Thanks for the memories

Related link: Commencement Photo Album

By Jayne Spencer

The tradition of academic regalia originated in the 13th century, when everyone, for the most part, wore long robes to keep warm. And on many Indiana University campuses last week, participants in caps and gowns had one more layer of warmth against unseasonably chilly May weather. The academic gown was first used at Cambridge University in 1284. Oxford soon followed suit, so to speak, with the custom reaching the United States in colonial times at King's College (now Columbia University) in New York City. In 1885, American universities and colleges standardized academic styles and developed an intercollegiate code for the academic costume.


D. Sue Roberson (above), director
of the Indiana Personnel Department,
received a crystal pinnacle as recipient
of IU East's fourth Distinguished Alumni Award
at commencement in Richmond.

Shadows falling, a new graduate
(above) walks by a sculpture in
Knobview Hall on the IU Southeast
campus at nightfall.
Mortarboard graffiti? It's always in vogue.

Commencement photos by Chris Meyer
IU wearers of the regalia came from many walks of life, processed with dignity (okay, an occasional beach ball bounced between rows of folding chairs) and were the center of attention for friends and loved ones. Medical school graduate Ann Wojtalik of Indianapolis, bound for a career in pediatrics, shared her triumph with three children too young to quite appreciate the magnitude of her accomplishment: a 3-year-old daughter, a 21-month-old son and a little girl born April 11. Aleksey Marchenko of Russia shared commencement on the IU Kokomo campus with his mentor, Kokomo Chief of Police Lynn Rudolph. Rudolph and Marchenko met during the police chief's visit to Russia while Marchenko served as an interpreter. Rudolph invited Marchenko to come live with his family and complete his education. Marchenko now sets out with a marketing degree to launch a career in international business development.

For each graduate last week, a different story, a different dream. And for everyone, a centuries-old ritual of communal triumph.

Nine degree recipients received honorary degrees during the various ceremonies (See Home Pages, April 25), joining a distinguished list of past recipients that includes Kentland native George Ade (1928) who made his mark on the world in 1899 with Fables in Slang; U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren (1957); U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (1955); Friendly Persuasion's author, Jessamyn West (1959); former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1975); and venerable comedian Bob (Thanks for the Memories) Hope (1974) on the Bloomington campus; fashion designer Bill Blass (1984), a Fort Wayne native, at IPFW; columnist William J. Raspberry (1992) and international semiotician and author Umberto Eco (1993) at IUPUI; Apollo 8 flight commander Frank Borman (1976) at IU Northwest; and NBA great Oscar Robertson (1994) at IUK.

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