Well it’s taken us a little while to say it, but congratulations to our new History graduates!
The cold and the rain forced us to move into the PEC for Commencement exercises, but spirits were warm and dry. Was that a new backdrop behind the dais? It looked very sharp. Former President Stan Hales was there to receive an honorary degree and to remind the old-timers among us of his folksy public speaking style. He gave a nice shout out to three College of Wooster Seniors who he got to meet in the course of his comings and goings. Was it a coincidence that ALL THREE OF THEM happened to be History majors? Jacob Dinkelaker ’11, Sandy Mackay ’11, and Cathy Trainor ’11—you clearly made an impression. Ex uno fonte, indeed. And Scott Geller ’64 brought along his drum to give us all a bit of motivation as we look forward into the future. He also gave students a copy of his book, When No One’s Watching, so they’d have something to read now that they’ve finished with homework for awhile.
Let me also take a moment to share a note of congratulations.
- To all of you Seniors who made it through I.S. (whether it was a cakewalk or a mountain climb);
- to those of you who earned honors;
- to those of you who most definitely did not earn honors, but who livened up our classes and our I.S. meetings;
- to Anthony Dominguez & Liz Kaplan, winners of the Cummings-Rumbaugh History Prize for high standing in History;
- to Sally Dorman, winner of the Aileen Dunham Prize for highest standing in History;
- to Cathy Trainor & Jacob Dinkelaker, who took home prizes in the Digital I.S. Competition;
- to Jacob Dinkelaker, winner of the Bone Prize, for enthusiasm, curiosity, & generosity;
- to Andrew Hieronimus, winner of the Turner Prize for the Best Junior I.S. (of 2009-10);
- to Kaylin Gaal, winner of the Carpenter Pre-Law Prize & the Vivian Holliday Prize for best I.S. in History/Classics/Archaeology.
The post-graduation snacks might have been a bit of a let-down. Some folks headed for Kauke, others for the mysterious tent on the Lowry patio with water and cookies. We were only able to see a few of our graduates off.
But let me assure that the work of the College and the Department of History will continue. Drop us a line as you develop your future plans (whether you need a letter of recommendation or not). Drop in if you are passing through Wooster or visiting for the weekend. Keep in touch – and let us know what the future brings. We wish you all the best.