Yesterday was supposed to
be commencement at Marist College. It was a rainy day, but overall not
terrible. Would have been great to stand out there in the rain one more time
for these very special men and women. Sadly, it didn’t happen. We will never forget the Class of 2020, that's for sure. Marist’s president, Dr.
Dennis Murray, has pledged to the Class of 2020 that there will be a commencement
in their future. I believe him and I believe he has strong empathy for this
graduating class. His leadership through this crisis has been, as expected, outstanding.
Earlier in the week, I got an email asking me to contribute to something called
a “Kudoboard” to honor the Class of 2020. Neat idea! I hope the graduates
appreciated the thoughts of faculty, staff, etc. Below is my contribution to
the messages that were compiled.
To the Class of 2020 at
Marist College: You are now Forever Foxes.
No pandemic, no dastardly virus, can ever take that away from you. You are joining a truly special group of alums, Marist alums. Make an effort to stay connected to each other. You can do it, you should do it, you WILL do it. Forever Foxes.
No pandemic, no dastardly virus, can ever take that away from you. You are joining a truly special group of alums, Marist alums. Make an effort to stay connected to each other. You can do it, you should do it, you WILL do it. Forever Foxes.
Dr. Murray always likes
to point out that "commencement" literally means a beginning and not
an ending. Take this beginning and run with it. You're all entering a turbulent
world. But your foundation is strong and it is solid, because of your time here
at Marist College. Always remember that. You can withstand any hardships, adapt
to any new realities. Forever Foxes.
To my Running Red Foxes,
the men and women of the cross country/track program's Class of 2020. You are
our sons and our daughters, and we love you unconditionally. Forever Foxes.
Honoring you all virtually is very nice but it does not replace a smile and a hug (even a socially distanced hug), the eye-to-eye contact in the fresh air that you so deserve, and not in some Hollywood Squares-like Zoom call. Hopefully, we'll do that at some point in the future. For now, for always, remember: You are Forever Foxes.
Coach Pete Colaizzo (Class of 1986), Director of Track/Cross Country, Marist College
Honoring you all virtually is very nice but it does not replace a smile and a hug (even a socially distanced hug), the eye-to-eye contact in the fresh air that you so deserve, and not in some Hollywood Squares-like Zoom call. Hopefully, we'll do that at some point in the future. For now, for always, remember: You are Forever Foxes.
Coach Pete Colaizzo (Class of 1986), Director of Track/Cross Country, Marist College
No comments:
Post a Comment