Remarks--Richard Crespin

GW Alumni Association President Richard Crespin, B.A. '93

GW Commencement on the National Mall
Washington, DC
May 18, 2008

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If you are already an alum of the George Washington University, please stand so that we may recognize you.

Ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class:  I am Richard Crespin and I am the President of the George Washington Alumni Association.  On behalf of these alumni here gathered and on behalf of the nearly 220,000 living alumni around the world, it is my privilege to congratulate you today on the fulfillment of a dream.

The funny thing is that some of you think that it's your dream, perhaps a dream that you conceived of a few years ago when you first set foot on campus or were first accepted to the University.  A few of you may think that it's your parents' dream or your family members or loved ones who have come here to see you complete this journey. 

But the truth is that today you complete a dream far older, the dream of one man, this nation's first President, who looked out on what was then a young, fragile republic and saw that a national university in the nation's capital could bring together the youth of that nation and they together could build a more perfect union.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, you are gathered from all parts of this country and from all parts of this world, and today you go forth fulfilling that man's dream.  After today you will go on to live new lives and do great things, and no matter where you go or what you do, you always carry with you the dream that is the George Washington University.

We, the alumni of GW, are the physical manifestation of that dream, and as such we have a special obligation, an obligation to each other, to draw each other closer together as that lifelong and worldwide community that Chairman Ramsey referenced, to draw in so doing closer this country, and to draw closer this entire world.

As the President of your Alumni Association, allow me to congratulate you on joining your worldwide family and be the first to welcome you as alumni and to challenge you to stay connected to each other, to your worldwide family, and to this institution, because, ladies and gentlemen, wherever you go, whatever you do in life, you will always be alumni of the George Washington University.  Congratulations.