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August Commencement Address (Full Text)
Graduates: The Future is In Your Hands
Watch (Flash 1:37)
First and foremost I want to congratulate the August graduates of Texas Tech University. I, too, am an August Graduate of Texas Tech, but when I graduated the institution’s name was Texas Technological College. My first degree, a bachelor’s of science in electrical engineering, is dated Aug. 24, 1964. It is signed by Manual De Busk, chairman of the Board of Directors, R. C. Goodwin, president, J. Roy Wells, secretary of the Board of Directors and John R. Bradford, dean of the College of Engineering (and a life-long friend).
I have gained some insights during the 42 years that have elapsed since I sat where you are today. My message today is two-fold (1) the more things change the more they stay the same and (2) positive change is not likely to occur in your lifetime unless you do something different than those who have come before you. When I close I will tell you something you can do today to effect positive change that was impossible to do in 1964.
It goes without saying that we live in a very dangerous world. There is nothing more important to restoring the safety and security of our nation than a population of educated, informed persons who are willing to engage society’s problems. To get my points across I will give you a snapshot of the world I entered following graduation in 1964 and then compare 1964 with the world you are entering in 2006.
Back in Time: 1964
Watch (Flash 3:06)
Let me take you back to 1964.
- President Lyndon Johnson is re-elected in a landslide over Barry Goldwater. Goldwater’s campaign slogan “In your heart you know he’s right” is parodied as “In your guts you know he’s nuts.” The intent is to portray Goldwater as unfit for command
- President Johnson declares “a war on poverty” and introduces a variety of federal welfare programs, including Medicare which was initially proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1960
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed
- The 24th Amendment to the Constitution is adopted, ensuring fair voting practices
- U.S. military forces launch air attacks on North Vietnam in response to an attack on two U.S. destroyers, the USS Maddox and the USS C. Turner Joy, in August of 1964. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that gives the President greater freedom to authorize combat actions in Vietnam
- Anchorage, Alaska, is hit by a massive earthquake which will require more than a decade to recover
- Turkey attacks Cyprus
- The space probe Mariner IV flies by Mars, transmitting pictures of the planet’s surface back to earth
- The first lung transplant is accomplished
- Cotton Bowl: the University of Texas 28 – Navy 6, Sun Bowl: Georgia 7 – Texas Tech 0
- No. 1 on the Top 40 charts is “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
- The best seller in fiction is “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” by John Le Carré. In nonfiction, it’s “I Need All the Friends I Can Get” by “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles M. Schultz
- The top television show is Bonanza (NBC)
- The price of gasoline was 30 cents per gallon
42 Years Later: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Watch (Flash 2:34)
Now let’s make a comparison to 2006, 42 years after I graduated from Texas Technological College to see what has changed.
- President George W. Bush is in the second term of his presidency. During the 2004 presidential campaign the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth takes out advertisements portraying John Kerry as unfit for command
- Medicare and Medicaid programs remain a major legislative issue
- President Bush signs a 25-year extension of the 1965 voting rights act
- We observe the 3rd anniversary of the start of the Iraq War on March 19, 2006. The duration of the Iraq War will exceed the duration of U.S. participation in World War II by the end of 2006
- After 42 years, a report is released by the National Security Agency that indicates the second attack in the Gulf of Tonkin incident did not occur. This report also attempts to dispel the long-standing rumor that U.S. President Lyndon Johnson knowingly lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident
- The Gulf Coast recovery from the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is projected to take a decade or more
- The Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah War begins on July 12, 2006, and continues at the present time
- The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Surveyor 2005 Orbiter arrive at Mars on March 10, 2006 and successfully enter a Mars orbit. The mission is to send back high resolution pictures of the surface of mars
- Stem cell research is in its early stages
- Rose Bowl: the University of Texas 41 – USC 38, Cotton Bowl: Alabama 13 – Texas Tech 10
- The most popular current movie is “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
- A best seller in fiction is “Absolute Friends” by John Le Carré. A best seller in nonfiction is a true story about a dog, “Marley & Me” by John Grogan
- The top television show is America’s Top Model
- The 2006 price of gasoline is above $3 per gallon. Expressed in 1964 dollars this is approximately 34 cents per gallon
- Instantaneous global communication becomes a reality
The Most Important Change
Watch (Flash 0:59)
It seems to me that in the 42 years since I graduated, things have not changed all that much. Most of the societal issues of 1964 are still with us today. The rhetoric of political campaigns has a familiar ring. By far, the most important change since 1964 is instantaneous (in human terms) global communication. More than anything else, instantaneous global communication and the convergence of all media to digital electronic format eliminate any possibility of isolating ourselves from the world’s problems. Feeling secure in West Texas may seem easier given our distance from major metropolitan centers, but that sense of security, if it exists at all, is false.
