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REMARKS BY: TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: Boston College Commencement, Boston, Massachusetts DATE: May 21, 2001
Father Leahy, Bishop Murphy, distinguished honorees, members of the Board of Trustees, members of the faculty and administrative staff, ladies and gentlemen, and especially the graduates.
It's wonderful being here with you. To receive an honorary doctorate from an institution like Boston College is humbling, and I thank you for it.
But I am a little nervous. Boston College has developed a habit of taking things from Wisconsin. And as a result, we've got quite a rivalry going right now.
It started five years ago, when you stole Father Leahy from Marquette, our great Jesuit university in Milwaukee.
Then, last year, our relationship really became icy when Boston College's Mike Mottau beat out Wisconsin's Steve Reinprecht for the Hobey Baker Award in college hockey.
And to make matters worse, this past season the Badgers were ranked No. 1 in the country only to have the Eagles swoop in and win the NCAA hockey championship.
So now, you've taken our friend Father Leahy and two of our hockey trophies. That's why I'm nervous that someone is going to steal this doctorate from me after I get off stage.
It is a distinct honor for me to be here with all of you for such a special day in the lives of the students but, just as importantly, the parents and loved ones who helped the graduates get to this day.
In fact, I'd like to take a quick moment -- and hopefully I won't embarrass her son Taylor -- to recognize my favorite parent in the audience: my good friend and colleague, Christine Whitman. Christie, of course, is the EPA administrator and former governor of New Jersey, and I know that events like today with their son make her and John more proud than any political victories. These are the accomplishments that matter most.
My wife and I put our three children through college, including our two daughters at Marquette, so we know well the emotions that all parents are feeling today - a combination of joy, pride and relief.
For four years, you have been holding your breath, wondering if all the time, energy and money have been worth it. And some of you have been holding your breath for four-and-a-half or five years. Looking at this crowd of talented and eager young men and women, however, there is no doubt the sacrifices made by all have been worthwhile.
So congratulations graduates for making it to this special day. And let's take a moment to give your parents, professors and loved ones a big round of applause for helping you get here.
And moms and dads, I just want you to know that when your sons and daughters told you they were headed over to Faneuil Hall or up The Avenue to study, well, let's just say that's where their most exhaustive research took place.
Graduates, you are following a tremendous legacy of accomplished men and women from this great Jesuit institution. Boston College is home to some remarkable men and women. Tip O'Neill, a Democrat, and Silvio Conte, a Republican, both left a tremendous mark on public life through their service in Washington. Doug Flutie and Mary Kay Finerty, and Sarah Behn are legendary figures in the world of sports.
And there are others - 130,000 others - who have added much to the quality of life in our country and throughout our world.
What helps Boston College graduates stand out is the uniquely challenging Jesuit education they receive here.
The Jesuit tradition encourages serious study of all the disciplines but also teaches young people how to think - how to reason. And leading an agency that touches the lives of every American, I particularly appreciate the great Jesuit tradition of service, of using one's knowledge and intellect to raise the quality of life for all.
Where Jesuits and their students have gone, education has advanced, medical care has improved, the hungry have received food and the poor have been given hope and optimism.
The combination of developing one's personal intellect and abilities with engaging in unselfish service to others will be an invaluable asset for any young person in this new century.
In America today, we are on the cusp of so many remarkable medical and technological breakthroughs. Science and research are taking us to places we never thought possible, and bringing us to the brink of curing diseases we long believed incurable, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and a vaccine for AIDS.
The mapping of the human genome, which was overseen by the institutes within the Department of Health and Human Services, is a sentinel breakthrough that is on par with the greatest discoveries of humankind in the way it will revolutionize our way of life.
And another revolutionary breakthrough came a few weeks ago when we approved the drug Gleevec - a pill that puts into remission a form of leukemia called CML. Its development marks one of those rare moments when we can legitimately say that it looks like we've beaten back a vicious form of cancer.
