May 17, 2018 by Edmond Life and Leisure

Page 4 • May 17, 2018 • Edmond Life & Leisure

From the Publisher

Another Master of Science in the family With an incredible amount of pride and about as puffed up as any father can be, I am happy to announce that my daughter has just graduated from Vanderbilt School of Medicine Ray Hibbard with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. The family gathered in Nashville for this great occasion. As puffed up as I might want to be, truth be known she and her brother get their smarts from their mother. He is a mechanical engineer who is completing his master’s in engineering from the University of Arkansas. He works full time and started on his master’s a little later than his sister but he was not going to get out degreed as it were by his sister. They can be on the competitive side and that would be what I brought to the table genetically folks. We Hibbard’s like to win! Commencement at the University of Vanderbilt is a little different than it was at Oklahoma State University where neither of my children went to school. They followed their mother’s footsteps and attended the University of Oklahoma, which is where she received one of her two masters degrees. At Vandy as they say, after the School of Medicine ceremony we were served strawberries and champagne. I don’t think I have seen so many strawberries. It was incredible. I told my daughter that she should finally take her “gap” year. A gap year is what we used to call a sabbatical year. It is a year’s break between a student’s secondary education and when they start their higher education work or college. It is supposed to be aimed at promoting a mature outlook with which to absorb the benefits of higher education. It can also indicate a year before entry into graduate school. My daughter took neither hence her answer was, “Isn’t it too late for that, Dad?” In fact, nobody in our family took a gap year mainly because my dad would have considered it a waste. His

Marine training and upbringing during the Great Depression taught him to advance and take more turf as fast as possible. I lean toward his school of thought but after Lisa and I visited about it a bit, no, she did not take a gap year either, I decided there could be some merit in the idea for certain students. After all, it isn’t meant as a year of sitting around the pool. Activities can range across advanced academic courses, extra academic courses and non academic courses such as pre college math courses, language studies, learning a trade, art studies volunteer work, travel, internships, sports, cultural exchanges and much more. I’m told that such students have improved academically compared to students who didn’t take such a gap year. Most gap years end within three to twelve months. While many parents worry their students will get off track from school if their students take a gap year, 90 percent of students do return to college within that year. The history goes back to 1967 when Project Trust sent its first three volunteers to Ethiopia from the United Kingdom. In 1972, Gap Activity Projects was founded in that country and later renamed Lattitude Global Volunteering in 2008. In the United States, the gap year idea was promoted by Cornelius H. Bull to allow students more time to grow as a person in 1980. I have certainly seen my share of students graduate from high school and start college only to party away that first year. Once they are that far in the hole, students can get discouraged and end up dropping out of college completely never to return. This isn’t good at all. It is frustrating for

the student, parents and the faculty at higher education institutions. They see potential in students and then observe as they fall by the way side. It is expensive as well. Nobody wants to end up with student debt and still no degree. Looking back, I don’t think I could have held any of mine back. They were ready to start that part of their life. Each one had a path they were bound and determined to follow. My only goal was to stay out of their way and just provide them the tools needed to be successful. Watching them each achieve those goals and be successful in life has been a delight as well as a blessing. Vanderbilt’s Chancellor, Nicholas S. Zeppos, did a great job charging the graduating students from all the colleges in his remarks. Speaking at such an event reminds me of the story I was told about when it comes to any public speaking. The advice is to pretend you are the deceased at an Irish wake. It is important you are in the room but nobody expects you to say much. Zeppos’ version of that was when George H. Bush turned to his wife Barbara at a commencement ceremony and asked, “What should I speak about?” Barbara’s answer was “About five minutes.” He told the graduates that if they thought they were done, they were mistaken. In fact, they were just beginning. He asked five things from the graduates as they head into the future. The first was to remember to serve their country. He repeated the charge from President Kennedy who apparently spoke at a Vanderbilt graduation ceremony. He charged the fresh graduates to take the time to give back to a country that had given them the opportunity to accomplish what they wanted and to always remember the debt they owed back. He gave many examples including military service. The second was asking them to please find a way to bring back civil discourse in this country. As college students they were allowed and encouraged to challenge each other, get along with fellow students who had different views, learn how to express

their fact based views and most importantly they understood the need to respectfully listen to the views of others. Zeppos is correct in that the idea of civil discourse has been lost. It is time to bring it back and it starts with all of us. Social media has not been a friend of civil discourse. We must bring it back. The third ask from Zeppos was to stand up for slow. Fake news, social media, instant messaging and more have lead to the loss of enjoying so much that is good in life. He encouraged the student to pause as they go to the next phase of their life, listen to music and sit down and read a real book once in a while. I honestly think the good chancellor is spot on with this one. A university is a place that makes time for such things and students should continue it as they move forward in life. The fourth is to advocate for higher education in this country. Not only in Oklahoma but in other states funding for higher education has been slashed. The results are that it leads to a less prepared work force and is an economic drain on communities. He suggested that they should not pull the ladder up now that they have received their degrees. He added that instead, the graduates should extend a hand down offering to help others obtain their goals in higher education. “Share what you are lucky enough to have obtained,” he suggested. The last ask was to choose optimism in life. He said this one could be all about themselves. He suggested that students should be joyous about their lives and share that with others. It was nice of Zeppos to share those suggestions to the graduates but I think he had a bigger audience in mind. I believe he was speaking to all of us in the crowd who are graduates that may have very well forgotten such things. We still have a responsibility back to our communities no matter how long ago we received our degrees. I can’t speak for the rest of the crowd but I certainly did take it to heart. It was a great message for all of us. (Ray Hibbard may be reached by email at ray@edmondpaper.com)

Check out what’s inside! n n n n n n n n n

Weekend calendar of events ........................................................Page 6. Columnist looks at upcoming state primary ................................Page 8. Dave Farris writes about an FBI coverup ......................................Page 9. OC coach retiring ......................................................................Page 11. Two Edmond School administrators honored..............................Page 12. ROTC students celebrating ........................................................Page 13. George Gust reviews a non-superhero film ................................Page 15. Crossword puzzle........................................................................Page 15. Sr. news ............................................................................Pages 18 & 19.

PHOTO PROVIDED

A Science Museum Oklahoma staff member assists guests with soldering during the 2017 Tinkerfest. Applications are now open for makers, artists, scientists and hobbyists who would like to host a table at Science Museum Oklahoma’s 2018 Tinkerfest, set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the museum located at 2020 Remington Place in Oklahoma City. See story, Page 10.

Find the ‘Rough Cut Swiss’ Rough Cut Swiss, in real life, is located in front of Othello’s Restaurant at the southwest corner of Main and Broadway, but this week it is hidden somewhere in our paper. E-mail contest@edmondpaper.com with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing. Rough Cut Swiss is by artist David Phelps. Phelps is an Oklahoma based sculptor whose work has been featured throughout the state. He is inspired by expansive spaces and hopes his works will inspire meaningful meditation. Said Phelps, “I grew up on a farm in the central valley of California where the fields became an extension of oneself. I continue to live in the wide open spaces of Oklahoma where my sculptural images expand to include their environments as part of the aesthetic experience.”

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