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Tim Russert, managing editor and moderator of Meet the
Press and political analyst for The NBC Nightly News and
Today programs, delivered the principal address and received
an honorary degree on May 27, as Holy Cross graduated 638
men and women during the College’s 159 th commencement
ceremony.
One of the nation’s most prominent broadcast journalists,
Russert joined NBC News in 1984 and, the following year,
supervised the live broadcasts of the Today program from
Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John
Paul II—a first for American television. In 1991, he
assumed the post of moderator of Meet the Press, which has
since become the most-watched Sunday morning interview program
in America. He also anchors The Tim Russert Show, a weekly
interview program on CNBC and serves as a contributing anchor
for MSNBC. In addition, Russert is the senior vice president
and Washington bureau chief of NBC News. During his career,
Russert has interviewed nearly every major figure on the
American political scene and has moderated numerous gubernatorial,
U.S. Senate and presidential primary candidate debates.
A graduate of Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y., Russert
has written of his appreciation of his Jesuit education in
his bestselling memoir, Big Russ and Me . He is a graduate
of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Cleveland-Marshall
College of Law. Russert, a resident of Washington, D.C.,
is married to Maureen Orth, who writes for Vanity Fair magazine.
In his address to the graduates, Russert quoted President
Kennedy’s inaugural address.
“As a young boy,” said Russert, “I remember
sitting with my Mom and Dad and watching John Kennedy, the
first Catholic president, conclude his Inaugural Address: ‘With
history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to
lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help,
but knowing that here on Earth God's work must truly be our
own.’ What is God's work here on Earth? Understanding
that, I believe, is the key to a meaningful life—the
essence of our earthly existence. … Holy Cross endeavors
to educate a new generation of leaders for the new millennium—men
and women who will be capable of shaping a new century with
vision, justice and charity—with a strong sense of
calling, and concern for all of the human family.”
Other individuals receiving honorary degrees at Commencement
were: Edward P. Jones ’72, Rev. Daniel Harrington,
S.J., and Park B. Smith ’54.
Jones was born in Washington, D.C. After graduating from
Holy Cross, he earned a master of fine arts degree at the
University of Virginia. His first book, Lost in the City ,
was published by William Morrow in 1992; a nominee for the
National Book Award, this collection of short stories received
critical acclaim. Jones’ first novel, The Known
World , won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction last year.
In September, he was named a MacArthur Fellow, receiving
a prestigious $500,000 “genius” grant; the winner
of the Pen/Hemingway Award, he was a recipient of the Lannan
Foundation Grant. Jones’ work has appeared in numerous
journals and magazines, including The Paris Review, Essence, Ploughshares, Callaloo and The
New Yorker. He currently resides in Arlington, Va.
Born in Arlington, Mass., Fr. Harrington received his bachelor
of arts and master of arts degrees from Boston College and
his Ph.D. in Oriental languages from Harvard University.
A renowned biblical scholar, he is the author of many books,
including The Gospel of Mark and The Church
According to the New Testament. Fr. Harrington is currently
professor of New Testament at the Weston Jesuit School of
Theology in Cambridge, Mass.
Smith is the founder, owner, president and chairman of Park
B. Smith Ltd., a leading international textile firm. Following
graduation from the College, he served as a marine infantry
officer; in the 1970s, he founded his company, which soon
became one of the industry’s preeminent home furnishing
businesses. A philanthropist devoted to educational concerns,
Smith is also one of the nation’s great wine connoisseurs
and collectors; termed “America’s greatest wine
romantic,” by Food & Wine magazine, he
was the recipient of the first ever Copia Award from Robert
Mondavi—in recognition of the finest wine collection
in the United States. Smith was also the recipient of the
Paradigm Award, presented by the Home Fashion Products Association
in honor of his distinguished achievement and excellence
in the innovative merchandising and marketing of home textiles.
-The valedictory address was delivered by Mary Beth Ryan
of Holden, Mass. A history major, Ryan grew up on the campus
of Holy Cross. Her father, Tom ’76, worked for many
years in the College’s Development Office. Recalling
the many campus events that she attended as a child, Ryan
remembers occasionally wearing a nametag that presciently
stated: “Mary Beth Ryan, Class of 2005.”
Captain of the women’s softball team, Ryan was the
only first-year student to start in all 49 games and was
the team leader in at-bats, triples, and stolen bases. In
her second season, Ryan was named to the Patriot League All-Conference
first-team. In addition, she served as a student representative
on the NCAA Reaccredidation Committee, working with students,
professors and coaches to facilitate better communication
and strengthen the relationship between athletics and academics
at Holy Cross.
The head Eucharistic minister on campus, Ryan was a member
of MAGIS, a leadership program that explores spiritual discourse;
a mentor at You, Inc., she participated in an after-school
arts and crafts program. In 2005, Ryan coordinated Holy Cross
Cares Day, directing more than 350 students, faculty, alumni
and administrators who volunteer their time at 27 local social
service agencies, as part of this annual day of service.
She is a member of the Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma
Nu; the liberal arts honor society, Phi Beta Kappa; the history
honor society, Phi Alpha Theta—and a three-time Dana
Scholar.
In her address, Ryan cited the global and campus tragedies
that marked the Class of 2005, referencing both the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, and the death of classmate Jonathan
R. Duchatellier.
“Eighteen days after we moved in,” Ryan recalled, “—barely
long enough for us to start calling Holy Cross home—the
news of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center invaded
the campus, and everything changed. As the New York City
skyline was stripped of the twin towers, so too were we stripped
of our freshman innocence. ... Suddenly, college took on
an entirely new meaning. Our CRAW paper deadlines seemed
trivial, and our quests to find the best off-campus parties,
pointless. We quickly gained a sense of perspective, one
that forced us to recognize that we are part of a bigger,
more complex world that exists beyond the manicured hilltop
of Mount Saint James and beyond our individual lives. And
so, the tone for our Holy Cross experience was set.
“The shared experiences of our freshman year,” she
continued, “beginning with 9-11 and culminating in
the tragic loss of our classmate and friend, Jon Duchatellier,
distinguished our class as unique. … Standing shoulder
to shoulder at Jon’s memorial Mass with people who
were strangers just nine months before, we realized that
these people were now our closest friends, friends who we
couldn’t bear to lose. Book-ended by tragedy, our freshman
year became the foundation for our time at Holy Cross. Through
our experiences, we gained a deepened sense of community,
solidified our burgeoning relationships and, most importantly,
strengthened our commitment to ‘achieving in the future
... to making it our own.’ ”
Ryan concluded her address by quoting Archbishop Oscar
Romero: “My fellow classmates, today marks the end
of an unforgettable four years. But it also signifies the
commencement of another chapter of our lives. As we leave
here today, and enter the world destined to be leaders, we
must keep in mind the words of Oscar Romero when he said, ‘We
cannot do everything. And there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and do
it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning—a
step along the way—and the opportunity for the Lord's
grace to enter and do the rest.’ Let us take these
words to heart as we leave the Hill today and remember them
in the years to come.”
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