Commencement Speaker

MEMBERS OF THE graduating Class of 1999: When I gaze out upon you, so young and proud in your caps and gowns, the thought that goes through my mind, as your commencement speaker today, is: Where did you get those caps? The House of Dorks? What's the point of getting all this education if you don't have enough sense to say "no" when the authorities tell you to attend your commencement ceremony wearing what appears to be a pizza box? What if the authorities told you to attend your commencement with a live duck strapped on your head?

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Catonsville ,, awarded 800 undergraduate degrees, 130 master's degrees and doctorates at commencement exercises last night in the Baltimore Arena.Daniel Goldin, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was the commencement speaker.The 32-year-old university campus also recognized its first 78 inductees to its newly inaugurated chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society.Pub Date: 5/27/98

For the second time in four years, President Clinton will address the graduating class of the Naval Academy, this year on May 22, continuing a tradition that dates to the early days of the 153-year-old officers training school.The president also plans this year to address the graduating classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Oregon's Portland State University."By tradition, the president always does a military academy, a private institution and a public institution," White House press secretary Mike McCurry said.

CHICAGO -- Seniors at Colby College, a small liberal arts school in Maine, are afforded a relatively rare perk: They're allowed to choose their commencement speaker.In the past, they've snagged such heavy hitters as Bob Dole and George Bush.So who did the 450 Colby seniors rate No. 1 on their wish list this year?"Adam Sandler," said senior class president Brian Golden, referring to the young comedian who gained fame as a cast member of NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live" and now stars in big-screen comedies.

A listing of commencement exercises held yesterday incorrectly identified Samuel H. Lacy as the speaker at Loyola College. In fact, the longtime Baltimore Afro-American sports editor received an honorary degree. The commencement speaker was Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of "Meet the Press."The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 5/18/97

A listing of commencement exercises held yesterday incorrectly identified Samuel H. Lacy as the speaker at Loyola College. In fact, the longtime Baltimore Afro-American sports editor received an honorary degree. The commencement speaker was Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of "Meet the Press."The Sun regrets the errors.TodaySalisbury State University: 10 a.m. at Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury; speaker, Washington lobbyist Thomas Hale Boggs Jr.St. Mary's College of Maryland: 10 a.m. on Townhouse Green on campus; speaker, religious scholar Huston Smith.

In the beginning, there was Winston S. Churchill. War hero. British prime minister. Bulwark of democracy. Writer. Painter. Very Big Man on Campus.It was not even a commencement address. But Churchill's 1946 speech to little Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., warning of the "iron curtain" of Soviet dominance, set a challenge that campus administrators have scrambled to meet ever since, particularly at graduation: securing well-known speakers whose words are filled with weighty meaning. This weekend marks the height of the commencement season, with heavy traffic spanning the length of Interstate 95 along the Eastern seaboard and station wagons rumbling toward Maryland's campuses.

Eyebrows were raised the other day after St. Mary's College distributed champagne at the conclusion of commencement exercises, and President Edward T. Lewis toasted the class of 1995."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Scotty Thurman was a few weeks past his 18th birthday when he was charged with taking the load from Corliss Williamson, figuratively and literally.Thurman, the Arkansas swingman who might be the second-best player in the Southeastern Conference, was the other star freshman to arrive in Fayetteville in the fall of 1992.Williamson was the Gatorade National Player of the Year and McDonald's All-American in 1991-92. Thurman was rated among the top 150 prospects in the country, but his Ruston, La., home was off the recruiting path.

First, there is the presence; then, the voice.Hall of Fame broadcaster Chuck Thompson enters the media center at Joppatowne High School in a blaze of bright pink -- pink sports jacket and pink print tie. Add the distinguished white beard and Grecian nose, and even a nonsports fan would notice this striking figure.He's congenial and charming -- and nervous.After 45 years as an Orioles announcer, and doing play-by-play for the Baltimore Colts when they were in town, the 72-year-old sportscaster is about to embark on a new challenge -- as commencement speaker.

