DECEMBER GRADUATION
Ms. Ann Benzel
December 12, 2014
A COMFORTABLE CUP OF TEA “When Catherine McAuley was dying, many of the sisters gathered around her bedside to say good-bye and to pray the prayers for the dying. Not long before she died, at the end of a long day of waiting, she said to one of the sisters: “Be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone.” Ever since, the `comfortable cup of tea’ has been a symbol of the warm and caring relationship at the heart of Catherine McAuley’s Mercy vision.” We have begun a tradition with our December recognition of graduation - each December graduate of Mount Aloysius College is invited to take with them tonight a simple commemorative gift marking the Mercy spirit and the legacy of hospitality continually offered by Catherine McAuley even to this day – a comfortable cup of tea. You will find the cups displayed on the table opposite the Cosgrave meetings rooms. May the gift be a reminder of your participation in the story of hospitality and mercy which inspires this institution.
Opening Prayer delivered by Sr. Helen Marie Burns, RSM– Vice President of Mission Integration Our graduates this afternoon understand the message of this Advent season: promises are fulfilled through steadfast pursuit and quiet faithfulness. Rejoice then, graduates; your time has come – your anxious hopes and worried anticipations have been fulfilled! We pray as we go forth from this event to be more in touch with the grand vision of this season of birth and redemption and abundant good life. In our many pursuits help us to be more conscious of the ways in which we can use our knowledge and skills to serve. In the tradition of Mercy, instill in us an ardent desire to reach out to those in need especially those forgotten, left behind, wounded, and those who need to “dream again.” We seek to show our gratitude for gifts received by the pursuit of excellence and the incorporation mercy, justice, hospitality and service into our lives. Help us to be at home with ourselves as our growth brings change – and to be attentive always that our growth tends always toward a good life for ourselves and for others. Loving God, you invite us to share in the abundance of your vision for humankind. Help us begin today in this time, among these companions our own journey. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
MS. ANN BENZEL
Board of Trustees
I am delighted to be here and to be a part of this very special event. When Dr. Foley asked me to join you this evening, I felt quite honored and then I must confess the panic set in as I continued to ask myself what would I speak about? Quite frankly, when I first sat at my computer, I began to stumble with fear and a lot of uncertainty. The only subject I speak of frequently and hopefully with some authority relates to the Arts and I am quite sure that is not what you want to hear about this evening. I must also admit that over the course of my life I have heard more than my share of bad speeches. The last thing I want to do is deliver a speech that will put you to sleep. I know that I have on occasion been forced to tune someone out, mentally compile my grocery list or sit there thinking, “someone please shut her or him up already.” Hopefully none of that will happen here. I am well aware that this is a very special evening. You are about to embark on an incredible journey, the journey of the rest of your life. You deserve something special so I am going to talk a lot about you and a few significant others and very little about me or the Arts and hopefully I can hold your attention and share with you something you deem worthwhile and fitting for the occasion.
I do not come from the world of academia. Actually, I come from the other side of this mountain, Northern Cambria or Barnesboro as it was called when I was growing up. My father was a coal miner. Life was a struggle financially for my family. As a young child, I often found my milk money under couch cushions. The aspiring goal for most of my neighbors was to find a way to get on “comp.” Not many of us took the SAT’s and we never heard a word about or understood the meaning of community service. Paul Ryan states “that the condition of your birth doesn’t determine the outcome of your life.” I must admit that today I am often reminded of how much of my life seems like a dream. But I can assure you a
lot of hard work and unshakable determination went in to achieving that dream or perhaps I should say achieving the Good Life or the life as I now know it, the life that pleases and satisfies me immensely, the life that allows me to practice the art of giving back, the life that in many ways outwitted what could have been my earlier fate; the Good Life I so wish for each and every one of you. You have just spent a good number of years studying. You have had some of the area’s finest professors at your disposal. You are leaving a college whose mission and values have hopefully instilled within each of you all the tools you require to go forth and succeed at a higher level.
