Commencement Address
Union Springs Central School District
June 25, 2006
By: George C. Fearon
Welcome:
Class of 2006,
Parents who helped make this day happen
Teachers who inspired
School board members who accept student success as their pay
Dedicated taxpayers
Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a strange sound? You start listening to see if someone is prowling in your home. Eventually, after nothing but dead silence, you finally go back to sleep. In reality, although the moment seemed scary, you were alone and safe.
Students, in the near future you will be alone in controlling your destiny for the rest of your lives.
Although you will ultimately control your destiny, you can lean on others for help and guidance. Those that you lean on could be considered your junior officers and crew and you could be considered the captain of your own ship: that is your life.
Let me tell you about a man who could be a role model for you as you take control of your own destiny. You have known of him for years.
The man is Christopher Columbus, who was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451.
His father was a weaver.
He had little formal education but still needed to learn Latin and Spanish, in addition to his native Italian language, to enable him to study documents about known and hypothesized geography of his day.
In 1476, when he was 25, the ship Columbus was on was attacked by a French fleet and was sunk.
He had to swim to shore.
In 1484, at the age of 33, he asked the king of Portugal to fund his proposed trip west to find a new route to China. He was told no!
In 1485, at 34, he asked the king and queen of Spain to fund his proposed trip west to find a new route to China. He was told no again!
In 1492, now 41, he again asked the king and queen of Spain to fund his proposed trip west to find a new route to China. Yet again he was refused!
He prepared to go to France and appeal to the king of France.
His priest then made an eloquent appeal to the queen of Spain, and she then consented to fund the proposed trip. The rest the story is history.
Christopher Columbus died 500 years and 36 days ago at the age of 53 on May 20, 1506.
You can have role models like Columbus, living or dead, to help guide you in your journey through life.
You may choose one role model or several, and you may need to change who they are from time to time. Your role models are similar to the stars in the sky that Columbus used to navigate west to the Americas. They can serve to guide your path in your own personal journey.
I believe you need to have both positive and negative role models. The good role models are ones who you want to help guide you in the right direction. The bad role models are ones who have led lives you do not want to follow. You may also have a role model whose example is sometimes good, sometimes bad. Some things they have done you would like to emulate, and others you would never want to repeat.
I like Columbus as a model because of the many things he overcame to achieve his goal and his determined persistence.
Columbus was born in a poor family.
No matter who you are or where you start in life, you can achieve your dreams if you do not give up. A more contemporary example would be Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, who made the world's first desktop computer in his garage. His invention changed the world. Now tens of millions of desktop computers are a part of the lives of people everywhere.
Columbus, of course, had little formal education, but he knew he needed to do a wealth of learning to achieve his goals, so he continued pursuing knowledge after his formal education was over.
We live in a world that is changing rapidly. If you are not learning something new every day, you are out of touch with the world you live in.
When Columbus was 25 and the French fleet sank the ship he was on, he had to swim a considerable distance to shore or drown. If each member of this graduating class had to overcome some great obstacle today, how many of you would make it to that shore? Would you sink or swim? If Columbus had not made it to land, no one living now would know that he ever lived.
So here is some advice. Take care of your body. It is the only one you will ever have. If you are not in shape now, make and execute plans to get in shape and stay in shape for the rest of your life. Eat right and never let legal or illegal drugs or substances control you body or shorten your life.
When the King of Portugal refused to fund his proposed voyage, Columbus did not give up, and a year later he asked the king of Spain to fund the venture. He was turned down once again but still persisted in his quest to achieve his goal. It took Columbus seven years to finally convince the queen of Spain to fund his voyage. In the end it was not Columbus at all, but instead his priest, who made the final and successful appeal to the queen of Spain.
You will not achieve much if you don't get off the couch, set your personal goals and plan a path that will lead to achieving them.
Your goals should be realistic. You may need to do some serious homework to both set and achieve your goals. When changes occur in your life, they may dictate that you re-evaluate and adjust your goals. Columbus spent years studying geography before he set sail. He had years of experience in sailing and navigating.
In reality, though, Columbus never achieved his original goal of sailing to China. In attempting to sail to China, he unintentionally made a discovery that was vastly more significant than his original goal.
The world is changing fast; you may need to adjust your goals many times to meet these changes. Columbus erred because most of his information was faulty and the world was bigger than he calculated.
Unless you are not human, you will stumble and fall from time to time. What you must always do is get back up and return to the path that will lead you to what you have decided is a successful life.
You should consciously choose one or more positive and/or negative role models, so that you may recognize the right way and the wrong way to live your life. You may even change these people for others as time goes on.
You may want to consider your parents, teachers, relatives, and even some of your peers. The person you are today has undoubtedly been influenced by some of these significant people who have watched you mature and want you to succeed.
Some members of this class, such as your valedictorian and salutatorian, have already started on a path of outstanding achievement. Nicole and Amelia both represent positive role models.
I ask each of you to search your mind and determine at least two significant people who have prepared you for your life ahead and thank them within the next week. Thank at least one family member and at least one non-family member.
I am very opinionated about the quality of education in the Union Springs School District. I believe that the Union Springs School system is one of the best in the area, and I am thankful for the support of parents and all taxpayers.
I thank you for the honor of allowing me to speak to you during this important day in your lives.
If the class of 2006 has not adopted a motto, consider the following: Lead, follow or get out of the way; we are going places!