For its commencement speaker this spring, Goucher College has snagged Matthew Modine, an accomplished actor, director and screenwriter who's made some admirable personal choices. (He doesn't own a television or a car, according to the Internet Movie Database and ForbesAuto.com, respectively. And, in a fruitless attempt to save moviegoers from dorky Cold War cinema, he turned down the Tom Cruise role in Top Gun.) But Modine is best known on the Goucher campus for this role: father of senior Bowman Modine.

Craig Pospisil's Months on End is the theatrical equivalent of speed dating - there isn't time for much more than first impressions of the characters. Even if you've never seen the play before, however, it will probably seem familiar. That's because there's a strong sitcom feel to the writing - think Friends, Sex and the City and Seinfeld, with a hint of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde thrown in for good measure. Receiving its Baltimore premiere at the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre, the play consists of 12 scenes, each set in a succeeding month.

Mary D. Kane Occupation: Maryland secretary of state. In the news: Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appointed her last week to be secretary of state. She is responsible for overseeing and registering charitable organizations; administering the Maryland Charity Campaign; and recording executive orders and registrations for condominiums, notaries public and trademarks. The secretary also administers the state's international sister states program and other foreign affairs. Career highlights: After earning a business and finance degree from Mount St. Mary's College, the Wilmington, Del., native worked for Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Capitol Hill and then for the American Trucking Association.

One inside, one outside. One concise, one sprawling. One downtown, one in the suburbs. But the capped and gowned audiences at both Baltimore-area college graduation ceremonies yesterday morning beamed alike with their new degrees and contemplated the ample advice their commencement speakers provided. "As great as your achievement is today, don't let your bachelor's degree be the end, but let it be your first step to obtaining achievement," advised Micah E.S. Crump, a Coppin State University alumnus who delivered that school's address.

MEMBERS OF THE graduating Class of 1999: When I gaze out upon you, so young and proud in your caps and gowns, the thought that goes through my mind, as your commencement speaker today, is: Where did you get those caps? The House of Dorks? What's the point of getting all this education if you don't have enough sense to say "no" when the authorities tell you to attend your commencement ceremony wearing what appears to be a pizza box? What if the authorities told you to attend your commencement with a live duck strapped on your head?

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Catonsville ,, awarded 800 undergraduate degrees, 130 master's degrees and doctorates at commencement exercises last night in the Baltimore Arena.Daniel Goldin, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was the commencement speaker.The 32-year-old university campus also recognized its first 78 inductees to its newly inaugurated chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society.Pub Date: 5/27/98

For the second time in four years, President Clinton will address the graduating class of the Naval Academy, this year on May 22, continuing a tradition that dates to the early days of the 153-year-old officers training school.The president also plans this year to address the graduating classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Oregon's Portland State University."By tradition, the president always does a military academy, a private institution and a public institution," White House press secretary Mike McCurry said.

A listing of commencement exercises held yesterday incorrectly identified Samuel H. Lacy as the speaker at Loyola College. In fact, the longtime Baltimore Afro-American sports editor received an honorary degree. The commencement speaker was Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of "Meet the Press."The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 5/18/97

A listing of commencement exercises held yesterday incorrectly identified Samuel H. Lacy as the speaker at Loyola College. In fact, the longtime Baltimore Afro-American sports editor received an honorary degree. The commencement speaker was Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of "Meet the Press."The Sun regrets the errors.TodaySalisbury State University: 10 a.m. at Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury; speaker, Washington lobbyist Thomas Hale Boggs Jr.St. Mary's College of Maryland: 10 a.m. on Townhouse Green on campus; speaker, religious scholar Huston Smith.

CHICAGO -- Seniors at Colby College, a small liberal arts school in Maine, are afforded a relatively rare perk: They're allowed to choose their commencement speaker.In the past, they've snagged such heavy hitters as Bob Dole and George Bush.So who did the 450 Colby seniors rate No. 1 on their wish list this year?"Adam Sandler," said senior class president Brian Golden, referring to the young comedian who gained fame as a cast member of NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live" and now stars in big-screen comedies.