Valedictory Address

"Valedictory Speech" (25 May 1984): 1-3. (UA Case 68, Box 3).

I would first like to welcome all the parents' relatives' and friends' of the graduating students as well as our honoured guests to the one hundred and fifty-fifth Encaenia of the University of New Brunswick. I am very proud to be representing this graduating class and the university.

I have been approached by several people regarding the topic I have chosen to speak about today. Past Valedictorians have chosen to speak about important issues of the day or have given their philosophy on life. I will spare you this today. One of my professors introduced me to a useful tool which he uses when writing a speech. He showed that a dictionary can be a source of inspiration. Webster's Dictionary defines Valedictory as "bidding farewell." This is clearly my task.

The purpose of this ceremony is to honour the graduates and remind us of our past so that we can better prepare for the future. It is hard to believe that when next September comes around we will not be returning. It does not seem very long ago that many of us here were enjoying our first week at UNB during Orientation. I can clearly remember one of the first events. It was held right here at the Aitken Centre. All the freshmen were gathered together to "meet each other." The upper classmen had all one thousand of us lying on our backs on the floor with our hands and legs up in the air, yelling at the top of our lungs, "I'm a dumb frosh, I'm a dumb frosh." I can remember lying there on my back thinking "So this is what university is all about." I should have realized then what I was getting myself into.

That is my first memory of UNB and I have had many others since. I am sure you all have memories of your own: Saturdays and the Red Bombers, Winter Carnival, the Red n' Black, Orientation evenings at the Social Club and of course the dreaded all-nighters. These memories form our lasting impression of UNB. That impression is of a University which provided an even blend of academics and social life.

Our education here has been a unique type because of UNB's size and the staff- and students we have. There are few universities where a student can drop in on a professor for help without an appointment or have a university president with as much tap dancing talent as presidential abilities. UNB is small enough to provide this kind of personal attention and yet large enough to provide every function a university is expected to fulfill.

I hope we will all leave here realizing how fortunate we have been because a university education is not something we are entitled to but something we are lucky to receive. Just think of how much would be missing in your lives without it. It is not simply UNB we have to thank but our good fortune to be living in a country such as Canada where opportunities for an education are present.

On a more personal note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the faculty and staff of UNB for their dedication; the City of Fredericton for providing such a wide range of institutions of higher learning such as the Arms, the Hilltop, the Cosmo and others.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all the graduates. For most of us this will probably be the last time we see each other and so I wish you the best of luck in the future: UNB we bid you farewell. Merci et Adieu.