering later that night at Martin's house for family and friends. Although the week and hullabaloo surrounding graduation was exhausting and not one we care to repeat, we could not help but conclude that we have been exceedingly blessed with an amazing family and many friends. We are appreciative for those of you who took time out of your own busy schedules to celebrate these special moments with us. We thank God for each one of you.