Schools

Two Trumbull Graduation Speeches: On the Civil War and Facebook

School Board Chairman Ted Lovely and Tim Herbst each offered pearls of wisdom at Tuesday's graduation.

TED LOVELY: 

Mr. Herbst, fellow Board of Education members, Mr. Iassogna, Dr. Tremaglio, House Principals, faculty, members of the Class of 2011, parents, families and friends.  Good afternoon.  This year, 2011, we recognize several events in our national as well as our local history. One hundred fifty years ago the bombing of Fort Sumter in South Carolina brought our country into the Civil War.  Young men from Trumbull, about the same age as the graduates here today, fought with Company F of the Ninth Connecticut Volunteers. Among these Trumbull soldiers were Thomas Burns, Thomas Carney, Franklin Davis, John Devney, Daniel Kane, and many more who risked their lives in that terrible chapter in our Nation’s history.

In June of 1962 at Trumbull High School on Madison Avenue the first graduates of our new high school received their diplomas.  There were 188 graduates that day led by their Class President, Raymond Mattes.  Today, the fiftieth graduating class of 511 graduates, led by President Lily Etemond will receive their diplomas.  So we see three generations of young citizens of Trumbull facing three different stages upon which to begin their adult life’s journey.  Those young men 150 years ago who probably left their parents farms in Trumbull to volunteer to help preserve the Union had probably never left this area before in their young lives.  They, along with other area volunteers from Bridgeport and Monroe trained on the Green in New Haven, boarded a ship and sailed to Maine to pick up more volunteers and then sailed south in the Atlantic round Florida into the Gulf of Mexico to an island off of New Orleans.  The Regiment fought in battles in Baton Rouge, Cedar Creek, Virginia and Peach Tree Creek, Georgia among others. The Civil War claimed 623,000 lives.  Whether or not the young men from Trumbull survived is unknown. But if they did, from those war years of 1861to 1865 they had to endure one of the greatest challenges any generation has had to face.

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The graduates of the Class of 1962 are now close to 70 years old. They, too, have witnessed extraordinary moments in history including the assassination of a President in 1963, the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1975,  and in 1969 the first man to walk on the moon.  As those Trumbull High graduates of a half century ago look back over the years how do they assess their lives? Their accomplishments? Their failures? We can only hope that their lives have been as satisfactory as they had hoped they would be when they stepped forth from this school 50 years ago.

Today the Class of 2011 begins its journey into the future.  What that future holds, of course, is unknown.  We do see our Nation still at war.  We have anxieties over our economy, our environment, and a host of other issues. But if our past is any prelude to our future certainly we have hope for a better tomorrow.  The Civil War veterans from Trumbull, if they survived, would have seen their Town, their State, and their Nation slowly recover, prosper and emerge as the greatest country the world has ever known.  So too, that generation that put a man on the moon witnessed the explosion of scientific advances in medicine, technology and engineering unparalleled in history.  They witnessed also the greatest advances the world has ever seen in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s that the boys in the 1860’s could only imagine when they began that fight 150 years ago.

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So to the Class of 2011 I say dream your dreams, work hard for your goals, have faith in the future, be honest with yourself and others, treat others with respect, and when you look back at your life in the year 2061 I know you will be confident in saying to yourself, “ I am satisfied that I have lived a good life and that I have witnessed extraordinary moments in history.”  

On behalf of the Board of Education Congratulations, may your future be filled with success, happiness and wonderful memories.

TIM HERBST:

Chairman Lovely, Mr. Iassogna, Dr. Tremaglio, Dr. Cialfi,Members of the Trumbull Board of Education, Trumbull staff, parents, family, friends, and most especially,graduates of the Trumbull High School Class of 2011, CONGRATULATIONS!

Each year, a group of Trumbull High School graduates willleave here tonight and enter different branches of ourarmed services. As our nation is still at war half a world away, we honor the sacrifice that these graduates will make as they enter the armed services. As is the practiceof the First Selectman, I would like to recognize these students at this time.

