Washington College - Pegasus Yearbook (Chestertown, MD)

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Commencement 1954

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Commencement ' 54 June 7 of 1954 will, no doubt, be remembered as a red letter day for fifty-seven Washington College seniors. Not only were they awarded their diplomas, but also there came another thrill that is not easily forgotten. For as each candidate nervously approached the platform he also passed within a few feet of Dwight D. Eisen- hower, President of the United States. Shortly after the President ' s arrival the aca- demic procession made its way to the platform where the President was joined by Governor Mc- Kelclin. Dr. Daniel Z. Gibson. Ermon N. Foster, Dean Joseph Doyle, Senators John Marshall But- ler and J. Glen Bead, John H. Hessey, Chairman of the Board of Visitors and Governors, the Rt. Rev. Allen }. Miller. Representative Edward P. Miller, and Phillip G. Wilmer, Mayor of Ches- tertown. As Dr. Gibson delivered the principle address, the President listened intently, apparently com- pletely enthralled. In his address to the gradu- ates, which he based on a passage from the first Book of Kings, he called attention to the neces- sity of remembering that. It is easy to become so obsessed with the great wind, the earthquake and the fire, the glare of publicity and the clam- or of mighty forces that we forget that the simple things of life are for us, as individuals, the im- portant things . . . These tilings, these still, small things are now, ever have been, and ever will be the bed-rock of life. After a short welcome to the President by Governor McKeldin, Dr. Gibson conferred upon him an honorary law degree. Then, Mr. Eisen- hower spoke briefly and extemporaneously to his commencement audience, pausing specifically to compliment Dr. Gibson on his fine address. As the ceremony ended, every graduate, mem- ber of the faculty and administration, and visi- tors to the college realized that this day had truly been a significant event in the history of Washington College.