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May 10, 2008
A beautiful spring day filled with equal parts pomp, humor, gratitude, hope, and remembrance marked Presbyterian College's 125th commencement ceremonies May 10 on the West Plaza.
Approximately 260 members of the Class of 2008 received the last words of wisdom they would hear as college students, including advice from a peer gathered by Outstanding Senior Cody Mitchell, a newly-commissioned second lieutenant from Bethune, S.C.
Mitchell said his family – his mother and father and especially his grandfather – have been sage constants in his life, always prepared to set and keep him on the straight and narrow. From his “papaw,” Mitchell said he learned the values of hard work and making a mark on the world by doing things, not having things.
"My papaw is the wisest man I know and the only person that I have ever tried to impress," he said. "His words of wisdom, his character and his faith in God serve as wonderful examples of the man that I have always strived to be. Throughout my life, when things happen that I don't understand, I've always known that there was a tough ol' east Tennessee farmer who was waiting and willing to tell me how it was."
Mitchell told his fellow seniors they also share a second family always eager to pass on experience and wisdom - their PC family. Having asked members of the faculty and staff short snippets of advice, he shared several, including retired faculty member Fred Chapman’s reminder that, after college, every day is an "eight o'clock, and zero cuts."
"Our PC Family hopes that you’ll: wash your hands before you eat, that you won't answer your cell phone during a face-to-face conversation, and clean up after yourself," Mitchell said. “While this sounds a lot like parental advice, it should. Your president, administrators and professors all love and care for you like you are their own children."
PC's Professor of the Year, Charles E. Daniel Professor of Mathematics Dr. Brian Beasley, waxed eloquently on the power and beauty of numbers in literature, science, music, and theology. But he also reminded the Class of 2008 that, in their relationship with PC and especially their Creator, they are more than a number.
"Wherever you go and whatever you do, you are more than a number – you are a child of God, a unique individual with not only a bright future but also a fierce determination to persevere through any rough weather," he said. "You are more than a number - at PC, in the future, and especially in the eyes of God. You are truly one of a kind, just as God created you to be."
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