John McEnroe - Printable Version

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John McEnroe - 82lsju - 04-13-2023

to be 2023 commencement speaker

https://news.stanford.edu/report/2023/04/12/hall-fame-tennis-legend-john-mcenroe-will-speak-stanfords-2023-commencement-ceremony/?utm_term=0_c042b4aad7-82fe456050-55254950

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0hK1wyrrAU

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RE: John McEnroe - StanfordMatt - 04-13-2023

You cannot be serious!!!

Sure beats our year's class with Tom Brokaw.

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RE: John McEnroe - Jamesy - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 09:44 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:  You cannot be serious!!!

Sure beats our year's class with Tom Brokaw.

At least you didn't have Dana Gioia (who?).
https://library.stanford.edu/spc/university-archives/researching-stanford-history/commencement-addresses

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RE: John McEnroe - 82lsju - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 11:25 AM)Jamesy Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 09:44 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:  You cannot be serious!!!

Sure beats our year's class with Tom Brokaw.

At least you didn't have Dana Gioia (who?).
https://library.stanford.edu/spc/university-archives/researching-stanford-history/commencement-addresses

I'm feeling pretty good about our ('82) speaker, Sandra Day O'Connor, she actually came to our class photo at our 25th reunion (it was her 55th law school reunion) along with Dean Fred



and both signed my graduation program

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RE: John McEnroe - Nan3cy - 04-13-2023

Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

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RE: John McEnroe - Mick - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)Nan3cy Wrote:  Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

President Johnson's general in the War on Poverty. Penchant for Yogi Berra-style malaprops. Hahvahd Law grad. Dept of Labor head.

THE INVALUABLE LEGACY OF WILLARD WIRTZ « Farmworker Movement Documentation Project - Primary source accounts by the UFW volunteers (ucsd.edu)

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RE: John McEnroe - PVTree - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)Nan3cy Wrote:  Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

Former owner of the Chicago Blackhawks would have been my guess.

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Tip O'Neill was my class's commencement speaker.

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RE: John McEnroe - Mick - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 01:48 PM)PVTree Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)Nan3cy Wrote:  Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

Former owner of the Chicago Blackhawks would have been my guess.

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Tip O'Neill was my class's commencement speaker.

Eldest son's graduation at Princeton in 2014 featured Al Gore, and he was genuinely hilarious for two solid minutes, unfortunately he spoke for about 20 minutes. I heard that the class valedictorian (also hilarious, but for his entire speech) wrote AG's opening. Younger son, same school, featured Stanford alum/football player Senator Cory Booker. Booker referenced his alma mater, and Stanfordites in the crowd applauded politely, including my father in law (Stanford '53 and '57).

Booker and Gore had similarly uplifting themes. The major difference I recall is that, speakers are given a complimentary Princeton "beer jacket" of the vintage worn by that year's grads. Almost all the speakers put on their beer jackets, as did Senator Booker. Mr. Gore, a Harvard grad, did not.

You can see Booker wearing his beer jacket at the very end of his speech (36:40 mark)
corey booker princeton speech

Here's Gore holding up the jacket, wouldn't put it on. No sense of humor at the Stanford of the East:

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RE: John McEnroe - PVTree - 04-13-2023

Hahvahd hated fun way before Stanford. ;)

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RE: John McEnroe - TonyLima - 04-13-2023

Steve Jobs was pretty good.  Stole a lot of his stuff when I was asked to speak at a commencement.

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RE: John McEnroe - 81alum - 04-13-2023

McEnroe was in my class.  Did he ever get a degree?  He was one of Stanford's few one-and-dones.

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RE: John McEnroe - 82 Card - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)82lsju Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 11:25 AM)Jamesy Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 09:44 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:  You cannot be serious!!!

Sure beats our year's class with Tom Brokaw.

At least you didn't have Dana Gioia (who?).
https://library.stanford.edu/spc/university-archives/researching-stanford-history/commencement-addresses

I'm feeling pretty good about our ('82) speaker, Sandra Day O'Connor, she actually came to our class photo at our 25th reunion (it was her 55th law school reunion) along with Dean Fred



and both signed my graduation program

I assume O'Connor's speech was fine. Don't really remember much about the speech. I just remember being grateful when shade from the trees at edge of the amphitheater reached my spot on a really hot day.

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RE: John McEnroe - 82lsju - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 05:31 PM)82 Card Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)82lsju Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 11:25 AM)Jamesy Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 09:44 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:  You cannot be serious!!!

Sure beats our year's class with Tom Brokaw.

