Distinguished platform guests, class officers, faculty and staff, parents and friends and members of the class of 2010.
So tonight is the big night. I have to say that this class, of 2010, is probably one of the more talented, both in academics and athletics, than any I have seen at this school. You deserve our applause.
I want to thank the class of 2010 for inviting me to be a part of this special night.
Having kids of my own here at Mahar, I know most of you. I have attended your games, some of you have camped out on my living room floor.
I have written college recommendation letters for a lot of you, So I am honored to be a part of your special ceremony and I want to take advantage of that honor by using my time tonight to speak directly to you and pass along a few thoughts I hope will help you as you begin the next journey of your life.
As you contemplate your future and prepare for the several steps you have yet to take in life, allow yourself to remember all of the people, places and interactions you have had in life.
Your family and friends. Priests or ministers. The staff at Mahar and the friends you have made here.
All of the contacts and experiences you have in life are what weave the fabric of your being.
Who you are, your values, your goals are all influenced by the interactions you have and what you bring away from those interactions.
This goes for past interactions, current experiences and it will apply to all future interactions.
So here is a thought that you can feel free to use whenever you are trying to figure out where you are going and how you are going to get there.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw said this and there is so much wisdom in that short statement.
You do not find values, you form them. You do not find knowledge you aquire it. You do not find character, you build it.
Who you are today you did not find, you are the product of your creation and that creation has its foundation in all of the interactions you have had right here.
Think about your experiences at Mahar. The goal here has been to educate you. To teach you and prepare you for life.
Here you have acquired the knowledge and skills you will need to create yourself: dedication, hard work and self discipline. Here you have been challenged to change and grow.
What is fascinating about today is that this is just the beginning. The job of creating yourself has just begun, and as you leave here, I want you to remember that the process of creating yourself never ends. As long as we experience life, we continue to grow and change. The creation is ongoing.
So as you contemplate your choices and look at all your options, I want to ask you to consider public service as a path toward continuing that creation.
Getting involved in your community is very rewarding. Volunteering, working in the service sector or being in elected office offer ways that we can contribute to our quality of life. It is a way of influencing the creation of others.
I started in public life a month after my college graduation. I accepted a position as a police officer in my community and eventually worked in the criminal justice field for 16 years before changing course. I am now completing four terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
One thing I have learned along the way is that there is no shortage of complainers, but there is a severe shortage of people willing to get involved.
This leads me to the second thought I wanted to share with you. Think about this one. “The world is run by those who show up.”
The first time I heard that I chuckled to myself until I realized how true it is.
Think about local government. Your school committee or board of selectmen. Think about the state House or the White House. Those in charge choose to show up, and now they make decisions that shape our community, our Commonwealth and our country. The question is, will any of you decide to show up?
It is our hope that you will. That is why so many of us in this community worked so hard to build this beautiful academic and athletic facility, so that the many talented students who pass through these doors will be the future leaders of America.
It is our hope that you will be the men and women who will make the right choices, rather than the easy ones. That you will be the ones willing to show up.
Some of you might wonder if these thoughts really apply to you. Can a graduate from a small high school in the tiny town of Orange really do anything that will make a difference?
I had those same thoughts when I sat with my classmates on this stage waiting to receive my Mahar diploma.
Draw inspiration from a story I want to tell you about a man who did make a difference. He is someone you are all familiar with, but none of you know. A man who often inspires me.
He graduated from Orange High School in 1930. He had greater challenges than most of us. He was legally deaf and needed braces on his legs to help him walk.
He went off to college and, despite his handicaps, he excelled , earning his bachelors degree and eventually a law degree. He returned to his small town and taught high school for a time but then decided that he wanted more. He wanted to make people’s lives better.
He was a strong believer in intergenerational responsibility; that is the obligation of each generation to leave our community stronger for the next. He wanted to be one of those people who show up.
He ran for state representative. He lost. But think about it. It is the early 1930’s. He is deaf and struggles to walk.
Many gave him credit for trying and left it at that, but trying wasn’t enough for this young man. He was determined. He ran again for state representative the next available opportunity. He worked harder and longer.. and this time he won.