You have volunteered. You have sacrificed. You have made incredible strides academically and intellectually. Now, most of you will be navigating the world by yourself in a different way with no coaching from faculty or counselors. Hopefully many of you have or will have a job to go to which will be rich and satisfying, or you will be moving on to continue your studies but I can assure you this is not enough, not enough to insure that you will live and experience the Good Life, a life which will fill you with tranquility and bestow upon you inner peace. That is what I hope to share with you this evening, some well-learned tips or a simple “to do” list to ease you on your way in attaining or retaining the Good Life upon gradua-
tion this evening. When we last gathered together at Convocation in September, President Foley and our speaker Fr. Byron elaborated on defining the Good Life. I probably should have stopped with that but I could not resist taking the opportunity to ask a number of people around me for their definition of the Good Life. The responses reminded me a lot of my time working in the elementary school system many years ago when I was heavily involved with the Great Books program I found that it is all a matter of interpretation and while Fr. Byron’s definition “a life lived generously in the service of others” sums it up, I was intrigued by what I learned from others in how one goes about find-
ing and keeping the Good Life front and center. I would like to share some of those responses with you. As we age we better appreciate the well-timed or inopportune nature of most things—so says my next door neighbor. I find him to be an amazing man, 89-years old, still quite a physical specimen, great build, thick grey hair and still sharp as a tack. You probably would have referred to him as a “hunk” in his earlier days, I am sure. I know he has lived a long and healthy life….. he tells me it is the Mediterranean diet he follows….but I was curious if he believed he had lived a good life and if so how did he achieve this. For my neighbor, it was and still is all about working hard, doing anything he set his mind to. He grew up in some very demanding times, cutting wood, picking coal along the railroad tracks for cooking and for warmth, often going home to little or no food. His focus was on finding and maintaining daily work. He shared with me that while it was a very hard life early on, yes it was a good life, a life enriched by working hard, achieving goals, a happy marriage and realizing one’s dreams and today an even better life as he has the time to reflect upon sharing what little he had with others who were in the same predicament. I asked him for some specifics to share with you and he responded “that you should be patient and persevere, that you should be thinking I can and not, I cannot, that you should understand that obstacles are part of the game and there is great joy to be found in overcoming them. You should believe in yourself, learn to relax and
learn to accept failure. You do not live the Good Life overnight nor do you lose sight of it with one major setback.” I tried to summarize all of this for you and came up with something I really believe in: Hard work is the magic potion which almost inevitably leads to the Good Life. My next outreach was to my sister and I knew I risked being chastised for even bringing up the subject of the Good Life to her. She has undergone three kidney transplants and struggles each day with getting out of bed as her bones have become brittle and have deteriorated from years of strong drugs and medication. I thought I knew my sister well until we had this conversation. I know she is strong
with all she has endured. I also know her to be angry for all she has endured. However, she shared with me that each day, though tiring and challenging, is fulfilling to her. She has fully come to terms with her unfortunate life and accepts that she does not have a very good handle on her future, but she likes what she sees when she looks in the mirror—and that scars on her midsection or wrinkles on her face are not considered character defects in her eyes. She is truly kind, generous and spiritual, although I might add the word “sometimes” to that statement. I asked her, too, to share something I might share with you and she suggests that you take into consideration that while life may not be easy at times, it is important to understand who we are. It is important to take some time for self-examination and reflection. It is important to have compas-
sion for others. It is important to remain a work in progress never compromising your principles and remember your life’s course is up to you. Never take a day for granted and never, ever think of dumping this responsibility or blame on to someone else. I could probably argue this point with her as well but instead I condensed her thoughts and came up with: The Good Life is your responsibility and your’s alone. Several weeks ago I came across the obituary for Ben Bradlee. Many of you may be too young to remember him but Bradlee was the editor of the Washington Post, one of the most celebrated newspaper editors of our time. I decided to seek out a copy of his memoirs when I found the book was aptly titled, “A Good Life.” I found much of what I gath-
ered fascinating and insightful and I would like to share some of those thoughts with you along with my personal thoughts and reflections as you begin to engage your new found responsibilities. Much about life today often seems out of control. There are a lot of unsolved problems in this world—be it ebola, ISIS, poverty, ignorance, or prejudice, as well as finding employment, caring for one’s family or managing one’s finances. How we handle these and other challenges weighs heavily in our hands. I urge you to take a deep breath and confront your challenges head on. Be willing to try again and again. Work overtime and learn from past mistakes. Always be ready to learn and make your way forward to achieving your goals. I have found that lifelong learning is like having your very own magic wand. In other words, to live the Good Life, you must learn to plan and respond accordingly when those plans go awry.
You don’t want to have to alter what you see when you look in the mirror. Learn to love what you see and be who and what you love. Come to fully understand the things that matter like friendship, support, and loyalty. Be generous in sharing. Visit your inner self. Seek out your strengths, your weaknesses and your desires. Come to know them intimately and act upon each accordingly. A long, long time ago I once had a teacher who told me to pick out not the person I most admired but the person I most did not want to be like and to keep this person in mind as I moved forward with my life, a reverse of what we are accustomed to hearing but a powerful tool nonetheless. The Good Life is being true to one’s self. I spoke with a number of others (including a few of this evening’s graduates) and several freshman students I had the pleasure of meeting recently.
I had only one major disappointDon’t be afraid to demand a lot ment in all of my conversations from yourself. Continue to surprise and I am sad to share with you yourself. Eleanor Roosevelt once that it came from my 17-year old said it is important to do something grandson. He was the only person every day that scares you. I admit I spoke with who placed a dollar I have scared the hell out of myself sign in front of his interpretation on numerous occasions and I hope of the Good Life. He did, however, you do too. Continue to challenge redeem himself slightly when he yourself. Create your own legacies. explained that money would allow Define your success. Ride that him to reach out and help others. I roller coaster of life with all the gus- will most definitely deal with him to you can muster and by all means further right after the holidays or step outside your comfort zone as perhaps, better yet, just remove often as possible as you seek out that dollar sign altogether from his new and exciting experiences. holidays. Remember, the Good Life is living a life that fascinates even you.
