Michael Josephson's 42-Year-Old Valedictory Address 645.5
Tomorrow, I will be named Alumnus of the Year by UCLA. I’m pretty excited about it. There’s something very special about receiving a major honor from one’s Alma Mater.
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But there’s a special irony as well. When I graduated from law school in 1967, I was given the honor of delivering the valedictory address on behalf of students receiving advanced degrees. My speech was controversial and enraged the Chancellor. I thought it might since I singled out by name some of the leading politicians of the day for proposing simplistic solutions to complicated problems, adding that I didn’t think our country could long withstand their sort of leadership.
Unfortunately, my youthful decision to snub my nose at convention and authority obscured my noble rhetoric designed to prod my contemporaries to take an active part in shaping our society.
I spoke of defining moments for my generation: the election and assassination of John F. Kennedy who, to quote from my address, “ripped the cobwebs from political idealism. He articulated the issues of our time and pledged to confront them with vigor and tenacity.”
Kennedy convinced us that the torch of power was now in our hands, but his sudden and premature death “brought home, with brutal eloquence, the meaning of unfulfilled promise.” But, I added, we can’t use this as an excuse to withdraw because “the complexity of our world requires, more than ever before, the leadership and impetus of its intellectuals.”
My closing words are as pertinent today as they were 42 years ago: “The phrase ‘leaders of tomorrow’ can have no application to any of us after today. Our time is now. The burden is ours. Although we know the world will never be perfect, we know it can be better. Within our heads is the power to make it so. For the sake of all of us, use that power.”
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Click here to read the full speech, which was reprinted in the Congressional Record in August 1967.
Michael has a renegade impulse and history of which many of you may not be aware. Click here to glimpse the early Michael.
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Comments
Congrats, Michael. Well deserved!
All the best,
Captain Stew Fisher (author of Inspiring Leadership: Character and Ethics Matter, foreword by
Coach John Wooden)
Posted by: Stew | November 20, 2009 5:02 PM
Hi Michael:
I wanted to offer my congratulations to you on your award. You will join such an elite group of people to receive such a prestigious award, and I am honored that you have asked me to be part of your special evening.
Chris
Posted by: Chris | November 20, 2009 5:09 PM
Congratulations, Mr. Josephson, on being named the 2009 UCLA Alumnus of the Year!
I appreciate the good work you are doing for our global community, and I personally very much enjoy your inspirational commentaries.
Your quotation below is taped to the bottom of my computer screen at work,
“Every day, ordinary people prove that cynicism is a deplorable lie. Stories of courage, heroism, self-sacrifice, and compassion inspire and elevate us because they confirm our extraordinary capacity for nobility.”
By Michael Josephson
Best wishes for continued success,
Linda Lawson
Posted by: Linda | November 20, 2009 5:16 PM
I LOVE the website. What a wonderful tool to have as a parent!
Thank you and congratulations.
Marilyn Caya
Posted by: Marilyn | November 20, 2009 5:17 PM
Michael,
Congratulations on this august occasion. I am the tennis coach at Notre Dame and also spent 15 years at the Naval Academy and have been shaped by these places. What you say resonates with me and reaffirms my commitment to integrity. Keep up the great work!
Best wishes,
Bobby Bayliss
Posted by: Bobby | November 20, 2009 5:19 PM
As a former Bruin, a "bar review student" of yours in 1976, and someone who listens to you almost every day on the radio (and now in Ralphs stores where I worked my teenage years through my second year of law school in 1975), I congratulate you on your outstanding service to this country, to the University, and for Character Counts.
Now, if you can just make it through the students who are protesting the outrageous tuition increase tomorrow, more power to you.
Today's and yesterday's demonstrations remind me of student films I made at UCLA when we students demonstrated in front of Murphy Hall in 1971.(Bill Walton did too. I filmed him!)
Best to you,
Richard D. Marks
Posted by: Richard | November 20, 2009 5:23 PM
Congratulations, Mr. Josephson, on your being honored as the 2009 UCLA Alumnus of the Year! All the best to you, and please keep up the great work with Character Counts! It really is a blessing to me, and I often share your commentaries with others.
God bless,
Gwen
Posted by: Gwen | November 20, 2009 5:25 PM
I applaud your honor. I also applaud your broadcast and
what you do for presenting ethics to your listeners - as I am.
I heard your broadcast this morning and found it amusing and
educational. (I assume the same chancellor is not at UCLA? lol)
Dan
Posted by: Dan | November 20, 2009 5:26 PM
In 1967, American society was badly divided over Vietnam and other matters. A large part of adult society was totally turned off by the younger generation and their antics and destruction of buildings despite marching under a peace symbol. What hypocrisy. Your words are less important than the very polarized society that existed at that time. Those words may seem tame by today's standards, but at that time the greater the dissent--especially accompanied by violent acts--only polarized society further. Why would any seemingly intelligent young man wear hair as a political statement--hair so long he could wipe his rear end with it? He puts himself out of the job market and then complains further, not realizing he is the cause of his problems. When the self-interest factor kicked in (abolition of the military draft and ending the war in Vietnam), things started to return to a more normal basis--gradually. I do not have fond memories of that time and kept my hair short ever since--as a political statement at first, then as a preference.
Posted by: Allan | November 20, 2009 7:23 PM
My husband (now deceased) was a student of yours at Loyola in the late 1970s and spoke very frequently and very highly of you, so I feel as if I know you personally. As a UCLA alum, I am proud that my university has recognized you for your selfless contribution to society. I followed both links and read your commencement speech and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Thank you for being an individual who does not conform but who encourages each of us to be the most ethical person we can be.
Posted by: Jane | November 22, 2009 8:49 AM
Congratulations on your great accomplishments. You are one of the few who can say that you reached the top and "Did it my way." Let's get Barack to speak specifically on CC! I know he speaks a lot about responsibility, respect, citizenship, and fairness. Once he mentions the program, our inner city schools will be more apt to embrace the six pillars, which can hopefully lead to less crime and violence and begin to eliminate the criminal element of society.
Posted by: Smoke | November 25, 2009 10:02 AM