Gleevec represents the wave of the future because it is the first cancer drug that is the product of molecular targeting - the groundbreaking ability to deliver a drug directly to the diseased cells, leaving the healthy cells alone. Gleevec targets a single cancer-causing protein and - like a light switch - turns off its signal to produce leukemia cells. And we're confident that molecular targeting soon will allow us to switch off other diseases as well.
The full consequences of these discoveries and others are yet to be determined.
How we as a nation aggressively pursue these advancements and use them for the betterment of all people will be very much up to you and your generation.
As you tackle these challenges and put into practice your Jesuit education, don't be motivated just by what is being discovered in our high-tech world.
Rather, be inspired by how these advances are being discovered, by the men and women who are taking us to these once unimaginable places.
Take the scientists who developed Gleevec. They relentlessly pursued this drug because they wanted to serve, not because they wanted to get rich quick. These brilliant people were willing to take risks and make personal sacrifices. They stood on the shoulders of decades worth of research, knowledge, and dreams shared by others. They knew occasional failure. But they kept at it. And they won.
So, I have a simple charge for you today: Be like them. Be bold and be humble.
By this I mean, be bold enough to pursue your dreams, to seek out your place in our society and make your mark in this world. But, temper your boldness with the humility to serve others and a greater good.
Take measure of how your bold ambitions will affect others and the quality of life of the community in which you live.
The scientists behind Gleevec were bold enough to pursue treatments for a disease thought to be untreatable. Yet, they were humble enough to know that the true reward for their efforts would not be in their personal gain but in the gain of society as a whole. They were driven by both their boldness and their humility.
Similar inspiration comes from the boldness and humility of those who went before you at this great college. Distinguished alumni such as Dr. Carl O'Hara, who wanted to make an impact in the fight against AIDS. So in the 80s, he coauthored a groundbreaking book on the pathology of the AIDS virus that became an invaluable source of information for the medical community.
Or Kenneth Hackett, who is the head of Catholic Social Services in Baltimore. He is now responsible for the nationwide network of Catholic service agencies that feed the hungry, clothe and shelter the homeless, provide counsel to alcoholics and drug addicts and help little children get a decent start in life.
Or draw inspiration from your fellow students. Surely, sitting near you is one of the 1,200 BC students who gave up fun in the Florida sun this past spring break to serve the needy in places like the Appalachian Mountains and the Haley House soup kitchen in South End. To me, this shows a compassionate spirit that honors the greatest traditions of this university.
These shining lights show there are so many ways to serve, even as you aggressively pursue your careers. Bring that balance into your lives.
From one who has spent his adult life in government, may I suggest that nowhere is your talent more needed, or the reward for service so great, than in government.
We need the best and the brightest in government, whether it be as a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, a policy expert at a state agency or a member of the local school board.
There is so much to learn and gain by serving in government. In fact, let me offer you this recipe for a successful career: Give, at a minimum, two years every decade of your life to government service - at any level, whether full time or part time, elected or unelected.
Doing so will raise your career and your quality of life to heights you never would have imagined. Public service will strengthen your skills, broaden your perspective, and enhance your career advancement. It will make you a better member of your community and a more well-rounded person.
And don't forget to serve those closest to you. Take time. Have fun with your family and friends. When you have children, make sure you give them the same energy and devotion you give your career and others.
The earlier you heed this advice, the fewer regrets you will have when you are older.
Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a remarkable world of discovery. A time when far-off dreams are being transformed into ready-made solutions.
Your Jesuit education prepared you well for the challenges before you and the nation. It has taught you to pursue excellence, but to do so in service to others. To be men and women of conscience.
As St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote: "The more universal the good is, the more it is divine. Therefore preference ought to be given to those persons and places which, through their own improvement, become a cause which can spread the good accomplished to many others who are under their influence or take guidance from them."
This certainly describes Boston College and her graduates.
So be bold and be humble. Go out, grab hold of the world and make a difference. And in doing so, take care to touch gently the face of your fellow man. For that will make the greatest difference of all.
Thank you.
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