Seniors brave storm for Baccalaureate

June 08, 2000

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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

By Doug Gavel
Gazette Staff

Taking refuge from a powerful nor’easter in Harvard’s best-known chapel, graduating seniors gathered in caps and gowns for the traditional Baccalaureate Service on Tuesday afternoon at the Memorial Church. The service, while solemn at times, was exuberant, humorous, and moving, filled with music, religious readings, and speeches. Not even the steady rain outside could dampen the spirits of those in the august chamber.

Graduating seniors Deborah Abeles (left) and Jessie Amberg ‹nicely wrapped and covered ‹wait for the Baccalaureate procession to begin at Holworthy in Harvard Yard. After braving the pouring rain, seniors listened to President Rudenstine¹s parting words at the Memorial Church ceremony. Staff photo by Rose Lincoln

President Neil L. Rudenstine delivered a stirring and self-deprecating address, eliciting both laugher and applause. He mocked the challenge of unleashing "another platter full of exotic platitudes … upon your unsuspecting heads," while also passionately encouraging graduates to "choose as wisely and well as you can at each important moment" and to "turn in the best performance you can.

"Revel in the knowledge that you are here…at the very pinnacle of Harvard’s Himalayan peak: poised on the brink of future stardom; ready to burst on the unsuspecting world that lies before you – a world totally unprepared for your prodigious virtuosity, your irresistible Type-A tenacity, and all those endearing eccentricities that have so totally charmed and mesmerized your parents and your uncles and your sisters and your brothers and your cousins and your aunts – eccentricities that have grown luxuriantly within these cloistered walls," Rudenstine remarked.

"Very soon … you will find yourself suddenly collecting your parchment scrolls while you pack up this part of your life and drive off to other points in the universe," he continued.

Rev. Peter Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, began the service with a brief note of gratitude to the students, who braved the storm to march in traditional style to the service.

"You have chosen to do the right thing. You have not taken any shortcuts," he said. "You have followed the well-trod paths of your predecessors. This bodes well for you and for your future, and well for the College … which now begins the process of saying farewell."

The Baccalaureate Service at Harvard traces its roots back to the first Commencement at the College in 1642. It traditionally affords the president the opportunity to impart his lasting thoughts upon graduates in a private setting, prior to the more public events of the coming days.

The non-denominational theme of the event was underscored by student readings from the New Testament, the Hebrew Bible, the Holy Koran, and the Kalisantarana Upanishad. Several clergy also offered prayers.

Two graduating seniors greet each other outside the Baccalaureate Service. Staff photos by Rose Lincoln

During the more serious moments of his address, Rudenstine reminded the seniors of their obligations as they depart Harvard and venture forth into the world.

"Remember what you owe to others – in consideration and patience, if not always in affection or love," Rudenstine said. "Try to understand the effects of what you do – how your words, and actions impinge on other people, as well as on yourself, because it is in this way that you will come to define and realize who you really are, and what your values are.

"Bear in mind that, whatever you choose to become; whatever you are able to learn about yourselves and about life; however you cope with your ignorance and the frequent bewilderments and vicissitudes of experience — bear in mind that you are unlikely to manage very much of it alone, any more than you have managed to come this far without the help of your family, friends, teachers, and even strangers who may have taken the trouble to be kind to you," he told the students.

Rudenstine completed his remarks with an open invitation to the graduates. "Return to Harvard often, and think of it as a place — with its hallowed buildings and flourishing trees, its libraries and walkways, its quadrangles and its lawns along the river – think of it as a place that is permanently yours, as a home where you will always be welcome, and always warmly received."

"I enjoyed it," said Terry Doherty, a Government Studies concentrator. "It was humorous certainly, very entertaining, and I think the lessons that he was hoping to pass onto us are something that we should heed, and if indeed we follow his advice, I think we’ll all do pretty well for ourselves.

"There were some nuggets of wisdom — on what we owe to others, that we are dependent on others, and they on us. That’s something to keep in mind. A lot of us are going off to grad school to become investment bankers or doctors or lawyers, and that’s all well and good, but that’s not all there is, and that’s definitely something to remember," Doherty said.

Biochemistry concentrator Thu Ho was also struck by Rudenstine’s humor, and by the underlying themes contained in his address. "It was very interesting, and not what I expected," she said. "I expected another speech on what our responsibilities are, once we graduate, to the next generation of students, and as a model to the world. It was interesting seeing this other side of him. I thought he was very sarcastic, but at the same time, he encrypted a message of responsibility. I really enjoyed his speech."

As the students slowly filed out of Memorial Church after the Service, many were jovial, giggling and snapping pictures, while others were more reflective, turning back for one last look inside, before plunging ahead toward the excitement and challenges of the days and years to come.