YB
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by YB on Apr 26, 2004 14:02:37 GMT -5
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SSHoya
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"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
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Post by SSHoya on Apr 26, 2004 15:06:39 GMT -5
I was underwhelmed when I graduated from GU '77 and our commencement speaker was Pearl Bailey -- who was studying theology at GU. However, this disappointment was offset by the fact that her husband, Louis Bellson, the famous jazz drummer sat in with the Pep Band after a game at McDonough -- the highlight of my Pep Band experience.
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Jack
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by Jack on Apr 26, 2004 16:15:26 GMT -5
Yeah, before we rip on Villanova's commencement speaker, lets make sure GU doesn't have Elmo coming. It never ceases to amaze me that the quality of speakers GU gets all year long is so impressive, and then at graduation we end up with the third tier guys. My graduation speaker was an unknown research chemist for goodness sake. At least rain cut his speech short.
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Post by HoyaTim on Apr 26, 2004 16:57:13 GMT -5
Hey, Jack, I was College '00 as well.
Funny thing about that chemist -- Roald Hoffman -- I had a funny feeling that I recognized him when he went to the podium... and then it hit me; he hosted a series of unbelievably cheesy Chemistry videos entitled "the World of Chemistry" that we watched in 11th grade chem class whenever the teacher was too lazy to teach us anything.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Apr 26, 2004 18:19:57 GMT -5
Funny thing is that I know of that chemist as well for the same chemistry videos. He became sort of a cult figure in my AP Chem class so much so that the teacher had us write a letter to him after the AP Exams were over. Did you happen to catch the video on lab safety? That was my favorite out of all of them.
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MEGAFAN
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Post by MEGAFAN on Apr 26, 2004 19:03:31 GMT -5
While I also graduated from CAS in '00, and admit that I wasn't overwhelmed by the decision of speaker, you must admit that Nobel Laureate is not exactly a nobody. Check out the link below: www.nobel.se/chemistry/laureates/1981/index.htmlIt's not like they hand this prize out to just anybody. Of course, it would have been more exciting if we had someone that was a household name and I also must confess that I was not too upset by the rain, as I was looking forward more to dinner out with family, and then some heavy celebrating! Can't wait to here who the other assistant coaches will be... GO HOYAS!!!
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Post by HoyaTim on Apr 26, 2004 19:06:01 GMT -5
Yes... the lab safety was was a classic. We also were fond of the one where Mr. Hoffman was excited all the molecules he had in his backpack.
Hmmm.. Jersey, we didn't go to the same H.S., did we? I went to West Windsor Plainsboro in Princeton Jct., NJ.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Apr 27, 2004 8:03:58 GMT -5
I think you guys are leaving out some keep details of our "beloved" chemistry professor commencement speaker.
1) The man was well-known because he apparently writes poetry about chemstry. So we got to listen to how atoms are like trees or something to that effect.
2) He did NOT get cut off by the rain. In fact, that was the most irritating part. As he was speaking, the heavens opened up on us (it had been a slow drizzle). Rather than cut him off to focus on fitting in as much for the students as possible, the powers that be let him drone on and on as we got drenched. What did they care--they were all high and dry on the stage!
3) We did get a pretty cool convocation speaker in Ted Leonsis.
Other speakers that year were, I believe, Maddy Albright for the SFSers in the morning and Colin Powell for the law school. That said, ours was far better than the CNN journalist the following year who kept going on and on about the monkeys. But Georgetown isn't all bad with the speakers. I happened to be at the convocation last year and they had Maria Shriver, who was just fantastic. And, I have to say, a couple of their student speakers were damn good as well. I think convocation has really turned into a nice little event...
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Gold Hoya
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Post by Gold Hoya on Apr 27, 2004 8:20:52 GMT -5
For MSB '00 we had the retiring president of the NASD.
Quick 5 minute speech in McDonough - not particularly memorable. Ted was much more interesting during the convocation.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2004 9:14:27 GMT -5
College '02 - President or Provost (can't remember which) of Trinity College...she was an alumn
College '01 - South Africa correspondent for CNN (my roommate was livid)
It is truly amazing how in four years I was on the whole underwhelmed by the graudation speakers (Guliani for the law school was great, as were a few others). At the very least we should have a rotation of Clinton, Scalia, Leonsis, and Ewing - among others - every 5, 6 years or so.
GO HOYAS!!!
