Governor To Give UM Commencement Address
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - More than 3,000 students, their families and friends will welcome Gov. Parris N. Glendening as he delivers the commencement address at the University of Maryland at 9 a.m. May 24.
Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the featured speaker for Maryland's Department of Communication commencement. That ceremony is at 2:30 p.m. May 24. The university will award an honorary Doctor of Science to Professor Charles H. Townes, 1964 Nobel Prize winner in physics and the "father of the laser and maser."
In celebration of a diverse campus, thousands of candidates from all walks of life will earn their degrees at the state's most renowned public research institution.
Student speaker Mark Tosso and University Medal recipient Margaret Sheer not only excelled in the classroom, but also made long-lasting contributions to the university. Tosso, who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA as a double major in history and communication, was instrumental in the university's adoption of an honor code and a new system of grading. Sheer helped found Collegium Musicum, a group that performs Renaissance music in different languages and styles.
Melinda Whicher, a horticulture and landscape management major, received a full scholarship from the Oklahoma City Survivor's Fund, for children of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Melinda's father, Alan Whicher, was killed in the bombing just eight months after moving his family from Maryland to Oklahoma.
"One of things that made it painful is that the bombing created extra stress in our lives. The scholarship definitely helped because we didn't have to worry about getting the three of us through school," said Whicher, who has an older sister and younger brother. "Since my father has died, a lot of occasions that would have been joyous have been bittersweet. But Timothy McVeigh's execution isn't going to bring my father back, fix anything or bring closure. I have to move on with my life and I can't let him win. If I let him ruin my commencement, then he wins."
Kesha Robertson, who majored in government and politics, will be the first in her family to earn a college degree. After her mother was incarcerated, Robertson's twin oldest brothers dropped out of college to care for their six younger siblings. "My two older brothers expected me to go to college. I was told 'you will be successful. There is no room for failure.' I don't know who will be prouder on my graduation day-my brothers or me."
Robertson, a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and a National Collegiate Scholar, is a Black Student Union Big Sister and president of her sorority Delta Sigma Theta. She plans to attend graduate school at New York University this fall.
After commencement, the university will host a campus-wide reception on McKeldin Mall for graduates, families, guests, faculty and staff. Individual graduation exercises will be held at various campus locations on May 23 and May 24.
For more information, log onto http://www.inform.umd.edu/campusinfo/departments/instadv/univpub/commencement.
###No. 01103r, James, 5/9/01
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