Postscripts

Video clips of the four Honorary Degree recipients are now linked from the blurbs.

Dean Greg Kannerstein '63 offers his view of the event, the class of '07 and sends greetings to alums. (video)

Many HC alums have reached out with their own stories of Commencements past. Here's a good one from Eric "Rick" Sterling '73:

In 1973, then President John Coleman sent around an announcement that contrary to the practice in 1971 and 1972, graduates would have to wear caps and gowns. I had dropped out at the end of the spring semester in 1969 to live and work in Phila. in the anti-war movement, and was around Haverford at the commencement that year.

I had entered with the class of 1971, re-entered Haverford in the spring of 1971, and was in the audience at their commencement, and at the 1972 commencement as well. I remembered that the gowns worn in 1969 came out of boxes crumpled, wrinkled and tacky. The graduates in 1971 and 1972 wore a wide variety of clothing -- from suits and blazers to dashikis (and even blue jeans).I went to see Mr. Coleman to object to his edict. I thought that the gowns looked hideous. "Rick," he said, "I have had more complaints about the lack of caps and gowns than any other matter during my tenure as president. Parents say that they've paid $16,000 for their sons' Haverford education and they expect to see them in a cap and gown. This is not negotiable."

Okay, I told him. Then he said to me, your class has no officers (we were "officially" anarchist), and you have an interest in commencement. The senior class needs to pick the commencement speaker. Would you take on the task of getting one selected? I agreed, and set up the process to get nominations and hold an election. As a result of the preferential balloting, we selected Astronomy professor Louis Green. I reported the selection and thought that was the end of that.

Some weeks later, Professor Ashmead, the Marshal of the Faculty (I didn't even know the office existed) called me to say that the class needed someone to introduce Professor Green at the commencement, and since I did the work would I be that person? I said that I would ask what others in the class thought, and a number said sure, you can do it, but someone suggested John Davison who nominated Green. I called John and he said that he, too, would like the honor. I think I suggested that we flip a coin. Even though we were on the phone, John agreed, and I won the coin toss.

Thus I wrote and delivered a short speech (most of it anti-war as a long preface) to introduce Prof. Green at the 1973 commencement. Mostly because I had been a leading campus anti-war person (three arrests in Quaker non-violent war protests including one during Holy Week 1972 in Harrisburg that drew a five day sentence), President Coleman very graciously introduced me as "sometimes the conscience of the college."

That I spoke at the commencement was truly amazing. Not only had I dropped out in 1969, I had been a fairly undistinguished student. I was not Phi Beta Kappa nor did I receive any academic honors. Needless to say, my parents, family and I were enormously proud!So that's a report on the dramatic behind-the-scenes details for the selection of a commencement speaker 34 years ago.

Here's a photo of Eric as ink-stained wretch ("...in the Haverford-Bryn Mawr News office in Leeds Basement in 1972 or 1973 taken by Cathy Davidson (BMC '72 or '73), an Editor in Chief of the paper and a career journalist."):

...and more recently:


Methinks we need to develop some board spaces for cool exchanges like this...something for the summer interns!