Complete Text of BOE President's Commencement Remarks

Editor's note: The following is the complete text of the commencement address given by Board of Education President Thomas K. Belding at the Chatham High School 2012 graduation ceremony on June 21, 2012.

You of course know the names Francois Rabelais, Anton Chekov, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Michael Crichton. They were famous writers.

Did you also know they were medical doctors?

These guys not only thought and worked outside the box – as you will probably also have to do. Through their works we know they were gifted and talented – particularly in understanding people, and communicating.

You are also gifted and talented – each one of you – more so than you may realize. And like these famous doctor-writers, whatever career you go into, some of the most valuable talents you can develop will be to understand and be sensitive to people, even those very different from you; and to communicate, clearly even when the subject is elaborate.

Your power, your value, and very likely your income - will be proportional to your abilities in these two areas. As you know and will learn more fully when today’s events are but a memory, these are not simple skills; they take practice, and patience. But we can all master them. You have a huge advantage coming from Chatham, from this great school system, and having loving, high achieving parents.

Spencer Michael Free lived from 1856-1938. He was another one of these doctor–writers. A graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical School, he did not become famous. But he was a wise man, and wrote some worthy poetry. With your permission, I’d like to close by sharing one of his poems that speaks to this theme:

The Human Touch

'Tis the human touch in this world that counts
the touch of your hand and mine
which means far more to the fainting heart,
than shelter, or bread, or wine.
For shelter is gone, when the night is o’er,
and bread lasts only a day,
but the touch of the hand,
and the sound of the voice,
sing on in the sole, always.

On behalf of the Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams, it is my distinct honor and pleasure, to congratulate you.

Chatham High School Class of 2012

Thomas K. Belding