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It is now my privilege to introduce this evening's keynote speaker.
Jack Clarke, Jr. is a partner in the litigation department of the Riverside office
of Best, Best and Krieger, a 200-attorney law firm with offices
throughout California.
Mr. Clarke is involved in several types of substantial litigation matters.
He has successfully defended school districts and other clients in civil rights
and constitutional matters and administrative and courtroom hearings and trials.
Mr. Clarke received his juris doctor degree with distinction from the Univeristy of the Pacific
McGeorge School of Law in 1985.
He has a B.S. degree in administrative studies from the University of California, Riverside in
1980. {cheers and applause}
Mr. Clarke has several notable accomplishments within the legal community and within the
greater community. Here are just a few of them.
He is a frequent speaker on education law matters in California and national
conventions.
He was the first partner of African-American descent in the hundred
year history of his law firm.
He has twice been acknowledged as one of the hundred mostly influential lawyers in California
by California Law Business magazine.
He was the first person of African-American descent to serve as chairman of the board
of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.
He is also a past recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award in Riverside.
He is a charter member of the UCR Athletic Hall of Fame.
And finally, of additional significance to our campus, this year he completed his
tenure as immediate past president of the UCR Alumni Association.
Please join me in welcoming Jack Clarke, Jr. {applause}
Thank you Dean Cullenberg for that
very kind introduction.
How you all feeling tonight? OK? {cheers}
I wasn't supposed to say that.
What I am going to say is this
Chancellor White,
graduates,
honorable dignitaries and guests,
friends and family,
I'm very humbled to be here tonight. You see, it was 30 years ago
this year
that I graduated from this fine institution.
And to be truthful, I
found the task of trying to come up with something to talk about rather daunting.
I mean talking to a first-class group of philosophers, political scientists,
economists, anthropologists,
soon to be lawyers
is well, daunting.
Historians too.
So I did what I've
done many times in my almost 20 years of marriage, I asked my wife
what she thought I should talk about.
My wife Sheila is sitting over there. {applause}
And she thought for a few moments
and after thinking for a few moments she said, "Jack,
I've heard you talk
many times over the last 18 years that we've been married,
and if I were you I would talk about three minutes and sit down. {laughter}
Now, I'm not going to take her full advice. I'm going to talk just slightly longer
than that. But my wife's statement
gave an idea to me for topic tonight.
And the topic is
the wisdom
of our family lineages
and the wisdom that I hope
you, the graduating class of 2010,
will bring
to our communities.
Along that line I want to
quote my father, Jack B. Clarke, Sr.
He was a wise man and he told me something I'll never forget. He said Jack,
if you ever
meet a man or a woman
who has told you that they did anything in their life significant
and they did on their own?
That man or woman is not telling the truth.
Along that line,
graduates I will acknowledge that this is your day.
But at the outset
I would like every parent,
step-parent,
every foster parent
every member of the graduate's extended family,
every caregiver,
every friend,
every significant other,
every life partner,
or for that matter, anyone in the audience who was here to support one of the
graduates here today in any form or fashion,
give yourselves a round of applause, because it is through your support and
sacrifice that they are here. {applause}
Now, let's talk about family wisdom.
I wanted to share some,
what I consider to be great wisdom
that was passed along to me
by a letter that was written by my late grandfather,
Mr. Thomas Monroe Campbell,
who was a scholar of significant achievement
at Tuskegee
University,
a historically Black college in Alabama.
And he shared this wisdom with my
mother, the then Elizabeth Campbell, when she started her graduate work
at a college in the Midwest in 1943.
In a letter to my mother my grandfather gave the following advice:
"Elizabeth, don't ever, under any circumstances
forget your home training.
Simple
right and wrong."
Now I know to some of you these words may seem too obvious
for words.
The philosophers are probably thinking I've stated an existential banality of almost absolutely
insignificant proportions. {laughter}
So far as I can tell there is no right or wrong in economics.
The historians and anthropologists are probably wondering if my grandfather was
reputable primary authority,
and the political scientist have no concept of right or wrong at all except as
handed down by a severely divided opinion from the Supreme Court. {laughter}
But I would submit
with all due respect to
your skepticism,
that the simplicity
of my grandfather's
advice
masks its profundity.
Graduates,
too many very educated people
seem to lose their minds once they leave universities like this
and I'm very serious about this.
For example,
I understand there are a lot of
relatively educated people in our state legislature and our state executive branch.
Yet as a group they seem to have lost the basic concept of right and wrong.
