studentspeechdeliveredatthewashingtonuniversityengineeringgraduatestudentrecognitionceremony
15may1997
lorriefaithcranor
faculty,family,friends,andfellowgraduates,goodevening.
iamhonoredtoaddressyoutonight.onbehalfofthegraduatingmastersanddoctoralstudentsofwashingtonuniversity'sschoolofengineeringandappliedscience,iwouldliketothankalltheparents,spouses,families,andfriendswhoencouragedandsupportedusasweworkedtowardsourgraduatedegrees.iwouldespeciallyliketothankmyownfamily,eightmembersofwhichareintheaudiencetoday.iwouldalsoliketothankallofthedepartmentsecretariesandotherengineeringschoolstaffmemberswhoalwaysseemedtobetherewhenconfusedgraduatestudentsneededhelp.andfinallyiwouldliketothankthewashingtonuniversityfacultymemberswhoservedasourinstructors,mentors,andfriends.
asithinkbackontheseven-and-a-halfyearsispentatwashingtonuniversity,mymindisfilledwithmemories,happy,sad,frustrating,andevenhumorous.
tonightiwouldliketosharewithyousomeofthememoriesthatitakewithmeasileavewashingtonuniversity.
itakewithmethememoryofmyofficeonthefourthflooroflopatahall-theroomattheendofthehallwaythatwastoohotinsummer,toocoldinwinter,andalwaystoofarawayfromthewomen'srestroom.thewindowwasmyoffice'sbestfeature.wereitnotforthephysicsbuildingacrosstheway,itwouldhaveaffordedmeaclearviewofthearch.butinsteadigotaviewoftheroofofthephysicsbuilding.ialsohadaviewofonecorneroftheroofofurbauerhall,whichseemedtobeafavoriteperchforvariousspeciesofbirdswhoalternatelywonperchingrightsforseveralweeksatatime.andihadaniceviewofthephysicscourtyard,noteworthyasagoodplaceforwatchingpeopleruntheirdogs.it'samazinghowfascinatingtheseviewsbecamethelongeriworkedonmydissertation.butmyfavoriteviewwasofanearbyoaktree.frommyfourth-floorvantagepointihadaratherintimateviewofthetreeandthevariousbirdsandsquirrelsthatinhabitit.occasionallyabirdwouldlandonmywindowsill,whichusuallyhadtheeffectofstartlingbothofus.
itakewithmethememoryoftwoyoungprofessorswhopassedawaywhileiwasagraduatestudent.annejohnstone,theonlyfemaleprofessorfromwhomitookacourseintheengineeringschool,andbobdurr,apoliticalscienceprofessorandamemberofmydissertationcommittee,bothlostbravebattleswithcancer.irememberthemfondly.
itakewithmethememoryoffailingthefirstexaminoneofthefirstengineeringcoursesitookasanundergraduate.irememberthinkingthecoursewasjusttoohardformeandthatiwouldneverbeabletopassit.soiwenttotalktotheprofessor,readytodroptheclass.andhetoldmenottogiveup,hetoldmeicouldsucceedinhisclass.forreasonsthatseemedcompletelyludicrousatthetime,hesaidhehadfaithinme.andafterthatmygradesintheclassslowlyimproved,andiendedthesemesterwithanaonthefinalexam.irememberhowmotivationalitwastoknowthatsomeonebelievedinme.
itakewithmememoriesofthemidwesternfriendlinessthatsosurprisedmewheniarrivedinst.louis8yearsago.sincemovingtonewjersey,iamsadtosay,nobodyhasaskedmewhereiwenttohighschool.
itakewithmethememoryoftheshort-livedcomputersciencegraduatestudentsocialcommitteelunches.theideawasthatgroupsofcsgradstudentsweresupposedtotaketurnscookingamonthlylunch.butafteronegradstudentpreparedapotofchickenthatpoisonedalmosttheentirecsgradstudentpopulationandoneunluckyfacultymemberinonefellswoop,therewasn'tmuchenthusiasmforhavingmorelunches.
itakewithmethememoryofamoresuccessfulgraduatestudenteffort,theestablishmentoftheassociationofgraduateengineeringstudents,knownasages.startedbyahandfulofengineeringgraduatestudentsbecauseweneededawaytoelectrepresentativestoacampus-widegraduatestudentgovernment,agessoongrewintoanorganizationthatnowsponsorsawidevarietyofactivitiesandhasbeeninstrumentalinaddressinganumberofengineeringgraduatestudentconcerns.
itakewithmethememoryofanengineeringandpolicydepartmentthatoncehadflourishingprogramsforfull-timeundergraduate,masters,anddoctoralstudents.
itakewithmememoriesofthe1992u.s.presidentialdebate.eagertogetinvolvedinalltheexcitementivolunteeredtohelpwhereverneeded.irememberspendingseveraldaysinthemakeshiftdebatehqgivingout-of-townreportersdirectionstotheathleticcomplex.irememberbeingthrilledtogetassignedthejobofcollectingfilmfromthephotographersinthedebatehallduringthedebate.andirememberthedisappointmentofdrawingtheshorteststrawamongthestudentvolunteersandbeingtheonewhohadtotakethefilmoutofthedebatehallanddowntothedarkroomfiveminutesintothedebate-withnochancetore-enterthedebatehallafterileft.