I’m Awarded

What a weekend.  I still have a lingering headache–could be muscle stress or alergies–but even that doesn’t diminish from how great this last weekend was for me.

I was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award at the 2013 commencement excercise of Alma Mater U.  I’m not sure exactly why I’m hesitent to share the name of my alma mater, but I am, so it will be AMU for now.

I was very honored to have been selected to receive this award, but I was pretty much ho-hum about the whole thing until the drive up to AMU.  I realized that I was taking the whole thing much more seriously when I felt anxious–not exactly nervous but more like I’d had too much coffee, and I don’t drink coffee. 

We arrived just before the morning commencement finished up, and I peeked into the gym and I was quite impressed by how little it resembled a gym.  I graduated from the same place and my memory is that the graduates were all seated on uncomfortable folding chairs on the gym floor with a three foot high, bare stage at one end of the space.  Very bright and just like having graduation from the floor of a gym.  But this Saturday?  The lighting was subdued and the stage was a multi-tiered set-up with cloth covering and special lighting.  It was a nice graduation space.

There was a lunch laid out for the faculty and administrators (and Mrs. Ender and me) before the afternoon’s commencement.  They had nearly 800 graduates this year, the largest graduating class ever, and they had to break it into two ceremonies, the schools of Liberal Arts and (something–have to look at the program) in the morning and the schools of Business and Education in the afternoon.  During lunch I heard for the first time the process that was used to select me for the award, and I was even more anxious as a result.  First, someone had to nominate me, then my name was added to the pool of candidates for the award, then a board made up of faculty, alumni, administrators and students selected the award winners, one of each of the two ceremonies.  I was the "overwhelming" favorite of the selction committee–gulp!

I was gowned up and I marched in with the faculty and administrators and took my place with the "president’s party" on the stage.  Mrs. Ender was escorted to the "VIP seating" on a cushioned chair in the front row of the floor seats.  When the graduates marched in–I swear I never heard "Pomp and Circumstances," but Mrs. Ender assures me that it was being played the entire time–I realized how important that day was, if not for me then for the graduates.  This was the cumulation of four or more years of work, all with the goal of being in those seats on this day.

The President gave the address, no celebrity or famous speaker, and it wasn’t a long, boring repetition of "go off and do good works" type of speech.  He drew parallels to "The Great Gatsby," not the movie but the book, and it really worked well.  Then a graduate from each of the schools (Business and Education) gave a short speech and struggled to not cry, and that reminded me again of how important this was to all the graduates.

Then it was my turn.  The Vice President of University Advancement started with a description of the award–and I realized that I really did meet the criteria–and then asked me to step up to the podium while she introduced me and the short biography that described what I was selected.  I didn’t tear up, probably because I was in awe that they picked me.  I am not sure that I have ever been more honored.  I accepted the award, a (real) glass plaque inscribed with my name and the date, and posed for some pictures and then I think I walked back to my seat.  I say ‘I think’ because I don’t remember anything until I was sitting and the VP had returned to her seat beside me.  Maybe I blushed myself into functional unconsciousness?

We all sat through the hooding of the Masters’ recipients and the roll call for the bachelors’ degree recipients.  It was a bit long, but the VP and I spent some of the time discussing some of the things going on with the Foundation and the Alumni Association.  I’m not sure, and I’m probably reading more into this than is really there, but I think I might be on the short list to get named to the Foundation’s Steering committee.  Wow!

After that, Mrs. Ender and I headed back to the car–I nearly dropped the award and reminded myself that it was glass and would shatter–and then drove home.  We did stop for early dinner, with pie for dessert, at Weaver’s.

On the job front.  Nothing yet.  My best chance of staying with my current employer should be coming up toward the end of this week.  I realized today that I really, really want this opportunity to work out so I don’t have to train anyone on what I currently do–and I don’t want to have to pack up the remaining personal items in my cube.

Mrs. Ender has been trying really hard to get me to start using Facebook.  I explained that I have had an ID for a long time, but I just never used it.  I might be using it more, now.  I feel like I am the last person in the world to actually start using Facebook and that’s just sad.

Other than that.  I’ve got nothing.  Oh, wait, here’s a blurry photo of me about to receive my award.  This came off a camera phone from a bad angle.  I should have the professional version soon.  Did I mention  how honored I am/was/will always be to receive this award?  I should try to get a photo of the award itself, assuming I can do so without dropping it.

Ender is out.