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An old Tar Heel can't get enough of UNC ceremonies

Photo contributed

Gwen Veazey and her niece Amanda Veazey on graduation day 2009.

By Gwen Veazey | Burke County Notebook - The News Herald

Published: August 4, 2009

I have been privileged to attend three University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduations within the last six years. My daughter graduated in 2004; my son was in the class of 2007, and my niece invited me to her ceremony in 2009.

People sometimes complain about boredom sitting through these events, but as a UNC alumnus, I love the Tar Heel graduations, all the hoopla and inspirational, up-beatness of the day with thousands of happy grads and parents. The a capella men's group, the Clef Hangers create chill bumps for me with their version of James Taylor's "Carolina On My Mind," and I've smiled each year when the presiding speaker jokes about the Duke graduation several miles up the road being subjected to the same wonderful Carolina blue sky.

Unlike the sweltering heat of 2004 and 2007, the weather stayed cool and overcast on May 10, 2009, regrettably nixing the sky color joke. My sister-in-law, Wanda, sat in blissful contentment. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift for her to see her daughter, Amanda, in her Carolina blue cap and gown. Of course it was a proud moment for her dad, too, even though he's an NC State grad and fan.

We were early and blessed with perfect seats adjacent to the section reserved for graduates. Excitement built as Kenan Stadium filled and honorees finally marched in. Students carried balloons, signs, one even held a potted tree, just to make sure his folks saw his location. With 5,700 graduates including doctoral and masters' candidates plus 3,371 bachelor's degrees to award, there's no walking across the stage. They simply stand and are recognized in groups.

All wore the pastel blue caps and gowns except one fellow clad in a navy blue and orange football jersey. He was Richard Quinn, a Tar Heel tight end drafted by the Denver Broncos.

Once seated, the grads created a sea of smooth blue, with graduating basketball players poking up above the crowd down front. Tyler Hansbrough, Bobby Frasor, and Danny Green were among the eight seniors on the team, seven of whom graduated.

It's easy to snooze through the giving of Honorary Degrees. I don't remember any of the recipients from 2004. In 2007, former men's basketball Coach Dean Smith heightened the interest level. He received a doctorate of laws.

How nice this year to see author Lee Smith receive an honorary doctor of letters degree for her literary accomplishments. With her stories and novels set in the South such as Fair and Tender Ladies and On Agate Hill, she has celebrated Appalachian women for thirty years. Another intriguing recipient of an Honorary Degree was Eli Nachamson Evans who has been called the "poet laureate of Southern Jews." One of his books was titled, "The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner."

In 2007, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright spoke. She joked, "Today makes me think back on my college days which were somewhere between the invention of the Blackberry and the discovery of fire." She told the graduates, "I hope you will be doers not drifters, not just consumers of liberty but defenders of it."

This year's speaker, Archbishop Desmond Tutu told a story of a farmer with a beautiful field of tall corn waving in the breeze. A traveler passes by and tells the farmer, "What a great job you and God have done with this field!" The farmer replies, "You should have seen it when God had it by himself." In other words, we all have to help God create good in the world.

Congratulations to all the 2009 graduates. Especially the 25 UNC Chapel Hill grads from Burke County.

Gwen Veazey is a member of the Morganton Writers' Group.