 In addition, two outstanding graduates of Lincoln College were
accorded honorary degrees. Brenda Chapman and James Knecht expressed
their profound affection for the school and the outstanding
preparation they were accorded to follow their dreams after
graduation. Each shared their most sage advice with the awaiting new
grads.Judge Knecht received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree
from the school. His sponsor, William Gossett, Lincoln College
trustee emeritus, read a list that continued for several minutes,
telling of Knecht's accomplishments. In addition to his duties as a
judge of the Illinois 4th District Appellate Court, Knecht has given
his time to domestic violence prevention, teaching at Illinois State
University and the University of Illinois.
Knecht's remarks during his presentation harkened back to an
incident he and a friend shared during their student days. While
hitchhiking through Illinois to get to a summer job, they were given
a ride by a very unusual couple. The ride ended in Jacksonville,
where the driver of the car stepped out and entered the Jacksonville
Central Hospital for the Insane. His wife grinned at the young men
and said her husband had just been out on a weekend pass. Knecht and
his friend were out of the car as quickly as possible after thanking
their benefactors. Knecht said that later, upon reflecting on the
incident, he came to the conclusion that he had been given a
profound, albeit inadvertent, bit of advice.
He said the idea of "a weekend pass" has stayed with him, and it
is what has given meaning to his life. Knecht said we all need a
weekend pass at times, really an idea of something that can renew us
as we pass through the sometimes stressful journey of life. His
advice was for each graduate, actually the entire assemblage, to
develop their own weekend pass. For Knecht, it is his extended
family; his wife of 47 years, Ruth; his children and grandchildren.
His weekend pass is involvement in the activities that interest his
family.
"We all need a weekend pass, something that each of us can
develop that takes us away from our everyday lives," he said.
He concluded his remarks by saying: "It is important to plan for
the future upon graduation, but don't rush. We don't want to miss
today while planning for tomorrow."
Lincoln College trustee Susan Hoblit sponsored Brenda Chapmen to
receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Chapman has been
everywhere in Lincoln this weekend. Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder and
the city council presented her with a resolution on Friday declaring
this "Brenda Chapman Weekend." She is a Lincoln College grad from
the Class of 1982 with a degree in art.
Chapman remarked how nervous she was when she first approached
the podium to give her presentation. This from the woman who
received the Academy Award three months ago for the movie "Brave,"
which she directed.
Making light of the intermittent television reception that left
her time to do something creative, Chapman said, "I grew up in
Beason, and reading and drawing soon became a passion for me."
After graduating from Lincoln High School, she enrolled in
Lincoln College to continue her education with the focus on art.
"I knew I always wanted to draw, and Lincoln College was a
wonderful experience for me," she said. "Albert Wong was one of the
dedicated art professors. He not only taught art, but instilled a
self-confidence in me that has been vital to my success."
After graduation, she was at loose ends and applied to the
California Institute of Arts to complete her education. Her initial
application was rejected, not for lack of talent, but because her
portfolio was not up to the school's standards. This moment in
Chapman's life was profound, because she was determined to reach her
goal as a professional artist, specifically in animation.
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 "I stayed in Lincoln for two years after graduation, working at
service jobs to earn money for college," she said.
Chapman also returned to Lincoln College as a part-time student
taking art classes. The professors took her passion for animation
and gave her the extra instruction she needed. Chapman related how
art professor Larry Thomas insisted she take a dance class to
understand how people moved, and she then transferred this new
understanding to animation. Chapman was effusive in her praise to
her Lincoln College professors and their belief in her.
The next time she applied to Cal Arts, with her additional LC "postgrad"
instruction, she was admitted. And the rest, as they say, is
history.
Chapman's charge to the new LC grads was to never give up on
their dreams.
"Your graduation today is the beginning, not the end of your
education. Never accept failure. Learn from it and press on. Follow
your passion," she said.
Chapman related that her stepfather liked to say he never worked
a day in his life. He was a farmer and loved his chosen field so
much that it was a pleasure for him to farm. It never seemed like
work. "I have always tried to follow his attitude," she said.
The commencement was on campus in the Jack Nutt Arena in the
Lincoln Center. The arena was filled to capacity an hour before the
opening ceremonies.
The candidates for degrees, college trustees and professors filed
into the arena, accompanied by the piano strains of "Pomp and
Circumstance," played by LC Professor Cynthia Fox.
Once the procession was in place, Lincoln College President
Blackburn called upon Michael Coley, an LC student and minister, to
present the invocation.
Blackburn marked the day as a special celebration of the hard
work and dedication of the students and the commitment of the
professors and staff at the college to make the student experience a
fulfilling one, an experience that would prepare the graduates for
the next journey in their lives.
Lincoln resident Taylor Perry presented the graduating student
address to the gathering. She has maintained a perfect 4.0
grade-point average at LC, has been on the cheerleading team and
served as a student ambassador. Upon graduation, she will enroll in
St. Francis Medical Center School of Nursing in Peoria, with the
goal of earning a master's degree in nursing in order to teach.
Perry reflected on her time at Lincoln College, especially the
nurturing environment fostered by the professors.
"I had an outstanding student experience," she said. "My
roommates and teammates have become lifelong friends."
The culmination of the commencement was at hand. Blackburn
welcomed the graduating students individually onto the stage to hand
them their diplomas. The excitement in the arena was electric.
After a stirring rendition of "Homeland" by the Lincoln College
Chorale, under the direction of Cynthia Fox, the new graduates then
filed out of the arena to be greeted by ecstatic family and friends,
some with bouquets of flowers. Families were laughing and in some
cases shedding tears of joy all at the same time.
After a reception in the space that will soon become the new site
of the Lincoln Heritage Museum, the students were out the door and
traveling to their new lives as Lincoln College graduates.
[By CURT FOX]
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