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Stockbridge School awards 110 degrees

Patrick J. Callahan
News Office Staff
The Campus Chronicle

Associate's degrees were conferred on 110 students in six majors as the Stockbridge School of Agriculture held its 81st Commencement on May 24 in Bowker Auditorium.

Chancellor John V. Lombardi told the graduates that the Stockbridge School of Agriculture "stands at the center of our landgrant mission." Lombardi said the school is filled with energetic students and faculty and noted that since the founding of the University, "graduates of the school have helped keep the flame of our land-grant school alive."

"Think big. Dream big. And remember that you are the architect of your destiny." NANCY L. GARRABRANTS, DIRECTOR OF THE STOCKBRIDGE SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE

Keynote speaker Kevin John Hollister, a member of the Stockbridge Class of 1978 and a University alumnus, told the graduates that much has happened to him since he earned his associate's degree in Landscape Operations 25 years ago. He said he worked at various nurseries around New England and New York and loved his work. After an industrial accident in 1986, he returned to UMass where he earned a B.S. in Urban Forestry and a vocational teaching certificate in 1991. "As you go through life, you will experience changes," Hollister said. "You've got to look for the good in things. If you're unhappy with what you are doing, change it. Life is too short to dawdle." He urged graduates to maintain a strong family life and to get involved with their local communities. Hollister recently changed careers again and is a substitute teacher in the Colrain K-6 school system where his three children attend.

Nancy L. Garrabrants, director of the Stockbridge School, presided at the ceremonies. Cleve E. Willis, dean of the College of Natural Resources and the Environment, told the graduates, "Congratulations. Celebrate in moderation. Keep in touch."

Garrabrants told the graduates that although they have already accomplished much, their lives will be even busier and more full of challenges in years to come. "Think big. Dream big. And remember that you are the architect of your destiny," she advised the graduates.

Several students also received awards during the program, including the John W. Denison and Roland H. Verbeck awards, and the members of the LEAR Society, the Stockbridge honor society, also were recognized.

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