<p>altmom - MLK!! I can’t imagine what it would be like to hear him speak! Everytime I read “I Have a Dream”, I just cry.</p>
<p>Are you asking about college commencement speakers? I have no idea. I have three college degrees and took a pass on all of the graduations.</p>
<p>Walter Cronkite - Northwestern</p>
<p>Barbara Bush - before she was First Lady. It was either 1976 or 1979.</p>
<p>Dick Cavett… and his response to a 1992 NYT Op-Ed piece:</p>
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<p><a href=“Naomi Wolf - The New York Times”>Naomi Wolf - The New York Times;
<p>William and Mary - Forrest David Mathers - secretary of Health Education & Welfare. </p>
<p>I had to look it up. I have no recollection of graduation. Now I’m ****ed because I looked at speakers for some other years and saw some interesting people like William F. Buckley, Art Buchwald, Garry Trudeau and Glenn Close.</p>
<p>No idea. It was a woman. I think she had something to do with the college of education? Maybe she was replacing someone who couldn’t make it?
She gave the best kind of speech–a very short one.</p>
<p>Jack Smith. Columnist for the L.A. Times.
Occidental College</p>
<p>I write that with great confidence, but now I wonder- am I making it up?<br>
Seems like we voted on the speaker, and I know I voted for him… I think we voted… </p>
<p>Well, at least I remember the professor that gave me the diploma.</p>
<p>Lee Iacocca</p>
<p>You know, while I didn’t attend my graduation for undergrad school, I think the speaker was Mr. Rogers there as well (anyone know who the Ohio University speaker for 1973 was?). To be honest, I think that was one of the many reasons I didn’t attend. While I would have enjoyed hearing him AFTER I became a parent and my kids watched his show, I found him incredibly dull when I was in college.</p>
<p>HS - local TV anchor guy … he was OK</p>
<p>Undergrad - no idea … obvously made a big impression</p>
<p>Master of Science - Sandra Day O’Connor … actually not a great speaker but it was cool to have her speak</p>
<p>B-School - no idea … another big impression</p>
<p>Originally scheduled - Henry Kissinger.</p>
<p>Protests abound.</p>
<p>Actual speaker - Kingman Brewster.</p>
<p>Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who spoke on “The Decline of the West” Harvard '78. We’d all looked forward to hearing it and everyone I knew hated it. Here’s the text: <a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/harvard1978.html[/url]”>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/harvard1978.html</a></p>
<p>I know Bishop Desmond Tutu was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at my 1982 Columbia graduation, but I can’t remember if he spoke.</p>
<p>thumper1 ~ Wow I was at that graduation (Ohio Univ., 1973). My brother got his BA, however, I couldn’t tell you who the speaker was.</p>
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<p>Ninety percent of my classmates were stoned, drunk, or talking to each other, so I honestly don’t remember. Since I couldn’t really hear the speakers anyway, I doubt that it made much difference who it was.</p>
<p>EDITED: For graduate school, my class decided to hold a graduation just for our school within the University, and invited three students to speak instead of a Big Name. I was asked to be one of the three – a considerable honor that I still look back on fondly. My topic was, “we owe a lot to the families that got us here.” I was insightful, charming and funny. At least, that’s how I remember it.</p>
<p>Pauline Kael, a film critic for The New Yorker. </p>
<p>This was many moons ago, but my recollection is that it was an enjoyable talk. I also recall that Louise Nevelson received an honorary degree.</p>
<p>I have a PhD and never had a commencement speaker.</p>
<p>Sec’y of Education Robert Finch.</p>
<p>Mr Rogers also spoke at BU. It was on the news, when he got up to speak all the students spontaneously stood up and sang the theme song to his show. I had no idea he gave so many graduations speeches.</p>
<p>I’m surprised no one has listed Bill Cosby. I thought that man had spoken at every college in the country.</p>