It’s great to back home in Philadelphia and to this important graduation.
My earliest memories are with my parents and grandparents, in the heart of North Philly, at Hunting Park and Broad.
Believe it or not, I can remember the horses that used to deliver the milk up and down 15th street as my brother and I sat on grandmom’s porch. I can remember the long horse trough up at the corner of Hunting Park and Broad, right next to the subway station where the horses would splash way as they drank late in the afternoon.
One of my earliest memories was being next door at the Academy of Music (believe it or not) in 1949, as my dad graduated from Drexel. That’s 66 years ago!
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I talked to my older brother yesterday. He said that Mom said we were running up and down the aisle causing all kinds of trouble.
So to the children of the graduates here tonight, watching your parents get their degree, you’re starting out the same way I did!
Anyway, I’ve been given my job description here. Speak for five to seven minutes and say something important, something useful or inspiring.
I’m going for useful.
I’ve spent the last forty-some years watching politicians in action. Sometimes I have to beat the truth out of them. Other times I just watch and learn…learn how people get ahead in this world.
You know, times change. When I wrote speeches for the President on Air Force One, we still used Selectric II typewriters.
When I began writing my newspaper column, there were columnists around who’d filed on Western Union, by telegraph.
But one thing that hasn’t changed, that won’t change, is people. The need to deal with people. If you want to get ahead in this life, you’ve got to find ways to deal with real, live, sometimes difficult people.









