Commencement Address
REMARKS OF
REAR ADMIRAL HENRY F. WHITE, JR. USN (Ret.)
FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL
COMMENCEMENT
MAY 28, 2008
FATHER BOLLER, MR. GOMPRECHT, PREP TRUSTEES, PARENTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE GRADUATES, DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AND STAFF AND THE CLASS OF 2008. IT IS AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
THE DAY THE CLASS OF 2008 ENTERED THE PREP WASN’T THAT LONG AGO. AND YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T THINK THESE FOUR YEARS WOULD GO BY SO QUICKLY. BUT I AM SURE THAT MANY OF YOU IN THE CLASS WONDERED ON THAT DAY WHAT WAS IN STORE FOR YOU.
AND, IN FACT, SOME OF YOU AFTER A DAY OR SO ASKED, WHY DID I DO THIS?
BUT AS YOU SIT HERE TODAY, CONGRATULATE YOURSELVES
AND CELEBRATE THAT EACH ONE OF YOU MET THE CHALLENGES WITH WHICH A JESUIT EDUCATION CONFRONTED YOU DURING THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
NO DOUBT, FOR MANY OF YOU, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU DEALT REGULARLY WITH INDIVIDUALS FROM JUST ABOUT EVERY PART OF THE GREATER NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA - NOT JUST YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU HAD TO LEAVE YOUR EXISTING SUPPORT NETWORK AND TRY SOMETHING NEW! - AND YOU SUCCEEDED!
PERHAPS FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU HAD TO STAND ALONE AND DEAL WITH A NEW EXPERIENCE AND CERTAINLY NEW PEOPLE. BUT YOU, REPRESENTING THE VALUES AND TRADITIONS YOUR PARENTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS INSTILLED IN YOU DURING THOSE EARLY YEARS, SUCCEEDED.
PARENTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE PROUD OF THESE GRADUATES AND ALL OF US HERE ON THE PODIUM RECOGNIZE YOUR SACRIFICES! CLASS OF 2008, PLEASE JOIN WITH ME IN GIVING YOUR PARENTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
LET’S ALSO THANK ANOTHER VERY SPECIAL GROUP - THE PREP FACULTY AND STAFF AS WELL AS ALL YOUR TEACHERS THROUGH THE YEARS. THESE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN, SUCH AS MY CLASSMATES, MR. AHERN AND MR. FOLEY, GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY WORK FROM DAWN TO DUSK WORRYING ABOUT YOU. THEY THEMSELVES CONSTANTLY ASK THE QUESTION, AM I PROVIDING THE BEST FOR MY STUDENTS?
THEIR WORK IS VITAL. THE FACULTY AND STAFF PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH THE ENTIRE EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE AND YOUR SUCCESS RESTS. THEY HAVE MORE THAN COMPLEMENTED AND SUPPLEMENTED YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND OTHER TEACHERS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
CLASS OF 2008, PLEASE JOIN ME AND ALL OUR ALUMNI IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR FACULTY AND STAFF AS WELL AS ALL YOUR OTHER TEACHERS!
I ALSO ASK YOU TO REMEMBER OUR FELLOW CITIZENS WHO SERVE TODAY IN OUR ARMED FORCES - MOST OF WHOM ARE NOT MUCH OLDER THAN THE CLASS OF 2008. AND NO MATTER WHAT ONE’S POLITICS, THE FACT THAT THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE DAILY FOR OUR FREEDOMS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT. WE THANK THEM. THEY ALSO DESERVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
CLASS OF 2008, YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED GRADUATES OF FORDHAM PREP AND JOIN AN EXTRAORDINARY, WORLDWIDE FRATERNITY EACH MEMBER OF WHICH CAN BOAST, I WAS EDUCATED BY THE JESUITS!
IF ONE REFLECTS ON THE JESUITS’ MOTTO AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM, FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD, ONE REALIZES THAT JESUITS TAKE LITTLE SATISFACTION IN ACTING FOR THE MERE GLORY OF GOD. IT’S GOT TO BE HIS GREATER GLORY!
YOU JOIN A COMMUNITY AND LEGACY THAT IS UNMATCHED IN EDUCATIONAL CIRCLES WORLD-WIDE - AND DEMANDS THAT YOU NOT SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST!
