On a sunny and nearly cloudless Sunday, newly minted University of Toledo graduates celebrated spring commencement in the Glass Bowl, marking the ceremony’s return to the outdoor stadium for the first time in nearly a decade.
The stadium filled with smiling graduates — many in mortarboards decorated with messages of celebration and gratitude — proud parents, and all the pomp and circumstance of college graduation.
Keynote speaker Christine Brennan, an award-winning journalist and Toledo native, offered graduates “Glass Bowl life lessons,” modeled after stories her father told while sitting in Section 6, Row 4, including during the team’s 1969-71 undefeated streak.
Ms. Brennan, a columnist at USA Today, author, and television and radio commentator, reflected on her early years as a sports fan in the stands with her siblings and father, Jim Brennan, the late Toledo businessman and chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party.
PHOTO GALLERY: University of Toledo spring commencement
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“It’s especially meaningful to me to be in this stadium, in the beautiful Glass Bowl,” she said. “As a young girl in love with sports before Title IX, before girls were encouraged to love and play sports, I threw my heart and soul into that Rockets football team. And what did it do? It won, and it won, and it won again. ... Any wonder that I then became a journalist covering sports?”
Among the lessons she shared: listen and think before speaking, choose happiness, and write thank-you notes.
Her last piece of advice, she said, came with apologies to the English department: “This ain’t no dress rehearsal.”
“This isn’t a run-through for the real thing, this is the real thing. So go for it,” she said. “Take chances; follow your heart. ... Live life to the fullest.”
UT’s board of trustees is expected to name her its first nonvoting national board member at a May 15 meeting.
University President Sharon Gaber congratulated graduates and their families.
“Today marks a momentous occasion, one that I know our graduates, their families, and our faculty have long awaited,” Ms. Gaber said. “It’s a day to celebrate a personal milestone that rewards a lot of hard work and the opportunities that higher education brings. It also is a new chapter for graduates leaving their current university experience behind them in order to pursue their place in the global marketplace or fulfill additional academic goals.”
Carolyn Grobbel, 24, wasted no time in entering the work force. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering, the Southgate, Mich., native will begin a job today in Ann Arbor. It’s a bittersweet moment, she said, one of accomplishment and sadness as she leaves behind her university community.
“I’ve been able to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of friends,” she said. “I’m going to miss seeing everyone every day. I’ve loved it here at UT. The faculty here is just amazing. They engage with the students and care about your success.”
UT celebrated 2,906 candidates for degrees, including 236 doctoral, 681 master’s, 1,932 bachelor’s, and 57 associate’s degree candidates. Commencement ceremonies in recent years had been held in the indoor Savage Arena.
Rona Manning waved eagerly from the stands and spotted her son, UT cornerback Kennedy Frazier, 22, as the football player walked into the stadium with his fellow graduates. Ms. Manning traveled from Baltimore with several family members to celebrate her son’s bachelor’s degree in communication.
“I’m so excited, I couldn’t sleep last night,” she said. “I am so proud of him. All things are possible through God. I just say praise God for it.”
Contact Lauren Lindstrom at llindstrom@theblade.com, 419-724-6154, or on Twitter @lelindstrom.
First Published May 8, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
