Headmaster to Grads: 'You Have Been Great Leaders'

The Haverford School's headmaster Dr. Joseph T. Cox spoke during the school's 129th commencement ceremony in the its Field House, on Friday, June 7. The text of his speech is below:

(Click here for the text of student body president Michael Green's speech.)

Gentlemen of the Class of 2013, you came together this year on a glorious fall day to celebrate Garrett Grubb’s goal and to defend the sweater; you came together to comfort one of yours who was senselessly assaulted; we heard in numerous reflections how you came together in times of individual need; and, of course, you came together magnificently this past week to support each other and comfort a family who suffered devastating loss. You have been there for each other, and you will be there as time goes on. You give meaning to the cliché, Band of Brothers; you lend dignity to the term, Gentleman’s Club; you have been your best selves when you have been men for others. Everyone here will miss you terribly, but we know that the love you have for each other and this School will sustain you in the years to come.

Your academic qualities and accomplishments are exceptional. Mr. [Neal] Cousins reports that half of you were offered merit and named scholarships for leadership, community service, academic, and athletic excellence. Approximately a fourth of you were offered acceptance to Dean, Trustee, and Presidential Scholarships or entrance to Honors Programs. In what has been statistically another difficult year in college admissions across the country, approximately 60 percent of you were admitted to your first choice college, and over 95 percent were admitted to one of your top three choices. Your hard work and exceptional character has been recognized and rewarded by the colleges you will attend. I don’t have to remind you that more hard work is yet to come, but know your best years are ahead of you. You are well prepared because of the love of your parents and teachers.

Thank you for what you have done here as a class at Haverford. You have been great leaders; you have taken care of each other; and we are going to miss you. We will miss all of your individual idiosyncrasies, your positive school spirit, and your general joyful approach to all that you did. You have been a great class.

You are a special class in my heart, my last at Haverford. You have been everything I would hope for in a young man: caring, hard working, honest, empathetic, wicked smart, and wicked talented. Your selection of student body president and Key Man is metaphorical in that Michael [Green] authentically represents the best you can find in a boy, as do you all. But now we all move on. As we commence our individual journeys away from Haverford, we share a bittersweet anticipation of the next chapters in our lives. We know that this is a time to cherish, but because we know we will never experience these unique Haverford moments again; we don’t want to accept this passing. As you go forward, cherish your best memories of this place, cherish your families and hold them close to you with your appreciative hearts, and cherish your classmates with whom you shared so much. Joe Ehrmann told you earlier this year about the myths of the playing field, the bedroom, and the billfold. You know he is right: life is not about those transient things but about relationships, relationships like the ones you enjoy with those on this stage and in this field house. Come together and celebrate those you love.

Your decency and support of one another have created bonds that will sustain you throughout your lives. Value the relationships you have made, not for what they can do for you, but for the sake of being grounded in what is most important in life. Continue to strive for the prizes that count the most: the respect of your friends, the love of your family, the sense of having used your talents in the service of others, and the knowledge of having done your best. The world needs your great minds and your big hearts more than ever, but remember what distinguished the Class of 2013: your ability to love. I thank you for the small part I have played in your lives and wish you God’s blessings.

Please stand as the Notables lead us in the Alma Mater.

It is with great joy and satisfaction that I declare the 129th session of The Haverford School closed.