Colby | Colby Magazine, 2002 | Commencement 2002

"The long winters lend themselves to good books."
Honorary degree recipient poet Ana Castillo H'02, talking about life in Chicago to an understanding Colby audience the night before commencement.

"The world has changed and we have to think about it in different ways--that [different ways of thinking] is what we learn at Colby."
Honorary degree recipient Ambassador Robert Gelbard '64, H'02, addressing an audience the night before commencement.

It rained on and off and it was unseasonably cold (the Bookstore sold out of mittens), but that seemed somehow fitting for a commencement that was sometimes emotional, sometimes somber and, for members of the Class of 2002, a moving culmination to their time at Colby.

The first post-9/11 Colby commencement included presentation of an honorary degree to New York City firefighter Scott Cowan, who witnessed the World Trade Center collapses and lost his closest colleague in the disaster. Cowan accepted the Colby degree on behalf of all New York firefighters and rescue workers.

He was given a standing ovation.

Class Speaker Monty Hobson, in a heartfelt and sometimes emotional speech, thanked his classmates for supporting him when he returned to campus for his sophomore year with renewed religious faith and a rejection of drugs and alcohol. "... No one scoffed at my renewed faith as a hypocrite's religion," Hobson said. "In fact, my classmates embraced me wholeheartedly, touching me with the most wonderful understanding and forgiveness."

Hobson, who was moved to tears several times during his address, urged his classmates to "keep on loving."

"If I can leave you with anything, it is simply my hope that you will always live your life with love for others, be they friends or foes, rich or poor, black or white, wise or twenty-two," Hobson said.

Commencement speaker playwright Arthur Kopit, referring to the September tragedy, urged graduates to make an effort to examine the circumstances that form other views. "Trying to understand the conditions that produce these terrible attackers in no way undermines our belief in the country or means to excuse what they did. It means it came from somewhere."

During the commencement exercises, President William D. "Bro" Adams presented bachelor of arts degrees to each graduate. Meghan Gossling won the Condon Medal, the only award presented at graduation. Honorary degrees were presented to Kopit; poet Ana Castillo; Elizabeth Farnsworth, an award-winning senior correspondent for the Lehrer News Hour; and Ambassador Robert Gelbard '64.

"The sound of rumbling, twisting steel is hard to describe but harder to forget."
Honorary degree recipient Scott Cowan H'02, a New York City firefighter who witnessed the World Trade Center collapses, lost his closest colleague in the disaster and received an honorary degree on behalf of New York firefighters, police and rescue workers.

"I come from a family that worshipped education."
Honorary degree recipient Elizabeth Farnsworth H'02, who is an award-winning senior correspondent for the Lehrer News Hour, addressing a crowd the night before commencement.