Perhaps the message here is:
Being stupid can be very expensive. I could go on and on but I recognize that in doing so what I hope you consider a good speech could easily turn into a bad speech. I know that what I have shared with you has been said before. What I am hoping, however, is that should you encounter stumbling blocks moving forward, you will recall something which was said this evening and that that something will aid you in your journey. I have been blessed in so, so many ways. I haphazardly found a career that allows me to also focus on extracurricular activities that are very important to me. I have my health, abundant energy, a wonderful family and treasured friends. I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Mount Aloysius College, working with Dr. Foley, the board, and the staff and I have had the wonderful experience of sharing this evening with you. While I may not know each of you personally, I do know you. I know what the Mount Aloysius student stands for and I have the greatest respect for you. You have made my Good Life an even richer life and I thank you for this. In closing, it is my wish that the Good Life will endow you with inner peace, good health, prosperity and happiness. As we approach the holiday season, let your good deeds be your most cherished adornment. Thank you for allowing me to join you on this momentous occasion.
DR. TOM FOLEY
President, Mount Aloysius
Thank you to our Associate Deans, Drs. Zukowski, Haschak and Anderson, for your gracious oversight of today’s festivities. Thank you Ann Benzel, for sharing your own remarkable life story; thank you for your thoughtful and personal remarks to our graduates here today; thank you for embracing our theme The Good Life. Thank you Dr. Lovett and your staff for organizing this ceremony and for the role you played in their matriculation and today their graduation. And thank you to our faculty, who more than anyone else at the College, helped all of you make it to this wonderful day. Graduates, as you leave the College tonight and accept positions as fully credentialed professionals, we hope that as Mount Aloysius alums, you will remember those other parts of your education here—education not just about how to earn a living but education on how to live a life. They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world—someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. One of my wife Michele’s favorite authors, Anna Quindlen, puts it another way. She says—“Don’t ever confuse your life with your work... the second is only part of the first.” There are tons of people with the same degree that you have as of today, and maybe tons more with the same job that you will have. But
you are the only person alive who has full custody of your life—your own particular, special, remarkable and individual life. Your entire life—not just your life in the emergency room, or the classroom, or the rehab center or the office. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just the size of your bank account, but the measure of your soul. You alone have full custody of these things that I talk about.
a “profession well practiced,” out with you into your world—and let others admire and learn from your example.
Our mission at Mount Aloysius is not simply to prepare you for a job, but to help prepare you for life. It is no accident that you heard the college statement of philosophy so often while you were here. One more time:
And that is the complete message of your education here at Mount Aloysius College—that you have the talent to make a difference in your work, in your life and in the lives of those around you. Never doubt it, because each one of you already proved it to the faculty and your advisors here on this campus. You brought hope with you when you first came onto this campus, and now you take hope back out into the world with you as you leave.
“Mount Aloysius College provides a setting in which students are encouraged to synthesize faith with learning, to develop competence with compassion, to put talents and gifts at the service of others and to begin to assume leadership in the world community.” You have all done some of that during your time here, or you wouldn’t be sitting here as graduates. Your challenge is to take those lessons about a “life well lived,” as well as
As future leaders in the professions you will serve, as role models in the settings in which you work and as active-duty citizens in the neighborhoods, towns and communities in which you will live, you have the chance to make a difference—in work and in life.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel likes to say that “God made man (and woman) because he loves stories.” Go out and write your stories. And while you’re at it, in the words of a certain famous radio “companion”—“be well, do good work and keep in touch.”
Ann Benzel currently serves as President of Benzel’s Pretzel Bakery, Inc. a fourth generation family business in operation since 1911. Ann has a long, impressive and diverse history of community service. Well known for work on the restoration of the historic Mishler Theatre, she is one of the only two people in Pennsylvania to chair both the Governor’s Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. She also served as board chair of the Altoona Public Library and Altoona Regional Health System’s Foundation for Life, and as a past board member of the Home Nursing Agency, Bon Secours Hospital, St. Francis University, Altoona Blair County Development Corporation, the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation, and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (Baltimore, MD). She currently serves on the Boards of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Blair County Arts Foundation, Citizens for the Arts (Harrisburg, PA), UPMC Altoona Health System, UPMC Altoona Health System Foundation for Life, and Mt. Aloysius College. In 2002, she was named by Governor Schweiker as one of Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Women in Business. In 2007, she received the Philanthropy Award from Central PA Community Foundation. In 2013, she received the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Distinguished Service in Humanities Award (presented by First Lady Susan Corbett). Among many other honors, Ann was named Trustee of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Library Association, and an Angel of the Arts by the Blair County Arts Foundation. She also received the VITA Award from WQED and the Athena Award and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary. An avid gardener and devoted grandmother, Ann enjoys reading and playing tennis. She resides in Hollidaysburg with her husband, Bill.