DUKE UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT 2014

Hello.

Sorry for the radio silence all last week.  When I published my last post, I was a crazy person trying to get ready to leave for Durham, North Carolina to witness our son Taylor graduate Magna Cum Laude from Duke University.  Well, he did just that and I am a very proud Mama.

On Mother’s Day, under hot but beautiful clear blue skies, Duke University awarded more than 5,100 degrees to the 2014 class of both undergraduate and graduate students.  Taylor was among 1,656 undergraduates receiving their Bachelor’s degrees; then there were 2,299 graduate degrees awarded, including doctors, lawyers and Ph.D.s.

The 162nd commencement ceremony took place in the Wallace Wade Stadium on the Duke campus.

We watched anxiously as the colorful procession of degree candidates paraded in, all the while hoping to pick Taylor out of the crowd.

It was only after we communicated by cell phone that we located him among the thousands of happy graduates.

Once the students were seated, we lost him in a sea of caps……

that is, until I asked him to stand on his chair and wave.  But I have to admit, Taylor was not the only off “spring” I was trying to identify in the crowd.  Rock icon Bruce Springsteen blended right into the crowd too as he watched his daughter, Jessica Rae Springsteen, receive her undergraduate degree.  Sadly, I never did get a glimpse of The Boss.

I learned that Duke’s commencement ceremony follows some traditions that are as ancient as those observed by the very first medieval universities, and follows other traditions that are unique only to Duke.  For example, once all of the students had filed into the stadium, it was time for the procession of faculty members and university leaders to enter.  Although having gone through this myself, I never knew that the so-called “Academic Dress”, worn by graduating students and faculty alike, has its origins in the Middle Ages.

Early scholars were also church clerics who wore the robes associated with their monastic orders.  They wore caps to keep warm in the cold, drafty buildings of the time.  These traditions were passed down over the centuries, even as the church played a lesser role in academic institutions. I never imagined that in the United States there is an actual commencement garb protocol that has been universally recognized by an intercollegiate commission.

For example, the robes worn by Bachelor Degree candidates is very simple, with long pointed sleeves.  The robes worn by candidates for a Master’s Degree are distinguished by an oblong sleeve with the back cut square.  The Doctoral Candidates wear the most elaborate costumes, with velvet panels down the front and three velvet bars on the sleeve.  While the robes are usually black, some are of a color distinctive to a particular university.  The “Hood”, which is the scarf-type sash worn around the neck and on top of the robe, also has symbolism attached to its design.  The width of the velvet trim indicates the level of the degree.  The lining of the hood identifies the particular university, and the outer color designates the graduate’s major field of study.

Our son Taylor was receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences……

so his hood was white, indicating Arts, Letters & Humanities.  Engineering students wore orange hoods, the medical students green, and the Science department yellow, etc., etc.  Another interesting factoid has to do with the color of the tassels.  The Bachelor’s candidates wear black tassels but, the doctoral cap, which is also sometimes round and soft, has a gold tassel.

A graduation tradition unique to Duke University is the procession of the “Mace” , which is the symbol of authority of the University.  The 37 inch long Mace is made of solid sterling silver.

Another important insignia used at the graduation is “The Chain of Office” of the President of Duke University. It is a sterling silver wreath of laurel leaves, along with the Duke family coat of arms.  This sterling silver wreath was worn by President Brodhead at both the Baccalaureate Services and at the Commencement Ceremony.  It is stunningly beautiful.

Not only was the ceremony beautiful and touching, and emotional, it was also interesting and informative and inspirational.  See those 3 distinguished looking gentleman in the photo?  The man on the far left is David M. Rubenstein.  Mr. Rubenstein wears many important hats:  He is Chair of the Duke Board of Trustees, he is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, he is a 1970 magna cum laude graduate of Duke, and Mr. Rubenstein graduated in 1973 from The University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.  But the most important thing that David M. Rubenstein has ever done is grant our son, Taylor, the David M. Rubenstein Scholarship to The University of Chicago Law School.  THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH MR. RUBENSTEIN!

The gentleman you see in the center of the above photo is General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Dempsey is the nation’s highest ranking military officer and the principal military adviser to President Obama, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council.  He received a Master’s Degree in English from Duke and last Sunday returned as the Commencement Speaker.

But my favorite part of the ceremony was when student speaker and cultural anthropology major, Jennifer Sherman, delivered her speech celebrating the life lessons she and other Duke students learned along with their educations in the classroom. She said, “At Duke, we have learned from extraordinary and ordinary moments. Of the two, the ordinary ones might be more important. We have been learning to innovate and inspire, to analyze and investigate. But we have also been learning to tell the truth, to take responsibility for our mistakes, to be present with grief and to forgive. We have been learning to be grown-ups. We have been learning to be human.”  Here is a link to a video of her speech which at times brought me to tears, hearing her emotional description of what it was like to be a member of the Duke Class of 2014.  Watch it for a little taste of what makes Duke University special.  You’ll be glad you did.

Following the main Commencement ceremony, the graduates and their families went to various locations across the campus to receive their individual degrees at ceremonies organized by the departments from which they studied.

Taylor had a dual major of both Political Science and History, but elected to attend the Political Science ceremony.  Here he was given his diploma along with 56 other Poli Sci majors.

And we ate lunch under a tent while Duke Alum and famous broadcast journalist, Judy Woodruff, delivered another compelling speech.

A lot of picture taking went on that afternoon while we made memories that will last all of us a lifetime.  Taylor took the obligatory “Selfie” with his sister-in-law and new nephew.

And he took a photo with his little niece just as the President of the university walked by and stared.  I think he was wondering if one of his graduates had a baby.

And then there were photos with his besties.  This young man with my son is Daniel Strunk .  Remember that name folks because one day you will say, “Oh, I saw a picture of him before he was……” .  Daniel is going places.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, received the Senator George Mitchell Scholarship which will take him to Ireland next year to earn a Master’s Degree, and, following that, he will attend Yale Law School.  There is no telling where Daniel will go, but I can assure you he will be doing great things.

It was a wonderful Commencement weekend from start to finish, and although this is all I’ll share for now, stay tuned for more from Duke University.  Plus, we ate many wonderful meals while in Durham at several great restaurants that I’ll be sharing with you.  You know, Durham, North Carolina, affectionately known as Bull City, (referencing to Bull Durham, the 1988 romantic comedy sports film) is considered a great southern foodie town.

The youth-driven renaissance of the area has brought many fine restaurants to Durham, and in future posts I’ll give you a little “Taste of Durham”.

So, there you have it, Duke University Commencement 2014.

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