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American Morning

Look at Backup Graduation Speaker

Aired May 24, 2002 - 09:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: On Broadway, an understudy takes the role when a Broadway star fills ill. In sports, an eager bench warmer jumps in when a starter is injured, but what about when the graduation speaker can't give the big speech?

Here is CNN's Bruce Burkhardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROF. JOHN SULLIVAN, ELON UNIVERSITY: This is a very, very important day.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Always happens about every time this year. Well-known faces showing up on campuses across the country to offer life lessons to the newly graduated: the commencement speech.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a calling.

SULLIVAN: Can you make a difference? Damn right

(APPLAUSE)

BURKHARDT: But what if for some reason the big-name speaker doesn't show up, a sickness, a flight is canceled, an emergency of some sorts. What then? Well, somebody has to send these young folks out into the world with a few words of wisdom.

SULLIVAN: This actually is a cannon law robe, but it's more colorful.

BURKHARDT: Philosophy professor John Sullivan knows a thing or two about commencement speeches.

SULLIVAN: Two levels of life, to stay awake, to see what the heart...

BURKHARDT: It was 1980 when John Sullivan penned his first commencement speech about the time that most of this year's graduates here at Elon University here in North Carolina were born. He's prepared one for every graduation since then.

(on camera): Nobody has heard these words.

SULLIVAN: No. No one has heard these.

BURKHARDT: They just have been...

SULLIVAN: They have been. There sort of like hidden away.

BURKHARDT (voice-over): While no one is keeping official records, it's guessed that no one has been a backup commencement speaker longer than John Sullivan. Twenty years as the bridesmaid, more than two decades of advice not shared.

SULLIVAN: Maybe that's sort of good life lesson that every one of us has certain things unexpressed and part of the secret of who we are.

BURKHARDT: Who John Sullivan is a popular professor here at Elon, who, knowing that he would probably never give his speech, still poured everything into it. Looking back, most speeches had a common theme.

SULLIVAN: Students being aware and in their life and living in a wider world, sort of living large. I think that's a theme that goes through the whole bunch.

BURKHARDT: All these years waiting in the wings, professor Sullivan could see himself coming to the rescue.

SULLIVAN: I imagine myself during the day or the night before or something happening and I, like in the old movies, would ride up and save the day.

BURKHARDT: Well, it didn't happen exactly like that. But Sullivan is at last on Saturday riding in to save the day. The scheduled commencement speaker, former astronaut May Jamesson (ph) had to cancel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will give you the opening line.

BURKHARDT (on camera): OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After you know, acknowledging people, I will say, it's been a long time coming.

(LAUGHTER)

BURKHARDT(voice-over): Go forth into the world professor Sullivan. Live life large, and enjoy the moment.

SULLIVAN: It's a wonderful quote from Frederick Bucknell (ph), as he said find your calling to find the intersection between your own deep gladness and the world's deep hunger. And that's what I want for these students.

BURKHARDT: Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Elon, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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