Valedictory Address

“UNBSJ Class of 1987 Valedictory Address” (May 1987): 1-5. (UA Case 68, Box 2)

Your Honour, Mr. Premier, Madam Chancellor, Mr. President, Mr. Chief Justice, Her Worship, distinguished platform guests, ladies and gentlemen, fellow graduates.

Today we celebrate the conclusion of an experience, an achievement. Our celebration consists of not only reminiscing with family and friends, but the joy and realization of a new challenge to pursue. Our dream has become a reality – of holding what is now in our hands and using the knowledge and maturity to pursue these future challenges. This day will live in our hearts and minds forever, a symbol of the perseverance and hard work which has been attained by us all.

But in retrospect each one of us has laboured in our quest and at different times we wondered if the effort was really worthwhile. There have been times when many of us have said, “What’s the use!” and felt like throwing in the towel. But some kind of will power and drive kept moving us and took us to limits we never knew existed.

Those long hours in front of a keyboard, or in a laboratory, or in a library, while family and friends marveled at the dedication. Those long holiday weekends entrenched with a textbook and a calculator, justifying a statistical equation, while your working friends were out of town living it up. Those reading weeks prior to final exams when all you wanted was to catch up on lost sleep from those “all nighters”. Each time there was a doubt or a second guess something inside made the difference – something similar to the “second wind” in long distance running. In a way, we have crossed a finish line.

However during our studies at UNBSJ there were occasions that effected everyone to a certain degree. On a worldwide scale, A. I. D. S. became a frightening medical problem, as did the famine situation in Africa. Political disputes and war plagued the Middle East and Central America, while South Africa and Northern Ireland continued to attract global attention. The American space program suffered a major set-back when their space shuttle disintegrated only minutes after take-off.

In Canada voters elected a new federal government, which was face with massive unemployment and a record deficit. Free trade talks began with the United States, while Rick Hansen pursued his worldwide “Man in Motion” tour for handicapped rights.

Here at UNBSJ the Class of 1987 has seen the realization of a new Canada Games Stadium, an extremely valuable asset left to the university by the Friends of the 1985 Jeux Canada Games. In addition, and through the hard efforts of individuals like Larry Hachey and Dr. Tom Condon, and generous contributions from the Province of New Brunswick, The Third Century Fund, and the Student Representative Council of UNBSJ, our university now boasts a new University Student Centre, which will be commemorated following these ceremonies. We have also witnessed the creation of a separate Senate and increased student enrollment.

The Class of 1987 has experienced personal triumphs and set-backs as well. Academically some of our peers, who were honored earlier, attained tremendous achievement for their hard work and dedication. There were other graduates who excelled in the arts, while others attained athletic recognition. Individually, and on a more personal level, some were married, some experienced the joy and the birth of a child, and some experienced the loss of a loved one – a love one who seemed to inspire us the most. In essence, our class has not been different from any other community. We have experienced joy and sorrow, while attempting to strive for an end result. The important difference is that we maintained our individuality, even though there were events in our world which seemed to hamper our progress. This is evident in every degree confirmed today.

But it is this perseverance and determination that will carry us into the future. We all have a similar desire to make our lives prosperous and fulfilling, and it is this energy which will ensure our every success. We are at a point in our lives where future demands will challenge our intelligence and abilities, while our degree will give us the confidence and credibility to make rational decisions, which will not only effect our lives, but others as well. It is this personal confidence which will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

When we leave here today, some of us may still feel unsure or uncertain about the future, some may continue on in the quest for graduate school, while many of us will delve into the career of our study, to pursue our choice as a livelihood, a venture that will make our past efforts so worthwhile. I feel good about what I have accomplished, and I know most of you have as well, because I have seen it in your faces. It is a determination – a drive that few individuals manage to attain.

This determination brings to mind my brother’s convocation, which I attended last year in Fredericton, and the inspiration it was for me. The address was delivered by Stephen Lewis, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, and he asked that class to make a commitment and a contribution to the “global village”. His wish for each graduate was that they volunteer a time in their life for mankind. Well I have a similar desire, but on a smaller scale.

We have an opportunity to make a contribution to Atlantic Canada, particularly New Brunswick, and because I feel confident about the abilities of this class, I hope that these and other attributes would remain here to ensure a healthy and prosperous future. Our province offers numerous advantages and resources and if graduates remained here rather than pursue Central Canadian opportunities, growth and development in New Brunswick would soon be the envy of all Canada.

We have experienced the joy and satisfaction in obtaining a university degree. There were good times and there were great times. We have shared our hopes and dreams with one another in a way that will never be duplicated in our life time. The important thing to remember is, our dreams began here.

Well, as I say good bye, farewell, and Godspeed on behalf of the Graduating Class of 1987, I will leave you with a thought from the American humorist, Mark Twain. He said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions, small people always do that. But the really great make you feel, that you too, can become great.”

Thank you.