Occasionally,
events come together in ways that remind us vividly of
the threads that connect us. The thread, in this case, is
the mission of the College- “cultivating the
mind of youth,” to use the phrase of John Blair
Smith, Union's first president-and this spring
three events reminded me of that thread. One was a party
celebrating the 225th birthday of Eliphalet Nott, the
College's president from 1804 to 1866 and, to my
mind, the best college president this country has
produced. The second was the 150th anniversary of the
graduation of Chester Arthur, who went on to become the
twenty-first president of the United States. And the
third was our Baccalaureate Commemoration, when I
listened to several wonderful student speeches. Each
event reminded me of John Blair Smith's memorable
phrase. Nott was a leader whose ideas about
“cultivating the mind of youth” influenced
Union-and all of higher education-for decades.
Chester Arthur was apolitical operative who, when
elevated to the presidency following James
Garfield's death, shed politics for leadership (I
like to believe that his exposure to Nott's
progressive curriculum must have had something to do with
his later growth). And our student speakers? To give you
a idea of their promise, let me share some of their
comments:
I would venture that every Union
College student, at one time or another, has pulled an
all-nighter…. Amidst your rising terror, you find a
slice of respite. Over on the corner of your desk is
probably a dust-laden candle that your Aunt Matilda sent
you last May for your birthday, and gosh darn it!
Doesn't this seem the perfect time to strike a match
and set it aflame?…And on that candle flickers. It
almost serves as your stalwart beacon of hope that amidst
the turmoil of your “tragic”life, there is
something steady and unbending, a flame that continues to
burn with constant serenity, even as you're waking
your roommate in horror that your printer is spitting out
symbols you never entered into your PC…We're
all taking that “all-nighter” path this day.
Whether through pursuit of a graduate degree, the
explosive excitement of a new career, or continuing to
peruse our options, we are all pursuing our
passions….This commitment to ourselves cannot wait
'til morning. We'll keep that candle burning
within ourselves and light that flame as an unbending
force to orient us when our “all-nighter” seems
interminable.
Jennifer Angerosa
I was only four years old and was
moping around the back yard feeling lonely and looking
for something to do. I remember looking around and
watching the birds, and then an idea popped into my head.
Why hadn't I thought of this before? What could be
more fun than flying?…I just climbed the steps to my
porch, and climbed up on the railing…I surveyed the
area and decided that this would be a great place to take
off…With a deep breath and my wings spread, I leaped
high into the air and waited for the wind to take me. I
guess it's pretty unnecessary to tell you what
happened next. I landed, and it wasn't gracefully
like the birds did. I crashed headfirst into my
mother's rock garden…After the trip to the
emergency room to have the two holes in my head repaired,
my mom put me on the couch and sat with me. I remember
her having only one question. She asked,”Le-le. What
made you think that little girls could fly?” And in
my most determined voice I said, “Because they
can.”…This was probably one of the most
important steps in my life. It taught me that you can
live through crash landings, that they are not the end of
the world…I'm not suggesting porch jumping to
anyone in the audience today, but I am a strong supporter
of taking that leap.
Leah Karp
Union is a family. We are all proud to
be here, and we are happy with the choice we made in
coming to Union. We strive to make Union a better place,
we support one another while we are here, and we support
the endeavors of the alumni. We congratulate each other
for our successes, and we console one another when we
have failed. We have grown together here. We have been
there for one another through adversity. We have learned
what having friends truly means, and we realize now that
one good friend is more important to us than
1000acquaintances…I know that in years to come, when
I think back on my days at Union, I am going to wish that
I could have just one more Friday afternoon, after
classes have finished, walking across the rugby field to
see the pink and orange sun setting over Fox Hall. I know
that this can't be, though, so I will go out into
that crazy world and find a new spot from which I can
watch the sun set, and I pray that that spot will make me
as happy as Union has during the past four years.
James DiStefano
You do not have to be a writer to be
able to relate and find value in Jack Kerouac's
Belief and Technique For Modern Prose; List of
Essentials. I've picked five essentials to speak
about today. Essential number one: “Scribbled secret
notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own
joy” (58)…We were constantly surrounded by each
other. It is such a lifestyle that has made many of us
realize the irreplaceable excitement of a continual
presence of friends who, oftentimes, felt a lot like
family. It is also this lifestyle which has made many of
us understand the fundamental importance of privacy, for
it is the time spent alone which allows us to see the
significance and beauty of time spent with others.
Essential number two: “Submissive to everything,
open, listening” (59)… Perhaps knowledge comes
only with the admittance that nothing is ever truly
known, a willingness to strip oneself of youthful
arrogance, while keeping intact a youthful innocence and
an amazement for the people places, and ideas which
surround us. Essential number five: “Something that
you feel will find its own form”(59)…We all
have parts of our minds which breathe with a life unto
themselves. Let us never be afraid to explore these
unknown territories, for we may and that they are not so
unknown after all. Essential number twenty-three:
“Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr
morning” (59)…Instead of living quickly,
completing tasks just to complete them, let us not be
afraid to take our time, to examine what it is we truly
want, to be aware and “keep track” of every
morning. Essential number twenty-four: “No fear or
shame in the dignity of yr experience, language and
knowledge” (59)…We can feel comfort in the
similarity of the experience we have all shared. More
importantly, though, we should feel pride because, as
similar as our experiences have been, they have all been
unique and unmatched. Let us look upon ourselves and each
other with admiration, and upon our parents and teachers
who have so devotedly helped us to get here, with
admiration and gratitude. But today is not the only day
we are deserving of congratulations. Kerouac's
essential number twenty-nine says, “You're a
Genius all the time” (59). Don't forget that.
Julianna Spallholz
I think John Blair Smith and Eliphalet
Nott and Chester Arthur would have been proud. I know I
am.
Roger H. Hull