Now picture his arrival in Boston. He gets off the train, he has difficulty hearing, there are no handicap ramps to ease his steps and he comes from a part of the state where there are more cows than people.
If he was noticed at all it was because the city folks were looking down their noses at him. That was alright. No excuses. He would just work harder than everybody else.
He served in The House of Representatives from 1938 until 1944 when He was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate.
This small town boy was using all he had learned in high school, college and in daily interactions to create himself.
I could keep you here all night listing his accomplishments, instead I will simply tell you that he went on to serve with distinction for 18 years in the Massachusetts Senate rising to the position of Chairman of Senate Ways and Means, arguably one of the three most powerful men in State government.
During that time he wrote and passed the law that created regional schools in Massachusetts and he wrote and passed the law that created the University of Massachusetts.
Think about this for a moment. This one man transformed education in Massachusetts.
Every person who has had the benefit of a good education because they were able to attend a regional school has him to thank,
and nearly 50 years after his death, thousands still benefit from their University of Massachusetts Degree, because he chose to show up and use his leadership and vision to create a state university in Massachusetts.
He was a young man from the small town of Orange. You all know his name, but I would bet most of you did not know his story. He was Senator Ralph C. Mahar.
This high school you are graduating from tonight serves as a monument to Senator Mahar and his dedication to education and to future generations. This school also serves as a monument to you and your potential.
And if you have the opportunity to visit the University of Massachusetts, there is a round building next to the Isenberg School of Management, the Ralph C. Mahar Auditorium. Again, a monument to a great man from a small town who chose to show up.
In 1962, Senator Mahar was the guest speaker at this very podium, talking to the graduates of the high school that had just been named in his honor. He said to them;
“"May you always have faith in yourselves whatever hardships may develop in the years ahead.
May you be individuals in the sense that you make up your minds, that you think straight and that you stand on your own two feet. May you have a sense of social conscience which shows concern for your fellow man.”
He was telling those graduates to create themselves.
When you leave here tonight for the last time, remember the story I have told you. Let nothing hold you back. Be the one willing to show up. Forget about finding yourself, go out there and create yourself…. and with the grace of God and your hard work – I know each of you will create something special.
So tonight is the big night. I have to say that this class, of 2010, is probably one of the more talented, both in academics and athletics, than any I have seen at this school. You deserve our applause.
I want to thank the class of 2010 for inviting me to be a part of this special night.
Having kids of my own here at Mahar, I know most of you. I have attended your games, some of you have camped out on my living room floor.
I have written college recommendation letters for a lot of you, So I am honored to be a part of your special ceremony and I want to take advantage of that honor by using my time tonight to speak directly to you and pass along a few thoughts I hope will help you as you begin the next journey of your life.
As you contemplate your future and prepare for the several steps you have yet to take in life, allow yourself to remember all of the people, places and interactions you have had in life.
Your family and friends. Priests or ministers. The staff at Mahar and the friends you have made here.
All of the contacts and experiences you have in life are what weave the fabric of your being.
Who you are, your values, your goals are all influenced by the interactions you have and what you bring away from those interactions.
This goes for past interactions, current experiences and it will apply to all future interactions.
So here is a thought that you can feel free to use whenever you are trying to figure out where you are going and how you are going to get there.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw said this and there is so much wisdom in that short statement.
You do not find values, you form them. You do not find knowledge you aquire it. You do not find character, you build it.
Who you are today you did not find, you are the product of your creation and that creation has its foundation in all of the interactions you have had right here.
Think about your experiences at Mahar. The goal here has been to educate you. To teach you and prepare you for life.
Here you have acquired the knowledge and skills you will need to create yourself: dedication, hard work and self discipline. Here you have been challenged to change and grow.
What is fascinating about today is that this is just the beginning. The job of creating yourself has just begun, and as you leave here, I want you to remember that the process of creating yourself never ends. As long as we experience life, we continue to grow and change. The creation is ongoing.
So as you contemplate your choices and look at all your options, I want to ask you to consider public service as a path toward continuing that creation.
Getting involved in your community is very rewarding. Volunteering, working in the service sector or being in elected office offer ways that we can contribute to our quality of life. It is a way of influencing the creation of others.