At least you didn't have Dana Gioia (who?).
https://library.stanford.edu/spc/university-archives/researching-stanford-history/commencement-addresses

I'm feeling pretty good about our ('82) speaker, Sandra Day O'Connor, she actually came to our class photo at our 25th reunion (it was her 55th law school reunion) along with Dean Fred



and both signed my graduation program

I assume O'Connor's speech was fine. Don't really remember much about the speech. I just remember being grateful when shade from the trees at edge of the amphitheater reached my spot on a really hot day.

I don't recall much about the speech, we were roasting in the front row in Frost (that's me in the '82 shirt and open graduation gown)...I can send you a photo of the text of the speech if you PM me.  She was delightful at our 25th reunion, her security people kept trying to get her to leave but she really seemed to enjoy talking to us.

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RE: John McEnroe - jacket3ree - 04-13-2023

We had Ted Kopple in '86.  I think. Just looked it up.  Correct. (So memorable.)

We were supposed to have Sandra Day O'Conner at GT the year before, but something happened and we had a substitute Regent.  I was so busy trying not to throw up, I wouldn't have remembered, having spent the night and morning before passed out in a fetid pond we made in front of the house because what else is one to do on their last night of college?

When my son commissioned at Annapolis it was supposedly an Obama year, but for whatever reason we had Sec Def.  Not a great speaker. The Commandant of the Marine Corps on the other hand....I'd follow that guy into battle.  (Which I guess, is why he is COMC.)  The flyover was pretty epic. Wow, was it hot and humid.

My daughter's commencement speaker at U Portland was not very famous, but was really good. It was one student walking across the stage, however, that brought down the house. I'll never forget it. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj7GVRHDs_aVvByV-znQ-lyMPapu2OrRX

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RE: John McEnroe - qwerty49 - 04-13-2023

I think we had Chuck Percy. I didn’t pay much attention.

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RE: John McEnroe - PVTree - 04-13-2023

I recall that there's was the hope that Gorbachev would be our commencement speaker. He was scheduled to be in the US for a meeting with Reagan on those dates. Unfortunately, that was rescheduled and no Gorby for us.

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RE: John McEnroe - jfredmuggs - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)Nan3cy Wrote:  Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

I was there (apparently). It was 1969. I have absolutely no memory of being there, let alone listening to Willard Wirtz, but my lovely wife, who also graduated that year, assures me that I was. So no bonus points for me. Who the hell was Willard Wirtz?

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RE: John McEnroe - CompSci87 - 04-13-2023

(04-13-2023, 01:48 PM)PVTree Wrote:  Tip O'Neill was my class's commencement speaker.

I was there (PhD '87), but I didn't remember Tip O'Neill was the speaker. Had to look it up.

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RE: John McEnroe - newguy - 04-14-2023

(04-13-2023, 07:56 PM)PVTree Wrote:  I recall that there's was the hope that Gorbachev would be our commencement speaker. He was scheduled to be in the US for a meeting with Reagan on those dates. Unfortunately, that was rescheduled and no Gorby for us.

Gorbachev was our first choice, but our second choice was Bill Cosby.  He said no when we refused to give him an honorary degree.  In hindsight, I kinda think we made the right call.

So we ended up with Koppel.  The first few minutes of his address were about how he was our 3rd choice.  He then went on to express his concerns about how journalism was becoming more about easily digestible blurbs, a la USA Today.  If only that were the main problem with today's journalism.....

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(04-13-2023, 05:31 PM)81alum Wrote:  McEnroe was in my class.  Did he ever get a degree?  He was one of Stanford's few one-and-dones.

Mac was a Rincadelt.  He sprained his ankle playing pickup basketball, and that ankle was a problem throughout his professional career.

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RE: John McEnroe - Nan3cy - 04-14-2023

(04-13-2023, 08:01 PM)jfredmuggs Wrote:  

(04-13-2023, 11:32 AM)Nan3cy Wrote:  Okay, this was a while ago, but you’re still not gonna beat Willard Wirtz. (Bonus points for anyone who know who the heck Willard Wirtz was.)

I was there (apparently).  It was 1969.  I have absolutely no memory of being there, let alone listening to Willard Wirtz, but my lovely wife, who also graduated that year, assures me that I was.  So no bonus points for me.  Who the hell was Willard Wirtz?

As noted above, he was LBJ’s secretary of labor.

Now I’m curious as to whether we know each other. If you’re willing, please DM me who you and your wife are, and I’ll reciprocate?

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