2004 Fredericton Encaenia - Ceremony C
Graduation Address
Delivered by: Sutherland, Lloyd R.
Content
"Encaenia Address, Ceremony C." (20 May 2004). (UA Case 67, Box 3)
Your Honour, Mr. Chancellor, Mr. President, Members of the Graduating Class of 2004, Members of the Board of Governors and Faculty, Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me begin my comments by expressing my appreciation to the University for this most singular of academic honours. In accepting this degree, I wish to acknowledge the support and effort of more than 25 physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare workers who have assisted me in my research career. If someone had said to me 35 years ago, as I sat at my convocation, that I would return in 35 years to the University of New Brunswick to receive an honorary degree, I would have asked them what they were smoking.
When the President asked me to give the convocation address, I was somewhat chagrined to realize that, although I had attended numerous convocations, I could not recall any of the speakers! As I asked many of my friends, I found them to be equally forgetful. Only a few especially anally retentive individuals could recall whom their speaker was. When I thought about this, it seemed entirely appropriate. For the speech is hardly the main event of the day. The main event for most people here today is the granting of a university degree, an even so much more important than the musing of an aging academic. So my brief was evident. I needed to speak long enough to justify my selection by the University, but be brief enough that I would not interfere with the celebrations. I think my talk will take seven minutes, and for those who want to run a lottery, I believe that two minutes have already passed.
I am a child of New Brunswick with a long history of links with UNB. My father’s family has lived on the banks of the Merrimac for more than 200 years and my mother’s family came to Carleton County more than 150 years ago. My father was devoted to UNB and served not only as President of the UNB alumni, but also as a member of the Board of Governors. My brother and I are graduates of UNB. I am the fifth in my family to receive an honorary degree from UNB, the first of whom was my grandmother, Laura McCain.
I had the good fortune to grow up in a loving home with parents who expected the best of their children and supported them in their search for excellence. I attended Woodstock Composite High School and then obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of New Brunswick. My studies on this campus provided the foundation on which I was able to add my additional learning in Montreal and Toronto.
"Life is difficult!" So beings the first page of a popular self-improvement book. When I thought of what words of wisdom I might leave with you today, I thought I might share with you the major principles and observations I have followed during my career. Just as faith does not prevent tragedies from occurring, attention to these ideas will not guarantee success, but should make your life easier.
No matter what one does in life, the work should always be guided by the search for excellence. In mastering any task, whether domestic or academic, it is possible to identify those aspects, which inspire excellence. If one aims for excellence, and falls short, the result is still a very good piece of work; however, if one aims for simply satisfactory, the end result is all too often mediocrity, which when started is hard to reverse. Do not ever use membership and any minority, whether it is based on ethnic, religious or sexual orientation, as an excuse for not seeking excellence.
As I grow older, I find that I appreciate how precious time is. One cannot create more time. It cannot be recovered or recycled. Every time you allocate your time you make choices, which have long-term effect on your success in life and which are inevitable.
It has been a long time since one individual could advance science by working alone. Networks, those strange series of connections, bring people together to create the glue with which to find the solutions to the problems of the coming century.
I have personally, benefited greatly from the expertise and availability of a network of mentors in my life. Mentors should be cherished as they teach you how to survive in the real world. With time you will carry on that tradition in the coming decades. The quality of a mentorship should not be confused with the actual time. When I was a resident in Toronto, I was officially in the program of a very famous gastroenterologist, but, in fact, I never had any contact with him, as I never worked at the hospital in which he spent most of his time, but he was still an important mentor. The 15 minutes that I spent with him poolside at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami was crucial. Dr. Jeejeebhoy, upon being told by me, that I wanted to be a half-time clinician and half-time research scientist, cautioned me that if I wanted to be successful I would require the came depth of training for my research career as for my clinical career. This advice was an important factor in my later life decision to re-enter the graduate program and obtain my Master’s in Epidemiology.
Never Assume! Although something may smell like a rose and look like a rose it is not always a rose. One should never assume that one knows what is going to happen. For example, the impetus to begin the Lloyd Sutherland Group came by a chance conversation in Bologna with a pharmaceutical executive, who asked me a question with connection to clinical trials, which I was disposed to reject, but I paused and during the pause received additional information changing the whole context of inquiry from negative to positive.
Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I have seen humanity at both its best and worst, and have greatly benefited from the random acts of kindness with the people I have come in contact with. I highly recommend this guerrilla approach to society’s problems and invite you all to participate. We are the fortunate few to live in a country as grand as Canada and everyone should participate by selecting among the hundreds of opportunities for voluntary action.
Seize the Moment! For everyone at various times in their life, doors open, passages become clear and opportunities present themselves. The world can be divided into two groups: those who take the leap not knowing exactly how they will land, but having the confidence that they can rectify most situations; and those, for equally valid reasons, that do not jump. I recommend taking the leap.
Recently, we lost a great New Brunswicker, whom I was pleased to call friend, mentor and uncle. When asked how he wished to be remembered, Harrison replied, "Simply as one who tried to do his best…simply as one who tired to do his best…a motto for all of us."
Once again, thank you to the University for this most treasured honour, good luck and God bless. Thank you very much.
Your Honour, Mr. Chancellor, Mr. President, Members of the Graduating Class of 2004, Members of the Board of Governors and Faculty, Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me begin my comments by expressing my appreciation to the University for this most singular of academic honours. In accepting this degree, I wish to acknowledge the support and effort of more than 25 physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare workers who have assisted me in my research career. If someone had said to me 35 years ago, as I sat at my convocation, that I would return in 35 years to the University of New Brunswick to receive an honorary degree, I would have asked them what they were smoking.
When the President asked me to give the convocation address, I was somewhat chagrined to realize that, although I had attended numerous convocations, I could not recall any of the speakers! As I asked many of my friends, I found them to be equally forgetful. Only a few especially anally retentive individuals could recall whom their speaker was. When I thought about this, it seemed entirely appropriate. For the speech is hardly the main event of the day. The main event for most people here today is the granting of a university degree, an even so much more important than the musing of an aging academic. So my brief was evident. I needed to speak long enough to justify my selection by the University, but be brief enough that I would not interfere with the celebrations. I think my talk will take seven minutes, and for those who want to run a lottery, I believe that two minutes have already passed.
I am a child of New Brunswick with a long history of links with UNB. My father’s family has lived on the banks of the Merrimac for more than 200 years and my mother’s family came to Carleton County more than 150 years ago. My father was devoted to UNB and served not only as President of the UNB alumni, but also as a member of the Board of Governors. My brother and I are graduates of UNB. I am the fifth in my family to receive an honorary degree from UNB, the first of whom was my grandmother, Laura McCain.
I had the good fortune to grow up in a loving home with parents who expected the best of their children and supported them in their search for excellence. I attended Woodstock Composite High School and then obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of New Brunswick. My studies on this campus provided the foundation on which I was able to add my additional learning in Montreal and Toronto.
"Life is difficult!" So beings the first page of a popular self-improvement book. When I thought of what words of wisdom I might leave with you today, I thought I might share with you the major principles and observations I have followed during my career. Just as faith does not prevent tragedies from occurring, attention to these ideas will not guarantee success, but should make your life easier.
No matter what one does in life, the work should always be guided by the search for excellence. In mastering any task, whether domestic or academic, it is possible to identify those aspects, which inspire excellence. If one aims for excellence, and falls short, the result is still a very good piece of work; however, if one aims for simply satisfactory, the end result is all too often mediocrity, which when started is hard to reverse. Do not ever use membership and any minority, whether it is based on ethnic, religious or sexual orientation, as an excuse for not seeking excellence.
As I grow older, I find that I appreciate how precious time is. One cannot create more time. It cannot be recovered or recycled. Every time you allocate your time you make choices, which have long-term effect on your success in life and which are inevitable.
It has been a long time since one individual could advance science by working alone. Networks, those strange series of connections, bring people together to create the glue with which to find the solutions to the problems of the coming century.
I have personally, benefited greatly from the expertise and availability of a network of mentors in my life. Mentors should be cherished as they teach you how to survive in the real world. With time you will carry on that tradition in the coming decades. The quality of a mentorship should not be confused with the actual time. When I was a resident in Toronto, I was officially in the program of a very famous gastroenterologist, but, in fact, I never had any contact with him, as I never worked at the hospital in which he spent most of his time, but he was still an important mentor. The 15 minutes that I spent with him poolside at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami was crucial. Dr. Jeejeebhoy, upon being told by me, that I wanted to be a half-time clinician and half-time research scientist, cautioned me that if I wanted to be successful I would require the came depth of training for my research career as for my clinical career. This advice was an important factor in my later life decision to re-enter the graduate program and obtain my Master’s in Epidemiology.
Never Assume! Although something may smell like a rose and look like a rose it is not always a rose. One should never assume that one knows what is going to happen. For example, the impetus to begin the Lloyd Sutherland Group came by a chance conversation in Bologna with a pharmaceutical executive, who asked me a question with connection to clinical trials, which I was disposed to reject, but I paused and during the pause received additional information changing the whole context of inquiry from negative to positive.
Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I have seen humanity at both its best and worst, and have greatly benefited from the random acts of kindness with the people I have come in contact with. I highly recommend this guerrilla approach to society’s problems and invite you all to participate. We are the fortunate few to live in a country as grand as Canada and everyone should participate by selecting among the hundreds of opportunities for voluntary action.
Seize the Moment! For everyone at various times in their life, doors open, passages become clear and opportunities present themselves. The world can be divided into two groups: those who take the leap not knowing exactly how they will land, but having the confidence that they can rectify most situations; and those, for equally valid reasons, that do not jump. I recommend taking the leap.
Recently, we lost a great New Brunswicker, whom I was pleased to call friend, mentor and uncle. When asked how he wished to be remembered, Harrison replied, "Simply as one who tried to do his best…simply as one who tired to do his best…a motto for all of us."
Once again, thank you to the University for this most treasured honour, good luck and God bless. Thank you very much.
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