Alumni share thoughts at winter Commencement

January 18, 2009

CALIFORNIA, Pa. (Jan. 18, 2010)...

Inspiration and advice from three distinguished alumni highlighted Cal U's 169th Commencement.

President Angelo Armenti, Jr. conferred degrees on more than 1,200 graduates, including students whose diplomas were awarded in absentia.

"This is your University. For all time to come, California will be your alma mater, and you will always be welcome here," President Armenti said.

"I invite you to return often and to keep in touch with us. Be sure to let us know about your life after you leave here. Please know that California University of Pennsylvania is extremely proud of you and your accomplishments."

Richard Sabo '55 addressed the master's degree candidates on Dec. 18, and Jerry Salandro '70 delivered remarks Dec. 19 at the undergraduate event.

Before the undergraduates received their diplomas, Provost Geraldine Jones introduced Carol B. Mitchell '72, '75, who was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Mitchell is president and chief executive officer of Verland, a nonprofit parent company whose subsidiaries serve more than 200 people with disabilities.

In her address, Mitchell gave a moving account of how her relationship with David, a young boy with severe intellectual disabilities, inspired her life's work.

"David and his friends lived such inhumane lives in such appalling conditions ... that I instinctively knew what Verland should be like," she said. "Today, all Verlanders live lives of dignity with appropriate support in beautiful, comfortable homes.

"I hope my life's work gives enough credit to Cal U," said Mitchell, who was visibly moved by the honor. "This is a dream come true, and I will continually strive to more worthy of this very special degree."

In their speeches, both Sabo and Salandro touched on our country's unprecedented freedoms and its recent economic struggles.

Sabo, who retired in 2006 as the assistant to the CEO of Lincoln Electric, wove his address around a series of four-letter words - free, love, hear, pray, goal, work, save and give.

"I hope to be more practical than profound," he said, noting that the United States has the only Constitution in the world that protects its citizens from the federal government.

"I have learned that personal experience and human relationships, both in your personal and professional life, are what is going to carry you. The road to success is always under construction. A marvelous way to learn is to listen, but I would like to add that if you hear, you will learn even more."

Sabo, a former Vulcan football player, echoed President Armenti's frequent call to "pay it forward," and he asked the master's degree candidates never to stop learning. 

"The secret to happiness is to give, and the essence of giving is to serve," he said. "Learn as if you are going to live forever, and live as though you are going to die tomorrow."

Salandro, founder and CEO of Iris Technologies, urged the graduating class to take full advantage of the opportunities this country offers and to remember those who sacrificed for it.

"Tough times never last, but tough people do," he said. "You are making history by being a part of this great country, where millions of people came before you and paid a price ... for your rights to freedom and peace. We can never forget those people."

He also reminded the graduates to be grateful for those who helped them reach this milestone.

"When you were born, your parents looked at you and wanted you have things better," he said. "That's because we live in America, where dreams are made."

While congratulating graduates at both ceremonies, President Armenti urged them to become a part of the University's culture of philanthropy, as embodied in the Cal U for Life initiative.

"As you walk across the stage to receive your diplomas, you will be closing one chapter of your life's journey, and opening another," he said. "That turning of the page is likely to be both exhilarating and just a little disconcerting, since we can never know what the future will bring.

"But one thing is certain: You will join the select group of educated and influential citizens, teachers, business leaders, scientists, scholars and others who will build tomorrow's America, and tomorrow's world."