ERAU Graduation 2002

The sun rose through the morning fog April 27th, 2002 in Daytona Beach Florida. Remnants of the friday night remained on the beach and several still slept where they flopped on the sand the night before.  It would not be long before graduate number 76

was also awake for they made it clear that all graduates must be on campus by 8:30AM.  Right on schedule the procession began into the field house which was  jam-packed with excited parents and relatives.

As the candidates for graduation entered a few had bent the rules and decorated their mortar boards with little airplanes or circuit cards depending on their major. The more conservative had a logo tie to wear with their honor cords.

The program progressed through the speakers from the college and the guest speaker from UPS. Quotations and eloquent prose filled the time. Even Homer was quoted ....Homer Simpson, that is.

Finally the time came to receive the credentials

and the relief and joy

 of graduating with honors was evident. Many will never know the exact time they walked across the stage.

That was the job of those proudly watching from the audience. By noon the receptions had started. It was a chance to see their buddies for one last time

before all headed out to their own parts of the world. It was also time to check that ever present cell phone and see if more emails had arrived. Time waits for no graduate.