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Campus Review
May 19, 2014
Page 12
both Moreland’s and Lemon’s keynotes,
it’s unlikely that any of the graduates, or
members of the audience, for that matter,
will ever forget the thoughts of the two
speakers, despite the fact that both admit-
ted at the start of their speeches that they
weren’t sure how to connect to the gradu-
ates.
It’s safe to say that those fears were
groundless. Moreland, after sharing a few
details of his own passage through higher
education, a tale that included admitting
he had failed to make either the NBA or
the major leagues, spoke about diplomas,
dreams, and how to fulfill them, in what
could only be described as a moving
speech.
“There’s a common characteristic for all
of us; where to look for the answers,” he
said, referring first to diplomas. “Let me
give you a hint… you are the answer. In
the end, you did this, and no one will be
able to take this away from you.
“This diploma will open a lot of doors,
you have to find the doors, and risk mak-
ing a mistake. Step through the door, the
rewards are on the other side.”
As a long–time member of the Clayton
State University Foundation, and one of
the University’s most loyal supporters,
Moreland knows very well that Clayton
State is the place where dreams are made
real. He turned to “Dreams Made Real” in
his conclusion.
“I hope you will take the opportunity to
step through that door,” he said. “On the
other side of that door will be a communi-
ty with dreams of its own. You will have
the awesome opportunity to make those
dreams become real, as you have made
your own dreams come real.”
As noted, college graduates are typically
pointed towards the future by
Commencement speakers. And Lemon
did indeed do that, after asking the gradu-
ates to first look back at the start of a
provocative and evocative address.
“What did you want to be at age 10?” she
asked. “It may be very close to what you
should be doing. If you’re lucky enough
to get a job that’s your dream job, it may
be very close to what you wanted when
you were 10.”
While the graduates were pondering those
thoughts, Lemon continued by noting
that, at age 10, she wanted to be a pedia-
trician. While her career, first in banking
and second in her family business, W.D.
Lemon & Sons Funeral Home, may not
have exactly matched that desire, she
pointed out that her success in business
has allowed her to set up a foundation that
benefits children, clearly another way of
benefiting youth.
“You must be willing to walk away,” she
explained of her decision to leave Bank of
America and join the family business.
“You must be fearless. Know where you
are going. When it was time to start my
journey, I wasn’t afraid to leave. I remem-
bered what I wanted to be when I was 10.
“Remember what you wanted to be when
you were 10.”
More photos of
commencement, hooding
and pinning ceremonies,
and other end of semester
awards will be included in
the next issue of
Campus Review.
Commencement, cont’d. from p. 1