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Apr 29, 2004 19:38:15 GMT -5
Guys, I can't believe you are complaining about getting Roald Hoffman as graduation speaker. Nobel Prize winner, co-author of the play Oxygen, noted poet. My first year at Cornell in grad school, a bunch of the first year chemistry grads were speaking with him (pre-Nobel prize). They had just eliminated the 2nd language requirement for the Ph.D. in chemistry degree. He was telling us how the voting of the chem faculty went. Most voted to do away with the 2nd, some voted to retain the requirement of a 2nd language, and one voted for three language requirements. At the end of the story, he admitted that he was the one who voted for three, as he spoke five or six languages. He is probably the most well known chemist in the US today (since Linus Pauling died).
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MEGAFAN
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Post by MEGAFAN on Apr 29, 2004 19:49:22 GMT -5
That's what I was talking about in my post above Nevada. Although I have to admit that at the time I wasn't overwhelmed, it was largely to do with my own ignorance. After reading about him, I was very impressed, and I don't see how people can complain about the choice. Being a former biology major, who ended up graduating with a degree in Psychology & Cognitive Science, I have a lot of respect for scientists, especially one accomplished and eclectic as Hoffman.
That's my two cents.
GO HOYAS!!!
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Apr 29, 2004 21:26:35 GMT -5
Well as an English/Government major who left science behind after AP Biology junior year of high school, let's just say he would not have been my choice. I realize now that I am poorer for having no college exposure to science, but that did not exactly placate me 4 years ago. Having a distinguished chemist like Hoffman teach me chemistry would be pretty cool, but he would not be the first place I turn to find a commencement speaker. Given the really impressive speakers that come to campus the rest of the year, I expect more for commencement, and Hoffman is not even the worst example. I mean, the President of Trinity College in DC? That sounds like a stop gap plan to me.
The student convocation speakers have generally been better as noted, but this thread is actually a good argument for the on campus CC- if could be big enough to hold an all-school graduation it would be a great gain for everyone.
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Post by dairishhoya on Apr 29, 2004 21:58:31 GMT -5
The Convocation Center would need to accommodate 15,000+ for an all-school commencement.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Apr 29, 2004 22:04:51 GMT -5
Not all school, but all four undergraduate schools. With about 1600 in a graduating class, I would think any convocation center GU is contemplating could handle that crowd.
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Post by dairishhoya on Apr 29, 2004 22:09:49 GMT -5
The College ceremony already has to be split into two parts when its held in McDonough with an overflow tent outside. Unfortunately folks always forget to include family and friends -- GU doesn't limit tickets and that's not gonna happen any time soon. So 7500 won't cut it ....
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dikembe
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Post by dikembe on Apr 30, 2004 20:41:57 GMT -5
Steve Doocy was my commencment speaker. ;D
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hoyabinx
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Post by hoyabinx on May 2, 2004 11:02:35 GMT -5
Well as an English/Government major who left science behind after AP Biology junior year of high school, let's just say he would not have been my choice. I realize now that I am poorer for having no college exposure to science, but that did not exactly placate me 4 years ago. Having a distinguished chemist like Hoffman teach me chemistry would be pretty cool, but he would not be the first place I turn to find a commencement speaker. Given the really impressive speakers that come to campus the rest of the year, I expect more for commencement, and Hoffman is not even the worst example. I mean, the President of Trinity College in DC? That sounds like a stop gap plan to me. The student convocation speakers have generally been better as noted, but this thread is actually a good argument for the on campus CC- if could be big enough to hold an all-school graduation it would be a great gain for everyone. Yo Jack, I am a current English/Government major, What the hell do you do with that, because I have i year left and no clue.
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hoyabinx
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Post by hoyabinx on May 2, 2004 11:04:36 GMT -5
The College ceremony already has to be split into two parts when its held in McDonough with an overflow tent outside. Unfortunately folks always forget to include family and friends -- GU doesn't limit tickets and that's not gonna happen any time soon. So 7500 won't cut it .... Forgot to reply to this in the last post. If the convocation goes to mcdounough they limit tickets to 7 people (at least this year) and you pick up the tickets beforehand just in case of rain. So if they did limit tickets then there is a possibility of having all the schools together, at least SFS and the College
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Post by dairishhoya on May 2, 2004 16:29:25 GMT -5
Forgot to reply to this in the last post. If the convocation goes to mcdounough they limit tickets to 7 people (at least this year) and you pick up the tickets beforehand just in case of rain. So if they did limit tickets then there is a possibility of having all the schools together, at least SFS and the College That won't happen ... its either *all* the schools or individual ceremonies -- the ceremonies committee tried to explore this and determined that due to the need for 15,000+ seats a combined ceremony won't be happening anytime soon (not to mention that schools agreeing to combine would be nearly impossible).
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