Like the concept that is wrong not to do every possible thing you can to make
sure that public higher education is available to everyone in this state.
Or like the concept
that it is right
to keep the public good at the forefront of their minds and actions,
rather than let completely artificial distinctions of political party shape policy decisions. {applause}
I for one
have come to a point in my life where I don't care
of titles such as democrat or republicans
and I'm tired of hearing about conservative and liberals.
I'm much more concerned
with integrity
of a person's critical thinking abilities. {applause}
In that regard graduates
my sincerest hope
is that you
will all work to
bring a new type of wisdom to the fore.
That instead of merely
seeking secure positions within
the system,
I think referred to earlier as the establishment,
you will seek to
change the entire paradigm upon which our institutions are based.
I'm very, very serious about this
If your studies have shown you anything,
I hope they have shown you that the social, economic and political systems
that we live under
are simply ingenious ideas that caught on.
That it' That means they can be changed. They're malleable.
And you my brothers and sisters,
through your studies have mastered the use of language,
have studied the great concepts of the great thinkers,
but now it's time to apply what you've mastered and I implore you, have the
courage to help us to change the paradigm for which we live in.
And if you are sitting there thinking
"Well, wait a minute Jack. How can I do that?
I mean I'm just one person."
Figure it out.
You have an advanced degree. That's what you came here for. {applause}
In other words, don't forget your home training.
Basic right and wrong.
Now, my grandfather shared another piece of advice in that letter he sent to my
mother in 1943.
In addition to not forgetting her home training,
begin gave her the following advice:
Elizabeth, don't swear.
Cowards do mostly this
and don't use bolder
language.
Now, on the whole, I think that is good and admirable advice.
But I have to respectfully disagree with my grandfather in a small way because I
believe we in the 21st century
need to draw from the full spectrum of language available to us as human beings. {laughter}
In other words, on very rare occasions, you do need to cuss to get your point across.
I want to be clear... now wait, hold on a minute, don't get drunk on this. {laughter}
I want to be clear,
I'm not in any way advocating cussing.
Let me give you a real world example an appropriate situation.
Several years ago a I was in my law office and I was exchanging verbal jabs my one of
my law partners.
Happens to be a very good friend of mine.
And this is true, during the course of the conversation he said words to this
effect.
Clarke, I don't get it.
I attended an Ivy League university.
I attended an Ivy League law school,
and you, Clarke,
attended a small, state-supported university
and a non-Ivy League law school
and I end up in an office next to you!
Now, see, this is an occasion when I could not follow my grandfather's advice. {laughter}
Indeed, I can't even repeat
the words that I used.
But I can give you a loose translation.
Loosely translated, I said to him,
my friend
the University of California, Riverside, prepares its graduates doggone well. {applause and cheering}
My translation what I said to my law partner is an absolute truth.
The training and life experience that I obtained here
have been some of the most significant gifts of my life.
Right up there with my two children.
I would encourage you
to attend to your accomplishments
like a master gardener.
Through your work, you have tilled the fields of your intellect and stamina and
brought forth fruit
which has brought you here today.
And please keep working those fields, because I can almost guarantee
that even sweeter fruit is ahead.
Be proud of what you accomplish, my brother and sisters.
As my mother used to say, it's a poor dog
that won't wag its own tail.
So enjoy this day.
And I'm almost done now. In closing, I would note that my grandfather spoke in terms
of prohibitions - don't do this and don't do that.
Here in the 21st century
I want to finish with words of empowerment rather than prohibition.
First, be absolutely certain
that despite the difficult times in this country, in this world,
the education you've received here,
and the discipline you've learned here at UCR
will help you not only survive,
but actually thrive.
And I respectfully disagree with my soon-to-be
partner in the bar,
you will thrive, graduates.
Second, be absolutely sure you can change the paradigms of society. Use your critical
thinking skills, use your persuasiveness.
Help us all to become
as a community, as a society, better.
I am sincere in saying that we are counting on you.
Third, and finally,
be sure
never, ever to forget
this wonderful university we call you UCR.
My mother also used to say
"Jack, don't forget
who brought you to the dance."
Stay close to UCR your in your heart and mind.
Come back and mentor students. Support UCR's
programs in whatever way you can,
because at the end of this day
you will all be alumni and we will truly be family.
And it will be incumbent upon each one of you
to carry on the lineage of UCR,
and to share your family wisdom with your respective communities
and ultimately, with the world.
Congratulations, class of 2010 and thank you for your kind attention.
{applause}