Kevin M. Rampe Union College Commencement Speech
June 13, 2004
President Hull, members of the faculty, distinguished
visitors, friends and families, and graduating seniors of the class of
2004. I am deeply honored and it is a
tremendous privilege to be addressing you today. Though I have to admit, my wife, Christine,
and I are a little concerned – my first degree at Union
took four years, my law degree only three years, but this one has taken
sixteen!
Twenty years ago this college decided, belatedly, to accept
me as a freshman. You see, originally I
was placed on a waiting list for admission to Union. An experience I will never forget. In this purgatory I spent weeks rushing to my
mailbox every day, sometimes twice a day, looking for that letter of acceptance
– awaiting my fate at the hands of some unknown committee in the hinterlands of
upstate New York. Finally, it came. Today, I promise not to keep you here for as
long as the admissions committee made me wait.
First of all, Congratulations to the class of 2004! You should be proud of all that you have
accomplished. Take this special moment
to remember the good times and to recommit your self to keeping in touch with
your friends. You have worked hard and
today is your reward – enjoy it!
I would also like to congratulate you on your contributions
to this year's senior class gift. I understand that 75% of you, the largest
percentage ever, have donated. That's fantastic.
As an alumnus of Union
College I come to you from the not
so distant past. My goal today is to
share some of my thoughts, experiences and hopes for you as you leave the
safety and serenity of Union.
Without a doubt, things were different when I was here – there
were some computers on campus but they were all contained in a few designated
computer rooms. The drinking age was 18 and beer flowed
freely, and legally, across the entire campus. We had a Division III hockey
team that beat RPI only once during my four years and – wow – what a
night. – – – – – Oh – – – – and some of the major issues on campus were: Do college students drink too much? Should we have a Greek system on campus? And is
the cost of tuition at Union out of control? . . . Well,
some things never change.
During my time at Union the cold war
was in its final stages, the AIDS virus was first discovered in the United
States, and the Soviet Union
pulled out of Afghanistan.
During your years at Union the world
has also undergone unprecedented change.
You now emerge to rejoin a world much different from the one you left. You entered in 2000, just in time to bear witness
to the closest presidential race in our nation's history. In 2001, nineteen terrorists carried out the
worst terrorist attacks on domestic soil.
Our nation embarked on a war on terror that sent tens of thousands of
young Americans first to Afghanistan
and then, a year later, to Iraq. In fact, as I stand here today we have young
men and women, many of them your age, facing mortal danger. Whatever your feelings may
be about either war, these young men and women deserve our support as they
serve our country.
Up to this point, your life and what you have achieved has
been defined by your education, your test scores and your summer experiences.
Starting tomorrow, your life and your happiness will be
defined by the choices you make.
You are graduating during a time of uncertainty as our
nation faces serious challenges.
We are a nation at war, both at home and abroad, against an enemy
bent on destroying our way of life. And
we are a nation divided over the right solutions to the myriad problems facing us as a people.
However, we are also a nation defined by the freedom to
choose and rooted in democratic institutions dedicated to ensuring that our
government remains accountable to the people.
You are graduating at a time when, as a result of technological advances
and increased globalization, individuals are empowered to make a difference in
ways unimagined at any point in our history.
It is a time when choices matter.
Your family, your professors and this college have given you
an amazing opportunity. With the
education you have received – you can do whatever you want – achieve
anything. You have the ability to make
a difference. Whether you do make a
difference is up to you. Making a
difference is a matter of choice.
And I would like to offer some guidance from my experience
in making choices. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was created in
the aftermath of the September 11th attacks to oversee the
rebuilding of the World Trade Center Site, the creation of a memorial, and the
revitalization of lower Manhattan. As its President, I make decisions every day
– choices – which impact family members of victims of the World Trade Center
attacks, downtown residents, business owners, real estate developers, and numerous
government agencies — all laying claim to the same 16 acres of lower Manhattan. So to begin I want to set forth four principles
I follow when making choices.
First, make choices. Make choices wisely, but make
them. Far too many people miss great
opportunities because they are frozen in place for fear of change. Don't fear change – embrace it. Tens of thousands of dollars spent on
thousands of hours of higher education have been preparing you for this
moment. Take a chance. More often than not the worst choice is not
making any choice.
Second, in making choices, draw upon your values and
experience. Know that gathering information
does not prepare you to make a choice. Spend
time thinking about your values and your morals. They will help you interpret
the information and, in the end, the
choices you make should reflect your values.
Third, understand that all of your choices cannot be made
according to some master plan. You can
not plan your life. When I sat in your
chair I never imagined that I would return sixteen years later to deliver this
commencement address. How I got here is
not the product of any plan – it is the result of a series of choices.
And fourth, know at the outset that some of the choices you
make may turn out badly. Recognize this
and realize that often in the wrong choices lie great lessons. In making mistakes, and learning from them,
you will gain deeper personal understanding and knowledge. You will also develop better judgment to
assist you in making future choices. While
judgment is rooted in your own values, in the end, good judgment only comes
from the experience of making mistakes and learning from them.
Along with the right to make choices come certain
responsibilities. First and foremost, you
have a duty to make choices that improve our world for others and for future
generations. You carry this
responsibility if only because of the many who did not have the same opportunity. Your family and generations before you worked
and, in some instances, fought to give you this freedom. The diploma you receive is not simply an
honor bestowed upon you which grants you the right to lucrative employment. It is a document which imposes on each of you
a responsibility to undertake some form of public service or involvement in
your community. I implore you to honor
that obligation. To use all of the tools
and knowledge gained from your years at Union to improve
conditions for others. The choices are
endless and range from service in your everyday life, such as volunteering at
your local school or coaching a youth soccer team, to a committed career in
public service. No matter how you choose
to carry out your obligation – the choice to help someone else or to make a
contribution to your community will lead to a more fulfilling, and happier,
life.