Finding Our Way Forward
Watch (Flash 1:56)
I believe that too many of us choose to remain ignorant of the societal issues facing our nation and the world, believing there will be no negative impacts on us as individuals. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. World issues taking place thousands of miles away directly impact our lives and the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors, as the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, proved. The way forward is to keep ourselves informed and make our voices heard at every level of government. This takes time, effort and courage. Speaking out on issues can have serious negative consequences for the speaker. Free speech is not without its perils.
An educated and informed electorate is essential to maintaining our freedoms. As we have seen in the last two U.S. Presidential elections, just a few hundred votes made the difference in electing a president. If just an additional 1 percent of the electorate votes for or against an issue or an office seeker they have a high probability of determining the outcome. You will have a chance to vote in just a few months. I surely hope that you will take advantage of it.
There has never been a time in the history of our country when so many issues have converged, like the forces of a “perfect storm.” Just two days ago a terrorist plot in the U.K. turned airline security upside down in just a few hours. Less than a month ago an incursion by Hezbollah forces from Lebanon into Israel, likely intended to capture hostages for a prisoner exchange, triggered a war that has now displaced a million people, including more than 25,000 American citizens. Take it as a fact that every event in the world has the potential to impact you personally and directly.
War, Diplomacy and Reconciliation
Watch (Flash 2:50)
Of special concern to me is how little progress we have made in avoiding wars, getting out of wars and reconciling with our enemies when a war is over. In 1964, the Vietnam War was just beginning to escalate. Throughout the Vietnam period I served with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. My experiences in many foreign countries give me an insider’s perspective on intelligence, diplomacy, war and reconciliation. In 1964, sitting where you are today, I could never have imagined that the largest non-governmental archive of Vietnam War documents from both sides of the conflict would eventually be located in the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University. Beyond that, the Vietnam Center and Archive are playing major roles in the reconciliation of two former enemies.
The Vietnam Center fulfills roles that were never envisioned when the center was established. Through its online digital archive, which is available to anyone in the world with internet access, it has helped locate the remains of those missing in action, helped veterans obtain benefits and bring documents from both sides of the conflict to public view. The Tram Diaries, for example, have brought national and international attention to Texas Tech University. There is an amazing outreach to Vietnam in education and public health. There is much to be learned about war, diplomacy and reconciliation through research in the Vietnam Archive.
Texas Tech students and faculty are playing a role on the world stage to reconcile our nation with a former enemy in ways that will benefit both nations for generations. The idea that you can impact the world from where you sit today is not an abstraction, it is a reality. As a nation we don’t seem to have learned much in the last 100 years about these issues.
I am a big fan of Mark Twain. Mark Twain had a lot to say about war, most of which was not published until after his death in 1910. His essay “The War Prayer,” written in 1906, was considered by his publisher and family to be far too controversial to be published during his life time. To quote Mark Twain, “none but the dead are permitted to tell the truth.”
If you have not read some of the later works of Mark Twain, especially those published long after his death, I urge you to do so. You will find them to be powerful, provocative and relevant.
Make Yourself Heard
Watch (Flash 1:54)
The only possibility that holds promise for positive change is you, the next generation of educated and informed citizens. If we do not know history, if we blindly follow the patriotic slogans and exhortations of our leaders without critically examining their underlying agendas, then we are doomed to repeat our mistakes. We will decline in power and prestige as a nation and we will never again be secure.
I challenge you to become informed about international, national and local issues. Use the internet to search out information on all sides of an issue. For a surprisingly small amount of money you can set up your own Web site, blog and podcast. Do your research, become informed and express your opinions. Make yourself heard around the world. Never before in history has it been possible for a single individual working independently to do this. Instantaneous global communication and the convergence of media give me hope that positive change can occur in my lifetime and certainly yours.
I challenge you to use your vote and your knowledge, joining with others of like mind, to do the things necessary to solve the problems the past generations have left you. The education you have received at Texas Tech has prepared you well for the challenges you will face and they are daunting. The future is literally in your hands.
One last quote from Mark Twain, “I have never let my schooling get in the way of my education.”
Congratulations on becoming a graduate of Texas Tech University.