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Commencement
Day 2000 dawned to the sound of forecasters talking about drenching
thunderstorms headed our way. But, they stayed away long enough
for the Commencement procession to take place as scheduled, and
when the rain did arrive midway through Seamus Heaney’s speech,
it was only a gentle shower.
 The
gloomy weather failed to dampen the festive spirits of the graduates
as they marched into Franklin Field in their academic regalia.
Along
with the usual expressions of relief and gratitude worn on the grads’
caps, there were also nods to days spent playing ultimate Frisbee
and even a tip of the hat – make that head – to Pennsylvania’s
Quaker heritage.
Even
on the stage, there was a bit of frivolity this year: When Law School
Dean Michael Fitts presented his school’s graduates for the
conferring of degrees, he noted that they had “performed over
200,000 hours of community service without once suing a candidate
from the School of Medicine.”
And
Heaney’s introduction as speaker prompted a loud cheer from
a section of the graduates — we presume they were English majors.
There
was even an up side to the wet weather: There was no need for the
graduates to douse each other with the little bottles of spring
water left beneath their seats. Mother Nature took care of that,
and the crowd responded with umbrellas.
— S.S.
Photos by Candace diCarlo
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