Thousands graduate at colleges in Maine

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Springtime blossomed in the form of a college diploma for hundreds of college graduates under sunny skies Saturday as commencement exercises were held at campuses throughout the state.

Among prominent speakers offering challenges to graduates were Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, who spoke to 400 graduates at the University of Maine at Farmington; Rep. Olympia J. Snowe at the University of Maine, where an estimated 1,500 graduated; and Rep. Joseph E. Brennan, who addressed the 150 graduates of the University of Maine at Augusta.

Elsewhere in Maine over the weekend:

An estimated 350 students graduated from Husson College at Bangor;

158 students graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle;

About 800 students graduated from the University of Southern Maine;

79 students graduated from the University of Maine Law School;

262 graduated from Northern Maine Technical College at Presque Isle;

Gov. John R. McKernan addressed 100 business students who graduated from Thomas College in Waterville.

336 students graduated from St. Joseph’s College. It was the school’s largest graduating class.

University of Maine

Nearly 9,000 people attended the 176th commencement at the University of Maine, including an estimated 1,350 of the 1,500 graduation candidates.

The late-morning chill at Orono soon warmed as relatives snapped last-minute photos and checked videotape camera angles of the graduates in their robes and mortarboards, some of which were adorned with the traditional messages such as, “Thanks, Mom and Dad” and fraternity insignia.

“Each of us is molded during college in ways that are unknown at graduation, and may remain so for many years,” said U.S. Rep. Olympia J. Snowe, who delivered the UM commencement address. “Only upon reflection, with the mediation of time, do we eventually discover the true and enormous value of this college experience.”

Snowe sought to give guidance to the graduates of her alma mater, many of whom, she acknowledged, were born about the time she graduated 21 years ago.

Since then, the congresswoman said, times have changed greatly, and many opportunities and responsibilities await those who are about to enter the so-called real world, as they did Snowe when she left college and began a career in public service. And, she said, many doors that were closed to women two decades ago are now open.

“All that was yet ahead of me and unknown to me, of course, at that commencement ceremony in June of 1969 … just as is the case with each of you in this May of 1990,” Snowe said. “And, as I said at the outset, the world ready to greet you is markedly different than that of 21 years ago.

Snowe also listed a number of problems and other responsibilities facing the graduates, including saving the environment, improving the high school graduation rate and health care system, and embracing the “growing reaffirmation of the ideals which have long graced our country — of community and fairness, of honesty, and hard work.”

“Now, no one of these or other problems, in and of itself in a single year, will imperil our country. Collectively, and allowed to fester over time, however, they will: thus it is imperative that we grapple with them while they are still manageable,” Snowe said. “And, you will be happy to realize, it is this graduating class that will be involved in making the changes. The world of the next few decades will be your world, the opportunities yours, and the challenges as well.”

Husson College

At Husson College in Bangor, where more than 350 graduated, William E. Haggett, chairman and chief executive officer of Bath Iron Works, told graduates that while they should search for role models to set examples, they also should remain flexible enough to maintain their own identity.

Haggett used as his primary example baseball great Babe Ruth, who led all others on the playing field, but off it drank beer, ate hot dogs, and stayed up half the night. Many up-and-coming players followed Ruth’s model until a better one, Carl Yastrzemski, came along and showed that an athlete can be a proper role model both on and off the playing field.

“My advice is that you think for yourself, be your own person,” Haggett said.

Like Snowe, Haggett told the graduates, whom he also acknowledged were born during a turning point in the nation’s history, that the 1980s were a time of greed — of young college graduates making loads of money selling junk bonds and partaking in leveraged buyouts.

“The process was too easy, too uncaring, too sloppy,” he said.

Now, he said, many of those who left the campus and flocked to Wall Street “are in jail, under indictment, or unemployed.”

The BIW executive also said that history is full of examples of how people have been led astray by blind adherence to the dictates of others.

“Think for yourself, but be flexible,” Haggett said. “Be a thoughtful individual, develop your own … style.”

UM Augusta

U.S. Rep. Brennan delivered the commencement address to 150 students at the University of Maine at Augusta.

Referring to a speech made by Robert Kennedy more than 24 years ago, Brennan assured the graduates that the walls of oppression and resistance can be torn down.

“Nelson Mandela is free and the walls of discrimination in South Africa are starting to tumble. Across the world, a humble electrician in a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, named Lech Walesa, started a protest which has rippled throughout Eastern Europe,” the Democrat said.

“The walls of resistance are inside ourselves: walls of fear, or lack of self-confidence or lack of courage. These walls, too, will come down if you stick to your goals,” he told the group.

UM Farmington

Sen. Mitchell said Chinese students who risked their lives and died in their quest for democracy should serve as a model for American students.

“If young Chinese last year risked and lost their lives in the hope of achieving freedom, should not young Americans be willing to invest a little of their lives to preserve it?” the Maine Democrat asked nearly 400 graduates at the University of Maine at Farmington.

UM Presque Isle

“Our constitution speaks to equity, opportunity, fairness and equality,” David S. Nelson of Massachusetts, a U.S. district judge, told the 81st class at UMPI. “If all that were to be honored, America would forever be the strongest and most beloved homeland in the world’s makeup.

“No one can claim honestly that we are without flaws. But I would argue that it is the best and most hard-working democracy that ever existed. We have the mechanism and the spirit among citizens to become perfect.”

Northern Maine Technical College

“Because of the great promise your future holds, I would like to talk about your responsibility in helping to build a better Maine and nation,” John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Technical College system, told 262 students graduating in the 27th class at Northern Maine Technical College.

“I also want to challenge you to be great … and greatness comes when you give of yourself. I want you to be great at your work, great at raising your family, and great at contributing to your community.”

“A job is more than a place at which you spend 40 hours each week to see a paycheck,” Fitzsimmons said. “If you work for the next 45 years, you have almost 100,000 hours of work waiting for you. It is vital that you enjoy your job and that you feel satisfaction in your accomplishments.

Thomas College

Gov. McKernan urged the business students graduating from Thomas College in Waterville to stick up for their beliefs as those in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union have.

“You will face difficult decisions. What you believe may often conflict with the mainstream opinion. Robert Frost wrote a very eloquent poem about choosing the road less traveled,” the Republican governor said, adding that an Adam Smith interpretation might be more appropriate.

“If you rush into a career because it is the most popular or highest paying, chances are you’ll find others are doing the same. Make a personal decision, stick with what you enjoy and believe in, and you will be justly rewarded in the end,” McKernan said.

Washington County Technical College

WCTC held graduation exercises Thursday night for more than 100 students who had completed courses in 10 departments: automotive, building construction, diesel service, electronic communications, food service, heating, heavy equipment maintenance, heavy equipment operation, plumbing, resident-commercial electricity, secretarial studies, and wood harvesting.

Guest speaker was Rep. Dan A. Gwadosky, D-Fairfield, majority leader of the Maine House of Representatives. He told the graduates that the event marked the end of many years of schooling and the beginning of new jobs and professions that would pave their way into the future. He said the vocational colleges would increasingly provide educational opportunities in the future for a growing number of Maine post-secondary students.