When I call your name, please stand to be recognized:Joe Aloi, United States Navy; Nick Bayuk, United States Air Force; Jonathan Dussan, United States Coast Guard; Jeffrey Liu, United States Military Academy; Aaron Lugo, United States Marine Corps; Rachel Montalvo, United States Marine Corps; Ethan Simmel, United States Navy; Edward Tighe, United States Marine Corps; Giovani Tondereau, United States Marine Corps.

On behalf of a grateful nation, a grateful state and agrateful Town, I thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Be safe. Be smart. On behalf of the Town of Trumbull, I wish you Godspeed. It is truly amazing how much our world has changed these last 13 years. Thirteen years ago, I left at a time of peace and prosperity for our nation. The dotcom boom was in its infancy. Terrorismwas not a global epidemic. People took for granted thefeeling of when times were good

Thirteen years later, our world has certainly changed. The trepidation that many feel over the economy is global. The tensions and conflicts in the Middle East are real. Today, Facebook and Twitter have defined what has becomeknown as social media.

The world is in transition. The direction that we will take depends upon each and everyone of you. The peace that we realized more than a decade ago now finds us in global conflict, defending the very ideals that make this nation such a special place. The prosperity that so many took for granted 13 years ago now hangs in the balance.

Your generation has been called upon to right the ship. Graduates, tonight marks more than just receiving a highschool diploma. Tonight, you will leave here and becomethe source of our nation’s renewal.

Throughout different points in our long history, generations have been called upon to rise to the occasionand make things better. Tonight, your generation hasbeen called upon to rose to the occasion. You representour future. And that future will either preserve or extinguish America as the hope of the Earth.

Tonight, I would like to offer a few words of advice as youlead this renewal. I offer these words not as the FirstSelectman, but as a fellow Trumbull High school alum who wants nothing more than to see you succeed and flourish: Live life with purpose. During your life you will discover the one thing that you can do better than anyone else. Some of you will make this discovery sooner rather than later and some of you will spend an entire lifetime
pursuing that discovery.

Never stop learning and never stop questioning. Whether you realize it or not, your life’s purpose will be an interwoven thread in the quilt of humankind. Make your thread in that quilt stand out.

Have strong relationships with your family and friends. Family is the foundation — it represents a link to our past and a guide to our future. Always maintain a strong relationship with your family. They will be with you through good times and bad.

You’ll also make a lot of friends along the way. To have a friend and to be a friend makes life’s journey so meaningful. Treasure these relationships for the rest of your life and build upon them every day. It’s not about the quantity of friends you have, it’s about the quality of friends you have. If you are lucky to have one good friend in life treasure and respect that friendship. You get what you put into relationships, so always put forth your best efforts.

Learn how to laugh, even when you are having a bad day, stay around people who are happy and have a positive disposition. Not only will it help you deal with stress, but it will help ground you. Laughter will always bring balance to your life. Find happiness by focusing on the things that matter. Happiness is not about material wealth, it is not about status and it certainly isn’t about the big fancy car. Happiness is about loving what you’re doing each and every day.

Mark Twain said it best: “Dance like nobody’swatching; Love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing likenobody’s listening; Live like it’s heaven on earth."

Finally, be socially responsible. Use social media as ameans to affect positive change in our world. So manypeople use the internet to hurt others. Graduates, seize this moment to right our ship by using the captivating power of social media to empower others - to mobilize positive change from the ground up. Each and every one of us has the ability to make a difference and spread constructive words, turning them into action, benefiting society.

We no longer need to be subsidized, sanctioned or ,employed by a major media organization to be heard. Now we can make video, podcasts, and blog...we can"share," "like," and "tell a friend."
The power of technology that we can touch is exponential in its reach —- make a positive difference because now youcan.

All you have in life is your name and reputation. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Remember, your integrity is only compromised by your actions, not by the actions of others.

Graduates, you represent the hope of the Earth. You will lead this nation’s renewal. Trail blaze — open doors — lead  us forward — make us proud. We’re counting on you, because we believe in you.

May God Bless you all and congratulations.


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