Tim Russert told the graduates that the value of their education was how they used it.
Who, attending the joyous graduation exercise at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, would have thought they would be grieving the loss of their commencement speaker in a few day. Most of us only saw Tim Russert on Meet The Press and his other TV appearances, these graduates and guests got to see him up close and personal and hear him urge them to live a life with values, honor, contributions, and challenges to perform.
Below are some exerts from his address. You can read or listen to the entire address by clicking here.
Photo among the Randoph-Macon College Commencement pictures.
Values
The education you received at Randolph-Macon College isn't meant to be the same you could receive at scores of colleges, public or private, in Virginia or across the country. You've been given an education that says it's not enough to have a skill, not enough to have read all the books, or know all the facts. Values really do matter. Its only justification, this extraordinary place, is because it has a special mission-training young men and women to help shape and influence the moral tone and fiber of our nation and our world. And that now means, as graduates, you have a special obligation and responsibility. Graduating from Randolph-Macon has given you incredible advantages over others in your generation. Yes, I've heard the sometimes dissenting views from Ivy Leaguers. You think you have it bad; you should indeed try to be a Buffalo Bills fan in Washington, D.C.
Honor
You have something others would give anything for. You believe in your God, in your country, in your family, in your school, in yourself, and in your values. Remember the message our parents and grandparents and teachers repeated and repeated and have tried so hard to instill in us-the belief if you worked hard and played fair, things really would turn out all right. And after working and interviewing senators and governors and meeting popes and interviewing Presidents, I think they're right.
Contribute
It is now your turn. You'll have the opportunity to be doctors and nurses and teachers and lawyers, bankers and social workers, soldiers, journalists, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and more. And in those vital professions, your contributions can be enormous. You can help save lives, provide posterity, record history, prevent disease, train young minds. Your family, your education, your values have prepared you for this challenge.
Challenges
...Remember the people struggling alongside you and below you, the people who haven't had the same opportunity, the same blessings, the same Randolph-Macon education-eight children a day shot dead in the streets of America, 25 percent of eighth graders never graduating from high school, 35 million adults in our country without a high school education....
...But unless we instill in our young the most basic social skills and cultural and moral values, we'll be a very different society....
...We must motivate, inspire, yes, insist our children respect one another, love thy neighbor as thyself. We must teach our children they are never, never entitled, but they are always, always loved.
And we must do everything in our power to make sure schools are meaningful, skills are learnable, jobs are available, that we protect our environment, and make our world, their world safe and secure. No matter what profession you choose, you must try even in the smallest ways to improve the quality of life of all children in this great country.
Make a commitment today as you graduate that you will volunteer just a few hours a week in the months and years and decades ahead. No matter what your political philosophy, see if there is a child you can tutor or mentor or coach or help. Some are sick. Some are lonely. Some are uneducated. Most have little control over their fate. Give them a hand. Give them a chance. Give them their dignity.
A Final Thought
But before I go, a final thought: Have a onderful life. Take care of one another. Be careful tonight. And for the rest of your life, work hard, laugh often, and keep your honor. Of course, go Yellow Jackets!
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