SHS 2013 Graduation Address: Simsbury Dreams by Conor Lyman

About 70 years ago, just down the road, a teenager, like countless others, was welcomed into our community. Eventually, he would become a leader for social advancement and change the world. As you may know, Martin Luther King Jr., was once a part of our town. In the summers of 1944 and 1947, Dr. King, like us, was a teenager living in Simsbury. Unlike the claims that George Washington spent nights at Pettibone’s Tavern, King’s time here was not merely a stopping point; this town truly had an impact upon him and motivated him to better the lives of people the world over. When Dr. King came to Simsbury to work on the tobacco fields, he saw what it meant to be free. From the letters he wrote home to his family we learn that here in Simsbury Dr. King was astounded to find he could walk into a drug store and have a milkshake at the counter, that he could play baseball with other teenagers and not have to worry about what race they were. Simsbury didn’t think much about it, but he did.

While in Simsbury, Dr. King also had his religious calling. On his application to the ministry King writes that it was during his summers here that he had a sudden urge to serve others. He saw that he wanted to make a difference, that if he could be free in Simsbury why couldn’t he and everyone else be free back home?

Now, I’m not going to stand before you and say I understand Dr. King’s struggles, because I don’t. But what I do know is that the town that we live in shaped a man when he was our age to become a leader for social change. When he was simply Martin Luther King, Jr at 17 years old, he found something in Simsbury that put him on a path to better humanity. What could have been so special about Simsbury to ignite such a desire to help and change the world? What could he have found in only two summers’ time? We have all been a part of this community for longer than two summers, what have we seen? I have been here for 8 years and I know there are times when I have taken the world we live in for granted, and I’m sure many here have done the same. But what if we took a step back, what if we all paused to think about what our community has given us. I am confident we would all find much to take with us to the next phase of our lives, so that we too may bring good to others.

We have been fortunate to live in a community which promotes the exploration of individuals’ interests and encourages people to work together to achieve goals. At Simsbury High, we have all benefited from educational opportunities and an educational system that sets high expectations and helps us reach those goals, no matter how lofty. We have been provided an unlimited number of resources to aid our academic careers; teachers, counselors, and other staff have always been willing to answer our questions and help us improve ourselves. Beyond academics, we have all been blessed with a community full of individuals who are both accepting and supportive. Every time one of us has been passionate about something, there has been someone in our community supporting our endeavors. And those helpers, those mentors in our lives have always accepted our passions.

Soon, we will all be leaving Simsbury High School in pursuit of our own dreams. By the time King left Simsbury as a young adult, he had formed the foundation of a dream, upon which he built himself into a global leader - the renowned Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While we do not all need to become global leaders, we have an obligation to pursue our goals with the same tenacity and dedication as Dr. King did. He taught us that people with a Simsbury background can accomplish anything. Fellow graduates, we recognize and thank Simsbury for all it has given us; now we must use what we have learned and fight to make our own dreams a reality.