MOST COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS TELL YOU WHAT YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD DO FOR THE FUTURE. I WILL SIMPLY ASK EACH OF YOU WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED DURING YOUR YEARS AT THE PREP. THIS WILL BE YOUR “FINAL” PREP EXAM TO SEE IF YOU ARE READY TO BE MORE THAN SECOND BEST.
THE PREP’S MISSION BEGINS “…TO INSPIRE YOUNG MEN TO REFLECT, TO QUESTION, TO LEARN, TO PRAY, TO LOVE, TO SERVE AND TO LEAD….”
DO YOU REFLECT?
DO YOU JUDGE EVENTS BY VIRTUE OF A SINGLE COMMUNICATION IN AN ERA OF INSTANTANEOUS, MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS? ARE YOU WILLING TO FORM OPINIONS JUST BECAUSE A COLLEAGUE TEXT-MESSAGES YOU SOME THOUGHT BASED ON ONE NEWSPAPER REPORT OR SOME SINGLE TV REPORTER SAYS SO? HAVE YOU WORKED TO DEVELOP A MEASURED AND BALANCED APPROACH TO DEAL WITH ALL THE ISSUES WITH WHICH YOU ARE CONFRONTED?
DO YOU QUESTION?
ARE YOU MEN WHO ARE UNSATISFIED WITH ANSWERS WHEN YOUR GUT TELLS YOU THE PREMISE SEEMS UNSOUND? ARE YOU BELIEVERS THAT THE ONLY FOOLISH QUESTION IS THE ONE THAT IS NOT ASKED? ARE YOU MEN WHO WOULD RATHER AVOID ASKING A QUESTION BECAUSE YOUR BUDDIES MIGHT THINK LESS OF YOU OR YOU MIGHT NOT BE COOL?
DO YOU LEARN?
HAVE YOU SPENT YOUR DAYS HERE AT THE PREP BECAUSE YOU JUST HAD TO? OR HAVE YOU FOUND SOME JOY IN THE DISCOVERY OF THINGS OF WHICH YOU NEVER KNEW? HAVE YOU FOUND THAT ENTHUSIASM FOR LIFE LIES IN THE EAGERNESS TO UNEARTH FOR YOURSELF, NEW EXPERIENCES AND EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS? ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK IN SEARCH OF TRUTH?
DO YOU PRAY?
HAVE YOU PUT AWAY THE THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES OF A CHILD AND ARE WILLING TO REFLECT ON WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO? HAVE YOU TAKEN THE TIME TO REFLECT ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR GOD AND UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF INTEGRITY AND HONESTY WITH YOURSELF? HAVE YOU FOUND THAT IN THE MIDST OF DARK TIMES AND LONELINESS, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND FORGOTTEN BY HIS GOD - THAT IN THE MIDST OF SADNESS OR DESPAIR, PRAYER PROVIDES AN ANSWER?
DO YOU LOVE?
HAVE YOU FOUND THAT THE GREATEST AND MOST SATISFYING EXPERIENCE IN LIFE IS FINDING THE SMILE IN ANOTHER’S FACE BECAUSE YOU CONFERRED MORE IMPORTANCE ON THAT PERSON THAN ON YOURSELF? HAVE YOU REALIZED HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SACRIFICED FOR YOU BY PUTTING YOU AHEAD OF THEM? DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LOVE AS MUCH MORE THAN THE TRANSIENT EMOTIONAL FEELINGS PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIES AND ON TV?
DO YOU SERVE?
HAVE YOU CONCLUDED THAT SERVICE AND SERVICE TO OTHERS IS THE NOBLEST ACT WITH WHICH YOU CAN BE INVOLVED? WITH WHAT ACTIVITIES HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED DURING YOUR YEARS AT THE PREP THAT HAVE BROUGHT YOU THE MOST SATISFACTION? HAVE THEY BEEN THE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH YOU PARTNERED WITH YOUR CLASSMATES TO PRODUCE RESULTS FOR OTHERS?
DO YOU LEAD?
WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED THAT DEMANDED YOU TO STEP FORWARD AND TAKE THE LEAD IN AN ACTIVITY? HAVE YOU FOUND THAT YOU HAVE BEEN REWARDED IN BEING ABLE TO ATTEND THE PREP AND THAT OTHERS LOOK UPON YOU AS A ROLE MODEL? AND HAVE YOU FOUND THAT AS LEADERSHIP AFFORDS YOU PRIVILEGES, IT BRINGS SIGNIFICANT RESPONSIBILITIES AND OFTEN A SENSE OF LONELINESS?
IF YOU WERE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS QUICKLY AND SUCCINCTLY, THEN YOUR PREP YEARS WERE EXTRAORDINARY. BUT I SUGGEST, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN AVERAGE STUDENT LIKE ME WHO HAD A GREAT DEAL OF GROWING UP TO DO BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY, YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THE PREP PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION FOR US TO COPE WITH WHAT WILL BE NOW OUR DAILY STRUGGLE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.
ONE OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION’S MANY ACTIVITIES EACH YEAR IS THE CONVENING OF THE BAR LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AND OVER 400 EXPECTANT LEADERS OF THE MANY BAR ASSOCIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES MEET TO DISCUSS INTEGRITY, LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND ETHICS.
THIS YEAR, THE PROGRAM BEGAN, AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU WILL BE SURPRISED, WITH REFLECTIONS ON THOMAS MORE, THE LORD CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE VIII WHO LOST HIS LIFE FOR HIS DEFENSE OF THE LAW AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED ON STAGE AND THE SCREEN AS “A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS”.
AFTER REFLECTING ON THOMAS’ LIFE AND THE PREP’S MISSION, I ASK DID THOMAS REFLECT, QUESTION, LEARN, PRAY, LOVE, SERVE AND LEAD? I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES AND I SUGGEST TO YOU THAT THE ESSENCE OF THE PREP MISSION IS TO DEVELOP YOU AS MEN FOR ALL SEASONS - AND MORE SPECIFICALLY “MEN FOR OTHERS!”
THE MISSION IS NOT NEW. IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS WELL AS THOMAS MORE SUBSCRIBED TO THESE IDEALS SEVERAL CENTURIES AGO AND NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
AS I STAND HERE TODAY, I AM ENVIOUS OF YOU FOR YOU ARE JUST STARTING. YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO WHICH YOU CAN AND SHOULD LOOK FORWARD. I CHALLENGE YOU TO OBSERVE THE TENETS OF THIS EDUCATION EXPERIENCE AND SEEK TO PERFORM YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES, NOT MERELY BETTER THAN OTHERS, BUT AS THE BEST.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, I REMIND YOU THAT WHEREVER YOU MAY BE, YOU ARE, AT ALL TIMES, A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND THIS INSTITUTION. IT WILL BE SO EASY IN THE FEW MONTHS AHEAD TO TAKE THE EASY ROAD, WHICH MAY LEAD TO EMBARRASSMENT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. SO FOLLOW A SIMPLE RULE. UNLESS YOU WILL BE PROUD TO HAVE YOUR ACTIONS REPORTED IN THE NEWS, ON THE WEB OR IN A BLOG FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE, DON’T DO IT.
I ALSO CHALLENGE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT WHATEVER CHOICE YOU MAKE, AND MOST OFTEN THE CHOICE IS BETWEEN ACTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES AND INACTION AND ITS, CHOOSE ACTION FOR THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. AND IF YOU ARE WRONG, YOU CAN ADJUST COURSE.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES – WE ALL DO! THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IS TO KEEP TRYING! AND IF YOU DO, I GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND CALM SEAS ON THE DARKEST, STORMIEST NIGHT!
FOR YOU GENTLEMEN, THE CLASS OF 2008, THE BEST IS YET TO COME! I FULLY EXPECT YOU TO MEET THESE CHALLENGES AS DID MANY PREP GRADUATES BEFORE YOU. YOU WILL FULFILL THE PREP’S MISSION “….TO BE MEN FOR OTHERS: SPIRITUALLY MOTIVATED, INTELLECTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED AND COMMITTED TO PROMOTING JUSTICE.”
FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS!