Memories of the time? I remembering not wanting to go through the ceremony hassle, but the parents paid for most of my education, and I did the ceremony for them. It was an expression of gratitude.
May 15, 1983 was a drizzly day. Rather than hold the ceremony outside in the Memorial Commons, it was moved inside to the theater in the Fine Arts Building.
The commencement speaker talked about world hunger. It was a speech that had little relevance for a bunch of kids who were about to go out to find jobs, so they could feed themselves. I will give the speaker credit for being ahead of the curve. No one was talking about world hunger in those days.
It seemed like an eternity, and when it was finally over, I posed for pictures with a few friends, said good bye to others, and my college days were over.
On my way back to my car in the parking lot, I stopped by the college radio station for a last look around. For obvious reasons, the radio station was my favorite place on campus.
There was no celebration. I went home and went to sleep because I had the overnight shift at WARM. After 30 years, some things haven't changed.
I've complained a lot about Marywood in this space over the years, but overall, I'm happy I went there and I'm extremely grateful my parents gave me the opportunity.
