5 minute read
The power of COMMUNITY
Graduates urged to live united
They were not going to be denied.
Though light rain plagued the opening of Commencement for the Class of 2024, the clouds parted just as the awarding of degrees began. For students whose high school graduations were altered—or canceled—by the COVID pandemic, it was a fitting tribute to their resilience.
“I am immensely proud of your hard work and perseverance in earning your degree,” President Susanna Baxter told the group as the ceremony began.
And she reminded them that, “Supporting you on your educational journey has been a village of caring people,”—a theme reinforced by the others who addressed the graduates.
Enriching others’ lives
Lindsey Green, the senior who received the Waights G. Henry Jr. Leadership Award, urged her peers to take the influence of their teammates, professors and classmates with them.
“I hope we find comfort in the fact that nothing is over and things are just changed, and we now have the opportunity to play that role in enriching other people’s lives,” she said. “Today it is not just the Class of 2024 graduating, it’s all of us in this stadium because without the love and concern that each person here has shown us, none of us would be here today.”
In his commencement address, Dr. Zach Taylor III ’77, Georgia Public Health District 2 Director, told the graduates to never lose sight of the power of community.
“The pandemic brought us closer together despite the physical distance that sometimes separated us,” he said. “It reminded us of the strength that lies in unity, solidarity and collective action. Nurture and cherish these bonds for it is through collaboration and cooperation that we will overcome any obstacle that may come our way.
“It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day requirements of modern life and lose sight of who you are and who you want to become. Find your purpose and passionately invest yourself in that purpose.”
Honoring public servants
During the ceremony, honorary doctorates were awarded to Dr. Jim Bruce and former LaGrange Mayor Dr. Willie T. Edmondson.
Dr. Bruce is a retired orthopedist who dedicated his time and energy to caring for LaGrange College student-athletes and Troup County residents for over 30 years.
He founded Orthopedic Clinic of West Georgia in LaGrange in 1982 and then, along with Dr. Daniel Guy and Dr. Robert Comerford, established the Southern Center for Orthopedics in 1995. He joined Emory Healthcare in 2011 and continued to practice orthopedic surgery and sports medicine in LaGrange until his retirement in 2017.
At LaGrange College, he serves on the Board of Trustees and held the role of president of the Leadership Council from 2003-2004. He received the Honorary Alumni Award in 2013.
Dr. Bruce is senior vice chair for the board of Local Hope, a nonprofit organization that provides education and healthcare in the Highlands of Guatemala. He also serves as chair of the organization’s Healthcare Excellence Committee and its Local Hope Forever endowment campaign. Dr. Bruce also volunteers with Faith in Practice, a medical mission to Antigua, Guatemala.
The late Rev. Edmondson passed away in February of 2024 and was honored posthumously. He was a dedicated public servant who faithfully served the city of LaGrange for over two decades, first as a councilmember and then as mayor.
A native of Antioch, north of LaGrange, Dr. Edmondson worked as a nurse at City County Hospital (now Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center) before he was called to serve as a pastor, a role he held at Bethlehem Baptist Church in West Point, Georgia, for 40 years.
Dr. Edmondson was also a business owner who acquired Lakes-Dunson-Robertson Funeral Home in 2002 after several years working there, caring for families in their time of bereavement.
He pursued studies at Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta and Jehovah Jireh Seminary in Alexander City, Alabama, where he earned a doctorate in World Missions and Apologetics.
Dr. Edmondson began serving as LaGrange’s District 2 councilmember in 1998 and was elected as the city’s first African American mayor in 2023. During his tenure, he helped bring important economic and community development projects to LaGrange. Some notable initiatives include The Thread, Great Wolf Lodge, the Downtown Corridor and the redevelopment of the Griggs Recreational Center.
During the ceremony, the Distinguished Service Alumni Award also was presented to Greg Wright ’88. (See the story on page 19.)
