Reunion Tributes
A brief note of thanks to the Class of 1982
Ladies and Gentlemen who attended the recent reunion, I would certainly be remiss if I did not begin by offering the most heartfelt thanks possible to Arty and Amy for putting this thing together. Only one word truly does justice to the level of enjoyment I gained from the events of the week and it would never be confused with an “SAT” word. It is simply “WOW!” Or as the youngsters say nowadays, “Off the heezy fa sheezy.” Those of you who have teenagers know what this means. If you don’t have teenagers, ask one of your neighbor’s kids. The events were amazing. The evening at the Pops was a highlight as was the awe-inspiring display of talent on talent night. You guys were amazing, especially given how little time you had to put that thing together. The food was good overall though I have to admit Pinocchio’s Pizza tasted a lot better in my memory than it did in present day reality and those hard beef “chunks?” could have been left off the menu at Thursday’s lunch or was that Friday? I’ve actually made an effort to forget. But overall it was pretty good fare and I don’t think I LOST any weight.
In general I wanted to thank each and every one of you in attendance at the reunion for sharing your stories with us. For inspiring us with your successes, touching us with your losses, and in general affirming our almost universally and mutually arrived at state of enlightenment in regard to what it truly valuable in life. Any of you whom I spoke to got to hear this speech already and I beg your indulgence, but like many of us, I left Harvard in 1982 with a bad taste in my mouth and feeling generally unsure about where Harvard fit in with the rest of my life and where I fit in with the Harvard “community.” As I looked across the yard at graduation I was reminded of so many of us who took courses on topics we were already well-versed in to pad our GPAs. I kept a mental picture of every one of you who asked a question in lecture to which I knew you already knew the answer. I remember how intensely this bunch seemed to be ready to set out to conquer the world and I fully believed we would do just that. But I also could never shake the belief that we would also be responsible for destroying the world in the process. That we would stomp on anyone and anything that got in our way of trying to outdo not just each other, that was a given, but more to outdo every damn body on the planet. We needed to be kings and queens of the universe, and we would stop at nothing to achieve our manifest destiny. My time at the 20th reunion and the pre-reunion activities in prior reunion years that I attended did little to quell that fear. The incessant posturing, the still childish one-upsmanship, the still apparently burning desire to prove to someone, anyone, that we were indeed smarter and better than whomever we were addressing. It had diminished somewhat over the years but it was certainly still there five years ago. But a funny thing happened to me at the 25th. As I read the class report I was repeatedly touched by the number of us who had finally figured out that family was far and away the most important thing in life and that service to our fellow man (I’m too old to change the quote to something politically correct so ladies do forgive me this transgression) is far more meaningful than amassing wealth. A theme that continued to play out prominently in conversations I had with folks throughout the reunion week. People were far more proud to talk about the achievements of their progeny than anything they themselves had done. Not that amassing wealth is without its merits. But without good friends and family to share the fruits of our labor, what does it all mean? I was struck by the number of us who have had death, near death or catastrophic illness visited upon ourselves or loved ones, and the amazing strength we displayed as we dealt with it. My prayers go with each and every one of you along with my admiration for your strength and courage. Then there were our ridiculously successful, accomplished and prominent classmates. I won’t name them but we all know who they are. Each of you in your own way showed that you were un-ruined by your success. You were every bit as excited to see and connect with your old friends and mates as we were you. At least you pretended to be quite convincingly. Thanks guys and ladies we really needed you to have remained “real” and you have. Thank you for tolerating what must have seemed like a million requests to pose for pictures with people you may or may not have ever known. I will have to single out a certain world famous, Oscar nominated spouse of a classmate who simultaneously displayed down-home charm, L.A. sophistication and a fun loving spirit which placed us gawkers well at ease in her presence.
I was simultaneously humbled, inspired and challenged by the number of us who are out there on the front lines educating, mentoring and guiding the next generation of young people each in your own unique and special way. From coaching ballteams, to intervention counseling, with each selfless act of positively impacting the lives of your charges, you raise the bar of service for all of us. I was especially touched by those of you who have spent time in under-developed countries serving and helping those truly less fortunate than we and who, without the help of those like yourselves would be dead or at the very least racked with debilitating disease. From the medical professionals who administer care to these people to the journalists who often risk their lives to expose the plights they are witness to -- a special thanks to each of you. I left the reunion determined to figure out how I was going to rise to the challenge in service to humanity thrown down by so many of my classmates. You guys really have shamed me into admitting that I do not and have not done nearly enough to serve mankind with all the gifts GOD (with apologies to that 20 percent or so who no longer believe in HIM) saw fit to bestow upon me. If we’re going to compete at everything, which we Harvard grads do, then why not this, the quest to solve as many of mankind’s real problems as we possibly can?
Finally I challenge every one of us to hold fast this momentum gained from this week to continue to reach out to our classmates every chance we get. To remind each other of the hundreds of promises we have made to “stay in touch” over the years and keep one another from breaking them this time. If for no other reason than you can have more of those amazing conversations like the ones in the middle of the night in The Yard after an adult beverage or two had been consumed, or over dinner and yes even screamed over the band. You really can’t get that kind of stimulation anywhere else can you? But more important than those reasons, to keep the challenge to serve and improve humanity paramount in our minds. Oh and lest I forget, thank you to each and every one who greeted me with the lie that I “hadn’t aged at all.” Though we all know it was a lie, it was at least a very kind one to tell. Which brings me back to one of my opening points. As a black man going to Harvard during the time I (we) did, it was difficult to figure out my place in the Harvard Universe or where it fit into my life. I never really felt like I quite belonged, nor did I feel particularly welcomed by many of the faculty and school officials. However thanks to the enormous outpouring of love and acceptance from each classmate I either reconnected with or met for the first time this past week and the barrage of bear hugs that came with, I no longer have those questions. I feel firmly a part of the Harvard community now without reservations. I finally feel welcomed into “the Club” so to speak. Seriously, a part of me felt with each hug that it was Harvard itself clutching me to its bosom and whispering, “we really have missed you around here.” The faculty and staffers I encountered who had been around long enough to remember me granted me a similar “welcome” and those who didn’t know or remember me still greeted me with reverence and warmth. 25 years ago Derek Bok could barely look me in the eye. At the post-commencement activities on Thursday the dude hugged me. Again.. I say “Wow!” So thank you again Class of 1982 and Harvard in general. I left the reunion absolutely energized and inspired in more ways than I can say. Though I certainly look forward to seeing each of you in five more years at the 30th, it is my sincere wish to have a hundred mini-reunions with one or two of you along the way. Okay maybe this was not all that brief after all, but I hope I said what needed to be said.
Ronnie Townsend