I started in public life a month after my college graduation. I accepted a position as a police officer in my community and eventually worked in the criminal justice field for 16 years before changing course. I am now completing four terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
One thing I have learned along the way is that there is no shortage of complainers, but there is a severe shortage of people willing to get involved.
This leads me to the second thought I wanted to share with you. Think about this one. “The world is run by those who show up.”
The first time I heard that I chuckled to myself until I realized how true it is.
Think about local government. Your school committee or board of selectmen. Think about the state House or the White House. Those in charge choose to show up, and now they make decisions that shape our community, our Commonwealth and our country. The question is, will any of you decide to show up?
It is our hope that you will. That is why so many of us in this community worked so hard to build this beautiful academic and athletic facility, so that the many talented students who pass through these doors will be the future leaders of America.
It is our hope that you will be the men and women who will make the right choices, rather than the easy ones. That you will be the ones willing to show up.
Some of you might wonder if these thoughts really apply to you. Can a graduate from a small high school in the tiny town of Orange really do anything that will make a difference?
I had those same thoughts when I sat with my classmates on this stage waiting to receive my Mahar diploma.
Draw inspiration from a story I want to tell you about a man who did make a difference. He is someone you are all familiar with, but none of you know. A man who often inspires me.
He graduated from Orange High School in 1930. He had greater challenges than most of us. He was legally deaf and needed braces on his legs to help him walk.
He went off to college and, despite his handicaps, he excelled , earning his bachelors degree and eventually a law degree. He returned to his small town and taught high school for a time but then decided that he wanted more. He wanted to make people’s lives better.
He was a strong believer in intergenerational responsibility; that is the obligation of each generation to leave our community stronger for the next. He wanted to be one of those people who show up.
He ran for state representative. He lost. But think about it. It is the early 1930’s. He is deaf and struggles to walk.
Many gave him credit for trying and left it at that, but trying wasn’t enough for this young man. He was determined. He ran again for state representative the next available opportunity. He worked harder and longer.. and this time he won.
Now picture his arrival in Boston. He gets off the train, he has difficulty hearing, there are no handicap ramps to ease his steps and he comes from a part of the state where there are more cows than people.
If he was noticed at all it was because the city folks were looking down their noses at him. That was alright. No excuses. He would just work harder than everybody else.
He served in The House of Representatives from 1938 until 1944 when He was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate.
This small town boy was using all he had learned in high school, college and in daily interactions to create himself.
I could keep you here all night listing his accomplishments, instead I will simply tell you that he went on to serve with distinction for 18 years in the Massachusetts Senate rising to the position of Chairman of Senate Ways and Means, arguably one of the three most powerful men in State government.
During that time he wrote and passed the law that created regional schools in Massachusetts and he wrote and passed the law that created the University of Massachusetts.
Think about this for a moment. This one man transformed education in Massachusetts.
Every person who has had the benefit of a good education because they were able to attend a regional school has him to thank,
and nearly 50 years after his death, thousands still benefit from their University of Massachusetts Degree, because he chose to show up and use his leadership and vision to create a state university in Massachusetts.
He was a young man from the small town of Orange. You all know his name, but I would bet most of you did not know his story. He was Senator Ralph C. Mahar.
This high school you are graduating from tonight serves as a monument to Senator Mahar and his dedication to education and to future generations. This school also serves as a monument to you and your potential.
And if you have the opportunity to visit the University of Massachusetts, there is a round building next to the Isenberg School of Management, the Ralph C. Mahar Auditorium. Again, a monument to a great man from a small town who chose to show up.
In 1962, Senator Mahar was the guest speaker at this very podium, talking to the graduates of the high school that had just been named in his honor. He said to them;
“"May you always have faith in yourselves whatever hardships may develop in the years ahead.
May you be individuals in the sense that you make up your minds, that you think straight and that you stand on your own two feet. May you have a sense of social conscience which shows concern for your fellow man.”
He was telling those graduates to create themselves.
When you leave here tonight for the last time, remember the story I have told you. Let nothing hold you back. Be the one willing to show up. Forget about finding yourself, go out there and create yourself…. and with the grace of God and your hard work – I know each of you will create something special.
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