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It’s finally over!
“I’m glad it’s over,”said
James Alexander, 42, of Rockwell, as he graduated Sunday from Rowan-Cabarrus
Community College.
“Night school has been long
and hard for three years, between working all day and going to school all night.”
With his degree in information
systems, Alexander was one of 369 students who celebrated the school’s 37th
annual graduation ceremonies at Catawba College’s Keppel Auditorium.
Other students were also glad
that graduation day had finally arrived.
April Key, 34, a business
administration student, described herself as “relieved.”
The students made their way to
the college by many different paths.
Mary Ann Butterworth, 47, hadn’t
planned to go to Rowan-Cabarrus until her son was injured in a motorcycle
accident several years ago and she began to take him to classes there.
“While Iwas here, I figured
I’d get my degree as well,”said Butterworth, a business administration
student.
She hopes her son will
graduate next year.
Until then, Butterworth and
the others had their own graduation to enjoy, which they began to appreciate
when the music finally started to play.
And play.
And play.
Until Rowan-Cabarrus President
Dr. Richard Brownell shot a look that seemed to say, “Is he ever going to stop
playing?!”
The moment got a good chuckle
out of the audience and students who had already been seated and were waiting
for their moment.
And commencement speaker Henry
Frye, chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, kept the audience chuckling. Frye
is the state’s first black Supreme Court justice, a position he has held since
1999.
Keeping things light, Frye
read a poem that he scribbled on a program just before stepping up to the
podium.
Good afternoon, everyone.It’s a somber, rainy day,
But I’m happy to be here to have my say.
We drove from Greensboro to Salisbury on I-85
And reached Keppel Auditorium at 1:25.
With his audience warmed up, Frye continued with his poetry:
Dr. Brownell came forward and you wanted to cheer.
His first job was to welcome us here.
Of Ray E. Paradowski, chairman of the college’s board of trustees, who introduced Frye, the poet wrote:
Whatever he said, — hope it was fine,
For the introduction is over and the microphone is mine.
Poetry aside, Frye offered the graduates his rule of the “three ups”:
“Stand up tall enough to be seen; speak up loud enough to be heard; and shut up soon enough to be appreciated.”
Frye talked about learning to live with change, getting along with people and self-respect.
“Ileave you with this thought,” he said. “As you go off to ‘search for tomorrow,’ be careful lest you fall off ‘the edge of night’ and end up in ‘another world.’ If you should land in ‘Santa Barbara,’ ask to be taken to ‘General Hospital’ so that you can meet the ‘bold and beautiful’ doctors and the the ‘young and restless’ nurses, and if they tell you that you have but ‘one life to live,’ tell them that with the aid of a ‘guiding light’ you will survive as ‘the world turns.’
The closing speech got some good laughs from students who gave up watching the soap operas he mentioned for afternoon classes.
Time well spent, though. Corey Rustin, 31, who earned an associate degree in nursing, is ready to report for his job in the emergency room at Rowan Regional Medical Center.
Even as they look forward to their future, though, students like James Alexander had some regrets:
“It’ll be hard to see them go, because you’ve been seeing them every Tuesday and Thursday night for three years. It’ll take some adjusting to get used to.”
Added Rustin: “I’m just proud of everybody who made it, and Iwish everybody the best of luck in their new careers.”
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