Why you? Because
history, in its wisdom, has called upon you and because, fairly or unfairly, our
world needs you. Let me share with you
the stories of two Union alums. These were not people that I knew personally,
but I learned about them because they were among the over 3,000 lives lost on
September 11th. And as I looked deeper, I found that their lives were
dedicated in some form to service and community.
Andrew A. Fredericks was a 1983 graduate of Union. On September
11, 2001 he was in his 20th year as a firefighter and
his 11th year serving in Squad 18 as a New York City
Firefighter. He was the co-author of the
FDNY's “Engine Company Tactics Manual”, taught for the New York State
Association of Fire Chiefs, and had his own firefighter teaching business. That morning he found himself on the front
lines of the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history. In choosing to become a New
York City firefighter Andrew chose, many years
earlier, to put his safety at risk to save others.
Thomas W. Duffy was a 1971 graduate of Union. A resident of Rochester,
on the morning of September 11th he was on the 99th Floor
of World Trade Center Tower One for an appointment at Marsh where he was a
Senior Vice President. In addition to
having an extraordinarily successful career, Tom chose to spend time giving
back to Union as an active Alumnus and he gave back to his community by
coaching his sons' sporting teams.
Neither of these individuals knew the tragedy that awaited
them on the morning of September 11th. However, what both men knew, and what I hope
you take home with you today, is the importance of public service, of giving
back to your community. And, it can not
be said that either of these men did not live their shortened lives to the
fullest. Lives in which they recognized
the importance of fulfilling their obligation to community service – and lives
made better because they included service to their community as a critical part
of their life experience.
History is filled with stories of public service – the
fabric of our nation is built on the power of individuals' commitment to
helping others. But at no time in our
history has the power of the individual been stronger.
After September 11th, thousands felt compelled to
undertake some form of public service, to find a way to reach out to those in
need – through donations of food, money, clothing and housing, assisting in the
rescue and recovery effort, or in the rebuilding itself. That community service is the true legacy of
September 11th which you inherit today. That
day and its aftermath made it clear that it is not in America's
status as the world's sole superpower that we define ourselves, but in community
service and the acts of compassion and kindness we show to each other.
The plan for rebuilding the World
Trade Center
site itself came from an unprecedented outpouring of citizens' ideas and public
sentiment. Millions of people attended
dozens of public hearings and workshops or visited the Lower Manhattan
Development Corporation's website during our planning for the World
Trade Center
site and thousands sent in their own plans.
The result reflected the views and opinions of the individuals who
devoted their time and experience and, ultimately, of the public at large.
When the LMDC launched an international design competition
for a memorial to those lost, 5,201 people from 63 countries took the time to
submit their design for a memorial.
Thirteen distinguished individuals came together as a jury and committed
themselves to spending hundreds of hours reviewing the proposals. And thousands
provided their thoughts and comments on those components critical to create a
lasting tribute to those lost.
I see it every day.
The recovery of lower Manhattan
is not the brain-child of great political leaders or brilliant architects,
although each has played a role. Big
businesses have clearly been a part but they alone could not rejuvenate our
community. Rather, lower Manhattan's
recovery is the result of individuals volunteering their time, their resources,
and their expertise – put simply – giving of themselves.
It is that America
which came under attack on September 11th. I want to share two other stories with you –
first, one example of an immediate response by a concerned citizen and, second,
an example of the ongoing commitment of individuals to the recovery of Lower
Manhattan.
Peter Cagnassola, a successful real estate broker and married
father of two, served as the Chief of the all volunteer Far Hills-Bedminster
Fire Department. On September 12, 2001, he, along with his younger
brother Thomas, went to help at Ground Zero where he joined hundreds of other
volunteers to work a 12 hour bucket brigade. After hours of exhausting work,
they were relieved by still others who picked up where they left off. Two
and a half years later, with the exception of his children being born, Peter
describes his volunteer work at Ground Zero as the defining moment of his
life.
Colleen Galvin, a graduate of the NYU Stern School of
Business, first volunteered for ten months to help Lower Manhattan
businesses make maximum use of disaster relief programs and then, recognizing
their need for further assistance, co-founded MBAs4NYC. Her organization pairs
experienced consultants to struggling Lower Manhattan
small businesses and through these volunteers, provides skilled business
expertise free of charge. Within one year, Colleen and her 175 volunteers gave in
depth guidance to 85 Lower Manhattan businesses. Ultimately,
her work helped save the Lower Manhattan small business
community.
It really is remarkable; the recovery of our nation's
third-largest central business district in a city defined by capitalism is fueled
by community service – who would have thought?
While separated by 16 years, you and I now share a common
bond as a generation shaped by the events of September 11th. On that day we saw evil. In the days, weeks, months, and years that
followed, despite all of the problems facing us at home and abroad, we have
seen a renewed commitment to community and public service. We hold in our hands, all of us, the legacy
of over 3,000 people who lost their lives that day. We also hold their hopes, dreams, and
aspirations. We have the ability to make
the choices that they can no longer make.
Together – we face a choice – do we allow this legacy to falter
as a single tragic event, look inward and detach from the world or do we mourn,
rebuild, and carry the September 11th legacy of community spirit,
public service and caring for others?
That is your choice – make it wisely.
Thank you, good luck and enjoy the day.