Chief Justice Addresses Marymount Graduates

Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 5/23/02)

More than 650 of the 823 graduating Marymount University students were present to receive their diplomas on Sunday, May 12, in D.A.R. Constitution Hall in Washington. As Marymount celebrated its 51st Commencement ceremonies, they listened to the words of advice from the Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court, who gave the Commencement Address.

Rehnquist began his remarks with congratulations to the graduates and added, "I’m particularly honored to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from a school with such a rich tradition of community service."

He then challenged students to make conscious choices in their lives and to use their time wisely. Drawing on the privilege of age, he said, "One thing a speaker in his 70s can impart to graduates ... is the often bittersweet lessons of life as she is lived." Rehnquist quoted Binkley lamenting to his Bloom County cartoon friends that, "life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Calling time a "wasting asset," he noted that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 brought home just how precious time is. "They [the attacks] made us think about things we often take for granted — our families, our communities, the principles of freedom and democracy that country stands for. They highlighted the fact that if you’re not conscious of how you spend your time, you may miss your chance to experience the things in life that mean the most," he said

"For all of life’s disparities in talent and wealth, each of us is given exactly the same amount of time in each hour, each day, each year ... so you have to make a choice. But it’s very important for each of us that these choices be made consciously, with as much knowledge of the possible consequences as can be had. You should consider these choices not only in terms of financial reward, enjoyment of work, but in terms of how much time they will demand. ... The totally scheduled person has ruled out in advance the possibility of any spontaneous response to calls for help, or friendship, or service," Rehnquist said.

The Chief Justice concluded by congratulating the graduates and saying, "I hope that each of you, when you look back 35 years from now, will think that your life has been time well spent."

Time was the theme of the day. After receiving the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters from Marymount President James E. Bundschuh, Virginia Secretary of Education Belle S. Wheelan said, "Exactly 30 years ago today, I sat where you’re sitting as a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, never thinking in my wildest dreams that I would ever be anything that I’ve been over the last 30 years. So, my message to you is ‘Enjoy it,’ because 30 years passes very quickly."

Both the undergraduate and graduate student speakers touched independently upon the theme of time. Lisa Ann Provance earned a Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner. As an emergency department nurse, she said, "I know there are no guaranteed tomorrows. You have to take risks and set goals high. The only true obstacle is one you allow yourself to have."

Shingai Mavengere graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and received the Bishop Ireton Award for having the greatest influence of good on his companions. He referred to the well-used phrase, "I shall pass this way but once..." and urged his fellow graduates to make their lives count. The events of Sept. 11, he noted, "presented a very interesting challenge for all of us — not just to protect freedom, but to proliferate her values, to remain steadfast and commit to the highest standards of human rights, racial equality and a life of liberty." He told his friends, "I stand before you a young man from Harare, Zimbabwe — 8,000 miles from home — not knowing where my journey will take me, but thankful for the opportunity to learn, live and grow with all of you." Shingai’s final tribute was to his parents on this Mother’s Day, "Like all of us, I owe so much to my parents who are in the audience today. For here at Marymount I gained the tools to make a living. But through their love and guidance, I learned what it was to live."

Honorary Degree Doctor of Humane Letters:

The Honorable Belle S. Wheelan, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, was honored for her commitment to excellence in higher education, her innovative leadership, and her unwavering focus on student and community needs.

The Honorable William H. Rehnquist was honored for his important contributions to American jurisprudence and for his outstanding leadership of the Supreme Court.

Student honors:

Mother Butler Gold Medal (awarded by the faculty to the graduating student who has shown the greatest devotion to the ideals of Marymount) — awarded to Tim Killion, Student Faculty Council president; and Kristen Davis, senior class president.

Sister Majella Berg Gold Medal (for community service) — awarded to Kristin Glinowiecki.

Bishop Ireton Award (greatest influence of good on his companions) — awarded to Shingai Mavengere.

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